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Residents came out in droves last weekend to get their green on at Discovery Bays inaugural Earth Day festival at Slifer Park.

Nearly 700 residents attended and more than 200 volunteers rolled up their sleeves and planted trees, cleaned up the park and participated in envi-ronmental and earth-friendly activities. The event was developed by Discovery Bay General Manager Rick Howard based on a similar event he developed in Mission Viejo.

This was a great event that showed the com-munity how to be energy effi cient, conserve natural resources and do it in a fun way, said Howard. We cant wait until next years festival.

Participants also enjoyed entertainment, food from local restaurants, informational displays and a family photo booth. Kite fl ying was available for the young and young at heart and also featured bounce houses, games, crafts and fl owerpot plant-ing.

Also present were local eco-friendly vendors such as the local garbage and recycling company County Vector Control; Contra Costa Storm Water; Pacifi c Coast Farmers Market; a hybrid car display; Veolia Water; and local landscaping companies.

Earth Day was founded in 1970 and refl ected the nations growing concern for the environment. U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson rallied the public, media and Congress to create a day each year to put the environment at center stage.

The fi rst Earth Day led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Spe-cies acts. Now, 41 years later, Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22 by millions around the world.

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Town gets its green on at Earth Day fest

Discovery Bay Town staff designed, built and painted this colorful Earth Day sign, above. The inaugural festival was held at Slifer Park on April 21. Left, volunteers line up to register for the Earth Day event.

Photos by Rick Howard

4A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY APRIL 27, 2012

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Coalition grows ideas for sustainable living

As they celebrated Earth Day at Hannah Nicole Vineyards, members of The Green Living Coalition shared their ideas for sustainable living and plans for a community garden in Brentwood.

The nonprofi t coalition of commu-nity members, business leaders and green companies is dedicated to help make California a leader in environmental ini-tiatives. Their goals include emissions reductions, organic farming, recycling, bio-fuels, land reclamation, water man-agement and lifestyle change.

With regard to Brentwoods role in the effort, coalition co-founder Jim Root said the group has been soliciting input from the community: Through a half dozen community meetings, where we had 30 or 40 people come out, everyone thought we should have a community garden. So we took up the cause for that back in November.

We have a meeting scheduled with the Parks Commission on Thursday, said Root. Were going to do a presentation about what the community garden will be and how were going to make it all happen.

Root hopes the coalition will be able to create the community garden in one of the undeveloped park sites that lies in-side the citys boundaries. Since parks are funded by developers and in the current

economic climate, development is slow it could be 10 to 12 years, in Roots es-timation, before those undeveloped park sites can be brought to fruition.

Because of that, said Root, were keeping our fi ngers crossed that we might be able to do a community garden here in Brentwood.

Even if the city approves the commu-nity garden plan, the project will require a good deal of money. With the prelimi-

nary development getting the soil ready, grading and stuff like that were looking at anywhere from $150,000 to $200,000, Root said. Weve gotten quite a bit of corporate interest (in the project) but no specifi c pledges yet because we dont have a specifi c location. Once we get that, well be able to make a strong push for the funds that we need.

I have a couple of farmers who are willing to help with grading and construc-

tion companies that are willing to donate their time, he added, which should help bring down that cost.

According to Root, the coalition has engaged in a number of conversations with private property owners and the city regarding the gardens location. It was through those conversations that one of the proposed sites, a 5-acre parcel behind Pioneer Elementary school at the corner of Empire and Grant, was selected.

In a related development, due to of the coalitions efforts, Freedom High School has already agreed to establish a small portion of their land for a student garden, said Root. Now were just try-ing to get one that will be a little bit big-ger, for use by the community.

In addition to gaining a better un-derstanding about The Green Living Co-alitions plan for a community garden in Brentwood, those celebrating Earth Day at Hannah Nicole Vineyards were able to meet suppliers of green products that included solar power and medical alter-natives, all while enjoying appetizers and Hannah Nicole wine.

Those interested in joining the Green Living Coalition, or who would like more information about how helping to make the community garden a reality, are in-vited to visit the coalitions website, www.the greenlivingcoalition.com, or fi nd the organization on Facebook.

To comment, visit www.thepress.net.

Members and guests of The Green Living Coalition gather inside the Hannah Nicole Vineyards facility on Earth Day.

Photo by Jackie Lee

by Jackie LeeCorrespondent


Elma Lawrence hits a hundred

Come May 29, Elma Lawrence, who came to Brentwood from Fresno in 1931, will celebrate her 100th birthday. Her rec-ollection of life in Brentwood is excellent a virtual trip into the past.

East County life in the 30s was heav-ily infl uenced by its fl ourishing agricultural industry. Brentwood only had about 1,000 people in those days but that increased a lot when harvest time rolled around, said Elma. Just about everyone knew everyone else and we all had a pretty good time back then. Even though the depression was still going on, Brentwood had lots of agricul-ture jobs and most people did alright.

Elmas family Carl, Jo, Jeanette, Corky, Pat and Jim Miller moved to Brentwood while she attended Fresno State. When she came here to visit, she had so much fun she refused to go back to school. I was the new girl in town and my sister Jeanette introduced me around, she said. We used to go dancing at a place by the river in Antioch. Thats where I met my husband.

Elma married Aubrey Lawrence, who worked for the Garin operation, in 1934. They raised two daughters, Karen and Laine, who still live in Brentwood.

Elma joined the former Brentwood Womens Club in 1950 and became the clubs longest-serving member. Over the

years, as her children grew up, she was deeply involved in the PTA and became a Girl Scout leader. She also joined the Odd Fellows Rebeccas Auxiliary, a club called the Sew and Sews (take a wild guess what they did) and another club known as the 20/30 Womans Club.

Aubrey, also active in community affairs, died in 1981. Lawrence Street, in Brentwoods Garin subdivision, is named after his family. Aubreys father, Frank Lawrence, owned the former Ford Garage in downtown Brentwood.

Speaking of downtown, Elma recalls

that when she arrived, Brentwood boast-ed only one paved street: a two-block segment of Oak Street extending from Brentwood Boulevard east to Second Street. Her family lived for a time in what was once the Brentwood Hospital, a two-story house across from Veterans Hall. The hospital was eventually torn down to make room for the former post offi ce.

Elma now lives in an assisted-living home in the Deer Ridge subdivision, where her daughters visit her daily. Her general health remains good.


Longtime Brentwood resident Elma Lawrence is preparing to celebrate her centennial birthday.

Photo courtesy of Ray Carter

by Ray CarterCorrespondent


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Students commune with natureFourth-graders at John Muir and

Mno Grant elementary schools in An-tioch recently spent quality time in the great outdoors during the Environmental Fair at the Dow Wetlands in Pittsburg.

It was a great day, said Patty Deutsche, senior manager/public affairs for Dow. Energy was high as I led a group of students around our freshwater pond looking for signs of wildlife and we found it.

What they found were abandoned birds nests, feathers from a red-wing blackbird, owl pellets and gopher holes. They even spotted a peregrine falcon.

The most common phrase I heard was awesome, said Deutsche. The students got to explore nature up close, hearing the sounds of birds and the wind through the tules.

Students even formed a giant food web, each child assuming the role of an energy producer, consumer or decompos-er. At the end of the exercise, the students came away with a new understanding of how everything in nature is intercon-nected, and how when one element of the ecosystem is harmed, the impact is felt everywhere.

But the highlight of the trip, accord-ing to Deutsche, was the opportunity for the students to play in the muck. UC Berkeley Professor Steve Andrews ex-plained what muck the wetlands soil is made of and what lives in it. And the stu-dents reveled in their hands-on research.

At the end of the day, when we asked the students what their favorite part was, the answers were all over the board, said Deutsche. Seeing a live peregrine falcon, the pond walk, and of course, the muck. Clearly, there was something for everyone.

The annual fair is hosted by volun-teers from Dow and the community, and is open to schools throughout East County.

