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Vol. 14, No. 14 YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER April 6, 2012

FOR MOVIE TIMES

SEE PAGE 5A

Conflagration information Your local fire district has extended its contract with the firefighters union. Page 5A

Business ............................. 17BCalendar ............................ 19BClassifieds ......................... 12BCop Logs ............................ 18BEast County Life ................ 1BEntertainment ................... 6BFood ...................................... 4BHealth & Beauty ................ 8BOpinion ..............................14ASports .................................15A

Rites of petition

Scribble an informed signature when that clipboard-toting petitioner collars you at your local storefront. Page 1B

Lion leads the pack

Rain, wind and cold didnt sidetrack Libertys Cody Mayer in his pursuit of two firsts at a recent meet. Page 15A

Michael Stricker of Oakley stopped by the Brent-wood Farmers Market for some asparagus, and Louie Placios of Chechini and Chechini Farms in Brentwood was happy to be of service. The threat of rain kept traffic at the market light, but if you missed out on opening day, youll getanother chance to enjoy the produce promenade every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon on First Street.

Farmers Market opens

Photo by Rick Lemyre

Special rainy-day funds es-tablished several years ago to help see Brentwood through the eco-nomic downturn are doing their job, but could run dry in 2018 if measures are not put in place now to reduce future expenses.

Director of Finance and In-formation Systems Pam Ehler reported the news to the City Council last week during her pre-sentation of the General Fund Fiscal Model forecast for the next 10 years. Instituted in 2008, the 10-year forecast is designed to give city officials a long-range look at where the city is headed finan-cially, and give them a chance to

adjust for challenges before they become crises.

The rainy-day funds include the $10.3 million Budget Stabi-lization Fund, which represents savings accumulated by operating below budget in recent years. A second savings account, called the Insurance Internal Service Fund, was established in 2005 to help counter rising benefits costs. It now holds $4.8 million in worker compensation and other insur-ance expense savings.

The funds are the outgrowth of city officials realization a de-cade ago that Brentwood would eventually need to shift from a budget funded mostly by develop-

Changes neededto ensure cityslong-term health

see Changes page 22A

Sand Creek/Highway 4 work bid OKd

While contractors expand Highway 4 in Pittsburg and An-tioch, local transportation offi-cials received good news about clearing up a traffic problem along the thoroughfare in Brent-wood.

Most of the visible progress on Highway 4 is taking place in Pittsburg and Antioch, where drivers are taking advantage of the new lanes. Eventually, all of Highway 4 from Pittsburg through Brentwood will be wid-ened to four lanes in each direc-tion.

Three of the five planned projects administered by Cal-trans and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority are underway: the freeway segments

from Loveridge Road in Pitts-burg to Somersville Road in Antioch, from Somersville to L Street/Contra Loma Boulevard and from Contra Loma to Lone Tree Way.

Highway 4 spokeswoman Anna Reiss said the projects are running smoothly and reporting no major delays so far. I think were pretty well on schedule, Reiss said. Nothing out of the ordinary for a construction proj-ect.

According to widensr4.org, the main information hub for the project, the Loveridge segment will wrap up by the end of 2013. Contractors are now working on the overpass along the Loveridge Road exit, hoping to soon switch traffic over to the new bridge.

Press file photo

by Justin LaffertyStaff Writer

by Rick LemyreStaff Writer

see Highway 4 page 22A

A low bid has been announced for a contractor to start work-ing on the Sand Creek Road/State Route 4 intersection, turn-ing it into a freeway exit much like those at Lone Tree Way and Laurel Road.

Connect with The Press!Scan QR code with your smart phone.

An optimal Earth Day agenda: enjoy Mt. Diablo while contributing to its preservation.

Happy trailsgo to news/WebExtras!

The Brentwood Farmers Market got the growing season off to a jolly, juicy start.

Produce partygo to multimedia/videos

A new app harnesses the social media to help you trim your energy bill.

Energetic appgo to news/press releases

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Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff detectives and deputy sher-iffs, plus agents from the California Department of Justice, seized numer-ous weapons including an assault weapon weapon parts, ammuni-tion and drugs during the serving of a search warrant in Brentwood on March 28.

Following an ongoing investiga-tion by the two agencies, the Office of the Sheriff and Department of Justice served the search warrant at a resi-dence on the 100 block of Trent Place and arrested 33-year-old Brentwood resident Marquis Smith, who was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on multiple felony weapons and drug charges. He is being held in lieu of $870,000 bail.

The arrest and seizure was a result of an investigation by CASE (Crimi-nal Anti-violence Support Effort), a joint effort by the Office of the Sheriff and California Department of Justice. CASE was created in November of 2011 as a collaborative effort to reduce violent crimes in Contra Costa, espe-cially those related to illegal firearms.

Weapons seized in Brentwood

Memorial tiles destined for Veterans Park

Those who wish to be remembered as an American veteran or preserve the name of a loved one who honorably served the United States of America are invited to be a part of the effort to install memorials at Veterans Park in Brentwood.

The first memorial features six granite monuments with plaques and flags representing the military branches. The second includes the Memorial Rose Garden, in which donation tiles and memorial tiles are placed among the gardens flowers.

The City of Brentwood, in conjunction with local veter-ans groups, is still trying to raise $140,000 to build the final of the three elements to pay tribute to our veterans while elevat-ing awareness of the United States preservation of freedom throughout the world. The third element will be a quiet and contemplative area in the northwest corner of the park that will incorporate white granite blocks, benches and shade trees in or-chard rows, reflecting the history of Brentwood.

As part of the fundraising efforts, two types of tiles are still available for purchase from the Parks and Recreation Depart-ment to be included in the Memorial Rose Garden. Beige tiles with black lettering are intended to recognize those that are serv-ing or have served, or can be for any individual, family or orga-nization that wishes to donate. This line can include the name of an individual, a family or organization.

The black tiles with gold lettering memorialize those who have died while serving their nation. Tiles are 8x8 and can be engraved with a maximum of five lines of text of 18 letters each. The donation amount is $100 per line.

For more information, call 925-516-5444.

The City of Brentwood, in conjunction with local veter-ans groups, is working to raise $140,000 to build the fi-nal memorial elements at Veterans Park.

Press file photo

When 7-year old Trinity Keefer lost her beloved Tigre, Collin Marfia under-stood. After all, hed recently been in a similar situation.

When Collin was born we bought him a stuffed tiger, and at the same time got two extras in case he lost one, said Jodi Marfia, Collins mom. And since he was little, he has taken that tiger every-where with him. But about a month ago he lost it at a sleepover and he was devas-tated. We had the other ones, but he had really glommed onto Ti-Ti and wanted only that one. Fortunately, it eventually turned up.

So when the Krey Elementary fourth-grader read in the newspaper about Trin-itys lost friend, he offered up a solution immediately. The picture (in the news-paper) of the tiger was super identical to the ones I had, said Collin, 9. So I told my mom I wanted to give her one of my extras to make her feel better.

Jodi then contacted the Keefers who live in Walnut Creek and set the plan in motion.

We ended up having to be out on the day the Keefers were going to come and pick up the new tiger, said Jodi. So we put it in a pink bag with a note written from Collin saying he knew how she felt and hoped this new tiger would help.

And help it did. Trinitys dad Tim who had posted lost posters around town in the hopes that Tigre would turn up said his daughter was overjoyed by the gift.

She was super, super psyched, said Keefer. She was really excited. It was a big, big deal when we lost Tigre. We had looked everywhere for it, but it was just gone.

And while Trinity is now the owner of a gently worn, but much-loved pet ti-ger, the bigger gift, according to Tim, was the gesture itself. Honestly, the whole thing couldnt have worked out better, he said. And what was maybe even better was the gesture the exchange of good-will. Wouldnt it be great if all problems could be solved that way?

Collins generous gesture is typical of her son, said Jodi: Hes just really sweet like that. Collin does things all the time like that without a second thought.

And how does it feel to be a hero?It makes me feel like Im a nice per-

son, said Collin. I was glad to do a nice thing and Id do it again.

To comment, visit www.thepress.net.

4A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY APRIL 6, 2012

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A tigers tale of kindness

Collin Marfia, above left, donated one of his stuffed tigers to a Walnut Creek girl who had lost her own favorite tiger toy. Above right, Trinity Keefer with her new pet.

