Oct. 21-27, 2016, Martinez Tribune

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Oct. 21-27, 2016 Vol. 2, No. 12 martineztribune.com

Candidates answer questions about housing, jobs, environment & more The following questions were devised by the Martinez-based group, Contra Costa Progressives. The questionnaire was sent to all candidates running for City Council and Board of Supervisor seats within Contra Costa County, encompassing 19 cities. Locally, all candidates, save one, answered the questionnaire. Their answers are published below. For questionnaire answers from candidates outside Martinez, visit www.ccprogressives.org.

Martinez City Council Candidates

Courtney Masella-O’Brien Q: What actions are needed to increase the affordability of housing?

A: This is a complicated issue, but there are several possible actions on the local level. It is essential in our society to have options for housing for every type of family and income level. The leaders at all levels of government should work to ensure an adequate amount of workforce housing so that teachers, police, firefighters, and other workers can afford to live in the areas where they work. I am endorsed by the Central Labor CounMASELLA-O’BRIEN: Page 3

Mark Ross Q: What actions are needed to increase the affordability of housing?

A: It has to be a combination of supporting more housing that caters to the needs of small family units, and supporting living wages for those same folks.

As a property manager I see the monthly incomes of many of our younger and some older citizens, and the combination of low supply and low wages can be somewhat addressed, but it is a Bay Area dilemma that we in Martinez can only help on a minimal basis in the overall picture. But supporting living wages and well thought out placeROSS: Page 5

John Stevens

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AnaMarie Avila Farias

Q: What actions are Q: What actions are needed to increase the needed to increase the affordability of housing? affordability of housing?

A: The Downtown A: Despite the magSpecific Plan needs to be nitude of this challenge, revised as it now limits there are many potential developers to building two policies that could help stories. This limitation has provide housing and prevented new buildings transportation choices for from being constructed in households of all income the core of downtown as levels, sizes, and needs. In developers cannot build order to build strong comand make a profit. munities, we must furWe have numerous ther expand our focus to three- and four-story address the links among structures of beautiful ar- jobs, transportation, and chitecture that were built affordable housing. We in the early 1900s, which need leadership at all levcould happen again with els of government to enappropriated restrictions. sure an adequate supply We should look at revis- of workforce housing so ing the plan to allow tall- that teachers, police, fireDunivan er buildings as was once Wendy fighters,C.and people in a STEVENS: Page 16 AVILAREALTOR FARIAS: Page 11

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Federal Glover Q: What actions are needed to increase the affordability of housing?

A: I am one of our region’s strongest defenders of the Urban Limit line to control growth and preserve valuable open space. But I do understand we need more affordable housing options inside the Urban Limit Line near BART stations and transit hubs. This should include secondary units or “granny units,” permit streamlining, density bonuses, and projects approved near public transportation.

Q: What strategies would you pursue at the local level to assist in the creation of decent paying jobs?

GLOVER: Page 11

Martinez Museum reopens following renovations MARTINEZ, Calif. – After a year-long period of closure, the Martinez Museum reopened with great fanfare at a well-attended gala on Sunday afternoon.

Andrea Blachman, the Museum Director, and her volunteers welcomed visitors to the Museum from noon to 4 p.m. Several hundred visitors braved the weather to see the renovated interior of the building and the new exhibits that were on display.

Visitors were delighted to see the Museum open again.

“It looks so wonderful now,” said City Council member Lara DeLaney, “and the new exhibits are so interesting.”

Other visitors commented on how light and welcoming the newly painted rooms looked with their freshly refinished floors. Visitors also liked the new Perryman Collection of California Indian artifacts.

An outdoor ceremony at 1 p.m. had been planned next to the Museum, but the rain and winds forced the event into the spacious foyer of the Community ColMUSEUM: Page 5

Goodmorning Martinez All of us at the Martinez Tribune wish subscribers Karen & Joseph Moore a good morning and a great week ahead. Thank you for subscribing!

Quote of the Week “Goodness is the only investment that never fails.”

– Henry David Thoreau Amusements....................14 Classifieds.......................12 Datebook..........................4 Faith....................................7 Police Blotter.......................2 Sports.................................8 Weather...............................2

Char’s Flower Shoppe (925) 228-1100

Charlene West, Proprietor 635 Main Street Martinez, CA 94553 1-800-752-2178 (925) 228-1396 Full Service Florist & Unique Gift Boutique

2

Martinez Tribune | Oct. 21-27, 2016 The Crime Blotter and Arrest Log are compiled by Tribune staffer Danny Yoeono. For questions, email dyoeono@martineztribune.com.

Police Blotter

Contra Costa Stadium Cinemas

By DANNY YOEONO Martinez Tribune

555 Center Ave., Martinez

(R) 11:30a 2:00p 4:30p 7:20p 9:50p _______________________________________________________

The crime blotter is compiled from public record and is not confirmed by Martinez Police or any other party unless otherwise stated. Some accounts may be unfounded.

JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK

Wednesday, Oct. 12

MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR ...

At 1:27 a.m., two younger men had their pants down as they approached the front entrance of Nu Rays. They ran away when they noticed they were spotted.

Showtimes for Friday, Oct. 21 _______________________________________________________

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN

(PG-13) 11:45a 2:25p 5:05p 7:10p 7:45p 9:55p **DBOX: 7:10p 9:55p _______________________________________________________

(PG-13) 12:15p 3:00p 7:00p 9:45p _______________________________________________________

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES

(PG-13) 11:35a 2:15p 4:40p 7:20p 9:45p _______________________________________________________

THE ACCOUNTANT

(R) 11:20a 2:05p 4:50p 7:30p 10:10p _______________________________________________________

STORKS

(PG) 11:55a 2:30p 4:55p _______________________________________________________

OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL

(PG-13) 12:05p 2:45p 5:15p 7:50p 10:10p _______________________________________________________

• Eight screens • Luxury stadium seating • D-BOX Motion Seats for select features • Advanced ticketing through Fandango

Showtimes: (925) 228-9980 Guest Services: (925) 228-9983 www.cinemawest.com

Thursday, Oct. 13 A Kelly Avenue resident reported at 9:14 a.m. that a loud noise was shaking her bed, floor and house, knocking her off balance and causing kidney problems. The noise or shaking did not seem to bother her cat. The resident claimed that no one else has been able to hear this noise. She also said that the noise had been occurring for two years.

A bluetooth wireless speaker was reported missing around 7 p.m. from a G Street residence.

So if you hear amplified music in an area that cannot possibly have wires, just shout.

Friday, Oct. 14 At 4:46 a.m., a Pine Street resident heard a whistle sound, as if a person were attempting to signal to another person; and not the sound of the wind.

At 10:32 a.m., a Palisade Drive resident heard sounds of the likes that are consistent with people under the house. I should mention that the house sits on top of an ancient Indian burial ground.

At 3 p.m., a Platt Drive resident reported a car parked in front of her home. The occupants of the vehicle were allegedly doing drugs.

At 9:31 p.m., a Carquinez Way resident claimed a lime had been thrown through her front window. She neglected to look outside to see who threw it.

Saturday, Oct. 15 At 1:25 a.m. the United Methodist Church on Church Street gave an account of one of their members, shirtless and intoxicated at the back of the church.

Around 5 p.m., a Sunhill Court resident said a party up the hill from him was having a good party

but that it was playing loud rap music.

A man wearing basketball shorts was observed at 6:55 p.m. in front of the Safeway grocery store talking to himself and smoking something out of a Red Bull can. This wasn’t me, I didn’t even know one could smoke Red Bull.

Sunday, Oct. 16 12:20 a.m. Marti Marie Drive. Two cars driving past each other. One car egged the other.

Around 12:30 a.m., Yale Street.

Woman punched her ex.

12:47 a.m., Platt Drive. People in the street. Fighting.

2:58 p.m., Morello Avenue. Egg car seen again throwing eggs.

6:34 p.m., Tuolumne Avenue. Wife will not give husband his keys.

He is trying to leave the house.

Monday, Oct. 17 A man in an orange jacket was throwing bottles and yelling on Castro Street at 2:19 a.m.

A woman reported she sent a purse to an online buyer. She received an email from “PayPal” telling the seller she

had to send them $2,500 for the transaction to go through, allowing the seller to get paid. It turned out to be a sham and now the seller is out $2,500 and a $600 purse.

At 8:45 p.m., a 7-Eleven on Pacheco Boulevard had its tire air machine broken into and change taken. Stealing change from an air pump could lead to inflation.

Tuesday, Oct. 18 A Pine Street residence experienced a man on the roof, trespassing, at 5:08 a.m. Among conquering his fear of heights, the man was observed snapping his fingers and talking to himself.

Before lunch, a student at Martinez Junior High School allegedly found a bag of marijuana in the bathroom. When I was a student there, all I found in the bathrooms were swirlies.

Two girls were making tie dye shirts using the boat wash water spigot around 4:15 p.m. at the marina.

At 4:26 p.m. a band was practicing in Hidden Valley Park. But here’s the thing, they were practicing without a permit.

Weather, Astronomical & Tides Friday, Oct. 21

Saturday, Oct. 22

Sunday, Oct. 23

Monday, Oct. 24

Tuesday, Oct. 25

Wednesday, Oct. 26

Thursday, Oct. 27

82º / 54º Plenty of sunshine

75 / 52º Mostly sunny & nice

75º / 50º Partly sunny, pleasant

73º / 49º Mostly cloudy

70º / 52º Chance of a shower

72º / 48º Rain & drizzle possible

71º / 46º Cloudy, rain possible

Sunrise / Sunset 7:24 a.m. / 6:22 p.m.

Sunrise / Sunset 7:25 a.m. / 6:21 p.m.

Sunrise / Sunset 7:26 a.m. / 6:19 p.m.

Sunrise / Sunset 7:27 a.m. / 6:18 p.m.

Sunrise / Sunset 7:28 a.m. / 6:17 p.m.

Sunrise / Sunset 7:29 a.m. / 6:16 p.m.

Sunrise / Sunset 7:30 a.m. / 6:14 p.m.

Moonrise / Moonset 12:43 a.m. / 2:47 p.m.

Moonrise / Moonset 1:43 a.m. / 3:25 p.m.

Moonrise / Moonset 2:42 a.m. / 4 p.m.

Moonrise / Moonset 3:40 a.m. / 4:32 p.m.

Moonrise / Moonset 4:36 a.m. / 5:02 p.m.

Moonrise / Moonset Moonrise / Moonset 10:43 p.m. (PD) / 1:15 p.m. 11:43 p.m. (PD) / 2:04 p.m.

High Tides 7:21 a.m. (4.33 ft) 6:07 p.m. (5.05 ft)

High Tides 8:27 a.m. (4.36 ft) 7:24 p.m. (4.66 ft)

High Tides 9:29 a.m. (4.49 ft) 8:48 p.m. (4.40 ft)

High Tides 10:24 a.m. (4.69 ft) 10:03 p.m. (4.30 ft)

High Tides 11:13 a.m. (4.89 ft) 11:06 p.m. (4.30 ft)

High Tides 11:56 a.m. (5.09 ft)

High Tides 12 a.m. (4.33 ft) 12:34 p.m. (5.18 ft)

Low Tides 12:46 a.m. (-0.36 ft) 12:26 p.m. (1.77 ft)

Low Tides 1:50 a.m. (-0.26 ft) 1:38 p.m. (1.77 ft)

Low Tides 2:54 a.m. (-0.20 ft) 2:54 p.m. (1.61 ft)

Low Tides 3:54 a.m. (-0.16 ft) 4:04 p.m. (1.28 ft)

Low Tides 4:47 a.m. (-0.10 ft) 5:07 p.m. (.89 ft)

Low Tides 5:33 a.m. (.03 ft) 6:02 p.m. (.52 ft)

Low Tides 6:14 a.m. (.26 ft) 6:51 p.m. (.26 ft)

Temperatures from AccuWeather. Astronomical information by U.S. Naval Observatory Astronomical Applications Department. Water levels measured from Martinez-Amorco Pier. (FD is Following Day; PD is Preceding Day.)

Martinez Tribune | Oct. 21-27, 2016

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MASELLA-O’BRIEN: Continued from Page 1

cil of Contra Costa, AFL-CIO and the United Professional Firefighters of Contra Costa County because I understand these challenges, and finding solutions is important to me.

I will use the critical thinking, problem solving and advocacy skills I have developed in my career as a small business attorney to address complicated issues such as this.

Lack of affordable housing is a problem in much of California, but especially the Bay Area. We need to work with leaders on all levels to seek ways to reform tax and mortgage financing to allocate scarce federal funds to protect current programs and create new housing programs that meet our needs. This is why it is critical to have leaders who can collaborate and develop relationships on all levels to achieve results; I have these skills.

Martinez, and other communities, should have a balance of homeownership and rental opportunities at all price levels. Our city is a wonderful family community that is home to a diverse group of all professions and income levels. We need to work together to ensure we are an affordable community to all families.