The wetlands were purchased from U.S. Steel by Dow in 1989 as an environmental buffer zone. The 30-plus member team of Dow employees, retirees and community members continue to monitor the health of the site through enhancements and restoration efforts. The wetlands is open to the community during daylight hours. For more information, visit www.dow.com/pittsburg/wetland/index.htm.

Students explored the muck and mud also known as wetland soil at the Dow wetlands preserve in Pittsburg.

Photo courtesy of Patty Deutsche


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WHY IS THE TOWN PURPLE?If you drive around town at all on May

5, you are going to see a lot of purple on buildings and even on people. What is going on? Well, its the annual Paint Our Town Purple Day! This purple-fest is a celebra-tion to get the word out about the upcoming American Cancer Societys Relay For Life to be held June 16th and 17th at Liberty High School in Brentwood.

Youll see flags flying, business store fronts decorated, personal residences deco-rated and lots of purple t-shirts. Feel free to join in! For more ideas about how you can join in, go to www.relayforlife.org/brent-woodca. The website lists creative ways you can display the color purple in support of Relay For Life.

While you are on that website, be sure to poke around to learn more about Relay. While raising funds for cancer research is a big part of Relay, it is also an important way for us to support those who are currently fighting cancer, have survived cancer, or to honor those we have lost due to cancer. Ill bet that everyone reading this has been

touched by cancer in some way in your life through a close friend or relative, or even yourself.

If youd like to donate money to sup-port this event, you can also do so at the website link Ive given you above. You can even take it up a step and form your own team to be a part of this great day. Or just plan on coming out to Liberty High School in June to see what all the fuss is about! There were be events happening nearly every hour of the day for 24 hours including vendors, bands, family-friendly movies and more! Some families even camp out over-night. Check the website or contact me if you have any questions.

If you have questions on this or any other real estate topic, call me at (925) 240-MOVE (6683). To search the MLS for free and view virtual tours of homes for sale, go to: www.SharpHomesOnline.com. Sharp Realty

Pageant participantBella MacLeod of Oakley was re-

cently selected to participate in the 2012 Miss Jr. Pre-Teen San Francisco pageant on Sunday, April 29.

Bella will be competing for her share of thousands of dollars in prizes and spe-cialty gifts. The Miss Jr. Pre-Teen is one of the pageants four divisions in which young ladies between the 7 and 19 com-pete in modeling routines featuring casual and formal wear, although personality is considered the competitions top crite-rion.

Should Bella win the title of Miss Jr. Pre-Teen San Francisco, she would repre-sent San Francisco and the surrounding communities at the National Competition in Orlando, where more than $30,000 in prizes and awards will be bestowed.

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This Saturday Bella MacLeod gets a shot at representing San Francisco

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Photo courtesy of the MacLeod family

8A | THEPRESS.NET EDUCATION APRIL 27, 2012

Trevors Weekly Mortgage MattersBy Trevor Frey

Marriage

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Marriage is such an interesting concept in its own right, defi ning marriage as a mort-gage and youve now offi cially dedicated an entire column to your cause.

Lets start with speaking generally and loosely of the post -World War II age demographic that purchased their fi rst home with their fi rst husband, or wife, and kept both until their dying day our grandparents, or great-grandparents (depending). Th ese individuals thought loooong term: no instant gratifi cation via the internet, cell phone, or other means of communication other than a land-line, postal service, or walk or ride your bike to your friends house. When they signed up for a commitment, it was a commitment. Th ese individuals married their spouse for the long haul and thought the same way with their mortgage30 years or more into a marriage and 30 years into a mortgagethey thought of fi xed products across the board. Statistically speaking, in 1950 the divorce rate was sitting at 1,070 per every 100,000 for men and 1,373 per every 100,000 for women.

Fast forward to 2010 and per infor-mation gathered via the US Census Bureau divorce rates have risen to 9,255 per every 100,000 men and 12,305 per every 100,000 women. Add that increase of eight percent on top of the fact that, as a nation, our foreclosure rate in 2010 was at a record high of twelve percent and it is not an opinion when stated, Commitment, in the form of a marriage or a mortgage, isnt quite what it used to be. Th at said, and aft er reviewing these facts, it is very

important to see the other side of the coin.With an eight percent divorce rate and

twelve percent foreclose rate it is easy to math-ematically determine that eighty-eight percent of both marriages and mortgages, in the long haul, last. In other words, there is still more than enough statistical data to support the idea of having both a good marriage and a good mortgage. Now, Im not a marriage counselor, but I am a nationally licensed Mortgage Loan Originator (MLO), and I can tell you that from my experienced MLO standpoint, Ive observed that communication is the key to a good mortgage. It is invaluable to discuss your loan term goals before jumping into any type of commitmentespecially one with such long term consequences, i.e., a mortgage.

When discussing the idea of purchasing a home, as with and, again, Im not a marriage counselor discussing the idea of entering into a marriage, it is important to regress to the thoughts and ideas of those before us. Can you live with this commitment for 30 years (or more)? is the question/conversation you should be having with your MLO. If the answer to this question is yes, than you have my blessing. If the answer is no, than I object to this relationship, and I seriously think that you should consider the reasons behind my objection, and then ask yourself again if you can live with your commitment for at least 30 years. As always, I welcome all questions and or concerns pertaining to real estate lending on my cell phone, 925-726-1444, or via email, [email protected].

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Club to host car show

Liberty High Schools ROP Auto Technology class provides a foundation for students interested in pursuing a ents in-terested in puoundationek event ran in last weekcareer in automobile repair and tech-nology, and through the new ROP Liberty Car Club, students are able to commit even more time to their craft.

To ensure that his students are getting the best training, teacher Jonathan Dorr formed the car club at the beginning of the school year as a way to get all of his 90 ROP students working together on projects. The students are divided into three sections throughout the school day, but once a week during lunch, they gather to discuss projects and tinker with the equipment.

The auto technology program runs on a shoestring budget, so to raise funds for new parts and equipment to begin more challeng-ing projects, the club will host its inaugural car show Saturday, May 5 in the student parking lot on Oak Street, across from the Brentwood Post Offi ce.

Not all the students have their own car to work on, so I thought the club could have a group project so that everyone always has something to do, Dorr said. However, money is tight. We brainstormed the idea of building a rock-crawling buggy, but it wasnt in the budget. The county ROP program provides us with tools, but we need parts to build with. We get some donations, but its not enough.

Dorr, who has been teaching at Liberty for fi ve years, thought a car show would be the ideal fundraiser to get the club on its feet,

but fi rst he and the students needed to get the word out and the money to promote it.

Dorr tasked his students with cleaning up the auto shop, which had been packed with clutter and scrap metal for years. Over the course of four months, the students helped clean out all the junk. But rather than throw everything away, Dorr recycled the nearly eight tons of scrap metal for a profi t of about $1,500, enough to print up fl yers and purchase a banner to help promote the car show. He still has about 1,000 pounds of aluminum to recycle, which will also help the fundraising effort.

Dorr said hed like to attract approxi-mately 100 automobiles to the show. Regis-tration is $20 in advance or $30 the day of the event. There is no theme. Cars, trucks, motorcycles and even boats are welcome. If its shiny and you want to show it off, youre welcome at our show, Dorr said. Were also looking for vendors.

Awards, to be custom-made by the ROP students, will be handed out at the end of the event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lib-erty High School is located at 850 Second St. in Brentwood.

Dorr hopes the funds generated by the car show will enable the car club to jumpstart a project at the beginning of the next school year. They can do whatever they want, Dorr said. Its their club, so they can use the money to build a rock crawler like we talked about earlier this year, or they may decide to do something completely different. The important thing is for them to fi nd a project theyre passionate about.

For more information about the car show, call Dorr at 550-977-0181.


The Liberty ROP Car Club hosts its inaugural car show May 5 at the Liberty campus. Libertys auto technology students, above, will serve as judges.

