brentwood press_02.10.12

Natio

nalAwardWinning Newspapers

Visit Your Hometown Website www.thepress.net

Vol. 14, No. 6 YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER February 10, 2012

FOR MOVIE TIMES

SEE PAGE 5A

Calendar ............................ 23BClassifieds ......................... 17BCop Logs ............................ 22BEntertainment ................. 23BFood .................................... 12BHealth & Beauty ..............16AMilestones ........................12AMoney Matters .................. 1BOpinion ..............................18ASports .................................19A

Wealth watch

Our Money Matters section offers insights on how to cultivate and keep your hard-earned cash. Page 1B

Lions grab the broom

Libertys season sweep of Heritage featured hard-nosed defense and hard-won buckets. Page 19A

New hatin the ring A man with a robust resum has announced his candidacy for a seat on the City Council. Page 18A

The Girl Scouts are celebrating their 100th birthday with a new treat.

Cookie monstersgo to news/WebExtras!

A clothing drive will help women receive professional business attire.

Winning wardrobego to news/press releases

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

Online now!WebExtras!

press releasesvideos

www. thepress.netYour Hometown Website

Zumbamaniacs broke a sweat and boosted funds for wom-ens health.

Hearts content go to multimedia/videos

No sunset on fire tax for now

A proposed $197 parcel tax aimed at solving the East Contra Costa Fire Protection Districts fi nancial woes will probably not include a sunset clause, accord-ing to a decision this week by the districts board.

After discussing feedback the district has received in a series of meetings to inform the public about the details of the measure proposed for the June ballot, the board chose not to include an au-tomatic end of the tax, an element mentioned by several members of the public. In a 6-3 straw poll vote at its Monday meeting, the board decided to emphasize the annual review already built into the tax rather than add a sunset clause that could leave the district in the

same fi nancial shape it is now.Directors Jim Frazier and

Kevin Romick of Oakley were joined by Claytons Cheryl Mor-gan in saying they preferred the sunset clause because theyre concerned the tax would not pass without it. Directors Pat Ander-son (Oakley), Joel Bryant, Steve Barr, Erick Stonebarger and Bob Brockman (Brentwood) and Robert Kenny (Bethel Island) op-posed the sunset clause.

We know there will be an

$11 million defi cit in year 11 if the tax goes away, said Director Steve Barr of Brentwood. Well be right back in the same posi-tion we are now, and thats not viable.

Frazier, however, believes that should the tax not pass, the viability defi ciency would kick in when district reserves are ex-hausted in June. He said the sun-set clause had been a priority for attendees at the two Oakley com-munity meetings he had attended,

and doubted that an open-ended tax would garner the two-thirds majority needed for passage. He preferred that the tax automati-cally end after 10 years, and that the district go back to the voters to either extend or retract the levy.

Romick agreed, saying, If we (the district board) are doing our jobs, the public will be able to see that.

The decision came as the board modifi ed the tax plan ac-cording to additional input gath-ered at community meetings. The tax will now increase annually by a maximum of 3 percent or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower (it had been at 5 percent). The board also examined the dis-tricts fi nances through a 10-year

by Rick LemyreStaff Writer

see Sunset page 26A

We know there will be an $11 million deficit in year 11 if the tax goes away. Well be right back in the same position we are now, and thats not viable. ECCFPD Director Steve Barr

Trench collapse victim goes home

A man pulled from a col-lapsed trench in Brentwood was released from the hospital Tues-day after a three-hour effort to rescue him last week.

Rescuers arrived at a house in the 1500 block of Dawn-view Drive about 5:30 p.m. last Wednesday to fi nd the 50-year-old Oakland man buried almost up to his armpits in a 10-foot-deep trench whose sides had col-lapsed. East Contra Costa Fire Protection District Chief Hugh Henderson said there was no shoring in the trench, which had been hand-dug to repair a bro-ken sewer pipe.

It was unclear whether the worker, one of three at the scene when the accident occurred, was a contractor, a friend of the hom-eowner or both, Henderson said.

After determining the man

could breathe, fi rst-arriving crews used wood from the homes fence to immediately begin bracing the walls of the trench. It took three hours to shore the trench and dig the man out by the hand and bucketful.

The man was given oxygen and administered fl uids intrave-nously while rescuers worked to free him. He was conscious and responsive to questions during his entire ordeal.

Thirty-fi ve fi refi ghters and 15 other emergency workers responded to the incident, in-cluding trench rescue specialists from the Contra Costa Consoli-dated and Moraga fi re districts.

Rescues like this are a very lengthy, meticulous process, Henderson said. We greatly appreciate the assistance of the other agencies who helped en-sure a positive outcome for this

by Rick LemyreStaff Writer

East Contra Costa Fire Protection District Chief Hugh Henderson briefs reporters on the effort to rescue a man buried in a col-lapsed trench last Wednesday. The man was released from the hospital on Tuesday.

Photo by Rick Lemyre

see Trench page 26A

2A | THEPRESS.NET FEBRUARY 10, 2012

FEBRUARY 10, 2012 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 3A

22 11112 12011

S

IL

VER MEDAL

AWARD

The City of Brentwood invites the public to the Grand Opening of the new Council Chamber on Tuesday, Feb. 14 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at 150 City Park Way. Attendees may see the high-tech upgrades of the Council Chamber, including state-of-the-art presentation equipment and theater-style seating. Light refreshments and snacks will be served prior to the 7 p.m. council meeting. For more information, call City Clerk Margaret Wimberly at 925-516-5440.

Chamber grand opening

Photo by Richard Wisdom

County budget looks solid for next year

Though unoffi cial and preliminary, Contra Costa County Administrator Da-vid Twa had some good news to deliver at a recent Board of Supervisors retreat: the countys budget looks solid for now, and Twa doesnt foresee the need for any staff or service reductions in the upcoming fi scal year, which starts June 1.

Contra Costa County District III Su-pervisor Mary Piepho, who represents much of East County, emphasized that this is a pre-liminary look at the upcoming budget, but was happy with Twas report. The countys situation could always change, as the state faces its annual budget crisis, making for a moving target at the county and city levels.

He thinks were going to be in decent shape but is cautiously optimistic, Piepho said. Its defi nitely the fi rst bit of good news weve had in many years. Our employees and department heads deserve signifi cant recog-nition.

Twas presentation pointed to the phas-ing out or elimination of several expendi-tures through labor negotiations with the countys 7,662 employees to show that the coffers look healthier heading into fi scal year 2012-13. The county budget dealt with

a $29.2 million pension cost increase in 2011-12, a cost that wont be factored into the up-coming budget.

County employees will also be put back on furloughs, saving roughly $8.2 million in payroll. Twa also believes property tax revenues will fl atten out, not decline, in the upcoming fi scal year. Property tax, which peaked in 2007-08, is the main source of funding for the county.

The budget will also be aided by the fact that 617 employees retired in 2011. Al-together, the county administrator estimates that $45.9 million of last years budget will not make its way to the next annual ledger.

It has not been an easy process at all, Piepho said. Our employees are being paid less, theyre doing more to maintain services. If we can all catch our breath this budget cycle, this would be a nice reward.

Some of Twas major goals for the county in the upcoming fi scal year include building a reserve to address building mainte-nance needs and use money from a half-cent sales tax increase to hire back public-safety employees. In 2003, the county employed 3,041 public-safety offi cers. That number has steadily dropped, to 2,538 in 2011. Near-ly every department has seen lower staffi ng

by Justin LaffertyStaff Writer

see Budget page 14A


Times Good for 2-10 to 2-16 *Denotes No-Pass Engagement.#Denotes special engagement, no passes or discount tickets accepted.

Group Sales & Events, Field Trips 1-866-878-7068 www.ravecinemas.com

925.809.0030 Brentwood

Hwy 4 Bypass & Sand Creek Rd.

No show Sat, No show Tues, No show Wed, No show Thur, Wed only*Journey 2: The Mysterious Island - PGAn IMAX 3D Experience: 10:45a 1:30p 4:15p 7:00p 9:45pPresented in 2D: 11:45a 2:30p 5:15p 8:00pPlus a 10:00a Sensory Sensitive Cinema show on Saturday.*Safe House - R11:15a 12:10p 2:05p 3:00p 4:55p 5:45p 7:45p 8:30p 10:35p 11:15p*Star Wars Episode One 3D - PG13Presented in RealD 3D: 10:00a 1:10p 4:20p 7:30p 10:40p*The Vow - PG1311:00a 12:00p 1:45p 2:45p 4:30p 5:30p 7:15p 8:25p 10:00p 11:20p#The 2011-12 New York City Metropolitan Opera Series: Wagners Gtterdmmerung9:00a Saturday, February 11*Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2 - G10:00a Sat/Sun only. Tickets: $2 Adults/$1 Kids*Big Miracle - PG10:25a 1:15p 4:05p 7:10p 10:10p*Chronicle - PG1310:20a 12:50p 3:15p 5:55p 8:35p 11:00p*The Woman in Black - PG1312:15p 2:50p 5:25p 7:50p 10:30p*The Grey - R10:40a 1:40p 4:45p 7:55p 11:05p*Red Tails - PG1312:20p 3:30p 6:40p 9:50p 10:25p*One for the Money - PG131:35p 7:20p*Man on a Ledge - PG1310:05p*Underworld: Awakening 3D - R11:20a 1:50p 7:35p 10:15p*Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - PG1310:10a 4:10p*Hugo 3D - PG4:25p*Contraband - R10:45p*Rave Cinemas Classics - G 10:00a Every Tuesday. Tickets just $3, includes popcorn and soda! This week: 1940's His Girl Friday, with Cary Grant and Rosiland Russell.*This Means War - PG137:15p Tuesday 2/14 only, special sneak preview.*I Am Bruce Lee - G8:00p Wednesday 2/15 only.