Q: What strategies would you pursue at the local level to assist in the creation of decent paying jobs?

A: I support unions and the use of Project Labor Agreements (PLAs), which have been adopted by the City of Martinez. PLAs bring contractors, builders and developers together with unions to negotiate wage rates, work rules, and working conditions for the life of a public construction project.

PLAs are effective in getting quality projects built on budget and on time. They have also been proven effective at increasing the employment of local workers, returning veterans and apprentices, and benefiting area economies. Unions work to ensure good wages and fair benefits for their members.

I also support the effort to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. We need to work to prevent working families from becoming the working poor.

Q: What steps would you take to increase transparency and accountability in government?

A: This is an issue which is understandably important to voters. It is true that corruption and nepotism can

sometimes play a role in government, particularly because of the role money plays in our election system. This is why I support campaign finance reform and term limits. When one politician is in office for a long time the chance of them becoming too close to powerful interests is great.

This is true even on the local level. Fresh blood and new perspectives should be welcomed. For these reasons, I urge voters to consider who their elected officials and candidates associate with, do business with, and get their campaign donations from.

Campaign contributions are public record.

Q: Who are the top three donors to your campaign by dollar amount? What percentage of funds donated to your campaign come from small donors, i.e., donations of $50 or less?

A: My top three donors are: 1. Scott Busby Construction – $1,600; 2. Bill Schilz Investment Corporation – $1,000; 3. California Real Estate PAC-California Association of Realtors – $1,000.

Small donations of $50 or less make up 18.4 percent of funds donated to my campaign.

Q: Within Contra Costa County recent data reveals there are “dramatic racial disparities at every stage of the local criminal justice process,” e.g., over-representation in being charged with crimes, being on adult probation or juvenile probation, etc. For example, the county’s population is 9.6 percent Black/African-American, but Black/ African-Americans comprise 26 percent of all those criminally charged and 41 percent of those on juvenile probation. Black/ African-Americans are also under-represented on juries relative to the total population as are Hispanic/Latino Americans who comprise 25 percent of the county’s population but make up less than 15 percent of jurors. What needs to be done at the local level to reduce or eliminate these disparities in the criminal justice system?

A: The data shows that Black Americans and Latinos are disproportionately represented in Contra Costa County in criminal prosecutions, probation supervision, and jury service. This is not

just a Contra Costa County issue but an issue nationwide, and one I saw first hand when I worked at the District Attorney’s office. The role that race plays in the criminal justice system is a complicated issue that involves long systemic problems in our criminal justice system, education system and poverty.

There have been a number of initiatives on the state and federal level to address these issues. On the local level we can work with our law enforcement officials, county and state leaders to make sure these issues are being addressed and progress is being made toward a more just society.

Q: Do you support a ban on crude-by-rail shipments through Contra Costa County, and what are the reasons for your position? Crude-by-rail is the transport of highly volatile fracked Bakken crude oil in tanker cars in mile-long unit trains.

A: More than 13,000 Martinez residents live less than a half mile from a major rail line. I believe the agencies who have jurisdiction over these issues, such as the Federal Railroad Administration, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, should take action to improve the safety of transport of Bakken crude oil and other hazardous materials by rail.

On the local level we should do all that we can to advocate to these agencies and ensure they are taking the appropriate steps such as phasing out tank cars that do not meet current safety standards, expediting retrofit of these cars, regulating parking and storage of cars, and mandating electronic controlled braking systems.

We also need to be sure we have the proper emergency responses in place in the event of an accident. Local leaders should advocate for federal funding for first responders, and the mandating of real-time information to first responders in case of an accident. This is crucial, especially in areas like Martinez where our county fire district is currently underfunded and Fire Station 12 in Martinez is closed. One of my top priorities, if elected, is to work with county leaders to reopen Station 12.

Q: Should local area re-

fineries, chemical plants and similar large-scale industrial operations be required to set-aside adequate funds for the eventual clean-up of their lands upon closure or re-use? If yes, should those funds be in the form of third-party guarantees (bonding or insurance) or should companies be allowed to self-insure?

A: Industry is important to our local economy. The safety of residents and a healthy environment should be high priorities to local leaders. Leaders should work with local large-scale industrial operations to ensure operations are adequately addressing safety and the environment. This includes having an adequate clean-up plan in place, which could vary depending on the industry and company.

Q: Should hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”), which is the injection of liquids including undisclosed chemicals at high pressure into the ground to extract oil or gas, be banned in Contra Costa County?

A: Yes. Fracking has many concerns including ground and surface water contamination, the use of large amounts of water, which needs to be conserved in drought-prone California, the use of chemicals that are known carcinogens, endocrine disruptors and possible airborne human exposure.

Q: Should your City Council and the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors request your Congressional Delegation vote “NO” on the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) if that proposed trade deal is brought before Congress? Note: A report by the U.S. International Trade Commission “Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: Likely Impact on the U.S. Economy and on Specific Industry Sectors” (May 2016) which is required by law to be produced for Congress, states the TPP would cause job losses in manufacturing sectors, specifically the oil, gas, chemicals, textiles, wood products, machinery & equipment, metals products, auto parts, electronic equipment, instruments & medical devices, toys, sporting goods and other manufacturing sectors.

A: Yes. I am in favor of protecting our environment, and workers’ rights. TPP does not protect either. It lacks

transparency and hurts workers. Congress has the constitutional authority to regulate trade and we should urge them to vote “No” on TPP. Q: Do you agree that Citizens United (Citizens United v. FEC, U.S. Supreme Court decision, 2010) should be overturned? This question is the subject of Proposition 59 on the California Nov. 8, 2016, General Election ballot.

A: With the Citizens United decision, the Supreme Court held that under the First Amendment, government may not suppress political speech on the basis of the speaker’s corporate identity. The Court held that an existing federal statute barring independent corporate expenditures for campaign communications violated the First Amendment.

Some have called this case a “disaster for democracy.”

Proposition 59 asks whether California’s elected officials should use their authority to propose and ratify an amendment to the United States Constitution overturning the Citizens United.

I support overturning Citizens United. This controversial decision gave corporations the same “rights” as people and freed them to spend unlimited amounts of money in our elections. Other recent decisions overturned long-standing laws limiting how much billionaires could spend in an election. As a result, corporations and their billionaire owners are spending unprecedented amounts of money to sway the outcomes of our elections in their favor. I support overturning Citizens United because corporations and the rich should

not be allowed to continue to influence our elections.

Most people know that money in politics is a problem at the national and state level. But money also plays a large role in politics at the local level. It takes upwards of $30,000 to run a campaign for city council in a small city the size of Martinez. The result is that we are not always getting the best candidates or elected officials. We are getting those that can afford to run, have friends with money, or politicians who the special interests want in office.

It is also no secret that money can make an elected official beholden to their backers. Money can mean influence. I encourage everyone to consider where a candidates’ money is coming from before deciding on their vote. I am a firm believer of the old adage, “Tell me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are.”

Can a candidate truly stay independent if what she says she will do does not match the values or goals of her supporters? Or are the supporters trying to influence that candidate? Check out Campaign Committee form 460 filings by candidates.

These are public record.

Voters should have the right to set reasonable limits on the raising and spending of money by candidates and others to influence elections.

Corporations should not have the same constitutional rights as people. Giving so much power to those with money over an area so important as our elections is not democratic at all. Citizens United is a disaster for our democracy and should be overturned.

Magazines & soft-back books needed!

Magazines and soft back books (no older than 6 months) are needed at the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, 2500 Alhambra Ave., Martinez. The Auxiliary Volunteers deliver some 150 magazines each week to the 14 waiting rooms around the hospital and clinics. The magazines help make the long waits bearable. Bring magazines to the hospital lobby information desk or the Gift Shop. All personal labels are removed by the Auxiliary Volunteers before they are delivered. For more information please call the Gift Shop at (925) 370-5818, or email Rhonda.

Smith@hsd.cccounty.us.

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Martinez Tribune | Oct. 21-27, 2016 Email event listings to news@martineztribune.com, or enter them online at https://martineztribune.com/submit-event

Datebook Saturday, Oct. 22 Italian Catholic Federation Branch #13 Family Polenta Dinner When: 6 p.m. (no-host cocktails), dinner at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22 Where: Saint Catherine of Siena Parish Hall, 604 Mellus St., Martinez.

Details: Dinner (choice of chicken, sausage, Polenta). Proceeds benefit ICF scholarship program, which includes the St. Catherine of Sienna 8th grade scholarship, the Fulfilling the Promise Campaign, the ICF National Charity Thalessemia research at Children’s Hospital in Oakland, and others.

Cost: $20 per person 13 years and older; $8 children 6-12 years. Age 5 and under free when accompanied by adult.

Info: (925) 229-2665 Zombie Brew Crawl When: 2:30-5:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 Where: Main Street in downtown Martinez Details: The Main Street Martinez 4th annual Zombie Brew Crawl is happening on the streets of Martinez and everyone is encouraged to join the crowd. Zombies will be walking around the down-

town corridor of Martinez, sampling beers from great craft breweries stationed at various small businesses along Main Street.

Cost: $25 in advance till 5 p.m. Oct. 7; after Oct. 7, $30 per person in advance till midnight Oct. 21; $35 at door (if not sold out). No refunds.

Info: http://zombiebrewcrawl.com

Tuesday, Oct. 25 Mother Goose Time When: 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25 (Tuesdays through Dec. 6) Where: Martinez Library, 740 Court St., Martinez.

Details: A lighthearted early literacy story time for the youngest crowd. Reading is accompanied with singing and play. Stories are followed by a simple craft for older children and stay & play with soft tactile toys for the younger set. Best for ages 6 months to 3 years old.

Cost: Free Info: (925) 646-9900 or http://ccclib.org

Friday, Oct. 28 Spooktacular Bazaar When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fri-

day, Oct. 28 Where: Martinez Senior Center, 818 Green St., Martinez.

Details: Come check out the sale. Jewelry, cards, homemade crafts, baked goods and “White Elephant.” Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. (presale $4, or $5 day of the event).

Cost: Free Info: (925) 370-8770

Saturday, Oct. 29 Dia de los Muertos Festival of Altars When: 2-8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29 Where: Main Street Martinez Details: Food, vendor booths, folkloric dance demonstration and interactive altars.

Info: (925) 228-3577 or mainstreetmartinez.org

Sunday, Oct. 30 Halloween Trunk or Treat Spooktacular When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 30 Where: Main Street in downtown Martinez Details: Safe, fun and free trunk or treat and Halloween Spooktacular! Visit creatively themed and decorated car trunks and shops lining

downtown Martinez, and collect candy and treats.

Cost: Free Info: http://mainstreetmartinez.org

Tuesday, Nov. 1 Mother Goose Time When: 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1 (Tuesdays through Dec. 6) Where: Martinez Library, 740 Court St., Martinez.

Details: A lighthearted early literacy story time for the youngest crowd. Reading is accompanied with singing and play. Stories are followed by a simple craft for older children and stay & play with soft tactile toys for the younger set. Best for ages 6 months to 3 years old.

Cost: Free Info: (925) 646-9900 or http://ccclib.org

Saturday, Nov. 5 CANCELED - Will Mulders Foundation for Autism Golf Tournament When: Details: Event canceled. Future event TBA. Info: www.teamwillpower.org

Tuesday, Nov. 8 When: 10:30 a.m. Tuesday,

Nov. 8 (Tuesdays through Dec. 6) Where: Martinez Library, 740 Court St., Martinez.

Details: A lighthearted early literacy story time for the youngest crowd. Reading is accompanied with singing and play. Stories are followed by a simple craft for older children and stay & play with soft tactile toys for the younger set. Best for ages 6 months to 3 years old.

Cost: Free Info: (925) 646-9900 or http://ccclib.org

Saturday, Nov. 12 Antique Corner Customer Appreciation Day When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 12 Where: Antique Corner, 500 Ferry St., Martinez.

Details: Join Antique Corner for snacks and storewide sales to show appreciation to customers.

Info: (925) 372-9330

Sunday, Nov. 13 Martinez Historical Society Presentation When: 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13 Where: Veteran’s Memorial Hall, 930 Ward St., Martinez.

Details: Tom Zamaria, member and volunteer of the Martinez Historical Society (MHS), will give a presentation on “Little Gems from the MHS Negative and Slide Collections. There are many interesting and beautiful images lying hidden in the negative and slide archives of countless historical collections around the country. Because of funding, limited technical equipment and training, unfortunately, many of these images will remain hidden. Zamaria will present and discuss several of these wonderful images of Martinez history from the MHS collection. Snacks will be served.

Cost: Free Info: www.martinezhistory.org

Tuesday, Nov. 15 Mother Goose Time When: 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15 (Tuesdays through Dec. 6) Where: Martinez Library, 740 Court St., Martinez.

