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.

The Paradise Skate owner and his staff were caught off-guard by the all-day New Year’s Eve rain that pummeled the region, having no time to add sandbags and spray foam in the cracks to fortify the business before water poured in, flooding the building and effectively shutting it down the only roller rink in eastern Contra Costa County for months to come.

“There was lots of water everywhere and it penetrated the building and came through the drains that normally shouldn’t have anything in them,” manager Bob Bruce said. “And once it gets in, the wood will soak it up.”

Warrenburg, who was away at the time, said the building had six inches of water surrounding it.

“The problem was when it came so fast like it did, we did not get time to seal all the doors like we normally do,” he said.

Warrenburg’s staff later added some 200 sandbags around the building and was able to seal the doors to prevent more water from seeping into the rink and are now standing by to pump it out if needed when the next storm hits.

“It comes in very minimal and you just take a shop vac and suck it up and then you pour the water out … and we can keep the damage minimal if we can do that,” he said.

In the meantime, his 16 employees – some just hired – are out of work until the rain stops, the fixes are made and they can reopen. It’s a timeframe Warrenburg is unsure of at this point while he waits for estimates to replace the rink’s 9,300-square-foot maplewood floating floor and the surrounding carpet among other items.

He’s also had to cancel dozens of parties, classes and other events that were scheduled, the rink owner said.

“I’m giving refunds like crazy,” he said.

Michelle Higby of Concord coaches an artistic roller skating club and runs classes four times a week at the Antioch rink and was disheartened to hear of the water damage and temporary closure.

“We’ve worked really hard to build the club,” she said. “And, it’s mostly heartbreaking for those kids since this was going to be our first full season since before COVID.

“It’s pretty hard on some of the kids because they’re getting old enough to be committed on their own (to the sport),” Higby added. “It’s not just fun; they’ve got goals that they’re trying to meet.”

Bruce suggested that it would be eight to 12 weeks before the rink can reopen, and that also depends on the supply chain, and how fast materials can be shipped.

“It’s a major guess,” he said, noting they’d keep customers aware of progress on their Facebook page.

Warrenburg, who bought the business – formerly called Roller Haven – in 2008 and leases the building from the state, is no stranger to flooding. Operating as a roller rink since 1969, the structure is located at the county fairgrounds, near a creek that flows to the San Joaquin River and is prone to flooding during high tides and torrential rain storms.

In 2009, more than a quarter of the rink’s wooden floors were damaged when 18 inches of rain surrounded his building, but even so, there was less damage because they were able to protect the building with sandbags and foam before the deluge hit.

“We’re not flooded around our building at this point – the water comes and goes – so water comes up and floods us and then after the tide goes down and the water goes out, the water goes away from our buildings,” he said. “ When the water is up against our building, whether it’s one inch, two inches or six inches, we have water coming through some of the cracks, and we use shop vacuums and sump pumps to get the water out.”

Bruce said he’s hoping the rain will stop long enough to dry things out and get back in the building and make some repair estimates.

“Mother Nature needs to stop raining right now,” he said. “We’ve got (the building) sealed and barricaded and sandbagged just to keep everything else from getting ruined.”

Rainwater causes seasonal flooding around the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds area. The county’s flood control district made improvements to the stormwater system in 1993, but a gap was left near the area of 10th and O streets because of a lack of funding. Additional culverts were added in 2012, paid for from a Department of Water Resources fund for flood prevention.

Now Warrenburg is hoping there will be federal or state disaster relief funding to help him renovate the flooded-out center, which he estimates will cost somewhere uo to $400,000 in repairs. Unfortunately, his flood insurance lapsed while he was changing insurance companies, he said.

“We don’t know when it’s gonna flood again. … We’re just kind of watching the news. We keep watching the creek, so we stay on top of it.”

Despite the challenges, the hardy business owner has no intention of leaving because he said he really enjoys running a family entertainment business.

“Yeah, we do have to put up with this flooding, and usually, it’s a lot of work every winter, especially when there’s wet winters, but it’s worth it,” Warrenburg said. “It’s been like 15 years (since significant rain damage); however, this time the rain got us.”

The chorus meets on Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 17, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Brentwood Community United Methodist Church and is open to all ages and abilities.

