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The Pioneer • www.pioneerpublishers.com
September 17, 2021
From the Desk of...
With ever-changing situations, the key is to be prepared September is national emergency preparedness month. With wildfires burning across the West and Hurricane Ida impacting millions of people in the South and East, weathering a natural disaster is top of mind for many of us. On Sept. 2, the city hosted its annual emergency preparedness fair in Todos Santos
Plaza. It featured members of our Police Department and Senior Citizens Club, as well as first responders and representatives from various partner agencies, including the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, American Medical Response, Contra Costa’s HAZMAT team, the American Red Cross, the Con-
SB9 deals a blow to local land use control
CARL “CW” WOLFE
CLAYTON MAYOR
community engagement will be a part of our planning, and I urge you to get involved in the process. Cal Cities has communicated a legislative effort to allow for the continuation of virtual council meetings during the pandemic. Our virtual meetings have been much better attended by the public than in-person meetings, and we are working on the technology to accommodate those wishing to attend virtually once we do return to Hoyer Hall. The Contra Costa Mayors Conference has decided to continue meeting virtually throughout 2021. This means that Clayton will not host the November meeting at Oakhurst as originally scheduled but will host the first in-person meeting as soon as they resume. Council members are meeting with various business owners in town to explore their needs regarding the American Rescue Plan funds distribution. The council recently prioritized helping Clayton businesses recoup some of their losses due to the pandemic. Finally, I want to take this opportunity to welcome our new community development director, Katherine Korshak, as well as our “new” finance director, Dana Ayers. Korshak comes to us from Kensington, with more than 10 years of experience, and Ayers was our interim finance director and has chosen to stay with us on a permanent basis. So happy to have these talented individuals on Team Clayton.
Senate Bill 9 (SB9), a housing bill that I discussed in my March and July 2021 Pioneer articles, has passed and awaits the governor’s signature. Despite lobbying efforts, California legislators seem to think they know best when it comes to taking local control of cities. Minor compromises did not go far enough, and Clayton city officials remain opposed. Our hope is that the governor vetoes this bill. He has until Oct. 10 to decide. You can read more on SB9 at www.leginfo.legislature.ca.go v, and you can make your voice heard by writing to the governor. City Council members have preliminarily met with the consultant hired to begin the process of looking into Clayton’s upcoming Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA). Clayton must define zoning for a statemandated 570 additional housing units. This is going to be a most difficult task for our nearly built-out city. Clayton has filed an appeal of these numbers, but appeals are rarely upheld. The City Council and PlanPlease direct questions or ning Commission will hold a comments to cw@claytonca.gov or joint housing element work- 925-673-7324. shop on Sept. 28. Future
cord Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), the Concord Listos program, the Concord Auxiliary Emergency Radio Services (CARES), the Contra Costa Crisis Center, Concord’s Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) and more. These organizations shared valuable tips and offered safety demonstrations, allowing visitors to practice using a fire extinguisher, turning off gas flow at the source and performing CPR. Representatives from our local Home Depot were also there to showcase a variety of safety products, which they generously gave away to help people build their safety kits. As you think about your own safety plans, keep these tips in mind: Make a Plan: Talk to your family and friends about how
TIM MCGALLIAN
CONCORD MAYOR you will communicate before, during and after a disaster. Build a Kit: Gather supplies that will last for several days after a disaster for everyone living in your home. Don’t forget to consider the unique needs each person or pet may have in case you have to evacuate quickly. Low-Cost, No-Cost Pre-
paredness: Know the risk of disasters in your area and learn how to make your home stronger in the face of storms and other common hazards. Check your insurance coverage to make sure it is up-todate. Teach Youth About Preparedness: Talk to your kids about preparing for emergencies and what to do in case you are separated. Reassure them by providing information about how they can get involved. We are fortunate to have partner agencies like the American Red Cross and the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, which are actively engaged in supporting the victims of California’s wildfires. Donations to these and so many other nonprofits are always welcome.
