It is a political implosion more worthy strife-ridden cities like Chicago and New Orleans, not sleepy little Clayton: A suc- cessful city councilman, philan- thropist and local business leader now finds himself behind bars, sentenced to three years in prison for felony embezzlement. When a San Mateo County judge sentenced former Clayton Vice Mayor Joseph Medrano on Jan. 11, Medrano’s attorney, Matt Oliveri, made a desperate, last minute bid for leniency, call- ing his client’s actions “a mis- take…a bad decision.” He asked for probation based on Medra- no’s civic activities, his family responsibilities and his lack of criminal record. A young, great horned owl, rescued on the Oakhurst golf course last spring and nursed back to health, came home last week and was released to return to the wild. The owl was barely a week old when he fell out of his nest last April and was attacked by a dog. An Oakhurst staff member found him on the ground with multiple lacerations and punc- ture wounds around his left eye. The injured owl spent sever- al days at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek before being transferred to the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley (WCSV), where he spent the next nine months learning to be an owl. He moved in with a slightly older, but non- releasable, great horned owl that was already in residence. “It’s important that young wild animals be raised with their own species so they don’t get attached to humans,” said Ash- ley Kinney, a staff member at WCSV. “He seemed comforted to have a buddy to perch with.” The young owl had an insa- tiable appetite and he soon out- grew his shared quarters. The next move was to the center’s 50-foot raptor flight aviary, where he spent four months learning to fly and hunt. This month, staff deemed the young owl mature enough to return to the wild. More than 30 observers gathered on the bal- Students returning to Clay- ton Valley Charter High School after the long three-week holi- day break were greeted with a science building, 2,000 freshly painted and repaired red lockers in the educational wings and a nearly complete black all-weath- er turf in Gonsalves Stadium. And CVCHS operations director Pat Middendorf says more changes are on tap. One of the more significant ones doesn’t entail new facilities but rather new eyes. The school is now monitored by a three-person security staff that patrols the entire complex during all hours when school isn’t in session. Middendorf explains that with the investment in so much new infrastructure the charter high school wants to make sure the improvements and upgrades are secured. Measure C-funded projects for Clayton Valley will also include new security cam- eras and more outside lighting. The new lockers greeted the students last week. The process challenged staff to get them all assigned to students, who removed all their belongings Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Car Tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Community Calendar . . . . .14 Design and Décor . . . . . . . .15 Directory of Advertisers . . . . .5 Fashion Over 50 . . . . . . . . . .7 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Performing Arts . . . . . . . . . .16 Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 PHMS Reporter . . . . . . . . . .9 Pioneer Photo Album . . . . .18 Police Activity Report . . . . .13 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Teen Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 What’s Inside PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA PERMIT 190 We are all very frustrated at the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District’s closure of our 24/7 fire station by staffing it only Monday through Satur- day, 2 p.m.-8 p.m. To figure out where we go from here, the fire district will host an informational meeting on Jan. 23 (between my press deadline and the time you get this paper). To make sure all res- idents have a chance to view the meeting, your city is paying to videotape it for rebroadcast 24 times over the next six weeks on CCTV, Comcast Channel 26. JULIE PIERCE MAYOR’S CORNER City seeking answers for reduction at fire station See Mayor , page 6 See Medrano, page 7 See Turf , page 4 See Owl , page 3 Once-injured Oakhurst owl soars to freedom above golf course CVCHS has a new look for the new year JAY BEDECARRÉ Clayton Pioneer www.claytonpioneer.com January 25, 2013 925.672.0500 IT’S YOUR PAPER Jason Rogers photo A YOUNG GREAT HORNED OWL WAS RETURNED TO THE WILD AT OAKHURST COUNTRY CLUB ON JAN. 12. The owl spent nine months in a wildlife center recuperating from injuries it sustained after being attacked by a dog in April. Jason Rogers photo ATHLETES AND TEAMS COMING TO CLAYTON VALLEY CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL for the first time this year will probably do a double take when they see the turf on the Gonsalves Stadium floor. Lacrosse, soccer and football teams will have to get used to the black all-weather surface that was laid down in the past month replacing the original turf which was installed in 2004. Medrano to serve jail time for felony embezzlement Tamara Steiner FORMER VICE-MAYOR, Joe Medrano, checks messages as he waits for sentencing outside the courtroom. Fire Station Meeting What: CCCFPD Chief Lauder to answer ques- tions about the closing of Station 11 When: Jan. 23, 7 p.m. Where: Clayton Community Library, Hoyer Hall TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer Longtime Clayton business and civic leader sentenced to three years
Transcript
It is a political implosionmore worthy strife-ridden citieslike Chicago and New Orleans,not sleepy little Clayton: A suc-cessful city councilman, philan-thropist and local businessleader now finds himself behindbars, sentenced to three years inprison for felony embezzlement.
When a San Mateo Countyjudge sentenced former ClaytonVice Mayor Joseph Medrano onJan. 11, Medrano’s attorney,Matt Oliveri, made a desperate,last minute bid for leniency, call-ing his client’s actions “a mis-take…a bad decision.” He askedfor probation based on Medra-no’s civic activities, his familyresponsibilities and his lack ofcriminal record.
A young, great horned owl,rescued on the Oakhurst golfcourse last spring and nursedback to health, came home lastweek and was released to returnto the wild.
The owl was barely a weekold when he fell out of his nestlast April and was attacked by adog. An Oakhurst staff memberfound him on the ground with
multiple lacerations and punc-ture wounds around his left eye.
The injured owl spent sever-al days at the Lindsay WildlifeMuseum in Walnut Creek beforebeing transferred to the WildlifeCenter of Silicon Valley(WCSV), where he spent thenext nine months learning to bean owl. He moved in with aslightly older, but non-
releasable, great horned owl thatwas already in residence.
“It’s important that youngwild animals be raised with theirown species so they don’t getattached to humans,” said Ash-ley Kinney, a staff member atWCSV. “He seemed comfortedto have a buddy to perch with.”
The young owl had an insa-tiable appetite and he soon out-
grew his shared quarters. Thenext move was to the center’s50-foot raptor flight aviary,where he spent four monthslearning to fly and hunt.
This month, staff deemedthe young owl mature enough toreturn to the wild. More than 30observers gathered on the bal-
Students returning to Clay-ton Valley Charter High Schoolafter the long three-week holi-day break were greeted with a
science building, 2,000 freshlypainted and repaired red lockersin the educational wings and anearly complete black all-weath-er turf in Gonsalves Stadium.
And CVCHS operations
director Pat Middendorf saysmore changes are on tap. One ofthe more significant ones doesn’tentail new facilities but rathernew eyes. The school is nowmonitored by a three-person
security staff that patrols theentire complex during all hourswhen school isn’t in session.
Middendorf explains thatwith the investment in so muchnew infrastructure the charter
high school wants to make surethe improvements and upgradesare secured. Measure C-fundedprojects for Clayton Valley willalso include new security cam-eras and more outside lighting.
The new lockers greeted thestudents last week. The processchallenged staff to get them allassigned to students, whoremoved all their belongings
Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Car Tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Community Calendar . . . . .14
Design and Décor . . . . . . . .15
Directory of Advertisers . . . . .5
Fashion Over 50 . . . . . . . . . .7
Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Performing Arts . . . . . . . . . .16
Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
PHMS Reporter . . . . . . . . . .9
Pioneer Photo Album . . . . .18
Police Activity Report . . . . .13
Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Teen Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
What’s Inside
PRSRTSTD
US POSTAGE
PAID
CLAYTON, CA
PERMIT190
We are all very frustrated atthe Contra Costa County FireProtection District’s closure ofour 24/7 fire station by staffingit only Monday through Satur-day, 2 p.m.-8 p.m.
To figure out where we gofrom here, the fire district willhost an informational meetingon Jan. 23 (between my pressdeadline and the time you getthis paper). To make sure all res-idents have a chance to view themeeting, your city is paying tovideotape it for rebroadcast 24times over the next six weeks onCCTV, Comcast Channel 26.
www.claytonpioneer.com January 25, 2013 925.672.0500
IT’S YOUR PAPER
Jason Rogers photo
A YOUNG GREAT HORNED OWL WAS RETURNED TO THE WILD AT OAKHURST COUNTRY CLUB ON JAN. 12. The owl spent nine months in awildlife center recuperating from injuries it sustained after being attacked by a dog in April.
Jason Rogers photo
ATHLETES AND TEAMS COMING TO CLAYTON VALLEY CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL for the first time this year will probably do a double take when they see the turf on the Gonsalves Stadium floor. Lacrosse,soccer and football teams will have to get used to the black all-weather surface that was laid down in the past month replacing the original turf which was installed in 2004.
Medrano toserve jail timefor felonyembezzlement
Tamara Steiner
FORMER VICE-MAYOR, JoeMedrano, checks messagesas he waits for sentencingoutside the courtroom.
Fire Station MeetingWWhhaatt:: CCCFPD Chief
Lauder to answer ques-tions about the closing ofStation 11
WWhheenn:: Jan. 23, 7 p.m.WWhheerree:: Clayton Community
Library, Hoyer Hall
TAMARA STEINER
Clayton Pioneer
Longtime Clayton businessand civic leader sentencedto three years
Send your news of births,engagements, weddings,special recognitions, trav-els, parties, etc. [email protected]
Please attach yourphotos to the email asJPEG files betweenbetween 3MB and 6MBand include a caption toidentify people in yourphotos.
Or go to our websiteClaytonpioneer.com andsubmit your news andphotos to us with one ofour online forms foundunder “Let Us Know.”
Around Town
Barbara Allen marked her80th birthday with a celebrationon Nov. 30 that started with din-ner at the Oakhurst CountryClub and ended with somerockin’ and rollin’ at the ClaytonClub. Barbara had no troublefilling her dance card with will-ing partners.
The Oakhurst dinner for 24was planned by daughters VickiSosey and Debbie Alvod.
Barbara is an active memberof the Clayton Historical Soci-ety and is a familiar face at themuseum.
AT THE 49ER GAME AGAINST THE ARIZONA CARDINALSon Dec. 30, Max and Jeff Kohn were selected tomake the “Delta Delivery of the Game” to the 49ersmascot Sourdough Sam on the field at CandlestickPark during pre-game activities.
Arlene and Dave Skuba cele-brated their 55th anniversarythis month with a three-day tripto Monterey.
They were married on Jan.12, 1958 at Queen of All SaintsCatholic Church in Concordand honeymooned in Las Vegas.
Arlene and Dave have beenClayton residents for 30 years
and lived in Concord prior toliving in Clayton. They had twochildren, Kathy Michele Skuba(deceased) and David Jr., whoresides in Concord with his wife,Lana, and four children: David,Travis, Clint and Tanya. TheSkubas celebrated with family ata special dinner after their trip.
Barbara Allen kicks up her heels on 80th birthdayArlene and Dave Skubamark 55 years
Kohns on the field at Candlestick
Page 2 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 25, 2013
The American Cancer Soci-ety’s Relay for Life in Claytonbegins Feb. 7 at 6:30 with a partyat Mazzei Realty, 6160 Center St.in Clayton. Existing team cap-tains and members are encour-aged to attend as well as anyoneinterested in participating in thisyear’s fundraiser on Aug. 3 and 4at the Clayton Community Park.
Clayton’s Relay committee islooking for new ideas and help toexpand the 24-hour event. RelayFor Life planning meetings are on thesecond Thursday of the month, 7 p.m.,at St. John’s Parish, 5555 ClaytonRoad, Clayton. For more information,contact Event Chair Mindy Thompsonat [email protected] or 207-5564; relayforlife.org/claytonca.
Relay ForLife calls forleaders andparticipants
City bids farewell toJimmy Hernandez
At the Jan. 15 council meet-ing, Mayor Julie Pierceexpressed the city’s gratitude forretiring postal worker JimmyHernandez’s long service to theresidents of Clayton. He is retir-ing after 23 years.
“We will miss Jimmy’s greatsmile and ‘can-do’ attitude,” saidPierce.
cony at Oakhurst Country Clubto watch the release on the after-noon of Jan. 12.
Mt. Diablo ElementarySchool student Kaylee Sutton,10, was chosen to open theowl’s cage. Kinney asked thecrowd to step back as the teampositioned the carrier on thestone ledge and Kaylee pulled
the door open.But, then … nothing hap-
pened. It had been a long timesince the young owl had seen hishome turf and at the moment,the carrier must have looked alot safer.
“We waited and waited –about 10 minutes or so,” saidOakhurst’s Nina Voss. “Ashleytapped on the carrier and repo-sitioned it a few times.”
The team finally decided tolift the lid off the carrier and theyoung great horned owl tookflight.
“Everyone gasped as the owltook off, wings spread wide andfree, soaring through the sunsetabove the golf course,” saidVoss. “It was worth the wait.
“He flew straight out overthe trees and then with one bigswoop down to the left into thetrees, he was gone.”
WCSV is the largest wildliferehabilitation center in Santa ClaraCounty. For more information, con-tact Janet Alexander at (408) 929-WILD or go to wcsv.org.
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AAssssiissttiinngg MMoorree BBuuyyeerrss && SSeelllleerrss tthhaann AAnnyyoonnee EEllssee***Statistics based on Clayton closed by sales volume (1/20121 – 12/2012). Data by Trendgraphix
January 25, 2013 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 3
Concord Parks and Recre-ation is taking team registra-tions for one of the fastestgrowing adult sports in thecountry – adult kickball. Thegame is played following therules for softball, except thereis no bat involved, and the ballis of the big, red, rubber vari-ety.
The coed leagues are recre-ational and start in March.
Teams can choose to play Sun-day, Tuesday or Fridayevenings. The schedule calls fora seven-game season with sin-gle elimination playoffs forqualifying teams. Rosters arelimited to a minimum of 12and a maximum of 20 playersper team. All games are playedunder the lights at Willow PassPark.
