Brentwood Press_9.25.09

YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER

Vol. 11, No. 39 Including Surrounding Communities www.thepress.net September 25, 2009

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THIS WEEK

Home and Garden

If youve got a home or a garden or hope to have a home or a garden or just like to read about them, this is your lucky day.

Page 1B

Lions eatCardinals

Lion fans left Ohmstede Field happy as Liberty won its home-coming game against the visit-ing Lowell Cardinals from San Francisco last Friday.

Page 17A

Harvest Festwelcomes fallAutumn came early to down-town Brentwood last week.

Page 3A

Calendar ..........................27BClassifieds ........................19BEducation ..........................8AEntertainment ................16BFood .................................14BHealth & Beauty .............10BHome & Garden ...............1BMilestones .........................9BOpinion ...........................14ASports ...............................17A

INSIDE

FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A

More woes for family of ailing child

Sleep is not Elizabeth Tanners friend these days, which is under-standable given the grave illness of her four-year-old son Aaron. But even before it was determined that Aaron would need a rare heart and kidney transplant, the Brentwood resident was lying awake nights worrying about something else the mortgage.

It was stressful, were like a lot of homeowners (with upside down loans), and it caused a lot of sleepless nights, said Tanner. It was a worry.

But when she and her husband Mark were approved for a loan modifi cation last October, Tanner was hopeful she would soon be get-ting a better nights sleep. And for a while she did.

Once we got the loan redone, we thought, now we can afford to make our payments, and well be OK, said Tanner. Unfortunately that ended up not being the case.

According to Tanner, when the

loan was redone last year through Bank of America unbeknownst to them, their property taxes were factored into the monthly pay-ments along with the mortgage. But because the fi rst payments were rolled into the initial loan re-modifi cation and not due again for another six months, the Tanners were unaware of the situation and continued to just pay their monthly mortgage payment of $2,900.

We were told the taxes wouldnt be included in the month-ly payment, and we would have been fi ne with it if they were, but we were specifi cally told that wasnt

going to be the case, said Tanner. So by the time the Tanners

were notifi ed by the bank in June that their account was in arrears, they already owed thousands of dollars in back taxes. Today that number which includes late fees, insurance and back taxes is up to nearly $20,000, and without some kind of reprieve, the Tanners may very well lose their home.

We have basically been in arrears of $4,000 a month, accord-ing to the bank, said Tanner, We recently received a letter saying that unless we pay up in full, they will begin foreclosure proceedings. Even though weve continued to pay our mortgage every month, they (the bank) have said that un-less we can pay it all, dont bother paying anything.

Tanner said the bank has re-fused to modify the loan again, and told her that leniency can only be granted if one of the signatories on the loan, not one of their children, is ill.

They (the bank) say they are sorry but there is nothing they can

do, said Tanner. And its frustrat-ing because I get a different person every time I call. At this point were running out of options, and we have other things we are worrying about (Aarons illness).

But help may be on the way. Oakley City Councilman Jim Fra-zier and his wife Janet met the Tan-ners a few weeks ago when they dropped off some gift bags from their organization The Network of Care, which provides food to fami-lies of hospitalized children.

We spoke for quite awhile about their son and their (fi nan-cial) situation, and said we would try to help any way we could, said Frazier. So I referred their case to the guys with the horsepower.

The horsepower turned out to be California State Sen. Mark DeSaulnier and Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan. Susanna Schlen-dorf, district representative for Bu-chanans offi ce, said they are trying to help.

We are doing everything we

AARON TANNER

by Ruth RobertsStaff Writer

Mistrust remains regarding Delta plan

Local advocates for the Delta are wary of a plan whose purpose is to save the Delta, based on the questions and concerns voiced by many of the hundred people in the Brentwood Senior Center Saturday morning for a workshop on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP).

Among the plans chief critics is a group called Restore the Delta (RTD). Oakley City Councilman Bruce Connelley and RTD Board Member Roger Mammon stood outside of the center passing out a fl ier that argues that the BDCP is a tool for ensuring reliable water sup-plies for export (and) a tool for the Schwar-zenegger peripheral canal strategy.

Among its many recommendations, the BDCP calls for the construction of a canal along

the eastern edge of the Delta to convey fresh wa-ter from the Sacramento River and ship it south, bypassing much of the rest of the Delta. Local advocates are concerned that this would result in decreased water quality in the southwest Delta where East County is located.

The fl ier criticizes the representation on

the BDCP steering committee, arguing that the membership is skewed toward those favoring the canal plan. And it slams the BDCP workshops (the meeting in Brentwood was the fi rst of four scheduled over 10 days in Delta communities),

by Dave RobertsStaff Writer

see Delta page 21A

see Woes page 21A

Water ski-ings most renowned athletes, including the worlds fastest female barefoot skier, Teresa Wal-lace; six-time na-tional barefoot ski-ing champion Jerry Kanawyer; and Dis-covery Bays own world record holder for tandem speed barefoot skiing, Mike Temby, showed off their best skills during the Extreme Water and Air Show at Orwood Resort last Saturday. Visit the Multimedia page on our Web site, thepress.net, for vid-eo highlights of the event, which raised money for Royal Family Kids Camps.

Extreme fundraising

Photo by Stacey Chance

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Scarecrows take over First StreetAutumn came early to downtown Brentwood last week

as locals honored the changing of the seasons with a celebra-tory Harvest Festival.

Last Thursdays festival featured the usual Downtown Thursday attractions such as live music and vendor booths, but it was the 23 scarecrows lining First Street that stole the show.

The inaugural scarecrow building contest resulted in a cluster of unique and less-than scary designs as entrants used everything from straw and hay to balloons and ice cream cups to construct their crow-repellant creatures.

The giant Lego scarecrow designed by Discovery Bay El-ementary fi rst graders David Dove and Kintado Hanna was a hit with the crowd.

We wanted it to look like something out of a video game, David explained after receiving the third place ribbon for their creation. We used cardboard, cups, Styrofoam and straw to make it. It was a lot of fun to make.

Its really cool that we won, Kintado added. I cant wait to tell my friends.

There were two categories of competition, one for kids and one for adults. Top winners in both categories received $150.

However, the top winners in both categories decided not to keep their winnings.

Were going to donate the money to a friend whos get-ting married soon, said Rachel Guillian, whose witch scare-crow took top honors in the adult division. Were hoping this prize money will help them out.

Ethan and Taylor Baskers family, who won fi rst prize in the kids division with their Wizard of Oz-inspired scare-crow, is also a friend of the bride-to-be, so the boys are donat-

ing their winnings as well.The three families decided that wed give this scarecrow

building contest a try, and if we were lucky enough to win, wed give away the money, said Robin Evanson, who won $50 as third prize winner in the adult category. Were so blessed that we were fortunate enough to win. These scarecrows were a lot of fun to put together even more so when youre doing it for a good cause. I hope we get to do it again next year. This is such a fun event that the community gets to take part in. We need more things like this.

Brentwood City Councilman Bob Brockman, who served as judge along with Brentwood City Manager Donna Lande-ros and Brentwood Chamber of Commerce President Karen Spann, said he took a deep philosophical approach to assess-ing the entries. It was a long, trying process with three great minds delving into the depths of their childhoods to choose the best scarecrow.

Spann laughed at Brockmans methods. Maybe thats how he was deciding how to vote, but I was judging based on the creativity of the scarecrow seeing how they decided to put things together. I was looking for those little details, but I was also looking for the best traditional representation of a scarecrow.

Ava Ford, the youngest winner at age 3, took home sec-ond place for her simplistic design which involved stuffi ng blue jeans and a sweatshirt with newspaper. Ava was too excited about winning to talk about her scarecrow but did manage to muster the patience to blurt out that shed like to buy candy with her $100 in prize money.

Traci Strahlendrof, whose diva scarecrow Sheryl Crow won second prize in the adult division, said she wasnt sure what shed do with her prize money as she was still trying to get over the shock of receiving a ribbon.

