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October 18, 2019
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New state law protects renters from some rent hikes, evictions PEGGY SPEAR The Pioneer
St. Bonaventure mourns death of popular priest
Many people will remember Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019, as an historic day. It was the day that Gov. Gavin Newsom gave thousands of renters in California a gift that would change the way they lived. Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 1482, handing Californians some of the strongest protections against rent hikes and evictions in the nation. But legislators are quick to say it’s not rent control but rather an “anti-rent gouging” law that will also protect against unjust evictions.
Tenants Together
Tenants protested at last month’s Coffee with the Mayor in Concord, demanding the city do something about exorbitant rent hikes and unjust evictions. Mayor Carlyn Obringer says the new state housing law, AB 1482, does both.
LONG FIGHT IN CONCORD For four years, the Concord City Council has been barraged with stories of unjust evictions, exorbitant rate hikes and families being displaced by landlords who “terrorized” residents, says Betty Gabaldon, president of the newly formed Concord Tenants Union. She says she’s heard stories of apartment landlords putting a resident’s furniture out on the street or turning off utilities with a 24-hour eviction notice. She relocated from Concord to a smaller apartment in Walnut Creek when her landlord raised her rate to three times what she was paying. When the council refused to enact any rent control ordinances, Gabaldon and her group just got louder. The tenants union was born with the help of Raise the Roof, an organization that promotes tenants’ rights. Assemblyman Tim Grayson (D-Concord) was on the Concord council when it turned away rent control. Now he is one of the coauthors of AB 1482, led by Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco). “I got a little more education on the subject,” Grayson says. “Plus, I saw first-hand what was happening in Concord.” He relays a story about a couple that faced eviction from their Concord apartment so the landlord could “jack up the rate.” The couple moved to far East County to find a place they could afford. “They were great tenants,” he says. “They kept up their home, but suddenly they were forced to leave their community. It wasn’t fair.” Concord Councilman Edi Birsan calls himself the “lone wolf ” champion of a rent control ordinance in Concord.
See Renters, page 9
Tamara Steiner/Pioneer
FATHER MATHEW VELLANKAL
TAMARA STEINER The Pioneer
Father Mathew Vellankal, 61, pastor of St. Bonaventure Catholic Church in Concord, was killed in a car accident in Colusa County Oct. 10. Also killed in the crash was a visiting Archbishop Dominic Jala of Shillong India. Father Joseph Parekkatt, pastor of St. Anne Parish in Walnut Creek, was also injured in the accident. The three priests were on an outing to Clearlake when their Toyota Prius was hit by a tractor-trailer truck on State Route 20 near Wilbur Springs, according to the California Highway Patrol. Vellenkal came to St. Bonaventure as pastor in 2017. Described as a warm, engaging man, Vellenkal was known for his stories and jokes. He is the author of “From Humor to Inspiration: Jokes, Reflections, and Quotes to Enliven Your Day,” published in 2005. William Gall, deacon at St. Bonaventure who served closely with Vellenkal, describes the priest as “so warm and welcoming.” “He was such a gem, easy going and very humble,” Gall said. “He was very collaborative and encouraging and had so much energy. He was always on the go. Loved hiking and was always doing something on his day off.”
See Vellenkal, page 5
Flames, smoke make airport firefighting drills ‘invaluable’ DAVID SCHOLZ Correspondent
After more than 30 years in firefighter service, Al Fine holds firm to the motto: “You just never know. You have to train for everything.”
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After being fire marshal with the Franklin-Bingham Fire Department outside of Detroit, he is now an emergency response trainer. With colleague Gerald “Sarge” Stein, an Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) training coordinator with the Industry Emergency Council (IEC), Fine took local first responders through their paces on Oct. 8 at Buchanan Field as part of several days of required classes and training. Essential annual training with the IEC mobile unit for local ARFF personnel and their fellow area first responders took place at the Concord airport for the second consecutive year. The mobile trainer, not a real airplane, is designed to simulate an aircraft and fire/rescue scenarios. Personnel must go through an eight-hour live fire training recertification every year. ARFF personnel at Contra Costa County airports usually do this training offsite. “This was invaluable,” said Russell Milburn, assistant director of airports/operations at Buchanan. “It is well worth the money.” Milburn explained that doing the training onsite allows
his crew to work with their peers from the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, which provides mutual aid. They also get to use their own trucks and equipment, as opposed to packing up their gear and going elsewhere in California or out of state. “There are new personnel with Contra Costa Fire District who have not trained at the airport,” he added. Cost of annual training for ARFF is about $25,000. Fine said this first-hand experience allows firefighters to figure out ways to approach different situations and learn what works and what doesn’t. In addition to fighting a fire around the exterior of the aircraft, firefighters faced hazards inside the mobile unit – where theatrical smoke simulated the confusion they might experience in a real situation. During the training, Stein adjusted the intensity and variation of fire around the exterior of the aircraft to reflect what firefighters may encounter at any given moment as they work to knock down the flames and quell hot spots. “You never turn your back on the fire,” he said.
David Scholz
First responders enter a training plane filled with theatrical smoke during exercises at Buchanan Field on Oct. 8.
Along with 10 ARFF personnel, members of the county Fire Protection District, county Public WorksAirports Division, county Office of Emergency Services, the Sheriff ’s Department and other area agencies brought the number of par-
ticipants for the classroom and in-field training to about 100 for the week. The mobile trainer was the first such unit approved by the Federal Aviation Administration in 1996. Now owned by Belmont-based IEC, it travels to airport locations throughout
the United States for training purposes. A King Air, a small private plane previously donated to the county for such exercises, also was on hand at the airport for personnel to practice extricating trapped and injured occupants.
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