Photos courtesy of Jodi Marfia

by Ruth RobertsStaff Writer


Each year communities come together to create a world with less cancer

and more birthdays. At Relay For Life they celebrate the lives of those who

have had cancer, remember those lost, and fight back against this disease.

Join your local Relay event. Visit RelayForLife.org or call 1-800-227-2345.

Together well stay well, get well, find cures and fight back.

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OAKLEYAPRIL 2829

at Freedom High School

BRENTWOODJUNE 1617

at Liberty High School

ANTIOCH/PITTSBURGJUNE 2324

at Los Medanos College

Fire district, union extend contract

The East Contra Costa Fire Protection District has reached an agreement to extend for one year its contract with firefighter union Local 1230 while awaiting the outcome of Measure S, the $197-per-year fire tax that will appear on the June ballot.

If Measure S passes, the district will hire additional firefighters and add paramedic firefighters to district engines. If the tax fails, the district must lay off half of its 48 firefight-ers, close three of its six stations, and restrict district medical services to the basic lifesaving level currently provided. Advanced lifesaving services in the district are now provided by American Medical Response paramedics un-der a separate agreement with Contra Costa County.

Local 1230 president Vince Wells said at Mondays ECCFPD board meeting that it didnt make sense to craft a new agreement now, not knowing how many firefighters the district will employ or what their training levels would be. Contract negotiations will re-sume in July once the fate of the tax is known, with particular emphasis on post-employ-ment benefits.

We understand that theres a major con-cern about hiring new firefighters with all the same current levels of benefits, he said, add-ing that the same concern exists countywide. We are in discussions about pension changes in all jurisdictions we serve, including East County. Local 1230 also represents firefight-

ers in six other Contra Costa County depart-ments.

Also at Mondays meeting, Fire Chief Hugh Henderson said work continues on a balanced budget service model that would be implemented should the tax fail and lay-offs be required. The model will show how resources would be deployed should the num-ber of stations in the 250-square-mile district be cut to three, as well as coverage maps and

estimates on the response times the scaled-back department would likely be able to pro-vide.

The balanced-budget service model will also include the impact that fewer EC-CFPD stations would make on mutual- and automatic-aid agreements with surrounding agencies. The district already draws assistance from nearby agencies about twice as often as it provides assistance in return, Henderson said.

by Rick LemyreStaff Writer

Firefighters Union Local 1230 Vice President Gil Guerrero Monday shows the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District board a sign urging approval of Measure S, a $197-per-parcel property tax the board has placed on the June ballot in far East County.

Photo by Rick Lemyre


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Assemblymember Joan Buchanan, far left, joined her colleagues in honoring Contra Costa County community leader Diane Bur-gis, center, as Woman of the Year for the 15th Assembly District during a recent ceremony at the state capitol. Diane exemplifies com-munity involvement and activism, Buchanan said. She has made her community proud and continues to be a respected leader. Since 2007, Burgis has served as executive director of Friends of Marsh Creek Water-shed and was instrumental in coordinating the fish ladder for salmon spawning in the creek. Diane is also a board member of the Delta Science Center and the California Delta Education Foundation.

Exec extraordinaire


Advertisement

TAX CREDIT REPAYMENTIf you bought a home between 2008

and 2010 and claimed the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit, or you know someone that did, you need to read this. You may be required to start repaying that credit, and the IRS is no longer mailing out reminder notices.

The credit of 2008 was really more like a no-interest loan than a true tax credit. There were other tax credits that came the following years that WERE true tax credits, but the 2008 vintage needs to be paid back in 15 equal install-ments, starting with your 2010 return. This will be on line 59b of your 1040 form.

If you sold the home you claimed a tax credit for, or even if you stopped using it as a principal residence, you have may to repay the credit, and this may apply whether you bought the home in 2008, 2009 or 2010. If that describes you, you should be attaching form 5405

to your return to repay the credit.This is a very complicated issue

as there were many different types of homebuyer tax credits, and the rules changed every year, and even dur-ing some years. For more info, got to www.irs.gov and search for First-Time Homebuyer Credit. They even have a webpage where you can look up your account to see if you are supposed to be paying your credit back, and what your balance is: https://sa2.www4.irs.gov/irfof-fthb/

I AM NOT A TAX EXPERT. PLEASE CONSULT YOUR OWN TAX EXPERT FOR SPECIFICS TO YOUR SITUATION.

If you have questions on 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

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Still no plans for Easter weekend? Mark your calendar for Easter events near you:NOW THROUGH APRIL 7Easter Bunny Visits

The Easter Bunny holds court at Som-ersville Towne Center, 2556 Somersville Road in Antioch, greeting children and their families to wish them a hoppy Easter. For more information and visitation times, call 925-754-5230.FRIDAY, APRIL 6Good Friday Services

Good Friday services are held at St. Ignatius Church of Antioch, 3351 Contra Loma Blvd., at noon and at St. Johns Lutheran Church, 1360 E. Tregallas Road in Antioch, at 7 p.m.SATURDAY, APRIL 7Easter Egg Hunt

The Discovery Bay Easter Egg Hunt, sponsored by the Discovery Bay Lions Club, takes place in Cornell Park, 505 Discovery Bay Blvd., at 9:30 a.m. The event includes a visit from the Easter Bunny, activities and games, and an Easter bonnet contest. For more information, call 925-516-7234.Easter Egg Hunt and Celebration

The Antioch Salvation Army hosts an Easter celebration from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Salvation Army Antioch Corps office, 620 E. Tregal- l a s Road. Festivities include games, candy and an egg hunt. Participants are asked bring a donation of five cans of food as admission. For more information, call 925-778-0808,

ext. 14.Easter Egg Decorating

Little Miss Everything, 220 Oak St. in Brentwood, hosts an Easter Egg Decorating Party from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Each child gets six eggs to dye and decorate. Admission is $25 per child; $20 for Little Miss Everything VIP members. This is a pre-pay event, and registration is re-quired. For more information or to reserve a spot, call 925-513-4700.Easter Bunny Express

The Easter Bunny visits the Streets of Brentwood, 2565 Sand Creek Road, from noon to 3 p.m. The event features a train ride through the lifestyle center, a petting zoo and other fun activities. Bring your camera to capture all the fun. For more information, call 925-516-8500.SUNDAY, APRIL 8Easter Services

Hillside Church, 108 Hillside Road in Antioch, holds Easter ser-vices at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Nursery and toddler care are available for both. A spe-cial childrens program is held during the 10:30 service. An Easter egg hunt is sched-uled for 10 a.m. For more information, visit www.hillsidecares.org.

St. Johns Lutheran Church, 1360 E. Tregallas Road in Antioch, holds Easter services at 8 a.m. Easter breakfast is served at 9:15, and an egg hunt starts at 11. For more information, call 925-757- 3070 or visit www.stjohnsantioch.org.

Easter celebrations


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Prom is a staple of the high school experience a time to get dressed up and dance the night away. But for kids who are home schooled, proms are hard to come by.

Charmaine Abasolo decided when she began homeschooling her eldest daughter 10 years ago that she would put together a prom for home-schooled students if no such event existed in East County. To her dismay, when her daughter came of age there was still no event that provided homeschooled students that high school rite of passage. So Abasolo took her cause to the planning board.

Kids who are homeschooled still deserve the opportunity to take part in a milestone such as prom even if they dont attend a public school, Abasolo said. I want to provide that opportunity to stu-dents who want to go to prom. I went to prom when I was in school and I had a great time. Every kid should have the op-portunity to get all dressed up and spend the evening celebrating the approaching end of the school year.

Last November, Abasolo rallied mem-bers of the East Contra Costa Explorers, a support group for homeschool families, which she runs, to start brainstorming and

gathering ideas.And the support group didnt fail her.

One homeschool dad will be serving as DJ for the evening, while another homeschool family member will be taking care of the catering. Other families have pitched in money for venue rentals and decorations.

The Homeschool Prom will take place at the Brentwood Community Center, 35 Oak St., on May 18 from 7 to 11 p.m. The $50 admission covers a dinner of salad, pasta and dessert and dancing. The dance is open to homeschooled students between the ages of 14 and 18. Families from East County and beyond are welcome to attend.

Since homeschool families are par-ticular about the events their children take part in, Abasolo said, she has established some restrictions to assure parents that the prom will live up to its theme: an Evening of Elegance. There will be no rap or hard rock music played and no suggestive danc-ing allowed. To make sure everyone is com-fortable, parents are welcome to hang out and observe the prom as chaperones.