Photo courtesy of Liberty High School

by Samie HartleyStaff Writer

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JULY 13-15TH

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ANNIVERSARY

TH

population grew, the districts underwent a series of mergers that resulted in todays East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD), which covers 250 square miles, including Brentwood, Oakley, Byron, Dis-covery Bay, Knightsen, Bethel Island, Mor-gan Territory and the rural areas between.

While the former volunteer districts no longer exist, the job they performed and the important role they played in the social fab-ric of their communities live on in the pages of history.Brentwood

Disastrous fi res have swept through Brentwood several times. In 1903 the fi rst Brentwood Hotel burned, and much of downtown Brentwood was destroyed by fi res in 1915 and 1919. By 1928, the town decided enough was enough and the Brentwood Volunteer Fire Department was born.

Fire protection got its start in Brent-wood around 1915. Frank Dowdell fi xed up an old Star-Durant chassis fi tted with two 35-gallon tanks in back and a 10-gal-lon tank for a front seat, added a 110-foot hose and parked it in the O.K. Garage on Oak Street (the site of the current The Game Sports Pub N Pizza). When the trucks frame fi nally gave out, Everett LeMoin, owner of the garage, mounted the tanks on a 1917 Chevrolet 490 chassis that cost $100.

The fi re department formally orga-nized in 1928, named Clyde Watson as chief and ordered a new Seagraves fi re engine, which arrived the following year. Nick-named Casper after Charlie Cogswell,

who usually drove it (and who served the department for 60 years before retiring in 1987), the engine is still used in parades.

Firefi ghters were summoned by a si-ren anchored on the exterior of the Bank of Brentwood (todays Press Building). But a timer at the bank posed a problem: the pow-er to the siren was shut off every day at noon for 15 minutes. A January, 1931 newspaper story assured readers that the problem was resolved: Should a fi re start at noon, the

alarm can be given without delay.In 1931, a $50,000 fi re destroyed a

packing shed on Walnut Boulevard, but the fi re department managed to save the rail-road depot next door. A grateful Southern Pacifi c expressed its gratitude with a dona-tion of $100, which the department used to buy protective clothing for its fi refi ghters.

One of the hallmarks of volunteer fi re departments, the Firemens Ball, began in Brentwood in 1932. Money raised at the

yearly event was used to help men injured fi ghting fi res, but the primary benefi t was social. Similar in some ways to fraternal or-ganizations that had served as a social safety net for many residents before they moved to rural Contra Costa, the department and its annual ball became a mainstay in the lives of everyone.

The one common denominator was the volunteer fi re department, said local historian Kathy Leighton. It was a cross section of the community; basically its heart. If anyone got in any trouble, whether it was a fi re or anything else, the fi re depart-ment were the fi rst ones to help. The fi re department became the melting pot of the community.

A new fi rehouse was built in 1937 on First Street, next to Veterans Memorial Hall. Replaced in 1957 by the current sta-tion on the same site, the old stations offi ce building remains between the hall and the new station, occupied by Operation Creek-sides military support organization.

The fi rst incursion by the county into the business of the department came in 1938, when county offi cials fl oated the idea of a consolidated county fi re district. Accord-ing to a newspaper report, Brentwood has a well-equipped volunteer fi re department with a splendid record (and) a clubroom second to none in comfort and convenience, and the less that is heard about the scheme to throw the county into one big fi re district, the happier all concerned will be about the whole thing.

It was believed that the countywide district would result in a tax increase from

Fire Service from page 1A

see Fire Service page 12A

Graphic Illustration by John Carter

History of far East County re districts


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9 cents per year to as much as 30 cents, and the department voted unanimously to op-pose county involvement.

In 1950, the district employed 20 vol-unteers. They were paid $1.50 per call, but only if there was an actual fi re. In addition to answering calls, the fi refi ghters were re-quired to spend a minimum of 76 hours per year training.

A major non-fi re development that af-fected the district in 1978 was the passage of Proposition 13. The law capped property tax increases, and set in stone the division of taxpayer dollars. Like the other small fi re districts in far East County, Brentwoods was then staffed by inexpensive volunteers, and under Prop. 13 the fi re services were given only 6 to 7 cents per tax dollar. Full-time professional districts elsewhere in the county get 15 to 16 cents.

By 1984 under Chief Ray Morgan, the district covered 50 square miles and boasted 34 active fi refi ghters. That year, in the fi rst of several mergers aimed at reducing the to-tal overhead by combining the small, under-funded fi re districts, Brentwood absorbed the Eastern Fire District, the remnant of a county-run district covering Morgan Terri-tory southwest of the city.

The new district was named East Dia-blo Fire Protection District. In 1991, East Diablo grew again, absorbing the Byron Fire Department and its stations in Byron and Discovery Bay.

In 1995, the district hired its fi rst full-time, union fi refi ghters. The full-time crew of two staffed the station around the clock, with volunteers providing additional man-power when calls came in.

The railroad tracks bisecting the city were a concern for fi re offi cials, who were concerned about the ability to answer calls on the citys growing west side in the event a train was using the track. A second sta-tion for storing engines and equipment was opened west of the tracks on Walnut Bou-levard. In 2002, the station was replaced by one on Balfour Road paid for by develop-ment fees.

Also in 2002, East Diablo, the Oak-ley/Knightsen Fire Protection District and the Bethel Island Fire District merged to form the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD), which was run by the County Board of Supervisors. At the time, the district served 82,000 residents and cov-ered 250 square miles.

In 2010, control of the ECCFPD was transferred to a local board made up of residents and city offi cials from within the district. The ECCFPD now serves about 105,000 residents.Byron

Byron has suffered a number of major fi res, sometimes twice on the same property. The Byron Hotel burned down in 1884, and in 1901 the Byron Hot Springs Hotel and several other buildings were lost. The sec-ond Hot Springs Hotel was destroyed by fl ames in 1912, and the second Byron Hotel burned in 1917.

But the seminal blaze, which fully brought home the need for a fi re depart-ment, occurred in 1923, all because of a man who came into Tobe LeGrands barbershop in need of a quick shave.

When LeGrand went to light his gas-powered water-heater, it caught fi re, and when he tried to throw the device outside, it exploded. LeGrand was badly burned, and the fl ames spread, eventually destroy-ing seven buildings virtually every wooden structure on Main Street. Without a fi re service and nearby source of water, locals were helpless. By the time a Southern Pacifi c train arrived from Stockton with a tank car of water three hours later, there were little left but smoldering ashes to extinguish.

The Byron Fire Department was

formed in 1929. The Byron Times boasted that the department was equipped with a splendid $2,500 chemical engine with three 40-gallon chemical tanks and 400 feet of hose. (A common method of providing water pressure for early fi re engines was by mixing sulfuric acid and soda inside the chemical tanks.)

The Byron fi re station was built in 1959, a 40-by-78-foot cinder block building housing an offi ce, kitchen and recreation room. Built at a cost of $32,000, the station was built on land donated by Louis Souza.

In 1980, the district added a second station in Discovery Bay, paid for through community fundraisers after the need for closer emergency services was made evident when resident Ed Ballich died of a heart at-tack. The effort fi rst established a fi rst aid and rescue equipment station, which was replaced when the station was built, staffed and made part of the Byron Fire Depart-ment.

In 1985, fi re service in far East County had been staffed with men. The Byron de-partment broke the gender barrier when it hired Judy Johnson and Virginia Goldsby, the fi rst female fi refi ghters in the region.

Until 1989, the station also offered non-emergency services such as blood-pres-sure checks and CPR classes. The district was also the fi rst in the county to use auto-

matic defi brillators.In 1991, the Byron Fire Department

was merged with the East Diablo District, which covered Brentwood and Morgan Territory. Residents who preferred their own, smaller district mounted an effort to prevent the merger, but a petition drive to put the question on the ballot failed to gath-er enough signatures.