Details: A lighthearted early literacy story time for the youngest crowd. Reading is accompanied with singing and play. Stories are followed by a simple craft for older children and stay & play with soft tactile toys for the younger set. Best for ages 6 months to 3 years old.

Cost: Free Info: (925) 646-9900 or http://ccclib.org

Saturday, Nov. 19 Big Bag of Books Sale When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 19 Where: Martinez Library, 740 Court St., Martinez.

Details: Choose from a huge selection of gently-used books and fill a grocery sack for only $5.

Sponsored by Friends of the Martinez Library. All proceeds support library programs for children, teens, and adults. Members may be admitted at 10 a.m. on sale day, but memberships are available that morning.

Cost: Free Info: (925) 229-4902 Scan-a-thon!

When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 19 Where: Contra Costa County History Center, 724 Escobar St., Martinez.

Details: Have your family documents, photos, and negatives scanned into digital copies that will preserve them forever. Large newspaper-size scanner will be available along with trained staff.

Certain restrictions may apply.

Cost: Suggested donation to History Center of $10.

Info: www.cocohistory.com

Saturday, Nov. 26 Hometown Heroes Festival When: 12-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26 Where: Alhambra High School, Performing Arts Building, 150 E St., Martinez.

Details: Fearless Music Studios presents the Hometown Heroes Festival to benefit Spidey’s Kids.

Take photos with Spidey and Disney characters. Arts & crafts for sale, bounce houses, cotton candy, live music, silent auction.

Cost: Admission is $5

Martinez Tribune | Oct. 21-27, 2016

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lege District headquarters next door. At the ceremony, Martinez Historical Society President John Curtis presented a plaque to the College District board member Tim Farley to thank the District for placing a foundation under the 1890 Victorian structure which houses the Martinez Museum. The foundation will ensure that the building survives a significant quake on either the Concord Fault to the east or the Hayward Fault to the west.

The Society also presented a plaque to Sean Johnson of the Shell Martinez Refinery. During the last year, Refinery employees painted the interior of the Museum during their Fridays off.

They plan to return after the rainy season and paint the exterior of the building next.

Mark Ross, City Council member, addressed the crowd and shared his vision of developing Sharkey Square – the block in front of the 1890 Martinez Museum and the 1903 Finance Building – into a true town square: a feature commonplace in older towns on the East coast and in many European villages.

Contra Costa County Supervisor, Federal Glover, also addressed the gathering. He noted that Martinez was designated the county seat in 1850 – only one year after the Gold Rush began. He pointed out that the Martinez Museum is only one block away from his Martinez office in the County Administration Building at 651 Pine St. The aging 12-story structure is due to be replaced by a new building of a more appropriate scale for the town, and Supervisor Glover explained that an architectural firm had already been hired for the job and began work last month.

Certificates of appreciation were presented to the Martinez Historical Society by

u

Contra Costa Animal Services offering free adoptions

MUSEUM: Continued from Page 1

COURTESY / On File

From left: Martinez Historical Society President John Curtis, Martinez City Councilman Mark Ross, representative from the office of Assemblymember Susan Bonilla, Jorge Barajas; representative from the office of Congressman Mike Thompson, Ariel Mercado; Martinez City Councilwoman Lara DeLaney, representative from the office of State Senator Lois Wolk, Alex Pader; Contra Costa County Supervisor Federal Glover, and Contra Costa Community College District Boardmember Tim Farley during the Oct. 16, 2016, ribbon cutting of the newly renovated Martinez Museum.

representatives of State Senator Lois Wolk, Assembly Member Susan Bonilla and U.S. Congressman Mike Thompson. Although Congressman Thompson was not able to attend the gala in person, he plans to personally visit the Museum this coming Monday.

“From this point on, we invite and welcome visitors to the newly renovated Muse-

um during our regular open hours,” said Museum Director, Andrea Blachman. “Special tours at other times can also be arranged by contacting us in advance.”

The Museum hours are as follows: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sundays from 1-4 p.m.; and by appointment.

MARTINEZ, Calif. – Contra Costa Animal Services (CCAS) is offering free adoptions of all animals now through Sunday, Oct. 23. People interested in taking advantage of this free adoption promotion can visit CCAS’ Martinez and Pinole shelters. The free adoption special includes all fees associated with adopting an animal, including adoption fees, spay/neuter, micro-chipping and vaccination.

The free adoption promotion is an effort to alleviate shelter overcrowding at CCAS’ Martinez and Pinole Shelters. Due to an increased amount of stray animals coming into the County’s care, some as a result of the inclement weather over the weekend, CCAS is seeking to find homes for the hundreds of animals currently in the shelters.

Adoption locations include: • Martinez Adoption Center, 4800 Imhoff Place, Martinez; • Pinole Adoption Center, 910 San Pablo Ave., Pinole.

Both shelters are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and open until 7 p.m. on Wednesdays. Sunday adoptions are at the Martinez shelter only, from noon to 3 p.m.

To view animals available for adoption at our Martinez and Pinole shelters, please visit www. ccasd.org.

ROSS: Continued from Page 1

ment of housing is something we can do in Martinez.

Q: What strategies would you pursue at the local level to assist in the creation of decent paying jobs?

A: I would support a living wage ordinance, along with the prevailing wage ordinance I have already supported.

Q: What steps would you take to increase transparency and accountability in government?

A: When it mattered most in the last few years, I took a stand for higher levels of transparency and integrity on our City Council.

Q: Who are the top three donors to your campaign by dollar amount? What percentage of funds donated to your campaign come from small donors, i.e., donations of $50 or less?

A: I am the biggest donor to my campaign, by far. Other contributions that comprise more than 85 percent of my contributions so far are: • IBEW – $2000; • Sheet Metal Workers – $1,500; • Operating Engineers – $1,000

I have not had a fundraiser yet, and will do so in late October. It is not necessary to contribute to contact me. I can be reached at (925) 372-8417.

Q: Within Contra Costa County recent data reveals there are “dramatic racial disparities at every stage of the local criminal justice process,” e.g., over-representation in being charged with crimes, being on adult probation or juvenile probation, etc. For example, the county’s population is 9.6 percent Black/African-American, but Black/African-Americans comprise 26 percent of all those criminally charged and 41 percent of those on juvenile probation. Black/ African-Americans are also under-represented on juries relative to the total population as are Hispanic/Latino Americans who comprise 25 percent of the county’s population but make up less than 15 percent of jurors. What needs to be done at the local level to reduce or eliminate these disparities in the criminal justice system?

A: It is a concern for me, but I have been clear that the

Martinez Police Department operates as one of the finest in the region. Outside of our jurisdiction I can offer no real, informed opinion.

Q: Do you support a ban on crude-by-rail shipments through Contra Costa County, and what are the reasons for your position? Crude-byrail is the transport of highly volatile fracked Bakken crude oil in tanker cars in mile-long unit trains.

A: I have voted in favor of a City of Martinez resolution opposing crude-by-rail coming through Martinez.

Q: Should local area refineries, chemical plants and similar large-scale industrial operations be required to set-aside adequate funds for the eventual clean-up of their lands upon closure or re-use?

If yes, should those funds be in the form of third-party guarantees (bonding or insurance) or should companies be allowed to self-insure?

A: I have been an effective voice for Martinez residents in holding industry accountable for their operations. As a member of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and as a

member of the Contra Costa County Hazardous Materials Commission, I believe that industry must be accountable for emissions and degradation of our environment, and would consider such measures.

Q: Should hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”), which is the injection of liquids including undisclosed chemicals at high pressure into the ground to extract oil or gas, be banned in Contra Costa County?

A: Yes. Q: Should your city council and the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors request your Congressional Delegation vote “NO” on the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) if that proposed trade deal is brought before Congress?

Note: A report by the U.S. International Trade Commission “Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: Likely Impact on the U.S. Economy and on Specific Industry Sectors” (May 2016) which is required by law to be produced for Congress, states the TPP would cause job losses in manufacturing sectors, specifically the oil, gas, chemicals, textiles, wood products,

machinery & equipment, metals products, auto parts, electronic equipment, instruments & medical devices, toys, sporting goods and other manufacturing sectors.

A: I have voted in favor of a City of Martinez resolution against TPP, and was actually a leader in the Contra Costa anti-Nafta move-

ment in the ‘90s.

Q: Do you agree that Citizens United (Citizens United v. FEC, U.S. Supreme Court decision, 2010) should be overturned? This question is the subject of Proposition 59 on the California Nov. 8, 2016, General Election ballot.

A: Yes, it should be overturned.

6

Martinez Tribune | Oct. 21-27, 2016

Voice

Personal views expressed in the Voice section are solely those of the respective contributors and, unless otherwise labeled, do not reflect those of the Martinez Tribune, its advertisers or affiliates.

Your Voice

Measure D is only partial solution to road crisis Our mayor has written numerous articles recently supporting Measure D (a half percent sales tax increase) to fund putting us “on the path” to road improvements and maintenance. What the mayor does not tell the residents of Martinez is that THERE IS NO LONG TERM PLAN to fix our road crisis. With the passage of this Measure Martinez will still have millions in funding shortag-

es to restore our roads to a level that Martinez residents expect from our local government.

In one of his articles the mayor stated, “In order to just maintain our PCI level of 51, we would need to spend $17.6 million over five years.” With the passage of Measure D the city will only raise $15 million over the next five years for our roads. The mayor also

MARTINEZ

Tribune 725 Ward St., Martinez, CA 94553 Switchboard: (925) 229-2026; www.martineztribune.com President/CEO Nader Eghtesad Publisher E. Clark Sports Editor Gerardo Recinos Reporter David Scholz Cultural Editor & Brand Ambassador Danny Yoeono Contributors Mark Fierner, John Grubka

The Martinez Tribune is published in Martinez on a weekly basis and distributed to Martinez, Alhambra Valley, Vine Hill, Reliez Valley, Mountain View, Pleasant Hill, Pacheco, and Contra Costa Centre every Friday.

Subscriptions are $29 per year and mailed through the U.S. Post Office. Newsstand price is 75¢ per copy.

The mark of sustainable forestry.

Catalogued with the Library of Congress, ISSN 2471-2515.

All contents of this publication Copyright © 2016 Martinez Tribune

stated: “The current deferred maintenance backlog is $36.6 million.”

My questions to the

mayor are: 1) Why did you wait until our city roads are in a crisis condition to propose a

“partial” solution? Our roads have been deteriorating for many years.

2) What is the mayor’s

long term solution for restoring our roads to an acceptable condition?

– Mike Fleming

Contra Costa District Attorneys Association calls mailers ‘downright misleading to voters’ Allied Waste, an out of state Wall Street landfill operator that operates Keller Canyon Landfill, has reported spending $103,000 on a campaign to oust Supervisor Federal Glover in the District 5 Supervisor race. Last week, voters received in their mailboxes two mailers from Allied Waste that both incorrectly highlighted that the Contra Costa County District Attorneys’ Association, representing the area’s criminal prosecutors, had supported Glover’s opponent for election to the Board of Supervisors.

“Criminal prosecutors are highly recommending Supervisor Federal Glover for re-election because of his proven record on gang violence prevention and support for prosecuting violent criminals,” said Deputy District Attorney Aron DeFerrari, President of the DA’s Association. “Our area’s criminal prosecutors are disappointed in Allied Waste’s misleading mailers to voters and we ask them to immediately rectify this issue,” DeFerrari added. “At first I thought Allied Waste made a mistake on one mailer, then in a

matter of hours I saw it over and over again on different Allied Waste materials,” DeFerrari noted.

DeFerrari is requesting that a notice be sent out to all voters in District 5 setting the record straight and advertising the District Attorneys’ Association’s support for Glover. DeFerrari is also asking Allied Waste for damages for improperly using the official logo of the DA’s Association in their mailers as well as an apology.

“Our prosecutors are supporting Supervisor Federal Glover for his longtime

support for arresting and prosecuting criminals and for his good work supporting victims of crime; why would a large Wall Street company like Allied Waste be spending over $100,000 to bankroll Supervisor Glover’s opponent’s campaign – that’s the question voters should be asking,” stated DeFerrari.

DeFerrari added that Glover has been firm in requiring the landfill operator to follow environmental regulations that they have been ignoring for 20 years, which is likely the reason the company wants to defeat him.

Martinez Tribune | Oct. 21-27, 2016

7 “Faithful attendance at Church meetings brings blessings you can receive in no other way.” – Ezra Taft Benson

Faith Billy Graham's ‘My Answer'

Have faith & patience that you’ll join departed loved ones when the time comes

By BILLY GRAHAM Tribune Content Agency Q: My wife died last year, and I’m so lonely I sometimes wish Jesus would just take me to Heaven right now. We were each other’s best friend, and I guess we never went out of our way to make other close friends. I’m not sure why I’m writing, but thank you for listening. – P.J. A: Thank you for your email; may God comfort you and assure you of His constant presence with you. The death of a loved one inevitably leaves a hole in our hearts – but God knows what we’re going through, and He does not abandon us. Let the Psalmist’s

prayer become yours: “May your unfailing love be my comfort” (Psalm 119:76).

