Those attending the District 1 event will have the opportunity to hear from Chief Ford and meet several of the city’s officers. The two-hour community forum will be at Contra Loma Estates park at 1203 Sycamore Drive.

Earlier in the day on Sycamore Drive, police responded to calls about a possible shooting near Peppertree Way just after 10:45 a.m. A man, who suffered at least one gunshot wound, was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. It was the city’s first homicide of the year.

The police department plans to hold community forums in each district, rotating them throughout the year.

In limited initial details, a police spokesperson said officers responded to Sycamore Drive near Peppertree Way just after 10:45 a.m. for a report of a possible shooting.

A victim found suffering from at least one gunshot wound was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police did not share any suspect or vehicle descriptions Tuesday afternoon. The shooting is the city’s first homicide of the year. According to reporting by this news organization, Antioch police investigated eight homicides in 2022.

Anyone with information may call Antioch police’s non-emergency line at 925-778-2441, or may text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

Check back for updates.

Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.

National Weather Service predictions showed calm, chilly air Tuesday in the Bay Area. Highs in the mid-50s were consistent throughout, with San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland each expected to top out at 55 degrees. Overnight temperatures could drop to the mid-30s, however, accompanied by calm winds and a dry, rainless night.

Those showers should diminish by Thursday, however, as temperatures were forecast to drop to highs in the low 50s before slowly rising to the high 50s by Saturday, giving the Bay Area its first completely dry weekend of 2023.

Mayor Lamar Thorpe had first proposed the new expenditure at a council meeting in mid-December, but the item was delayed to allow the staff time to draft three separate proposals for three part-time positions: one to assist the mayor, and two to aid two council members each.

At $18.53 to $25 an hour, the new positions would cost the city $45,000 to $65,000 annually, with money coming from the general fund.

Currently, the city manager’s secretary provides such help to the council and mayor. The new employees would help to prepare and file documents, keep records and perform receptionist duties, according to the staff report.

Residents had mixed reactions to the idea of the new positions at Friday’s special council meeting.

“I believe that if a council member works a full-time job somewhere else and has either underage children or a senior or somebody that they’re responsible for, then they should have the opportunity for an assistant to help with some of the city business,” Leslie May said.

Melissa Case said she was concerned because other city positions are unfilled.

“Why are we filling assistants when our other positions that we really need on city staff aren’t filled?”

Bur Edgar Martinez suggested the city consider creating internships instead of permanent positions.

“We have a local college here, Los Medanos, and I think that we need to give opportunities to students who are focused on … political science or whatever,” he said. “I mean, to help them get  their foot in the door.”

Mayor ProTem Tamisha Torres-Walker agreed, though at first she had wanted a part-time secretary.

“This was my idea,” she said. “I was like, hey, this government has not caught up to the growth of this city. And there needs to be something done, and council people often need support to return those phone calls and those emails and attend those very important county, statewide and federal meetings, to be able to draw down resources to be able to govern effectively.”

However, she has since changed her mind, Torres-Walker said.

“The right direction will be internships,” she said. “It will be internships, not just because people might be upset that we create more positions – because more positions will be created, especially for a city that’s growing and in need of high-functioning government – but because they should be positions that young people and young adults who live in this city have an opportunity to become public policy interns or fellows to learn to work in local government.”

Though Antioch has never offered separate administrative support for the mayor or council members, a check of other similar-sized cities shows it’s not unusual. In Richmond, the mayor has a handful of assistants, while council members share one liaison but sometimes seek interns or part-time help.

In nearby Concord, the city council members and mayor receive support from the city manager’s administrative assistant but may temporarily hire more assistants to help, while in smaller-sized Brentwood, the council members and mayor get help from the city manager’s assistant.

Even so, Thorpe, who has worked with interns in the past, said he preferred a permanent position.

“We get them trained … but the frustrating thing is they (later) leave,” he said of the college interns.