In 2002, East Diablo merged with the Bethel Island Fire District and the Oakley/Knightsen fi re district to become the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District. That same year, a new station opened on Bixler Road, funded by developer fees.

The ECCFPD was run by the county Board of Supervisors until 2010, when con-trol was handed off to a locally appointed board. In an effort to stretch its meager resources as far as possible, the new board closed the Byron and Discovery Bay Bou-levard stations.Oakley/Knightsen

Like its far East County neighbors, the town of Oakley suffered a number of con-fl agrations before fi nally putting together a fi re service. In Oakleys case, it was a 1924 disaster that sounded the wakeup call.

For the fi rst 25 years of the towns ex-istence, putting out fi res meant bucket bri-



Photo courtesy of the East Contra Costa Historical Society

Volunteers from the Bethel Island Fire District stand with their equipment in front of the World War II surplus Quonset hut built in 1947 and still in use today.


22 11112 12011

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The Fridley Art Gallerys recent re-location to a larger space is good news for artists and art lovers alike. Owner Saunie Fridley opened the gallery fi ve years ago after taking note of the lack of exhibiting opportunities for local art-ists, and her effort has met with success at her previous two locations and the new spot.

The gallerys current show, on display through April 29, features oil paintings by two Brentwood residents. Sammy Depetro specializes in western scenes, portraits, art of classic cars and scenes of downtown Brentwood. Peggy Hunt creates paintings of landscapes, seaside scenes and wildlife. Both artists work is available for sale, and an artists reception will be held Saturday, April 28

from 4 to 8 p.m., at which visitors can browse the art and chat with the artists.

In addition to the monthly featured artist shows, the gallery offers art class-es taught by local professionals. The courses include all materials and are designed to be accessible for all ages. Saunie also welcomes local organiza-tions and special-interest groups to use the gallerys beautiful environment for meetings and special events. Such col-laborations, as well as other cooperative endeavors such as fundraisers, help to grow Brentwoods community spirit and encourage residents to make art a part of their everyday lives.

Fridley Art Gallery, located at 1185 Second St., Suite E in Brentwood, is open Wednesdays through Fridays from noon to 6 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.; closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Call 925-783-2853.

Gallery expands impact

Caps Oak Street Bar & Grill, 144 Oak St. in Brentwood, hosts an Odyssey of the Mind Improv Night on Sunday, April 29 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Helen Dixon, Bart Schnei-der, Ed Hill, Lisa Siemers, Patty Schneider, Stephanie Goldman, Rick Lemyre and a few surprise

guests will take the stage. Tickets are $10 and can be reserved by calling or texting 925-216-0851 or e-mailing [email protected]. Proceeds go toward getting the Odyssey fourth-graders to Iowa for the world Odyssey of the Mind competition.

Improvising at Caps

by Amy ClaireCorrespondent


gades, wet burlap, and every able-bodied man who could be mustered. Those tools were not up to the task in 1924, however, and several buildings on Main Street were consumed. One was the Dal Porto Hotel, owned by Anthony Dal Porto.

Following the blaze, Dal Porto was named chief of the towns new fi re depart-ment, and a used fi re engine was purchased from Oakland. A second engine was ac-quired in 1942, and a third was purchased in 1948.

Also in 1948, it was decided that a station in Knightsen was needed to house equipment and improve responses in the districts eastern sector. The fi rehouse was built on land formerly owned by the towns founder, George Knight, in downtown Knightsen.

The fi rst fi rehouse in Oakley was locat-ed next to the Oakley Theater building on Main Street. Barely spacious enough to fi t the engine and supplies, the station was re-placed in 1957 with a station built on Acme Street on land donated by Dal Porto. The building included a dormitory, bath and shower, plus stalls for two engines, includ-ing a new 1,000-gallon engine purchased the same year.

Carl Gott replaced Dal Porto as chief in 1953, and set about making the depart-ment more professional. The nine volun-teers in service at the time were provided an increase in fi refi ghting education plus train-ing on the care and use of equipment.

Oakley also enjoyed an annual Fire-mens Ball, a major social event. The impor-

tance of the fi re department to the fabric of the community was also refl ected in a tra-dition established by fi refi ghters in Oakley and Knightsen: the Christmastime Santa Run, when fi re engines drove every street in the community with Santa aboard, who distributed oranges and candy to delighted kids. Growth eventually made the Oakley run unfeasible, but the tradition continues in Knightsen. Knightsen fi refi ghters com-munity involvement during the holidays also extends to delivering toys and food to needy families.

A new Knightsen fi re station was built



Still to come in The Press fi ve-part series on fi re protection in far East Contra Costa: Ready for anything: what fi re and emergency medical providers do. Payroll and benefi ts: what district employees make at work and in re-tirement. Paramedics: providing advanced lifesaving services in the district. Service delivery: district operations now, with the new tax, and without it.

Look for the articles to appear every Friday leading up to Election Day on June 5. Additional informa-tion will be linked to the stories on our website, www.thepress.net.

The series

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16A | THEPRESS.NET APRIL 27, 2012

OPINIONEDITORIALS, LETTERS & COMMENTARY National

Award Winning NewspapersHave you got something to say? Visit www.thepress.net and let your thoughts be known.

Urging a YES vote on upcoming Measure Sby Mike Burkholder, OakleyBob Mankin, Discovery Bay

David A. Piepho, Discovery Bay

On June 5, residents in far East County will be asked to vote on Measure S,

a fi re assessment aimed at keeping our fi re district solvent and bringing the level

of emergency services up to par with what the rest of the county and much of the state currently enjoys.

This assessment is being put to the voters, due to a long-term issue that has plagued our fi re district for decades. When Prop 13 was passed in 1978, the apportionments of taxes were allocated for levels of services at that point in time. Since East County was mostly rural, a very small proportion of our taxes were directed to the fi re district.

Currently, East County has matured into a suburban/urban area, home to many families, commuters and new businesses.We have outgrown what was deemed to be adequate emergency

services,which were fi t for a rural community over three decades ago. The district has been underfunded for years and the reserve account has been exhausted.

We have seen our district struggle for many years, recently moving to local control but without any increased funding. Control of the district was transferred to a local board so it would be clear that necessary funding would remain local. With the lack of revenue, our fi refi ghters have been responsible by doing more with less, but even that has not been enough.

Financial reserves have been spent down, and most recently several of our local fi re stations had to be closed and remain shut. Without an immediate change in revenue, more remaining fi rehouses will be closed and the entire district would be cut to only three fi re stations serving over 250 square miles.

In this very possible scenario, many communities will be without fi re stations, fi re engines or fi refi ghters. This level of service would be completely unacceptable. When a major emergency occurs, all of our resources would be deployed, leaving the remaining communities vulnerable

until engines from other agencies can backfi ll stations and assist with any other emergencies.

While fi re department staffi ng varies slightly from agency to agency, the industry standard is the staffi ng of three fi refi ghters per engine (often one of them trained as a paramedic). Having a paramedic with advanced life-saving skills fi rst on scene can mean the difference between life and death. Further, OSHA standards mandate that a minimum of four fi refi ghters must be on scene to enter a burning structure.

In far East County our fi re district has been severely understaffed and unable to offer paramedic/advanced life support, fi rst-responder services to the citizens that it serves.

Simply put, we would have only three fi re stations to cover all emergencies in the district, which includes Brentwood, Oakley, Discovery Bay, Byron, Bethel Island, Knightsen and Morgan Territory. This is not a scare tactic, but is the reality facing every citizen served by the fi re district.

The district does not have a spending problem it has a revenue problem. Due to the nature of emergency response, it is

equally as important to look at the district as a whole and not as a service to any one community.One structure fi re, one large grass fi re, one multi-casualty incident or one multi-vehicle accident will instantly deplete the resources from all the fi rehouses.

If we as citizens take ownership of our fi re district and pass this measure, we will begin the recovery of our emergency services to a level that many expect when they are injured or are in need of fi re suppression. As a community, we need to insure our safety and that of our fi refi ghters.