Seniors plug into eReader program

For senior adults dealing with mobility problems, a trip to their local library can be an arduous task. But now, thanks to a local program, the library can come to them.

Its called eReaders to Go, a pilot program that pairs Kindle Touch devices with needy seniors typically homebound through a partnership with the Brentwood Library and Friendly Visitors Program.

Its a wonderful project, said Liz Fuller, senior community library manager for Oakley and Brentwood. It functions just like a lending library and gives seniors another option.

Currently serving seniors in Brentwood, Discovery Bay and Byron, the idea for the project came from Brentwood Mayor Bob Taylor, who recently approached the library about donating Kindles for circulation to se-niors in the community.

Fuller got together with Susannah Meyer, Friendly Visitors coordinator a countywide program that matches visiting volunteers with seniors in the community and together the women got the project off the ground.

Its perfect, said Meyer. We current-ly have 10 seniors signed up for the program and were getting ready to deliver them. Were very excited.

The eReader program works much like a regular library where users check out the Kindles for a two- to three-week period.

The devices will come pre-loaded with a va-riety of titles and audio technology as well as standard applications such as enlarged print.

Through the California State Library, Fuller was able to secure a $3,500 grant suffi cient to purchase six Kindle Touch

devices with enough leftover dollars to load additional materials and/or devices.

Opal Spoon is one local resident who is ready for her eReader. Oh, yeah it sounds real good to me, said the 85-year-old

by Ruth RobertsStaff Writer

Susannah Meyer, left, coordinator for the Friendly Visitors Program, views recently purchased Kindle Touch devices with Brentwood Library Manager Liz Fuller. The Kindles are part of an eReader partnership for seniors in the community.

Photo by Ruth Roberts

see eReaders page 9A

Advertisement

PROPERTY TAX NEWSThe California Franchise Tax Board

has been making it known that they plan to start enforcing a law that up until now has been mostly ignored regarding what real estate taxes you can deduct on your income tax return. Most people assume that if you itemize your deductions, you can deduct 100% of your tax bill. Bad news--looks like thats not true!

Apparently, according to the letter of the law, you are only supposed to deduct your ad valorem taxes, which are the taxes that are figured as a percentage of your assessed value. These are found on the right side of your tax bill. But you are not supposed to deduct most taxes that are a flat amount per property (there are some exemptions). These are the Special Taxes and Assessments youll find on the left side of your property tax bill. For some people, this may reduce your deductions by thousands of dollars!

This is not a change to the law, the tax board will just be taking steps in the near future to step up enforcement of it. Look

for next years California state tax return form to ask you for your parcel number, your total property tax bill, and then the amount of the bill that is deductible. For more info go to: www.ftb.ca.gov and search for Real Estate Tax Deduction. They claim they are just following the federal rules, so this could impact both your federal and state deductions when you comply with this rule.

There is a bill pending in the CA legislature that would make Mello-Roos fees tax deductible. With Californias budget crisis, this will be hotly debated as there are millions at stake so there is no guarantee it will pass.

I AM NOT A TAX EXPERT. PLEASE CONSULT A TAX EXPERT FOR SPECIFICS TO YOUR SITUATION. If you have questions on any other real estate topic, call me at (925) 240-MOVE (6683). To search the MLS for free and view virtual tours of homes for sale, go to: www.SharpHomesOnline.com. Sharp Realty

8A | THEPRESS.NET EDUCATION FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Students prepare robots for battle

The Heritage High School Robotics Club is preparing to send its latest robot into battle at a state tournament next month.

The club, fl ourishing in its third year, is participating in the For Inspiration and Rec-ognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Tech Challenge, in which teams are chal-lenged to design, build and program a robot capable of collecting racquetballs, placing the balls into crates and moving the crates into a safe zone. Some of the racquetballs are im-bedded with magnets. If the teams robot can separate the magnet balls from the rest of the lot and drop them off in a specially marked slot, the team scores more points. And as if that werent diffi cult enough, the robot must also be equipped with a device to pilot a bowling ball across the fi eld, up a ramp and into a basin on the start deck.

The challenge lasts only 2 minutes. The fi rst 30 seconds is autonomous, which means the robot must be programmed to work on its own without student assistance. Students drive the robot for the remaining two minutes.

Teams are randomly partnered into al-liances to battle other teams. Teams who are partners in one round might be opponents in the next. Their overall score is based on team performance in each round.

Although the Heritage team didnt score the most points at its qualifying competition

in January, the team impressed judges and was presented with the Inspire Award, the highest honor given to the best overall team that takes the challenges well beyond expec-tation. Using feedback from the judges, the Heritage team is now improving on its initial design to take on 31 teams at the Northern California Tournament on March 4. The

winner of that competition goes to the world championships in St. Louis.

Im really impressed with the team we have this year, said Robert Pardi, robotics instructor and club advisor. This is the most dedicated group of students Ive worked with. They learned a lot at the qualifi er and I think they have a chance to take the top spot.

There are a lot of good schools competing this year, but I think were up for the chal-lenge.

The students spend fi ve hours per week working on the robot, which they named Asimov in honor of author Issac Asimov,

by Samie HartleyStaff Writer

Heritage High School Robotics Club members celebrate victory at the FIRST Tech Challenge last month. In the top row from left are robotics instructor and coach Robert Pardi, Michael Kintscher, Zack Crosley, Jacob Olsen, team mentor Mike Crosley and Joseph Cliscagne; bottom row: Brittany Kintscher and Holly Kraeber.

see Robots page 9A

Photo courtesy of Brittany Kintscher

FEBRUARY 10, 2012 EDUCATION THEPRESS.NET | 9A

Terry Nguyen Lic. #0G05342

Providing Insurance and Financial Services

925-513-1200925-628-2189 cell2411 Empire Ave.Suite 108Brentwood

24 Hour Good Neighbor Service

New of ce location.

who wrote the Three Laws of Robotics in his 1942 short story Runaround, which was later featured in the anthology I, Robot. Asimov is aluminum based, weighs roughly 30 pounds and consists of more than 1,000 parts.

Lead designer and Heritage senior Mi-chael Kintscher has been diligently work-ing on modifi cations that allow the robot to separate magnet balls from regular balls with the help of a sensor.

This has been a fun project, said Kintscher. Ive been into design since I start-ed playing with Legos as a little kid. So to get to design and build a robot is pretty cool.

Holly Kraeber, the teams manager and Robotics Club president, also enjoys the challenge of the FIRST competition. We fi rst got the rules of the challenge in Sep-tember, and weve been working on it ever since. Weve got a great team. Everyone has their own role and together I think weve got a really good robot. Im looking forward to March.

Pardi said hes pleased that more female students are taking an interest in the robotics program and have joined the club. Kintschers younger sister Brittany, a freshman, is also on the team, serving as documentarian with club secretary Joseph Cliscagne. Together they maintain a team notebook that chronicles the teams progress.

Ive been to competitions with my brother, and it seemed really interesting, said Brittany. Robotics isnt something you usually get to do in school. Its one big logic puzzle, and I love logic puzzles. I would have joined the club even if my brother wasnt into it.

The team, sponsored by Bishop-Wise-carver, is rounded out by programmers Josh Wood and Jacob Olsen, pro-engineering de-signer Zack Crosely, assistant designer Zach Meyer and community outreach specialist Logan Dorsey.

When the team isnt working on the FIRST Tech Challenge, its students serve as mentors to the local FIRST Lego League, based at Bricks4Kids in Brentwood.

To comment, visit www.thepress.net.

Friendly Visitors client. I read a lot at night before I go to sleep and I read everything I can get my hands on. Im shut in a lot, so this is something Im glad about yes I am.

The Kindles are scheduled for delivery later this month, and if successful, Meyer and Fuller hope the project will eventually expand to include all of East County.

Andrea Stuart, who has been visiting Spoon since 2009, believes the program is benefi cial to seniors on a variety of levels. In my opinion, what is so great about the program is that it allows seniors to keep their minds sharp while helping to prevent memory deterioration, said Stuart. It is so tough with seniors, especially those who are homebound, to maintain that mental acuity. This is an awesome thing.

For more information on the eReader program or for additional volunteer or do-nation opportunities, call Susannah Meyer at 925-937-8311 or Liz Fuller at 925-516-5291.


eReaders from page 5A

Robots from page 8A

The Heritage High School Robotics Club takes robot Asimov to the FIRST Tech Challenge Northern California Tournament in March.

Photo courtesy of Brittany Kintscher

10A | THEPRESS.NET EDUCATION FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Ronald J. ShinglerAttorney at Law

Free Initial Consultation

VISIT US ON FACEBOOK!

ASBESTOSHave you or a loved one been diagnosed with

Asbestosis Mesothelioma Lung Cancer

3220 Lone Tree Way, Suite 100, Antioch, CA 94509925.757.7020

email: [email protected]

Clearing the smokeThe Brentwood Union School Dis-

trict hosted a tobacco industry whistle-blower at several of its schools last week. Dr. Vincent De Noble held the attention of hundreds of students and adults while delivering his account of tobacco indus-try deception, personal drama, and legal triumph over a 30-year span.