I didnt even think Id win, said the owner of Amidst the Chaos, who set up a vendor booth at the festival. I fi gured

since Id be here selling my jewelry that Id enter. My husband helped out a lot to get her ready for today. We were going to take her apart after tonight, but now that shes a prize-winning scarecrow, maybe well keep her for Halloween.

Downtown Thursday organizer Lyle Miller said based on the turn out, hed like to make the scarecrow building con-test an annual event.

The city has been so supportive of our programs, Miller said. If we get another grant from the city and they continue to support us, well defi nitely be back next year.

by Samie HartleyStaff Writer

Taylor and Ethan Baskin, seen with their younger brothers, won $150 in prize money for designing a rst-place scarecrow at last weeks Harvest Festival. For photos of all the scarecrows, visit thepress.net.

Photo by Samie Hartley

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Jackson blasts mortgage lendersThe Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. came to Antioch, ground

zero for the foreclosure crisis in the county, on Sept. 17 to compare mortgage lenders to thieves and urge people to fi ght back instead of allowing their homes to be fore-closed.

Jacksons 54-minute speech in the packed Antioch Church Family building on E. 18th Street was billed as a town hall meeting. But it more resembled an old-fash-ioned revival meeting that included sermons from several pastors, a rousing gospel performance, shouted amens and repetition of Jacksons words in call-and-response fashion as people waved fans to ward off the heat.

Jacksons main target was mortgage lenders, whom he referred to as banksters and equated with the noto-rious bank and train robber Jesse James.

This housing crisis is driven by unfair rules, said Jackson The robber Jesse James got paid twice. He got paid when he robbed you with an adjustable mortgage, and then he also got the (federal) stimulus (money). Jesse James stole on the front side and got bailed out on the backside. The victims are facing foreclosure.

Jackson said that his current crusade is the fourth major battle that has been fought in this country on be-half of victimized people.

We face one of the most chilling moments in the history of our nation, he said. I submit to you that we never lost a battle that we fought, and never won a battle unless we fought. We fought the battle against slavery, and we won. We fought the battle against Jim Crow, and won. We fought the battle for womens right to vote, and we won. We fought the battle for bilingual education, and we won.

You can be out of slavery, fi rst stage, out of Jim Crow, second stage, have the right to vote, and still be out of your house because it was stolen by banksters. Out of slavery, out of Jim Crow, the right to vote and out of a job, out of health care, out of education, out of a house. So now we fi ght in this fourth stage to democratize op-portunity, not democratize the vote.

Jackson, who may be the second most famous com-munity organizer in the country after President Obama, said that the way to democratize opportunity is to orga-nize and fi ght back.

We need to build an organization, he said. God said, Noah, theres a storm coming and there will be a fl ood. He did not tell Noah to go and teach swimming lessons. He said build an ark, build an organization, build an infrastructure. You can swim, but you cannot swim 40 days and nights without stopping.

We have to build an infrastructure. The banksters have infrastructure. We cannot confront the banks unless we have the infrastructure to give us our power. We need new rules, new rules, new rules, fair rules, more rules, fair rules. We are organizing in 50 markets. People are facing the thievery and violation of taking their homes. On the fi rst Tuesday of every month (in Atlanta) they have fore-closure auctions like the old slave auctions.

Jesse James has lobbies hes a thief with lobbies. Citizens need the power of bankruptcy laws so citizens can negotiate with banks. We need consumer protection enforced. We need restructured loans, not repossessed homes. We must stand up; we are not going to leave our house. We are going to stand right here, redo the deal and stay in my house. Stay in my house, stay in my house and redo the deal.

We bailed out the banks; we didnt bail out the ho-meowners. So the banks got the windfall, and we got the house fall. So we need to organize some neighborhood resistance; some squatters rights. Squat in your house and stay until something happens.

Before concluding his speech with a prayer, Jackson asked people to stand based on who their mortgage lend-er is and to meet in groups with the event organizers Kay Trail and Roger Henry. Forms were also handed out for those wanting help from the Rainbow PUSH Coalition to remodify their home loan. Jackson also asked people to join him in a prayer vigil, rally and march the follow-ing day to the Federal Reserve Bank in San Francisco.

Jesse Jackson compares mortgage lenders to Jesse James in a speech in Antioch last week.

Photo by Dave Roberts



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TALK ABOUT TOWN Have an item? [email protected] been to the CornFest, the Almond Festival and the Delta Blues Festival, but your summer isnt quite complete until youve made it to the Knightsen Days Car and Tractor Show. Perhaps the smallest of the community events each year, this event is also perhaps the most charm-ing. Theres no admission and no entry fee for cars, trucks, tractors, kit cars or anything else on wheels youd like to bring and show off. Therell be food, music, drink and raf es, one of which will be for a 1999 GMC S15 truck seen here, donated by Groth Chevrolet in Livermore. Proceeds will bene t the Knightsen Garden Club Community Center.

Send a smile and a box of goodies to our troops overseas this weekend courtesy of A Piece of Home Care Package Drive. Sponsored by Girl Scout Troop #31739, Service Unit #1 of East County, the two-day event will be held at the Contra Costa Fairgrounds in Antioch. Organized by Erika So as part of her Gold Award project, the drive will run from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, and all day, beginning at 9 a.m., on Saturday, Sept. 26. Donations can be brought unpackaged to the event, and the Scouts will take care of the rest. Popular requested items include DVDs, CDs, gum, coffee, books/magazines, foot powder and AA and AAA batteries. The fairgrounds are located at 1201 W. 10th St. For more information, call Josie Monaghan at 925-779-1340, or visit the Web site at www.an-tiochmilitary.com.

The community is still rallying behind double-lung trans-plant recipient Ally Jenkins by hosting fundraisers to help pay for the Oakley teens medical bills. The inaugural Ally Jen-kins Golf Tournament will take place at Roddy Ranch in An-tioch on Sunday, Oct. 4, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. The entry fee of $125, a tax-deductible donation, will include a cart, range balls, meals and a goody bag. For more information or to sign up, visit www.rallyforally.org.

There will be plenty of beer gardens, root biergartens and bratwurst consumed when Brentwood celebrates Okto-berfest on, you guessed it, Oct. 1. The Downtown Thursdays event on First Street, will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Highlights will include a fundraiser for the Families of Fallen Peace Of cers, raf e prizes for the Iron Spartans, and musical performances by the Alpine Horns and the Oglee Moglee Band. Admission is free but the fun will be priceless. Call 925-634-3344 or go to www.brentwooddowntown.com for more information.

The City of Antioch and the Patriot Sentinel Riders are looking for a few good but more is de nitely better motorcycle riders and classic car owners to participate in the Veterans Day Parade in Antioch. Decorate your bikes and cars and come on out on Nov. 11, to honor our veterans. Contact Larry Thomas at 925-550-3188 for more information about participating and keep your eye on the Press for more on the parade itself.

Compiled by Press Staff

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Oakleys Clothesline a mini-Macys

Ricky Crum has learned quite a bit in the six months since he started managing The Clothesline in Oakley.

Ive learned that women defi nitely like to browse, laughed Crum. And Ive also learned the importance of offering variety and selection.

But the biggest thing Crums learned is that if you give women a place to go for brand-name, quality clothing without the high-end price tag, they will come and shop. And shop, and shop.

Weve been pretty busy since people have discovered us, said Crum. Wed been kind of a best-kept secret, but thats starting to change.

Catering to young teens and adults, The Clotheslines merchandise comes di-rectly from Macys overstocked closets. Crum purchases the items seasonal de-pendent in bulk for the store.

All of our clothes come from Macys, and then we sell them at about 70 percent off the retail price. Were like a Ross or Mar-shalls but with no defects or irregulars, he said. Everything is brand new and perfect.

Perfect as in top-end designers such as Liz Claiborne, Lucky Brand, Calvin Klein and Guess, to name a few, in all ranges from juniors to plus sizes.