The Food Bank says that $25 provides a family of four a day’s worth of ready-to-eat food, snacks and water. The Red Cross says that in addition to monetary donations, they are in critical need of blood donors. They are also seeking volunteers. When disaster strikes in Concord, we will certainly want our community members prepared to respond, which is why I highly encourage residents to participate in our CERT program. CERT educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact Contra Costa County and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and res-
See McGallian, page 9
Tiny homes could be part of a rapid response to homelessness percent from 2018 to 2020, and we are at risk of seeing that statistic grow as more than 4 in 10 California households have unaffordable housing costs. There is no one solution to our homelessness crisis, but I think tiny homes may be one leg of the stool. Tiny homes are scaled, self-contained homes that are rapidly deployTIM GRAYSON meaning they can be 14TH ASSEMBLY able, quickly built and installed into DISTRICT our communities. The tiny home that I used for demonDuring my time in the Assembly, I have worked tire- stration at the capitol, which was provided by Access Houslessly to reform our housing ing, was built and delivered in policies to help communities only 30 days. Imagine the difbuild the housing that they ference that we could make in want and need. our communities by offering Everyone agrees that any solution to our housing crisis that kind of rapid response to families who have no place to is going to involve increasing call home. our housing supply, but it’s These homes also come on going to take some real time wheels, so we would have the to both implement policies ability to put it on a property that can spur production and where people are unhoused to start seeing shovels hit the and later move it when those ground on new development. individuals are able to find a In the meantime, we need more permanent place to live. to address the immediate need These houses can be used of getting Californians off the for more than transitional streets and into homes. At the housing. I see them as a critibeginning of the month, I highlighted one possible solu- cal tool to use during our tion to this problem by bring- state’s response to wildfires. ing a tiny home to the steps of The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has our state capitol. California’s homeless pop- used tiny homes as temporary ulation increased by nearly 25 housing during emergency
response, and these units can be brought to wildfire-affected areas to serve both displaced families and firefighters on the front lines. The tiny home that I brought to the capitol for
See Grayson, page 9
We can all take simple steps to help conserve water
With a historic drought upon us and reservoirs reaching critically low capacity across the state, it is more important than ever to conserve water and find ways to reduce consumption. California’s rainy season continues to arrive later and with less water each year, so it’s essential that we all work together to preserve our water resources for the dry months to come. Conserving water starts at home. With a few simple changes around the house, you can reduce your consumption. One tried and true strategy is to keep a bucket in the bathroom to capture water as your shower warms up and use it to water plants at your home. Another is to wait to run the dishwasher or washing machine until you have a full load. Washing your car at a carwash, where water is recycled, is a simple and easy way to conserve as well. Make a difference while ate hearing all of it. To me it You will just as likely If you’re looking to take earning a living. These words means you are engaged with interact with people who your water conservation to are not an empty promise, your police department and come to you for help and the next level, one of the but an invite to anyone who care enough to reach out and solutions to problems that M ARK B USTILLOS best ways is to reorient the wants to rise to the challenge give me feedback – whether they cannot fix themselves. landscaping to be droughtand serve their community. positive or negative. You are a mobile problemCHIEF OF POLICE resistant. The biggest culThe Concord Police If you opt for a career in solver. C ONCORD prits are lawns, with thirsty, Department is looking for law enforcement, I promise For those of us in the non-native grass. people who are passionate that no two days will be alike business, the satisfaction ingly intractable problems, or In my supervisorial district, about serving their commu- – ever. Each day brings differ- comes from solving other to help people when they are the East Bay Municipal Utility nity. ent challenges, whether you people’s problems in an equiquite possibly having the District (EBMUD) and the I am often asked why are in patrol or in investigatable and kind fashion. That worst day of their lives and Contra Costa Water District anyone would want to be a tions. You will be asked to might mean taking a traffic you are there to help bring (CCWD) have been hard at police officer in the current think critically, react to stimuli report where you console the calmness to the storm. work implementing programs environment. Well, let me around you, and make split person who just totaled their If you want to do the same and mobilizing resources for tell you why. second decisions based upon only car. It might mean getjob every day, don’t go into law residents to help conserve Locally, the residents your training and experience. ting county services to a famenforcement. However, if you water – specifically when it overwhelmingly support You will not work banker’s ily or individual that has no want to be challenged mentally, comes to the yard. Both water their police department and hours, with weekends off. idea there are agencies that agencies have lawn-to-garden go out of their way daily to You’ll have to work nights at support various social needs. physically and emotionally while serving the Concord rebate programs, which will let us know. I personally some point. You will interact Of course, it also means community, then give our pay you by the square foot to appreciate all of you who with the entire cross section you might make an arrest of recruitment sergeant, Ollie replace grass with turf or have stopped me in coffee of the population, which someone terrorizing a shopSansen, a call at 925-671-5000 more drought-resistant plants. shops and restaurants and means you will interact with ping center or neighborhood. or email him at You can find more info at told me that my staff, your some people who don’t like It could also mean you solve a Ollie.Sansen@cityofconcord.o ebmud.com/water/conservaofficers, are doing an outwhat law enforcement repreburglary or robbery and bring rg. tion-and-rebates/ and ccwastanding job. sents and some people who resolution to crime victims. ter.com/160/Lawn-to-GarYou also let me know are afraid of you because of There is no greater feeling Contact Chief Bustillos at den-Rebate. when we fall short in our the uniform you wear. But than being able to help somemark.bustillos@cityofconcord.org The water districts offer response. Frankly, I appreci- that’s OK; we serve everyone. one find solutions to seem-
When you work for Concord PD, every day is a new opportunity
demonstration was set up to house one family, but additional configurations would allow for up to five individuals to be privately housed.
KAREN MITCHOFF
COUNTY
SUPERVISOR professional expertise to help households conserve water as well. From the websites listed above, you can access experts with these agencies to help advise on ways you might be able to save water, improve your landscaping to be drought-resistant, or access other resources such as watersaving devices like flow meters, educational opportunities and other rebates for water conservation. Californians are all too familiar with the realities of living in a dry environment, but since the last major drought in our state spanning 2011-’19, many more resources, rebates and opportunities are available to our community. If you have more questions about water-saving techniques or need more information about these programs, contact EBMUD at 1-866403-2683 and CCWD at 925688-8000. My office stands ready to assist as well in these efforts. You can reach us at 925-5217100. Let’s all do our part to make sure that we preserve our precious and limited water resources. Karen Mitchoff is Contra Costa County District IV supervisor. Email questions or comments to Mitchoff at supervisormitchoff@bos.cccounty.us