De Nobles story is portrayed in an upcoming book and documentary en-

titled Addiction Incorporated, both scheduled for release in the spring.

The districts Tobacco Use Preven-tion Education Program (TUPE) spon-sored De Nobles presentations through a grant from the California Department of Education. Other TUPE activities include tobacco and drug awareness events, plus tobacco education, prevention and inter-vention classes.

Dr. Vincent De Noble shows Edna Hill Middle School students James DeFremery, Britney Mendoza and Kara Galvan how nicotine addiction affects the brain.

Photo courtesy of Brentwood Union School District

FEBRUARY 10, 2012 EDUCATION THEPRESS.NET | 11A

22 11112011

GOL

D MEDALAWARD

Adams Middle Schools top spellers recently competed in the third annual Spelling Yellow Jacket. Students in grades six, seven and eight spelled off for a spot at the Contra Costa County Spelling Bee, to be held in Walnut Creek at the end of March. This years AMS win-ners, from left, are seventh-grader Lyian Soria, third place; eighth-grad-er Bailey Kaczmarczyk, second place; and eighth-grader Isabela Angus, champion speller for the second year in a row. Congratulations to all!

Spelling Yellow Jackets

12A | THEPRESS.NET MILESTONES FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Get plugged in! Website DesignSearch Engine OptimizationSocial Media MarketingOnline Business DirectoryBanner AdvertisingVideo CommercialsHot Deal Campaigns

If you think THE PRESS is just print products,

THINK AGAIN

IN PRINT AND IN PIXELS, we off er a powerful suite of integrated mar-keting solutions designed to help you elevate your brand, connect with valuable audiences and grow your local business in a big way.

START THE YEAR WITH A PLAN! Schedule your 30 minute Internet marketing session today.

Michael Siemer ext. 113 634-1441 Kathryn Sibley ext. 120

Frederick H. UrbinOct. 22, 1931-Jan. 28, 2012

Brentwood resident Frederick H. Urbin passed away on Saturday Jan. 28, 2012 after a long battle with respi-ratory illnesses.

Frederick was born in Amity, N.Y. and graduated from Warwick High School. He served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for 22 years, ini-tially as a combat engineer in the First Engineering Battalion of the 1st In-fantry Division and then in the Armys nuclear power program. His time in the Army included tours of duty in Ger-many, Vietnam and the Panama Canal Zone.

Following retirement from the Army, Frederick worked for 22 years at Consolidated Edisons Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant. He also earned a degree in industrial management from Iona College. After retiring from Consolidated Edison, Frederick was involved in many community service projects, including teaching safe-driv-ing courses and reading to children learning English. He was also an active member of the Brentwood Kiwanis or-ganization.

Frederick is survived by his be-loved wife, Maria; his sons, Fredric of Brentwood, and Mark of Westbor-ough, Mass. and Marks wife, Amy Finn; grandchildren, Ian Finn of San

Diego, Lucas Finn of Woburn, Mass., Adam Urbin of Fort Rucker, Ala., and Ethan Urbin of Brentwood; and two great-grandchildren, Elliott and Asher Finn of San Diego. He is also survived by his two sisters, Ann Pawelek of Warwick, N.Y., and Nancy Auburger of Vernon, N.J.

Fredericks positive spirit in the face of adversity reminded all of us each day of how precious life is. He was a generous and kind person who will be missed by all those whose lives he touched.

In lieu of fl owers, donations may be made to the Kiwanis Cal-Nev-Ha Foundation, 8360 Red Oak St., Suite 201, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730, or the hospice organization The Ma-drone Foundation, c/o Professional Healthcare, 925 Ygnacio Valley Road, Suite 101, Walnut Creek, CA 94596.

OBITUARIES

Kyle Charles Truitt

Former Brentwood resident and U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Kyle Truitt passed away unexpectedly at the young age of 23 on Jan. 26, 2012 in Sherwood, Ariz while serving as a C130 crew chief for the Little Rock AFB 19th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

Kyle was born on the 28th of March, 1988 in Tracy, Calif. He was raised in Tracy, Livermore, Discovery Bay and Brentwood, as well as Kitzen-gen, Germany, where his father served in the U.S. Army.

A 2006 graduate of Liberty High School, Kyle was a member of the JV and varsity water polo team. He was an exceptionally vivacious young man who touched the hearts of a tremen-dous number of people throughout his young life, and who enjoyed many genres of music, cooking, and fi shing with friends and family.

Kyle is survived by his father, James Truitt, and his mother, Mary Dugan, and her husband, Randall Dugan; and his grandmothers, Marie Truitt and Ellen Johnson. He is also survived by his twin sister, Marlena Truitt Stone; his nieces and nephews, James Stone Jr., Ashley Stone, Ari-ane Laza, and Siri Laza; as well as his aunts and uncles, Lois and Paul Laza, and Jean and Mike Price; and cousins, Derek Laza and his wife Cynthia, Ja-

nel Laza, Alex Price, and Austin Price. He was preceded in death by four half-siblings, Harley Hunter, Justin Hunter, Lillian Dugan and Randall Jay Dugan II.

All his family, friends and mili-tary family are incredibly devastated by his passing, especially his girl-friend, Karen Montero.

Services were held at Callaghan Mortuary in Livermore.


22 000002 02010

S

IL

VER MEDAL

AWARD

925.354.2404 [email protected]

Interior Architect & Designer

Your style } fresh design

ECONOMY GOT YOU DOWN?

265-8357Same Day, Evening and Weekend Appointments Available

www.fastteks.comYour One Call Computer Experts!

People think that its too expensive to have a computer fixed and just decide to go out and get a new one. Actually, its too expensive not to come see us. If a computer breaks down, the information can be lost for good. Look into fixing the computer before putting down money on a new product! - Jim Aster, CA

Jim & Denise Aster

*Limited time offer

$25 Off First Visit*

t'BTU0O4JUF4FSWJDF'PS"MM.BKPS$PNQVUFS#SBOETt3FQBJS4VQQPSUt5SPVCMFTIPPUJOHt%4-$BCMF4FU6Qt8JSFMFTT/FUXPSLJOHt4FDVSJUZ4PMVUJPOTt%BUB#BDL6Q3FDPWFSZ

22 000002010

GOL

D MEDALAWARD

22 11112011

GOL

D MEDALAWARD

The Brentwood-based Green Living Coalition recently held its inau-gural Green and Gorgeous Fashion Show at Hannah Nicole Vine-yards. From left, Silky Sahnan, Carissa Pillow, Denise Duran, Janine Cooper and Sayra Flores modeled green, recycled and repurposed cloth-ing and made-in-America designs to show that green out ts are just as fun and fashionable as brand-name frocks. For video coverage of the event, visit www.thepress.net.

Going green for fashion

Photo by Jim Horton

CorrectionIn a recent Press story on the

Brentwood Chamber of Com-merces Citizen and Business of the Year awards, Director Fred Ehler was incorrectly identifi ed. He is the past president of the Brentwood Rotary.

Three KingsThe Village Community Resource Cen-

ter hosts a Three Kings Day event Saturday, Feb. 11 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Resurrection Ministries, 1275 Fairview Ave. in Brent-wood. The event features dinner, dancing, raffl es, games and other fun activities. Tick-ets are $5. For more information, call 925-626-7892.

14A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Beleaguered CSD Director Brian Dawson resigned from the Discovery Bay CSD board this week in the wake of a contentious battle to recall the director following his arrest on charg-es of spousal battery and child endangerment.

The Discovery Bay resident submitted his letter of resignation to the towns general man-ager on Monday, Feb. 4, the same day recall proponents were set to fi le their signatures with the county elections department.

Today is not a day of joy or release, but rather one of unremitting pain, wrote Dawson in an e-mail to The Press. I have resigned my offi ce as a Director of the Town of Discovery Bay.

Dawson who suffers from bipolar dis-order was arrested in August and charged in December with two counts of spousal battery and child endangerment. He has pleaded not guilty and was expected to appear in pretrial court this week.

Despite persistent calls for resignation from members of the community over the past few months as well as from two of his fellow board members Dawson has repeatedly re-fused to step aside.

But the threat of a recall and continued stress on his family prompted Dawson to re-consider. My reasons were really twofold, he said. To protect the district from the cost of an election and to save my family the pain of going through any more of the vitriol that was becoming commonplace about town.

Residents on both sides of the recall is-

sue have en-gaged in a bitter struggle over the past few months, escalating in recent weeks with accu-sations of harassment, political cor-ruption and libel.

D o n Flint, an organizer of the recall effort, praised Dawson for his courageous and proper ac-tion Both the proponents and opponents had strong feelings about the recall. But it is time to put that behind us I have spoken with Brian and thanked him for taking this step, and I wish nothing but the best for him and his family.

Dawson said hes proud of his service on the town board and thanks those who have continued to support him. His plans for the future include a new beginning and some time to regroup.

My family is moving out of Discovery Bay, said Dawson. It is a hostile environment for us and we need a fresh start, some peace and a chance to heal. As for politics, I have a few ideas, but not a single one revolves around ever running for offi ce again.

The CSD board has the option of fi lling the vacancy by either appointing a new director or holding a special election.


CSD director resignsby Ruth Roberts

Staff Writer

DAWSON

levels because of the economic recession, a trend Twa would like to buck soon.