City Attorney Thomas Smith pointed out, however, that there are legal differences between the secretary and intern positions, and the council agreed to revisit the matter once those nuances are laid out.

The council also briefly discussed a possible 16% council pay raise — 5% for each of four years — would take effect in 2025, but the item did not move forward.

The last time council members approved a raise was in 2019 – the first one in 13 years – which took effect in 2021, raising the salaries to $1,604 monthly. Each year the council must consider the matter according to city rules, the mayor said.

Thorpe was in favor of an increase, but Torres-Walker and Councilwoman Monica Wilson indicated they were not. Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock had previously voted against a raise and Councilman Mike Barbanica was absent.

The declaration provides the cities with access to federal, state and county storm resources.

In Antioch, City Manager Cornelius Johnson declared a state of emergency on Thursday and the City Council approved the proclamation a day later.

Antioch officials on Friday estimated costs associated with the local emergency at nearly $4 million, which does not include the weekend’s storm that partially closed Deer Valley Road and caused damage elsewhere.

Antioch also canceled the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service in anticipation of more storm cleanup work that would be needed, Mayor Lamar Thorpe said in a video statement on Facebook on Thursday.

“While we’ve properly managed the response to these unprecedented storms, they have not been without damage to critical infrastructure like Delta Fair Boulevard or the Fulton Shipyard,” Thorpe said. “At this point, conservatively speaking, we estimate about $4 million in damages. I know that figure will continue to grow as more storms hit our area.”

In Pittsburg, meanwhile, City Manager Garrett Evans declared a state of emergency on Jan. 11 as staff worked in shifts to respond to flooding, downed trees, road damages, and other health and safety emergency calls. Estimated costs were not yet available.

On Monday morning, Harbor Street was still closed from Yosemite Drive to Greystone Place, where water flooded the street and sidewalks and some house and apartment evacuations took place as rain pummeled the area overnight, filling up nearby Kirker Creek. Residents of some 19 homes and four units in the Fox Creek Apartment complex were asked to evacuate and 12 persons were rescued via boat, according to Evans.

In an online statement late Monday, Evans said public works crews will be onsite through the week “to monitor and address water levels to ensure public safety.”

“With the current break in the weather, the water in Kirker Creek is expected to recede below maximum capacity,” he said.

In addition to flooding streets, the extreme weather compromised a 20-foot-high retaining wall and downed four 30-foot trees in Pittsburg, according to the staff report.

Check back for updates.

Little Free Libraries have sprung up across the Bay Area in recent years in curbside boxes that are as unique as their stewards, from a Victorian steampunk-style version in San Jose to a midcentury mod in Pinole. They’re not outliers, either. The nonprofit that promotes these little book-filled houses has registered more than 150,000 throughout the world.

The idea began in 2009, when Todd H. Bol erected a book-sharing box outside his home in Hudson, Wisconsin. Word spread. Soon, other book lovers began making their own curbside libraries. By 2012, the Little Free Library had incorporated as a nonprofit to promote and inspire neighborhood book exchanges.

The goal is simple: Encourage literacy and the joy of reading by providing free access to books of all kinds. Stewards of the curbside libraries implore their visitors to take a book and to leave one, too. You can keep a book for as long as you like, then pass it along to a friend, return it to the library or replace it with a different one. No one is standing guard or levying late fines.

The Bay Area has hundreds of Little Free Libraries scattered through neighborhoods in every city. You can find a Little Free Library — or the inspiration to create one yourself — via littlefreelibrary.org. Meanwhile, let us introduce you to some of the stewards in Bay Area neighborhoods.

The Victorian steampunk library

Michael and Lori Tierney, 368 N. 64th St., San Jose

Established: 2014

Michael and Lori are both chemists, although Michael is semi-retired. Their Little Free Library, built by Michael with a nod to steampunk and San Jose’s Hensley Historic District, was one of the first 2,000 libraries registered. It’s officially No. 1,878.