Were like a mini-Macys, said Crum, who is looking to add shoes, purses, make-

up and other accessory items to the inven-tory over the next few months.

Rachel Moss discovered The Clothes-line a few months ago and admits to being skeptical at fi rst. I wasnt sure what kind of place it really was at fi rst, said Moss, who bought a designer label sweatshirt originally priced at $50 for $14.99. But I found a lot of cute stuff; great brands at great prices, re-ally. I was surprised.

Crum says that most of his customers are like Moss: apprehensive of a deal that seems too good to be true. But once theyve seen the merchandise, and prices, for them-

selves, theyre hooked.I would say that my average shop-

per is the PTA mom or the soccer mom who comes in with her daughter and stays for herself, said Crum. They come in for back-to-school items and fi nd out that is it all Macys and all brand new.

And to sweeten the deal a little, Crum also offers an additional discount. For those who spend $50, he offers a 10-percent discount. If shoppers purchase $50 to $75, they get 15 percent off; for those who buy $75 to $100, they can look forward to a 20-percent discount. And for anything over

$100, its 25 percent off.Its a good deal that allows everyone

to save, he said. I tell people to bring in a couple of friends, combine your order and save even more. We defi nitely have a lot of return customers.

And Moss is one of them. I will defi nitely be back, she said. I had a great experience; Im going to have trouble shop-ping anywhere else from now on.

The Clothesline is located at 3330 Main St. in Oakley. Store hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 925-625-4400.

by Ruth RobertsStaff Writer

Left, The Clothesline General Manager Ricky Crum helps customer Rachel Moss with her selection. Left, Moss browses through the racks at the Oakley store, which sells brands such as Calvin Klein and Liz Claiborne at discounted prices.

Photos by Ruth Roberts

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HARD LOAN MODS PART III[This is the third part in a series of articles

about why some loan modifications are so hard to get approved.] This week Ill discuss what is probably the #1 reason why loans are hard to modify, the fact that we arent really sure WHO owns the rights to your loan. Its true, this is not an exaggeration. In the old days, town citizens would deposit their money with their local bank or savings and loan, who would then loan the money out to other citizens at a higher rate. If you defaulted on the loan, you would be hearing from someone from your local bank, maybe even the president if your loan was big enough. But that all changed a few years back. The institution who made you the loan would often sell the loan to someone else, who might sell it to someone else. That wasnt so bad, you just had to figure out who was the last one to buy your loan.

Where it really got confusing is when they started bundling loans together into a pack-age of loans. Then Wall St. firms sold investors bonds that were backed by these bundles of loans. These are called mortgage-backed secu-rities, collateralized debt obligations, or deriv-atives. They were like a mutual fund made up

of mortgages instead of stocks. Because these were deemed safe, many institutional inves-tors (pension funds, insurance companies, etc.) bought these bonds. And to further complicate things, some investors bought these bonds, then used them for collateral to get other loans. And then that lender would use THAT loan as collateral for yet another loan. Each time it hap-pened, it added one more layer of complexity, and another slate of entities with a legal interest in your loan.

So you can see how confusing it can get to find out who the legal owner of your mortgage is, since its been sliced, diced and had other liens placed on it. In many cases, ALL the inves-tors that have an interest in your mortgage need to OK the loan modification. Its hard enough when its one firm, but imagine how difficult it is if there were 10, 20 or 100 entities that could say they own a piece of your loan.

If you have questions on this or 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

DOWNTOWN THURSDAYS First Street, Downtown Brentwood Sponsored by the Downtown Brentwood Coalition and the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce

Live music by the Great Oglee Moglee Band, with an interlude of Alpine Horns for authentic German

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enjoy our Root BierGarten. Just think of whats in store for you and your

family and friends at the Oktoberfest - great memories, family fun, polka dancing, arts and crafts, ...and, of course, the chicken dance!

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LMC offers CareerPathways programfor at-risk youth

The Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County has launched its Career Pathways Program for 2009 at Los Medanos College. The program creates college and ca-reer pathways for foster care, disadvantaged and out-of-school youth between the ages of 16 and 24 who qualify as low income, and guides these young people to post-secondary education and employment in high-wage, high-growth career sectors.

It is extremely diffi cult for at-risk youth to pursue education and employment op-portunities because of the barriers they face, said Linda Chandler, strategic planner for the Workforce Development Board. The Career Pathways Program allows youth to develop a positive foundation for their future and shows them there is hope and more importantly, help. By engaging the youth through strong employment and education programs, the Workforce Development Board promotes ac-tion on issues impacting the success of young people, giving them opportunities they would not have otherwise.

The 14-week program began in 2005 and provides youth with the skills and social and fi nancial support necessary to attain econom-ic self suffi ciency and succeed in the future job market. At the conclusion of the program, graduates will be enrolled at participating community colleges, have full access to fi nan-cial aid and will be placed in part-time jobs.

The program consists of four, three-unit classes that will teach students basic reading, writing, math and study skills. Child and ca-reer development counseling are also part of the curriculum. The Workforce Development

Board provides food, transportation, supplies, tutoring and academic counseling for all of the students enrolled in the program.

In addition, case management services are provided by the Workforce Development Board to assist in fi nding housing, jobs and other necessary means of independent sur-vival. At the completion of the program, the case manager will remain in contact with the youth to offer additional support. As a result, many alumni have returned to the college for extended education and also serve as a source of encouragement for the next graduating class.

The program is managed by the Con-tra Costa Partnership, which includes the Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County and its Youth Council, the Contra Costa Children and Family Services Agency/Independent Living Skills Program, Los Medanos Community College, Pittsburg Adult School and the East Bay Career Ad-vancement Academy.

The Career Pathways Program recruits through the Cal Works program, regional probation departments, EASTBAY Works One-Stop Centers, schools, friends and case managers.

A graduation ceremony for 2009 will take place in December. So far, 75 students have graduated from the Career Pathways Program and as a result, 32 of those gradu-ates are attending various community colleges in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

For more information call the Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County at 925-646-5239.

Boys in dresses, a Santa on roller skates and a large dancing can of Campbells soup can only mean one thing: its Homecoming time at Liberty High.

Skits by the Homecoming Court brought extra sizzle to an already sweltering afternoon during the schools Homecoming Rally last Friday, with the fun culminating in the crowning of King Iker Gar-cia and Queen Taylor Acamo.

This is amazing, Acamo said as family and friends showered her with congratulations. I never thought Id be queen. Its really overwhelming, but Im so happy. Being a part of the rally was unlike anything Ive ever done before, and now Im just in shock.

Garcia was equally taken aback by the honor. My friends kept telling me that Id win. They told me they all voted for me, but I kept saying well see. I cant believe this. I feel really happy right now. Ive got to call my mom.

Other members of the Homecoming court included Princesses Elizabeth Day, Mo du-Long, Amy Fox, Helen Harden, Lyndsey Murphy, Sa-mantha Ramos, Chelsea Revel, Katelyn Tobar and Dasha Zmachynskaya. The 2009 Princes are Zach Bonte, Jason Fancey, Justin Finley, Felix Navarro, Cody Peralta, Dillon Richey, Michael Santiago, Garrett Slocum and Jake Tickner.

The energy at the rally pumped students up for the football game later that evening with

SEPTEMBER 25, 2009 EDUCATION THEPRESS.NET | 9A

Rally, parade pump up Homecoming win

Speedo-clad Michael Santiago of the Liberty Homecoming Court carries soon-to-be- crowned Queen Taylor Amaco off the eld after their skit. Liberty Juniors took top prize in the oat-build-ing competition for their Kentucky Fried Cardinal display, which foretold Libertys 24-14 win against Lowell High School.