However, the budget projections arent rosy for every department. Projections show that the Contra Costa County Fire Protec-tion District will be completely insolvent by the upcoming fi scal year. The district shows a defi cit of nearly $1 million in this fi scal year, but a budget stabilization fund of about $10 million keeps it in the black. In the upcoming year, that black turns to red by virtue of a proposed $2.86 million defi cit at the end of fi scal year 2012-13.

The county is fl oating the idea of a par-

cel tax on the November ballot to help keep the countys fi re department alive.

Despite the fi re department outlook, agencies outside Contra Costa County have given kudos to the local budget, Twas pre-sentation noted. The Government Finance Offi cers Association of the United States and Canada gave the county a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, the fi rst time Contra Costa has been honored with such.

We are getting where we need to be, Piepho said. It does remain a work in prog-ress. We need to be very careful we dont go backward.


Budget from page 3A

Federal Glover and Mary Piepho were sworn in as vice chair and chair of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors. County Supervisors recently an-nounced that next years budget looks healthy.

Photo courtesy of David Piepho

16A | THEPRESS.NET HEALTH & BEAUTY FEBRUARY 10, 2012

22 11112011

GOL

D MEDALAWARD

Residents desiring a screening to determine their risk of incurring a stroke or bone fracture are invited to the Brentwood Community United Church, 809 Second St., for a Life Line Screening on Feb. 24.

Richard Bennet from Woodland Hills, participated in a Life Line Screening event in March of 2008 and learned he had contracted an abdominal aortic aneurysm. I feel as though Life Line Screening saved my life, he wrote. I cant thank you enough!

Four key points every person needs to know: Stroke is the third leading cause of death and a leading cause of permanent disability. 80 percent of stroke victims had no apparent warning signs prior to their stroke. Preventive ultrasound screenings can help you avoid a stroke. Screenings are fast, noninvasive, painless, affordable and conve-nient.

Screenings identify potential cardiovascular conditions such as blocked arteries and irregular heart rhythm, abdominal aortic aneurysms and hardening of the arteries in the legs a strong predictor of heart disease. Also offered at the event is a bone density screening, appropriate for both men and women, to assess osteoporosis risk.

Packages start at $149; pre-registration is required. All fi ve screenings take 60 to 90 minutes to complete. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 877-237-1287 or visit www.lifelinescreening.com.

Stroke screeningsMany years ago I was in a restaurant and started

to choke on a piece of food. I had trouble breathing and was very lucky that someone I was with knew how to ad-minister the Heimlich Maneuver. Extremely frightened, I attempted to remain calm and within a few minutes the food dislodged and I was fi ne. I learned the true meaning

of the phrase knowledge is power.Reaction time to an emergency

can be a life-or-death factor, and Sutter Delta Medical Center along with Contra Costa County Health Services is educating people in CPR, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. My daughter Jori Luckhardt, a nurse for more than 17 years and now the risk manager and patient safety offi cer at Sutter Delta, spoke with me about a program that is working on desig-nating towns as HeartSafe Com-

munities. This program is going to increase awareness of the chain of elements for heart health and survival. Jori is currently working on getting Brentwood designated, add-ing it to Bethel Island, Knightsen, Byron and 11 other towns in our area.

According to the Sutter website, a HeartSafe Com-

munity is a community where all elements of the Chain of Survival are in place and there is a focus on improving the cardiovascular health of its citizens, thereby increas-ing the chances that anyone suffering a cardiovascular emergency will have the best possible chance for survival.

The American Heart Association has alleviated the fear of participating in mouth-to-mouth contact while administrating CPR and can instruct people on their website, www.handsonlycpr.org, on how to use a hands-only approach to save a life in 60 seconds. An interac-tive video shows exactly how to perform this simple-to-learn task.

In a medical emergency it is imperative to stay calm, call 911 fi rst and then begin the process of chest compres-sions. This will not only massage and help the heart, but send oxygen to the lungs as well. The person receiving CPR has more than double the chance of surviving if CPR is given immediately and correctly.

We all hope we never need to use CPR, but an emergency can occur at any time. Being prepared is vital. It puts the power of saving a life in your hands.

Marla Luckhardt is a Discovery Bay resident and member of the East Contra Costa Senior Coalition. She works with several local senior care and advocacy groups. To contact her, e-mail [email protected].

CPR knowledge is power

SENIORCORNER

MARLA LUCKHARDT

FAST - PROFESSIONAL - ACCURATEWalk-ins Welcome Personal & Small Business ReturnsReasonable RatesYear Round ServicePrior Years ReviewedOver 30 Years Experience

Income Tax & Small Business SpecialistAccuTax

BRENTWOOD NEW CLIENT SPECIAL

FREEFREEGift CardsGift Cardsfor Local Shops

Must present coupon.

3111 Balfour Rd., Suite M(BY FRESH & EASY)

BRENTWOOD(925) 513-5280

2053 Main Street(BY RALEYS)

OAKLEY(925) 625-8000

2 2 LOCATIONS TO SERVE

YOU!

WWW.ACCUTAX1040.COM

INCOME TAX INCOME TAX SERVICESSERVICES

INCOME TAX INCOME TAX SERVICESSERVICES

Clare running for City CouncilEditor:

I am excited to announce my candidacy for Brentwood City Council. I am running to ensure that Brentwood refl ects the aspira-tions, desires and best interests of its citizens. I believe I can bring a wealth of experience, energy, informed decision making, and a grass-roots style of government to our City Council.

It was my honor and privilege to come to Brentwood with my family in 1990 to serve as principal of Liberty High School. Currently I serve the students, staff, parents and our community as assistant superinten-dent.

I have been involved in numerous volun-teer roles in our community, including serv-ing as a board member of the Brentwood Police Activities League; the East Contra Costa Transit Authority; A Place of Learn-ing, which provides mentoring and tutoring; the Brentwood Diversity Committee; and the East Contra Costa Business/Education Alliance, which brings educators and busi-nesses together to better prepare high school students for career training and college.

I am also a member of the Brentwood

Rotary (past president), the Brentwood Art Society, the East Contra Costa Historical Society, the Brentwood Chamber of Com-merce, and Brentwood Runners Everyone Welcome. In 2009 I was honored to be se-lected as Brentwoods Citizen of the Year.

These are exciting and challenging times for our city. Brentwood is a wonderful place to live and work. In order to remain a great place, we must continue to move forward by working together in a direction that benefi ts and supports our residents and business owners. We are doing well, but I be-lieve we can always improve. I look forward to the opportunity to make this a reality.

I believe it is important to our citys vitality to attract new desirable businesses, especially downtown, to help ease the tax burden on residential taxpayers and to cre-ate new high-paying jobs.

Continuing to provide quality educa-tion is another important issue to me. I will be anxious to cooperate with and assist school authorities in providing the fi nest school system for our children.

Public safety, whether it be police or fi re protection, is paramount to the essential needs of our citizens. Promoting environ-mental sustainability and quality growth are important to our citys future and our well-being. These are all vitally important issues to me and to our community.

My wife Gretchen and I have been in-volved in our community for many years. We have always strived to make Brentwood a great place to live, work and play. In order to take a more active role in this pursuit, I ask for your support as I seek election to our City Council.

I believe in a politics of hope and op-portunity. I believe and know that public service has the capacity to bring people to-gether to enrich all of our lives. I want my candidacy, and if fortunate enough to serve, my time in offi ce to demonstrate that politics and public service can be an uplifting and creative force for improving our community and its legacy.

Ill be running through your neighbor-hoods this spring to meet you and listen to your concerns as well as opinions on city is-sues. I would be honored to have your friend-ship and support as I offi cially declare myself a candidate for Brentwood City Council.

Gene ClareBrentwood

Student supplies ample generosityEditor:

I am writing this letter to inform you of a remarkable thing that recently occurred in my second-grade classroom. One of my students, Connar, celebrated her eighth birthday two weeks ago. Like many other kids her age, she had a party with all of her classmates. Rather than asking for gifts for herself, she asked her friends to donate classroom supplies for our classroom.

Immediately following her party, Con-nar proudly came to school with her par-ents, presenting me with two overstuffed boxes of neatly packaged and sorted school supplies. The boxes were fi lled with pencils, scissors, glue sticks, rulers, markers and many other things. I am so deeply touched by Connars selfl ess act of generosity.

Over my many years of teaching in Brentwood, I have been given a lot of class-room materials as well as gifts from the hundreds of children I have taught. How-ever, this gift from Connar is one that I will never forget. I always tell my students that they teach me just as much as I teach them. Connar has done just that.

Kim SnodgrassTeacher, Ron Nunn School

More than a DASH of appreciationEditor:

DASH turned 1 recently. In January of 2011, with the help of HARP and HALO, we fi led to be recognized as a nonprofi t with the State of California and the IRS.

There are many people we need to thank for helping get DASH up and run-ning. While we are unable to thank all in-

dividually, there are some whom we cant thank enough and who go the extra mile to make our group work. This includes our board of directors: Karen Kops, Barb Stir-rat, Annette Funseth and Casey Harvey. All put in enormous amounts of time and ef-fort building our programs and creating a good name for DASH in the community.

Barbara Herendeen, the fi rst member of our advisory board, deserves a huge thank-you for her generous fi nancial sup-port. We have a growing number of fosters to thank, who open their homes to the dogs we pull from Antioch Animal Services. Casey Harvey, formerly dog adoption man-ager and now director of animal operations, has almost single-handedly built our dog adoption program from the ground up.

Because of all of you, we have gone from an idea to a reality: an organization that is actively saving the lives of animals and becoming an asset to our community. Without Monika Helgemo, Lori Haywood and the entire staff at Antioch Animal Ser-vices, we would be unable to save as many dogs as we have. Thank you for your dedica-tion and support of DASH.

