IT’S YOUR PAPER
Final district map approved
www.concordpioneer.com
From the desk of...
March 23, 2018
925.672.0500
TAMARA STEINER Concord Pioneer
EDI BIRSAN
MAYOR
Considering ways to keep electorate informed
For the last nine years, I have been producing the survey site PulseofConcord.com, where I ask or echo questions on issues or topics of local interest. They include things like: Should we ban roosters? Do you know someone who is unemployed? Should we have retail cannabis sales? Who are you supporting for president? With the recent formation of City Council districts, I thought that elected officials might produce district newsletters and I proposed regular information columns on my Facebook page. This led to a basic question: What do you want to know about local government or your elected officials? In a district newsletter, I would answer the following questions: • What are the city projects in the district? • What city projects affect the district? • What is going on in the district? • What is going on in the city as a whole? • What are local complaints or concerns? • Whom can residents contact? I also thought it would be interesting to write about this or that local hero, regular folk, or a favorite local dog or (bite my tongue) cat story as a way to introduce people to each other in the district. Elected officials have to be open to all views and weigh everything, but at the same time we have to stand for some things. Do you want an informational newsletter only, or do you want hard-core issues presented but not discussed? The city does not pay for newsletters, postage or anything related to them. A mailed newsletter could cost $3,000 for a district with 6,000 households and maybe 15,000 voters. Do you want another email? Will you read it? And what do you really want in it? We have to be aware that there is division between the wanting to know, the need to know and the right to know when it comes to individuals such as elected officials, as opposed to more apparent things like where your money is going or when is that canyon disguised as a pothole going to be fixed? You have every right to know where your taxes are going, but you have no right to know the ethnic or religious background of the person who is spending the money. So what do you want to know? Tell me at EdiBirsan@gmail.com.
City of Concord
Concord is one of several cities in California to change the way they elect their city council members to comply with the California Voting Rights Act passed in 2001. Beginning this November, Concord voters will cast their ballot for candidates running from their district only. No longer will council members be elected at-large. Voters in Districts 1, 3 and 5 will elect representatives to four-year terms in 2018. Council seats in Districts 2 and 4 will be up for election in 2020. The white hole between districts 1 and 5 is the unicorporated area around Ayers Road.
JOHN T. MILLER Correspondent
Students displayed their ingenuity with hands-on science and engineering stations, robotic challenges and a monster robot demonstration at the second annual Mt. Diablo Unified School District’s STEM Showcase. Hundreds of families, along with school board members, district administrators and Superintendent Nellie Meyer attended the March 11 event at Willow Creek Center. STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering and math, and the showcase is the modern-day equiva-
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lent of the science fairs that used to be held at elementary schools. Rather than a competition, however, the selections on display were chosen on a loose set of criteria that asked students to explain why they selected the topic or problem. The students do not move onto any further competition. “The main shift to the showcase from our previous science fair is that we are aligning to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which requires students to think, collaborate and dive deeply into their topics,” said Jan Robertson, a science instructional coach with the
district. The showcase divided the projects into Science Inquiry and Engineering Design. For example, Woodside Elementary student Viran EdussuriyaEssl investigated sourdough batteries for his science experiment, and Braelynn Rigel from Sun Terrace Elementary worked on engineering an air conditioner. Classes could also enter group projects, such as building bridges or a mechanical digging arm. “We have seen a great improvement in the projects over the past few years as
KARA NAVOLIO Correspondent
iation for more than 50 years. It is a creative way to address two housing needs in the Bay Area: seniors who want to stay in their homes and the lack of affordable housing. The program is open to all ages. Seniors who are living independently may be in need of companionship or someone to help with cooking or errands. Renters are often someone who can lend a hand in exchange for lower rent. “It was a miracle match,” Mike said. “I told a pastor at Christ the King Church what I was looking for: a work trade for housing. He directed me to Home Share.” At the same time, Ed’s son
See STEM, page 9
Photo courtesy MDUSD
Braelynn Rigel, a fourth-grader at Sun Terrace Elementary in Concord, created a DIY air conditioning engineering project for this year’s STEM Showcase.
Home Share program looks for perfect matches
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See Plan, page 9
Brainy kids take science and engineering seriously at MDUSD STEM Showcase
Inside
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The Concord City Council gave final approval Feb. 27 to a district election plan that will dramatically change the way voters have always elected their council members. The city will move to district-based elections this fall to comply with the California Voting Rights Act of 2001. The CVRA says at-large elections are illegal when they “impair the ability of a protected class … to elect candidates of its choice or otherwise influence the outcome of an election,” which happens frequently when minorities are clustered in a geographic area. The new plan is a radical shift from at-large elections that have always been held in Concord where every voter in the city votes for the full slate of candidates. Concord’s map creates five separate districts of equal population (approximately 24,000 each). The CVRA requires that communities of interest (neighborhoods sharing schools, shopping areas, etc.) stay together and that the dis-
Photo courtesy Home Share
Ed Hine, shown here with son Jim, spent the last few months of his life in a successful Home Share match.
Homeowner Ed Hine was 92 and wanted companionship and help with meal preparation. Mike, in his 40s, was looking for affordable rent and a more meaningful job where he could help people. The two found each other through the Home Share Program offered by Covia, formally called Episcopal Senior Communities. Home Share is just one of many services offered by Covia, a non-denominational, nonprofit that has been delivering housing and services to people regardless of their religious affil-
Jim read an article about the program. “It was exactly what I was looking for for my dad,” he said. Max Moy-Borgen, director of the Contra Costa Home Share Program, facilitated the match. Moy-Borgen assists in filling out applications, interviews people to find out preferences, does background checks and draws up contracts. “This is all done to minimize conflict down the road and ensure compatibility,” Moy-Borgen explained. “They make sure everyone is comfortable, and it’s great they handle all the paperwork. He puts everything in writing,” Jim Hine said. “It couldn’t have worked out better for us.”
The Home Share Program of Contra Costa has matched three pairs since its inception about a year ago. A Marin County program has been in existence for four years, with 22 current matches and more than 100 people served. The program recently expanded into San Francisco, where six matches have been made. Mike was homeless for 17 months prior to moving in with Ed in October 2017. He had suffered through a job loss, health problems and separation from his wife. “We watched the World Series together and played cards
See Share, page 5