“Our leagues are all coed
and are perfect for family andcompany teams. Our goal is toprovide a fun, relaxing, recre-ational opportunity for adultsof all ages,” says coordinatorKathie Leavitt.
The registration deadline is Fri-day, Feb. 15. For more information,visit www.teamsideline.com/concordor call (925) 671-3423.
Concord Rec taking signups untilFeb. 15 for adult kickball teams
Owl, from page 1
KAYLEE SUTTON DONS PROTEC-TIVE GLOVES as the team fromthe WCSV team prepares torelease a great-horned owlback to a life in the wild atOakhurst on Jan. 12.
Healing the Heart is a six-week workshop for those whohave suffered the death of aloved one. The group meets onTuesdays from 7:30 to 9 p.m.,starting Jan. 29, at St. Bonaven-ture Catholic Church, 5562Clayton Road, Concord.
The Healing the Heart work-shop is a Christ-centered pro-gram, but one does not have tobe a member of St. Bonaven-ture’s parish or be Catholic toattend. It is open to anyone whohas experienced the loss of aloved one. The loss may havebeen a recent one or a long timeago. The grief ministers havealso lost someone who is dear tothem and they know the valueof having someone listen withtheir heart. They recognize thateach person’s grief is unique.Please call Janie Eddleman at623-6254 to register by Jan. 26.
Healing theHeart GriefWorkshopstarts Jan. 29
County crews wrapped upwork to repair a washed out cul-vert at Marsh Creek and MorganTerritory Roads last week.
The potential sink hole wasdiscovered Dec. 18 by countymaintenance supervisor Richard
Montoya while on a routineinspection after heavy rains.
Montoya noticed that theshoulders of the road werebeginning to dip where runofffrom the hill crosses underMarsh Creek and empties into
the creek. When he looked intothe culvert, he could see that theold pipe had become separatedand soil and water were begin-ning to erode under the road.
Crews placed steel platesover the washout which acted asa bridge, said county senior civilengineer Allison Knapp. Thiskept the road open while mate-rials were ordered and repairsplanned.
Marsh Creek Road is a majorcommute artery from EastCounty and minimizing delayswas a high priority, said Knapp.The crews didn’t start workinguntil after 9 a.m. and worked onhalf the road at a time, whichkept traffic moving with fewdelays.
Repairs took five days andcost about $115,000.
from the school grounds beforethe holiday break so that everylocker could be inspected, need-ed repairs made and then paint-ed in a striking red color thatthe students helped select.
The lush new FieldTurf forthe football, lacrosse and soccerteams was completed last weekand a soccer game played on itlast Saturday. The black turf isunique in California and fea-tures an enlarged Eagle logo atmidfield. The original turf atClayton Valley was installed in2004. School officials point outthat the black turf only addsone to three degrees to the tem-perature on the surface.
Gonsalves Stadium will haveadditional Measure C projectwork done through the end ofsummer with 500 seats added tothe bleachers on each side ofthe field and a new snack shackthat will also have men’s and
women’s restrooms, alleviatingthe need for portapotties. Anew synthetic running track willalso go in following the end ofthe high school track and fieldseason.
The current snack shack willbe converted to storage and aroom for athletic trainerAchilles Walker’s program.
The new scoreboard forDan Della Gymnasium wasdelayed in manufacturing and isslated for installation after win-ter sports season so as not todisrupt scheduled events.
The two science labs adja-cent to F Wing began beingused for chemistry classes inJanuary.
Ongoing technologyupgrades include enhancedhardwired and wireless accessi-bility for every room plus newcomputer hardware beinginstalled throughout the facility.
Turf, from page 1
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Jason Rogers photo
NEARLY 2000 LOCKERS newlycoated in student-selectedred paint greeted theClayton Valley Charter HighSchool student body whenthey returned from thethree-week holiday break tobegin their second semester.Operations director PatMiddendorf said it took a fullweek to get all the studentssituated in their new lockers.
Marsh Creek road repairs complete
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
A SHARP-EYED COUNTY MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR prevented apotential sinkhole disaster after heavy December rains washedout a culvert on Marsh Creek Rd.
CLASSIFIEDSClassified rates per insertion:$48 for first 30 words, $.40 each
additional wordNon-profit: $24 for first 30
words, $.20 each additionalword
To place your classified ad over thephone, call the office at (925) 672-0500 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.Mon.-Fri. Or, you may fax your type-written ad and credit card informa-tion to (925) 672-6580. All classifiedsmust be paid for in advance by creditcard (Master Card or Visa)
We will not accept any ad that dis-criminates on the basis of race, color,sex, religion, nationality, family statusor disability. The Clayton Pioneer
reserves the right to reject any adver-tising we believe is unsuitable.
LET US KNOWWeddings, engagements, anniver-
saries, births and deaths all weavetogether as part of the fabric of ourcommunity. Please let us know ofthese important events. We ask onlythat the announcement be for a Clay-ton resident. You will find the appro-priate form for your announcementon our Website. Attach your photo tothe form. Make sure the image sizeyou are about to send is at least 3 MBbut not bigger than 6MB. The onlyformat we accept is JPG. You can alsomail or bring your print to the officeand we can scan it for you.
Also on our Website are formsfor submitting Community Calendaritems and press releases for yourorganization.
LETTERS TO THE EDITORThe Clayton Pioneer welcomes
letters from our readers. As a generalrule, letters should be 250 words orless and submitted at least one weekprior to publication date. Letters con-cerning current issues will have prior-ity. We may edit letters for length andclarity. All letters will be published atthe editor’s discretion.
Please include your name, addressand daytime telephone number. Wewill not print letters from “anony-mous.”
E-mail your letter in a Worddocument to [email protected]. Letters MUST be sub-mitted via E-mail.
January 25, 2013 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 5
Classified
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CHILDCARE/
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Page 6 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 25, 2013
Mayor, from page 1It will be aired 8 p.m. Mondays,9:30 p.m. Tuesdays, noon Fridaysat 4 p.m. Sundays. I hope the firedistrict will present some answersto the troubling safety and finan-cial concerns we have all beenraising.
City staff has been diligentlyassembling the information fromthe county and fire district, othercities with station closures andother resources to help us deter-mine whether there are cost-effective means to reopen the sta-tion through other alternatives–whatever those might turn outto be.
The City Council formed anad-hoc committee on fire andfirst-responder emergency med-ical services. We will be conduct-ing community and information-gathering meetings and residentsare welcome to attend. Pleasecome and lend your constructiveideas and energy to help resolvethe public safety issues raised bythe fire district’s action. Our com-mittee’s first meeting will be 6:30p.m. Monday, Feb. 4, in HoyerHall at the Clayton Library.
Ultimately, it lands squarely onthe shoulders of the county firedistrict to use the property taxes itcollects as a special district to pro-vide services to our community.We should not jump too quickly
to absolve them of that responsi-bility.
The one thing we cannot sup-port is putting the city of Claytonand its residents in a position thatwill incur long-term taxpayerexpense without an ongoing, ded-icated and protected source ofrevenue to pay for such services.The unknowns down that roadare huge and it must be travelledcautiously. We don’t know yetwhat level of funds will berequired to provide replacementfire and first-responder emer-gency medical services.
I expect that there will bemuch more momentum county-wide on this issue in the nearfuture. The fire district stated itwill need to close two more sta-tions elsewhere in the district byJuly 2013, stretching resourceseven further. That action willresult in a cumulative 21 percentdistrict-wide reduction inresources.
Those who perceive they areuntouched by this round will like-ly join the chorus at that point andwe will have allies in our quest foraccountability and restoration ofservices.
As always, you can contact me byemail at [email protected] me know what you think.
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Susan Munoz Burdett diedof brain cancer on Jan. 3 at hersister’s home in Anaheim. Shewas 67.
Burdett came to work for thecity in 2001 in the planningdepartment. In 2002, she trans-ferred to the police departmentwhere she served as the Com-munity Services Officer untilher retirement in 2009.
“Susan was one of the kind-est, gentlest persons on staff,”said City Manager, Gary Nap-per. “I cannot recall a negative
word or thought expressed byher.”
While with the police depart-ment, Burdett coordinated Clay-ton’s participation in the SpecialOlympics Torch Run and start-ed the “Tip-a-Cop” event atEd’s Mudville Grill, which raisedthousands of dollars for theSpecial Olympics.
Before her brain cancer diag-nosis, Burdett had survived bothbreast cancer and colon cancer.
She participated in the SusanG. Komen 3-Day Walk for
Breast Cancer in 2004.Burdett was known for her
kind and generous nature.“Her hand-made blankets
were always a coveted item atthe city’s Annual EmployeeAwards Banquet gift exchange,”recalled Napper.
Burdett and husband Melmoved to Visalia after sheretired. Mel died of pancreaticcancer in November 2012.Both are buried at El ToroCemetery in Lake Forest, Calif.
Former Clayton city employee,Susan Burdett, succumbs to cancer
SUSAN MUNOZ BURDETT
A minor fender benderbetween two school bussesshortly after school was out onJan. 11 rattled nerves and causedminor injuries, but wasn’t as badas it looked.
The two busses, loaded withstudents from Pine HollowMiddle, Diablo View Middleand Highlands Elementary,were leaving DVMS, onebehind the other, when thedriver of the front bus stoppedunexpectedly and was rear-ended by a smaller special edu-cation bus carrying 10 students.Five students on the first busand two on the second bus suf-fered minor injuries, including acut lip and neck pain.
The scene looked a “wholelot worse than it was,” said Clay-ton police chief Chris Thorsen.The accident involved schoolchildren, so the CHP had juris-diction and responded withthree patrol cars. Also on thescene were two engines fromFire Station 11 and three AMRambulances.
Only one child went to thehospital. She was checked outand released the same day. Theother students were all picked up
by parents. According to DVMSprincipal Patti Bannister, all stu-dents were back in school onMonday.
A student on the bus that wasrear-ended said the bus driver“got mad at the kids” andstopped in the middle of the
street, “and the little bus couldn’tstop fast enough.”
Students with cell phonescalled their parents from the busand many were picked up withinminutes. The others were walkedback up to the school, wherethey waited for parents.
“It was all very organized andeveryone stayed really calm,” saidBannister.
The driver who made thesudden stop has been replaced,according to Bannister. The Mt.Diablo Unified School District isin charge of the investigation.
TAMARA STEINER
Clayton Pioneer
Minor injuries after two schoolbusses collide on Clayton Road
Tamara Steiner photo
A FAIRLY MINOR REAR-ENDER BETWEEN TWO SCHOOL BUSSES closed Clayton Rd. for about two hourson Jan. 11. Emergency response from Clayton PD, CHP, CCFPD and three ambulances madethe collision appear to be much worse than it was.
CLAYTON BASEBALL TEAMIn 1922, Will Frank, the
batter in this picture, playedfirst base and shortstop forClayton’s baseball team. Thecatcher in the picture isbelieved to be George Frank.The “spectators” in the back-ground are unidentified.
The Frank family is one ofClayton’s pioneer families andmany of its descendants live inthe Clayton Valley area. Thedusty ball field was behind theClayton Hotel on Main Street.The Clayton team’s uniformswere grey with dark red pin-stripes and a large red “C” onthe chest. Clayton played teamsfrom Black Diamond, Con-cord, and Martinez.
Clayton History From the Archives
Photo courtesy of the Clayton Historical Society
Q: What are some of thenew trends in our real estatemarket?
A: Thanks for asking thatquestion. I have found some funfacts to share with you.
The California Associationof Realtors put out their latest“One Cool Thing.” It had someinteresting details from the 2011U.S. Census that show the shift-ing desires of home buyers.
1. One change is that thepercentage of homes built with-out a garage or carport is thehighest since the mid 1990s. Ihaven’t noticed much of this inour area, though it may be moreprevalent in urban areas.
Another fact is that two-thirds of new homes built in2011 had a porch, a trend thathas been on the rise for almost10 years. On the other hand, theaddition of decks has decreased.
2. For the last five years, thetrend has been toward downsiz-ing. But this year, builders arereporting a higher demand forlarger homes. There seems to bea renewed sense of optimism inhousing. A builder’s surveyshowed that 84 percent ofhomeowners between the agesof 18 and 59 have no intentionof downsizing, even among
Baby Boomers. I find this sur-prising. This could be goodnews for upper-end sellers with3,000 to 5,000 sq. ft. homes thatlost significant value during thehousing crash.
The survey also shows thattoday’s buyers are equallyfocused on more efficient use ofthe space in their home. Onereason for this could be multi-generations moving in together.A survey by a group of archi-tects shows a higher demand formulti-generational housing.They also report a higher inter-est in additions and remodeling,with kitchens and baths toppingthe list.
3. The U.S. Census Bureaureports that homeowners aremoving again. The rate went
from 11.6 percent in 2011 to 12percent in 2012 nationally. Thisrate is still historically low butincreasing.
The most common state tostate moves are New York toFlorida, California to Texas, Cal-ifornia to Arizona, Florida toGeorgia, New Jersey to NewYork, New York to New Jersey,California to Nevada, Georgiato Florida, California to Wash-ington and Texas to California.
4. We often talk about home-owners who are having troublewith their mortgages, but nearly
one-third of homeowners aremortgage free. Even with theslump in the housing market inthe last five years, the number ofhomeowners without a mort-gage is about the same as it wasin 2000. The highest rate ofhomeowners who owned theirhomes outright were in NewYork, Cleveland and Miami. Thelowest rates were in Washington,D.C., Atlanta and Las Vegas.Most of California is in the mid-dle.