Photos by Samie Hartley

by Samie HartleyStaff Writer

see Homecoming page 12A


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Brentwood resident, farmer and former teacher and vice-principal Chris Calabrese, now the principal at Rancho Las Positas School in Livermore, shakes the hand of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger dur-ing a ceremony honoring Las Positas for being named the School of the Year in the 2009 California Governors Fitness Challenge. The prize was $100,000 in tness equipment, which the school subsequently donated to another deserving school community less fortunate than its own, according to a press release. In an e-mail this week, Calabrese said his school is very proud, as am I, and that he wanted to share with my hometown. As for the Governator, said Calabrese, He really is not that tall.

Fit for fame

Photo courtesy of Rancho Las Positas School

Students from the LUHSD Lifeskills Program and Best Buddies Club earned more than $850 washing cars last month, thanks to tremendous team work and lots of local heart. According to Lifeskills teacher Joy Supplee, Cars began arriving at 8:45 and continued nonstop until 12:15. The generous donations and support from the community was awe inspiring.

Best Buddies Club President Andrew Bigley, Treasurer Sara Castro, Secretary Starkisha Haskell and 20 prospective mem-bers all braved the heat and rolled up their sleeves to support the cause. The Brentwood Press announced the Best Buddies Car Wash,

which resulted in more than $100 in early con-tributions. Part of the money earned will al-low Andrew to attend training in Berkeley for local chapter presidents, and the rest will be used to support Best Buddies club activities.

ACE Hardware owner Frank Aiello do-nated the parking lot location, and the families of Colin Feldmeier, Damone Estrada, Daniel Olmos, Allex Valdivia, Alyssa Ogden, Jennifer Romero, Jose Vazquez, Gage van Emmerik, and Lucas Redmond were on hand to make the day a great success. Weather permitting, the next car wash is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17, at Liberty High School.

Contributed by Sarah Singrin

Buddy car wash pays off

Car washers, from left, Colin

Feldmeier, Jennifer

Romero, Jose Vazquez, Jennifer Molina,

Teacher Joy Supplee,

Daniel Olmos and Damone

Estrada cel-ebrate the

success of their fundraiser.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Singrin


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Liberty UnionHigh School DistrictCheck out the LUHSD

ONLINE NEWSLETTER at:www.luhsd.net

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La Paloma LibertyAwards & Recognition

Closing Achievement GapBack to School Activities

Archives

A music performance by Deer Valley High Schools Divine Voices welcomed the audience at the dedication of the Deer Valley Law Academy on Sept. 17. This inaugural event honored the fi rst freshman class at this new career pathway program located on the campus of Deer Valley High School.

A broad contingency of local elected offi cials and community dignitaries were in attendance to celebrate the dedication of this new educational program. This ceremony co-incided with Constitution Day, commemorat-ing the signing of the United States Constitu-tion. Boy Scouts from Troop 450 added to the dignity of this event by presenting the colors.

The students received words of inspira-tion and support from Mayor Pro Tem Mary Rocha, Antioch Police Chief Jim Hyde, Lia Munoz representing District Seven Senator Mark DeSaulnier, Fifth District County Su-pervisor Federal Glover, and Eleventh Dis-trict Assemblyman Tom Torlakson.

A special ribbon cutting ceremony and dedication was provided by the Antioch Chamber of Commerce which added a spe-cial touch to this important event. Board members from Antioch Unifi ed School Dis-trict, Walter Ruehlig, Claire Smith, Teri Lynn Shaw, Diane Gibson-Gray, and Wade Harper, were also in attendance for the ribbon cutting.

Members of the Deer Valley High School Law Academy Advisory Committee, includ-ing Terri Cannon, Executive Associate Direc-tor of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges; Dick Frankel, attorney and member of State Bar Board of Governors; Lisa Reep, Executive Director of Contra Costa County Bar Association; Judge James Libbey; Con-tra Costa County Presiding Judge Mary Ann OMalley; and Tracy Nerland, Antioch City Attorney were also in attendance.

All of the elected offi cials and commu-nity leaders expressed a great desire to sup-port the students from the Deer Valley Law Academy.

Law Academy dedicated

Antioch Union School District Board President Walter Ruehlig wields the scis-sors as a pletho-ra of education, government and community leaders look on during a ribbon cutting cer-emony for the Deer Valley Law Academy.

Photo courtesy of AUSD


Come and sell anything legal.Come and sell anything legal.

For information callLion Carolyn Sherfy at 516-7798 or

Lion Past President Mike Morgan at 513-7280

The event will be well-publicized. Proceeds from space rental will bene t scholarships for graduating seniors from Brentwood high schools. Spaces will be assigned on a rst-come, rst-served basis.

The Brentwood Lions Club invites you to participate in a Flea Market!

When: Saturday, October 10th, 2009; 8am-1pmWhere: Parking lot in front of Liberty High School

10 x 10 exhibit space $30

Come and sell anything legal.Come and sell anything legal.

performances by all three Cheer squads and the Lions Dance Team, but the momentum didnt fully carry over to the annual Homecoming parade.

Unlike years past, well-wishers didnt pack the streets, but that didnt affect the students spirits as their fl oats snaked through downtown Brentwood. The freshmens screams could be heard a block away as their fl oat drifted down First Street featuring the might Liberty

Lion cooking up the Lowell High School Cardinal. The other classes took on simi-lar approaches: the seniors fl oat featured the Lion enjoying a big bowl of Cardinal Crunch cereal while the Class of 2011 served up Kentucky Fried Cardinal, tak-ing top prize in the fl oat competition.

The fl oats were prophetic of the events to follow that evening, as the Lions beat the Cardinals 24 to 14.

For more photos and video from Libertys Homecoming festivities, visit thepress.net multimedia page.

Homecoming from page 9A

Photo by Samie Hartley

Homecoming King Iker Garcia and Queen Taylor Amaco were crowned at Libertys Homecoming Rally last Friday.


The LUHSD Educational Founda-tion is seeking to fi ll four vacancies on its Board of Directors with individuals who would like an opportunity to make a dif-ference in their community.

According to the Board President Karen Rarey, The purpose of the Educa-tional Foundation is to enrich and enhance the educational opportunities within the Liberty Union High School District, some-thing that is vital for this district especially with all the state budget cuts and the dis-mal economy we are all facing.

Since its formation in 1996, the LUHSD Educational Foundation has contributed well over $100,000 in an-nual student scholarships at each site and grants for school projects which would otherwise not occur.

Bolstered by determination and se-cure in the knowledge that nearly every student within LUHSDs 350 square-mile expanse will attend one of its high schools, members of the Educational Foundation have a very broad base from which to at-tract strong leaders and organizers. Terms of services are only two years, and meet-ings are held on the second Monday of each month.

Having a thriving Education Foun-dation is extremely important to a public school district; the highest performing high schools in the Bay Area generally have great support from the community they serve, said LUHSD Superintendent Jerry Glenn. This support is all the more essential when the state short-changes us as they have these past two years.

The Educational Foundation plans to raise its profi le this year through an awareness campaign that will highlight projects made possible by foundation funding. Grants are competitive, and are bestowed twice per year to classroom teachers and para-professionals dedicated to serving students.

Liberty Highs Nichole Ambrose is thrilled that the electronic devices provid-ed by the Foundation have helped more students than she anticipated. We have students from other classrooms come to use them, she said. LUHSDs 2009 Teacher of the Year honoree Steve Ernest plans to use his grant award to enhance the recording capabilities and gain feed-back to improve the performances of Heritage Highs music students.

The Liberty Union High School Dis-trict Educational Foundation is a non-profi t organization and donations are tax-deductible. If you would like to become an active member of a dedicated team that supports over 7,000 LUHSD stu-dents and 650 faculty and staff members, contact Rarey at [email protected]. For those who would like to contribute funding, checks should be made out to the Liberty Union High School District Educational Foundation and sent to: Lib-erty Union High School District, 20 Oak Street, Brentwood, CA 94513.

Foundation seeks board members

14A | THEPRESS.NET SEPTEMBER 25, 2009

OPINIONEDITORIALS, LETTERS & COMMENTARY National

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

Teachers give hope for the futureEditor:

Thursday, September 17, 2009, was memorable for many living in Antioch. The Reverend Jesse Jackson was in town that night and many fl ocked to hear him speak.