To those who have donated monetarily and who have attended our fundraisers (put together by Sandy McGee), thanks. Finally, thanks to Maris Bennett, who recently took on the position of communications chair-person. All of you have made our fi rst year a resounding success.

As I look to the future, I realize we still have a long way to go to reach our ultimate goal of opening an adoption center. Every person who joins our cause brings us that much closer to our grand opening. Please continue to share our mission with your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors and to support us as we expand our pro-grams and work toward our eventual goal.

As our motto says, Doing it Better Together! I cant wait to see what we can accomplish in the coming year!

Rick StirratPresident, DASH

The resignation of Brian Dawson from the Dis-covery Bay Community Services District Board means the town can now begin to move on from one of the most turbulent episodes in its history. More impor-tantly, it will allow Brian Dawson and his family to move on.

This newspaper called for Dawsons resignation on Sept. 29 in the wake of his arrest on misdemeanor domestic violence charges on Aug. 27. In the days

following the incident, he acknowledged and apolo-gized for having made a mistake. But on Sept. 21 at the fi rst CSD meeting after the incident, not a word was spoken about it by Dawson or any of the other direc-tors. Nor was it mentioned that two directors had pub-licly called for his resignation, or that talk of a recall

election had begun.The boards inability to discuss the greatest, most

pressing issue before it convinced us that it would con-tinue to be dysfunctional with Dawson on it. We also felt it might be more advantageous to his health, and that of his family, for them to face the challenges before them outside the spotlight of public offi ce.

Dawsons initial decision to stay the course in the face of a recall is understandable. He joined a fractured board in an appointment process that was itself highly contentious. The argumentative nature of Discovery Bay politics made Dawsons tenacity a given. It was one of the things that appealed to the voters who elected him, and its the primary reason kids have a basketball court to play on in Regatta Park today.

The toll the escalating campaign was taking on Dawsons health and the concern for the impact the re-

call could make on the towns fi nances and community harmony led Dawson to change course and offer his resignation on Monday. His decision amounts to more than the turnover of a seat on the CSD board, how-ever. It elevates the importance of health and domes-tic-violence issues above that of politics, and thats how things should be. It was a most personal decision made in a most public fashion, a courageous move that sets an example others should consider when deciding how priorities are arranged.

There are some circumstances surrounding the ac-tions of both sides during the recall effort that will be looked at further, but well not address those here. We just want to congratulate Dawson for making the right choice under extreme conditions, and hope he, his fam-ily and the town fi nd smoother waters ahead.


The right call for Dawson, Discovery Bay

18A | THEPRESS.NET FEBRUARY 10, 2012

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

of Contra Costa County.

No part of this publication may be reproduced for commerce or trade without written permission from the publisher.

BRENTWOOD PRESS & PUBLISHING CORPORATIONNational Award Winning Newspapers

Founder & President Jimmy ChamouresPublisher & General Manager Greg Robinson

Executive Editor Rick LemyreProduction Manager & Webmaster Lonnie de Lambert

Business Manager Heather Reid

Main Office / Brentwood248 Oak St. Brentwood, CA 94513

Phone 925-634-1441 Fax 925-634-1975Web site: www.thepress.net

Advertising 925-634-1441, ext. 115Classifieds 925-634-1441, ext. 142

Editorial 925-634-1441, ext. 111Circulation 925-250-1405

Editorial e-mail [email protected]

OPINIONEDITORIALS, LETTERS & COMMENTARY National

AwardWinning NewspapersHave you got something to say? Visit www.thepress.net and let your thoughts be known.

EDITORIAL

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Visit Your Hometown Website www.thepress.net THEPRESS.NET | 19A FEBRUARY 10, 2012

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

Wrestler not thrown by separation from family

Kyle Clark is one of the most ac-complished members of Antioch Highs football and wrestling squads, but a cer-tain accomplishment off the mat might be his most impressive.

Following Clarks second year at An-tioch, his family moved to Oregon, forc-ing him to miss the Panthers 2010 foot-ball season. But when he learned that his new school wouldnt let him participate in wrestling, a sport in which Clark has a genuine future beyond high school, he decided to move back to Antioch.

Thats where Clark, now a senior competing in the 220-pound class, has remained for more than a year, living with folks like friend of the family Mike Barron while his family remains a state away. Hes been struggling a lot, liv-ing with different people, said senior teammate and friend Dylan Guerrero. I think hes actually gotten stronger. Its

been hard on him but hes been fi ghting through it, making the best out of it, and doing pretty good.

Clark doesnt disagree. Since I havent been living with (my parents), I think I have done better, he said. I miss my family and I have had to adjust, but I also try a lot harder.

The challenges Clark has faced this season arent limited to separation from family. At this time during his ju-nior season, the wrestler had around 50 matches under his belt. This year, only 17. A shoulder injury he suffered earlier in the year and recently re-injured in a big match is belied by his sterling 15-2 record.

Its getting a lot better, Clark said. I just seem to keep injuring it again. Right now I am just taking it easy, trying to heal.

Clarks nagging shoulder injury has kept him from performing against some

Antioch wrestler Kyle Clark, in gold, spars with teammate Mark Preciado dur-ing practice. Clark has had to overcome adversity on many fronts to succeed.

Photo by Richard Wisdom

by Michael DixonCorrespondent

Liberty Highs boys basketball team has played many close games against ri-val Heritage in recent years, but the Lions have consistently come up short. This sea-son has been different.

Including a win in the Don Nelson Classic, the Lions have beaten the Patriots twice going into last Tuesdays matchup on the Patriots home court, where Liber-ty got 11 points from senior forward Dar-ius Brown, senior guard Juwan Blakeley and junior guard Brandon White to com-plete the season sweep. The 51-42 victory moved the Lions to 18-5 overall; 5-2 in Bay Valley Athletic League play. Heritage is now 2-5 in league but maintains a solid 14-9 overall record.

After what Ive been through, it feels damn good, said Lions head coach Jon Heinz. Forget boys basketball; they beat us in everything. Of all the major sports, were the fi rst Liberty team to really step up and assert our dominance. Its been huge.

The sweep wasnt easy. While the Li-ons led for the majority of the game, the Patriots kept it close throughout. An upset seemed a distinct possibility when a late-third-quarter bucket from Patriots senior guard Bryce Nicolicchia gave Heritage a 39-38 lead heading into the fi nal frame.

But Liberty bore down and put the game away although the fourth quarter

was far from a beauty contest. Five players scored for Liberty, while Heritage sopho-more forward Shon Briggs three points were all the Patriots could muster. And the fi rst of those three didnt come until well after the quarters halfway point.

One of our strengths is running the ball, White said. I think we had gotten away from running the ball a little bit. Once we started running, we controlled the pace a little more and put the game away.

Briggs led the Heritage attack with 13, followed by junior forward Ryan Smiths 10. Heritage junior guard George Johnson drained three shots from behind the arc, but none of Johnsons teammates joined the three-point party.

We turned the ball over way too many times in the fourth quarter, said Heritage head coach Pat Cruickshank. Obviously, give Liberty some credit for how they played; the heart that they played with. They put some pressure on us. But we shot ourselves in the foot. We had the lead and at least three or four pos-sessions with the lead, and just couldnt extend it.

The night wasnt a complete loss for Cruickshanks team, which held Liberty to its lowest point total since its previous regular-season win against Heritage, when the Lions put up 46. It was also a stronger showing than the 92-48 loss the Patriots

Liberty sweeps Heritage

Deer Valley High senior forward Jenifer Keys works her way past Heritages Erin Asher during a game last week. The Wolverines are primed for another Bay Valley Athletic League title, and hold a 7-0 record against league foes heading into Fridays game at Liberty. Deer Valley (16-6) defeated crosstown rival Antioch on Tuesday.

Focused on the prize

Photo by Kyndl Buzas

by Michael DixonCorrespondent

see Wrestler page 24A

see Sweeps page 22A

20A | THEPRESS.NET SPORTS FEBRUARY 10, 2012

22 11112011

GOL

D MEDALAWARD

California Striped Bass AssociationWest Delta Chapter

CRAB & PASTA FEED

To Help Support the 2012 Kids Free Fishing Derby

February 18 at 6:00 p.m.Brentwood Veterans Memorial Building

757 First St., Brentwood

Tickets $40 ea. Limited tickets!Call Roger today! (925) 754-3938

22 11112011

GOL

D MEDALAWARD

Panthers hang tough with BVAL champ Pirates

The Antioch High boys soccer players, in search of a North Coast Section playoff spot, knew they needed to prove themselves against rival Pittsburg on Tuesday night.

The Pirates, who had already wrapped up the Bay Valley Athletic League title last week, easily handled the Panthers in their previous matchup on Jan. 19. This time around, Antioch played to a 1-1 tie, improv-ing its postseason chances.

It was a solid game, said Panthers head coach Julio Borge. We played them differently today. We played them more of-fensively. We didnt wait for them to come to us; we put the pressure on them.

It was a spirited, hard-fought game. Pittsburg (12-7-4, 6-0-2 BVAL) took the ear-ly lead, roughly fi ve minutes into the game, on a goal by senior forward Jaime Lopez. Junior midfi elder Isreal Murgia was credited with the assist.

