Alameda County DAis coddling criminals

It should not surprise anyone that Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price dropped special circumstances against David Misch, one involving his alleged kidnapping and murder of Michaela Garecht in 1988, giving him the possibility of being paroled, instead of serving life in prison.

Soon after Ms. Price was elected, she said she would “seek to remove all 41 local cases from Death Row and to resentence people who were sentenced to life without parole.” She also said her “administration will begin an era of change that ultimately will make us (Alameda County residents) stronger and safer.” I beg to differ, not with the likes of Misch running around.

The voters and residents of Alameda County are being introduced to a new form of criminal justice — one that, in my view, is not going to keep them safe and favors the perpetrator.

Ninfa WoodWalnut Creek

Quarry plan willundermine rural road

The EBMUD plan to fill in the old quarry on Lake Chabot Road, located on county land between San Leandro and Castro Valley, with soil excavated during pipeline maintenance proposes to run 60 to 100 dump trucks a day along Lake Chabot Road for 40 to 80 years.

That’s right. If anybody now alive is here to see it, the site and adjacent hillside will eventually be seeded and planted with native plants.

Lake Chabot Road is currently closed because of landslides and erosion that have undermined the roadbed. It’s doubtful that it will ever be able to support the constant dump truck traffic.

Gary SloaneSan Leandro

Agencies must makebetter use of tax dollars

Re. “Prop. 13 proves costly to government programs,” Page A8, Jan. 13:

I disagree with the notion that local and state governments don’t have enough money already from other taxes and bonds for impoverished schools, understaffed government offices and infrastructure.

Our property taxes are plenty high in California and enough businesses have been run out of the state. We don’t need any more lost jobs and tax base.

The real problem is not a lack of funding but how all of these agencies use the money they have.

Herman BetchartFremont

Recount cost is worthelection integrity

The article “Are Alameda County elections actually headed to a recount?” (Page B1, Jan. 15) regarding “voters confusion about everything from the results of certain races to the future of ranked choice voting” helps me understand why people might question election results.

The District 4 Oakland Unified school board “snafu” demonstrates that our election systems are not infallible. That said, I believe that the seeds of doubt this might have cast is very troubling. The cost of letting any doubts remain will be much more costly to our society in the long run than any monetary cost of a recount now. We should not put a price on maintaining faith in election integrity.

Dennis CarlisleNewark

Predicting climate changeisn’t settled science

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently stated to “Expect record-shattering hot years soon, likely in the next couple years because of ‘relentless’ climate change from the burning of coal, oil and gas.”

Last October, this same NOAA released its U.S. Winter Outlook. Researchers predicted that through February 2023, “California will still have to contend with the ongoing drought and won’t see much precipitation.” Wrong.

Scientists admittedly can’t predict hurricanes a year out with any accuracy, but they want us to believe they can predict global temperatures and sea levels years out. Real science is never “settled.”

Jon RegoClayton

]]> https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/01/16/letters-1119/feed/ 0 8717708 2023-01-16T16:30:41+00:00 2023-01-17T03:58:22+00:00 https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/01/13/flooding-causes-contra-costas-only-roller-rink-to-temporarily-close/ https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/01/13/flooding-causes-contra-costas-only-roller-rink-to-temporarily-close/#respond Fri, 13 Jan 2023 14:03:53 +0000 https://www.eastbaytimes.com/?p=8715580&preview=true&preview_id=8715580 Colorful beach balls hang from a net on the ceiling for a New Year’s Eve party that never was as roller rink owner Jeff Warrenburg stands ready with sump pumps and vacuums to suck up any more rain that might creep into his Antioch business.

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 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.

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.”

Eric Jeremy Martinez, 46, pleaded no contest to manslaughter and gang charges in the 2018 fatal stabbing of 53-year-old Daniel Quast. The deal was finalized in late September 2022, but hasn’t been previously reported.

Quast was stabbed to death in February 2018 during an argument in a trailer park on Lodge Drive. Police later determined that Martinez blamed Quast for an ordeal that left him stranded out of state with no way home. Authorities say Martinez sold a car to Quast’s girlfriend, received a $200 down payment, but got stiffed on the remaining $600 after traveling to Arizona.