If it sounds like fun, but you area afraid you can’t commit to every Tuesday, organizers have a solution. Rehearsal tracks are provided when you register so you can practice on your own.

Registration information is available at
www.brentwoodcommunitychorus.com.

Brentwood Community United Methodist Church is at 809 Second St., Brentwood.

The new law is intended to ensure that seniors and other adults — in particular those who rely on cannabis for medicinal reasons — have access marijuana vaping products. Proposed by Supervisor Diane Burgis, the ordinance allows permitted cannabis retailers located in unincorporated areas to sell and deliver the products.

The ordinance passed 3-2 with supervisors Federal Glover and Candace Anderson voting no.

During the first reading of the ordinance on Dec. 6, Burgis said the motivation behind the revised ordinance was that the 2019 law hurt seniors and other adults who rely on cannabis vaping products for both recreational and medical reasons. In particular, it affected homebound seniors in unincorporated areas, she said.

“What we’re trying to do by having policies here in Contra Costa County is to give people a way to access safe products,” Burgis said.

At the December meeting, both Glover and Anderson voted against the ordinance, saying it would send mixed messages to the public and betray an effort led by Contra Costa youth who wanted the ban in the first place.

“We clearly took a leadership position back in 2019 when we had a number of our students throughout this county that came before us and asked for the leadership to put this ban in place,” Glover said. “And I’m not going to turn away from that. I think it’s important that that we listen to our youth when they cry out and ask for this help.”

Glover said there is no evidence “that vaping does not cause problems to individuals” and partially lifting the ban would send “false messages or confusing messages to our public that it’s OK to do this this while at the same time saying that we want to prevent it.”

On Tuesday, groups advocating for cannabis access told the Board of Supervisors that banning pot vape products has created an illicit black market for the product and disproportionately affected vulnerable populations who rely on cannabis primarily for medical reasons.

Renee Lee, a resident of the retirement community of Rossmoor who runs an organization with a mission to help seniors legally access and safety use cannabis, said the majority of medicinal cannabis users in the unincorporated community near Walnut Creek prefer vaping.

“I am so happy,” Lee said after Tuesday’s vote. “It’s like a big weight off my shoulders … (the ordinance) had been very unfair.”

Sarah Armstrong of American for Safe Access, the country’s largest and oldest advocacy organization for medical cannabis patients, said forcing people to travel medicinal marijuana “often stimulates a black market because they simply cannot go to the nearest dispensary if they don’t have one near them.”

Before the vote, Burgis emphasized that the ordinance makes no change to the current ban of tobacco and flavored tobacco vaping products; nor does it allow for new dispensaries in unincorporated areas.

“This does allow the sale of one particular set of cannabis products, which are already sold in many cities of Contra Costa County and are available to purchase in nearly every other part of the state that has approved cannabis retail sales,” she said.

In passing the ordinance, the board also directed Contra Costa Health Services to begin working on an awareness program about the dangers of youth cannabis vaping. Supervisor John Gioia said creation of such a program was a major factor in his decision to support the new legislation.

“At first, we did think it was a ferret,” said Melissa Ethridge from Antioch Animal Services. “We kept him warm and comfortable overnight until another volunteer came in and said they thought it was a mink.”

It turns out that minks and ferrets do really look quite alike. They’re both from the mustelid family, along with polecats, weasels, badgers, otters, martens and stoats. Many of these mustelid species can be found in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta region, but most are rarely seen.

Perhaps the most common of the mustelid family familiar to East Contra Costa County residents is the river otter. Ferrets are the only domestic species in the family and are generally lighter brown in coloration. Although the body shape is very similar, mink are likely to have slightly longer tails than ferrets, and their fur is typically sleeker.

“Mink also have a little white on their chin,” Ethridge said. “And it is important to note that mink are a little more aggressive than their playful cousins.”

While you probably won’t usually see mink hanging out downtown, the one at Antioch Animal Services (AAS) didn’t wander very far from its general habitat, said Miriam Klingler. Klingler is an East Bay Regional Park District naturalist who works at Oakley’s Big Break Regional Shoreline, where mink have been seen many times over the past few years.

“The mink could have gotten lost while hunting for food,” Klingler said. “Mink hunt on land and in water.”