At the 17-minute mark in the fi rst half, Antioch (7-7-4, 2-2-3 BVAL) answered with

a score from sophomore Julian Cabeza. The Panthers, hoping to make the fi rst dent in Pittsburgs league record, managed three more shots on goal before halftime, keeping the Pirates defense busy.

We dominated, we controlled the ball,

but we couldnt fi nish, Pittsburg head coach Pablo Gaytan said. If you dont fi nish, you get stuck with a tie or losing. Youve got to be able to fi nish your opportunities, and we didnt do that.

The second half was a back-and-forth

struggle for position. Pittsburg managed sev-eral shots on goal, but Antioch senior goal-keeper David Saldana stopped them short of touching the net.

Gaytan was pleased with his teams performance, but noted that the Pirates big-gest bugaboo has been closing out games. Pittsburg had a bevy of chances to take the lead in the second half, but frustration just mounted.

Borge, who will retire from his post at the end of the season, switched things up from the Jan. 19 game, which Antioch lost 4-2. The Panthers moved to a 4-3-3 defense to keep the pressure on the Pirates, a decision that worked well.

The game ended on a sour note, as ref-erees called the game in the fi nal two minutes due to a skirmish between the two teams. No punches were landed, but offi cials and coaches were forced to separate the squads.

Though Pittsburgs postseason spot is already reserved, Antioch is still waiting for an invitation to the NCS tournament, which starts Feb. 15.



Pittsburg Highs Jaime Lopez goes horizontal in front of Antioch Highs Luis Diaz during Tuesdays game.

Photo by Kevin Bartram

LIFE IS BETTER IN THE QUICK LANE.

W RKSTHE

Fuel Saver PackageFuel Saver Package

WELL SAVE YOU TIME AND MONEY.

We service all makes and models!Motorcraft

Tested Tough Batteries

Starting at

$89.95$89.95***Through 2/29/12

Oil Change Brake Inspection Belts and Hoses Check Filter Check

Tire Rotation Battery Test Fluid Top-Off Multi-Point Inspection

8085 Brentwood Blvd. 634-9900Across the street from Bill Brandt Ford

Quick Lane is a registered trademark of Ford Motor Company

FREE DiagnosisIf repairs are performed.

We will waive the cost of your diagnosis if you choose to have the repairs performed at the same time. A $159.00 value!

Applies to Ford, Lincoln & Mercury vehicles only. Please present coupon at time service order is written. May not be combined with other coupons, discounts or advertised specials. With this coupon. Expires 2/29/12

Michelin and BFGoodrich tires Buy 4 tires and get a $50 rebate

Plus receive a complimentary TireCARE Road Hazard Package (MSRP is $60). Through 3/31/12

We honor major eet plans, e.g. GE Fleet, PH&H, ARI, Lease Plan & Donlon

$29.95$29.95**

Retail purchases only. Up to fi ve quarts of Motorcraft oil and Motorcraft oil fi lter. Taxes, diesel vehicles, and disposal fees extra. Hybrid battery test excluded. Mail in/online rebate form must be postmarked by 4/30/12. See Service Advisor for vehicle exclusions and details. Off er valid with coupon. Expires: 3/31/12.

The quick way to save fuel.*After $10 mail-in rebate.

THE RIGHT TIRES AT THE RIGHT PRICE.

Byron Rock & Ready Mix INC. Serving Homeowners

& Contractors

Ready Mix Concrete, Sand, Gravel & Rock

Davis Concrete colors

Pumping Available

925-240-00675301 Byron Hot Springs Rd.

NewOwners

Orthodontic CareFREE Exam

& Consultation

Changing lives one smile at a time!

Antioch 757-9100 Brentwood 634-4446

For Children & Adults No Dental Referral Needed 0% Payment Plan Options

www.sheffi eldortho.com Se Habla Espaol22 11112011

G

OLD MEDAL

AWARD

LOVE YOUR SMILE!

MAKING LIFE EASIER

8157 Brentwood Blvd | Brentwood, CA 94513(800) 346-1646 | www.medsolutionsllc.com

10% OFF Over 8000 Medical

Products Seating & Mobility Bracing & Support Therapeutic Footwear Durable Medical

Equipment

EVERY DAY!

Receivean additional

15% Offon all ordersover $100!

24A | THEPRESS.NET SPORTS FEBRUARY 10, 2012

22 11112011

GOL

D MEDALAWARD

of the better competition in the area. Theres no denying, however, that hes one of the better wrestlers in the area no small achievement given his lack of background in the sport.

Clark fi rst stepped onto Antiochs campus with no wrestling experience. He took up the sport only because his football coach told him it would make him better on the gridiron. Now Clark readily admits to being more serious

about wrestling, mostly because hes a lot better on the mat. Some people have natural talent and others take time to develop, Guerrero said. In Kyles freshman year, he had that natural tal-ent. He started out good as a freshman and hes only gotten better.

As of now, Clarks plan is to wrestle and play football at a junior college be-fore transferring to a four-year school. The top school on his wish list is Oregon, which would allow him to live closer to

his family.When not wrestling or playing foot-

ball, Clark is a fan of doing anything that keeps him active and away from staying stuck at the house. I have a 10-speed that I ride around town, he said. I like hiking, camping, hanging out with friends, doing stuff outdoors. Basically, I really dont like just sitting around in-side and playing video games.

Given the impermanence of his liv-ing situation, no one would blame Clark

for going into a shell. But his friends and teammates said he has never done that in football, wrestling or any other part of his life.

Kyle is one of the more respect-able guys in school both in and out of sports, Guerrero said. Hes like a brother to me. Even though we dont talk every day, Ive always felt comfort-able around him. Hes kind of like a role model to me.


Wrestler from page 19A

New York Giants defen-sive end Dave Tollef-son, a 2000 Los Meda-nos College graduate, speaks with reporters following Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday. In his fth year with the Giants, Tollefson earned his second Super Bowl ring as New York beat the New England Patriots 21-17. Tollefson and the Giants defeated the Pa-triots in Super Bowl XLII.

Super day for LMC graduate

Photo: ESPN screengrab

FEBRUARY 10, 2012 SPORTS THEPRESS.NET | 25A

Dentistry

Cosm

etic & Fam

ily10Years of

ExcellenceJamilAlkhouryDDS

22 000002010

GOL

D MEDALAWARD

22 11112011

GOL

D MEDALAWARD

Enroll now for FREE Registration!

A Preschool & Child Development Program

Daily Academic Lessons

Daily Bible Lessons

Hands on exploration

Wee Care Centerat Resurrection Ministries

22 11112011

GOL

D MEDALAWARD

1275 Fairview Ave., Brentwood925.634.5180Infants through School age

22 000002010

GOL

D MEDALAWARD

nior midfi elder Angel Gosse, junior mid-fi elder Mackenzie Tovani and her sister, freshman Brielynn Tovani, have contrib-uted timely goals for the Falcons.

When senior midfi elder Julie Lopez, a team captain, went down in January with a torn knee ligament, Gonzalez was impressed by the way the team rallied and kept winning.

Everybody just stepped up, Gonza-

lez said.

GIRLS BASKETBALLHeritage 59, Liberty 30

Heritage continued its quest for high-er North Coast Section playoff seeding with a 59-30 victory over rival Liberty on Tuesday night. Junior Ali Ramirez led the Patriots with 14 points; junior Miranda Nelson contributed 10. Senior center Ber-nadette Fong was the high scorer for the Lions, netting 11 points on the night.

Heritage hosts Freedom on Friday; Lib-erty takes on league-leading Deer Valley.

Pittsburg 88, Freedom 46The Pittsburgs girls basketball team

is also harboring postseason aspirations. The Pirates solidifi ed their BVAL stand-ing with an 88-46 win over Freedom on Tuesday night. Senior guard Alexandria Moore scored a game-high 18 points; teammates Keshia Ward and Janeek Mol-lique also fi nished in double digits. Senior

center Myeshia Ward came down with a game-best 11 rebounds.

Deer Valley 89, Antioch 15BVAL leader Deer Valley came away

with an 89-15 victory over crosstown rival Antioch on Tuesday night. Senior guard Monique Mulder led the Wolverines in scoring, and Maranne Johnson, Sabrea Coleman and Tanisha Colbert also con-tributed double-digit scoring efforts.

Compiled by Justin Lafferty

Success from page 23A

East County gymnasts Ruben Padilla, Analiese Almgren and Alyssa Paulson have earned the right to train at the JumpStart National Team Training Camp at the U.S. Olympic National Team Training Center in Huntsville, Texas.

Ruben, 11, is a fi fth-grader at Iron House Elemen-tary looking forward to his third stint with JumpStart. Analiese, 10, and Alyssa, 9, are from Four Stars Gym-nastics in Antioch.

Padilla practices at Springtime Tumbling and Tram-poline in Livermore.

He is an amazingly talented athlete who works hard to learn more about the sport, wrote coach Jill Wilson in a press release. And he has always been sup-ported by his loving family.

Analiese and Alyssa are coached by Yoshi Nakaya-ma, Monique Williams-Duenas, Mindi Wade and Mar-tha Hayakawa.

They are both incredible athletes, Nakayama wrote in a press release. They are hard working and very focused every minute of their workout. They fol-low instructions well and persevere all challenges. Their

parents are very dedicated to the sport and bring their children to the gym every day. I think its a great gift to them that they both are being recognized as one of the top athletes for their age groups in the country.

JumpStart testing took place throughout the sum-mer. Of the approximately 9,000 trampoline and tum-bling athletes currently competing in the United States,

about 100 were invited to JumpStart National Testing.National testing was held in late January at the U.S.

