YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 19, No. 39
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The Littlest Advocate
Man sentenced in Discovery Bay killing by Tony Kukulich Staff Writer
The 2017 shooting death of Discovery Bay resident Bradley MacHugh has resulted in a 15year prison sentence for 21-year-old Brayan Zavala-Garcia. Zavala-Garcia, a resident of Antioch, pleaded no contest to a charge of manslaughter before Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Barbara Zuniga. MacHugh, 48, died of multiple gunshot wounds, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017, following an early morning altercation in the street near his home in Discovery Bay. Shortly before 1 a.m., deputies responded to the report of a shooting near Keats Court. As they arrived on the scene, another call reported that a man had been shot on nearby Wilde Drive. There deputies found that MacHugh had been fatally wounded.
At the time, detectives said MacHugh got involved in a verbal altercation with occupants of two vehicles over reckless driving. The altercation became physical, and it is believed that ZavalaGarcia produced a gun and shot MacHugh. “It’s a family here,” said neighbor and family friend Jeff Stowe during a candlelight vigil he organized days after the shooting. “Everyone is here to take care of everyone, and Brad was the protector. He meant so much to all of us.” The Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff quickly identified Zavala-Garcia as a suspect. They warned that he should be considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached. Within a few days he was taken into custody. By all accounts, MacHugh was a well-liked, generous family man who loved his wife, Lanie, his two young sons as well as football and barbecues. “It is incredibly sad all the way around,” said Lanie this week in an email to The Press.
Brentwood pageant girl takes spotlight for agricuture, fourlegged friends. Page 4
Taking To The Skies Press file photo
Brayan Zavala-Garcia, 21, of Antioch, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for 2017 murder of Discovery Bay resident Bradley MacHugh.
Newsom signals veto of environmental bill by Tony Kukulich Staff Writer
When Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed last week to veto Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) — the California Environmental, Public Health and Workers Defense Act — he caught environmentalists and supporters by surprise, and his decision could have far-reaching impacts in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. “Every water group and environmental group in California understands that this is a dangerous bill to veto for the Delta and environmental protection across the board,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta. The bill’s author, Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, called SB 1 “California’s insurance policy against the reckless deregulation happening at the federal level.”
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“ Every water group and environmental group in California understands that this is a dangerous bill to veto for the Delta and environmental protection across the board.
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Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta The bill argues that, for eight decades, California has depended upon a variety of federal regulations to protect the state’s public health, safety, environment and natural resources. Since 2017, the bill states, the Trump administration has “signaled a series of direct challenges to these federal laws and the protections they provide, as well as to the underlying science that makes these protections necessary, and to the rights of the states to protect their own
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environment, natural resources, and public health and safety as they see fit.” In the Delta, a weakening of legislation like the Endangered Species Act can have a cascading effect. Limits to the volume of water that can be pumped from the Delta are in place to protect fish species like salmon and Delta smelt. Without those protections in place, the federally administered Central Valley Project may be free to increase water exports to the agricultural
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Central Valley. Over-pumping the Delta threatens the collapse of the salmon fisheries dependent on the Delta, and possibly the entire ecosystem, along with the economies and cultures attached to it. “The governor’s announcement is disappointing,” wrote the SB 1 Coalition — an environmental organization that includes the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Sierra Club California and the Golden Gate Salmon Association, among other groups — in a press release. “By rejecting SB 1 to satisfy the bill’s narrowly focused opponents, he is discarding protections that SB 1 would have provided for endangered species, air quality, water quality and worker safety. The governor’s action also leaves us deeply concerned about the fate see Bill page 26
Patriots Jet Foundation plans annual fundraiser gala event. Page 7
New Coach On The Courts
Freedom’s new tennis coach hopes to carry on program’s legacy of success. Page 17 Calendar................................27 Classifieds.............................21 Cop Logs................................25 Entertainment.....................11 Food........................................10 Health & Beauty..................12 Milestones..............................8 Opinion..................................16 Pet of the Week...................12 Sports.....................................17
Harvest Festival
Brentwood
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Pleasanton’s popular Harvest Festival making its return to Fairgrounds.