Grief over the death of a loved one, I’ve discovered, is somewhat like major surgery: it’s painful, and we don’t get over it quickly or easily. Yes, in time the scars will heal – but they never go away completely. But let me suggest three things that may help you. First, be thankful.

God gave you many years together; every day take time to thank Him for those years.

In other words, don’t just let your memories be tinged with sadness, but also with thankfulness. The Bible says, “Give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

In addition, thank God that

your wife is now safely in God’s presence forever. Never again will she experience the pains and sorrows and limitations of this life – and someday you’ll join her. The Bible reminds us that “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Finally, ask God to help you look beyond yourself, and become a friend and encourager to someone who needs your help. You need them – and they need you.

May God bless you.

Send your queries to “My Answer,” c/o Billy Graham, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, N.C.,

The following is a talk given during the October 2016 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

For more information, visit www.lds.org.

How blessed we are to assemble again in this worldwide conference under the direction and leadership of our dear prophet and President, Thomas S. Monson. President, we love you and we sustain you with all our hearts!

During my professional life as a pilot, I relied greatly on the precision and reliability of computer systems but rarely had to work my own personal computer.

In my office work as an executive, I had assistants and secretaries who kindly helped me with the tasks.

All this changed in 1994, when I was called as a General Authority. My calling consisted of many wonderful opportunities to minister, but it also included a great deal of Church office work – more than I ever thought possible.

To my shock, the main tool to stay on top of my work was a personal computer.

For the first time in my life, I had to delve into this strange, mystifying, incomprehensible world.

From the start, the computer and I were not on the friendliest of terms.

Able tech people tried to teach me how to use the computer. They literally stood behind me, reaching over my shoulder, their fingers moving quickly and tapping a percussive symphony against the keyboard.

“See?” they would say proudly.

“That’s how you do it.”

I did not see. It was a rocky transition.

My learning curve was more like a

brick wall.

It took a great deal of time, repetition, patience; no small amount of hope and faith; lots of reassurance from my wife; and many liters of a diet soda that shall remain nameless.

Now, 22 years later, I am surrounded by computer technology. I have an email address, a Twitter account, and a Facebook page. I own a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, and a digital camera.

And, while my tech skills may not quite measure up to those of a typical seven-year-old, for a septuagenarian, I do all right.

But I have noticed something interesting. The more adept I get at technology, the more I take it for granted.

For a large part of human history, communication happened at the speed of a horse. Sending a message and getting a reply could take days or even months.

Today our messages travel thousands of miles into the sky or thousands of meters beneath the oceans to reach someone on the other side of the world, and if there is a delay of even a few seconds, we get frustrated and impatient.

It seems to be human nature: as we become more familiar with something, even something miraculous and awe-inspiring, we lose our sense of awe and treat it as commonplace.

Do we take spiritual truths for granted?

Taking for granted our modern technologies and conveniences may be a relatively small matter. But, sadly, we sometimes take a similar attitude toward the eternal and soul-expanding doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the Church of Jesus Christ, we have been

Don’t be so quick to jump ship on your religion

By RABBI MARC GELLMAN Tribune Content Agency Q: I am a 70-year-old white male. I was raised a Christian (Methodist) but never was really active in any church. My wife of 14 years left me over two years ago. I now live alone and I am saying aloud what I have thought most of my life: I don’t believe that Jesus was God on earth but I do believe that what he preached is the way to live your life.

I recently said over lunch with friends that I didn’t believe that believing in Jesus was the only way to get to Heaven (if there is such a place), and that over my life I had known non-Christians who were sure to get to Heaven if anyone did. I was immediately pounced upon verbally and now have been somewhat ostracized.

I’m sure these people are talking about me in an unfavorable light. Do I try to find new friends, ignore the slights from these or what? Thank you for writing your column. Reading it is as close to going to church as I get. I look forward to reading it every week and it has meant a lot to me over the years. Thank you so much for what you do and I offer my blessings to you as best as I know how. Sincerely, a Jew in the making? – From D

TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY

Evangelist Billy Graham.

28201; call 1-(877) 2-GRAHAM, or visit the website for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association: www. billygraham.org.

Oh, how great the plan of our God!

By DIETER F. UCHTDORF

The God Squad

given so much. We are surrounded by such an astonishing wealth of light and truth that I wonder if we truly appreciate what we have.

Think of those early disciples who walked and talked with the Savior during His earthly ministry. Imagine the thanksgiving and reverence that must have flooded their hearts and filled their minds when they saw Him risen from the tomb, when they felt the wounds in His hands.

Their lives would never be the same!

Think of the early Saints of this dispensation who knew the Prophet Joseph Smith and heard him preach the restored gospel. Imagine how they must have felt to know that the veil between heaven and earth had parted again, shedding light and knowledge upon the world from our celestial home above.

But most of all, think of how you felt when for the first time you believed and understood that you are truly a child of God; that Jesus Christ willingly suffered for your sins so that you may be clean again; that priesthood power is real and can bind you to your loved ones for time and for all eternity; that there is a living prophet on the earth today. Isn’t that wonderful and amazing?

Considering all of this, how could it ever be possible that we of all people would not be excited about attending our Church worship services? Or get tired of reading the holy scriptures? I suppose this could be possible only if our hearts were past feeling to experience gratitude and awe for the sacred and sublime gifts God has granted us. Life-changing truths are before our eyes and at our fingertips, but sometimes we sleepwalk on the path u

TAKING FOR GRANTED: Page 10

A: Dear D, There are over a billion Christians in the world and somewhere around 12 million Jews, so as a rabbi who knows these statistics I am always open to new Jewish recruits. However, my advice to you comes from the advice I heard the Dalai Lama give to a Jewish spiritual seeker who wanted to convert from Judaism to Buddhism. The 14th incarnation of the Buddha said to him, “First learn to be a better Jew.” That is my advice to you. First learn to be a better Christian.

Christianity is the religion of your roots and even though you are having a crisis of faith now, Christianity is rich enough and tolerant enough and loving enough to embrace you while you continue questioning Jesus’ divinity. Perhaps you could begin to address your doubts by first understanding that being God if you are also a human being is not an easy theological belief to simply swallow whole. The Christian belief is that Jesus is part of a triune God – part of the Trinity that also includes the manifestations of God as the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Father God who made the universe and the Holy Spirit who comes to enlighten and comfort Christians are different than the manifestation of God as the Christ.

The connecting point for believing that Jesus is God is the agony of Paul, who despaired that the traditional belief of Judaism that following God’s commandments was a secure route to salvation. Paul believed that the commandments were too vast and his sins were too great, as he cried out in his conversionary moment when he realized that Jewish law had failed him. In Romans 7:10-11 we read, “And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.”

Paul believed that he needed a salvation by faith, not a salvation by works. So if you believe that you are a sinner and if you believe that you cannot achieve salvation without the grace of Jesus’ death and resurrection that has purified you from sin, then there is still a road back for you into Christianity. Give it a try!

Let me also give you some advice about how to talk to your friends. My tradition includes a great bit of relevant wisdom on this matter, “The rabbis taught that just as it is a mitzvah (a commandment) to teach what can be learned, so too it is a mitzvah not to teach what cannot be learned.” By confronting your friends with theological doubts that they cannot resolve and that challenge the deepest convictions of their faith, you put them in a terrible bind. What did you expect them to say? How did you expect them to react? These people are your friends, and dumping them because they could not resolve the central Christian mystery of Jesus’ divinity is not fair to them and not conducive to the continued flourishing of your friendships. Go to them and apologize for burdening them with your own doubts. And then listen to their questions and help them. Perhaps then, over time, you will find that they will come back to you and will reach out to you and will pull you back into the flock of your ancestors and your God. Send QUESTIONS ONLY to The God Squad via email at godsquadquestion@aol.com.

8

Martinez Tribune | Oct. 21-27, 2016

Tennis

Football

Golf

Volleyball

Below

Bulldog Girls rebound from first DAL loss

Tough test ends with big loss to Berean

Girls claim first DAL title for Alhambra

Page 9

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Dogs beaten for the first time in DAL by Eagles

TRIBUNE

Sports Girls golfers take home DAL title

By GERARDO RECINOS Martinez Tribune There’s a group of six girls at Alhambra who are breaking new ground for the school, and what’s even better is that they beat College Park to do it.

Sydney Cave, Julia Quontomatteo, Maddie George, Jordan Davis, Claire Jensen and Julia Lloren are all members of the girls golf team that won the school’s first league title when they won the Diablo Athletic League Valley Conference.

“We thought we would be pretty good,” said their coach,

Dan Bilanow, a physical education teacher and golf coach who has worked with some of the girls since they were in sixth grade.

Qualifying for the North Coast Section Golf Championship at Chardonnay Golf Club in Napa on Oct. 31 is only the first step.

The girls hope to make waves at the event, but coach Bilanow says he has faith in the team.

“Everybody came together and said ‘we have a chance, we can win this,’” Bilanow said. “We really started putting it together two weeks before the tournament.” u

CHAMPS Page 9

Eagles hand Bulldogs first defeat of DAL campaign

By GERARDO RECINOS Martinez Tribune

ON FILE / Courtesy The Alhambra varsity girls golf team won their conference of the DAL. Members of the team (from right): Sydney Cave, Julia Quontomateo, Maddie George, Jordan Davis, Coach Dan Bilanow, Claire Jensen and Julia Lloren.

Alhambra’s volleyball teams loss on Tuesday could be blamed on a planet shift, or maybe full moon? Maybe a black cat made it’s way into the locker room pre-game?

Those could be the only sound reasons that the volleyball team, which had not even lost a set up until their Oct. 18 loss to Berean Christian.

They looked thoroughly unlike themselves in the 3-1 loss, and opened the door for a possible huge Diablo Athletic League clash against Clayton Valley Charter on Oct. 25.

Willie Marchesano’s team has been solid up to the loss, they had won seven in a row and nine out of their last 10 matches. But on Tuesday they looked off in every aspect of their game.

The passes that usually ended up in thunderous kills were a hair off. And the usually flawless court presence and communication u DAL Page 9

Berean Christian takes down Alhambra in fiery battle

By GERARDO RECINOS Martinez Tribune Big players can take over big games and in their game against Berea Christian Friday night, the Bulldogs saw up close that they can also live up to the hype.

Four-star rated Rivals.com recruit Isaiah Hodgins and the Eagles hosted the Bulldogs at Clayton Valley Charter and beat them 56-36 in a fiery battle between two teams with playoff aspirations.

“He’s difficult to deal with because he

is a big body, he takes up a lot of space and uses his body well,” Hern said of the senior Hodgins who burned the Bulldogs in every aspect of the game.

From the second play on you could tell there was no love lost. Hodgins made a big block on his receiver from the corner back position, and it wasn’t the only time he would figure into the game on the defensive side of the ball.

But where he truly hurt the Dogs was as expected. Hodgins caught 11 passes for a whopping 243 yards. Of those 11 catch-

es five went for touchdowns.

Four of the former Washington State commits touchdown grabs came in the first half, when the Bulldogs were without their starting quarterback, as well as their starting running back Daniel Boyd.

Boyd broke his foot in the win over Ygnacio the week prior, but Daymyn Blalock was available to play in the second half.

Both of their understudies had seen time on the field, and Austin Edwards made good use of his carries, and he will see the u FIERY Page 9

MARK FIERNER / Martinez Tribune Alhambra’s Mason Yeager (left) and Nick Haro (right) close in on the ball carrier in the Bulldogs’ 56-36 loss to Berean on Oct. 14.

9

Martinez Tribune | Oct. 21-27, 2016

Sports

Alhambra Girls Tennis succeeds against Berean

By GERARDO RECINOS Martinez Tribune

The Alhambra girls’ tennis team got back to its winning ways on a breezy Tuesday afternoon when they took on Berean Christian.

The Oct. 18, win went 7-2 in favor of the Bulldogs, leaving Alhambra with a season sweep of the Eagles from Walnut Creek.

Number one singles player Callie Johnson lost to a strong player 0-6, 0-6. “Just a tough day but Callie always plays to win,” coach Sarah Gallagher said of her number one.

Right behind her Morgan Azevedo played one of her best matches of the season in the number two singles spot.

Azevedo was hitting the ball very well and playing very aggressively. She was hitting both cross-court shots and coming up to put the ball away. She looked in command during the first set winning

6-4. In the second set she lost 4-6. In the match-deciding tie breaker she battled hard.

According to Gallagher there was a bit of confusion mostly caused by the spectators “helping” with the score.

“She [Azevedo] seemed to lose track of the tie break and ended up losing 7-10, but (it was) a great effort and match,” Gallagher said.

Number three singles player Sophie Hughes never looked in doubt of a win on Tuesday.