Olympic National Team Training Center, where 10 ath-letes in mens trampoline, 23 in womens trampoline, 10 in mens tumbling and 23 in womens tumbling were se-lected to the JumpStart National Team.

Contributed by Nelia Padilla and Yoshi Nakayama

Locals make national gymnastics teamRuben Padilla, front left, with Springtime Tumbling and Trampoline teammates Kaitlyn Clevenger and Josh Erickson. In the back are coaches Brock and Jill Wilson. Alyssa Paulson, left front, and Analiese Almgren prepare for gymnastic action at the U.S. Olympic National Team Training Center.

Photo courtesy of Nelia Padilla Photo courtesy of Yoshi Nakayama

26A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY FEBRUARY 10, 2012

window. Earlier models had been limited to fi ve years due to economic uncertainties, especially the recovery of property values whose recent plunge has left the ECCFPD more than $2 million short each year.

Also added into the equation is the full cost of replacing equipment and other capital improvement costs such as station repairs. As of now, the district budget re-serve policy accounts for only a portion of the approximate $1.2 million needed annu-ally.

The new 10-year model shows that even with revenue the new tax would pro-vide, the district will spend more than it receives beginning in year fi ve.

Im not happy to see red again, but we will have alternatives at that point, said Director Anderson. For example, she said, adjustments could be made to the rate at which reserves are accumulated once they have had the fi rst few years of tax revenue to refi ll the nearly depleted coffers.

Other directors expressed concern that if property values recover faster than ex-pected or new revenue begins to fl ow from growth or the completion of the power plant planned for Oakley, the tax might no longer be needed. The district fi nancial model now assumes property taxes will de-

cline an additional 2 percent the fi rst year, stay fl at for four years, then begin rising at a rate of 2 percent per year.

As of now, the proposed measure calls for the tax rate to be set annually by the board. If it passes, the board can set the level anywhere between $0 and its cap, $197 plus a maximum cost-of-living in-crease of 3 percent. Morgan said the lan-guage of the measure should emphasize the annual review, which would include public hearings.

We have to make it clear that the board can always take (the tax amount) down if the districts fi nancial picture improves more quickly than forecast, she said.

The board will hold a special public meeting on Feb. 27 to fi nalize the measure, ECCFPD Chief Hugh Henderson said. A sunset clause could still be added at that point if the board should decide to do so. The proposed measure must be approved by the board and fi led with the county by March 5 for the district to begin receiving money this year.

Meanwhile, the district will continue to gather public input at its community meetings. The next one is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the Brent-wood City Council Chambers.


Sunset from page 1A

Fire ghters use a ladder to get to a man buried nearly to his neck when a 10-foot-deep trench he was working in collapsed in Brentwood last week.

Photo by Rick Lemyre

individual.A crowd of about 200 watching from

behind caution tape cheered when the man was pulled from the trench at about

8:30 p.m.Investigators from the Occupational

Safety and Health Administration are in-vestigating the accident.


Trench from page 1A

Violence down, property crime up in Antioch

In response to reductions in staff, the Antioch Police Department made a decision in 2010 to focus mainly on crimes in which residents lives were at stake, such as homi-cide, rape and robbery.

The priority shift, along with the rejig-gering of beats, helped the city reduce violent crime by 46 cases (5.3 percent) in 2011 over the previous year.

I think just our successes in apprehend-ing and prosecuting people that are respon-sible for violent crimes is phenomenal, said Acting Captain Leonard Orman. Some of these things we had started doing in 2010, but things take time to have an effect. Im hoping that 2011 was the result of things that we started doing in 2010.

But the changes also meant that more property crimes were reported.

Antiochs sworn police offi cers, who have seen their ranks thinned from 126 to 94 over the past few years due to budget cuts,

believe that what the department has done to keep residents safe was a sound choice.

According to recent statistics, the city encountered a 25.1-percent spike in prop-erty crimes such as theft, burglary and arson. One of the most dramatic spikes was in theft. Antioch was hit with 522 more cases of theft last year, a 49.8-percent increase. Burglaries were up 22.8 percent. The department also reported 19 more incidents of arson com-pared to 2010, a 51.4-percent rise.

Orman pinpointed two causes of the increase in property crime: lack of staffi ng, and lenient terms of parole. Most of those arrested for crimes such as theft and burglary are repeat offenders.

Some residents, such as Beverly Knight, believe the crime problem is even worse than whats reported. People dont call the police because in their daily routine they see traffi c violations, vandalism, beggars everywhere the police do nothing, Knight wrote in an e-mail to The Press. These are the things that need to be addressed. When the bad guys see no enforcement of little things, they think

they can do whatever they want.Antioch saw eight fewer homicides in

2011 than in 2010. Rapes were reduced by 11, robberies by 23 and aggravated assaults by four. Throughout 2011, Police Chief Al-lan Cantando announced at City Council meetings that the efforts of his offi cers were making a difference and that violent crime was declining.

Mayor Jim Davis commended the hard work done by Antioch offi cers, expressing hope that the city would soon be able to add cops back to the force. Were looking to see where we can start increasing staff back at the police department, which would be great news, Davis said. Im impressed that the police department is able to do as much as they are. Obviously the theft numbers are not what wed like to have, and that is indicative of the fact that we have less police offi cers, but that will change once we start increasing the offi cers.

Police offi cers and public offi cials have sought public involvement to bolster the understaffed department. Participation and

interest in neighborhood watch groups have increased as residents have accepted their role as the polices eyes and ears when offi -cers cant be present.

Orman also identifi ed ways residents can avoid becoming property-crime statis-tics, noting that people shouldnt provide a prime access point for thieves an open ga-rage door when away from home. He urged residents to be on the lookout for suspicious people in their neighborhood and report po-tential criminal activity to the police. And he recommended that all windows and doors be locked before residents leave for work.

To prevent vehicle burglary, said Or-man, residents should remove expensive items such as laptops, cell phones and iPods before leaving their vehicle.

Theyre doing a heck of a good job in trying to keep the crime down, City Coun-cilwoman Mary Rocha said of the Antioch Police Department. We are moving out of this little slump, but we still need to have help from the community.



Brentwoods Kathy Griffi n is the lucky win-ner of a free three-month membership to the Delta Valley Athletic Club in The Press Fitness contest. And since Kathy is getting ready for her daughter Aubreys wedding, the membership comes at the perfect time.

My husband and I are in a friendly compe-tition to see who can get into better shape before Aubreys wedding, said Kathy. I think I now have a bit of an advantage with this membership to Delta Valley Athletic Club.

Erin Pellaton will be providing Kathy with her initial fi tness consultation, discussing Kathys fi tness and nutrition objectives plus her level of commit-ment to a structured workout program.

I love meeting with new members and learn-ing more about their fi tness goals, said Erin. Ill be giving Kathy solution-oriented guidance based on her current health and fi tness level, and showing her a proper workout to reach those goals.

To get in on the latest contests, visit http://thepress.net/contests_games.

Fitness contest winner

FEBRUARY 10, 2012 THEPRESS.NET | 27A

22 11112011

GOL

D MEDALAWARD

FEBRUARY 10, 2012 MONEY MATTER$ THEPRESS.NET | 3B

Do you have a Junior Mortgage on Your House?Lien Stripping in Chapter 13by Joan Grimes, Esq.

Advertisement

One of the great advantages of a Chapter 13 bankruptcy at this time is ability to strip a lien on your principal residence that does not attach to any equity. Here is a common example: Principal residence has current fair market value of $300,000. Th e fi rst mortgage has a balance of $400,000 and the second mortgage has a balance of $100,000. Because the second mortgage does not attach to any equity in the property, the lien can be avoided or stripped in a Chapter 13 thereby removing the balance of $100,000 at the completion of the Chapter 13 case.

When does a Chapter 13 lien stripping case make sense? First, the residence must be your principal residence i.e. where you sleep at night. Second, you dont want to fi le a Chapter 13 to strip a lien unless you really, really want to stay in this

house. Th ird, the balance on the junior lien needs to be large enough combined with other debt to make a Chapter 13 advantageous i.e. you dont want to fi le Chapter 13 to avoid a lien of $10,000.

If a Chapter 13 is sounding like something that might work for you, there are several other things to consider. First, we must make sure all of the owners of the property and all of the people who signed on the mortgage note we need to strip are fi ling bankruptcy. For example, if the property is owned by both you and your spouse, we cannot strip off the mortgage unless both of you are fi ling bankruptcy. Second, in order to strip off the mortgage, we have to prove that your real property is not worth more than the payoff balances on the other senior mortgages. Th at is, we need to prove that there is no value, not even one dollar, left in

your real property to secure the mortgage we are trying to strip in the Chapter 13. Th ird, you need to have a real senior mortgage or at least a reasonable hope of one through a modifi cation. Th e best senior mortgages for lien stripping cases are 30 year fi xed that you can really aff ord or a mortgage that has been modifi ed into a loan you can aff ord. If the senior mortgage is going to reset into a payment you cannot aff ord in 1,2,3 or 4 years, there is no reason to spend the money to strip a junior lien and then lose the house to a foreclosure by the senior lender later.

In conclusion, there has never been a better time for Chapter 13 lien stripping cases. Home values are low and the number of junior liens that do not attach to any equity are at an all time high. Th is is truly the lemonade out lemons recipe

if you are intending on staying in your current residence and meet the requirements for a Chapter 13. Prior to simply walking away for your current residence, it may be a good idea to consider a Chapter 13 and see what it can do for you.