Dont be misled by arguments that are inaccurate or focused solely on anti-tax measures. If our emergency services diminish, we will likely see greater increases in insurance rates offsetting any savings. Measure S insures that we will have the fastest and best possible emergency care available.

We have an opportunity to save our fi re district and begin implementing fi re services that we can all be proud of and stand behind.As a community, the ultimate priority is public safety. Please join us in supporting Measure S.

Thanks in advanceEditor:

Antioch Charter Academy II fami-lies would like to thank everyone who do-nated to our second annual Walkathon/Silent Auction and contributed to what we anticipate will be a successful event. All proceeds from the fundraiser directly support the kids through improved tech-nology or sustaining our arts, music and

science programs.This years silent auction event will

be held Friday, May 4 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Skipolinis Pizza, 901 Fitzuren Road in Antioch. Come on by and see all the great items, ranging from local din-ing and attractions to Disneyland tickets, swim lessons and ski lift passes.

Community support of our public charter school positively impacts our stu-dents and heightens the quality of educa-

tional programs offered to them. We great-ly appreciate the continued generosity demonstrated by businesses, institutions and our own local school community. We encourage our alumni and members to avidly support those businesses that assist in our fundraising efforts just as you are supporting our school.

Thank you on behalf of all the stu-dents at Antioch Charter Academy II.

ACAII Teachers, Parents and Students

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City of Brentwood City Manager and City Council City Hall150 City Park WayBrentwood, CA 94513 Phone: 925-516-5440www.ci.brentwood.ca.usCity of Antioch City Manager and City Council City HallThird and H streetsAntioch, CA 94509Phone: 925-779-7000www.ci.antioch.ca.usCity of Oakley City Manager and City Council City Hall3231 Main St.Oakley, CA 94561Phone: 925-625-7000www.ci.oakley.ca.usTown of Discovery BayTown Manager and

Community Services District 1800 Willow Lake RoadDiscovery Bay, CA 94505Phone: 925-634-1131www.todb.ca.govCounty Supervisor, Dist. III Mary N. Piepho3361 Walnut Blvd., Suite 140Brentwood, CA 94513 Phone: 925-240-7260 [email protected] Supervisor, Dist. VFederal Glover315 E. Leland Ave.Pittsburg, CA 94565Phone: [email protected] Sen. Mark DeSaulnier Seventh State Senate DistrictState CapitolRoom 2054Sacramento, CA 95814Phone: 916-651-4007

1350 Treat Blvd., Suite 240Walnut Creek, CA 94597Phone: 925-942-6082www.dist07.casen.govoffice.comAssemblywoman Joan Buchanan15th District P.O. Box 942849Sacramento, CA 942493231 Main St., Oakley, CA 94561 Phone: 925-679-2715www.democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a15Gov. Jerry BrownConstituent AffairsState Capitol Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916-445-2864 www.gov.ca.gov/interact#emailU.S. Rep. John Garamendi10th Congressional District420 W. Third Street

Antioch, CA 94509Phone: (925) 757-7187Washington office:228 Cannon HOBWashington, D.C. 20515Phone: 202-225-1880www. garamendi.house.gov/contact U.S. Rep. Gerald McNerney 11th Congressional District 2222 Grand Canal Blvd., Suite 7 Stockton, CA 95207 Phone: 209-476-8552Fax: 209-476-8587Washington office:312 Cannon HOBWashington, D.C. 20515 Phone: 202-225-1947Fax: 202-225-4060www.mcnerney.house.gov

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1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240San Francisco, CA 94111Phone: 415-403-0100 Fax: 415-956-6701www.boxer.senate.gov

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President Barack Obama1600 Pennsylvania Ave.Washington, D.C. 20500Phone: 202-456-1111 Fax: 202-456-2461

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Send correspondence to: The Press, 248 Oak St., Brentwood, CA 94513; or e-mail [email protected].

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Visit Your Hometown Website www.thepress.net THEPRESS.NET | 17A APRIL 27, 2012

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Lions become growing force in pool

When Liberty swimming and diving head coach Cindi Coats looks at her ros-ter full of swimmers with no background in the sport, she sees an opportunity.

I would say its kind of an advan-tage, said Coats, because there isnt a lot of expectation out there right now from the other coaches or other team. The kids arent feeling the major pressure like we have had in the past.

Since Liberty fi elds a girls swim team of two seniors, three juniors and 27 fresh-men, and a boys team that is almost as young, this season isnt as much about win-ning races as learning to swim competitively.

I had to start with the very basics, Coats said, such as how to breath cor-rectly so they arent causing drag to make them slower.

As only one dual meet remains before the pivotal Bay Valley Athletic League Preliminaries on May 11, and only senior JT Sarmento qualifi ed so far for the North Coast Section preliminar-ies, the Lions are trying to improve on the fl y while looking toward the future.

Any hint of incremental improve-ment such as freshman Jennie Wirstlins move into the sixth overall position in the breaststroke on the JV team during Lib-ertys meet with Deer Valley last Friday is viewed as evidence of a bright future.

Weve made a lot of progress in terms of our basic technique level, ju-nior Brett Hannigan said. I think were getting people who are going to be stick-ing around more, and kids who are actu-ally involved in the sport, so were going

to see improvement from those types of people.

Freshman Ashley Ellcessor (50-yard freestyle), senior Paige Lange (100-yard freestyle), juniors Callie Rainsford (100-yard individual medley) and Rosie Doria

(50- and 100-yard freestyle) have been consistent individual performers this sea-son.

The foursome fi nished second in the

Liberty High swimmer Morgan Stremsel competes in the 100-meter individual m edley against Deer Valley.

Photo by Kevin Bartram

by Kyle SzymanskiCorrespondent

see Pool page 21A

Prior to the beginning of Heritages penultimate league tennis match against Antioch, head coach Michael Carmen re-minded his team that the Panthers trailed the second-place Patriots by just one game.

The Patriots responded with a hard-fought win over the Panthers on Tuesday. While the 8-1 fi nal might seem like a blow-out, four of the nine matches went the full three sets, the Patriots prevailing in three of them.

Their win boosted the Patriots league record to 7-2 as they wrapped up second place behind Deer Valley, which handed Heritage both of its losses. The Wolver-ines are undefeated in BVAL play.

They know that Antiochs gotten much better and that we had to come out with our best to earn a victory, Carmen said. Thats one thing Ive tried to instill

in them all year long: weve got to con-tinue to get better because everyone else is continuing to get better.

Since freshmen Trevor Samuda, Worku Ousman, junior Adam Tamura and the senior doubles team of Adam Nielson and Josiah Younger all won their matches in straight sets, the Patriots could have lost all of the three-set matches and still beaten the Panthers. Samuda, the teams top player, hasnt dropped a league match all season, while Carman labeled Tamura, the teams number two player, as one of the seasons pleasant surprises.

The loss dropped Antioch to 5-4 in league play. The lone Panthers victory came in the No. 6 singles match, when senior Antonio Hernandez scored a come-from-behind victory over freshman Jack Farnstrom. After dropping the fi rst set 4-6, Hernandez came back to win the second set 6-3 and took the decisive third set 6-1.

Patriots win clinches BVAL second place

Photo by Richard Wisdom

Heritage No. 1 singles player Trevor Samuda returns a shot during a Tuesday match against Antioch. The Patriots claimed sole ownership of second place. see Win page 21A

by Michael DixonCorrespondent

The Bodi ShopA healthier You from the Inside Out

20A | THEPRESS.NET SPORTS APRIL 27, 2012

22 11112011

GOL

D MEDALAWARD Deer Valleys Grant Wheeler launches a shot past a De La Salle athlete in last week-ends Deer Valley Junior Varsity Invitational. The Wolverines nished in a tie for fth, facing tough competition from all over the Bay Area. James Logan won the

tournament. Antioch and Heritage tied for 13th, Freedom placed 18th and Pittsburg 21st.