At Deer Valley High School parents were gathering to hear school board mem-bers speak about the recent shooting of a student near the school and the subsequent shut down. The City of Antioch was still reeling from the discovery of a young woman who had been kidnapped 18 years ago and was discovered living on the outskirts of An-tioch in the unincorporated area of Contra Costa County. The town was subdued to say the least.

However, unbeknownst to Jesse Jackson and many others, an event was about to unfold that would instill those attending with purpose and a real sense of hope for the future.

Approximately 100 people were gath-ered at the Lone Tree Golf Course Event Center to honor the men and women who make a difference in childrens lives every school day. A dinner was being hosted by the Antioch Schools Education Foundation. Janet Muirragui, Teacher Representative of the Year; Fran Miles, Employee of the Year, Kellie Cavallaro and Terri Clarke, fi nalists, were the focus of everyone in the room.

Peter Garcia, resident of Los Medanos College, was the guest speaker and Donald Gill, superintendent of schools, was the mas-ter of ceremonies. These two men spoke with passion and commitment. It was evident they understood the hard work and dedication of those who choose education as their profes-sion/passion. Their audience was a mixed group indeed; elected offi cials, colleagues, spouses, parents, children, nominees, fi nalists and winners of the foundations Mary Allan Fellows Award.

Mary Allan, for whom the Fellows Award is named, had the audience spell-bound as she shared what she had learned about the special teachers we have in our schools. She personalized each one individu-ally: Janet Muirragui, Lisa Nussbaum and

Lisa Kingsbury, the three winners of the Fellows Award; the fi nalists, Ellen Herdegen and Tim Rubin; and the nominees, Katya Bock, Max Bridges, Madeline Crooks, Jim Hybarger, Carin Pantell, Maggie Schoon, Sean Taylor and Michelle Veuve.

When people arrived they didnt know what to expect. When they left they had the answer to the question, why do you live in An-tioch? We stay because of the people like these who support our community and schools. They give meaning and hope for the future.

Barbara HerendeenAntioch

Thanks to car show supportersEditor:

On Aug. 15 we held our fi fth annual car show, benefi ting the Brentwood Re-gional Community Chest. If it were not for people like Dave McIntyre of Centro Mart properties, this event would not be possible. He graciously donates his parking lot for this charity event.

We would also like to thank the major sponsors, which include Bill Brandt Ford, Bermudez Auto Service, Monkey Wrenches, East Bay Muscle Cars, Road Runner RV Repair, Brentwood Transmission Inc., CCV, Inc., Caseys Auto Body, DCs Extraordinary Cherries, Dominator Inc., Doneright Auto-motive Repair, Extreme Motorsports, Got U Covered, Hansen Racing, Jims California Auto Body, Inc., Kendall Automotive, LineX, Making Changes Salon, Michael Gonzales Trucking, Inc., Mickeys Magic, Micon Au-tomotive, Patrick McHenry, Ryland Racing, Sweeneys Grill & Bar, The Auto Doctor, Vin-tage Trans & Gear, Vornhagen Body & Paint, Winters Chevrolet, Brentwood Tire Company, Black Bear Diner, Valley Sweeping, Napa Fresno, Meguiars Inc., Napa Brakes, Lumpys Diner, DJ Mo, Williams Sanitary, and Fred Smith for his photography.

A special thanks to the members of the band Triumvirate for donating their time and performance. And to this years judges Bill Bensen, Nelson Brooks and Joel Novero thank you for donating your time and expertise. We know that your job was not an easy one.

Thank you to all the participants who brought out their beautiful cars for all of us to enjoy you are what make this event a success and to the board members of the Brentwood Community Chest that came by and pitched in to help.

And last but not least, thank you to the volunteers that stepped in to help the day of the event, and to our employees and family, especially Paul Manau for organizing this whole event. With the help and support of these people, we were able to raise a cash donation and collect six boxes of toys for this upcoming holiday season.

Plans are under way for next years event. Hope to see you there!

Rick and Linda WilsonBrentwood (Napa) Auto Parts

A shockerEditor:

I was astounded to read the Sept. 11 ar-ticle titled Web contract spurs offl ine discus-sion. The fact that our CSD board decided to hire the highest bidder to revamp the cur-rent Web site was not so surprising, but when the other bids came in at $6,100 and $7,000 and the winner was a bid of $23,500 ($3,500) over the project cap I fi nd that a shock. Until now, I just read Letters to the Editor and tried to stay out of the politics of the town but I think that, under the circumstances, it is time for all Discovery Bay residents, includ-ing myself, to begin paying attention to our local boards rather than reading about them after the fact.

Jacqueline CarabelloDiscovery Bay

Its not about the swingEditor:

The time is 8:30 a.m. I called my mom to ask where she was, and she arrived home to tell me a story of a woman and a swing. The story aggravated me to such a point I had to express it somehow. As a senior at Heritage High school, Ive seen my share of rude behavior. But when it comes to my little town, the place I call home, where I grew up It hurts.

A free swing is a free swing. Its not plated with gold, it wasnt crafted by the hands of the gods. Its a free swing. But when a free swing becomes a battle with another resident, you can begin to see the cracking on the surface of the shallow kindness that weve come to know in our little town.

Discovery Bay, a community that once offered peace of mind and that long-desired small-town feel, has vanished. Many things could be to blame, but the clear deterioration of peoples common courtesy is nothing less than concerning. Where a smile once sat on their faces, now a wicked grimace takes its place; where once the door would be held open for you, now youre expected to hold open the door. Less of that Were neigh-bors feel, and more of that Im so much better than you, oh, and not to mention more important, attitude. Whatever happened to Love thy neighbor?

From being looked over in line, to having swings grabbed out from underneath you, Discovery Bay is losing its charm. As a previous resident of San Jose, a place not really known for its kindhearted people, I can say that our beloved Discovery Bay is starting to take on that same shape.

If I can be allowed, Id like to reminisce about an experience I had not too long ago. While driving home from a long day of school and extracurricular activities, I was faced with a woman in a white auto that just had to get in front of me. It seemed like a matter of life and death. So, being ever the passive one, I allowed her, at 55 mph, to get in front of me (just so were all clear, the speed limit on Discovery Bay Blvd is 40

mph). But the list of rude doesnt end there. If I were to extrapolate, Im sure it would take up the entire Discovery Bay Press (or at least the editorial section).

From restaurants to free swings, the rudeness is appalling, and should concern every resident of Discovery Bay. It seems everywhere you look in Discovery Bay, you can see it decaying. Maybe we should all stop and think about why we moved here, to (bring) that small-town feel back to the place I call home. It only takes one gesture and it starts with me. What about you? Its not about the swing.

Haley Young Discovery Bay

Knox Lane project not wantedEditor:

On September 16, 2009, the residents of Knox Lane fi led a petition signed by more than 10 percent of the registered voters of the city of Oakley with the city clerk. This peti-tion, authorized by the State Election Code, requires that the City Council of Oakley either repeal its decision of July 11, 2009 ap-proving the Cedarwood Estates subdivision in our neighborhood, or put the matter on the ballot for the citys voters to decide. Over the next 30 days, the County Registrar will check the validity of each voters signature. Thereafter, the City Council will choose its option. We ask the Council, if it chooses to put the matter up to the voters, to require that the developer seeking this project, Dis-covery Builders, pay the costs of the election, not the taxpayers.

We gratefully thank the residents of Oakley for supporting our effort by helping us get over 10 percent of the voters signa-tures in less than one week! Your support is much appreciated! After speaking to each of you, we know that the people of Oakley do care about our city and want low density, well thought-out developments.