WE ARE A DEBT RELIEF AGENCY. WE HELP PEOPLE FILE BANKRUPTCY RELIEF UNDER THE BANKRUPTCY CODE. THIS INFORMATION IS NOT PROVIDED AS LEGAL ADVICE AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON IN MAKING ANY DECISION REGARDING A SHORT SALE OR FORECLOSURE. THIS INFORMATION IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR OBTAINING TAX & LEGAL ADVICE REGARDING AN INDIVIDUAL SITUATION. GRIMESBKLAW.COM PHONE (925) 323-7772

2011 Joan Grimes

Investing in your fi nancial future

Its never too early to start saving for the future. Its the hallmark phrase of nancial planning and a mantra

revived by a slow-recovering economy.

Pundits decree whats hot and whats

not, urge you to do this or that, but

your nancial future ultimately comes

down to what you want.

Now is the time to assess your situation, set goals and lay ground rules for establishing a realistic nancial plan. And thats where Oscar Peccorini comes in.

The turn in the economy has forced us to take a look at our spending and pinch our pennies, said Peccorni of American National Insurance Company in Brentwood. People are re-evaluating their nances and looking to save wherever possible, and its a good time to step back and set the stage for a strong foundation for a sound nancial future.

Peccorinis partner Nic Mutulo agrees:

Our generation isnt a saving generation. We come from buy-now, pay-later mindset. But in the down economy, were starting to look at how we spend and how we save. What we do is look at your entire nancial picture and help you nd the best strategy to achieve your nancial goals.

The rst step in that process is a fact- nding assessment. Peccorini and Mutulo take a helicopter approach to look at every facet of your nancial situation. They look for areas where you may be investing too much money, such as car insurance, and areas where you arent investing enough, such as homeowners insurance.

Once a road map of your nances has been laid out, an agent at American National Insurance Company hosts a nancial planning workshop to go over potential strategies for achieving your goals. The workshop isnt client-speci c, but a general overview of ways you can invest and protect your investments.

Finally, Peccorini and Mutulo offer recommendations. Thats right. Up to this point, no fees have been charged and no contracts have been signed. These consulting services are complimentary.

Were not trying to sell you a product, Peccorini said. We serve as consultants to get you thinking about your nancial future. We offer the analysis free of charge. If you end up signing with us, great, but at the very least weve educated you about how to prepare for

the future.Were willing to put in the sweat

equity at the ground level to help establish trust because we care about your income and whats going to happen to you. Clients value that approach, and we get most of our business from referrals.

Peccorini said the most is important part is for you to be invested in your future and committed to making the changes that help you reach your goals. While he and Mutulo cant wave a magic wand to make

your nancial future crystal clear, they offer a strategy to help you invest in yourself.

As representatives of an insurance company, the agents put together a basic contract without all the nancial planning consultation, but Peccorini encourages clients to consider doing so.

American National Insurance Company is located at 325 Town Centre Terrace, Suite D in Brentwood. For more information, call Peccorini at 925-684-7055 or Mutulo at 925-684-1001.


S A M I E H A R T L E Y

Nic Mutulo and Oscar Peccorini of American National Insurance Company help clients develop strategies for a solid nancial future.

Photo by Samie Hartley

ON THE COVER: Some of the equipment used at Creme dela Gem in Brentwood to determine the gold content of jewelry.

Are you sailing around the storm or into it?

Navigating through this economic storm is not easy. Is anyone helping you?

Kelly C. AltharFinancial Consultant

Direct 415-274-3208Toll Free 800-316-9901 [email protected]

Financial West Group100 Spear Street, Suite 930, San Francisco, CA 94105

Member FINRA SIPC

Stocks Tax Free Bonds Mutual Funds IRAs 401K Rollovers Retirement Planning

22 11112011

GOL

DMEDALAWARD

Informed Investors Choose SolarMichael Wulfman, Spectrum SolarWinds

Some say that for homeowners with savings or credit, a solar system is a no-brainier. Others believe solar doesnt make nancial sense yet.

Should you take the bull by the horns and go solar now or leave your money in the bank or should you buy that car you have had your eye on?

Ask yourself, as an investment does solar compare sensi-bly to other safe investments? How much can an ordinary family household save with solar? What about looking at system pay-back, opportunity costs of other investments, the ongoing posi-tive cash ows from owning a solar system and your annual rate of return? Are there provable bene ts in home value and market-ability? We try to answer those questions here. Direct Savings from Solar

First, lets look at the direct savings of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system. Th is is a good rst step in judging the gains of going solar. A 5.9-kilowatt AC PV system is typical of many middle-class homes with air-conditioning and a family of four. A 5.9-kilowatt system will save about $320 per month to begin with. Keep in mind: Th is savings will grow every year as PG&E rates keep rising. You will save $4,232 or more, in the very rst year and well over $200,000 over the warranted life of the system.

Now, accounting for average in ation of 3 percent, the combined savings will actually come closer to $300,000.

Next, think about PG&E rates increasing annually. Histori-cally, they have risen annually by about 7 percent, as stated on PG&Es website. However, we saw a 15 percent overall PG&E in-crease last year alone. So I feel safe using 8 percent here.

Th ose increases are also compounded yearly! Th ats an an-nual raise on the raises too! Your actual savings from what you otherwise would be paying to PG&E now rises very steeply, more than tripling the aggregate savings from solar when compared to projected PG&E rates over the life of the solar system! Your neighbors, perhaps afraid of committing to solar, are still paying for PG&E ve, 10, 15, 20 years from now. Th ey have cause to resent you! Because of your solar system, you now pay compara-tively less and less each year. In a few years, you essentially pay nothing, inde nitely. During the same period their bills rise from hundreds per month to thousands of dollars per month at over twice the rate of yearly compounded in ation. Solar System Payback

Payback period, also referred to as the break-even point, is a common, however limited, evaluation tool. System payback is simply the amount of time in months and years that it will take to recover your up-front cash outlay in terms of the total monthly utility bills that add up to equal your solar systems cost. Adjust-ing actual dollar-to-dollar payback for in ation only, a standard system usually has a break-even point of six to eight years.

To be accurate, take projected utility price increases into ac-count of approximately 8 percent annually. Now the true break-even point you should actually experience typically falls to only four to 6 years for solar.

So systems pay for themselves many years before the war-ranted output life of the panels is approached. After the solar sys-tem has paid for itself in o set electric bills, expect to generate free electricity for another 25 years, given a 30-year system life. Some solar panels have been producing since the 1950s. And the technology has vastly improved! In truth, the system could be operational well beyond even that time.

Yet, prudent buyers may be mistaken to focus on the pay-back for solar. In fact, paybacks of 10 and even 20 years often are a very good investment nancially. Th e payback method of determining if a solar system makes sense does not re ect the best form of money-wise valuation of solar, according to Th e Contra Costa Times nancial columnist Steve Butler (June 16, 2011). Paraphrasing Butler, far better nancial advice is to

compare solar with other taxable investments rather than view the solar installation as an appliance with planned obsolescence, as the payback method does. Taking taxation into account

Butler advises comparing the return in your solar systems reliable electricity savings with the earnings on a safe nancial investment that also has guaranteed monthly returns.

Take the current rate of return on a $30,000 guaranteed investment (the gross cost of a typical solar system). In a mon-ey-market fund or certi cate of deposit, the investment would now be making about $250 a year max, right? Th e marginal tax bracket would reduce that to around $200 of spendable income. Zilch.

Compare this with the after-tax value of your thousands of dollars per year of free electricity from the same amount of in-vested capital. Th ere is no comparison:

Th ere are no taxes on this nancial bene t to you freed up from solar because of not paying a PG&E bill. Your total re-turn is the full amount of savings that can be spent or invested elsewhere. Th e tax-free $4,232 of savings is comparable to your having to earn about $6,000 of additional taxable income. Again: You would need to earn about $6,000 of additional taxable in-come to have this tax-free bene t of $4,232 of savings from solar. Th ats predictably, at very least, a 13-percent pretax return on the original investment in a PV solar system.

Can you beat that return by putting your money elsewhere than into your solar system? Th ats unlikely.Positive Cash Flow from this Typical Solar System

Financing is a practical option for obtaining a PV system for homeowners or small businesses. Most solar customers now buy or lease a solar system for little or no out-of-pocket money and save on their monthly utility bills immediately. In fact, a lease that would take out this $320 per month power bill would typically have a monthly lease payment of only about $160.

Th e other side of that coin is that more is paid for the solar system in the end because of the added nancing charges. But it works out well just the same. Loans with longer years repayment periods provide immediate and permanent savings from uctu-ating and rising utilities bills. Th e monthly savings more than o -sets the monthly xed-loan payments replacing the PG&E bills. Th e small monthly payment gets you a signi cant and increasing net positive cash ow each month. Apply some of the monthly savings from paying no electric bill to paying the lower loan or lease payments. Th en pocket the remaining monthly savings from your former PG&E bill.

Again, your net savings, compared to not using solar, in-creases as PG&E rates are raised annually. But it gets better

You get thousands of dollars of federal tax credits back. Th irty percent of your gross system cost is paid to you in a re-fund check if you own your system! If you apply this to your loan balance, even greater monthly savings are provided to you by your new smaller loan payments. Th e reduced monthly payment yields new net cash ow of 25 to 30 percent more than you had before paying down the loan.

But, wait for it Since interest on the loan is tax

brentwood press_02.10.12

Documents