Rising to the challenge

Photo by Angelo Garcia Jr.

APRIL 27, 2012 SPORTS THEPRESS.NET | 21A

22 11112011

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200-meter freestyle relay against Deer Valley in the Lions loss on Friday.

The boys team has been anchored this season by Sarmento (200- and 500-yard individual medley and Hannigan (500-yard freestyle). Led by Sarmento, who has accepted a water polo scholarship to Pa-cifi c, the trio helped the boys team defeat Freedom and made a nice showing at the Vallejo Invitational earlier this season, its two best performances of the year.

Its defi nitely a year where were de-veloping a better team for next year, Sar-mento said. Im trying to make it good and contribute to the younger swimmers as much as I can.

The girls and boys relay teams have qualifi ed for NCS consideration, which means theyre in the bottom 10 of 40 NCS teams and must wait till May 14, when seedings are announced, to see if theyve secured a spot.

Coats is excited to see how her team fi nishes this season at the BVAL Champi-onship Meet, which begins May 11, since limitations in dual meets prevent all swim-mers from competing in their best races. I think we kind of got what we expect-ed, Coats said. Its a very young team, which bodes well for a couple of years.

The Lions fi nish off the regular sea-son against Heritage on May 4.


Pool from page 17A

Panthers senior Kyle Morrissey, as well as the doubles teams of Thai Luu (junior) and Abdullah Matice (freshman), plus the senior duo of Harrison Solomon and Deondre Grady, advanced to a third set before falling to the Heritage players.

In the individual matches, we were more competitive than the fi rst time we played them; I was a little disappointed that we lost those three-setters, Panthers head coach Larry Johnson said before shifting his attention to the season as a whole. Its hard to think we could have done a lot bet-ter, since we lost pretty severely to Heritage and Deer Valley both times.

Heritage and Antioch are also radi-cally different in another way. Aside from the doubles team of Luu and Matice, and

junior Mike Bonzi, the rest of the Pan-thers who took on the Patriots are seniors.

Heritage is the exact opposite. The doubles team of Nielson and Younger, plus McKenzie Keady, are the only Pa-triot seniors, while doubles partners Mike Moody, Tyler Friedel and Tamura are the only juniors. The youth infl uence was not lost on the Patriots current seniors, whose match versus Antioch was their fi -nal home contest.

I have all of these people below me in age, but as Im the No. 5 player, theyre above me in rank, Keady said. Its very cool to know that there are a lot of kids on the team that I have to admit are better than me. Its good to know that the team is headed in the right direction.


Win from page 17A


LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICESORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR

CHANGE OF NAME PETITIONER OR ATTORNEY: Randall Griego Jr. SUPERIOR COURT OF CALI-FORNIA, COUNTY OF CONTRA COSTA, 725 Court St., Martinez, CA 94553 PE-TITION OF: Randall Griego Jr. FOR CHANGE OF NAME ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME CASE NUMBER: N12-0518 TO ALL INTER-ESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner Randall Griego Jr. led a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present Name: a. Randall Griego Jr. to Proposed Name: JR Gonzales. 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons inter-ested in this matter shall appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be grant-ed. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must le a written objection that includes the rea-sons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely led, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING a. Date: 6/21/12 Time: 9:00 a.m. Dept.: 60 Room: 102 b. The address of the court is same as noted above. 3. a. A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall

be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circula-tion, printed in this county: Brentwood Press Date: 4/17/12 Judith A Sanders, Pro Tem Judge of the Superior Court Brentwood Press No. 02-1273 Publish Dates: April 27, May 4, May 11, May 18, 2012.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAMESTATEMENT File F-0001939-00 The name of the business (es): Photos by Jackie Lee Located at: 2735 La Costa Dr. In: Brentwood, CA 94513, is hereby registered by the following owner(s): Catherine and Jackie Gillund, 2735 La Costa Dr., Brentwood, CA 94513. This business is conducted by: a Husband and Wife. The registrant commenced to transact business under the ctitious business name or names listed above on 8/8/11. Signature of registrant: Cath-erine Gillund. This statement was led with Stephen L. Weir, County Clerk of Contra Costa County, on: MAR 20, 2012 by Deputy L. Barajas Expires 3-20-2017. Brentwood Press No. 02-1273 Publish dates: April 6, 13, 20, 27, 2012.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAMESTATEMENT File F-0002396-00 The name of the business (es): CRUISES, TOURS

& CONDOS Located at: 2818 Bluebell Circle In: Antioch, CA 94531 is hereby registered by the following owner(s): Orland and Cara Begley, 2818 Bluebell Circle, Antioch, CA 94531. This business is conducted by: Husband and Wife. The registrant commenced to transact business under the ctitious business name or names listed above on 8/1/2011. Signature of registrant: Orland Begley. This statement was led with Stephen L. Weir, County Clerk of Contra Costa County, on: APR 05, 2012 by Deputy H. Franklin, Expires 4/5/2017. Antioch Press No. 06-1617 Publish dates: April 20, 27, May 4, and 11, 2012.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAMESTATEMENT File F-0002402-00 The name of the business (es): COLOR IT LOLA Located at: 625 Heather Place In: Brentwood, CA 94513, is hereby regis-tered by the following owner(s): Lola Evette Alicia Hepa, 625 Heather Place, Brentwood, CA 94513. This business is conducted by: an individual. The regis-trant commenced to transact business under the ctitious business name or names listed above on N/A. Signature of registrant: Lola Hepa. This statement was led with Stephen L. Weir, County Clerk of Contra Costa County, on: APR 05, 2012 by Deputy Jaime Parangan, Expires 4/5/2017. Brentwood Press No.

02-1273 Publish dates: April 27, May 4, 11, 18, 2012.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAMESTATEMENT File F-0002622-00 The name of the business (es): NBHA CA08 Locat-ed at: 2521 E. Cypress Rd. In: Oakley, CA 94561 is hereby registered by the follow-ing owner(s): Pamela S. Boyce, 2521 E. Cypress Rd., Oakley, CA 94561. This busi-ness is conducted by: an individual. The registrant commenced to transact busi-ness under the ctitious business name or names listed above on N/A. Signature of registrant: Pam Boyce. This statement was led with Stephen L. Weir, County Clerk of Contra Costa County, on: APR 17, 2012 by Deputy J. Odegaard, Expires 4/17/17. Oakley Press No. 03-0477 Pub-lish dates: April 27, May 4, May 11, May 18, 2012.

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME

PETITIONER OR ATTORNEY: Andre Dumdumaya SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF CONTRA COSTA, 725 Court St., Martinez, CA 94553 PETITION OF: Andre Dumdumaya FOR CHANGE OF NAME ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME CASE NUMBER: N12-0508 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner Andre Dumdumaya led a petition with

this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present Name: a. Lania Aguayo to Proposed Name: Lania Dum-dumaya. 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person ob-jecting to the name changes described above must le a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the mat-ter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely led, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING a. Date: 6/12/12 Time: 9:00 a.m. Dept.: 60 Room: b. The address of the court is same as noted above. 3. a. A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four suc-cessive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the follow-ing newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: Brentwood Press b. Notice to mother named on birth certi cate is waived by the court. Date: 4/9/12 Judith A Sanders, Pro Tem Judge of the Superior Court Brentwood Press No. 02-1273 Publish Dates: April 20, 27, May 4, and 11, 2012.

