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October 15, 2021
Coming out of COVID
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Art imitates life in Concord mural LISA FULMER Special to the Pioneer
TAMARA STEINER
PUBLISHER
This month we are exactly halfway through the second year in The Time of Covid, and it seems the end is near… or not. There’s no question that the virus hit us hard. Our culture, our youth, our economy, our mental health, and our community newspapers have all taken it on the chin. Just in the first months of the shutdown, more than two dozen community newspapers turned the lights off and went home. Our colleagues and friends at the Community Focus were among the shuttered leaving a pretty big news hole in Pleasant Hill. So, into the breach. With an affectionate nod to the ladies of the Focus, The Pioneer begins our limited coverage of Concord’s closest neighbor. This month, we have a front page story by Pamela Michael on Pleasant Hill Cohousing where we catch up to former Concord city council candidate and Bike Concord activist Kenji Yamada. A story on page 5 by David Scholz covers the Pleasant Hill Police Department Citizens Advisory Panel. Look for From the Desk of... columns from PH police chief Bryan Hill, and mayor Sue Noack on page 6. Future stories planned include the library, the history of Pleasant Hill, what the Friends of the Pleasant Hill Creek are doing and what’s happening on the business scene from the Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce. Also new in this issue local lifestyle blogger Dominique King brings us Lean in with Love, a straight-on look at how to navigate work, marriage and parenting while staying fit and grounded in a far from calm world. In November, music commentator Dave Hughes brings us The Beat of Diablo. Those who followed Concord’s Couch Concerts last year will welcome Dave’s take on the local music scene. Finally, an appeal to those who love local journalism. The Pioneer is delivered free to 38,500 readers’ homes and is 100% advertising supported. Please keep this in mind when shopping and dining and SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS. They make The Pioneer possible.
Next issue, Nov. 12 Deadline, Nov. 1
Samineh Hamidi
Arsenio Baca lays the foundation for the new mural reflecting his early years in Concord. The mural hangs on the back patio at the Visit Concord office in Don Salvio Pacheco square.
CONCORD – Visit Concord just unveiled a new 20foot mural that celebrates life in our town with bright colors, vivid imagery and lots of familiar details. Concord artist Arsenio Baca created the mural, which was installed outdoors on the back patio of Visit Concord’s Salvio Pacheco Square office. Baca’s work features sunbeams shining brightly behind Mt. Diablo in the center, surrounded by the warm, female energy of Mother Nature with iconic local scenes like the drive-in, the water slides and a BART train coming ’round the bend. Flanked by glowing poppies and a custom license plate, the mural also highlights our appreciation for California living. Baca gave a nod to the Concord Art Association (CAA) inside the movie screen as a thank you for recommending him to the Visit Concord team. “This mural has been our passion project for a while
See Mural, page 3
Faith communities bring back the Winter Nights program to give homeless a hand up DAVID SCHOLZ Correspondent
With crisp conditions more reminiscent of fall descending on the area, families like Marianna and Princeson and their two children relish having a place to call home as part of Winter Nights. They are among a handful of clients at the Walnut Creek Evangelical Friends Church as Winter Nights enters its 18th season of serving homeless families. A year after a global pandemic all but scuttled the sheltering efforts of the nonprofit, houses of worship around Central Contra Costa
County are again joining forces to help Winter Nights restore a sense of normalcy for its clients. “It beats having my children living in a car,” said Marianna. Her partner echoed the sentiment. “I love it,’’ he said of the security that having a roof overhead provides. EXPANDING TO MORE LOCATIONS
As the new shelter season kicked off in late September, members of Grace Episcopal Church in Martinez provided co-hosting support as Evangelical Friends Church housed
three families representing 11 clients. With Winter Nights moving into larger locations this season, the numbers being helped will increase to as many as six families and possibly 18-20 clients in accordance with county Health Department guidelines for congregate living and shelters. This is a significant change from the scaled-down 2020-’21 edition of Winter Nights. The program could only accommodate four families per week at seven locations last year, as David Scholz Winter Nights reinvented its After the pandemic drastically limited the program in 2020, a reinvented, fully compliant program is back See Winter Nights, pg 3 on track for 2021.
PH Cohousing founder sees communal living as sustainable way of the future PAMELA MICHAEL Correspondent
The scale is human and the vibe bucolic at the tiny “village” with mango-colored townhouses that make up the hidden oasis called Pleasant Hill Cohousing (PHCH). With cars banished to the periphery, the homes sit on welcoming, winding paths lined with lush greenery that manages to be orderly and wild at the same time. PHCH is home to 32 households and 60+ people who have made a commitment to “live in a community that fosters harmony with each other, the larger community and nature.” Tucked away on a 2.2-acre triangle of land just off Mon-
size group, no matter how committed. “Our self-governance has evolved and improved over time,” observed PHCH resident Kenji Yamada, who noted that cohousing is not for everyone, perhaps not even for most people. To reach consensus on issues during monthly meetings, the group adopted an innovative system that utilizes a series of colored cards that signal their positions. Various colors indicate “More Info Needed,” “Point of Order,” GOVERNING BY CONSENSUS “Not Decided Yet,” etc. Cohousing groups are Green=Agree, Red=Block. small, participatory democra- The goal is to see a sea of cies based on shared ideals of green, of course. Pamela Michael communication and cooperaCohousing residents use color coded cards to raise issues tion. Governance is by consenSee Cohousing, pg. 4 affecting the community wher matters are settled by consent. sus, not an easy process in any
ument Boulevard, wedged between the Contra Costa Canal and the Iron Horse Trail, PHCH is part of a growing movement of intentional communities. The neighborhoods combine the privacy of individual homes – generally townhouses or condominiums – with shared amenities like laundry facilities, gardens, craft rooms, exercise equipment, workshops, libraries, gathering spaces and sometimes even cars.
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