5. From Remodeling maga-zine I found some astonishing
facts about female celebritiesand their lavish homes. OprahWinfrey has a home in Mon-tecito, Calif., worth $55 million.Mariah Carey has one in LosAngeles worth $125 million.Jennifer Aniston has a home inBel Air worth $21 million, andJulia Roberts has one in Malibuworth $20 million. Some moremodest home prices are SuzeOrman, $1 million in Ft. Laud-erdale, Fla.; Michele Bachman,$819,000 in Stillwater, Minn.;and Mila Kunis, $540,000 inWest Hollywood.
Some high-profile femalecelebrities made purchases fromother celebrities. Beyoncebought the Miami beach houseof Ricky Martin for $12.5 mil-lion, while Christina Aguilerabought the Beverly Hills homeof Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne
for an undisclosed amount.The size of powerful
women’s homes was also inter-esting. Melinda Gates’ home is66,000 sq. ft., Mariah Carey’s is41,000 sq. ft. and Oprah Win-frey’s is 23,000 sq. ft.
Some of these celebritieshave unusual amenities. HilaryDuff has a gift wrapping roomand a Cognac room. NicoleKidman has a car elevator, whileViola Davis has a huge waterfall.Mariah Carey has 15 bedrooms,and Adele has a helicopterhangar.
Lynne French is thebroker/owner of Windermere LynneFrench & Associates and a Claytonresident. For any real estate needs orquestions, contact her at 672-8787 [email protected], or stop inat 6200 Center St. in Clayton.
Having survived the holidayseason, my thoughts often turnto an exotic getaway to a warm,sunny place. Whether it’s a roadtrip to Palm Springsor a flight to somefancy schmancyresort on a tropicalisle, it will probablyinvolve resort wear.
Resort wearincludes everythingfrom casual walkingshorts to eveninggowns, often in lug-gage-friendly fabricsand styles that marryfunctionality withfashion. The goal ofresort wear is tomake you look greatin those picturesyou’ll post on Face-book to make your friends jeal-ous.
Originally, resort wear wasmarketed to affluent shopperswho sauntered around upscaledepartment stores. But today,people of all ages and incomespurchase resort wear.
Here’s what is new for resortwear in 2013:
Natural nudes: There’ssomething simple and sophisti-cated about natural hues likecreamy whites, soft browns, palepinks and muted grays – espe-cially when they are pairedtogether or layered.
Flashy colors: On the oppo-site side of the color spectrum,splashes of color are also ontrend. Think deep purple pairedwith burnt orange, color-blocked primaries and mono-chromatic reds, greens andpinks. Trade in your go-to blackbathing suit for one in an eye-popping color combination.
Native/tribal prints: Theseprints are never outof style, probablybecause there are somany variations. Thefocus this season ison African, Navajoand Egyptianinspired prints –great choices for afree-flowing caftan.
When it comes tovacation makeup, lessis more. Opt for anSPF-based tintedmoisturizer. For asun-kissed complex-ion, sweep mattebronzing powderover cheekbones.
Finally, power up your pout witha high-gloss lipstick.
Now, grab a book (prefer-ably mine) and soak up the win-ter sun.
Homeowners move away from downsizing, but they’re still movingJanuary 25, 2013 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 7
Oliveri’s plea fell on deaf ears.Judge Jonathan Karesh was
clearly fed up with what hecalled Medrano’s lack ofremorse and failure to make anyattempt at restitution. “This wasnot a bad decision,” he said. “Itwas a theft, pure and simple…awell planned scheme.” Hedenied probation and handeddown the jail sentence.
Medrano seemed arrogantthroughout the investigation andtrial, an attitude that irritated thejudge throughout the process,Still, when the sentence washanded down, Medranoappeared momentarily defeatedand close to tears as he stoodemptying his pockets. He gave aslight shrug of resignation as hewas led from the courtroom inhandcuffs.
POCKETED NEARLY $160,000Joe Medrano’s long slow slide
from civic leader and a seat onthe city council to a bunk in thecounty jail began on Feb. 24,2011 when the San Mateo Coun-ty District Attorney filed a crimi-nal complaint charging him withstealing $159,630 from iPassCorporation, a Redwood Shorescompany.
Medrano was iPass’ insurancebroker until June 2009. Heplaced millions of dollars inDirectors and Officers Liability(D&O) and Workers Compensa-tion insurance for the company.
In June of 2009, thecompany’s D&O policy was upfor renewal. At the same time,senior management was under-going a change and Medrano’srenewal proposal came underscrutiny. Finding irregularities inMedrano’s work, iPass fired himand placed the D&O coveragewith another broker.
The loss of the D&O insur-ance cost Medrano thousands ofdollars in commissions at a timewhen he could ill afford it,docu-ments showed. During the trial,the prosecutor produced bankstatements that showed his trustaccount as much as $57,000overdrawn.
But at the time iPass fired
Medrano, its Workers Compen-sation policy was already in placethrough Medrano’s company andthey were sending their premiumpayments to his office. In June of2009, he had already receivedtheir third quarter premium of$79,815 and put it in his ownbank account. In July, they senthim their fourth quarter premi-um check for another $79,815,which Medrano also banked,never sending either payment toTravelers Insurance, iPass’s carri-er. This left iPass without Work-ers Compensation coverage.When iPass discovered the theft,Travelers covered the iPass lossand sued Medrano in civil court.He never answered the suit andTravelers won a judgment bydefault.
END OF AN ERA
The Clayton Pioneer firstlearned of the charges againstMedrano in August 2010, whenthe newspaper received a copy ofthe criminal complaint. Whencontacted about the complaint,Medrano said it was a simple“breach of contract matter…acivil case” and insisted thecharges would be dismissed atthe preliminary hearing and itwould never go to court.
However, he was wrong. InOctober of 2012, after monthsof procedural dodging and judi-cial shadowboxing, Medrano wastried and convicted for felonyembezzlement with the enhance-ment of “excessive taking.” Thetrial lasted eight days and the evi-dence was overwhelming. Thejury returned the guilty verdicton Oct. 11 after deliberating justa little over two hours.
Medrano will serve 18months in jail, with the remain-ing time to be spent on proba-tion. His insurance license wasrevoked by the Department ofInsurance and he is prohibitedfrom working in any fiduciarycapacity. As for his communityactivities, he resigned from thecity council after his conviction,effectively ending his politicalcareer, since he can never againhold public office.
Medrano, from page 1
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Like most of KurtVonnegut’s novels and nonfic-tion, “Kurt Vonnegut, TheLast Interview and Other Con-versations” is short on pagesbut never on depth of content.
By the time I’d finishedreading it, there were post-itson almost half of its 188pages. Even with the book onmy “to review” stack, Von-negut’s thoughts and wordshave followed me throughoutthe day.
For those of us who read
Vonnegut in our youth, thisbook reminds us why. In ourday, he was that iconoclasticwriter to be wildly embracedor vehemently shunned. Today,when his books haven’t beenremoved by worried boards ofeducation, ones such as“Slaughterhouse-Five” areoften required reading in highschool English classes.
The six interviews includedin this collection range fromthe years 1977 to 2007 andinclude topics as varied as writ-ing, family, war, friendship,Indiana, philosophy, art,libraries and librarians, and“the bomb.” Vonnegut died inJuly 2007, one month after hislast interview.
Unlike so many of today’sauthors of popular fiction,Vonnegut did not major inEnglish or creative writing. Hestudied chemistry and anthro-pology at Cornell and the Uni-versity of Chicago.
“I was 35 before I wentcrazy about Blake, 40 before Iread ‘Madame Bovary,’ 45before I’d even heard ofCéline. Through dumb luck, Iread ‘Look Homeward Angel’exactly when I was supposedto,” he says. It’s hard not tolike a writer who believed hiscritics felt he was “barbarous”and that he “was no gentle-man, since I had done hackwriting so cheerfully …” and“had not paid my academicdues.”
Born and raised in Indi-anapolis, Indiana, he had ahappy childhood with vibrantparents, siblings and a ratherlarge extended family. As a kid,Vonnegut got his family’sattention at the dinner table bymaking jokes. “And that’s whatmy books are now that I’m agrownup – mosaics of jokes.”His humor and satire make hiscomparison to Mark Twain aneasy one.
In a 1992 interview, he wasasked about the corporateinfluence into publishing. Heanswered that he didn’t think it“will be beneficial toward liter-ature.” Reading that answertoday makes me wonder howhe would feel about publishingnow.
Vonnegut came from a longline of “free thinkers,” orhumanists. His admittedatheism in no way diminishedhis innate sense of morality.For those who read Vonnegutcarefully, it would not be a sur-prise to know he was “enor-mously influenced by the Ser-mon on the Mount.”
Editor Tom McCartan’schoice of interviews is so ontarget, I’ve already pulled fiveor six Vonnegut books off myshelves for rereading. Pick up acopy of “The Last Interview”and find out why this man willbe in print (electronic or other-wise) for a very long time.
And when you next runinto a teen who has beenassigned a Vonnegut title andasks who the heck Kurt Von-negut is, just hand her McCar-tan’s collection of interviews.
In these days of high unem-ployment and tight householdbudgets, many people wouldsee a large pay raise as a dreamcome true. But for the clericaland field workers of the City ofConcord, it may just be whatthey’re due.
In an effort to avoid layoffsthrough the worst of thisrecession, the 150 or so cityemployees who type reports,maintain parks and pull weedsfrom road medians agreed to acontract three years ago thatincluded 13 unpaid furloughdays, a freeze on salary increas-es and a lowering of the city’scontribution to their retire-ment plans.
The strategy worked.Although a few layoffs couldn’tbe avoided and 119 positionswere eliminated through attri-tion and early retirement pack-ages, most were able to keep
their jobs.However, the cuts, com-
bined with the rising costs ofliving in the area, have resultedin an effective decrease of 19percent from the remainingworkers’ salaries.
Three years later, the cityseems to be faring better andtax revenues are rising towardpre-recession levels. The work-ers, who suffered along withthe city hoping for a recovery,want to share in the goodtimes. But city officials aren’tso sure.
SEEKING COMMON GROUND
The memorandum ofunderstanding between the cityand its workers – representedby Teamsters Local 856 –expired in June 2012. Negotia-tions beginning in May swiftlyproved fruitless, and a fact-
finding panel convened inAugust in hopes of reachingcommon ground. Comprisedof a representative from thecity and the union along with aneutral chair, the panel heardwitnesses, studied exhibits andcrunched numbers.
“The interests and welfareof the public favor an end tothe furloughs,” the unionwrote. Union officials citedincreases in the city’s govern-ment fund balances, the pas-sage of Measure Q in Novem-ber 2010 (which added a halfcent of sales tax to in-townpurchases) and employeemorale.
The city said costs includinghigher pension rates, increasingcosts of medical and dentalinsurance for employees and itsongoing structural deficit asreasons the future may not be
as rosy as some see. City offi-cials calculated it would cost$1.4 million to meet the union’sdemands.
PANEL PUTS
TOGETHER PROPOSAL
In early January, nearly fivemonths after the panel con-vened, the chair recommendedthat the city end furlough daysand increase workers’ salariesas part of a package thatamounts to a 12.3 percentincrease in compensation, withthe potential for more in thefuture.
Although it acknowledgedthat property tax revenues haddecreased by $3.6 million since2007-’08, the panel stated thatwith expected increases in salesand property tax revenues asthe economy improves, “thecity’s financial picture is posi-
tive, and it can afford a reason-able increase in compensationto these ... employees.”
The city immediately reject-ed the proposal. Instead, theysuggested a continuation ofthe furlough days and a 1.5 per-cent increase in pay.
“We always go to the tablewith an open mind,” said inter-im assistant city manager KayWiner, who sat as the city’s rep-resentative on the panel.
She insists the city believesits workers are its strongestasset. “It’s just that our pocket-books aren’t as open as we’dlike them to be.”
STILL MOVING FORWARD
Neither side is giving uphope. According to Winer, anadditional bargaining sessiontook place since the recom-mendation came out and sheexpects more sessions soon.Meanwhile, the city’s negotia-tions team plans to meet inclosed session with the CityCouncil to report on progressand get direction from councilmembers before returning tothe table.
Union vice president PaulFinn remains cautiously opti-mistic. “We’re open to havingdiscussions,” he said. “With theCity Council taking control ofthe process, we have a betterlikelihood of coming to anagreement.”
Page 8 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 25, 2013
City of Concord, workers still negotiating raisesPanel’s offeringdoesn’t resolvedebate on raises
DENISEN HARTLOVE
Clayton Pioneer
Vonnegut interviews revive the senses
SUNNY SOLOMON
FOR THE BOOKS
Sunny Solomon is a freelancewriter and head of the Clayton BookClub. Visit her website at bookinwithsunny.com for her latestrecommendations or just to ‘talkbooks.’
Jay Hartlove
Injuries stink. As an athlete,there is nothing worse thanwatching from the sidelines andnot being able to help out yourteam.
I recently suffered a concus-sion during a high school soccergame. I was immediately sent tothe hospital for a CAT scan,which thankfully showed nohemorrhaging in my brain. I fig-ured I’d be able to play againsoon, possibly within a coupledays. To my surprise, I had to sitout for more than two weeks.
This seemed unreasonable tome. I felt like I could play butwas not allowed to participate inany athletic activity. When Iasked why I couldn’t play, I wastold that even though I mayhave felt fine in the moment, ifI returned too soon and gotanother concussion, I couldhave permanent brain damage.
The tricky thing about con-cussions is that there is nonoticeable physical injuryrestricting a player’s return tothe sport. If an athlete has abroken leg, it is obvious why heor she can’t play. With a con-cussion, a player may look finebut if he returns too soon hecould be as prone to a devastat-ing injury as the kid with thebroken leg.