She said the little critters are very territorial and that the one at AAS may have shied away from another’s territory while out looking for mice and rats. Mink also eat shrimp and other shellfish. Generally just 20 to 30 inches long, mink have even been known to eat other mink or other members of the mustelid family.

“They are opportunity eaters,” Klingler said.

Klingler also said East County has a lot of competition for food for small shoreline animals such as mink. Along the East County shoreline, it isn’t uncommon to find otters, badgers, beavers, raptors and even coyotes — all part of the same food chain as the mink.

One other difference between mink and the rest of the mustelids is that mink are often raised on farms and are legal to hunt in California for their fur. However, there are many restrictions for hunting the small animal in the Delta region. As far as Klingler knows, there are no mink farms in Contra Costa County.

As with all wild animals that eat mice and rats, mink are susceptible to poisons used to kill critters that they hunt, and Klingler asks that people not use poisons whenever possible. As for the little mink found in the AAS parking area, he was transported to Lindsey Wildlife Experience in Walnut Creek as soon as his biological identity was ferreted out.

Ethridge said the people at Lindsey even needed a few minutes to ensure they had the mink correctly identified before treating him. They later released him back into the wild in the wetlands area behind the Antioch Marina.

“It was very special being there for the release,” Ethridge said. “It was a very happy ending.”

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

The city announced the pending closure on social media, and residents came out to a recent council meeting to ask about what would become of the site. The nine-hole course, which closed on Sunday, was part of the larger Brentwood Golf Club. That 18-hole course will remain open at 100 Summerset Drive.

City Manager Tim Ogden reassured residents and council members that a town hall meeting with the owner would be scheduled soon to answer questions.

“We are equally concerned with the announced closure of the Diablo Golf Course, and the city has a vested interest in the residents’ quality of life and satisfaction in the neighborhoods,” Ogden said.

Property owner Rex Choe, who did not attend the Dec. 13 council meeting, later said high maintenance costs, as well as a decline in customers, are the main reasons he decided to close the 25-year-old nine-hole course.

“For three years I’ve been studying whether we should stay open or not, but even though I lose money, I tried to stay,” he said, noting he spent more than $350,000 annually on maintenance.

The course’s closure comes a year after another nearby club, Shadow Lakes, reopened as a nine-hole golf course several years after high operating expenses and low revenues forced it to close its 18-hole operation. Other nearby courses that have closed in recent years include Deer Ridge, Roddy Ranch, Delta View and Bethel Island.

Summerset I resident and golfer Judy Rineheimer, who spoke to the council during public comments, had questions about the future of the golf course and access to its pathway after the closure.

“There are concerns about living in a gated community and what the definition of open space will be for that space,” she said. “What happens to that space as private land if it is formally closed? And so my concern will be, will the public be allowed to use the golf course cart path (behind the homes)?”

Resident Karen Anderson, meanwhile, wanted to know how the recently approved Brentwood Measure Q, a voter-protected open space measure, would affect any potential zoning changes. The measure requires voter approval – with some exceptions – for more intensive uses of open space and recreational lands.

Ogden later said that the golf course has long been zoned to include homes.

“In this particular part of the golf course where the Diablo course is proposed to close, single-family residential homes are allowed to be built, but that doesn’t mean that is intended, or feasible,” he said.

Ogden added that apartments are not allowed and anything different from current zoning would need the approval of voters.

“There are so many nuances to all the various and contradictory state laws that may apply, and the feasibility of anything different than a golf course will need to be closely reviewed if any applications are submitted, which again, we have no understanding is even being considered,” he added.

When asked later what he would do with the now-closed course, Choe said it was too early to decide but he had no immediate plans.

“I have to stop bleeding first and see how that goes,” he said.

Another Summerset resident questioned whether the property’s grass and ponds would be maintained after the closure.

“What about dead trees?” she asked. “Will he cut them down and what happens if he doesn’t do that?”

Ogden later said the city would ask the property owner to remove any dead trees that can be seen from the public right of way. Any weeds also would have to be mowed within 30 feet from a residential property line, he said.

“The property owner has assured us he intends to maintain the weed abatement, and enforce our municipal codes that apply,” he said.

Reached after the meeting, the Diablo Golf Course owner promised he would maintain the property to city code but not as a golf course as he does not plan to pay for water to maintain the landscaping.