She overcame a bit of nerves knowing her opponent played in the number two singles spot in the two teams’ last meeting, according to Gallagher. But Hughes came together to win strongly 6-2, 6-1, looking confident and in control.

At number four singles, Caserra Alva made her win a bit quicker and more decisive than the first time around against the same opponent.

Alva won 6-3, 6-3 in commanding style.

Number five singles player Nicole Nelson also played the same opponent as last meeting. Nelson was on the losing side the first time, but was solid and confident playing the kind of tennis she is so capable of in the second match. Nelson would end up winning 6-1, 6-1 in a great effort.

Rachel George got off to a rocky start in her match in the number six slot. George started off looking like she would lose the first set, but as Gallagher says, “Rachel is a ‘never give in’ player.”

George forced a come back from a 1-4 in the first set to win 6-6 (7-5 tie break). Her effort was huge, as she then came back and took the second set 6-0 to win the match.

The number one doubles duo of freshmen Katie Foerste and Julia Giannini continued their brilliant undefeated season by winning 6-0, 6-2.

Sam McGinley and Bri Coria, the second doubles team,

MARK FIERNER / Martinez Tribune Alhambra freshman Julia Giannini is one half of the duo that’s won every single match they’ve played in the Diablo Athletic League this season. Her partner, Katie Foerste is also a freshman.

also continue to improve and become a force in the league.

They beat their opponents by a mark of 6-1, 6-2.

Number three doubles pair Phoebe Tang and Rachel

Swaigen also have become quite a team, according to their coach, who called them “such a complimentary pair.”

They won easily by a score of 6-1, 6-1.

The Bulldog girls take on Ygnacio Valley on Thursday Oct. 20, after Tribune deadline before a big clash against Clayton Valley on Oct. 25, which would decide the league title.

Berean trio Greene, Pilgrim & Charette lead Eagles to win Bulldog girls make history u

DAL: Continued from Page 8

looked shaken, especially after a set one win by Berean.

In that set, Berean was peppering basically any spot they wanted to on the court. Senior Peyton Greene converted seemingly at will for the Eagles. Her second kill of the match forced the Bulldogs to call timeout and restructured after going down 10-7. Greene had 15 kills to lead both teams.

Alhambra rebounded to their credit, like a star pitcher who doesn’t have his best stuff, they continued to battle. Leslie Roofener’s kill sparked a 4-0 run by Alhambra that would eventually see them open up a 15-12 lead. But that lead evaporated almost as quickly as it was built up.

Neither team seemed likely to pull away through the tightly contested set. A pair of aces from Michaela Charette and kills by Greene and Hannah Pilgrim secured the set win.

Worried, but not out of it, the Bulldogs battled back to win set two.

Let’s not forget, they’ve been there before, down but not out.

Sterling Parker, who had 11 kills, in particular was big for the Bulldogs after an unusually quiet first set. Parker, Roofener, Gabby Chase and Erin

u Silva all had kills in the set, and an ace by Maddie Gray put the Bulldogs up at set point. Chase won the set for Alhambra with a strong kill.

No matter what they did though, the Bulldogs couldn’t find a rhythm.

Credit to Berean who swooped on their chances to take down the top team in the league. Greene and Pilgrim lead the way in terms of scoring, but Charette was the one who made the team go, she was the key cog.

Berean used a 5-0 run to take the lead for good in the third set, but they were nearly shocked. A nice dig by Sophia Olson set up a kill by Roofener in an important spot. At that point the Bulldogs were down two points.

But of course, Pilgrim came through for Berean with yet another kill to seal the second set win.

In the third set, the Eagles pounced. They had a 6-0 run to start the set, and coasted on that lead all the way until the end. Alhambra cut the lead to 23-20 late in the set, and an ace by Rachel Thompson cut they lead to two momentarily.

But appropriately, the match ended with two errors where Alhambra’s communication let them down for the first time in league play.

CHAMPS: Continued from Page 8

Alhambra’s team will be competing in Division I, as the school’s population of 1230 puts them 29 students over the threshold. That means they’ll compete with some of the top golfers in Northern California.

But they have one of their own on the team who can stir things up at the team tournament and possibly earn a berth past NCS. Jordan Davis is a junior, but she’s been with the team since her freshman year. Bilanow believes that on her day, she can make a push for state.

“If Jordan has the round of her life, she can place as an individual,” Bilanow said of his captain. “She’s the type of kid that will have practice and go home, have dinner, and go back and hit another few bucket of balls after.”

With another week left to go, and then another year after that, Bilanow believes Davis will make a mark on Alhambra before she graduates. And on top of that, he believes they team can repeat the effort they put together.

“It’ll be great, and we know College Park will be gunning for

Coach Hodgins on Twitter : ‘Did you really think you had a chance?’ u

FIERY: Continued from Page 8

bulk of the load on the ground for the rest of the season. Nicki Rucki added a field-goal from a career long 33 yards out to cap the first-half scoring.

He scored to initially give the Bulldogs the lead before Chandler Davis connected with the aforementioned Hodgins four separate times from 10, 15, 45 and 14 yards out.

After the game Hern said he felt the boys were resilient enough to play even with the Eagles in the second half, noting that spotting them an

18-point lead doomed them.

With Blalock in the ball game the offensive unit regained soon of the rhythm it had established in their last four games. They drove down the field 62 yards on their first possession, with a 36-yard pass to Trent Greene setting up the Bulldogs in Eagle territory. Greene controlled the ball with his right hand and brought it down despite hitting the ground hard. That set up a one-yard scramble from Blalock for a touchdown.

Berean’s Johnny Grillos matched that effort when he punched it in from 1-yard out for the Eagles less than three minutes later.

Alhambra scored on the following possession when Blalock connected with Zach Schuler, and then once more on a screen to Jackson Norried to set things up with 9:09 at 35-30 in favor of Berean.

Then it all fell apart. The Bulldogs wasted a booming kick from Rucki that pinned the Eagles back inside their own 15-

yard line. Eagles running back Nicholas Gaitan ran for a gain of 22 on a drive that covered 85 yards in 2:41. The drive was capped off by a leaping touchdown grab by who Hodgins.

Not content to only make his mark on the offensive side, Hodgins took Blalock’s second pass of the next drive and intercepted it, and took it 82-yard in the other direction for a touchdown.

Chaos had descended, with the lead out of reach, the two teams started to get chippy,

and the chirping could be heard from the Berean sideline.

There were four personal foul penalties in the fourth quarter alone, and from the rumblings on the sidelines post handshake on the field it was clear words were exchanged.

Hern was not visibly upset after the game, but did assert that he wasn’t happy with the level of sportsmanship the Eagles and their coaching staff exhibited in their victory.

After the game, Berean’s head coach James Hodgins

let his opinion be known. In a since deleted tweet the former Super Bowl winner with the Rams said “I never understood (sic) coaches that cant show good sportsmanship! Did you really think you had a chance?

Common(sic) man! Watch film! #AlhambraHS” Both teams have three games left on the season, and both figure to be atop the Diablo Athletic League along with Northgate-Walnut Creek, with Berean Christian holding all the cards with a 2-0 league record.

10

Martinez Tribune | Oct. 21-27, 2016 “I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple, pray in your church. For you and I are sons of one religion, and it is the spirit.” – Khalil Gibran

Faith

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf: Do we take spiritual truths for granted? u

TAKING FOR GRANTED: Continued from Page 7

of discipleship. Too often we let ourselves be distracted by the imperfections of our fellow members instead of following the example of our Master. We tread a path covered with diamonds, but we can scarcely distinguish them from ordinary pebbles.

A familiar message When I was a young man, my friends would ask me about my religion. Often I would start to explain the differences, like the Word of Wisdom. Other times I would emphasize the similarities with other Christian religions.

None of this would impress them very much. But when I talked about the great plan of happiness our Father in Heaven has for us as His children, I had their attention.

I remember trying to draw the plan of salvation on a blackboard in a classroom of our chapel in Frankfurt, Germany. I made circles that represented premortal life, mortality, and the return to our Heavenly

Parents after this life.

As a teenager, how I loved to share this exciting message. When I explained these principles in my own simple words, my heart would overflow with gratitude for a God who loves His children and a Savior who redeemed all of us from death and hell. I was so proud of this message of love, joy, and hope.

Some of my friends would say that this message felt familiar, even though such things were never taught in their religious upbringing.

It was as if they had always known these things to be true, as if I was simply casting light on something that was always and deeply rooted in their hearts.

We have answers!

I believe every human being carries in his or her heart some form of fundamental questions regarding life itself. Where did I come from? Why am I here? What will happen after I die?

These kinds of questions

have been asked by mortals since the dawn of time.

Philosophers, scholars, and pundits have spent their lives and fortunes seeking for answers.

I am grateful that the restored gospel of Jesus Christ has answers to the most complex questions in life. These answers are taught in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are true, plain, straightforward, and easy to understand. They are inspired, and we teach them to our three-year-olds in the Sunbeam class.

Brothers and sisters, we are eternal beings, without beginning and without end.

We have always existed. We are the literal spirit children of divine, immortal, and omnipotent Heavenly Parents!

We come from the heavenly courts of the Lord our God. We are of the royal house of Elohim, the Most High God. We walked with Him in our premortal life. We heard Him speak, witnessed His majesty, learned His ways.

You and I participated in a Grand Council where our beloved Father presented His plan for us – that we would come to earth, receive mortal bodies, learn to choose between good and evil, and progress in ways that would not otherwise be possible.

When we passed through the veil and entered this mortal life, we knew that we would no longer remember the life before. There would be opposition and adversity and temptation. But we also knew that gaining a physical body was of paramount importance for us. Oh, how we hoped that we would quickly learn to make the correct choices, withstand the temptations of Satan, and eventually return to our beloved Parents in Heaven.

We knew we would sin and make mistakes – perhaps even serious ones. But we also knew that our Savior, Jesus Christ, had pledged to come to earth, live a sinless life, and voluntarily lay down His life in an eternal sacrifice.

We knew that if we gave our heart to Him, trusted Him, and strived with all the energy of our soul to walk in the path of discipleship, we could be washed clean and once again enter the presence of our beloved Father in Heaven.

So, with faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, you and I accepted, by our free will, Heavenly Father’s plan.

That is why we are here on this beautiful planet earth – because God offered us the opportunity, and we chose to accept it. Our mortal life,

however, is only temporary and will end with the death of our physical body. But the essence of who you and I are will not be destroyed.

Our spirits will continue living and await the Resurrection – a free gift to all by our loving Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. At the Resurrection, our spirits and bodies will be reunited, free from pain and physical imperfections.

After the Resurrection, there will be a Day of Judgment. While all will eventually be saved and inherit a kingdom of glory, those who trust in God and seek to follow His laws and ordinances will inherit lives in the eternities that are unimaginable in glory and overwhelming in majesty.

That Day of Judgment will be a day of mercy and love – a day when broken hearts are healed, when tears of grief are replaced with tears of gratitude, when all will be made right.

Yes, there will be deep sorrow because of sin. Yes, there will be regrets and even anguish because of our mistakes, our foolishness, and our stubbornness that caused us to miss opportunities for a much greater future.

But I have confidence that we will not only be satisfied with the judgment of God; we will also be astonished and overwhelmed by His infinite grace, mercy, generosity, and love for us, His children. If our desires and works are good, if we have faith in a living God, then we can look forward to what

Moroni called “the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge.”

Pro tanto quid retribuamus My beloved brothers and sisters, my dear friends, does it not fill our hearts and minds with wonder and awe to contemplate the great plan of happiness our Heavenly Father has prepared for us? Does it not fill us with unspeakable joy to know of the glorious future that is prepared for all who wait upon the Lord?

If you have never felt such wonder and joy, I invite you to seek, study, and ponder the simple yet profound truths of the restored gospel. “Let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds.” Let them bear testimony unto you of the divine plan of salvation.

If you have felt these things before, I ask you today, “Can [you] feel so now?”

Recently I had the opportunity to travel to Belfast, Northern Ireland. While there, I noticed the Belfast Coat of Arms, which includes the motto “Pro tanto quid retribuamus,” or “What shall we give in return for so much?”

I invite each of us to consider this question.

What shall we give in return for the flood of light and truth God has poured out upon us?

Our beloved Father simply asks that we live by the truth we have received and that we follow the path He has provided. Therefore, let us take courage and trust in the guidance of the Spirit.

Let us in word and in deed share with our fellow men the amazing and awe-inspiring message of God’s plan of happiness. May our motive be our love for God and for His children, for they are our brothers and sisters. This is the beginning of what we can do in return for so much.

Someday “every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess” that God’s ways are just and His plan is perfect.

For you and me, let that day be today. Let us proclaim, with Jacob of old, “O how great the plan of our God!” Of this I testify in deep gratitude to our Heavenly Father, as I leave you my blessing, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Martinez Tribune | Oct. 21-27, 2016 u

AVILA FARIAS: Continued from Page 1

host of other occupations can afford to live in the areas where they work. We can reconnect jobs, transportation, and affordable housing.