Students interested in participating in the prom must reserve their tickets by Sun-day, April 15. Donations for the event are welcome.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call Abasolo at 925-516-0555 or e-mail [email protected].


Homeschool students to get proper prom

by Samie HartleyStaff Writer

APRIL 6, 2012 EDUCATION THEPRESS.NET | 9A

Trevors Weekly Mortgage MattersBy Trevor Frey

Annual Percentage Rate

Advertisement

e annual percentage rate, or APR, for either a rst time home buyer, or an individual looking for their next home, is truly one of the most useful tools setup in their favor its purpose was to allow consumers to shop for credit by comparing the ne print, according to an article in United States Banker. e annual percentage rate is important as it allows consumers to compare apples to apples, or even apples to oranges if, of course, we consider apples to equal xed rate loans, and oranges to represent adjustable rate mortgages, or ARMS. It is essential when comparing loans/interest rates and should not be overlooked.

As part of e Federal Truth in Lending Act of 1968, the annual percentage rate is calculated much di erently than the actual note rate and can always be found on your Truth in Lending disclosure. While the note rate simply represents the yearly rate at which your lender will collect interest for permitting you to borrow money for a speci c length of time, your APR represents the total cost of credit on a yearly basis a er all charges points, appraisal, credit report, processing, and document fees etc. are taken into consideration. It is typically higher than your actual interest rate because it includes these additional items and assumes you will keep the loan for the full term.

Lets look at how APRs are calculated. For our illustration we will assume a note rate of 5.50% on a xed rate loan. On a 30

year term, and a loan amount of $150,000, the monthly payments would be $851.68. In order to calculate the APR for this loan we would rst subtract out the fees: $1500 (one point), $425 for the appraisal, $500 for processing and $16.50 for a credit report.

$150,000 minus $2441.50 equals $147,558.50. is new gure of $147,558.50 would re ect on our Truth in Lending disclosure as the amount being nanced, when in fact we are borrowing $150,000here is where APR comes into e ect.

We take the new gure of $147,558.50 and use it as our present value/loan amount to determine the true cost of the loan. By working the equation backwards until we receive the same $851.68 monthly payment as if the loan amount were still $150,000, we come up with our annual percentage rate. In this case, our APR is 5.65%, the true cost of borrowing the amount of the loan being applied to the actual purchase, a er paying all the fees.

Remember, although the note rate is what you calculate your monthly payment o of, and is the gure youll compare with your neighbors at the dinner table, the APR is the gure you should be most interested in. It is the only way to truly compare the cost of one loan versus another, and was put in place to protect you. 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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For the third time in three years, a Brentwood Elementary School Odyssey of the Mind team has earned a spot at the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals. The team placed second at the recent Califor-nia State Odyssey of the Mind competition at Heritage High School, ad-vancing to the World Finals May 23-26 at Iowa State University in Ames. Coached by Patty Schneider and Stephanie Goldman, team members are fourth-graders Josh Goldman, Patrick Schneider, Avery Morton, Erika Henderson, Jalena Wouters and Emily Redman.

Brentwood makes Odyssey threepeat

10A | THEPRESS.NET EDUCATION APRIL 6, 2012

Music program plays to more than talent

When Tim Combs grows up, he hopes to become a college music professor. Tims piano teacher Barbara Schneider already a grownup says her student is well on his way to reaching that goal and believes theres little the talented 17-year-old cant accomplish.

Tim is one of those wonderful people an outstanding young man, said Schnei-der, president of the Delta branch of the Music Teachers Association of California (MTAC). Ive had him as my student for nearly 10 years and Ive heard him play it all, from sonnets to complicated pieces. Hes always had an interest in music.

Combs excels at Beethoven and Men-delssohn, but when he plugs in the iPod, its strictly rock n roll.

I perform the classics and listen to the classics, laughed Tim, who plays pi-ano. Theyre just different kinds of clas-sics.

And such differentiation is integral to the MTAC. Established in 1983, the Delta branch of the independent organization provides assistance and opportunities for teachers and students of music in Antioch, Brentwood, Concord, Discovery Bay, Oakley, Pittsburg and surrounding areas. Created for music lovers of all ages, talents and aspirations, the MTAC provides one more option and extracurricular activity

for students looking to enhance their mu-sical experiences.

The purpose of the Delta group is the promotion of musical culture and the pursuit of excellence in the field of music, said Theresa Cannizzaro, a Discovery Bay resident and board member of the Delta MTAC.

Founded in 1897, todays MTAC boasts more than 60 branches statewide offering a variety of programs. The popu-lar Certificate of Merit program, for exam-ple, tests students of piano, woodwind and

string instruments in a number of areas, including music theory, ear training, music history, technique, sight-reading and per-formance.

This year, 15 Delta branch students participated in the extensive competition including Tim who received his senior medallion for high scores.

They all did really well this year, said Cannizzaro, who has been teaching piano for more than 15 years. I feel very privileged to do this. To watch the students grow and progress is wonderful thing. We

have an amazing group of teachers who have dedicated themselves to providing opportunities for students to explore their musical potential, to expand their knowl-edge and appreciation of music and devel-op their technical skills and abilities.

And play in more than a musical sense.

Its definitely a social thing, said Tim, a student at Los Medanos College. Its been really cool because I have met so many teachers and students who all have shared interests and stuff.

And while some will go on to careers in the music world, others will not. Giv-ing students the option to enjoy music for musics sake while garnering knowledge along the way is the driving mission of the MTAC.

Not every student will go on to major in music, although some certainly will, said Cannizzaro. But the program teaches them so many other things aside from being able to play the piano and download music on the Internet and play it. It also teaches them about time man-agement, commitment, setting goals and working toward them. Its not always fun, but the results are something they can always be proud of. Its a wonderful pro-gram.

For more information on the MTAC, visit www.mtac.org or call Barbara Schnei-der at 925-783-4436.


MTAC Delta Branch Senior Medallion honorees, from left, are Tim Combs, Jessica Untalan, Nicholla Viloria, Christina Zeek and John Peterson.

Photos courtesy of Theresa Cannizzaro

by Ruth RobertsStaff Writer

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U.S. Sen. Mark DeSaulnier and As-semblymember Joan Buchanan have com-mended the California Department of Parks and Recreations recent announcement that it will contribute funds toward road repairs on upper Mt. Diablo Scenic Boulevard in time for the Amgen Tour of California bicycle race through Mt. Diablo State Park.

We are pleased to see State Parks come to the table and acknowledge their responsi-bility in helping to ensure a safe and smooth approach to the driveway of Mt. Diablo State Park for residents, bicyclists and park enthu-siasts alike, said DeSaulnier. Secretary John Laird and State Parks Director Ruth Cole-man are to be commended for their willing-ness to address this issue head-on. Indeed, we look forward to taking the next steps together with all parties to help forge a long-term shared maintenance agreement.

This section of Mt. Diablo Scenic Boulevard has been left in disrepair for far too long. The contribution from State Parks is critical to breaking the impasse so we can get to work fixing the road, said Buchan-an. I look forward to working with all the stakeholders to ensure that this entrance point to Mt. Diablo State Park is safe, ac-cessible, and best able to serve all members of the community.

Mt. Diablo Scenic Boulevard is a private road jointly owned by individual landowners in the community of Diablo, located at the base of the Mt. Diablo State Park. The state has a longstanding road easement with the property owners for access to the park, which attracts significant visitor and bicycle use of the road.

The last one-mile stretch of Mt. Diablo Scenic Boulevard, which leads directly into the park, is in serious disrepair due to the in-ability of the state and local residents to come to an agreement over who is responsible for maintaining the roadway.

Given the protracted stalemate and the upcoming Amgen Tour, DeSaulnier and Bu-chanan convened a community meeting to address the short- and long-term needs of the road. In attendance at the meeting were sev-eral stakeholders, including the Diablo Com-munity Services District, state park officials, Save Mount Diablo, Contra Costa County, Athenian School, local area homeowners as-sociations and individual property owners.

State Parks announced at the meeting that it would commit funds from a special fund set aside specifically for state park road repairs. Discussions are now underway be-tween all the parties toward crafting a long-term shared maintenance agreement.

Impasse resolved over Diablo repairs

The Special Kids Foundation hosts its sixth annual Wine & Chocolate Festival on Saturday, May 12 from 5 to 9 p.m. at Hannah Nicole Vineyards, 6700 Balfour Road in Brentwood.