Choe reflected that since residents wanted to have homes backing onto a golf course, developers in the past would build a golf course and sell homes around it, but having a lot of holes isn’t always good for the golf course business.

“That was their trend (to build homes on golf courses) 20 years ago,” said Choe, who bought the Brentwood Golf Club and Diablo Golf Course property almost three years ago.

“The design is really nice,” he said of the Brentwood Golf Club, which world-renowned golf course architect Ted Robinson designed.

“It’s hard to find this layout, this kind of golf course layout; there’s nothing to compare it to any other golf course around this area,” he said.

Choe, a Brentwood resident, added he will focus on bettering customer service and increasing the 18-hole course’s ratings.

“I wouldn’t want to close it and I wouldn’t want to sell it,” he said. “This is one of the best golf courses in this county.”

In a press conference streamed on Facebook late Tuesday, Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe warned of the Level 5 storm headed to the area, which he said would likely bring more landslides, fallen trees and heavy flooding along with torrential downpours anticipated later in the afternoon Wednesday.

“The level of storm that we are anticipating is at Level 5, which is historic,” he said. “Never in history…has a Level 5 storm hit the Bay Area.”

“So this is not the time for anybody in the community to be outside unnecessarily because of the dangerous conditions that exist,” he added. “So I’m asking the public to please stay home.”

Thorpe said conditions were ripe for more rock and mudslides and falling trees because the dirt was already wet from the previous rainstorm. He also asked that non-essential city employees work remotely.

Interim public works director Scott Buenting said his crews have been hard at work during the brief calm of the storm cleaning catch basins, channels and removing debris from the streets in anticipation of more rain.

“City crews will continue to monitor the storm making sure that streets are remaining safe,” he said. “Closures will most likely be in place as streets will likely flood due to the volume of rain that is expected.”

In anticipation of the wild weather and potential power outages, the mayor said both the Antioch and Nick Rodriguez community centers and the library would be open for those wanting to stay out of the rain.

“We are monitoring the situation and if needed, we will extend the hours at our community centers to ensure that our unhoused population is out of the rain,” Thorpe said. “So, if we need to go into the midnight hours, then that’s what we do as a city to ensure that people are in safe conditions.”

Thorpe himself took to the streets with a small team on Wednesday morning to warn the homeless along A and 18th streets of the impending storm and let them know the community centers would be open. He also arranged with Tri Delta Transit to have free shuttles available to take the unhoused to the temporary shelters.

“What I’m most concerned about is people in areas by streams and creeks because when it starts pouring, they’re gonna quickly get flooded,” the mayor said. “You can already see the Delta (water level) is high. You can see these creeks and streams are already filled. And so the moment the next storm comes, it’s gonna get flooded.”

Thorpe added that some didn’t realize the significance of the storm and were reluctant to go to the temporary shelters, though he offered them bags to pack up their belongings to take with them.

“It’s not a matter of losing your stuff, it’s a matter of losing your life because this is gonna get flooded,” he said. “They may not realize it, because you could be sleeping and then this (torrential rain) starts to happen. And next thing you know, you’re under water.”

“It’s been cold and miserable, so I am just glad that we have a break in the weather right now,” she said.

Earlier, Gardner had ordered tarps and new tents, but those won’t be enough for the torrential rain that is expected.

“When it starts flooding and the ground is wet, it’s a struggle, everything is wet,” she said.

Gardner added that many community members have offered support, calling her and messaging her on her FacingHomelessinAntioch Facebook page.

“I’m excited that the community is coming together,” she said. “But, of course, it’s miserable. The goal is to get as many people off of the streets as possible and … to just let them know that there is somewhere warm where they can go get something to eat and just be out of the storm.”

Free fill-it-yourself sandbags are available to residents while they last, Thorpe said. The city’s sandbag distribution site is at the City’s corporation yard at 1201 W. Fourth St. (Enter from N Street).

Check back for updates.

The Christmas lot, which raises money for troop camping trips and more, is located this year behind St. Anthony Catholic Church, 971 O’Hara Ave., Oakley. It will be open until 8 p.m. and delivery is available.

For more information, go to http://www.oakleyboyscouts.com or find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/oakleyboyscouts. Call 925-595-0272.