RIGHT TO FARM DISCLOSUREThe City of Brentwood has declared its policy to protect and encourage agricultural operations in its General Plan and has adopted a Right to Farm Ordinance. If your property is located in the City, near an agricultural op-eration, you may at times be subject to inconvenience or discomfort arising from those operations, including noise, odors, fumes, dust, smoke, insects, the operation of machinery (including air-craft) during any time of day or night, the storage and disposal of manure, and the ground or aerial application of fertilizers, soil amendments, seed, herbicides, and pesticides. These and other similar in-conveniences will not be considered a public nuisance if they are conducted according to proper and accepted cus-toms and standards. The Right to Farm Ordinance establishes a grievance procedure to help resolve any disputes between agricultural operators and their neighbors. This is only a summary of the Right to Farm Ordinance. If you wish further information about the meaning or effect of the ordinance or the grievance procedure set forth in it, please contact the Citys Community Development De-partment at 150 City Park Way, Brent-wood, CA 94513 or call (925) 516-5405.Brentwood Press No. 02-1273Publish date: April 27, 2012

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGNotice is hereby given that the City Council of the City of Brentwood will, at 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the normal course of business permits on May 8, 2012, hold a public hearing to consider the following:An appeal led by Gurmej Singh of the Planning Commissions denial of a con-ditional use permit (CUP 11-023) to es-tablish a liquor store known as Garys Liquors, located at 6730 Lone Tree Way, Suites 3 and 4 (APN 019-010-037).Appellant: Gurmej SinghSaid hearing will be held at the City Council Chambers, 150 City Park Way, Brentwood, California.Further information may be obtained from Associate Planner Debbie Hill [(925) 516-5135 or [email protected]] in the Community Development Department of the City of Brentwood, 150 City Park Way, Brentwood, Califor-nia 94513.In any court challenge of City Council decisions, you may be limited to rais-ing only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing de-scribed in this notice, or in written cor-respondence delivered to the Brent-wood City Council at, or prior to, the public hearing.Brentwood Press No. 02-1273Publish date: April 27, 2012

LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES

Beach Boys, Johnny Cash, Prince, Run-DMC and Aerosmith. Before the advent of the computers, the show was where Americans discovered the most talented singers.

Curtis danced on American Band-stand once a month, in the late 50s and early 60s, until he was 12 and the show moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles.

While his group wasnt the main dancing act, it made its presence known in the back-ground. They had their own group of danc-ers and it was just a little three-second spot, and if you didnt know what you looked like, you missed yourself, Curtis said. We did

The Nutcracker that was one that stuck out but it also got me involved in high school drama and plays.

Dressed up in a suit and fedora, Curtis shared the stage with big-ticket performers such as Smokey Robinson and Stevie Won-der, who was also a young man at the time. Curtis didnt get to interact much with Clark, but described him as a warm presence who didnt act like he was the star of the show.

He was a very nice guy, very unassum-ing, Curtis said. He wasnt pretentious. He made you feel at home, as a little kid. You felt like you were important to the show.

Curtis treats his time on Bandstand like

it was no big deal, just a part of his childhood, but many of his students at Joseph A. Ovick School in Brentwood are shocked to learn of their teachers past. From time to time, hell show video of American Bandstand, and students express surprise that their mountain man of a teacher danced for a nationwide au-dience.

While his youthful involvement in dance led him to participate in plays as a high school student, he largely stopped learning about the art of dancing after that. Curtis joined the military after high school, and throughout his life, saved his skills for weddings and social events.

Through his studio, and Bandstand, Curtis learned not only some of the most popular dance moves in America, but styles of dance from around the world. He said he can still cut a rug at weddings, even if his hips arent what they used to be.

Curtis remains humble about his appear-ances on Bandstand and connection with the recently deceased Clark, who became an in-ternational star.

You dont think about it, 50 years ago, that it would become that big and that (Clark) would become that big, Curtis said. To me, its just a little spot in my life.


Bandstander from page 1A

intention of reducing duplicate overhead costs and streamlining fi re services. Prior to its absorption, the district was able to muster as many as six POCs on an engine (full-time districts in the county staffed three fi refi ghters per engine), and send several pieces of equipment to major in-cidents.

Resistance from volunteers and resi-dents was unable to prevent the move, which included the introduction to the district of full-time, union fi refi ghters. Tension between the career fi refi ghters and the POCs contributed to a dropoff in district effi ciency, and in 1998 the merger was abandoned; the Oakley/Knightsen Fire District once again free of ConFire control.

By 2000, the POC rolls had reached 32 in Oakley and 22 in Knightsen. Be-cause it could turn out so many fi refi ght-ers, the district was able to provide strong support for nearby districts. In 2000, the district assisted East Diablo in Brentwood 1,500 times.

In 2002, Oakley/Knightsen merged with East Diablo and Bethel Island to form the ECCFPD, run by the county Board of Supervisors. An appointed board of district residents and city offi -cials was appointed to oversee the district in 2010. A new fi re station, funded by de-velopment fees, was opened in 2011, and the former quarters converted to an ani-mal rescue facility.Bethel Island

Once referred to by locals as Battle Island because of the fi ercely indepen-dent and sometimes contentious popula-tion, the Bethel Island Fire Department

was formed in the wake of some not-so-neighborly behavior on the part of one of its resident farmers. Surrounded by levees holding back the waters of the San Joa-quin River, the islands soil is mostly peat, or former river bottom. Once ignited, peat fi res can smolder underground for years, and whenever Bethel Islands peat fi res got out of control, the island was fl ooded to extinguish them.

During the 1920s, one such fi re forced residents to breach the levee to put it out. After the levee was repaired, a farmer on one side of the island began pumping the water out, a time-consuming and expen-sive task. Meanwhile on the other side of the island, a competing farmer began pumping more water onto the island, hop-ing to run up the costs for his competitor. The need to localize fi re protection was clear.

Following World War II, Berkeley at-

torney Leroy Thomas purchased property on Bethel Island, where he loved to spend weekends fi shing. Aware of the islands inadequate fi re service, Thomas also do-nated land for the fi rst fi re station, as well as Scout Hall, which was built next door.

The district was formed in 1947 under Chief Charles Maxwell. At fi rst, the fi re phone was located at the end of the bar near the back door of the Bel Isle Club, next door to the station.

The effort to build the station was literally full of ups and downs. A military surplus Quonset hut was purchased, to be assembled by the district volunteers. Ac-cording to the minutes from a 1948 board meeting, the volunteers each pledged to work on the fi rehouse at the fi rst decent chance.

After several months of work, the volunteers fi nally completed the job. Un-fortunately, four days later a huge wind-

storm knocked it down. This time, a contractor was called and the station was rebuilt properly.

Under Chief Joe Whitener and As-sistant Chief David Wahl, the Bethel Is-land Fire District continued to improve its services through the 1980s. Because of its remote location and many residents in their retirement years, the district became the fi rst in the region to employ full-time fi refi ghters, who staffed the station during critical hours. It also implemented a para-medic program, becoming the fi rst in the area to offer advanced lifesaving medical services.

In 2002, the Bethel Island Fire Dis-trict was merged with the Oakley/Knight-sen and East Diablo districts to form the East Contra Costa Fire Protection Dis-trict, which now staffs the station with two full-time fi refi ghters.



Photo courtesy of the East Contra Costa Historical Society

A 1924 re destroyed most of Oakleys main business district and fueled the desire for a local volunteer re department.

APRIL 27, 2012 THEPRESS.NET | 23A

24A | THEPRESS.NET APRIL 27, 2012

April 27, 2012

Photo by Richard Wisdom

THE PRESS SPRINGTHE PRESS SPRING

E D I T I O NE D I T I O N

APRIL 27, 2012 HOME & GARDEN THEPRESS.NET | 3B

Contractor builds big reputation on small screen

When general contractor Kenny Turnage says he built his business from the ground up, he means it.

Almost three years ago, the city of Antioch hired Turnages business K2GC to demolish a dilapidated East 18th Street building that had become a magnet for graf ti, vagrants and feral animals. Turnage, who had been operating out of a smaller of ce in Brentwood, saw potential in the place and worked with the city to purchase the land.

Turnage and his workers tore down the structure and built their of ces in about six months. The company has become known throughout the Bay Area for its work in rebuilding and remodeling homes, and even earned camera time on HGTV.

They actually contacted us, Turnage said. The rst time I got a phone call from them, I thought it was a joke. They called back, and actually its been a very good working relationship.