Sitting out was a depressingexperience, but looking backI’m thankful that I wasn’tallowed to return too quickly.My reason for this change ofmind comes as more and moreresearch has been conductedregarding the damaging effectsof concussions, especially ifignored or left untreated.
From high school to profes-
sional sports, coaches are beingencouraged (sometimes evenforced) to be on alert for headinjuries and send any athlete thatmight have a concussion to gettested. At the professional level,the National Football League isbehind a large movement toinform athletes of the dangersof concussions. In the midst ofthis movement, strong evidencehas come out proving that for-mer San Diego Chargers line-backer Junior Seau’s suicide mayhave been a direct result ofreoccurring concussionsthroughout his career.
For decades, athletes havebeen encouraged to adopt aheroic attitude toward injuriesand play through them. Nobodywants to let their team down orlose a starting position, so manyinjuries go unreported orignored.
It isn’t just with concussions.Washington Redskins star quar-terback Robert Griffin IIIrecently played on an alreadyinjured right knee. Late in the lastgame of the season, RG3, as hisfans refer to him, reinjured hisknee. He had to undergo totalreconstruction of his right kneeand will likely never be the stand-out quarterback he once was.
Most high school athleteswon’t make it to the pros. Andhaving a healthy brain and bodywell into adulthood is moreimportant than acting tough andplaying with an injury. Athleteslike RG3 who are idolized byyouth should be role models bymaking smarter choices when itcomes to injuries.
Research has proven thatthe stoic attitude towardinjuries causes major healthproblems later in life. The risksof playing injured outweigh therewards of returning early, andit’s about time that athletesbegin to realize this.
Parents are invited to seewhat the Clayton Valley CharterHigh School has to offer at anorientation meeting, 7 p.m. onMonday, Jan. 28 in the school’sMulti-use Room, 1101 AlbertaWay, Concord. Students are wel-come to attend as well.
David Linzey, Clayton ValleyCharter High School’s executivedirector, encourages parents tojoin the school in supportingtheir vision: “We will prepare allof our students to become firstclass citizens with a world classeducation and empower themwith the 21st century skills thatwill get them into the universi-
ties and careers of their choice.” He will introduce the school
CVCHS is focused on offer-ing rigorous academic programsthat prepare students for collegewhile also offering guidanceprograms, athletics and arts pro-grams that prepare them for lifein general.
For more information, contactHelen Bendoyro at 682-7474, ext.3109 or go to claytonvalley.org.
Students often compare thelong, hard hours faced atschool to spending time inprison.
In school, we are consistent-ly indoors working, with count-less lectures and endless study-ing. If we were in prison, wewould at least have some activ-ities, games and plenty of out-door time. And we would befree of homework.
Not only do both prisonersand students have to followfirm schedules, students alsolack power and none of us –prisoner or student – want tobe there. We are definitely notin charge, and that is madeclear to us. In addition, weboth have strict dress codes –but students don’t even getthose striking orange jump-suits. And we are both kept
longer for bad behavior.Here are some other distinc-
tions between school andprison:
Prison: Three meals a day.School: Brunch and lunch.
Prison: Can watch TV andplay games. School: We wish wecould.
Prison: Possible beatings.School: Bullies.
Prison: Get your own bath-room. School: Can go to ashared bathroom only 10 timesa quarter.
Prison: Guards lock andunlock doors. School: Teachersmake you stay inside the class-room and decide when you getto leave.
Prison: Allowed to contactand get visits from family andfriends. School: Get punishedfor any attempt to communi-cate with anyone.
Prison: Not exactly knownfor good food but at least it’sfree. School: Must pay forscraps they dare call food.
OK, in all seriousness,school is clearly a better placethan prison. We aren’t sur-rounded by criminals. We’reable to come home each nightand relax – after homework, ofcourse. We can have a social lifeand a break over the weekend.There are no breaks in prison,just 24-hour suppression and adesire for freedom. I love myschool and would take it overprison any day.
And keep this in mind: Thechances of going to prison areeight times greater if you dropout of school.
Students staying home costsmoney and dramatically lowersstudent achievement.
This was the message in amemo from CVCHS DirectorDavid Linzey to parents lastweek.
The school has lost about$200,000 in revenue so far thisyear. The biggest losing day wasOct. 31 – the day of the Giantsparade. The school lost $8,000on this day alone.
“Student absences under-
mine both teacher and parentefforts to increase learning andachievement,” wrote Linzey.“They also undermine my abili-ty to do the job you hired mefor; to improve student achieve-ment.”
He challenged parents toimprove attendance in the newsemester. “If your studentmissed two days of school thispast semester, pledge to missnone.”
We’ve had a great first semes-ter at Clayton Valley CharterHigh School.
Even though students havebeen challenged with a muchmore demanding academic pro-gram across the board, schoolspirit is at an all-time high.Teachers are committed toexcellence in instruction true toour motto of rigor, relevanceand relationships, as stated in themission statement of our char-ter.
This framework is laying thefoundation for a college prepeducation for all students. Ourkids will need this opportunity asthe vast majority of jobs of thefuture depend on a college edu-cation.
All students are challenged toperform to the best of their abil-ity at CVCHS. We have imple-mented a no fail-policy to helpensure that all students are learn-ing. This means that students arerequired to turn in all assign-ments. Teachers are availableafter school and sometimes onSaturdays for students who needextra help.
Students and teachers areadjusting well to this huge com-mitment to excellence, but ofcourse this is a work in progressthat we will continue to refine.
The Measure C funds arealready being used wisely tomake dramatic improvementsthat positively impact ourschool. Technology infrastruc-ture is a key emphasis, alongwith replacing every old com-puter, adding technology centersand labs and preparing for com-puter software programs andonline textbooks.
Students love the new lookof the red lockers. Now that allof the lockers are in workingorder, any student who wants alocker can have one. We are alsoexcited about the new stadiumturf and track. This summer,new seating will be added forboth the home and visitors,along with restrooms and con-cession stands.
Let’s not forget the successof our fall sports. Many teamsand athletes competed beyondour league, and the football pro-gram had results of historic pro-portions. The CVCHS Eagleswon its first North Coast Sec-tion football championship andcompeted beyond this in aregional playoff game. Unfortu-nately, we lost a close game atthat level and were not able tocompete for the state champi-onship. But there’s always nextyear!
The enrollment deadline fornext fall is Jan. 30. We packedthe gym for our first parent ori-entation meeting for new fami-lies in November, and early inJanuary we were already almostat full enrollment for the 2013-’14 year. We will have a repeat ofthe new parent orientation meet-ing at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 28, inthe multi use room for any par-ents or students who missed themeeting in November.
The entire Clayton Valleycommunity has faced the chal-lenges of opening this schoolwith unsurpassed energy andcommitment. From the cleanli-ness of the campus to the savoryfood offered throughout the day,the sky’s the limit from here.
David Linzey is the ExecutiveDirector at CVCHS. Emailcomments or questions [email protected]
January 25, 2013 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 9
DAVID LINZEY
CVCHS Executive Director
We care, we listen,we get results!
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Kindergarten orientationwill be held at 7 p.m. on Mon-day, Jan. 28 in the Multi-useRoom at Mt. Diablo ElementarySchool, 5880 Mt. Zion Drive,Clayton. District employee KimKlute and Principal IreneKeenan, as well as kindergartenteachers, will be present toanswer questions. Kindergartenpackets will be available.
Registration for the 2013-2014 school year is from 9 to 11a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. on Tuesday,Feb. 5 in the Multi-use Room.Kindergarten packets are avail-able for pick up in the schooloffice. For more information,call 672-4840.
Alex Shimberg is a senior atCVCHS and co-editor of the schoolnewspaper, The Talon. He will majorin international relations in collegeand plans on a career in politics. Helives in Concord with his parents andsister. Send comments [email protected]
ALEX SHIMBERG
TEEN SPEAK
JENNIFER HOEHN
PHMS REPORTER
Jennifer Hoehn is in the eighthgrade at Pine Hollow Middle School.Her interests are writing and illustra-tion.She also enjoys playing the piano,and has a Glitter Tattoo businesswith her family. Email her [email protected]
A majority of the teams duringthe upcoming spring sports season atClayton Valley Charter High Schoolwill be led by different coaches thanwere in charge a year ago, althoughmost of the new faces have previousexperience at the Concord school.Swimming, baseball, track and field,boys golf and girls lacrosse all havenew head coaches as training beginsfor late February or early March startsto the season
Darren Newell is taking over thetrack and field program, Casey Coak-ley returns as baseball coach, ShaunGuest will be running the boys andgirls swim teams, Mitch McDuffheads girls lacrosse and JenniferMoore is adding the boys golf teamto her girls golf duties from the fall.Returning head coaches include MattHill (boys lacrosse), Stephen Cod-dington (boys volleyball), Rick Ortega(boys tennis) and second-year coachKristen Morley (softball).
Newell has been coaching trackand field for more than 15 years, get-ting his coaching start in Pomona as ajumps coach in 1987. After relocatingto Northern California, he took abreak to help raise his three nowadult children and assisted coachingthem in everything from martial artsto softball, baseball, basketball, soc-cer and football. He moved to Clay-ton in 2001 and four years later joinedthe St. Bonaventure CYO track team,
then led by Joe Sullivan. That sameyear, 2005, he became an assistantcoach focused on teaching jumps atClayton Valley. Since that time he hastaken over the head coaching job forthe CYO program (2009) and beenhead coach of the AAU PleasantonHeat (Concord Chapter).
Athletic director Greg Fister says,“Newell has helped athletes win indi-vidual championships, team titles,qualify for state meets and achieveOlympic qualification. He incorpo-rates all the newest techniques, train-ing methods and plyometrics usingvideo-instruction to help his athletesbecome their very best.”
Coakley was head baseball coachat Clayton Valley in 2007 and 2008when his brother-in-law Bob Ralstontook over the Diablo Valley Collegebaseball team and Coakley led theEagles to the North Coast Sectionplayoff semi-finals both years. Coak-ley then jumped to the communitycollege ranks in 2009 at Los MedanosCollege. Ralston was back with theEagles for three years before going toCal State East Bay in the summer of2011. Herc Pardi coached Eaglesbaseball last year until Coakleyreturned as CVCHS Dean of Stu-dents and head baseball coach. Pardiwill be his pitching coach.
Jennifer Moore will be coachingboys for the first time this spring.She returned to coach the Eaglesgirls golf team last fall as they wonthe Diablo Valley Athletic Leaguechampionship for the second year ina row led by the DeLong sisters.Moore began coaching girls golf forCV in 2001 and took the 2010 and2011 seasons off. She has taughtceramics at the school since 1998and art in the ClaytonArts Academysince 2007.
While Moore has never coachedboys, McDuff and assistant coachVictoria Campbell never coachedlacrosse before this spring. McDuff
made his mark last semester as thedefensive coordinator for the sectionchampion football team. He begancoaching in 2003 for Tim Murphy,now the Eagles head football coachand then leading the Clovis East Highteam. McDuff coached football atClovis East and Fresno High beforejoining Murphy’s staff this year aswell as teaching math at CVCHS. Thelast two years he also was the fresh-man girls soccer coach at Fresno,winning the league championship lastyear.
McDuff says, “I am excited to getto know the game and I am alwaystrying to continually learn andimprove in all aspects of coachingand teaching. The lacrosse team isloaded with hard-working, dedicatedgirls who are energized and ready toget the season started. There arecurrently about 40 girls working out3-4 days a week after school doingconditioning drills and strength-building exercises. Captains MeganAbcede and Lauren Valory and othergirls like Quincy Winship and AlainaCampbell have been leading the prac-tices and drills and have been workingextremely hard. They even hadworkout sessions during Christmasbreak.”
The new swim coach, ShaunGuest, also teaches on campus. Hewas an all-America swimmer andtriathlete. Guest will also have long-time Clayton Valley aquatics programfixture Dennis Bledsoe serving asfacilitator of events.
Casey Coakley has returnedas Clayton Valley Charter HighSchool baseball coach and herenewed a long-gone traditionwhen he hosted the Eagles HotStove dinner earlier this monthat the Shadelands Arts Center inWalnut Creek. Coaches andplayers from Clayton Valleybaseball dating as far back as thevery first team in the 1958-59school year up to this spring’steam members were among thesold out crowd on hand to swapstories.
Among the speakers masterof ceremonies Coakley calledon were Bud Beemer, Scott andMatt Gorgen, Sam Ray and BobRalston. Beemer is a chartermember of the school’s Hall ofFame and played for Cal and
Washington State before return-ing to the area as a long-timecoach and school administrator.The pitching Gorgen brothers
(Scott with St. Louis Cardinalsand Matt with Arizona Dia-mondbacks) are both knockingon the door for a major league
berth. Ray is a scout for the SanDiego Padres while Ralston leftClayton Valley and a successfulrun as head coach two years agoto coach baseball at Cal StateEast Bay.
Besides Ralston (1999-2006,2009-11) and Coakley (2007-08,2013), former Clayton Valleybaseball coaches in attendancewere Tom DiMercurio (1967-79), Stan Ross (pitching coach1970-79, head coach 1980), BobJohnson (1983-92), Joe Panella(1995-99) and Herc Pardi (headcoach 2012 and long-time pitch-ing coach). The program’s firstcoach, Vic Petreshene (1959-66)was ill but has promised toattend next year’s dinner.
Pardi and Coakley reportedthe event was such a successthat they’ve already reserved Jan.10, 2014 for the second annualdinner.