“My wife and I both love libraries and books,” Michael says, “and we thought it would be a neat thing to do.”

The couple put stickers in each book that passes through the library, and have so far seen more than 7,000 books come and go.

A few years ago, the library was vandalized — twice — and Michael considered taking it down. When neighbors heard, they rallied behind the little library, encouraging him to continue it and donating money for repairs and books to restock. Michael needed no other convincing.

What’s in the library: At the moment, options include “Hey Ranger 2: More True Tales of Humor & Misadventure from the Great Outdoors” by Jim Burnett, “Red Storm Rising” by Tom Clancy and “CMOS VLSI Design” by M.S. Suma.

A cottage of books

Gillianna Diaz, 430 Boulder Drive, Antioch

Established: 2020

Gillianna’s Blessing Library, contained in a cottage-style box, is the work of 13-year-old Gillianna Diaz, a seventh grader at Antioch’s Holy Rosary Catholic school. Gillianna has always wanted to help others in her community. When she learned about the Little Free Libraries, she told her mother she wanted to open one.

To raise funds for the library, Gillianna used the money she’d earned doing chores to buy chocolates that she sold outside her house, lemonade stand-style. When word got out about what she was trying to do, people from all over Antioch began contributing. She raised $500 in three days.

Sticks and Stones Creations, a local company that does custom carpentry, offered to make Gillianna’s library box on two conditions: that she help build it and that she donate the money she would have paid for the box to charity. No problem. Gillianna enjoyed learning how to build the box. Already a volunteer for Hijas Del Campo, a group that assists migrant farm workers, she used the money to purchase Christmas baskets for the workers and their families.

Although Gillianna has struggled with her own reading, she recognizes the importance of books and literacy, says her proud mother, Nereida Sarat.

What’s in the library: “Dune” by Frank Herbert, “A Feast for Crows” by George R.R. Martin, “Moby-Dick” by Herman Melville

The Miniature House

Rynn Liana Boyden, 263 Sullivan Court, Pleasanton

Established: February 2022

When COVID shut down communities, many people found themselves with a lot of free time. Rynn, a barista who attends Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, began taking walks around their neighborhood, which boasts several Little Free Libraries.

An avid reader, Rynn decided to open their own library. Embarking on a little research beforehand, Rynn checked out all the libraries they could find, taking note of the style of the box, the colors used and the selection of books inside. They borrowed a book from each library to include in theirs, then purchased a custom-made box from Etsy, painting and decorating it to match their own suburban home.

The library is stocked with Rynn’s own favorite books and those they purchased thrifting.

“Reading is very important for our community. I love doing it,” Rynn says. “I think (this) is also a good place for people to donate books and to share what they read.”

What’s in the library: “Richard Scarry’s Best Storybook Ever” by Richard Scarry, “A Light in the Attic” by Shel Silverstein, “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins

The Midcentury Modern Library

Nicole Botha, 960 Barkley Court, Pinole

Established: 2020

Nicole was still a newcomer to Pinole when she came across her first Little Free Library. She thought it was not only a great idea in general, but a good way to get to know her neighbors and become part of the community.

“I’ve lived in areas where I never got to know my neighbors,” she says. The Little Free Library “has been a bright spot for the community.”

Nicole and her husband built the library box themselves, giving it a midcentury modern feel, and keep it well stocked with help from random donations, including boxes of books left alongside the library.

What’s in the library: “Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Tough Stuff: Stories of Tough Times and Lessons Learned” by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, “A Time for Mercy” by John Grisham; “Port Mortuary” by Patricia Cornwell

The Eagle Project

Brian Coons, 557 Kahrs Ave., Pleasant Hill

Established: 2018

The Little Free Library outside Pleasant Hill’s Episcopal Church of the Resurrection is one of the larger libraries in the area, with six shelves packed with a variety of books. The library box was an Eagle Scout project done by then College Park High student Brian, who did all the planning, fundraising, construction and initial stocking of the library.