K2GC (which stands for Kenny Turnage II, General Contractor) has made two appearances on the HGTV show Curb Appeal. A TV crew followed workers as they renovated a drab house in Richmond. Later, K2GC transformed a boring domicile in Alameda into a lively home, right in front of HGTVs cameras.

Though the rst runs of these episodes have already been aired, theyll be replayed on Thursday, May 3 at 3:30 and 5:30 p.m.

(HGTV) puts out that theyre going to be in an area, and people nominate the ugliest house on the block, Turnage said. If they get picked, then they get a $20,000 makeover on the front portion of their home.

While the beauti cation process is what

makes for entertaining viewing, K2GC handles everything from full-scale renovation to smaller jobs such as kitchen and bathroom remodels. The Diamond Certi ed company, founded roughly nine years ago, also deals heavily with extreme cases, such as houses suffering from ood or re damage. K2GC earned notice from the KRON 4 TV show Best of the Bay for repairing and modernizing an Antioch home after it was ravaged by re.

Construction has been a lifelong labor of love for Turnage, who started working in the family business when he was 12. They did re and water damage repair, and basically my uncle and my father had an old-school farmer mentality where you had children for labor, Turnage said. Within

about the rst year, I really enjoyed what I was doing and had my mind made up that this is what I wanted to do.

About nine years ago, Turnage started K2GC out of his home of ce. Now he leads a staff of 21 employees, taking on jobs all over the Bay Area.

Though the company has grown, Turnage still maintains a passion for his East County roots. The Antioch High School alumnus is active in several community efforts, such as sponsoring and coaching youth sports teams. Turnage sponsored former Liberty High wrestler David Klingsheim when the grappler earned a trip to take on the best in the nation in North Carolina.

After Turnage heard that a Hannah Montana concert in Oakland four years ago was sold out mainly to scalpers he bought a luxury box and gave away tickets to local kids. We try to help out in any way we can, he said.

Find out more about K2GCs appearances on HGTV at:

www.hgtv.com/curb-appeal-the-block/a-young-familys-boring-blank-facade-is-reinvented-into-a-charming-cottage/index.html.

www.hgtv.com/curb-appeal-the-block/a-boring-beige-bungalow-is-given-new-life-with-a-spanish-eclectic-transformation/index.html.

ON THE COVER: K2GC CEO Kenny Turnage displays the before photo in front of his Antioch of ce, which he and his workers built.

J U S T I N L A F F E R T Y

Fireplaces add a special touch to any room in the house

Photo courtesy of K2GC

4B | THEPRESS.NET HOME & GARDEN APRIL 27, 2012

Creative Yards brings the vacation home

A s a young boy growing up in Brentwood, Mark Acasio learned early on how to make a job his own.

Back in the day, Brentwood was such a small community that you could literally walk around town with a lawnmower and knock on doors, said Acasio, 44. I started out mowing lawns to help out my parents, and I guess it just took off from there.

Today, Acasio is the owner and operator of Creative Yards of Brentwood and for the past 23 years has been bringing his enthusi-asm, expertise and one-of-a-kind creations to East County residences.

Acasio specializes in designing custom yards that are both functional and beautiful, offering homeowners their private piece of paradise. From tropical to rustic, water features to rock gardens, Creative Yards does it all from conception to construction.

For those thinking about taking the landscape plunge but are novices at the game, Acasio believes the simplest place to start is at the beginning.

I always tell my clients that the rst thing to do is draw out what they want and what kind of budget they have, he said. Do they want water features, lots of trees, plants that

are easy to care for or something more exotic? They dont have to know exactly, just an idea. I can create anything. Then I can come and help them develop that plan based on their yard

size and walk them through the phases from beginning to end.

As for trends? According to Acasio, the shift is toward families staying home and enjoy-

ing their yards. The main thing people are doing because money is tight is turning their yards into their vacation, he said. Because of the economy, more and more people are stay-

R U T H R O B E R T S

Photos by Richard Wisdom

Mark Acasio, owner of Creative Yards in Brentwood, above, is also known as the face or hairy suit of Oakland Raiders mascot Gorilla Rilla, inset.


ing home. So I help make their yards their own private resorts.

Since Acasio and his family are longtime Brentwood resi-dents, hes a familiar face around town. But Oakland Raiders fans might be surprised to know that the mild-mannered Acasio should be familiar to them for another reason as the face of Raiders mascot Gorilla Rilla.

People dont always make the connection because I dont work in the gorilla suit, laughed Acasio, who has been the Raiders faithful booster for the past 16 years. But when they do, its fun. The gorilla is all good.

And its all good for Acasio, who continues to take satis-faction in transforming yards into beautiful, one-of-a-kind creations and get dirty in the process.

I get paid to play in the dirt and make people happy, said Acasio. Im a lucky man, yes I am. I not only get to stop and smell the roses, I get to plant them, too.

For more information, call Creative Yards at 925-513-1012.

To check out more trends in gardening this season, visit www.bhg.com/gardening/gardening-trends/top-garden-trends.

Photo courtesy of Creative Yards

Tropical yards are popular with homeowners for their functionality as well as their beauty.


Photo by Michelle Mista

Planting marigolds with your tomatoes can help protect your tomatoes from certain types of pests.

rainwater.According to Perez, its not too late in the

season to start your own edible garden. Were lucky living in East County, she said, noting that late April and early May are good times for planting tomatoes, peppers, corn, carrots, herbs and fruit trees.

Know your soil is Perezs top tip for beginner gardeners. Perez pointed out that while Oakley soil tends to be sandy, Discovery Bay soil is characterized by heavy clay. Her next top tip is to work closely with nursery professionals who know the area. Having served East County for so long, Perez Nursery professionals know the areas soil types and can help you choose soil amendments.

Container gardens are popular for those with limited space, such as apartment dwellers or gardeners with poor soil. You can plant in just about any container. Just make sure it has good drainage, advised Perez. Many vegetables even fruit trees grow well in containers. You can even plant multiple plants in one container.

For absolute beginners, Perez suggests herb gardens. Herbs are especially suitable for container gardening, are useful in the kitchen, and many are drought tolerant, perfect for hot East County summers.

Edible plants can also be planted for their aesthetic virtues. Instead of planting

Edible from page 6B

see Edible page 14B

8B | THEPRESS.NET HOME & GARDEN APRIL 27, 2012

Advice From People Who Filed Bankruptcy

by Joan Grimes, Esq.

Advertisement

I have been asking people who come into my offi ce if they have any advice/regrets about their actions prior to fi ling bankruptcy. Here is their advice:

1. Seek Legal Counsel. Dont wait to fi nd out your options. Almost every person said they wish they had come in sooner. Many have said they would have done things diff erently had they known the law and options available.

2. Dont borrow or take money from your 401k, IRA, Savings Account, Childrens Saving Account, Deferred Compensation to cure a default on a mortgage. So many people regret borrowing or taking a distribution from their retirement plan. Unfortunately, many people dont know that this money, if borrowed, must be repaid in full or it will be considered income and taxed accordingly. In addition, this tax cannot be discharged in bankruptcy. It is heart breaking to see people take money out of their retirement to stay current on the mortgage, to only lose the house at a later time, but are still responsible for tax liability of the distribution.

3. Dont borrow money from family or friends to stay current on mortgage or other bills. Family and friends want/expect to be repaid irrespective of whether you fi le bankruptcy. In the eyes of the bankruptcy code, your family and friends are just another lender and will not receive preferential treatment.

4. Dont juggle credit cards to pay mortgage. Cash advances and balance transfers may cause problems in a bankruptcy. In addition, depending on the type of real estate debt you have, a short sale or foreclosure may be possible without a bankruptcy. However, if you run up your credit cards trying to keep the house, a bankruptcy may be inevitable.

5. Dont leave house until property forecloses or short sale is complete. Almost every person that has

discovery bay press_04.27.12

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