Page 10 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 25, 2013
Sports
JAY BEDECARRÉ
Clayton Pioneer
JAY BEDECARRÉ
Clayton Pioneer
Five Eagle spring sports teams have new coaching look
Photo by Jay Bedecarré
JENNIFER MOOREBOYS GOLF
Photo by Jason Rogers
SHAUN GUESTSWIMMING AND DIVING
Photo by Jay Bedecarré
MITCH MCDUFFGIRLS LACROSSE
CLAYTON VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL began in the 1958-59school year and three players from that time were at theEagles Hot Stove Dinner recently. Bud Beemer (left) and FrankSnyder (center) are both now in the school’s Athletic Hall ofFame. John Rubiales (right) was on the first varsity team withSnyder while Beemer was a freshman in the inaugural yearand played JV.
MOST OF THE COACHES who have led Clayton Valley High Schoolbaseball since its inception in 1958-59 were on hand at theEagles Hot Stove Dinner. Sharing stories were former coaches,from left, Gabby Lorenzana, Stan Ross and Bob Johnson.
Photo courtesy St. Bonaventure CYO
St. Bonaventure fifth grade boys basketball team celebrated the holiday break by winning the annual Queen of AllSaints Holiday tournament with three consecutive victories. The Bulldogs defeated Christ the King, the host QASsquad and Good Shepherd. The championship team includes, from left, coach Kevin Zimmer, Lucas Lauricella, SethGwynn, Tyler Darr, Derek Luedtke, Luke Westermeyer, Jason Downs, Tristan Daly, Eric Zimmer, Clayton Seastrandand assistant coach Dave Gwynn.
Hot Stove dinner heats up with Clayton Valley baseball talk
The Clayton Pioneer is committed to giving the best coverage toeverything Clayton.
We get plenty of information from local high schools, sports leaguesand clubs. What we don’t hear about so often are from our neighborswho are competing below that radar screen.
There are Claytonians who are participating in sports and recre-ational endeavors that we don’t normally hear about but we’d like totell their stories too. If you know of someone – or even if you are thatsomeone – let us know what you’re doing and perhaps we’ll find itsomething our readers would love to read about!
Some area youth are going to schools other than Clayton ValleyCharter or participating on a club sport team that we need to hearfrom. We always love to report on college athletes from our area.
If you’re running, jumping, hiking, biking, swimming, skydiving,bowling, golfing or participating in any of dozens of other sports andrecreational activities let us know.
Give us a brief rundown and your contact information and we might be in touch with you.It’s as simple as sending an email to [email protected]
Unsung heroes, weekendwarriors wanted
St. Bonaventure boys win holiday basketball tournament
North Coast Sectionchampionships beckon wintersports teams each Februaryand Clayton Valley CharterHigh School has four of itsfive teams turning up the heatin an effort to qualify for thisyear’s section competition.
During the opening roundof games in Diablo ValleyAthletic League basketball theEagles girls were untouchablewhile the boys recovered froma rough pre-season to jumpinto a tie for first place inleague. Girls soccer is alsonear the top of the standingswhile the boys have struggledmightily scoring goals undernew coach Jesus Martinez.
Wrestling coach KyleBehmlander is just hopinghe’ll have a chance to get allhis athletes on the mat at thesame time. “We haven’t had asingle meet where our topwrestler in every weight classwas available at the sametime,” the coach said lastweek.
“We’ve been hit by a varietyof injuries and ailments. In arecent dual meet we had fiveguys out, four with impetigo.”The Eagle wrestlers are point-ing toward the DVAL tourna-ment, which they host onWednesday, Feb. 13, as the timethey’ll all be ready to go andhopefully qualify for the NCSmeet Feb. 22-23.
The girls basketball squadfor coach Bernard Barnesromped through the first halfof the DVAL schedule with a29-point margin of victorytheir “closest” game. Theybegin the second half ofleague play tonight hostingYgnacio Valley as the Eagleshope to finish strongly andearn a good seed in the NCSplayoffs. A repeat perform-ance in the remainder of
DVAL would give the team 20wins and most of their sixlosses came against teamsoutside of NCS.
Clayton Valley won its firstgirls league title since 1999 inthe 2010-11 season and afterbarely missing out on a repeatcrown a year ago look like alock for another DVAL cham-pionship this winter. But fromthe season’s beginning theEagles were focused on NCSand hopefully earning anothertrip to the Northern CaliforniaChampionships as they hadtwo years ago after losing aheartbreaker in the NCS finals.
Troy Sullivan said beforethe season of his boys basket-ball team, “We lost almost ourwhole squad from last year, sowe have no clear roles estab-
lished. We should know moreabout where we are after themiddle part of December.”Through the end of lastmonth the Eagles had wononly one of 11 games butthen split a pair of Januarynon-league games and were 4-1 in DVAL prior to thisweek’s first-half showdownwith Concord High as bothteams posted 4-1 recordsgoing into the game Tuesdayat Clayton Valley.
NCS BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS
BEGIN FEB. 19-20 Girls soccer at Clayton
Valley has a record of successwith seven consecutive NCSappearances. Coach ScottBooth’s team was 4-4-4through 12 games this season
but they lost only one of theEagles first seven leaguegames, albeit drawing threeand facing key showdownsthis week with Ygnacio Valleyand Northgate. NCS playoffplacements are determinedFeb. 10 with the champi-onships starting Feb. 13.
Martinez inherited a squadminus 18 seniors from lastyear’s team that reached theNCS semi-finals for the sec-ond consecutive season underformer coach Rory Gentry.CVCHS has found scoringgoals a real challenge with a 1-1 opening league season drawwith Concord the only posi-tive result. Martinez knew hewas facing a rebuildingprocess with only a handful ofreturning players this winter.
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January 25, 2013 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 11
JAY BEDECARRÉ
Clayton Pioneer
CVCHS teams in home stretch to earnNorth Coast Section tournament berths
Mike Dunn photo
CLAYTON VALLEY CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL‘S KYLE BEHMLANDER is in his 11th year coaching wrestlingat his alma mater and has a very inexperienced team carrying the Eagles colors in Diablo Val-ley Athletic League and invitational meet competition this season with 30 of his 40 squad mem-bers first- or second-year wrestlers. His group of senior wrestlers, from left, Matt McCoy (145pounds), Logan Bangert (195), Dakohta Cramer (171) and Jesse Davis (132) are providing theyoung squad leadership. McCoy was fifth at North Coast Section a year ago and while theteam is in a developmental year he looks to move up at least two notches to earn a trip the CIFfinals in March 1-2.
Sports
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DIABLO FC U9-U14SOCCER TEAM TRYOUTS
JAN. 26-FEB. 5Diablo FC is now aligned
with the San Jose Earthquakesand will hold tryouts for the2013 competitive soccer seasonfor under 9 through under 12boys competitive teams and U9-U11 girls this week Jan. 26-27-28 in Concord. Boys bornbetween Aug. 1, 2001 and July31, 2006 and girls born betweenAug. 1, 2002 and July 31, 2006are invited to try out. Tryoutsfor girls in the U12-U14 andboys U13-U14 age groups willbe Feb. 2-5. There is no chargeto try out. A complete scheduleis available and players can pre-register today at diablofc.org.
SPRING YOUTH, ADULT
PROGRAM SIGNUPS NOW AT
CLAYTON GYMSpring youth basketball
academy for boys and girls of allskill levels in first through ninthgrades is returning to ClaytonCommunity Gym for seven Fri-days starting Mar. 15. Signupsare also being taken for springyouth volleyball league, whichwill run on Saturdays from Mar.2-April 20 for ages 8-16. Adultvolleyball league begins a seven-week Thursday night seasonMar. 21 and runs through May2. Youth Tee-ball league for ages3-5 is Mar. 16-Apr. 27. Registra-
tion deadline for these programsis Feb. 25. For more informa-tion or to register for any pro-gram offered by All Out Sportsat the gym, visit alloutsport-sleague-clayton.com.
10TH ANNUAL DIABLO FCCRAB FEED & AUCTION
FEB. 8The 10th annual Crab Feed
and Auction to support DiabloFC youth soccer programs isFriday, Feb. 8, at Centre Con-cord. Besides the crab feed din-ner and fund-raising live andsilent auctions, there will bedancing. Tickets are $50. To getmore info or to buy tickets visitdiablofc.org.
VINCE BUHAGIAR NAMED
TO 3RD STRAIGHT
ALL-WAC ACADEMIC
FOOTBALL TEAMClayton Valley High grad
Vince Buhagiar was named aca-demic All-WAC football teamfor the third year in a row. TheSan Jose State junior linebackerhad to maintain a cumulativegrade-point average of 3.00 orhigher and play in at least 50percent of the team’s conteststo gain the laurels. He cappedthe Spartan football season witha victory in the Military Bowland was a first-team All-WesternAthletic Conference linebackerfor the 11-2 SJSU squad.
TEAM REGISTRATION
OPENS FOR CONCORD
KICKBALL LEAGUEConcord Parks and Recre-
ation is taking team registrationsfor one of the fastest growingadult sports in the country –adult coed kickball. The game isplayed following the rules forsoftball, except there is no batinvolved. Teams can choose toplay Sunday, Tuesday or Fridayevenings for the seven-gameseason beginning in March withsingle-elimination playoffs forqualifying teams. Rosters are 12to 20 players with games playedunder the lights at Willow PassPark. “Our leagues are all coedand are perfect for family andcompany teams. Our goal is toprovide a fun, relaxing, recre-ational opportunity for adults ofall ages,” says coordinatorKathie Leavitt. Registrationdeadline is Friday, Feb. 15. Formore information, visit team-sideline.com/concord or call(925) 671-3423.
SPRING SIGNUPS FOR
MT. DIABLO SOCCER
TAKEN ONLINEMt. Diablo Soccer is accept-
ing applications for its springprogram which begins in March.Players who participated in thefall season are charged only $50for spring. Boys and girls 4 to 18years of age can take part.Under 12 and older divisions inspring league are co-ed. Springleague ends in mid-May and is
generally less formal than fallwith players getting the oppor-tunity to play soccer without anypost-season playoff pressure.Email any questions [email protected]. Registra-tion is being taken online atmdsoccer.org.
19TH CVCHS CRAB FEED
& AUCTION
MAR. 16Clayton Valley Charter High
School Athletic Boosters willhold their 19th annual CrabFeed and Auction on Saturday,Mar. 16, at Centre Concord.Tickets are sold on a first come,first served basis and the popu-lar event always sells out. Mustbe 21 or older to attend. Formore info [email protected] or goto cvhsboosters.org to ordertickets.
OAKHURST ORCAS SIGNUPS
FOR SUMMER SWIM SEASON
FEB. 27 TO MAR. 24Head coach Jasmine Millan
announced that registration daysfor the Oakhurst Country Clubrecreation summer swim teamwill be held on Wednesday, Feb.27, from 7-8 p.m. and Sunday,March 24, from 2-3 p.m. Parentswill have the opportunity tomeet the coaches and theircoaching philosophy and learnabout practice dates and times.For more information emailcoach Millan [email protected].
Sports Shorts
Page 12 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 25, 2013
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An upgrade to Windows 8may present some softwareissues and a learning curve afterinstalling.
First, you need to determine ifyour computer will physically beable to upgrade to the latest offer-ing from Microsoft. In mostcases, the answer is yes. If youpurchased your computer withinthe last three years, your comput-er hardware is likely compatible.
If you need hardwareupgrades, visit a local computerdealer, buy the necessary part(s)and install them. Any computerrunning an Intel Pentium 4,Core 2, Core 2 Duo or QuadCore CPU will be great. AMDprocessors are not as desirablebut are still a good bet.
You will need 2Gb RAM ormore, a widescreen monitor thatis less than 3 years old, Direct Xwith drivers, Internet access, aMicrosoft account (like a freeHotmail or Windows Liveaccount), a virus-free hard driveand about 50GB free space. Forperformance reasons, your drive
should be less than 50% full.In order to gain the full
experience of Windows 8, youmay want to upgrade your mon-itor to a touch screen or pur-chase a touch pad. A touchdevice will assist with navigationand your enjoyment vs. using amouse.
Next, determine if your soft-ware will make the upgrade.According to Microsoft, “Toinstall the Windows 8 Proupgrade, your PC must be run-ning Windows XP SP3, Win-dows Vista, Windows 7, Win-dows 8 Consumer Preview orWindows 8 Release Preview. Ifyour PC is running Windows 7,Windows 8 Consumer Previewor Windows 8 Release Preview,your files, apps and settings willeasily transfer to Windows 8Pro. If your PC is running Win-dows XP or Windows Vista,you’ll need to reinstall yourapps. Some features such astouch might require a new PC.”
By the way, Windows 7touch screen is not compatiblewith Windows 8 touch screen –go figure.
Reinstallation of your appsmeans you will need the originalCD, the original download fileor network access with the setupfiles. In addition, you should
have your license key handybecause a reinstall requires re-registration of your software. Ifyou are missing the software orthe key, you may need to repur-chase the app.
To do your own upgrade,type windows.microsoft.cominto your Web browser. Youshould arrive at the Windows 8upgrade site. Alternatively, go tobing.com and ask for Windows8 upgrade offer from Microsoft.Then, click on the “Get Started”button and follow the prompts.Microsoft is offering theupgrade for $39.99 through Jan.31, 2013.
If you run into problems,you should know that Microsoftoffers little customer support.So you may consider upgradingwith a local computer expertand leave the problems to them.The Windows 8 software shouldbe priced the same as whendoing it yourself, but the com-puter business will charge aninstallation service fee in therange of $200.
WILL CLANEY
TECH TALK
William Claney is an independ-ent tech writer and former owner ofComputers USA in the ClaytonStation. Email questions or com-ments to [email protected].
Get your ducks in line beforeupgrading to Windows 8
Sensors keep track oftire inflation, pressure
On vehicles less than 10,000lbs., 2007 models and newer areequipped with tire monitoringsystem. This system is used tomake sure the tires are set to theproper pressure.