Among the featured vintners are Hannah

Nicole Vineyards, Cline Cellars and Quady Winery. A variety of chocolate delicacies will be available along with hors doeuvres, raffle prizes and dancing under the stars.

Admission is $50. For more informa-tion, call 925-360-4672.

Spotlight on wine and chocolate


Lily Partida, 12, and sister Ava, 8, took their Hometown Weekly Newspaper on a spring-break trip to our nations capital, where the girls and their parents toured the National Zoo and the Na-tional Gallery, home to the only Da Vinci in the Americas. Lily and Ava even managed to catch a show at the Kennedy Center and a view of Washingtons famous cherry blossoms in all their glory. Thanks, girls, for giving the Brentwood Press a front-row seat in the Seat of Power.

Seen in D.C.

Discovery Bay residents Bob and Wendy Phillips made sure their Hometown Weekly Newspaper was in their baggage when they made the trip to Jamaica last February. Above, a local musician was happy to provide extra pizzazz to the picture, taken in Negril Bay. Thanks, Wendy and Bob, for giving the Discovery Bay Press an entertain-ing taste of the Caribbean.

Seen in Jamaica


Cant attend? Join the conversation via Twitter @SutterDelta#kidshealth

Your kids enjoy supervised play while you participate in an informative conversation led by pediatricians

Susan Adham, M.D. or Irmeen Ashraf, M.D.

My Child Has Itchy, Dry Skin. . . Could it be Eczema?Learn how to recognize and treat eczema, a common skin condition. Symptoms include dry, red, itchy patches on the skin which break out in rashes when scratched. Dr. Adham, Tuesday, April 17 Dr. Ashraf, Thursday, April 26 12:00 - 1:00 pm 12:30 - 1:30 pm

Easy Lifestyle Changes to Fight Childhood ObesityChildhood obesity is at epidemic levels and putting our childrens health at risk. Learn lifestyle changes you can make to prevent obesity now and as your child grows up. Dr. Ashraf, Tuesday, May 8 Dr. Adham, Thursday, May 17 12:00 - 1:00 pm 12:30 - 1:30 pm

Quench Your Childs Thirst to Prevent DehydrationHow much water should your child drink? What are the early warning signs of dehydration and heat stress? Symptoms can indicate under-lying serious health issues and lead to long-term problems. Learn to recognize the signs. Dr. Adham, Tuesday, June 5 Dr. Ashraf, Thursday, June 28 12:00 - 1:00 pm 12:30 - 1:30 pm

Learn N Play with Sutter Delta and the Little Gym

To reserve your FREE space, please call (925) 634-0034.

One of the largest all-volunteer ser-vice projects in California this year is set for Saturday, April 28, when tens of thousands of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), some dressed in those dis-tinctive yellow vests and T-shirts, will work side by side with other caring com-munity friends and neighbors, providing service and a helping hand at hundreds of projects throughout the state.

This years annual Mormon Help-ing Hands Day of Service encompasses at least five projects in East County:

West Antioch residents can con-tribute to landscaping, platform assem-bly, public bench repairs and painting from 9 a.m. to noon at the Contra Cos-ta County Fairgrounds, 1201 W. 10th St. For more information, call Linda Thayne at 925-586-1344, Brian Smith at 925-754-5899 or Carlos Saro at 925-261-9479.

East Antioch residents can help with painting, weeding and general cleanup from 9 a.m. to noon at Learner-Centered School, an Antioch charter school. For more information, call John Dimsdale at 925-756-2457 or Vince Feh-ring at 732-801-3668.

Discovery Bay, Byron and Brent-

wood residents will be scraping and painting railings, repairing planters, weeding and cleaning up trash from 9 a.m. to noon at the east end of Valley Green Road in Brentwood. For more information, call Roy Manning at 925-858-5145 or Paul Krey at 925-634-3276.

Oakley, Knightsen, Bethel Island and north Brentwood residents can join forces with Friends of Marsh Creek Watershed to clean the creek bed, banks and trails along Marsh Creek from 9 a.m. to noon. The group meets at the parking lot on East Cypress Road and Main Street in Oakley. For more infor-mation, call Phil Somerhalder at 925-625-0509, Jeff Peterson at 925516-8348 or Bill Taylor at 925-625-5167.

Simply put on some old work clothes, bring your enthusiasm and come out to one of the sites, where equipment will be provided. To find a project in a specific town other than the those listed above, visit www.mhhcali-fornia.org, click on the golden Califor-nia icon and then click a blue balloon to locate a project near you.

To learn more about worldwide Mormon Helping Hands humanitarian service projects, visit www.mormon-newsroom.org/article/helping-hands.

Volunteers needed for Day of Service


The Press Newspapers are adjudicated in the the cities of Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, and the Delta Judicial District

of Contra Costa County.

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Letters to the editorBank settlement falls short

Editor:The ink is barely dried on the Con-

sent Judgment, and already it appears Bank of America has engaged in unfair, deceptive and fraudulent actions against its customers.

After 49 state attorneys general and the federal government sued the five largest loan servicers (Ally/GMAC, Bank of America, Citi, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo), a Joint State-Federal Mort-gage Servicing Settlement was reached inthe largest consumer financial protec-tion settlement in U.S. history, providing $25 billion in monetary sanctions and relief to homeowners.

Bank of America has the largest financial obligation under the settle-ment at $11 billion. During negotiations, however, Bank of America insured that it minimized its responsibility under the agreement by apparently moving (without consent or knowledge) the loan mortgage of qualifying clients to Green Tree Finance, a carefully concealed subsidiary.

As a result, Bank of America re-duced the number of customers eligible for mortgage relief and will not provide refinancing services to former clients under a key provision of the settlement: Refinancing of Underwater Homes.

To assist homeowners who are not delinquent on their payments but can-not refinance to lower rates because of negative equity, the banks must offer refinance programs totaling at least $3 billion. The banks will be required to notify eligible homeowners of the avail-ability of these programs. To be eligible, a borrower must be current on mortgage payments, have a loan-to-value ratio in excess of 100 percent, and must have a current interest rate in excess of 5.25 percent. The refinanced rate must reduce monthly payments by at least $100.

Walter Investment Management

owns Green Tree Finance, while Walter Investment Management is owned by Bank of America. Through a complicat-ed web of ownership, Bank of America owns Green Tree Finance and, therefore, should provide eligible ex-customers with mortgage relief required by the settle-ment.

The settlement does not provide im-munity or release for criminal conduct, and complaints for wrongdoing by the banks may be filed with California Attor-ney General Kamala Harris.

Cynthia RuehligAntioch

More than barely adequate fire coverage needed

Editor:East Contra Costa Fire is asking

us to approve a 10-year, $197 parcel tax with up to 3 percent annual CPI escala-tion. By year 10, that tax could be as much as $257.04, and then they run out of money again. Should we approve it?

I have attended the ECCFPD town hall meetings as well, asking probing questions of the fire chief and a fire district board member. I have examined the internalfinancial projectionsof the district and have concluded that it will indeed be faced with multiple station closures without additional funds this coming year. The question remains: should we approve the tax and what will be the consequences of failure?

First, some hard facts: Our fire district has a much lower pay scale than Contra Costa Fire, which serves a large part of the county. East Contra Costa Fire serves 250 square miles and

has seen tax revenues decline from $12 million in 2008 to less than $8 million today. The district receives from 5 to 9 cents of property tax revenues com-pared to 12 to 14 cents in communities served by Contra Costa Fire. This is a structural problem related to Prop. 13, and the district board is unable to make necessary changes.

Most will agree that our current fire safety coverage is barely adequate, with the Discovery Bay Boulevard station already closed. What will happen to fire insurance premiums if our clos-est station becomes Brentwood? The choices are clear. Take a gamble and hope the Board of Supervisors solves the problem or approves the parcel tax as proposed.