This petition was necessary because of Discovery Builders ignoring residents concerns in the planning process and the City Councils acceptance of that. We appeared at the Planning Commission in February and the Commission, to its credit, continued the project and told Discovery Builders to work with us. Unfortunately, the Council disband-ed the Planning Commission. Although Dis-covery Builders initially worked with us, they quickly stopped when city staff supported their insistence on submitting a crowded fl ag lot subdivision with some homes lacking curbs and gutters and the potential for drain-age problems as well as replacing a masonry wall along Michelle Lane with a wooden fence. Twice we went to the City Council to point out the failure of this project to meet the citys own residential guidelines and each time we were ignored. Now because of your support, we have chance to start over.

If you want to stop this type of out-of-

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

see Letters page 16A

SEPTEMBER 25, 2009 RECREATION THEPRESS.NET | 15A

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Fun rolls on despite the recessionIts safe to say that Antioch indeed,

all of East County would be a less fun place if not for Jeff Warrenburg. The owner of GolfNGames Family Fun Cen-ter, Paradise Skate (motto Family Fun on Wheels) and the Antioch Paintball Park rightfully deserves his nickname.

People do know me as Mr. Fun, said Warrenburg. For me its really re-warding to watch the families come out together. I believe that families that play together, stay together. In the evenings I see senior citizens playing golf. I even en-joy playing the course. I would say Im a big kid a 43-year-old kid. I dont think I will ever grow up.

The Peter Pan phase of his life began 10 years ago. Until then hed been a truck driver living in the Fremont area. In the course of volunteering for 14 years at an annual festival in Newark he got to know the guy who ran the carnival at the festi-val, who owned the Pixieland playground in Concord, was getting ready to retire and looking to sell it.

I decided to take a look at it; fell in love with it, said Warrenburg. It was run down and needed some TLC. I pur-chased it from him. It was a Thursday, and he said, Heres the keys; heres how you turn on the power. I opened it up and people were coming and tickets were sell-ing. Friends and family were helping me work the rides. I put some TLC into it, and it grew and grew.

It was a pattern that would repeat several more times for Warrenburg, who moved to Antioch around the time he bought Pixieland. In 2004 he was on an outing with his two sons at GolfN-Games at 501 Auto Center Drive in An-tioch, saw that it also needed some TLC, tracked down the owner in Kansas City, bought the place and fi xed it up. It had a phenomenal year in 2005, he said. It was off the charts; it was great. 2006 was good. But with the economy, things slowed down a little bit.

Warrenburgs next entertainment ex-cursion was the Paintball Park, which he opened on the site of the old rodeo arena at the county fairgrounds on 10th Street

in Antioch. Its been going great ever since, he said.

His latest acquisition, in January 2008, was the 40-year-old Roller Ha-ven skating rink on the edge of the fair-grounds property at the O Street entrance off of 10th Street. In addition to the name change to Paradise Skate, he put the low wall back up surrounding the rink, put in a new snack bar, new carpet, painted new murals and brought in some arcade and vending machines.

I remodeled the whole place, said Warrenburg. Its about 95 percent done. Usually summers are very slow for a skating rink, but its been doing great. Families have been coming back every week to skate.

Paradise Skate will be having a belated grand opening celebration on Nov. 7 with festivities including a barbecue and nation-ally known jam skaters, who will be con-ducting jam camps and putting on a show.

Now that hes putting the fi nishing touches on the skating rink, the natural question for Mr. Fun was what family en-tertainment venue/activity does he have his eye on next. He greeted the question with a laugh, then became serious.

To be honest with you, with the econ-omy the way it is, its been rough, he said. Ive taken a hit in the last couple of years because of the economy. Im still trying to bring new things to the businesses even with the economy the way it is. My hard core customers do support me as much as they can. Im trying to ride the economy out and get through these tough times. Right now I dont have anything else other than concentrating on keeping these enter-tainment centers going strong and provid-ing that for the families in the area.

Despite the tough times, Warrenburg has been able to sponsor Little League teams, host fundraisers and serve as presi-

dent of the Rotary Club of the Delta and the Antioch Chamber of Commerce. I believe in giving back, he said. I have been really lucky in what Ive built here. I think if I give back to the community it will come back tenfold.

GolfNGames has two 18-hole minia-ture golf courses, go-karts, batting cages, a giant arcade, a rock wall and a snack bar. Its open every day except Christmas. A round of golf costs $7.50 for adults and $6.50 for kids. The Paintball Park is open on weekends and by reservation. For $49 you get all of the equipment and three hours to run around and shoot paintballs. Roller skating costs $8 for 2 hours ($5 Wednesday and Thursday afternoon), which includes skate rental.

For more information and discount coupons go online to www.golfngames.com, www.antiochpaintballpark.com and www.paradiseskate.com.

Oakleys Ethan Moeckel, 9, shows his moves on a Dance Revolution game while mom Libbie looks on at the GolfNGames arcade on Tuesday. Below, Jeff Warrenburg, known as Mr. Fun, at Paradise Skate, owns three entertainment centers in Antioch.



Photo by Richard Wisdom

16A | THEPRESS.NET SEPTEMBER 25, 2009

Trevors Weekly Mortgage MattersBy Trevor Frey

Th e Ripple Eff ect

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At one time or another all of us have either given, or been given, an explanation of stuff rolls down hill. Unfortunately, our current real estate market is not im-mune to this age old adage. To showcase what I mean let us fi rst defi ne the top of our hill as September to December of 2008 - when the federal government spent over 1 trillion (thats $1,000,000,000,000) to keep Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac afl oat. Although this helped to create the lowest 30-yr mortgage rates the country had seen since 1945, it also indirectly aff ected mort-gage lending guidelines for the worse.

With conventional fi nancing becom-ing more diffi cult than ever to obtain, and private mortgage insurance (PMI) com-panies no longer willing to insure loans at the rate they once were, many would-be buyers fl ocked to a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insured loan. Potential homeowners came to peace with the federally backed mortgage insurance as it allowed them to only have to shell out 3.5% of their own money for a down pay-ment. Th is once dormant fi nancing option has become so popular in fact that the government program based on fi gures presented via an outside audit fi rm has insured nearly a quarter of all new loans made this year.

However, because of the continuing downward trend in home prices and the national unemployment fi gure still on the rise (last Friday the Labor Department re-

leased its fi ndings that 27 states saw unem-ployment rise last month), FHA fi nds itself short of its mandated reserve funds for the fi rst time in the programs 75 year history. According the Mortgage Bankers Associa-tion, as of this summer, about 17 percent of FHA borrowers were at least one payment behind or in foreclosure, compared with 13 percent for all loans. While FHA didnt take part in the housing boom, its not immune from the ripple eff ect of declin-ing house prices, said Brian Montgomery, the agencys former commissioner. Th ats quite frankly what this is about.

What its all about to any would-be buyers is the bottom of our hill. If home prices continue to fall through next spring, FHA will continue to slowly lose more of its mandated reserve funds. Lower prices mean bigger losses if the Federal Hous-ing Administration has to foreclose and re-sell a property. To help off set/prevent this, FHA might simply tighten up their lending guidelines. In other words, the tax payer will once again be holding the bag potentially having to jump through extra hoops to secure their home loan. All the while, at the top of the hill, large fi nancial companies were cut check aft er bail-out check no more than a year ago.

If you have any real estate lending related questions or concerns, dont hesi-tate to write me at [email protected] or call me directly on my cell phone, (925) 726-1444.

BRENTWOOD PRESS Check it out online at www.thepress.net

West Nile risk level raised in Brentwood

The Contra Costa Mosquito and Vec-tor Control District announced this week that Brentwood is at an elevated risk for West Nile virus. The determination stems from a report from the West Nile virus state hotline program that processes, analyzes, and reports risk data based on dead bird reports from the public. The risk is based on dead birds that died in Contra Costa County, not necessarily dead birds that confi rmed positive for West Nile Virus.

CCMVCD also announced that four more dead birds have tested positive for West Nile virus. One dead bird was found in Byron at Camino Diablo Road and Byron Highway. Three dead birds were found in Brentwood: one at Breakwater Way and Minnesota Av-

enue; one at Second Street and Pine Street; and one at Clearview Drive and Longleaf Court.