It has been established that a10 percent underinflated tirewaste about 1 percent fuel. So ifyour car gets 26 miles per gallonand your tires are underinflated,you only get 23.3 miles per gal-lon. That may not seem likemuch, but it means you lose 26miles for about every 10 gallonsof gas.
It has been estimated thatabout 2 billion gallons of gas arewasted each year because ofunderinflated tires. That’s a lotof gas.
Most new cars have a stickerin the driver’s door showing theproper inflation. Most gas sta-tions have an air station whereyou can check your tires. If youdon’t know how to check youtire pressure, most service cen-ters will check it for you or showyou how it’s done.
Each tire has a sensor thatsends out a radio signal if thetire is low. These sensors costbetween $58 and $325.
The car’s body control mod-ule picks up the signal. The sen-sor picks up both the pressureand temperature of the tire.Having your tire at proper infla-tion is also a safety issue. Tires
that are not inflated properlycan have thread separation, side-wall blow out and will skid easi-er.
The warning light willengage if a tire is low on pres-sure, if the tires are rotated or ifthe battery in the sensor is lowon charge. Yes, they have batter-ies that need servicing. On somecars, the spare also has a sensor.So if all four tires are set toproper inflation and the lightdoesn’t shut off, the spare needschecking as well.
Before you have your tiresrotated, make sure to ask if theshop can reset the tire sensors.Otherwise, you may have tomake a second trip to get thelight turned off.
Gary Taylor is service manager atClayton Valley Shell. Call him withquestions at (925) 672-3900
Club invites the community tosupport Blossoms for Barbara,flowering gifts to touch thehearts of those in hospice care,convalescent homes, thoseunable to leave home and Mealson Wheels recipients in celebra-tion of Valentine’s Day.
Purchase or bring nursery-quality, four-inch, floweringplants and any tax deductibledonations to R&M Pool, Patioand Gardens through Feb.10.Flowering plant delivery startson Feb. 4. Any donationstowards this event will be great-ly appreciated.
The club hopes to doubletheir reach in this second year of
the program by including Veter-ans centers and batteredwomen’s shelters and by addingthe Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creekand Lafayette areas.
This event was created lastyear in memory of BarbaraManss, mother of Clayton Val-ley Garden Club member LindaManss Karp.
For more information aboutBlossoms for Barbara, contact LindaKarp, event chairperson, at 524-0220 or [email protected].
R&M is located at 6780 MarshCreek Road, Clayton; 672-0207.
The Clayton Valley Garden Clubmeets at 7 p.m. on the second Wednes-day of the month, February throughNovember, at Diamond Terrace,6401 Center St. Clayton. www.claytonvalleygardenclub.org.
GLORIA BLECHA, (left) development associate at Hospice of theEast Bay, accepts a “Blossoms for Barbara” delivery fromgarden club members Dennis Kaump and Linda Karp duringlast year’s drive.
Club News
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DO YOUR PREP WORK before clicking to upgrade to Windows 8and flatten out the learning curve
Why do you read the Pioneer? “Hi Tamara: We want to let you know how much we enjoy the Clayton Pioneer.It really makes us feel connected to the community. When we takethe mail out of our mailbox and the Clayton Pioneer is there, it'sthe first thing we read. Thanks for a great publication.”
SINCERELY, BARBARA AND RON JACOBS
The new year is a great timeto reassess and refine your rou-tines. Here are three ways toshake things up a bit to giveyour feline friends the purr-fect2013.
1. It’s playtime. Adding adaily play routine is a great wayto help keep your cat mentallyand physically healthy. It’s won-
derful for your cat and a lot offun for you as well. Strive for10-20 minutes a day, ideally atabout the same time every day.
Interactive play is ideal forcats because it stimulates theirnatural instincts to hunt. Mostcats go crazy for interactive toys,like wands and fishing poles.Keep it interesting by wiggling awand toy under a mat or rug –most cats can’t resist that subtlemovement.
Keep in mind the rule“Hands are for petting, toys arefor play,” which will help yourcat learn good play manners.Above all, treat the play sessionlike an exercise session, endingwith a little cool down so yourcat isn’t left too amped up. Putall interactive toys away whenyour cat is unsupervised becauseingesting components like string
could be deadly.2. Give your home a
makeover. Most cats can neverhave enough cat trees, windowperches and scratching posts.But you don’t have to spend alot of money to keep your cathappy. If you live in a smallspace, wind sisal tightly around asturdy desk leg, stapling theends, to create a tall, securescratching post that doesn’t takeup extra room. You can also tryutilizing strong wall shelves ashigh perches. Don’t be afraid tothink outside the box – just be
sure what you come up with issturdy and safe.
For environmental enrich-ment, a regular “treasure hunt”for treats is easy and fun. Take asmall handful of treats or kibbleand hide them around the houseone by one. Make it easy at firstand increase the challenge asyour cat gets the hang of it. Thisactivity channels cats’ innerhunter and can keep them fromgetting bored when you areaway. If your cat is on a restrict-ed diet, subtract the foodamount from their daily allot-ment.
3. What’s up, doc? Makesure you are up to date on yourkitty’s veterinary exams. Even ifyou haven’t noticed any healthissues, cats should have yearlyvet visits. Seniors require morefrequent exams. Catching prob-lems early saves money and canextend your cat’s life.
Don’t forget the importanceof dental hygiene. Have your vetshow you how to check yourcat’s teeth and learn a dental careroutine you can practice athome.
Familiarizing your cat to hercarrier can help make vet visitsgo smoother. Keep the carrierout all the time, not just at vet-time. Prop the door open, keepa soft blanket in there thatsmells like home and putyummy treats in it daily to getyour cat used to going in on herown. Don’t force the issue; youcan use clicker training and/orgradual desensitization to gether comfortable with going inand out.
During transport, coveringthe carrier with a blanket thatsmells like home can also helpyour cat feel more secure.
January 25, 2013 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 13
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POLICE ACTIVITY
FOR TWO WEEKS ENDING
JAN. 17, 2013
ACCIDENTS:Jan. 9, 11:29 a.m. Clayton
Rd./El Camino Dr.Jan. 14, 1:52 p.m. 5400 Clay-
ton Rd./Minor Injury
ARRESTS:Jan. 5, 1:32 a.m. Clayton
Rd./Kirker Pass Rd. A 20-year-old El Sobrante male and two19-year-old Concord males werearrested for carrying a concealedweapon in vehicle; possession ofa billy club; possession of ashotgun; probation violationafter being stopped for a VehicleCode violation.
Jan. 5, 2:15 p.m. 6000 Her-itage Trail. A 51-year-old Clay-ton male was arrested after offi-cers served an arrest warrant.
Jan. 6, 12:00 a.m. El CaminoDr./Yosemite Cr. A female
juvenile was arrested for under21 with a BAC over .01%; provi-sional restriction after officersresponded to a call for service.
Jan. 10, 2:39 a.m. KellerRidge Dr./Condor Wy. A 22-year-old Clayton male wasarrested for DUI after beingstopped for a Vehicle Code vio-lation.
Jan. 10, 9:27 p.m. 5400 blockClayton Rd. A 47-year-old Con-cord male was arrested for pub-lic intoxication; probation viola-tion after being contacted byofficers on patrol.
Jan. 10, 9:27 p.m. 100 blockNottingham Pl. An 18-year-oldClayton female was arrestedafter officers served an arrestwarrant.
Jan. 12, 2:03 a.m. ClaytonRd./6000 Heritage Trail. A 29-year-old Concord female wasarrested for DUI after beingstopped for a Vehicle Code vio-lation.
Jan. 14, 8:19 p.m. MarshCreek Rd./Clayton Rd. A 24-year-old Brentwood male wasarrested for DUI after beingstopped for a Vehicle Code vio-lation.
Jan. 15, 2:15 p.m. 5500 blockClayton Rd. A 34-year-oldBrentwood female was arrestedon a warrant after being contact-ed by officers.
BURGLARIES/THEFTS:Jan. 5, Mountaire Cr. Petty
Theft.Jan. 8, Regency Dr. Petty
Theft.Jan. 8, Rialto Dr. Petty Theft.Jan. 9, Eagle Peak Av.
2-year-old Shmi Skywalkeris a very sweet, gentle-spiritedhound dog who loves attentionand toys – not necessarily in thatorder. Shmi would do best in ahome with loving patientguardians who can provide herwith plenty of time for humaninteraction and daily walkswhere she can sniff and exploreand play
The adoption fee for adultdogs is $225 and includes 60percent off one 7-week dogtraining session.
4-year-old Luci is a beauti-
ful, petite little lady who lovesgentle attention. She may preferto be your only cat. She will takeon the job of entertaining andfilling your life with love quitewell on her own. Luci is suitablefor a first time cat guardian andher adoption fee has been pre-paid by a generous donor.
Meet your forever friend atTony La Russa’s Animal RescueFoundation, 2890 MitchellDrive, Walnut Creek, duringadoption hours: Noon to 5 p.m.Wednesday, 3 to 7 p.m. Thurs-day and Friday, Noon to 5 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday. The pri-mary caretaker must be presentto adopt. ARF also encourageskids 16 and younger and caninefamily members (dog adoptionsonly) to be present during theadoption process.
Would you like to be part of theheroic team that saves the lives of res-cued dogs and cats? Can you shareyour talents to connect people and ani-mals? ARF volunteers are making adifference! For more information seeour website, www.arf.net, or call925.256.1ARF.
Shmi Skywalker and Luci areARF’s Adoption Stars
SHMI SKYWALKER LUCI
ELENA BICKER
PET PALS
Elena Bicker is the Executive Directorof Tony La Russa’s Animal RescueFoundation. She can be reached at (925)256-1ARF (1273)
Add cat capers to your new year’s list
Page 14 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 25, 2013
IN CLAYTON
JJaann.. 2266CChhiilldd FFiinnggeerrpprriinnttiinngg The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office and Marsh CreekKinderCare are doing child fingerprinting and photographs for yourrecords. 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Marsh Creek KinderCare, 6760 Marsh CreekRoad, Clayton. Free. 672-0717.
JJaann.. 2288SSppeeaakkeerr ffrroomm SSTTAANNDD!!Scott Chavez, volunteer with STAND!, talks about their programs tostop domestic violence and child abuse. Sponsored by the AmericanAssociation of University Women. 7:30 p.m. Diamond Terrace, 6401Center St., Clayton. Free.
FFeebb.. 1100CCaammeelllliiaa TTeeaaClayton Historical Society’s 36th annual Camellia Silver Tea andOpen House. Camellia display and special exhibit featuring Clayton’sfounder, Joel Clayton. 1 – 4 p.m. Clayton Museum, 6101 Main Street.Free. Donations welcome. 672-0240.
FFeebb.. 1199AA PPaassssiioonn ffoorr AArrttClayton Valley Art Collaborative’s February coffee. Opportunity forlocal artist’s to present projects and techniques. Art sales. Non-artistswelcome. 7 – 8:30 p.m. Diamond Terrace, 6401 Center St., Clayton.$5 donation. Prospective artists must contact Julie VanWyk at [email protected] or Nancy Garrett at [email protected] by Feb.11.
EVENTS AND ENTERTAINMENTJJaann.. 2255 –– 2277““PPrriinncceessss IIddaa””Lamplighters Music Theatre’s performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s“Princess Ida.” Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., WalnutCreek. $25-$54. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.
JJaann.. 2255 –– FFeebb.. 99““DDoowwnn aann AAlllleeyy FFiilllleedd wwiitthh CCaattss””Australian thriller set in a rare used book shop in Sydney. DiabloActors’ Ensemble Theatre, 1345 Locust St., Walnut Creek. $10-$25.diabloactors.com.
JJaann.. 2255 –– FFeebb.. 1100““TThhee SSppoottss ooff aa LLeeooppaarrdd””Onstage Theatre performs this comedy by John Baker. CueProductions Live, 1835 Colfax St., Concord. 518-3277.
JJaann.. 2266WWiinnddss AAccrroossss tthhee BBaayyPremier Bay Area Youth Wind Ensemble encouraging the love andsupport of instrumental music. 8 p.m. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $12. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.
JJaann.. 2277VVooccaall GGeemmss ooff tthhee RRaaggttiimmee EErraaSparkling sampler of songs from the ragtime era. 2:15 p.m. LesherCenter for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $25. lesherartscen-ter.org. 943-7469.
SSttaarrttiinngg JJaann.. 2299HHeeaalliinngg tthhee HHeeaarrttA safe place to express grief and begin healing after loss. Six weekson Tuesdays, 7:30 – 9 p.m. St. Bonaventure, 5562 Clayton Road,Concord. Register by Jan. 26 with Janie Eddleman at 623-6254.
FFeebb.. 11 -- 22SSmmuuiinn BBaalllleettWinter program. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., WalnutCreek. $54-$70. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.
FFeebb.. 11 –– MMaarr.. 22““OOlldd WWiicckkeedd SSoonnggss””Center REP performs this inspirational journey of two very different
men, with music as a common bond, who must find a way to breakthrough their pasts. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., WalnutCreek. $33-$51. centerrep.org. 943-7469.
FFeebb.. 88 –– MMaarr.. 22““SSiinnggiinn’’ iinn tthhee RRaaiinn””Story of the first Hollywood movie musical. Lesher Center for the Arts,1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $49-$53. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.
FFeebb.. 99TThhee SSzzyymmaannoowwsskkii QQuuaarrtteettPresented by Chamber Music SF. 2:30 p.m. Lesher Center for the Arts,1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. Tickets on sale Feb. 9 at 12 a.m.lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.
FFeebb.. 1100DDiiaabblloo SSyymmpphhoonnyyNatasha Paremski performing on the piano. 2 p.m. Lesher Center forthe Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $10-$25. lesherartscenter.org.943-7469.