Bruce HallDiscovery Bay

City of Brentwood City Manager and City Council City Hall 150 City Park Way Brentwood, CA 94513 Phone: 925-516-5440 www.ci.brentwood.ca.us

City of Antioch City Manager and City Council City Hall Third and H streets Antioch, CA 94509 Phone: 925-779-7000 www.ci.antioch.ca.us

City of Oakley City Manager and City Council City Hall 3231 Main St. Oakley, CA 94561 Phone: 925-625-7000 www.ci.oakley.ca.us

Town of Discovery Bay Town Manager and Community Services District 1800 Willow Lake Road Discovery Bay, CA 94505 Phone: 925-634-1131 www.todb.ca.gov

County Supervisor, Dist. III Mary N. Piepho 3361 Walnut Blvd., Suite 140. Brentwood, CA 94513 Phone: 925-240-7260 [email protected]

County Supervisor, Dist. V Federal Glover 315 E. Leland Ave. Pittsburg, CA 94565 Phone: 925-427-8138 [email protected]

State Sen. Mark DeSaulnier Seventh State Senate District State Capitol Room 2054 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916-651-4007 1350 Treat Blvd., Suite 240 Walnut Creek, CA 94597 Phone: 925-942-6082 www.dist07.casen.govoffice.com

Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan 15th District P.O. Box 942849 Sacramento, CA 94249 3231 Main St., Oakley, CA 94561 Phone: 925-679-2715 www.democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a15

Gov. Jerry Brown Constituent Affairs State Capitol

Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916-445-2864 www.gov.ca.gov/interact#email

U.S. Rep. John Garamendi 10th Congressional District 420 W. Third Street Antioch, CA 94509 Phone: 925-757-7187 Washington office: 228 Cannon HOB Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone: 202-225-1880 www. garamendi.house.gov/contact

U.S. Rep. Gerald McNerney 11th Congressional District 2222 Grand Canal Blvd., Suite 7 Stockton, CA 95207 Phone: 209-476-8552 Fax: 209-476-8587 Washington office: 312 Cannon HOB Washington, D.C. 20515

Phone: 202-225-1947 Fax: 202-225-4060 www.mcnerney.house.gov

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

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein 1 Post St., Room 2450 San Francisco, CA 94104 Phone: 415-393-0707 Washington office: 331 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-3841 www.feinstein.senate.gov

President Barack Obama 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, D.C. 20500 Phone: 202-456-1111

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Visit Your Hometown Website www.thepress.net THEPRESS.NET | 15A APRIL 6, 2012

Follow sports on Twitter! Scan QR code with your smart phone.

Locals revel in rain

Wind, rain and cold forced the cancellation of four events Saturday at the Deer Valley Invitational, but the in-clement weather made little impact on the Wolverines.

Deer Valley finished first in 10 events and garnered 138.5 points to lead all teams. Junior ZeJohn Parker (200-meter dash), senior Jusufu Haines (300-meter hurdles) and senior Shawn Simms (long jump) joined junior LaShall Hamlin (100 and 200 meters) and senior Audrena Harlan (long jump) all finished first in individual events.

The Wolverines boys distance med-ley and 4x400-meter relay team of Isa-iah Reed, Simms, LaVelle Hamlin and Tajae Smith took first along with the 4x200-meter boys team and the girls 4x400-meter relay team of Hamlin and sophomores Lauren Tolliver-King, Kourtney Burney and Sasha Newman.

Senior DMetrius Cooper (200), junior Dylan Winn (1600) Harlan (100)

and the girls 4x100-meter, 4x200-meter and distance medley relay teams fin-ished second.

Reed (400), freshman Albert How-ard (200) and the boys second 4x400-meter relay team of junior Deonta Johnson, Adonis Johnson, Davon Bird-en and senior Narav Wright finished third for Deer Valley.

It rained, we persevered, and we were able to get a meet in, which is about the best we can do, said Wol-verines head coach Bernard Stephens. This is the third meet of our year. We have been rained out of virtually every-where else. It makes it real difficult. The kids want to run, but it makes it really hard to do anything when the weather doesnt cooperate.

Liberty finished with a team score of 36, good enough for sixth place. Sophomore Cody Mayer was a bright spot, finishing first in the boys 1600 and 3200-meter races with times of 4 minutes, 39.25 seconds and 10:25.71 to secure the Lions only two first-place

see Rain page 19A

Heritage Highs swimming and div-ing team has put a stranglehold on the Bay Valley Athletic League title for quite some time.

The boys are going for their fourth straight BVAL victory while the girls are taking aim on a three-peat. The Patriots field several talented athletes who are ex-pected to excel not only against league foes, but in the North Coast Section meet as well.

Heritage faced some of the top com-petition from around the state at a recent meet in Mission Viejo, near Irvine. The girls placed fifth overall and the boys ninth.

Haley Rose Love earned first place in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle rac-es, setting school records in both events. Erica Knudsen, another talented swim-mer, placed seventh in the 50-yard free-style. Madison Applegate, who will attend UCLA next year, finished second in the 200-yard freestyle and third in the 100-yard butterfly.

The girls 400-yard freestyle relay team of Love, Applegate, Knudsen and Emilee Troy claimed first at the Mission Viejo meet.

Sophomore Walker Thaning set a school record in the 100-yard backstroke, completing it in 54.65 seconds. Head coach Craig Carson said Brandon James, as well as Carter Haines, Jake Mattheiessen and Spencer Wichmann, are expected to excel this season.

Were looking stronger than last year by quite a bit, Carson said. Hope-fully were going to do well at North Coast. Were headed in that direction.

Deer ValleyThe Wolverines also look strong so far

this season. Head coach Kiel Olff said he was impressed with his teams performance at last months Mt. SAC Invitational in Southern California, where both the girls and boys placed 11th among 17 teams from around the state.

Some of the more notable perfor-mances included the girls 200-yard freestyle relay team, which placed fifth, junior Corey Maiers fourth-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke, freshman Stanley Wus eighth-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke and the boys 200-yard medley relay team, which finished eighth. The Talens twins Vicky and Tricia also turned in several strong finishes.

Patriots to rule pool

Freedom wrestler Ricky Coster has two more years of high school ahead of him, but has already made an impact on the national level.

The sophomore earned an invite to the National High School Coaches As-sociation High School National Wres-

tling Championships this past weekend and delivered a good performance.

Coster defeated Andrew Leier from North Dakota in the first round of the 126-pound bracket. Next, he bested Pennsylvanias Nicholas Buckle in the second round. Coster fell from the main bracket in the third round, when he was

BVAL well-represented at wrestling nationals

Press file photo

Freedoms Ricky Coster, a sophomore wrestler, turned in an impressive sev-enth-place performance at the National Wrestling Championship meet.

see Nationals page 19A

see Pool page 20A

Photo by Angelo Garcia Jr.

Libertys Cody Mayer outruns a Vanden Viking during the Deer Valley Invitational. Mayer won the 1600- and 3200-meter races.

by Kyle SzymanskiCorrespondent



16A | THEPRESS.NET SPORTS APRIL 6, 2012

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Oakley is partnering with Biddy Sports to offer basketball for children 4 through 6. Children learn the funda-mentals of basketball, develop social skills in a fun, safe and family-oriented environment and are introduced to team sports. Sessions are held Saturdays, April 14 through May 19 from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Oakley Recreation Build-ing, 1250 OHara Ave. The fee is $60 for Oakley residents $70 for non-residents and includes a T-shirt and award. The registration deadline is April 9, and vol-

unteer coach training is held April 10.The class provides non-competitive

basketball in which children participate at their own level and ability. No scores are kept. Participants take part in an hour of fun group warmup, practice with their team and play a game. Par-ents can get involved by volunteering to coach their childs team. All training is provided; no experience is required. To register, call 925-625-7041 or visit the Oakley Recreation Department offices at 3231 Main St.

Biddy b-ball in Oakley

For the latest news and scores, follow us at Twitter.com/ thepress_sports.

APRIL 6, 2012 SPORTS THEPRESS.NET | 17A

Multi-talented Panther a volleyball natural

Jared Mlekush has been a jack-of-all-trades throughout his four years at Antioch. He has played basketball and golf, and his senior season has featured forays on the volleyball court.

But athletics are only part of Mlekushs story. Away from the school, hes active in First Family Church, which occupies a great deal of his time.

Im pretty heavily involved with my church group, Mlekush said. We go on what I guess you would call field trips. We do stuff where we go hiking and stuff like that. Ive been going to church since I was a baby.

Mlekush picked up volleyball this year through the influence of friends on the team. His previous experience in the sport was limit-ed: his sister Akasha, also an Antioch graduate, played volleyball as a Panther and Jared would occasionally hit the ball around with her.

Mlekushs participation in organized, competitive volleyball, however, is limited to this season. While hes relatively new to the game, his coach, David Driskell, said his leap-ing ability and strong hitting skills have made him a natural talent.