Now that Brian is at UC Davis, his dad, Richard Coons, has taken over stewardship of the library. He says it is organic and pretty much takes care of itself. People take books and drop off books. The shelves always are filled, and Richard just keeps an eye on it to make sure nothing is amiss.

What’s in the library: “Treasure Island” by Robert Lewis Stevenson, “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown, “Dancing in the Light” by Shirley MacLaine

Little Free Libraries by the numbers

Some 250 million books have been shared through registered Little Free Libraries, profoundly increasing book access for readers of all ages and backgrounds.

More than 1,500 Little Free Libraries have been opened at no cost in communities where they are needed most, through the organization’s Impact Library Program.

Eleven cities have adopted the Read in Color initiative, which has distributed more than 30,000 diverse books celebrating BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized voices, and other communities have joined the Native American initiative to provide books on reservations.

Worldwide, 115 countries have joined the Little Free Library network.

Downpours triggered the release of millions of gallons of raw sewage mixed with rainwater across the region in just two weeks, spilling contaminated water into dozens of rivers, creeks and ultimately into the ocean and San Francisco Bay, according to a Bay Area News Group analysis of 88 reports to the state’s Office of Emergency Services.

“Flooded waters contain pathogens,” warned Eileen White, executive officer for the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. “If you touch flood waters, you want to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water to make sure that you don’t get yourself exposed.”

When sewage flows into homes and businesses, expensive remediation and decontamination is needed to make them safe again. Overflows also may have dangerous consequences for the environment, because human waste, pharmaceuticals, shampoos and other harmful products are flushed down drains and toilets.

In one incident, the Martinez Refinery Company reported releasing more than six million gallons of storm and wastewater into the Carquinez Strait estuary, which drains into the San Francisco Bay, on Jan. 4, according to state records. The discharge of partially treated “process water” and storm water was necessary to avoid damage to the refinery, the company reported.

Dozens of other smaller incidents were caused by open manhole covers, broken pipes and overwhelmed treatment facilities, from Corte Madera to Woodside and Half Moon Bay to Pleasanton.

State records show that between Dec. 31 and Jan. 3, a total of more than 14 million gallons of sewage were discharged in the San Francisco Bay region, enough to fill 21 Olympic-sized swimming pools, according to White. The Jan. 4 storm triggered the release of another 8 million gallons, or 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

More recent releases are still being tallied. Experts say the total volume is likely to be much larger than current estimates because the chaotic circumstances surrounding these emergency flooding situations mean it’s nearly impossible to accurately evaluate the true scale and impact of sewage contamination.

Like bridges or skyscrapers designed to bear certain weights, stormwater management systems are designed within the limits of weather — and can’t handle the intensity of storms that might happen only every decade or two.

In dry times, waste from homes and businesses is whisked immediately away to wastewater-treatment plants, never to be seen, smelled or considered again.

But two weeks of near-constant storms have stressed the system, as heavy rainfall and flooding infiltrate sewer pipes.

“We saw 13 times our average wastewater flows,” said Andrea Pook of East Bay Municipal Utilities District.

Most of the releases were caused when storm water backs up into the streets, flowing up through drains or manhole covers forced open by the overwhelming volume of high-pressure torrents, the reports show.

In Redwood City, a manhole overflow sent polluted water into Borel Creek at a rate of 150 gallons per minute. In San Mateo, 100 to 150 gallons per minute flowed into a storm drain that empties into Polhemus Creek. About 50 gallons a minute were dumped into Sonoma Creek. In Oakland, the overflow of three manholes spilled 25,000 gallons into Lake Merritt.