FFeebb.. 1111NNeeww SShhaanngghhaaii CCiirrccuussFearless performers with boundless energy bring you more than 2000years of Chinese circus traditions. 3 and 7 p.m. Lesher Center for theArts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $15-$45. lesherartscenter.org.943-7469.
FFeebb.. 1122CCaalliiffoorrnniiaa SSyymmpphhoonnyyPerforms The Sounds of Love. 7:30 p.m. Lesher Center for the Arts,1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $65. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.
FFeebb.. 1155 –– 2244““DDiisseenncchhaanntteedd!! BBiittcchheess ooff tthhee KKiinnggddoomm””A brand new, fun-loving, hilarious musical revue proving that happily-ever-after can be a royal pain in the ass! Lesher Center for the Arts,1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $25-$30. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.
FFeebb.. 1177CCoonnttrraa CCoossttaa CChhaammbbeerr OOrrcchheessttrraaComposites. 7:30 p.m. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr.,Walnut Creek. $10-$30. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.
FFeebb.. 2233PPaarreennttiinngg tthhee CChhiilldd wwiitthh SSppeecciiaall NNeeeeddssMini conference. 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Loma Vista Adult CenterMulti-use Room, 1266 San Carlos Ave., Concord. Register atwww.mdusd.k12.ca.us/adulted.
MMaarr.. 2288,, AApprriill 44GGeettttiinngg oonn tthhee AAiirrTwo-part seminar to develop your amateur radio license getting-on-the-air skills. Held by Salvation Army and Mt. Diablo Amateur RadioClub. 7 – 9 p.m. Salvation Army, 3950 Clayton Road, Concord. Classis free. $5 materials fee. Registration [email protected].
CHURCHES AND RELIGIONFFeebb.. 88Baha’i, interaction, fellowship and discussion. Topic: Baha’i Faith: ItsHistory and Beliefs. Speaker: Henry Miller: Educator with master’sdegree in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology. 7:30 p.m. Free. Fordirections, call 672-6686.
FUNDRAISERSFFeebb.. 22CCrraabb FFeeeeddAll-you-can-eat crab feed. Annual fundraiser by Knights of Columbus6038 to support local charities. 6 p.m. St. Bonaventure, 5562 ClaytonRoad, Concord. Must buy tickets in advance. $40. Contact PatDeplazes at 685-2573 or Art Shingleton at 849-5446.
FFeebb.. 88DDiinnnneerr aanndd AAuuccttiioonnMidnight in Havana is the theme forthis year’s fundraiser by the Friendsof Civic Arts Education Foundation toprovide supplies, equipment andscholarships for children and adultsto their programs. 6 p.m.Shadelands Auditorium, 111 N.Wiget Lane, Walnut Creek. $95-$380. friendsartsed.org. 939-2787.
FFeebb.. 99DDiinnnneerr aanndd AAuuccttiioonnHooray for Hollywood is the theme for this year’s fundraiser by theClayton Valley Charter Music Boosters to benefit the music departmentand its students. 7 p.m. CVCHS Multi-Use Room, 1101 Alberta Way,Concord. $20 before Feb. 1; $25 after. claytonbands.org.
AT THE LIBRARYThe Clayton Library is at 6125 Clayton Road. Programs are freeunless otherwise noted. claytonlibrary.org or 673-0659.
TTuueessddaayyss tthhrruu MMaarr.. 55PPaattttyy CCaakkeessStory time for babies to 3-year-olds. Child attends with caregiver. 11a.m.
WWeeddnneessddaayyssBBooookk BBuuddddiieessA volunteer will read stories for children 3 and older. 1 - 2 p.m. Callin advance.
TThhuurrssddaayyss tthhrruu MMaarr.. 77PPiiccttuurree BBooookk TTiimmeeStory time for 3- to 5-year-olds. Child may attend without caregiver.11 a.m.
SSuunnddaayyss tthhrruu FFeebb.. 2244CCoommppuutteerr SScciieennccee CClluubbIntroduction to computer science for high school students. Led by MikeFine, veteran in technology industry and member of Curriculum andInstruction Committee at CVCHS. 1 – 2:30 p.m. Contact [email protected] for more information.
JJaann.. 2288MMeeeett MMrr.. LLiinnccoollnnHistory comes to life as Kevin Weinert portrays the 16th President.Time for questions. For children in elementary and middle school.7:40 p.m.
FFeebb.. 22 –– MMaarr.. 22CChhiillll OOuutt aanndd RReeaaddFor K through 2nd graders. Pick up reading record, read 10 booksand return for a prize. Dr. Seuss read-in on Mar. 2 from 11 a.m. – 12p.m.
FFeebb.. 99SSoollaarr EEnneerrggyy BBaassiiccss ffoorr HHoommeess aanndd FFaarrmmssLearn about solar technologies and the key steps to going solar.10:30 a.m. Space is limited. Registration required. ccclib.org or 673-0659.
FFeebb.. 1111CCllaayyttoonn LLiibbrraarryy BBooookk CClluubbSunny Solomon leads the discussion of “The Absolutely True Diary of aPart-Time Indian” by Shermann Alexie. Group open to anyone whowould like to join. 7 p.m.
FFeebb.. 2200EElleeccttrroonniicc BBooookk GGaaddggeettssProgram to get you acquainted with your new gadget and take advan-tage of the library’s e-books. 7 – 8:30 p.m. Registration required.ccclib.org or 673-0659.
The Concord Library is at 2900 Salvio St. 646-5455.
JJaann.. 2255 -- 2277BBooookk SSaalleeThe Friends of the Concord Library will hold a winter book sale in thelibrary’s community room. Proceeds benefit the Concord Library. Fri.and Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sun. 1 – 3 p.m. Books from 25 cents to $1.Sunday bag of books for $3.
SCHOOLSJJaann.. 2255,, 2266““LLeenndd MMee aa TTeennoorr””Clayton Arts Academy Advanced Drama Troupe presents Ken Ludwig’shilarious comedy. 7 p.m. Clayton Valley Charter High School, Multi-use Room, 1101 Alberta Way, Concord. $5. [email protected] or 682-7474, ext. 2678.
Community CalendarPLEASE SUBMIT YOUR CLAYTON COMMUNITY CALENDAR EVENTS BY 5 P.M. JAN. 30 FOR THE FEB. 8 ISSUE. ITEMS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL TO [email protected]
Meeting dates and times for local clubs andorganizations are listed atclaytonpioneer.com. Click on ‘Events’
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There’s so much fun to behad when designing a child’sbedroom or playroom.
Whether you’re creating apretty pink palace for a prettypink princess, a visit to outerspace with alien and astronautfriends in tow, or a scenestraight out of Disney’s TheJungle Book, the creative possi-bilities for a child’s living spaceare truly endless.
If you’re looking to createan oasis customized for yourchild, first determine what sub-ject will send your child overthe moon with delight. Perhapsa visit to the zoo or toDisneyland? What about music,athletics, history or outdooractivities like boating, camping,skiing?
Once you have a theme inmind, bend and stretch theconcept to come up with some-thing well-rounded.
For example, your daughterloves, loves, loves Barbie. Noother toys will do, just Barbieand her pink Corvette andDreamhouse. Yet the idea of abedroom dedicated solely toBarbie might just push you overthe edge. Instead of premadeBarbie bedding and windowtreatments, stretch the idea intoa more sophisticated theme.Think soft pink and chocolatecolored bedding with a hint of
electric pink and basic ivorydrapery panels with a featherboa trim. Vintage Barbieposters from the ’60s could linethe walls. It’s still all Barbie, justa more refined view of the everso popular gal pal.
While bright colors are fun,electric blue or zazzle pink onall four walls can be unsettlingafter some time. Instead, usethese wild colors for bedding,beanbags or floor pillows sprin-kled around a bedroom or play-room. Just like in the rest ofyour house, wall colors are bestwhen they act as a backdrop forthe main attractions of art-work, furniture and windowtreatments.
When furniture shopping,strive to buy pieces that willgrow with your child. If you’reexpecting a child and you’re in
“nesting” mode, it’s hard to seebeyond the changing table andcrib. But babies do get bigger,and so do their clothes – andthe amount of storage you’llneed for those clothes.
Opt for furnishings withcool lines and good storageoptions, as well as pieces thatyou’ll feel comfortable modify-ing as you and your childevolve. For example, a perfectlywhite changing table could befestive if painted with denimblue and lime green stripes foryour son’s bedroom down theroad.
Jennifer Leischer is the owner ofJ. Designs Interior Design based inClayton. Contact her with questions,comments and suggestions [email protected].
January 25, 2013 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 15
If you want to learn tolove better, you should startwith a friend who you hate.Nikka, 6
My mommy loves memore than anybody. Youdon’t see anyone else kissingme to sleep at night.Clare, 6
You really shouldn’t say “Ilove you” unless you mean it.But, if you mean it, youshould say it a lot. Peopleforget. Jessica, 8
And finally, from a 4-year-old whose elderlyneighbor had just lost hiswife. When the child sawthe man crying, he went overto the man’s yard andclimbed on his lap and justsat there. When the boy’smother asked him what he’dsaid to the neighbor, the lit-tle boy said, “Nothing, I justhelped him cry.”
If you want toknow about love,just ask a child
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It was all glitz and glamouras the 34th annual ShellieAwards descended upon WalnutCreek’s Lesher Center for theArts on Jan. 12.
Those in attendance donnedsparkling gowns, oh-so-highheels and creative tuxedos asartists and administrators oflocal theater renewed old friend-ships and, if up for an award,tried not to look too nervous.
The ceremony recognizesthe abundant talent in the localtheater community, with 11companies (Butterfield 8, CenterRepertory, Contra CostaMusical Theatre, Diablo Actors’Ensemble, Diablo TheatreCompany, Onstage Theatre,Pittsburg Community Theatre,Role Players Ensemble, Town
Hall Theatre, the VagabondPlayers and the WillowsTheatre) vying for the coveted“Shellie.”
Founded 33 years ago by theLesher Center’s current manag-ing director Scott Denison, theShellie Awards are named afterthe walnut warehouse where
nuts were shelled every summer.The warehouse became a the-ater that was eventually torndown and replaced by theLesher Center.
This year’s black-tie eventfeatured production numbersfrom each of the nominated
musicals, along with scenesfrom each of the nominatedplays. Ken Bergmann conductedthe Shellie Awards Orchestra,with the talented Jeff Collister,Jerry Motta, Kerri Shawn andMichael White adding panacheas the MCs.
Center Repertory tallied the
most wins with nine Shellies.Unfortunately, the WillowsTheatre Company came awayempty-handed. Forced to closelast year after 37 years of pro-viding quality theater to audi-ences in Concord and Martinez,the Willows put on many inno-vative shows and a ShellieAward would have been a fittingtribute.
Those receiving this year’sShellie’s included (musical win-ners followed by plays) actress:Brittany Danielle (Xanadu,Center Rep) and GinnyWehrmeister (Pygmalion, TownHall); actor: Robert Brewer(Little Shop of Horrors, CCMT)and Mark Anderson Phillips(Rumors, Center Rep); support-ing actress: Lynda DiVito(Legally Blonde, the Musical, DTC)and Kerri Shawn (Rumors,Center Rep); supporting actor:Derek Travis Collard (LittleShop, CCMT) and Kevin Burns(Laughter on the 23rd Floor, PCT);scenic designer: Kelly Tighe(Smokey Joe’s Café, Center Rep)and Martin Flynn (Picasso at theLapin Agile, Town Hall); cos-tuming: Victoria Livingston-
Hall (Xanadu, Center Rep) andLiz Martin (The Tempest,Butterfield 8) and Michael Berg(Rumors, Center Rep); lightingdesigner: Michael Palumbo(Legally Blonde, DTC) and ChrisCuptill (Picasso, Town Hall);director: Gia Solari (LegallyBlonde, DTC) and TimothyNear (Rumors, Center Rep);choreographer: Jennifer Perry(Xanadu, Center Rep); musicdirector: Sean Kana (LegallyBlonde, DTC); and overall pro-duction: Legally Blonde, DTCand “Rumors,” Center Rep.
In addition, several theatercompanies presentedOutstanding Contribution tothe Arts awards: Butterfield 8,Maureen Theresa Williams;Diablo Actors’ Ensemble,Michelle Hoselton; DiabloTheatre Company, Ellen Smith;Pittsburg Community Theatre,Dianna Schepers; the VagabondPlayers, the Pitak family; and theWillows Theatre Company,Dennis Woodard.
Next year’s Shellie Awardstake place Jan. 11, 2014 withtickets going on sale on Nov. 5.
Center REPertory Com-pany’s first show of 2013 is aninspirational story of a youngpianist and an aging vocalteacher who together must finda way to break through theirpasts.
Hoping to reconnect withhis music and shatter the artisticblock that’s plagued his career, ayoung piano prodigy ventures toVienna in the spring of 1986.He is assigned to an elderlyvocal teacher who assigns himthe “Dichterliebe” song cycle byRobert Schumann. Starring DanHiatt and Patrick Russel, thisstory of two very different menwhose only common bond istheir music was nominated forthe Pulitzer Prize in drama. Itwas written by Jon Marans andis directed by Jessica Heidt.
The show opens Feb. 5 andplays through Mar. 2. All per-formances of “Old WickedSongs” will be at the LesherCenter for the Arts, 1601 CivicDrive, Walnut Creek. For show-times and tickets go toCenterREP.org or call
925.943.SHOW (7469). Ticketsare also on sale at the LesherCenter box office, 1601 CivicDrive; Ticket Office Outlets atBarnes & Noble in WalnutCreek and the DowntownWalnut Creek Library.