If he would have started as a freshman or even younger than that, hed be going some-where on a volleyball scholarship, Driskell said. Hes picked it up that well.

That observation is echoed by his team-mates, who feel hes a natural at the sport. Out-

side hitter Robert Smith has been a teammate of Mlekush in basketball since they were fresh-men, but has played volleyball for four years, and is impressed by his teammates mental and physical tools.

He listens, he knows how to talk, and how to act and work hard when he plays, Smith said. Hes picked it up very well. Hes strong and tall and mentally smart about the game.

Senior opposite hitter Muhammed Ikharo said when Mlekush started playing volleyball, his skills were noticeably unrefined. But after a few weeks of practice and work with Driskell, he became one of the teams better players.

He has a determination to win in any sport, Ikharo said. No matter whats happen-ing, hes still trying and pushing other players. He never gives up.

In addition to his natural athletic ability and drive, Mlekush has impressed his coaches with a strong attitude and academic standard. Driskell said he couldnt remember ever attend-ing an academic awards ceremony in which Mlekush didnt receive some kind of honor.

Following graduation, Mlekush plans to go straight to a four-year school. Ideally, hes looking to the state of Washington, as that would give him a chance to be closer to his grandparents, who live a short drive from the University of Washingtons campus.

I applied for an ROTC scholarship with the Navy, Mlekush said. If I get that, then Ill be going to a four-year like Washington or Washington State.


by Michael DixonCorrespondent

Antioch senior Jared Mlekush elevates to dink a shot over a pair of Pittsburg defenders during a league game earlier this week.

Photo by Kyndl Buzas


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Facing competition theyll likely meet in the North Coast Section playoffs, the Deer Valley boys volleyball team ex-celled in their Logan Bailey Invitational.

The home-court Wolverines finished third to De La Salle and St. Patrick/St. Vincent in the Saturday tournament. Deer Valley is off to another hot start, as the team held a 14-2 record after the invitational. Both losses were inflicted by St. Patrick/St. Vincent from Vallejo.

To date, the Deer Valley varsity team has done exceptionally well, head coach Lou Panzella wrote in an e-mail. We are getting better with every match and every practice. The more touches of the volleyball we have, the better we be-come.

At the Logan Bailey Invitational, the Wolverines toppled Granada and North-gate in pool play, then defeated Placer and Mission San Jose in the gold division playoffs. Deer Valley then faced the St. Patrick/St. Vincent Bruins, ranked No. 14 in the state by MaxPreps. The Bruins won the first match 25-22 and finished off the Wolverines with a 25-23 victory.

De La Salle defeated St. Patrick/St. Vincent in the finals.

While Panzella has been pleased with what Deer Valley has accomplished so far this season, he still feels the team is a work in progress. The Wolverines field only one senior starter opposite hitter Noah Labonte but compensate for their lack of experience with size. Labonte, juniors Marcus Lee, Brandon Guardamagni and Jeff Brown, sopho-more Thio Grigley and freshmen Jared Stark and Jordan Ewert are all taller than 6 feet.

Our success for the remainder of this season and into the playoffs, Pan-zella wrote, will depend upon our im-proving our on-court communication skills, ball control and team blocking, and more consistent yet aggressive serv-ing. We need to become a more consis-tent and better digging and scrambling team.

Every other Bay Valley Athletic League team save Liberty competed in the Logan Bailey Invitational. Pittsburg placed 18th, Freedom 19th, Heritage 21st and Antioch 22nd.

In the bronze division playoffs, Pitts-burg defeated Concord and Freedom but lost to Clayton Valley. Heritage lost to Granada and rallied to beat Antioch and Concord. Antioch lost to Clayton Valley and Heritage.

Wolverines stay hot at home tourney

Local reels in big prizeBrian Carpenter of Bethel Island

weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 3 ounces Saturday to edge the competition at the EverStart Series West-ern Division event at Russos Marina in Oakley. Carpenters three-day total of 15 bass weighed 67 pounds, 6 ounces, earn-ing him the $30,420 first-place prize.

Ive followed the tide all week, said Carpenter. I had a pretty good pattern I would follow, putting on close to 60 miles a day. I would follow the tide in and hit a bunch of spots, and then follow it back out and hit some more spots. Then I go flipping in the afternoon. Its worked out solid for me, and Im able to hit over 30 different spots a day doing it.

The cold, rainy weather really had

an effect on the fishing today, though, Carpenter added. I caught at least 25 fish the first two days, but I only caught 15 today. The wind was blowing around 25 miles per hour, and it was brutal. I couldnt get to some of my spots today.

Other East County natives who fin-ished in the top 10:

Second place: Phillip Dutra, Antioch 15 bass, 67 pounds, 5 ounces $10,430.

Fourth place: Charley Almassey, Oak-ley 15 bass, 63 pounds, 10 ounces $7,822.

Sixth place: Salvador Herrera, Dis-covery Bay 15 bass, 57 pounds, 10 ounc-es $6,084.

Complete results can be found at www.flwoutdoors.com.

Contributed by Joe Opager

David Carpenter of Bethel Island

holds up two of his prize bass

at the FLW EverStart

Series Western Division

tournament in Oakley.

Photo courtesy of David A. Brown/

FLWOutdoors.com


APRIL 6, 2012 SPORTS THEPRESS.NET | 19A

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finishes.Under the weather conditions and

everything, the performance that really stands out is the one by Cody Mayer, said Liberty head coach John Ambrose. He ran a tough race there in the 1600. Between the wind, the rain and the cold, it just isnt ideal.

Junior Nicholas West (long jump) and senior Alisa Hansen (3200) finished in second place for the Lions. Junior Erin Morgan tied for second in the long jump with a final effort of 14 feet, 8 inches.

Freedom tallied 33 points for a sev-enth-place finish. The Falcons failed to win any events, but senior Adrian Perez finished second in the boys 400 with a time of 50.60. Freshman Madison LaPi-erre (200), junior Mariah Walker (400), junior Lisa Tilcock (1600) and senior Camille Braun (discus) all finished in second. Walker also finished third in the girls 200. Senior Michael Valdez (3200) and sophomore Joe Mixon (100) fin-ished third for the Falcons.

Heritage junior Megan Neuhoff tied Morgan for second place in the long jump. Both girls final jumps measured 14-08. Junior Ian Johnson took sec-ond in the boys 300-meter hurtles with a time of 46.41. Junior Jason Brown (1600) finished third. Sophomore Sa-mantha Cross finished third in the girls discus competition with a final throw of 48 feet, 1 inch.

The Patriots nine points earned them eighth place.

Antioch junior Lindsay McGrath won the girls 400 with a time of 61.39 for the Panthers only win of the day. Senior Jeremy Bittle secured third place in the long jump with a final jump of 18-05. Junior Raquel Bragg finished third in the girls 400.

Panthers head coach Meia Tezeno was impressed with her teams early-season performance, considering An-tioch is still developing as a track and field team. The Panthers finished with zero team points. For our team, we had a lot of newbies that have never done track before, said Tezeno. For some of them, it was their very first meet. It was kind of crazy in the beginning with the weather, but 99 percent of our team was able to make it. They competed well for the first time.

Pittsburg struggled Saturday, fin-ishing 12th with one point, but junior Rebecca Garner won the girls discus competition with a final throw of 65 feet, 2 inches. The Pirates also won third place in the girls 4x100-meter relay. Ari-ana Larson, Crystal Rodriguez, Stepha-nie Maddox and Alexa Mahdi finished behind Deer Valley and Vallejo.


Rain from page 15Adefeated by Tyler Marinelli of Georgia in a 10-2 decision. Marinelli eventually went on to claim second place in the 126-pound bracket.

But Coster continued to find success in the consolation bracket. He earned a 7-5 victory over Brandon Hill from New York, pinned Minnesotas Dylan Her-man and then beat Franklin Wepner from North Carolina in a 2-0 decision.

Coster lost to Marylands Matthew Pente, but redeemed himself with a vic-tory over Travis Roper from Pennsylva-nia to claim seventh place.

Three of Costers five pins came against previous state champions, and he also earned a medal for most pins in

the fastest time.Freedom also sent Richard Jones

to the national tournament. Competing in the 126-pound juniors bracket, Jones went 1-1 before withdrawing due to a shoulder injury.

Antioch senior Kyle Clark, a 220-pound wrestler, was able to make the trip to Virginia Beach, Va. thanks to a communitywide fundraising effort. But Clark was not able to taste victo-ry at nationals. He lost his first-round match 9-6 to North Carolinas Chase Warren.