When a sewage lift station in Daly City overflowed because of stormwater, 35,950 gallons of waste were released into the Pacific Ocean. The rupture of a main treatment line in Moss Beach also caused a spill into the ocean. In Pacifica, an overflowing pump station caused 20,000 gallons to be discharged at Linda Mar Beach.  About 34,000 gallons were released in Menlo Park’s Belle Haven neighborhood when a West Bay Sanitary treatment plant couldn’t keep up with the flow.

In Richmond, the West County Wastewater facility pumped sewage directly into the San Francisco Bay, according to a Jan. 11 report.  “It is unknown how long the releasing will be going for,” it said.

Three discharges into Oakland’s San Leandro Creek, Barnhill Marina and an estuary at the foot of Alice Street originated from the East Bay Municipal Utility District’s “overflow structures,” which are designed to discharge water in high-flow conditions.

Farther south, a sewage treatment plant was flooded Friday when the Salinas River rushed over the banks of a levee. Percolation ponds in the city of Templeton also were flooded, sending 300,000 gallons into the river.

Mother Nature is wreaking additional chaos. In Oakland, a tree fell on the sewer line, causing 5,100 gallons of sewage to be released into Sausal Creek. In Crockett, a hillside eroded and collapsed — causing a pipe to break and release 2,700 gallons. When debris blocked a sewer conduit, about 10,000 gallons overflowed into a drain that leads to Oakland’s Lake Temescal.

Records show that a single day — Dec. 31, New Year’s Eve — was responsible for the largest number of reports to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, with 51 discharges in different Bay Area cities.

On that morning alone, there were 15 sewage discharges in 12 cities: Hillsborough, Woodside, San Bruno, Daly City, Pacifica, Burlingame, Half Moon Bay, San Lorenzo, Richmond, Piedmont, Oakland and Daly City.  By midnight, there were an additional 36 discharges in 25 cities: Alameda, Oakland, San Mateo, Richmond, Pacifica, Martinez, El Granada, Montara, Pittsburg, Corte Madera, San Francisco, Antioch, Redwood City, Dublin, San Leandro, Albany, Berkeley, Woodside, Vallejo, Menlo Park, Benicia, Sausalito, Pleasanton, Foster City and Hayward.

The problem isn’t new, said Sejal Choksi-Chugh, executive director of San Francisco Baykeeper, a nonprofit focused on the health of the San Francisco Bay. But the constant rain has exacerbated the issue.

“Over the years, and typically every time it rains, we see sewage spills in the streets and wastewater overflows,” she said. “But the back-to-back-to-back-to-back major storm events is causing a continuous discharge. That’s what is new.”

With continued population growth, the demands on our sewer systems have increased, say experts. Meanwhile, more development leads to more asphalt and cement, so the bulk of the rainfall ends up in our sewage systems.  And our wastewater pipes, often made of clay, are aging, so water infiltrates through cracks and gaps.

The rate at which the urban Bay Area is adapting to these threats is lagging behind the speed at which rain is drowning it, said Choksi-Chugh.  Cities need to invest in replacing pipes and upgrading wastewater treatment systems to increase storage capacity and install more recycling technologies, she said. Cities also could incentivize homeowners to replace old pipes through grants or low-interest loans.

“Our old infrastructure is just not going to be up to snuff,” Choksi-Chugh said. “It’s not going to be able to handle these larger storm events, year upon year. So we really need to be thinking about the future.”

Located just north of Antioch and south of Rio Vista, Brannan Island State Recreation Area is part of a maze of waterways and marshes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta long popular for boating, fishing, swimming and camping.

And though its picnic tables and campsites surrounded by mighty oaks and towering eucalyptus trees sit empty now, Clint Elsholz, state Diablo Range District acting superintendent, knows that the park will soon be filling up.

“(Since the pandemic), parks have seen a big spike in attendance,” said Elsholz, who oversees the 336-acre site. “People want to be outdoors, so I expect the campgrounds to be very popular over the summer.”