There are several strategies to help address the housing affordable crises throughout the state. The state of California is dealing with a housing crisis because of the lack of affordable rental and homeownership opportunities throughout the various communities. We need to stay relevant to the issues throughout the state and develop a strategy that will allow us to work at the local level with community partners to develop programs, policies and finance opportunities to address the lack of available housing. In order for California to make serious headway in our California housing crisis, we need to continue to seek ways to reform tax and housing finance systems to create a system that allocate scarce federal funds to protect current programs and create new housing programs that meet state housing needs. We all need to be part of the solution. We need to be able to create programs that create incentives for communities to deliver on the statewide initiatives for housing production. Lastly, I serve on the California Housing Finance Agency where I will work to help regain CalFHA status as a relevant lender in both the single family mortgage market and the affordable multifamily lending market. [I will also work to] develop partnerships and create innovative programs, using CalFHA’s strengths and state wide breadth.

We need to have a balance of homeownership and rental opportunities in our communities at various affordable prices.

Our communities should allow residents to move up the housing economic ladder.

Q: What strategies would you pursue at the local level to assist in the creation of decent paying jobs?

A: I support the regional effort to raise the minimum to $15 an hour. In District 5, there are many working families that are becoming the working poor. Income inequality has been linked to poor health

u

11

and is a considerable barrier to entering and completing college. A $15 minimum wage is a first good step by the County to address the issue of income inequality.

Q: What steps would you take to increase transparency and accountability in government?

A: I will make sure the county is able to disclose information rapidly in a manner in which the public can readily find and use. Being transparent in government is a way to be accountable to the citizens of the county. By showing what is happening, why it is happening and where it is happening will help the citizens become more engaged in their community.

Q: Who are the top three donors to your campaign by dollar amount?

What percentage of funds donated to your campaign come from small donors, i.e., donations of $50 or less?

A: • United Professional Firefighters: total $10,000 ($5,000 in primary and $5,000 in run-off); • Contra Costa County Deputy Sheriffs Association: total $10,000 ($5,000 in primary and $5,000 in run-off); • SEIU Local 1021: total $8,325 ($5,000 in primary and $3,325 in run-off); • Percentage of funds from small donors: 0.79 percent (less than 1 percent).

Q: Within Contra Costa County recent data reveals there are “dramatic racial disparities at every stage of the local criminal justice process,” e.g., over-representation in being charged with crimes, being on adult probation or juvenile probation, etc. For example, the county’s population is 9.6 percent Black/African-American, but Black/African-Americans comprise 26 percent of all those criminally charged and 41 percent of those on juvenile probation.

Black/African-Americans are also under-represented on juries relative to the total population as are Hispanic/Latino Americans who comprise 25 percent of the county’s population but make up less than 15 percent of jurors. What needs to be done at the local level to reduce or eliminate these disparities in

the criminal justice system?

A: I would support the work of The Racial Justice Coalition and community stakeholders that advocated before The CCC Public Protection Committee and the CCC Board of Supervisors to create the Disproportionate Minority Contact Task Force. The data shows that African Americans and Latinos are disproportionately represented in Contra Costa County in criminal prosecutions, probation supervision, and jury service.

The Racial Justice Coalition requested that Taskforce identify measures that can be taken to reduce the disparities that are demonstrated by county data and implement measures to reduce these disparities. As a Board of Supervisor, I will work with the stakeholders to implement strategies to reduce these disparities.

Q: Do you support a ban on crudeby-rail shipments through Contra Costa County and what are the reasons for your position? Crude-by-rail is the transport of highly volatile fracked Bakken crude oil in tanker cars in mile-long unit trains.

A: As a Martinez Council member, I voted to urge the federal agencies with appropriate jurisdiction (primarily the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Railroad Administration, and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration) to take the following actions to improve rail safety with respect to the transport of Bakken crude oil and other hazardous materials by rail.

As a Board of Supervisor, I would ensure the health and public safety of Contra Costa residents regarding the transportation of tar sand oils and other hazardous materials on the county’s rail corridors.

This includes: • Mandate electronically controlled braking systems.

• Expedite retrofit or phase-out of tank cars failing to meet current safety standards.

• Mandate provision of real-time information to first responders in event of accidents.

• Federal funding for first responders.

• Mandatory speed limits.

• Mandate stricter reporting requirements.

• Identify priority routes for positive train control (PTC).

• Mandate railroad industry compli-

ance with Individual Voluntary Agreement negotiated with the U.S. Department of Transportation.

• Clear methodology for funding.

• Regulate the parking and storage of tank cars.

Q: Should local area refineries, chemical plants and similar large-scale industrial operations be required to setaside adequate funds for the eventual clean-up of their lands upon closure or re-use? If yes, should those funds be in the form of third-party guarantees (bonding or insurance) or should companies be allowed to self-insure?

A: YES. Clean-up is all but necessary after a closure. The cost for clean-up in order to re-use land where there has been a refinery, chemical plant and similar large-scale industrial operation and the cost to clean-up an incident can be staggering. Requiring set-aside funds for local area refineries, chemical plants and similar large-scale industrial operations will help protect not only the business for future environmental costs, but the county and its residents as well. Requiring companies to have a third-party guarantee will help reduce the risk of not capturing enough funds for clean-up.

Q: Should hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”), which is the injection of liquids including undisclosed chemicals at high pressure into the ground to extract oil or gas, be banned in Contra Costa County?

A: YES. Some of the health issues related to fracking operations were disclosed in Los Angeles County when a fracking accident in an Inglewood field released a cloud of toxic fumes and forced the evacuation of some residents of Baldwin Hills and Culver City. Some of the concerns of hydraulic fracturing include: ground and surface water contamination, the use of large amounts of the precious resource of water in drought-prone California, the use of chemicals that are known carcinogens and endocrine disruptors and possible airborne human exposure. Further, another concern that is an especially sensitive issue in California, increased seismicity in a heavily faulted area could trigger an earthquake. Source: Earth Island Journal, Fracking: Coming to a City or Suburb Near You. May 31, 2012.

Q: Should your city council and the

Contra Costa Board of Supervisors request your Congressional Delegation vote “NO” on the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) if that proposed trade deal is brought before Congress? Note: A report by the U.S. International Trade Commission “Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: Likely Impact on the U.S. Economy and on Specific Industry Sectors” (May 2016) which is required by law to be produced for Congress, states the TPP would cause job losses in manufacturing sectors, specifically the oil, gas, chemicals, textiles, wood products, machinery & equipment, metals products, auto parts, electronic equipment, instruments & medical devices, toys, sporting goods and other manufacturing sectors.

A: YES. Congress has the constitutional authority to negotiate trade deals.

This trade deal lacked transparency and enforcement. There is nothing in TPP that protects worker’s rights, environmental rights or the American workers. It’s specific to corporations and shrouded in secrecy.

It hurts all workers: industrial, professional and public workers. With NAFTA, factories closed, the tax base goes away and government can’t operate and there are fewer services for the general public.

Q: Do you agree that Citizens United (Citizens United v. FEC, U.S. Supreme Court decision, 2010) should be overturned? This question is the subject of Proposition 59 on the California Nov. 8, 2016, General Election ballot.

A: Unfortunately, the court opened the campaign spending floodgates with Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision. I support overturning the Citizens United because it has now resulted in a small group of wealthy donors gaining even more influence on elections. Although the justices’ ruling said political spending is protected under the First Amendment, it has become a much more urgent issue in the past five years as people feel their voices – and their votes – are being drowned out.

I think allowing corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts of money on political activities, as long as it was done independently of a party or candidate is problematic for democracy.

GLOVER: Continued from Page 1

A: My Northern Waterfront Economic Development Initiative is one example of bringing together cities, the County, and stakeholder coalitions and private sector industry associations to collaborate on a short and long-term strategy to upgrade our waterfront areas and marinas to attract business that will ultimately create new jobs in our communities.

The Northern Waterfront Initiative is a regional cluster-based economic development strategy with a goal of creating 18,000 new jobs by 2035. The Initiative leverages existing competitive advantages and assets by focusing on advanced manufacturing sub-sectors in five targeted clusters: advanced transportation fuels, bio-tech/bio-medical, diverse manufacturing, food processing, and clean tech. Its mission is to create high-wage jobs for a wide variety of skills from entry-level to advanced-level and to expand local employment opportunities thereby reducing the number of out-commuters, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. I am also a strong supporter of our County’s Workforce Development Board, the East Bay Economic Development Alliance, and the Contra Costa Economic Partnership.

Q: What steps would you take to increase transparency and accountability in government?

A: The County has gone further than any agency in California to promote transparency and accountability through the adoption and implementation of the Better Government Ordinance, which goes further than the Brown Act on noticing requirements and steps to avoid serial meetings in order to foster public engagement. We are also employing social media to a greater extent and using newsletters, press releas-

es, and electronic communications whenever possible. The County operates the CCTV station, which provides coverage of special events, government meetings and produced shows. Among the CCTV shows is “Veterans’ Voices,” a monthly live, call-in talk show, focusing on the issues veterans face as they transition back to civilian life. As County Supervisor, I also support the utilization of the OpenGov platform, which is a cloud-based financial analysis platform that converts government financial data into intuitive, interactive reports that make it easy to see and show how taxpayer money is collected and spent.

Q: Who are the top three donors to your campaign by dollar amount? What percentage of funds donated to your campaign come from small donors, i.e., donations of $50 or less?

A: My top donors are individuals who work in the building trades, local nurses who care for the medical needs of patients, police officers and criminal prosecutors, and regular folks who support me for my ability to get things done for our citizens.

Q: Within Contra Costa County recent data reveals there are “dramatic racial disparities at every stage of the local criminal justice process,” e.g., over-representation in being charged with crimes, being on adult probation or juvenile probation, etc. For example, the county’s population is 9.6 percent Black/African-American, but Black/African-Americans comprise 26 percent of all those criminally charged and 41 percent of those on juvenile probation. Black/African-Americans are also under-represented on juries relative to the total population as are His-

panic/Latino Americans who comprise 25 percent of the county’s population but make up less than 15 percent of jurors. What needs to be done at the local level to reduce or eliminate these disparities in the criminal justice system?

A: On Sept. 13, 2016, the County Board of Supervisors established a 17-member Racial Justice Task Force to recommend measures to address these disparities. County staff has undertaken an RFP process to identify an organization to facilitate and provide data analysis to the Racial Justice Task Force, which will recommend a strategy to reduce racial disparities within the criminal justice system.

Q: Do you support a ban on crude-by-rail shipments through Contra Costa County and what are the reasons for your position? Crude-by-rail is the transport of highly volatile fracked Bakken crude oil in tanker cars in mile-long unit trains.

A: I support a ban on crude-by-rail but am concerned that the Federal Railroad Administration might bypass a local ban and move forward regardless of our local concerns on a plan to transport crude oil on the County’s railroads. Therefore, I also support legislative and administrative measures to enhance rail safety, increase state oversight of railroad bridges, provide funding for the training of first responders, and implement regulations that increase tank car safety standards for cars transporting crude oil and other hazardous materials, and additional regulations that require railroads to share data with state emergency managers and local responders.

Q: Should local area refineries, chemical plants and similar large-scale industrial operations be

required to set-aside adequate funds for the eventual clean-up of their lands upon closure or reuse? If yes, should those funds be in the form of third-party guarantees (bonding or insurance) or should companies be allowed to self-insure?

A: That is certainly an idea worth exploring.

Q: Should hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”), which is the injection of liquids including undisclosed chemicals at high pressure into the ground to extract oil or gas, be banned in Contra Costa County?

A: Yes. Q: Should your city council and the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors request your Congressional Delegation vote “NO” on the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) if that proposed trade deal is brought before Congress? Note: A report by the U.S. International Trade Commission “Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: Likely Impact on the U.S. Economy and on Specific Industry Sectors” (May 2016) which is required by law to be produced for Congress, states the TPP would cause job losses in manufacturing sectors, specifically the oil, gas, chemicals, textiles, wood products, machinery & equipment, metals products, auto parts, electronic equipment, instruments & medical devices, toys, sporting goods and other manufacturing sectors.

A: Yes. Q: Do you agree that Citizens United (Citizens United v. FEC, U.S. Supreme Court decision, 2010) should be overturned? This question is the subject of Proposition 59 on the California Nov. 8, 2016, General Election ballot.

A: Yes.

12

Martinez Tribune | Oct. 21-27, 2016

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0005 Personals 0006 Lost & Found* 0009 Childcare 0011 Lessons 0015 Tutoring 0017 Business Opportunities 0019 Money & Loans

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FREE JIGSAW PUZZLE EXCHANGE! 500 / 1,000 piece puzzles. Ages 10-adult. Ask for Terry. 925-672-5550.

time between 4:20 post meridiem on the 31st day of this coming December and 4:20 ante meridiem the 1st day of this coming January. If not sooner as well as later. Because you never know.