After receiving a bye in the opening round of the consolation bracket, Clark fell to Minnesotas Justin Wheaton in a 7-4 decision.

Nationals from page 15A

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So far, Deer Valley has defeated Clay-ton Valley, College Park, Antioch and Pitts-burg.

Olff will count on some of the afore-mentioned athletes for NCS success, as well as Andrew Wayne, Solomon Abuda and Matthew Satyadi, who will attend UCLA next year. Diver Isabella Navarro has a great chance to make her fourth straight trip to the section meet this season.

LibertyThe Lions appear to be in good shape

to send several swimmers to NCS this season. Senior JT Sarmento, who has ac-cepted a water polo scholarship to Pacific, will be a force in many events, namely the 200-yard or 500-yard individual medley. Logan Trudell, who competes in the free-style events and the 100-yard backstroke, has also been a solid contributor. Twins Jer-emy and Jacob Fio have been forces in the shorter freestyler races.

Head coach Cindi Coats said the team seems more united this year than in seasons past.

The Lions also field some talented girls with a shot at NCS, such as Rosie Doria, who competes in the 50 and 100-yard free-style events. Morgan Stremsel has shown promise in the butterfly. Diver Traleena Martinez, a senior, should do well this year. The Liberty girls swim team is young: the roster features only two seniors, three ju-niors and 27 freshmen.

FreedomFirst-year head coach John Edwards

is hoping to build a program that can com-pete with Heritage and Deer Valley. So far, the Falcons are off to a good start. Free-dom defeated Antioch in its first league meet, and boasts several promising athletes who could go on to NCS.

Im very impressed, Edwards said. We have a very versatile team. Theres a lot of hard workers and weve had some im-pressive swims.

Sophomore Emily Too has been strong in several events and junior Emily Harris has done well in the 200-yard free-style. Both are part of a talented relay team that includes senior Emily Pels and junior Sierra McIntyre.

Edwards noted that seniors Zach Ir-win and Stephen Rodriguez would be key performers for the boys team. The Falcons appear set for the future as well, due to tal-ented sophomores Chris Warren, Christian Henry, Cameron Ott-Bales and Dustin Strain.

According to coach Krista Plumlee, two of Freedoms promising divers Gen-evieve Pascale and Sabrina Castor have improved by leaps and bounds.Antioch

The Panthers swimming roster has more than doubled in size over last years, from 17 to 38. Head coach Tiffany Ramirez, also a teacher at the school, has been en-

couraging swimmers to come out for the team and tell friends. The word-of-mouth approach could lead to more success.

Antiochs boys team is led by junior freestyle swimmer Nate Huizar. Other tal-ented male athletes include sophomore Juan Medina (butterfly, freestyle), junior Dillan Roby (freestyle, breaststroke), soph-omore Eric Nooteboome (freestyle) and se-nior Tanner Fuhrman (breaststroke, back-stroke).

Amanda Loomis, a senior, has been named the girls team captain. Ramirez identified several girls who show potential for success, including senior Christine Que-can (backstroke, freestyle), junior Shannon McMillan (breaststroke, backstroke) and junior Rachel Harrison (butterfly, freestyle).Pittsburg

Head coach Suzy Farmer believes that what the Pirates lack in experience they make up for in enthusiasm.

Pittsburgs roster includes several first-year swimmers, and Farmer appreciates their eagerness to learn and improve. The coach has been impressed by sophomore Sam Whipple, junior Marissa Mota (free-style, breaststroke), junior siblings Cam-eron and Caitlyn Mosely (freestyle, breast-stroke) and senior Don Lopez, who started swimming this season but has improved noticeably.

Sophomore Rashon Rogers as well as seniors Lucia Arias and Nicollette Velasco have also made progress. Theres been a lot of good swims, Farmer said. and lots of learning of techniques. They have a good attitude, though.


Pool from page 15A

Photo courtesy of Lori Love

Heritages Haley Rose Love, center, takes the plunge at a meet in Mission Viejo.


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GOL

D MEDALAWARD

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Expiration of Capital Gains Cut Extension Could Affect Home Sellers

US homes sale prices continued to slide down-ward in November. Both the Case-Shiller index of 10 major metropolitan areas and the 20-city index fell 1.3 percent from the previous month. Sound like a good time to sell? Maybe not for many people, but for some well-heeled homeowners the tax benefits of selling this year rather than next year may be worth a potentially lower sales price.

Now that the reduced capital gains rates are set to expire along with the two-year extension of the Bush tax cuts, homeowners with gains on personal residence sales that exceed the exemptions may get stuck with a higher capital gains rate in 2013 than they would if they sold now. This could be a factor in a decision to sell sooner rather than later.

The long-term capital gains rate is scheduled to return to the pre-Bush rates, generally 20 percent, and while theres a good chance that the lower rate will be extended again, there is no guarantee, said Robert Kerr, Senior Director of Government Relations for the National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA). Taxpayers with high incomes are even less assured of this eventuality.

While President Obama has reinforced his commitment to extend tax breaks for small busi-nesses and start-ups and a short-term extension of the payroll tax cut seems imminent, the future of the

capital gains tax cut is still unclear. Most Americans, however, can take heart that it probably wont affect them: the President has proposed increasing the top tax rate on qualified dividends and long-term gains from 15 percent to 20 percent only for those earning more than $200,000 individually or $250,000 jointly.

Your tax consultant should be able to advise you how to best plan to reduce your tax burden as much as possible, but to ensure youre doing all you can, dont wait until filing time to check in with him or her.

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Cherrys Tax Facts... By Cherry Comstock

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Young grapplers earn titlesMembers of the Golden State Wres-

tling Club have been earning medals and heralding a bright future for the sport in East County.

At a recent meet at Dallas Ranch Middle School in Antioch, Ayemere Oiy-emhonlanplaced first in the Cadet Division freestyle competition. Anthony Richardson claimed first in the freestyle competition in the Rookie Division. Oseyiomon Oiy-emhonlan, Daniel Doan and Gavin Lewis earned second place in the Novice Division. Three other Golden State grapplers took third: Isaac Cota (Junior Division), Robert Goodman (School Boy) and Jesus Alvarez (Cadet).

At the Cadet, Junior and Folkstyle state championship at Selland Arena in Fresno, a host of Golden State wrestlers earned awards. Lilian Bolanos placed fifth overall in the girls Junior Division. Upsetting No. 2 seed Marie-Noel Candido of theModestoWres-tlingClub by a pin in the first round. In the finals, Candido pinned Desiree Rosales of the California Wolverines Club.

Cadet Tristen Tate, in the 130-pound division, went 4-2 with four pins. Junior Tan-ner Sterud, a 170-pound wrestler, finished 2-2 with two pins.

Contributed by Rich Madrigal BOLANOS

Stories at thepress.netVisit www.thepress.net to read

these stories: Brentwoods Zach King, a PGA ap-prentice, recently claimed a title in a PGA Pro Series event in Daly City. Freedom announced its winter ath-letes who excelled in the classroom, earning GPAs over 3.50. The Diablo Valley Volleyball Clubs 12U girls team brought home the hard-ware at a tournament in Brentwood.


ment to one based on property and sales tax. Although the funds have figured in financial planning since they were estab-lished, this year will be the first in which some of the money will be used.

Ehler told the council that up to $2.8 million of the rainy-day supply might be tapped to keep operations fully funded and not touch the citys budget reserves, which remain at 30 percent.

We have not touched our reserves, nor have we ever touched the reserves, Ehler said. We dont think we will actually use (all $2.8 million in stabilization fund mon-ey) but we will use some of it. But thats exactly what it is there for and what weve been planning for.

Growth in sales taxes and property tax revenue resulting from increased property values are expected to eventually supplant the development revenue. The special funds were established to prevent service reduc-tions until tax revenues grow enough to meet the citys needs.

Although sales tax revenues have contin-ued to post gains, the 10-year forecast shows that the severity and duration of the real es-tate slide means overall revenues will grow at only a 2.9-percent annual rate over the next 10 years, while expenses are expected to grow 3.6 percent. Unless something is done to reduce the rate at which future expenses increase, the stabilization funds could run dry in about six years, Ehler told the council.

The increasing expenses are primar-ily employee-related, including medical and retirement costs for current and former employees. The 10-year forecast does not anticipate adding new employees positions before the 2020-21 fiscal year.