When Martinez eventually got back to the Bay Area, he angrily confronted the couple about the missing money and demanded to know why they hadn’t returned his calls. He later told police that Quast insulted him, leading to the fatal stabbing, according to court records.

Martinez will receive credit for the four years he spent in jail before the case resolved. He is currently at Corcoran State Prison and eligible for parole in 2031, according to prison records.

Juan Barocio Jr., 29, and Rafael Arturo Lopez, 34, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in the April 2014 shooting death of 18-year-old Victor Gutierrez. In return, Barocio received an 11-year prison term and Lopez was sentenced to 12 years.

Gutierrez, an Antioch resident, was fatally shot on the evening of April 15, 2014, while walking on the 1600 block of Adelaide Street in Concord. Police ultimately determined Barocio and Lopez were simply driving around the city looking for potential rivals to shoot. 

Charging records alleged that Barocio drove a van to and from the scene of the crime, and that Lopez used a pistol equipped with a laser sight to open fire at Gutierrez after spotting him walking by. Police have not said whether Gutierrez really was a rival gang member or if he was simply mistaken for one. 

The Sureño gang, based in Southern California, has a heavy presence in Concord, Brentwood, and the Richmond area. Members of a Vallejo-based subset were also arrested in the investigation, court records show.

Both men are in Pleasant Valley State Prison. Barocio is eligible for parole in 2027 and Lopez will be eligible in 2029, records show. The plea deals were finalized last June but have not been previously reported.

Gerald Delgado, 39, accepted a 13-year prison term as part of a deal with Contra Costa prosecutors. In exchange, murder charges against him were dismissed.

Delgado’s sentence was finalized last November, and he was transferred to the state prison system Nov. 22. He is currently incarcerated at North Kern State Prison in Delano and is eligible for parole in 2030, records show.

Masoud Kalhori, 70, was charged with two counts of annoying or molesting a child, both misdemeanors. The charges were filed Dec. 6, but related to alleged crimes that occurred this past April in San Ramon, according to police.

It all started on April 17 at around 1 p.m. inside the Safeway at 2505 San Ramon Valley Blvd. in San Ramon. The girl reportedly noticed Kalhori pointing his phone at her and notified her parents. Her father confronted Kalhori and called 911, authorities said.

Kalhori was issued a citation with a court date. He entered a not guilty plea on Dec. 7.

All donations will be used to provide spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinations and other health care to restore sick and injured cats to good health at the group’s Clayton Hospital.  Broken bones and damaged eyes are common problems treated. Funds are also used to prepare CC4C’s kittens and friendly cats for their adoption into new forever homes.

To help community cats, visit CC4C’s upscale thrift shop, Rescued Treasures at 1270-I Newell Ave. in the San Miguel Shopping Center, Walnut Creek. Purchase an ornament, choosing from various donation amounts, and it will be hung on the Christmas tree in the shop’s window, filling it with signs of love for forgotten cats and kittens. The store is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.

One can also donate through CC4C’s web site — www.communityconcernforcats.com — or mail donations to P.O. Box 3795, Walnut Creek, CA 94598.

Last year the group adopted out 916 cats; this year 648 so far, according to the group president.

“It has been an unusually difficult kitten season starting in March and it is not over yet,” Gemma Boyd, CC4C president, said.

For more information, go to https://www.communityconcernforcats.org/

Los Altos cross country runner Emily Soobrian grabbed 4,965 votes (33.29%) to finish second just behind Berry.

Castilleja basketball player Antonia Vlahos finished third.

Berry, a Clayton Valley Charter senior, had an impressive regular season game vs. Pittsburg. 12 of her 20 rebounds were on the offensive glass, and Berry also scored 15 points and had two steals in the win.

To nominate an athlete for next week’s poll, email highschools@bayareanewsgroup.com by Monday, Dec. 5 by 11 a.m. Please include stats and team results.

Nov. 1-5: Lily van Putten, Los Gatos water polo