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IF YOU like piña coladas and what-not, write to me and escape. 20-year-old, male. MTZNative, Box 1, c/o Martinez Tribune, 725 Ward St., Martinez CA 94553.

FOUND female Rotweiller, blue collar, no tags, friendly. Found Saturday, July 30, 2016, at Valero Gas Station, 4141 Alhambra Ave., Martinez. Police took to Animal Control.

NEEDED: CAPRICORN males for sociology study.

Please call (925) 917-0168. _________________________________________________________________________

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LOST - 6th day of September, Anno Lucis 6016, James “Quagmire” Griffin, born 1st day of January, Anno Lucis 5970. In celebration of his life, the HEMP Church is kinda-sorta thinking about holding an unofficial memorial service at 650 Pine St., Martinez, California Republic some-

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WOULD THE person who picked up a black leather address book at Old Town Antique Store in Martinez on Monday, June 27, please return. $100 reward offered. (925) 820-1835 _________________________________________________________________________

THE HEMP Church hereby declares 650 Pine Street, Martinez, California, as sacred tribal grounds. Please

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BIKE?

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0021 Help Wanted 0025 Misc Items* 0026 Furniture* 0027 Appliances* 0030 Electronics* 0050 Wanted* 0060 Health/Beauty/Fitness 0061 Auto & RV 0065 Marine

0006

send prayer requests to 650 Pine Street, Martinez, California. Please do not use zip code or state abbreviation.

Business Opportunities 0017 LOCAL FILM production services offered. Sports, archive, real estate, highlights. Email for quotes, pieman0226@yahoo.com. Call for questions, (925) 963-1607. _________________________________________________________________________

WANT TO become a business owner? Do you know about collectables, antiques? Have them to sell?

We have two large cases to rent. Come in, talk to Judy on Fri, Sat. Antiques on the Main, 814 Main St., Martinez. (925) 228-0394

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DUTCH STYLES quality labor and custom services provides daamgoed commercial and residential landscape installations and maintenance specializing in irrigation repairs, water conservation and trees.

(925) 204-8024 _________________________________________________________________________

It was stolen near Loaves & Fishes, 835 Ferry St., Martinez, around 12:30 on the afternoon of Aug. 2. It’s a blue and silver Giant NRS mountain bike. Water bottle holder on center frame. Suspect is described as a dark-skinned male, possibly African American or Hispanic, short curly black hair, wearing a light pink shirt, blue trousers, big blue backpack. Anyone with information is encouraged to call Scott at (925) 222-9489.

Brian Krisch, brian@ krisch.co, 510.290.1816 BA in Communication.

Skills: Editing, Marketing, Research, User Experience Design, Writing, Web Services, Creativity, Authenticity, Critical Thinking, Teamwork, Problem Solving, Self-Motivated, Google Apps, Social Media Management.

Work Wanted

Real Estate 0070 Homes for Sale 0072 Rentals 0075 Commercial Property 0080 Land 0085 Open Houses

0095 Fuel, Wood & Oil 0096 Auctions 0097 Time Shares 0099 Garage Sales 0100 Service Directory 0101 Legal Notices

0090 Campgrounds/Spaces 0091 Pets & Supplies* 0093 Hay, Grain & Feed

*Free ads (under $100); includes 3 lines & 1 week online

0020

electrics, stagehand, backline and skilled labor. (928) 420-6852. _________________________________________________________________________

RANCH SITTING - MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE - EXCELLENT REFERENCES Will ranch sit, longterm, “24/7”, will assist with management including light chores - in exchange for cottage or separate living quarters - Contra Costa County. Recently retired (early), healthy woman, veteran equestrienne, former professional gardener, have horse - do not smoke, drink or use drugs. (925) 2290968.

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HELP WANTED IMMEDIATE OPENING for Managing Editor of the Martinez Tribune. Must posess strong managerial skills and knowledge of AP Style, InDesign, Photoshop. The Managing Editor will oversee all aspects of the publication, hire/fire/ promote staff members, sell advertising, enforce deadlines, write articles and editorials, design pages/ads, update website, assist in maintaining social media pages and applicable duties as outlined by Publisher.

Video/broadcast experience a plus.

Training available. Email resume, cover letter (or video), and at least three samples of writing and photography to eclark@ martineztribune.com.

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GUERRILLA RIGGING Event rigging, carpentry,

EDGE

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Call (707) 474-4760.

Paralegal, Electrical Technicians, Accounting Assistant, File Clerk, DMV File Clerk, Receptionist/Administrative Assistant, Inventory Assistant, General Labor, Painter, Paint Prepper, Auto, Detailer, Janitorial. All applicants must meet company hiring criteria for pre-employment screening, including drug test and criminal background check. Please visit our website at http://www. dcsolardistribution.com/ careers/ in order to begin the application process, or call 925-203-1088. Email completed applications to employment@dcsolardistribution.com, or fax to 800985-6316. DC Solar is an equal opportunity employer.

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COME JOIN the solar revolution! DC Solar is fast-growing clean energy company that is creating a seismic shift in the solar industry. We are looking for people who want to become part of an innovative team dedicated to changing the way solar power is delivered. We are recruiting for the following positions: Human Resources Administrator, Mechanical Engineer (CAD), Sales,

MOVERS WANTED Martinez moving company looking for a lead mover with a minimum of one year experience. Must have clean C.D.L., experience with piano moving, in home packing and can work with Bill Of Ladens. Pay depends on experience. Contact by email, sbmove@pacbell.net

Group, Inc. is currently looking for a LEVEL 2 Radiographer, UT, MT, PT, with a TWIC card, Valid DL and a IRRSP Card, with a minimum of 5 years experience. Call (707) 474-4760. _________________________________________________________________________

RES SUCCESS is hiring!

Join our amazing team!

Looking for a meaningful career working with individuals with Autism and cognitive disabilities? Call RES Success at (925) 229-8228 to apply! www.ressuccess.org _________________________________________________________________________

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Martinez Tribune | Oct. 21-27, 2016

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Send resume and cover letter to eclark@martinez tribune.com or Martinez Tribune, 725 Ward St., Martinez, CA 94553.

Misc Items

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XL-1200 AIR CONDITIONER. Bought at job site never installed, selling for family member. In Martinez area, call stop by take a look. Also have residential heater unit. Let’s make a deal. Make me an offer! Call David, (925) 681-9833. _________________________________________________________________________

TWO TIRES by Michelin, radial, size 185/65R15.

Used, good condition. $50 for all. (925) 939-2152. _________________________________________________________________________

25” TV single base, moves side to side, remote control, mint condition, $100. (925) 432-9230. _________________________________________________________________________

DEAN MARTIN Celebrity Roasts, total of 17 DVDs, 15 are brand new, 2 have been played once. Asking price $110 or best offer.

Call Ron, (925) 284-5428. _________________________________________________________________________

TWO WHEELCHAIRS, one over-sized, barely used, $300. Another standard size, black leather, foldable, paid $1,000+, used twice, asking $500 obo. Call Edwin, (925) 432-9230. _________________________________________________________________________

REMOTE CONTROL cars for sale. All models. (925) 432-9230. _________________________________________________________________________

OVER 200 films on VHS/ DVD for sale. Best offer.

Call Edwin, (925) 432-9230. _________________________________________________________________________

DESIGNER SUITS, shirts, pants, shoes like new, some new, reasonably priced. (925) 825-7297. _________________________________________________________________________

BUILDING MOBILE (human pulled) emergency shelter housing for rescue, recreation or military. Need to build more units. Seeking sponsor. (510) 222-9420

Furniture

0026

FOR SALE Antique Eastlake dresser, headboard and matching commode, (925) 228-3045. _________________________________________________________________________

POTTERY BARN desk with hutch and chair, white. $500 obo. (925) 808-1534.

Appliances

0027

WASHING MACHINE. Two-year old great washer. Kenmore LG, estate sale, stainless steel. Perfect condition. Will deliver. $500. Nancy, (925) 8274684.

Auto & RV

0061

dows alarm system, and tinted windows. Charcoal grey, black and grey interior. Only 1 owner, 11,000 miles, mostly highway. 6 speed, 20 inch rims on low profile tires. Stereo/ CD with 2 ten subs 1500 watt amp with separate over load capacitor, cold air intake and Greddy module. GREAT CAR, EXCELENT CONDITION NO SCRACHES DENTS WELL TAKEN CARE OF. FUN TO DRIVE!!!!!! Must sell due to medical reasons. $10,999.

David, (925) 681-9833. _________________________________________________________________________

Electronics

0030

STEREO SX components, twin towers, $800. Yamaha/ Mistubishi components, 4 sound towers, 1000 watts.

Call Edwin, (925) 432-9230.

Wanted

0050

CHRISTIAN FEMALE seeking Section 8 rental, on bus route. Please call (925) 917-0168. _________________________________________________________________________

LOOKING FOR SF Bay Area radio station recordings from the 1920s through 1980s, if possible with local station ID breaks. From music shows, talk shows, newscasts, live band remotes, sports recordings, etc. For example, stations like KTAB, KSFO, KGO, KYA, KSFX, KDIA, KWBR, KOBY, KSAY, etc. Willing to pay to have digital copies made. Call Ron, (925) 2845428. _________________________________________________________________________

LOOKING FOR TV audio soundtracks from 1950s-1970s, i.e. variety shows, talk shows, sports recordings, etc. Call Ron, (925) 284-5428. _________________________________________________________________________

LOOKING FOR Brian Piccolo Story movie (not the Brian’s Song movie). Saw it on KTVU Channel 2 back in mid-‘70s. Willing to take home recorded version of this movie. Call Ron, (925) 284-5428.

Auto & RV

0061

One owner 2004 ET4 150cc Vespa scooter in very good condition. Only 5765 miles – $2,400 OBO. Call Bob at (510) 552-3324 2006 MAZDA Rx-8 A/C, auto doors, locks, win-

TWO TIRES by Michelin, radial, size 185/65R15.

Used, good condition. $50 for all. (925) 939-2152. _________________________________________________________________________

TOYOTA CAMRY 4 door sedan, ‘92, black on black, limosine tint, new tires, electronic ignition, etc. $2,500 obo. Call Edwin, (925) 432-9230.

Marine

0070

RESIDENTIAL REAL Estate Sales, experience in Trustee and Probate Sales.

Complimentary Property Evaluation and Fair Market Analysis Provided. Michael Brionez, Broker, J. Rockcliff Realtors, (925) 2880477, michaelbrionez.com.

Commercial

0075

SHELL GAS STATION and convenience store for sale, great location in Folsom, CA, next to busy DMV, schools, biz district. Leave msg for Erin, (928) 377-7579.

Land

0080

Service Directory

0100

day! *Boxed ads, graphics, etc. come with fees.

There’s a better way to get attention.

Trying to draw a crowd to your next garage sale?

Keep life simple – take out an ad.

Martinez Tribune

725 Ward St. Martinez, CA 94553 Phone: (925) 229-2026 http://martineztribune.com

Use this form to place a FREE Classified!

0065

FOR SALE New 12 ft Wenonah (canoe). Hardly used, includes two wooden oars, asking $300. Was $1,300 new. (925) 229-0968.

Homes for Sale

Land

0080

$120,000 Vacant residential lot near downtown Martinez. Build your custom home! Michael Brionez, Broker, J. Rockcliff Realtors, (925) 288-0477, michaelbrionez.com. _________________________________________________________________________

ADVERTISE YOUR items free in the Martinez Tribune Classifieds. Email classifieds@martineztribune.com place your free text ad to-

Classifications 0005 Personals 000 Lost ound 0009 Childcare 0011 Lessons 0015 Tutoring 0017 Business Opp. 0019 Money & Loans 0020 ork anted 0021 elp anted 0025 Misc Items

County. Legal notice rior Court of Contra ing our petition with es here, with first le Costa County. Lega Superior Court of legal being our petiti Legal notices here, w

neztribune.co

or email cwillett@martineztribune.com. available. classifieds@ Send co (925) 22 Call Crystal at (925) 229-2026, Ext. 204, nity newspaper.

Co them toin you pro a month, and include free online advertising. professionals bune, or we work one-on-one yourhave ad at in the Service Directory. Ads are just $75 opmenttowill Pickillustratio up res (including Help your business grow with an ad (925) 229-0968. neztribune.co fidential m

ism, communicatio horsedo notwith smoke, d 7579 or ecla personalized it? Those an classifi eds orobc enne, former kept. $600 you’ll be news?