Since the savings accounts are expected to prevent the city from dipping into re-serves for the next six years, Ehler believes there is time to make adjustments. Mod-est changes now can make a huge impact in coming years, she said, in order to avoid drastic actions down the road.

Strategies for dealing with the cash flow imbalance have been in the works since last

November and will be brought to the council for review in June. A key part of those strate-gies are current and upcoming negotiations with the citys labor bargaining groups.

The results of these negotiations are likely to substantially alter the projections contained throughout this Fiscal Model and to significantly reduce the shortfalls currently projected, the report states.

Ehler said this week that if labor nego-tiations fall short of bridging the gap, other options could be considered. For example, the city has always fully funded its equip-ment and vehicle replacement funds, and could take advantage of the healthy fund balances to make temporary reductions in future contributions to help prevent the need to dip into General Fund reserves.

Pressure on the stabilization funds will also be eased if development recovers faster than forecast. The 10-year model projects income from 100 housing units per year, growing annually to reach 330 units in 2020/21. The city has already processed 122 permits this year.

Although the revenue shortfalls have been anticipated and the stabilization funds put in place to help offset them, Council-man Erick Stonebarger doesnt like the red ink in the budget forecast, and wants to make the needed adjustments as soon as possible. The longer we wait, the tougher its going to be, he said.

Vice Mayor Steve Barr agreed. I think its going to be a tough 10 years, he said. Were going to be paying acute attention to how we progress in the next two months leading up to the annual June budget review.

Ehler praised city employees for re-maining dedicated to serving the city de-spite the sacrifices theyve already made and will be asked to make in the future.

The employees here understand where we are; they are concerned and want the best for the city, she said. Our new reality is that were not going to have the revenue we had in the past for a long, long time. Its a new day of fiscal reality.


Changes from page 1A

In a Wednesday press release, Reiss noted that the contractor working on that part of the highway will close a por-tion of North Park Boulevard at Lov-eridge Road on Monday, April 9. Access to and from Loveridge Road via North Park Boulevard will be closed for about six month. Signs will be installed to di-rect drivers to North Park Plaza.

The stretch along Somersville is due to be finished in the middle of next year. Some of the most noticeable recent changes are the new on and off ramps in the westbound direction at Somersville. As with the vicinity of Loveridge Road, workers are hoping to bridge westbound drivers over to the new lanes so they can continue work on the older lanes.

Contractors should finish in the L Street/Contra Loma area by mid-2015. Earlier this year, workers closed off the G Street exit for good. Reiss said in or-der to accommodate new on-and-off ramps at the L Street/Contra Loma exit, the project called for the elimination of the G Street exit.

For the stretch of freeway near Lone Tree Way and A Street in Antioch, Reiss

said the job has been advertised and bids are scheduled for opening on April 18.

Meanwhile in Brentwood, Mayor Bob Taylor excitedly announced that a low bidder has emerged to turn the Sand Creek Road/State Route 4 intersection into a normal highway exit. Bay Cities/Myers has agreed to take on the job for $23.5 million, roughly $3 million under engineers projections.

Taylor estimated that a ground-breaking would be held in June. Work will take roughly two years to complete. Instead of dealing with a standard in-tersection and traffic lights, drivers on southbound State Route 4 will be able to drive past Sand Creek Road all the way to Balfour Road without stopping.

In the current configuration, You can get in a long wait there, Taylor said. The only thing it can do now is improve. Its going to get better, better and better.

The low bid ensures that no addi-tional money will be needed from feder-al, state or county sources. In December, local transportation officials declared the project to be fully funded.


Highway 4 from page 1A

Photo by Justin Lafferty

Drivers exit the new

westbound offramp at Somersville

Road in Antioch, one

of the newest changes

brought about by the Highway

4 widening project.

How often do you see drivers texting or talking on hand-held cellphones and wish theyd be stopped and cited? April is Cali-fornias second annual Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and once again drivers will find law enforcement agencies in Con-tra Costa County joining in a statewide zero-tolerance enforcement effort to curb illegal cell phone use and texting violations. A ticket for violating either the hands-free or no-texting law costs a minimum or $159, and subsequent citations cost $279.

Distracted driving puts everyone on the road at risk. It joins speeding and alco-hol as leading factors in fatal and serious-injury crashes. As a result, law enforcement across the state, including the Brentwood Police Department, is increasingly cracking down on cell phone use and texting. This month, the Brentwood PD joins hundreds of police and sheriff departments, plus the California Highway Patrol, in operations targeting distracted driving.

Our officers take distracted driv-ing very seriously, said Brentwood Po-lice Chief Mark Evenson. If you havent heeded all the safety messaging to put down your phone and just drive, be forewarned. Is that text message or cell phone call worth the costly citation?

Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes involving serious injury. Drivers under 20 comprise the highest proportion of distrac-tion-related fatal crashes. Studies show that texting while driving can delay a drivers re-

action time as severely as the blood-alcohol content of a legally drunk driver.

Changing the dangerous, illegal habit of using hand-held cell phones or texting while driving isnt easy, said Christopher J. Murphy, director of the Office of Traf-fic Safety. But recent studies show that Californias call and texting laws have made a big difference cutting deaths by nearly half. But half is not enough.

Studies show that there is no difference in the risk quotient between hands-free and hand-held cell phone conversations. Both can result in inattention blindness, which occurs when the brain isnt seeing what is clearly visible due to the drivers focus on the phone conversation and not on the road.

The following are simple measures you can take to minimize distraction in the ve-hicle: Turn your cell phone off or put it out of reach before starting the car. Create a voicemail message alerting callers that youre unable to take calls when driv-ing. Do not call or text anyone who might be driving, such as during the commute to and from work or school. If you need to make an important call or respond to a text message, pull over to a safe place to do so. If going cold turkey is too much of a stretch and you just cant turn your phone off, consider using one of the available mo-bile phone apps that hold calls and incom-ing texts.

The City of Brentwood Parks and Recreation Departments inaugural Big Wheel Races event will be held Saturday, April 21 from 3-5 p.m. in the Civic Center parking structure. Participants must be 5 or older. Adults are encouraged to par-ticipate. All racers are required to provide

their own Big Wheel made of plastic.The registration deadline is Friday,

April 13. Pre-registered participants will receive a race T-shirt. Participants who reg-ister the day of race are not guaranteed a shirt and/or the size preferred. To register or for more information, call 925-516-5444.

Cops crack down on distracted drivers

City holds Big Wheel Races

APRIL 6, 2012 THEPRESS.NET | 23A


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T H E P R E S S

Petitions aplenty for November ballotA guide tothe fine print

Whats the common denominator between the state legislature and the entrance to your local grocery store? Petition drives, thats what.

As the countdown to the high-stakes Nov. 6 election proceeds, proponents of ballot initiatives galore are standing sentinel at stores across East County, soliciting shoppers signa-tures on measures theyd like to see on the bal-lot. Issues range from the hot-button topics of immigration, abortion and marijuana to the more technical matters involving taxes, educa-tion and health insurance.

Its unlikely youll learn enough from the people thrusting petitions at you to make an informed decision about whether to sign them. So The Press has provided the following boiled-down version of what many of the peti-tions in circulation are all about.

Provided by the attorney generals office, the write-ups below presented in alphabeti-cal order by topic give you a chance to digest what the measures propose in the comfort of your own home. Then, the next time youre approached by a man with a clipboard and a ballpoint pen, you can quickly sign or decline and get back to thinking about what to get for dinner.ABORTION

The Attorney Generals official title and

summary for the measure is as follows: PRO-HIBITS ABORTIONS FOR FEMALES UNDER 18 WITHOUT PARENTAL NOTIFICATION AND WAITING PE-RIOD. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.

The measure would change the Califor-nia Constitution to prohibit abortion for an unemancipated minor until 48 hours after her physician notifies her parent/legal guardian in writing. It would provide exceptions for medi-cal emergency, parental waiver or parental abuse documented by a notarized statement from law enforcement, protective services or certain adult relatives. It would permit a judge to waive the notice if the minor appears per-sonally in court and proves her maturity, or

if the waiver is in her best interest. It would require physicians to report specific abortion information to the Department of Public Health. And it would allow physicians to be sued for violating these provisions up to 12 years after an abortion.

According to the legislative analyst and director of finance, the fiscal impact on state and local government would be potential un-known net state costs of several million doll

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