Dead bird reports are crucial informa-tion for our control efforts, even if the birds dont get picked up and tested, said Deborah Bass, public affairs manager for the District. This is how the system is designed; it only works when people call in the birds they fi nd. Due to the large volume of calls, reports back to the callers are not possible, but rest assured, each and every report is valuable in determin-ing where human cases may occur and where to concentrate our mosquito control efforts.

The public is urged to continue to call in dead birds they fi nd to the state hotline: 877-WNV-BIRD (877-968-2473).

control growth, please attend future council meetings and voice your concerns.

Leslie McKinnonOakley

Park pruning partyEditor:

A great big thank you to the residents, businesses, and property owners in the Bethel Island area who have again fi nan-cially supported the ongoing maintenance of the Bethel Island Park.

After Top Grade Construction do-nated the landscaping, the yearly mainte-nance of the newly developed park became the responsibility of the Bethel Island Municipal Improvement District. In 2008, because the park generates little income, we asked the citizens to make donations to maintain the park and we received over $7,000. This year we asked again and set a goal of $8,000. With the current donations

and promises we have, we are going to reach that goal. This is particularly gratify-ing since the economy is so much worse this year than last.

This year we have also planned a Park Beautifi cation Day for Saturday, Oct.17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. We will be pick-ing up trash, trimming bushes and trees, replacing light bulbs, pressure washing the building, the tables and benches and spreading new mulch among the plantings. We are asking for resident participation. Please bring a shovel and a wheelbarrow if you have them. The Lions Club will be serving hot dogs, chips and soft drinks to the participants. Please set aside that morning to help spruce up the park.

We know the residents of Bethel Island appreciate their park, and we thank you for your continued support.

Marguerite Lawry Board President

BIMID

Letters from page 14A

WWW.THEPRESS.NET YOUR HOMETOWN SOURCE FOR EAST CONTRA COSTA

September 25, 2009

Lions feed on Cardinals at homecoming

Liberty fans left Ohmstede Field happy as Liberty won their homecoming game 24-14 against the visiting Lowell Cardinals from San Francisco last Fri-day.

Despite being in control for much of the game, Liberty was not able to put the game out of reach until just over four minutes remained when running back Antonio Johnson scored on a 21-yard touchdown run. Hector Torres added the extra-point to close the scoring at 24-14.

According to Liberty coach Nate Smith, the key moment of the game came with time expiring in the fi rst half, ironi-cally enough, on a blown coverage by the Liberty secondary. With Liberty up 10-6, Lowell quarterback Ryan Louie fi red a pass over all of his receivers to Liberty defensive back Garrett Slocum, who re-turned it inside of the Lowell 10 yard line.

Then Liberty quarterback Devyn Parsons connected with Shawn Vasquez for a 9-yard touchdown pass to make the score 17-6 at halftime.

On all of their scoring drives, exclud-ing the fi nal one, Liberty did not have to

drive very far. Libertys fi rst scoring drive started from the Lowell 45 and concluded with a 24-yard touchdown run by Caleb Moravec. This was signifi cant, as neither team had much of a passing attack.

Lowell responded with a 12-play touchdown drive, all on runs. Nine of those runs, including the two-yard touch-down run, came from running back Justin Tsai.

After unsuccessfully attempting a sneak onside kick, Lowell gave Liberty fi eld position just on the Liberty side of midfi eld. From there, Liberty was able to take advantage of a Lowell pass interfer-ence penalty on a fourth down when Tor-res kicked a 27-yard fi eld goal to give Lib-erty a 10-6 lead.

In addition to notching six points on that fi eld goal and extra points, Torres kickoffs constantly forced Lowell to start with poor fi eld position.

The scare for Liberty came early in the fourth quarter when Lowell defensive end Noah Shaw recovered a Liberty fum-ble and ran into the end zone untouched. The successful two-point conversion closed the Liberty lead to 17-14 with just under 10 minutes remaining. However,

by Michael DixonCorrespondent

Freedom girls tennis heating up on the court

The hottest high school sport in terms of popularity is, obviously, foot-ball. But the hottest sport in terms of heat is tennis.

It certainly seemed that way last week as the sun baked down on the hard courts at Freedom, putting the surface temperature well over 100 degrees, as the Falcon girls faced off against Liberty in the first of three Bell Game confronta-tions this season. Despite the scorcher, Freedoms players barely broke a sweat as they won every match for a 9-0 vic-tory over the Lions.

Leading the way was Sarah Osborn, last years BVAL singles champion, who made short work of Mariah Paz, 6-1, 6-1, while periodically shouting encour-agement to the Falcons doubles team in the next court. Osborn was coming off of her first loss of the season two days prior to Antiochs Kaitlin Simarro.

I know she was disappointed about the upset by Simarro, said Free-dom Coach Steve Amaro. We talked before the match about how it is time not to worry about what other people

think, but (focus on) playing to the best of your ability to worry about really playing the ball and not what the other opponent does. She went out there and played a very solid game of tennis.

The leagues number ones have gotten better. But shes worked tremen-dously hard. Shes on leadership, the varsity softball team and balancing a full load of classes. To do all of those things, its demanding a lot of time from

her. Shes done a great job of trying to balance out the expectations everybody has on her. But its not easy. I told her that regardless of what other peoples expectations are of her, she has to be herself; she has to look at herself and be satisfied with what she does. I think that was the breakthrough (against Lib-erty): can she play a game she will be proud of in which she will do her best. She was able to do that.

In fact the entire team was able to be proud of the Liberty blowout on Thursday after having narrowly lost 5-4 to Antioch on Tuesday. That loss proved to be a wakeup call, especially after a victory over Deer Valley in which, Am-aro said, I dont think we played very well. I said, We have to increase the in-tensity level. We played very, very hard against Antioch. The focus we had, I think, will carry us through the season. We took a tremendous intensity and focus into the Liberty match. Liberty played very hard, but I think our girls went out there to make a statement, and I think they did.

Amaro discussed some of the standouts on this years squad, start-ing with Emma Fister, who, he said, is playing the best tennis shes played in her entire career. Fister beat Libertys Alex Regalado 6-0, 6-3 thats the first time she put up a 6-0 score in quite some time, said Amaro.

Also doing well are Nicole Zanari-ni, who is undefeated in the No. 5 spot, and Amber Connor, similarly undefeat-ed in the No. 6 slot. It may be time for

see Lions page 18A

Libertys Shawn Vasquez ghts off a tackler en route to the Lions 24-14 homecom-ing victory over Lowell last Friday.


see Freedom page 18A

Photo by Curtis Evans

Freedoms Sarah Osborn, last years BVAL singles champion, beat Libertys Mariah Paz in a match last week.


SEPTEMBER 25, 2009 SPORTS THEPRESS.NET | 19A

Falcons swamp Wolverines in water poloSept. 16 started out crazy with the

shooting of a Deer Valley High student near the campus, the lockdown of the school for a couple of hours, parents showing up to take their kids home, fol-lowed by resumption of classes. But by the afternoon the only sign that anything unusual had taken place was the presence of a news van in the parking lot.

The water polo games against Free-dom went on as scheduled in Deer Val-leys pool. In the varsity boys game, the Falcons dominated the fi rst half and were cruising to victory, up 11-1 with 4 min-utes to go in the third period. The Wol-verines fought back, outscoring Freedom 7-4 from there on out, but werent able to close the gap, losing 15-8.

We got in a little foul trouble and kind of slowed it down and got a little sloppy, said Freedom Coach Steve Lynn. I did some subbing and took some of my strong players out of the game. So we slowed it down and kept it under control, but I think we got a little lazy.

Perhaps a bit of coasting can be for-given with the win pretty much in the bag, given the limited resources on Freedoms squad this season. They only have nine players, two of whom are brand new to the sport and are used as subs, with which to fi eld a seven-man squad in the pool.