Wantprofessio to ass lea www.martinez Recently retired woma prefer wester tribune.com, INTERNSHIPS AVA livingfree! quarters -for Contr saved f i ePlace ds@ myou akir advertise choresnot -girth. in###: exchange Used inf your ad to classifi eds Con orjumping estat assistYard with manageme used) 229-2026 o

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Paige.Pleasant Al needsHill toand go Co fo ENCESland), 16.5”, confidential Al aremost both aff in ordable, love12withefft ASSISTANCE - EXC isse FREE(made LOC Q: A surgeon named Ha SEE YOUR busines RANCH SITTING -M Older Crump DRESSAGE Work Wanted GENERAL 925-229-0968 Kris McKechnie

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0026 Furniture 0027 Appliances 0030 Electronics 0050 anted 0060 Health/Beauty/ Fitness 0061 Auto & RV 0065 Marine 0070 Homes for Sale 0072 Rentals

0075 Commercial Property 0080 Land 0085 Open Houses 0090 Campgrounds/Spaces 0091 Pets & Supplies 009 a , rain eed 0095 uel, ood il 0096 Auctions 0097 Time Shares 0099 Garage Sales

Customer Info Name: _______________________

Telephone: _____________________

Address: _______________________

Email: __________________________

________________________________ Ad Info Classification: __________________ Ad Copy (*limit three lines (approximately 20 words); photos & images extra): __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ To appear in the ollowing edition, our ad must be at our o ce no later than 11 a.m. Wednesday. To place an ad, choose one o the ollowing mail form to Martinez Tribune, 725 Ward St., Martinez, CA 94553, call (925) 229-2026, email classifieds@martineztribune.com, or visit http:// martineztribune.com/classifieds.

14

Martinez Tribune | Oct. 21-27, 2016 Email news tips to news@martineztribune.com

Amusements Gasoline Alley

The Middletons

Broom-Hilda

Sudoku Sudoku Level: 1

2

3

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk.

Solution to week’s puzzle Solution to last Wednesday’s puzzle

Solution to last week’s puzzle

© 2015 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

4/16/15

Subscribe today and receive the weekly print edition plus daily online content for just $29 a year! Call (925) 229-2026, or subscribe online at http://martineztribune.com

Martinez Tribune | Oct. 21-27, 2016

15

Amusements Horoscopes

Omarr’s Weekly Astrological Forecast

By JERALDINE SAUNDERS Tribune Content Agency ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the upcoming week, you may lose sight of longterm objectives due to shortterm interruptions. It may be difficult to stay on track if you feel you’re challenged to remain independent or keep pace with technology.

TAURUS (April 20May 20): You might need to whip out the evidence to put doubts to rest. A new romantic partner might ask to see some proof of your loyalty in the week to come. Find success by using your business savvy in creative ways.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Use mental dexterity to make progress. Quick thinking can save you hours of extra work. Your deft handling of people and executive decisions might make you appear smarter than you really are in the week ahead.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Actions don’t always speak louder than words. In the week to come, you might find that things become overly complicated if you initiate new projects without a complete game plan and detailed explanations.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): One for all and all for one.

You may not have a sword or musketeer companions, but you can share joy in the accomplishments of your fellow man. You may find satisfaction by being part of the bigger picture this week.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept.

22): Rise to the occasion.

Like yeast bread, you must first proof the dough before you can make something worthy of tasting. You may feel pressured to make decisions against your better judgment in the week ahead.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct.

22): Loyalties may be tested by a separation or unusual circumstances. You may be tempted to take unnecessary risks to keep pace with a certain someone. In the week ahead, focus on business over pleasure.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You may rise to the bait as the week unfolds. You may be put at a disadvantage if you voice an opinion about the latest issues. Learn to listen and develop a broader, richer philosophy or enjoy an educative lecture.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): When others are supportive and offer wise counsel, take it. You feel more confident and willing to go the extra mile for those who have your back. In the week ahead, don’t let doubts block your plans.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19): Think big. In the week to come, your ambitions receive much needed inspiration from your surroundings. It’s in your best interest to immerse yourself in the very reading material and people.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 18): You can put the throttle on “full steam ahead.” Situations seem to trigger your enthusiasm and talent for innovation. When caught up in surprises or emergencies, you can easily be at your best in the week ahead.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Don’t fritter away your pennies to prove a point. A battle of the wills will fall by the wayside in the week ahead when you get a vote of confidence from a companion or partner. All’s well that ends well. (c) 2016 TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.

Week’s

Last Week’s

Crossword ACROSS 1 Handhold 6 Part of a comparison 10 Montreal Protocol concerns 14 “Men in Trees” star 15 Roadside chain, for short 16 Take __ at: try to wallop 17 Sean who played Samwise Gamgee 18 Dash 19 Arum family tuber 20 Egyptian menace 21 Quantum theory pioneer 23 Glides 26 Heart part?

27 Texter’s “... but that may just be me” 28 Fertile deposit 31 Elizabeth of “Martha Marcy May Marlene” 32 Facetious Appalachian portmanteau 35 Old blade 36 Like some grazers 37 Span. girl 41 Smart alecks 44 Complexity 47 Inscribed marker 48 High-tech worker 49 Taken out, in a way 51 Back in the day 53 Rare pro golf feat 56 Daughter of Loki 57 “We Three Kings” kings 58 Joining device 59 Ring material 62 Desierto’s lack 63 Ravel’s “Gaspard de la __” 64 Nice book 65 Treated 66 Mdse. containers 67 Pool events DOWN 1 Chinese tea 2 Nessman of WKRP 3 Be a team 4 Turkish skewer 5 Friends you may never see 6 “... forswear thin potations and to addict __ to sack”: Falstaff 7 Havana “How do” 8 Trojan War hero

9 Like some rude jokes, briefly 10 Disaster 11 Cookout fare 12 Wait to land, perhaps 13 Reserved, with “for” 22 Style 23 Takes it slow, in a way 24 “Yes!” 25 Chuckleheads 29 Hitch 30 Safari coverings 33 Kind of telescope 34 Songwriter Green 38 1991 “Favorite Album - Country” American Music Award winner 39 1970 sci-fi film starring Joan Crawford in her last big-screen performance 40 Regarding 42 Start of a favorite-meal reminiscence 43 1998 “King Lear” Olivier Award winner 44 Doctrines 45 Anger

Answers to last week’s puzzle

46 Harass 50 “This I Promise You” band 52 Bottled-up type?

54 Boor 55 Similar 60 Scrap for Fido 61 Video game letters (c) 2016 TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, INC.

16

Martinez Tribune | Oct. 21-27, 2016 Email news tips to news@martineztribune.com

News u

Where in Martinez? ...

“MAN ABOUT TOWN” JOHN GRUBKA / Martinez Tribune

Where in Martinez is this artwork displayed? The first person to correctly identify the location will win two free tickets to Contra Costa Stadium Cinemas! Email admin@ martineztribune.com or post your guesses in the comments section at http://martineztribune.com. Good luck!

STEVENS: Continued from Page 1

allowed, even if that requires street set-backs on top floors of taller buildings. This would allow developers to build in-fill housing that would be more moderately priced.

The most recent apartments constructed in downtown were one bedroom units priced at $1,800-$2,400 a month. Without a revision in the height restrictions it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to build new affordable housing.

Q: What strategies would you pursue at the local level to assist in the creation of decent paying jobs?

A: Martinez should, as other cities have, institute a policy whereby any organization or contractor receiving funds from the city be required to pay a

Orchid Society show ...

DAVID SCHOLZ / Martinez Tribune

The Diablo View Orchid Society (DVOS) attracted 100 visitors to its show and sale that was held Oct. 15 at the Willow Center in Concord. The DVOS also signed up 19 new members. The DVOS meets the second Thursday of every month at the Contra Costa Water District Board Room, at 1331 Concord Ave., Concord, from 7:30-10 p.m. On Nov. 10, the guest speaker will be Debra Atwood, of the Napa Valley Orchids, who will speak on ``Orchids 101: A Refresher Course for Everyone.’’ For more information, visit www.DVOS.org.

Chuck Barberini is a Realtor living in Martinez, specializing in listings, buyers, short sales, REOs & property management. $250 donated to Alhambra High School athletics for every completed transaction

“livable wage” to its employees.

Q: What steps would you take to increase transparency and accountability in government?

A: Currently, it is very difficult to obtain public records.

This issue has been expressed at council meetings. The city needs to implement a plan that assures records will be provided in a specified and reasonable time period. As part of this, the process of obtaining records should be easily accessible to those wishing to obtain information. In addition, the city website is cumbersome and needs to be more user-friendly. Searches rarely yield the sought after information easily and requires significant effort to find desired information and many times not all.

Q: Who are the top three donors to your campaign by dollar amount? What percentage of funds donated to your campaign come from small donors, i.e., donations of $50 or less?

A: The largest funding source for my campaign has come from myself. I have done this as I am not taking funding from certain individuals and organizations which I have referred to as Martinez’s homegrown micro special interests.

Thus, I can represent what I believe to be in the best interest of the residents and not just that of a few who have so long controlled and stymied progress in our city. My larger funds have come from organizations which I find to support issues in tandem with my views.

Outside of my financial participation, my largest three donors are Busby Construction, $1,600; Raymond Huey, $1,000; Edith Alderette, $1,000.

Donations of $50 or less came from 55 percent of my donors.

Q: Within Contra Costa County, recent data reveals there are “dramatic racial disparities at every stage of the local criminal justice process,” e.g., over-representation in being charged with crimes, being on adult probation or juvenile probation, etc. For example, the county’s population is 9.6 percent Black/ African-American, but Black/ African-Americans comprise 26 percent of all those criminally charged and 41 percent of those on juvenile probation.

Black/African-Americans are also under-represented on juries relative to the total population as are Hispanic/Latino Americans who comprise 25 percent of the county’s population but make up less than

15 percent of jurors. What needs to be done at the local level to reduce or eliminate these disparities in the criminal justice system?

A: This is an area of great concern. To make an informed recommendation about how to resolve an issue, one must first know the factors creating it.

That information is not provided here. Frankly, without such information, an intelligent resolution cannot be proposed.

Notwithstanding that, it is an issue that should be looked at and addressed on the local level.

Q: Do you support a ban on crude-by-rail shipments through Contra Costa County, and what are the reasons for your position? Crude-by-rail is the transport of highly volatile fracked Bakken crude oil in tanker cars in mile-long unit trains.

A: I am pleased to say that Shell Oil does not transport crude-by-rail through Martinez. Unfortunately, this produce does come through the city for use by another refinery.

Recent rail accidents have been the result of one primary cause – poor maintenance of tracks. It is my strong stance that the rail systems should be held to a higher standard of maintenance for all tracks.

In addition, newer rail cars are being produced with a double skin to greatly reduce the risk of leaks in the event of a derailment. This new equipment should be used in the transportation of crude-by-rail or any and all volatile or poisonous chemicals. Furthermore, in densely populated areas such as Martinez, such products should travel at much lower speeds that will likely prevent a derailment in the event of track failure or human error.

Q: Should local area refineries, chemical plants and similar large-scale industrial operations be required to set aside adequate funds for the eventual clean-up of their lands upon closure or re-use?

If yes, should those funds be in the form of third-party guarantees (bonding or insurance) or should companies be allowed to self-insure?

A: The land should not be allowed to transfer ownership or be reused without a cleanup by the entity which has caused the property to become tainted.

If they choose to not reuse the property and retain the property, it should be of no serious consequence to the community.

Q: Should hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”), which is the injection of liquids includ-

ing undisclosed chemicals at high pressure into the ground to extract oil or gas, be banned in Contra Costa County?

A: Yes, this method had been known to create significant environmental damage.

The chemicals used can seep into ground water and cause damage. The process can also result in sink-holes. In some areas of the country where there has never been earthquake activity we are now seeing such occur in areas where fracking is done. Considering the seismic activity we already have in our area, fracking should not be allowed.

Q: Should your City Council and the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors request your Congressional Delegation vote “NO” on the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) if that proposed trade deal is brought before Congress?

Note: A report by the U.S. International Trade Commission “Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: Likely Impact on the U.S. Economy and on Specific Industry Sectors” (May 2016) which is required by law to be produced for Congress, states the TPP would cause job losses in manufacturing sectors, specifically the oil, gas, chemicals, textiles, wood products, machinery & equipment, metals products, auto parts, electronic equipment, instruments & medical devices, toys, sporting goods and other manufacturing sectors.

A: The citizens of Martinez have many issues that they would like for the City Council to address. It would take tremendous effort and resources of the City staff and the City Council to be able to fully understand this and make a decision. For the council to delve into this issue with the time and resources needed would not be serving our city responsibly. We should leave the work of Congress to Congress.

Our residents have issues that they would rather we focus on locally – may of which have remained unresolved for decades, often as a result of limited time and resources.

Q: Do you agree that Citizens United (Citizens United v. FEC, U.S. Supreme Court decision, 2010) should be overturned? This question is the subject of Proposition 59 on the California Nov. 8, 2016, General Election ballot.

A: Yes. Campaign spending has become egregiously out of control and needs to be reined in.