What if the Buddha were awoman? And if she were alivetoday, would the world view herlife and teachings differently?
The Fourth Messenger, a capti-vating new musical, imagines amodern-day “awakened one”named Mama Sid. When Raina,a young woman on a mission toreveal Mama Sid’s hidden past,arrives in her ashram, Sid’scarefully constructed worldstarts to fall apart.
“For years, I’ve been drawnto the legend of SiddharthaGautama. It’s such a mythic,archetypal journey, but I knewI had to find my own way intothe story,” said playwrightTanya Shaffer. “It wasn’t goingto be some historical pageant.It had to be urgent, contempo-rary, immediate.”
Shaffer’s last play, “Baby
Taj,” was a critical success in theBay Area. She collaborated withpopular singer/songwriterVienna Teng to create Messenger.This world premiere marks thefirst musical theater project forTeng, a beloved indie recordingartist. The score features her sig-nature contemporary pop sensi-bility with a heightened theatri-cality.
Broadway’s Matt Augustdirects. At once epic and inti-mate, comic and profound,Messenger explores what itmeans to be both enlightenedand human.
The Fourth Messenger playsFeb. 6-March 10 at the AshbyStage, 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley.For more information, visit the-fourthmessenger.com.
Join the actors at Butterfield8 in Concord on Friday, January18, for a staged reading of theshort story “Bernice Bobs HerHair.”
While visiting her beautiful,alluring cousin Marjorie, in theheat of a Wisconsin summer inthe Roaring ‘20s, Bernice looksfor a way to launch herself intoadulthood. Marjorie suggestssomething outrageous andunheard of — bobbing her hair.
This tongue-in-cheek, com-
ing-of-age story by F. ScottFitzgerald was adapted for thestage and is directed by JeanButterfield.
The performance is a one-night-only fundraiser on Jan. 18at 8 p.m. at Cue Productions,1835 Colfax St., Concord.Tickets are $25 and includecomplimentary beverages andhors d’oeuvres. For tickets, goto b8company.com, call BrownPaper Tickets at (800) 838-3006or buy at the door.
CenterRep leads the pack atsnazzy 34th Annual Shellie Awards
Page 16 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 25, 2013
Performing Arts
SALLY HOGARTY
Special to the Pioneer
Butterfield 8 roars into 2013with staged reading of vintageF. Scott Fitzgerald story
� Kevin Schmidt, Clayton Resident � Family Owned and Operated 925-822-5144
CenterREP’s ‘Old WickedSongs’ to kick off new year
Singers WantedLove to sing? Have Monday nights free? Take note that there are
two organizations welcoming new members to share this passionand have fun.
Diablo Women’s Chorale is preparing for its spring program,“Rollin’ on the River,” featuring mostly American songs in the jazz,rock, pop, gospel and folk traditions. Rehearsals are every Mondaynight from 7 to 9 p.m. at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 399 WigetLane, Walnut Creek. Call Director Mary Sorenson at 256-8961 fora placement audition. For more information, go to diablowomen-schorale.org.
The Walnut Creek Chorus performs two concerts each seasonalong with a few sing-outs. Under the direction of Suzie Peterson,the chorus performs music from Bach to Broadway with a little jazzthrown in. Rehearsals are every Monday from 7 to 9 p.m. atTrinity Lutheran Church, 2317 Buena Vista Ave., in Walnut Creek.There is no formal audition. For more information, contact [email protected].
Photo by David Allen.
WORLD-RENOWNED SPIRITUAL TEACHER MAMA SID (AnnemariaRajala, left) and young journalist Raina (Anna Ishida) in theworld premiere of The Fourth Messenger.
DAN HIATT AS Professor JosefMashkan and Patrick Russellas young pianist StephenHoffman struggle to findcommon ground in “OldWicked Songs” opening Feb.5 at the Lesher Center.
Diablo Ballet of Californiawill become the first profession-al dance company to create anentirely new dance work fromideas suggested by internetusers. “The Web Ballet” will bebased on choreography sugges-tions submitted by individualsall around the world to DiabloBallet’s Twitter page@DiabloBallet and performedMarch 1, 2 at Shadelands ArtCenter in Walnut Creek.
To pass on your suggestionsfor specific moves, emotions ormood, use the Twitter hashtag#DiabloWebBallet. Or, vote forthe music from three selectionson Diablo Ballet’s YouTubepage at youtube.com/user/dia-bloballet.
“Diablo Ballet is proud ofmaking dance accessible, andthis concept will allow people toparticipate in the creative
Those who submit the win-ning suggestions will receivetickets to the performance and aphoto from the created work.
Diablo Ballet is recognizednationally for its use of socialmedia to make dance accessible.Last March, it became the firstprofessional West Coast dancecompany to invite people totweet live during a performance.
Since 1993, Diablo Ballethas been a professional, award-winning dance company in theSan Francisco Bay Area, pre-senting classical dance worksalong with innovative worldpremieres. For more informa-tion about Diablo Ballet, go todiabloballet.org. Click on thePerformances link for detailsabout the web program.
Mike Kirwan
CAST MEMBERS OF THE WILLOWS PRODUCTION OF “ANYTHING GOES” perform “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” atthe Shellie Awards ceremony at the Lesher Center on Jan. 12.
Robert Sokol
MEMBERS OF DIABLO THEATRE COMPANY DISPLAY THEIR AWARDS forthe company’s production of “Legally Blonde, the Musical”From left, Gia Solari, Best Director; Daren Carollo, ArtisticDirector; and Krissy Gray, Managing Director.
Diablo Ballet Companyuses social media to helpcreate ‘Internet’ ballet
Ashby Stage’s ‘Messenger’features a modern Buddha
“There is a touch of divinity evenin brutes, and a special halo about ahorse, that should forever exempt himfrom indignities.”
– Herman Melville
Author Herman Melville’swords resonate with anyonewho has ever loved a horse.Sadly, not everyone who hasowned a horse has read Melville.
Take Charley – a dude ranchhorse with a sore back. Hestumbled once and it cost himhis job and his home. Clearly, hisowner was not a Melville fan.
And whoever dumped BobMarley on a feedlot when hewas 30 wasn’t seeing Melville’s“special halo.”
When you’re Charley or BobMarley and the slaughterhouseis the next stop, where can yougo?
Well, if you’re a horse with abit of luck on your side, you willfind yourself at the RockingHorse Ranch with plenty to eat,tender hands to brush and batheand, possibly, a new “forever”home in sight.
HELPING RESTORE DIGNITY
Nine years ago, PeggyHetlage and her sister BethKennalley each had their ownhomes, full-time jobs and a han-kerin’ for horses. They dreamedof owning land where theycould give sanctuary tofoundered horses, providingcare, medication and a “digni-fied” end when the time came.They sold their homes, threw intogether and bought RockingHorse Ranch, eight acres atop ahill overlooking MorganTerritory Road. It’s a placewhere the old and unwantedwear “a special halo.”
Their first rescue came quiteby accident. As soon as theylocated their property, Peggyand Beth went looking for a rid-ing pony for Beth’s daughter.What they found was Sally, a 20-year-old pregnant mare withCushing’s Disease whose legswould barely hold her up.
“The owner was dumb on astick,” Peggy said. “He wouldbeat her to get her to stand up.”
The ranch was still in escrow,but they brought Sally homeanyway. She delivered a monthlater and died just last summer.Her baby, Rocky, is now the“pride of Rocking HorseRanch.”
AN EXPANDED MISSION
The sisters’ original missionwas the rescue and rehabilitationof foundered horses, those withlaminitis (a painful hoof disease)and equine Cushing’s disease, adisease similar to diabetes. So,they named their dreamFounders Rehab Ranch.
But over the years, theyfound that older horses, preg-nant mares and horses requiringextra care or handling were end-
ing up on feedlots. Their visionexpanded and so did their resi-dent population. And theychanged their name – fromFounders Rehab to RockingHorse Ranch, which Peggy sayssounds “more like a sanctuary.”
Since 2005, 67 horses havefound a home – either perma-nent or temporary – at RockingHorse. Many of these weretreated, loved and trained intogood health and have made fineriding horses for adoptive fami-lies. Today, 19 horses still callRocking Horse Ranch home.Ten of these are sanctuary res-cues and will live out their daysat the ranch. The other nine arein various stages of training andare all adoptable.
Horses are not the only res-cues that have found their way tothe top of the hill. Goats, sheepand chickens also add to the mix.Last June, Walter, a fuzzy lambfrom Brentwood, joined thegoats and sheep that share a penand a playground. Walter was a
sad by-product of a senior prankat Brentwood High that saw 45students suspended.
TEENS LEND A
HELPING HAND
Both Peggy and Beth stillhave full-time jobs. Peggy is insales and Beth is a pediatricsnurse with medical training andknowledge which she puts tofull use at Rocking Horse. Thetwo financially support theranch with help from donorsand occasional grants. A $4,000feed grant from the AmericanSociety for the Prevention ofCruelty to Animals last monthwill go a long way toward fillingbellies through the winter.
The sisters run the operationwith the help of TressaOverfield, a board member wholives on the property, one full-time ranch hand, Beth’s daugh-ter Jordan and three interns:Kyra Ortiz, Skyler Seeno and
Contractors Lic #879423
Arborist Lic WE-7372A
January 25, 2013 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 17
See Horses, page 18
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Ranchers help horses that others have cast aside
THE LADIES OF THE RANCH, Sunday, Utopia, Sissy and Taffy, all over 30, are the senior women at Rocking Horse Ranch, asanctuary on Morgan Territory Road for aging horses and those with special needs.
TAMARA STEINER
Clayton Pioneer
KYRA AND BIG BOB
Jordan Deely, all juniors andmembers of the Public ServiceAcademy at Clayton ValleyCharter High School.
This is Kyra’s third year vol-unteering on the ranch. Shespends hours each week groom-ing, feeding and exercising thehorses.
“I love seeing the horsesgrow and get better,” she said,snuggling up to Big Bob, the olddraft horse who’s been on theranch for seven years.
The goal is for the ranch tobecome self supporting so thesisters can devote full time tocaring for the horses. Several
grant applications look promis-ing and they are planning afundraiser trail ride this summer.They hope that a series of clin-ics for farriers (horseshoers) inthe coming months will helpgenerate income.
To donate, sponsor a horse or formore information on the ranch, go tohttp://founderrehab.wordpress.comor visit them on Facebook at FounderRehab.
It’s exciting to see that thetulip magnolia trees around townand in the nursery are already inbud. Even though the weatherhas been chilly, many plants arepreparing for the day that theirbuds become the flowers that weadmire.
Tulip magnolia trees aresome of the most sought aftertrees in our Clayton Valleycommunity. When the fantastic,saucer-shaped flowers open,garden lovers begin to swoon.This ornamental tree lendsitself beautifully to Asian andcottage-style. gardens.
Over the past few years,availability of the tulip magno-lias has been slim. This year,though, there is a good selectionin the sizes that our residentslike to plant.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SUN
The trees that we call tulip
magnolias are really deciduousmagnolia trees. The tulip namedescribes the shape of theflower. These trees are very tol-erant to Clayton Valley weather,desiring full sun and at least sixhours of afternoon sun a day.
They create vertical interestin a landscape or garden. Thetrees are stunning in the springand then take a backseat to therest of the landscape during thesummer.
When planting, prepare ahole that is twice the width ofthe tree’s container and one anda half times the depth. Mix arich soil condition with the
native soil when installing. Takesome time to loosen the treesroots. It should be planted look-ing like it was never in a contain-er. Once properly planted, thistree has few needs other thanregular water.
INTERESTING PYRAMID SHAPE
Magnolia Liliiflora Nigra isone of the most recognizableselections of tulip magnolia.The blossom has that familiarsaucer shape. Rosy, pinkish-pur-ple flowers cover this largeornamental tree in the springbefore the leaves emerge.Magnolia Nigra can reach 20feet tall, or more, and 10-12 feetwide.
This tree isn’t the typical treeshape but rather pyramidal withlow branching. Install MagnoliaNigra on a slope or hill. It wouldalso be great planted on the out-skirts of a landscape. If youhave a large area, a group ofthese beauties would make abreathtaking impact when inbloom.
This tree would benefit fromevergreen companion plantingslike Loropetalum, EscalloniaMatsuda’s Compacta andElectric Pink Cordyline.
A CARTOON-LIKE QUALITY
Leonard Messel and RoyalStar are selections of tulip mag-nolia trees with flower petalsthat are less cup-shaped andnarrow. They have a spectacularDr. Seuss-style appeal.
Leonard Messel has pinkpetals with creamy centers,while the Royal Star is a purewhite. These flowers look toounique to be true, almost car-toon-like.
Both Leonard Messel andRoyal Star mature to a smallersize than the Nigra. You canexpect these selections to reach10-12 feet tall and about half as
wide. Either of these treeswould be great near a patio orcourtyard.
Again, pair this tree withevergreen companions, prefer-ably a summer bloomer.Consider Penstemon, dwarflavender or Sunset Gold Breathof Heaven.
Look at your garden andlandscape to see if you have anyroom for one of these charmingornamental trees.
Page 18 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 25, 2013
Nicole is the Garden Girl at R&MPool, Patio, Gifts and Garden. Contacther with questions or comments at [email protected]
NICOLE HACKETT
GARDEN GIRL
Tulip trees a refreshing burst of spring
Horses, from page 17
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Pioneer Photo Album
The Pioneer is proudto spotlight ourreaders’ photos.Email your photo in ahigh-resolutionformat to [email protected] a description ofthe photo, where andwhen it was takenand a little aboutwhy you like it.Include your nameand phone number.Then look for it in the next Pioneer.
Lisa York’s poodle, Snookie, heads to Cup ‘O Jo on Main Streetfor an early morning chai soy latte.