We have a very small team, but are fortunate to have the best player in the league: Keaton Lynn, said Lynn. The senior was ranked second in the league last year, is the team MVP, a good scorer and a great all-around player, according to the coach.

Also able to put the ball in the net with regularity is Justin Stafford hes got a big cannon, a big arm, a real strong

player, said Lynn. They are my stron-gest players.

The Deer Valley win put Freedoms record at 6-3 overall and 2-1 in league play. The one league loss was a tough one, by three points, to Heritage, in a game Freedom should have won, accord-ing to Lynn.

Freedom fi nished second last year to league champion Deer Valley and lost four starting seniors to graduation in the off season. Although they are small in numbers this year, they compensate with their physical size we are pretty big; some of my players are quite large, actu-ally, said Lynn. My top seven guys are all real strong, consistent players.

They include Donovan Otto-Bales a real strong hole-defender; in goal is

Dalton Weger hes real strong, a big kid doing a good job for us;seniors Trevor Pels and Drew Rosner; and sophomore Zach Irwin.

Freedom played Ygnacio Valley Tuesday and was back in league action against Antioch on Wednesday, the re-sults of which were not available at press time. Their next game is Wednesday Sept. 30 at Liberty, which they beat 16-7 in the league opener on Aug. 26. Then theyll try for revenge against Heritage on Oct. 7.

Playing Heritage early in the season was rough, said Lynn. So we are go-ing to have to come back strong and beat them in the game to make the champion-ship. That was our goal this year. I am sure they will be ready.

Although water polo looks like a romp in the pool to the casual viewer, Lynn agrees with other water polo coach-es that its the toughest sport to play. Its the most physically demanding sport there is, bar none, he said. Condition-ing-wise, its not even close. The only sport that comes close is wrestling. We train 3 hours a day. All you have to do is look at my boys out of the pool and you will see.

So far the team is coming together strong. We are small (in numbers), but they are training really hard. We have a long ways to go. We would like to have a chance to play for the championship and, hopefully, get to the post-season. We have done well with what we have we have had winning seasons six years in a row.

Freedoms Justin Stafford scores a goal in the Falcons win over Deer Valley last week.Photo by Dave Roberts


20A | THEPRESS.NET SPORTS SEPTEMBER 25, 2009

COMING TO BRENTWOOD

FALL SOCCER CAMPCAMPOctober 5th - 9th 9am - 12pm REGISTER at www.360soccertraining.com or call 925-516-1549

All levels of players 8 years old to 18 years old Camp experience like no other State of the art training systems Professional trainers

Where: Sunset Athletic Complex, BrentwoodCost: $110 per child

Window Seat Gallery Sale!

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Sports links Visit www.thepress.net for the full stories.Patriots stuff HawksIt was another dominating performance for the Delta Patriots JV West, as they stuffed the Liberty Ranch JV Jr. Hawks 35-0 for their fourth straight win.

DV wins rst veThe Lady Wolverine golfers recent-ly completed their fth nine-hole league match in which they contin-ued an undefeated winning streak.

EC Lions winThe East County Lions traveled to American Canyon and dominated the Patriot offense 20-0.

Flippin successfulBlack Diamond Gymnastics Competitive Team is ipping their way into a successful season with a number of wins at the Beach Blast gymnastics competition in Concord.

Impact at NHB CupThe U15 Boys Impact soccer team has won back-to-back titles at the NHB Cup.

Diehard Baseball Academy is off ering the ultimate program to prepare the east county youth baseball players for next level of competition. We are off ering elite baseball training for the entire fall break period, or you may elect to have your child participate for only one week.

Our fall baseball program will take place at Laurel Park Baseball Fields in Oakley, California from September 28 through October 9 2009 from the hours of 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (Monday - Friday) For only $5 per hour, your child will receive fi ve hours of daily professional baseball training and mentoring. We will work with players ages 9 - 18. Players will be broken into age appropriate groups. We strongly encourage players of all skill levels to participate in our fall program. We will be off ering a two week and one week program, and either option will consist of a thorough evaluation of each player with each player having individually designed program based on the assessment.

Diehard Baseball Academy also off ers private baseball instruction for hitting, pitching, fi elding and baserunning. If your child is struggling in any of these areas, our outstanding professional instructors will help bring out the best in your child. You may also inquire through email or at The Antioch Indoor Sports Center to learn about private instruction.

*2 week fall program $250 *1 week fall program $150For more information, please email

[email protected] or call 925-813-4788.To sign up, please go to the Antioch Indoor Sports Center

Monday - Thursday between the hours of 5-7 p.m.

1ST ANNUALDIEHARD BASEBALL ACADEMY

FALL BASEBALLPROGRAM

LED BY RON PERKINS & GARY ALEXANDERHEAD BASEBALL COACH OF THE 2009 NCS DIVISION 1

CHAMPIONS THE FREEDOM FALCONS AND A HOST OF OTHER PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL INSTRUCTORS.


LEGAL NOTICESNOTICE OF TRUSTEES SALE

TS No. 09-0081138 Title Order No. 09-8-229302 Investor/Insurer No. 1103612470 APN No. 096-170-027-5 YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST, DATED 08/17/2006. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROP-ERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CON-TACT A LAWYER. Notice is hereby giv-en that RECONTRUST COMPANY, N.A., as duly appointed trustee pursuant to the Deed of Trust executed by: RAN-JIT KAUR, A SINGLE WOMAN, dated 08/17/2006 and recorded 08/24/06, as Instrument No. 2006-0268682-00, in Book , Page ), of Of cial Records in the of ce of the County Recorder of Contra Costa County, State of California, will sell on 10/15/2009 at 10:00AM, At the Court Street entrance to the County Courthouse (corner of Main and Court Street), 725 Court Street Martinez, CA 94553 at public auction, to the highest bidder for cash or check as described below, payable in full at time of sale, all

right, title, and interest conveyed to and now held by it under said Deed of Trust, in the property situated in said County and State and as more fully described in the above referenced Deed of Trust. The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 103 MAYPORT COURT, PITTSBURG, CA, 94565. The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrect-ness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. The total amount of the unpaid balance with interest thereon of the ob-ligation secured by the property to be sold plus reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Sale is $492,485.64. It is possible that at the time of sale the opening bid may be less than the total indebtedness due. In addition to cash, the Trustee will ac-cept cashiers checks drawn on a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association,

or savings bank speci ed in Section 5102 of the Financial Code and autho-rized to do business in this state. Said sale will be made, in an AS IS condi-tion, but without covenant or warranty, express or implied, regarding title, pos-session or encumbrances, to satisfy the indebtedness secured by said Deed of Trust, advances thereunder, with interest as provided, and the unpaid principal of the Note secured by said Deed of Trust with interest thereon as provided in said Note, plus fees, charg-es and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. DATED: 09/09/2009 RECONTRUST COMPANY, N.A. 1800 Tapo Canyon Rd., CA6-914-01-94 SIMI VALLEY, CA 93063 Phone: (800) 281 8219, Sale Informa-tion (626) 927-4399 By: - Trustees Sale Of cer RECONTRUST COMPANY, N.A. is a debt collector attempting to collect a debt. Any information obtained will be used for that purpose. ASAP# 3273388 09/25/2009, 10/02/2009, 10/09/2009Antioch Press No. 03-0477Publish Dates: September 25, October 2, 9, 2009

Weber commissioned by Cornish Art GalleryBrentwood artist Bill Weber was re-

cently commissioned by the Cornish Colo-ny Art Museum in Windsor, Vt. to produce two 8x8 murals in the manner of American painter and illustrator Maxfi eld Parrish depicting turn-of-the-century fi refi ghters responding to an emergency with early fi re-fi ghting equipment. The murals hang in the entrance hall of the Cornish Colony mu-seum dedicated to Parrish.

This was a very important commis-sion, and an extreme hono

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Brentwood Press_9.25.09