Creekside Arts Celebration
see page A3
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA PERMIT 190
IT’S YOUR PAPER www.claytonpioneer.com
MARCH 10, 2006
925.672.0500
Loaves and Fishes feeds the hungry DAVE SHUEY
MAYOR’S CORNER You’ve got questions? The mayor, NOT his wife, has the answers First things first: Is your blue garbage can smaller than your brown can? Is your neighbor’s? If it is, you better get moving on recycling. We need more than lip service, or the state will mandate that we take stronger measures to reduce our garbage/recycling ratio. Now, on to better things. My wife Shelly makes a big sacrifice for my public service. There are many days and nights that I am not home with her and the kids, since I am out doing city stuff. In addition, she is around town during the day while I am off at my other job. So, she is the one who gets all the questions about what is going on in the city from friends, neighbors, strangers, aliens (OK, maybe a stretch but the way she describes some of these encounters leaves me wondering). In honor of the love of my life, here are the top seven questions (I don’t have space for 10) asked of her, and my answers, David Letterman style. No. 7: What is going on with the Village Market? We just met with the owner, Sam Sandhu, last week. The city approved his plans in January, and he is currently going through the approval process with the county and the fire district. We all hope that he will be building/remodeling in a few months. No. 6: Isn’t it great we have a new Pick Up Stix in town? Though the food is good there, this fine establishment is in Concord as is the rest of the Yard Birds shopping center and the Shell Station on the corner.
See Mayor, page A3
What’s inside SECTION A Around Town . . . . . . . . . .A2 Classifieds and Directory of Advertisers . . . . . . . . . .A5 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . .A6 Minding Your Business . . .A8 Financial Sense . . . . . . . . . .A9 School News . . . . . . . . . . . .A9 EcoFocus . . . . . . . . . . . . .A10 Club News . . . . . . . . . . . .A10 Sharing History . . . . . . . .A12 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . .A13
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
LUNCH AT ST. MICHAELS AND ALL ANGELS CHURCH in Concord is only one of nearly 2.8 million meals a year served to to the hungry by Loaves and Fishes. BEV BRITTON Clayton Pioneer
The mission is simple: If you are hungry, we will feed you. No questions asked. “Our places are open to anybody,” says Rick Richardson, executive director of Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa. “Even if they can financially afford to eat somewhere else, we’re here for them. They are coming here for a reason.” And like the Biblical miracle, the group’s efforts just keep
multiplying. The non-profit organization was launched in Pittsburg in 1983. The first day, 26 meals were served. The group will soon reach the 2.8 million mark, providing lunch Monday through Friday at facilities in Antioch, Bay Point, Concord, Martinez, Oakley and Pittsburg. As Loaves expanded, paid staff was added. Now, a chef runs a catering kitchen and each dining room has a manager. But the 1,000-plus volunteers are the soul of the organization, con-
VOLUNTEERS IN ACTION A contingent from St. Bonaventure’s Catholic Church cooks and serves spaghetti the first Friday of each month at the Concord dining hall. Claire Mittone of Clayton has been volunteering with Loaves for 18 years. Her hus-
band Dick began helping out after he retired five years ago. Although Claire recognizes faces among the diners, there isn’t time for socializing. “You could join them if you wanted to, but I’m too busy serving,” she says. “Many come back two or three times. This one fella comes back seven times – I don’t know where he puts it all.” Charlotte Simmons of Clayton also began helping at Loaves after retirement. “I get a great deal of satisfaction from helping other peo-
Decoy patrol cars help keep drivers honest BEV BRITTON Clayton Pioneer
As cars cruise down one of Clayton’s main streets, a driver in the front of the pack spots a patrol car lurking in the bushes. The driver quickly brakes and those behind follow suit. Soon, everyone is driving a little slower. A few drivers may even remember to fasten their seatbelts. Upon closer inspection, however, drivers notice that the patrol car is empty. And a few
recall that it was sitting in that very same spot hours earlier. But according to Clayton Police Chief Dan Lawrence, the decoy car has done its job of slowing down the traffic. Lawrence launched the decoy car program last fall, a few weeks after joining the Clayton force. He led a similar program during his last assignment, with the city of Orinda. There, the decoy cars were placed in downtown locations to thwart bank robberies. In Clayton, however, the
SECTION B Hiker’s Haven . . . . . . . . . . .B1 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B2 Community Calendar . . . . .B4 Music Notes . . . . . . . . . . . .B5 Tax Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B5 Letters to the Editor . . . . .B6 Police Blotter . . . . . . . . . . .B6 Church News . . . . . . . . . . .B7 Dining Around . . . . . . . . . .B8 Crossword Puzzle . . . . . . . .B8 Paws and Claws . . . . . . . . .B9 Food For Thought . . . . . .B10
tributing more than 50,000 hours a year. “The volunteers are one of the nicest things about Loaves and Fishes,” Richardson says, noting that they are conscientious and reliable.
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer POLICE CHIEF uses strategically placed decoy cars to slow traffic.
main purpose is traffic calming. “The goal is to educate the community and help slow them down. Visitors and residents alike speed through our town,” notes Lawrence. The patrol car is placed in strategic locations throughout town on weekdays. The kicker, though, is that sometimes the car isn’t empty. “It works when an officer comes back a few days later with a radar gun. It blows people away when they actually see an officer sitting there,” says Lawrence, noting that the speeding ticket “has lasting results.” “We have heard of people being caught and telling the officer they thought it was just a decoy,” says Mayor Dave Shuey, “so the chief is doing an excellent job of rotating decoys and regular officers.” Lawrence believes the program helps keep speeding under control, and positive comments from residents support that theory. “They say it’s a great idea – keep it up,” he reports. He calls the city’s new,
updated patrol cars a key factor. “The City Council took the leap and allowed us to change the cars to a more contemporary style,” says Lawrence. “It helps the decoy program out because they are more highly visible from a distance.” Shuey says the council also is pleased with the program. “We have all noticed the impact the decoys have on traffic, noticeably slowing down cars. In some cases, it is almost comical to see the drastic reduction in speed,” says the mayor. “You couple this with putting actual police in the cars at times to keep people honest, and it is just a great idea to help keep speed down.” Because of the small size of the Clayton force, there isn’t a traffic enforcement officer. It is part of each officer’s duty to monitor traffic while on patrol. “Our high level of presence in the community helps prevent criminal activity and helps slow the traffic down,” the chief says. “The decoy program is just one more tool to slow the traffic down as people drive through our area.”
ple. These people need food, and they are very grateful,” she says. Simmons enjoys the time spent with her fellow St. Bonaventure parishioners. “It’s a nice group of people to work with. We have a good camaraderie.” She notes that the Friday lunch at which she volunteers is very important to the crowd, because meals aren’t offered on weekends.
See Loaves, page A4
Cities work toward a disaster plan TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
What happens if there’s a major quake on the Hayward fault? A levee break in the Delta? A wildfire in the Diablo foothills? Are the local governments and agencies prepared to handle evacuation? Provide shelter? Will the various law enforcement agencies, fire departments and rescue personnel be able to talk to each other to coordinate relief efforts after a terrorist attack or major flood? These and other disaster preparedness questions were on the table at the Mayor’s Conference at Oakhurst Country Club last week when Chris Boyer, Senior Emergency Planning Coordinator with the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff addressed the mayors of the county’s 19 cities. Federal law requires that every city have a comprehensive
See Disaster, page A3