Last March, American Land & Leisure, which operated the park since 2013, opted not to renew its lease with State Parks, effectively shutting down the park much to the dismay of its longtime users. Elsholz said park officials scrambled to reassign workers and reopen the popular boat launch last June, but only on weekends, while they looked for a concessionaire to replace the Utah property management company.

Elsholz thanked the public for its patience while waiting for a new operator. He added that he was “excited for the new partnership” with Park Delta Bay of Isleton to bring camping and day-use opportunities back to Brannan Island. Reservations for the 136 campsites – both tent and RV hookups in five different areas and a rustic cabin – were being taken as of the first of the year.

Park Delta Bay operates an RV and tiny house resort just down the road, about six miles from Brannan Island State Recreation Area, and Esholz said he believed the company would do well restoring the state recreation area, which first opened in 1952.

“He (owner Eric Chiu) has vision,” Elsholz said, noting that adding a bait store – the first ever at the site – should be a welcome amenity for visitors.

Hap’s Bait and Tackle, a longtime Rio Vista store, was forced to close recently and will be reopening at the park.

“He (Chiu) is going to put it in as part of the experience at the park, and that’s the kind of vision that will bring people out,” Elsholz said. “It’s pretty exciting. It’s something that’s important to the locals.”

Chiu could not be reached for comment but his park managers Chris and Billie Logan, who are doing much of hands-on work sprucing up the park, were optimistic about its future and said getting the bait shop up and running was “the first order of business.” Chris Logan estimated it would open “in a couple of weeks.”

The couple managed the park for three years before leaving last spring, but were excited to return when the new operator was found.

“I came back because I know so much about the park and I knew it was the right time to come in to try to get things done that I thought needed to be addressed,” said Chris Logan who now lives with his wife inside the park. “I knew I could get a fresh start and get things going.”

Besides cleaning up debris, landscaping and other minor maintenance, Logan said the park will have to clean up the beach in the Seven Mile Slough area for the summer, when operators expect to add lifeguards and paddle boats for rent. The beach will be a big draw, he said.

“People always come in and say, ‘Where’s the beach?’ ” Logan added. “It’s tide-oriented. When the tide is in, there’s no beach, when the tide’s out there is.”

Elsholz said over the years the beach has become overgrown with weeds but park officials will work to clear it.

“We have some Himalayan blackberry that’s crept in there that we want to take out and expand it,” he said of the beach. “It’ll still accommodate swimming – I don’t think we’re going to have to dredge – but we’re going to do some vegetation management on the site.”

“Boaters drive 60 to 100 miles to come here because it’s one of the nicest boat launches (in the delta area),” Logan said, noting they can launch up to 10 boats at a time.

“It’s nice and wide, and the parking is plentiful,” Elsholz added.

You don’t have to convince longtime boater Doug McArthur of Stockton about that. McArthur has run charter fishing boats out of Brannan Island for more than a decade and was delighted when the park fully reopened in December.

“There’s a lot of private boat launches, but this is one of the few public ones in the area,” he said. “There are days on the weekends during the prime fishing season when you can’t find anything less than probably 80 to 100 boat trailers in the parking lot.”

Even on a busy day, though, McArthur said he’s never had to wait for a launch “because there’s so much space.”

“That’s what we love, and the fact that it (the park) sits between the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers,” making it easy to fish either one depending on conditions, he said.

“I can pull out of that spot and go left or right and I’m pretty much right on top of where I want to fish without having to go burn a bunch of fuel down the river,” McArthur said.

If you don’t have a boat, like to camp or hang out at the beach, Elsholz noted Brannan Island has a network of trails, bird watching and “many ways to connect with nature.”

“I just think it’s overlooked,” he said. “I think that the delta is overlooked by a lot of people.”

Online camping reservations for Brannan Island State Recreational Area are available on ReserveCalifornia.com.

The Bethel Island woman was arrested Jan. 11 on suspicion of murder solicitation, records show. She was taken into custody at her home around 9:30 p.m. Sunday, according to jail records.

According to authorities, the alleged murder plot came about after the 54-year-old grew frustrated with how her divorce case was going. Court records show the woman and her wife had each taken domestic violence restraining orders out against the other as the 2022 divorce case unfolded.

Police say that the 54-year-old allegedly offered another woman up to $30,000 to murder her estranged wife. And they allege she had a specific plan in mind: to have the would-be hitwoman steal a car and run the ex-wife over as she walked home from a corner bar.

Part of her plan, authorities said, was to make it look like a routine car accident or random hit-and-run crash.

On social media, the woman describes herself as an “animal lover” who is “following Jesus.” She once ran a local antique shop and a pet dog sitting business.

As of Friday, she was not charged and remained in a Contra Costa jail lieu of $1 million bail. It is unclear if she has retained an attorney.

A spokesman for the Contra Costa District Attorney said law enforcement has not yet asked for charges to be filed against her. Prosecutors have until Tuesday morning to file criminal charges or she will be released from custody.

No one else has yet been arrested, and the investigation remains open, authorities say.

“While Brentwood’s Post Office officially opened the town of Brentwood in 1874,” said Darin Gale, Brentwood’s assistant city manager, “we’re celebrating Brentwood becoming a city, which took place in 1948 (when it was incorporated).”

While a lot of press is given to Dr. John Marsh and the restoration of his 1870s home on the outskirts of the city, Brentwood’s history can be traced back even further. Archeologists at the UC Davis Anthropology Department found remnants of cooking fires, sites for making food and tools and nearly 500 human burials along Marsh Creek several years ago. Some artifacts were estimated to date back more than 7,000 years, but radiocarbon dates from more than 130 of the burials returned dates ranging from 3,000 to 4,000 years ago.

While that might go back a little too far, the East County Historical Society offers insight into the Miwok and Yokut Native American tribes that once inhabited what is known today as the city of Brentwood. The organization also mentions Spanish explorer Captain Pedro Fages and his climb up the western slopes of Mount Diablo to become the first European to see the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in 1772.

No matter how far one can go back to lay claim on when Brentwood first became Brentwood, there can be no doubt that the city’s founders laid claim to the area and legally made it their own in 1948. Then, a group of business owners and farmers formed the Brentwood Improvement Association and worked to collect the necessary signatures to sign a petition to incorporate into a city.

Within just two weeks, the group was able to get 170 property owners to sign the petition and present it to the county supervisors for approval. The election for cityhood was held and won on Jan. 15, 1948.

According to the Historical Society, the first mayor of the newly formed city was John Lane. He and a five-member City Council quickly hired a city clerk and set up a Police Department, Planning Department and city court. The rest, as they say, is history.

Gale said that after Jan. 21’s birthday party kick-off, city officials plan to incorporate the 75th anniversary into events and activities throughout the year. One special event will be an anniversary gala scheduled for Oct. 11.

“We’re also hoping to partner with other organizations that are hosting events as well,” he said. “For example, if a group is hosting a 5K run, we’re hoping they’ll change it to a 7.5K run and other ideas like that.”

The city is also looking for local families who might have old photos that tell the stories and history of Brentwood. Gale said they also hope to work with local residents interested in shooting a quick video about their family history in the community.

“We’re calling this our anniversary photo mosaics,” Gale said. “People can go online and add their photos. The photos will be displayed at events and added to the city’s social media sites.”

The website address to send the photos to is https://www.brentwoodca.gov/government/city-manager/brentwood-75th-anniversary-celebration/brentwood-75th-anniversary-photo-mosaic.

All are welcome to the free 75th birthday party, which will feature games, cupcakes the opening of a Brentwood time capsule and an opportunity to learn about the city’s history. The indoor party at the Brentwood Community Center (35 Oak St.) will take place rain or shine.

Roni Gehlke can be reached at oakleynow@comcast.net.