Danville_Today_Mar_2015

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March 2015 Lucky Dog Rescue: Going the Extra Mile

Serving Danville

By Jody Morgan

Lucky Dog Rescue (LDR), founded in 2010, never stops looking for ways to put deserving dogs in appropriate homes. Partnering with Wings of Rescue, another 100% volunteer non-profit, gives LDR the ability to send healthy, adoptable animals flying from over-crowded California shelters to places where they are wanted. The sky is no longer the limit, but the capacity of shelters to hold animals seeking humans to love is a major obstacle to giving abandoned pets time to find forever homes.

L to R: Dan Dunn with Civil War saber, Bob Chardler with parade torch, and Jerry Warren with poster as they ready the MuseSRV Lincoln exhibit.

Forty-one lucky dogs flew from CA to WA on the Wings of Rescue 2/13 flight from Livermore.

Front L to R: Anji (Wing of Rescue Pilot), Nancy Moore (LDR), Audrey Lennox (LDR) and Cindy Smith Wings of Rescue Co-Founder.

With decades of experience among them in caring for rescued pets, LDR founders decided to apply their skills to saving homeless dogs at high-kill shelters where lack of funding and space often preclude keeping animals alive for more than the 3-4 business days mandated by law. As a long-term

See Rescue continued on page 12

St. Isidore School students decided to “Go GOLD”: Give Out Love Deliberately. The 7th and 8th grade students planned a service project that focused on a work of mercy they were passionate about, identified a need in society, researched and learned about this need, and carried out a plan of action--Giving Out Love Deliberately!

Some of the projects included packaging food for Kids Against Hunger, gathering clothes for 1 Closet, assisting at several local retirement communities, anonymously sending games and bracelets to various children’s hospitals, and making numerous donations to various charities and organizations. Many of the students have decided to continue their service to the community. St. Isidore members are proud of and inspired by these students and the myriad of service they provided to the community.

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Lincoln Exhibit Opens at the Museum of the San Ramon Valley By Jody Morgan

How did Lincoln’s contemporaries in the San Ramon Valley view his presidency? What legacy did his leadership provide? The exhibition opening on March 17th at the Museum of the San Ramon Valley (MuseSRV) is full of thought provocative material. The core component is “Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War.” Organized by the National Constitution Center and the American Library Association, this traveling exhibit was made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and is based on an exhibit by the same name developed by the National Constitution Center.

Local stories, artifacts from the era, and evening programs offer insight into how Californians reacted to Lincoln’s policies.

The American Library Association’s website describes the traveling presentation. “Organized thematically, the exhibition explores how Lincoln used the Constitution to confront three intertwined crises of the war – the secession of Southern States, slavery, and wartime civil liberties.” Jerry Warren, President of the Board, is pleased MuseSRV was chosen to offer the traveling exhibit. This in-depth study highlighting the struggles Lincoln faced and the multiple options he considered to resolve each issue raises awareness of how controversial his decisions were, especially during his lifetime.

Information from local archives gives the presentation a more personal perspective on living through a time when voicing an opinion on Lincoln’s decisions might alter the course of history. Although California entered the union in 1850 as a free state two years after being ceded to the United States

by Mexico, the political positions of the settlers of the San Ramon Valley, like those of most Californians, tended to reflect the parts of the country from which they originated.

Volume VI - Number 5 Some saw the nation as a confederacy of sovereign 3000F Danville Blvd. #117, states, while others argued that it was an indivisible Alamo, CA 94507 (925) 405-6397 political entity. African Americans lacked basic Fax (925) 406-0547 legal rights, and some remained enslaved.

Daniel Dunn, MuseSRV Executive Director, Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher editor@ shares insight on how elements of the exhibiyourmonthlypaper.com tion come together. “Traveling exhibits come ‘freeze-dried’ complete with marketing infor- The opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, and do not necessarily mation, education packets, and the exhibits,” reflect that of Danville Today News.

Danville Today News is not he explains. “Augmenting the traveler with responsible for the content of any of the advertising herein, nor does local materials is the most time-consuming

See Lincoln continued on page 20

publication imply endorsement.

Page 2 - March 2015 ~ Danville Today News

Boulevard View

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By Alisa Corstorphine, Editor Lighten your World

All too early, spring is in the air, and spring-cleaning has begun! I started with my yard in that narrow twoweek pruning window that nature sets aside for certain trimming. Right before the buds bloomed, I gave drastic pruning to my fruit trees, rose bushes, and other trees in the yard. It’s amazing to open up the vegetation and let the light in. Everything feels lighter and brighter. It is amazing how a tidying and yard cleanup can invigorate me. I feel the same way indoors, and even though I know I don’t have a fraction of the junk or issues as portrayed by some on the show, Hoarders, I am still inspired to lighten my load inside our house as well.

I’ve mentioned a blog I read call Rodale News, and there was a recent article about “de-cluttering.” It noted that we can all benefit from this process and it suggests we separate the “benign” from the “malignant” items we own. The article went on to say that, “The stuff you own has power—the power to take you to another place and time, to remind you of events long past, to overwhelm or depress you. Malignant clutter poisons your point of view, your habits, and your behaviors. It makes you feel bad about the decisions you’ve made. It makes you think less of yourself. It makes you second-guess yourself. It gets in your face, undermines your confidence, and it calls you a failure. It reminds you of lost love, missed opportunities, or times past that you wish you could move on from. It’s harmful, and rooting it out must be your priority.”

It’s up to you to decide what’s benign and malignant in your household. In the pantry it might be junk or processed foods that ended up in your shopping cart or you bought to support an organization.

How do you start? Pick a room. Carefully inspect the area and list all the malignant items—or better still, gather them in a pile on a table, where you have to deal with it. These things can bring up all kinds of emotions. The idea of throwing them out might be hard, even when you can see they’re bad for you. If so, put them aside, somewhere unobtrusive so you can think about them differently.

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For each piece of malignant clutter, ask yourself: • How did this get here?

• What power does this item have over me?

• Is this item helping me create the vision I have for the space?

• Is this item serving any purpose or helping me in some positive way?

• What feelings linked to this object have kept me from throwing it out?

• When was the last time I used it?

• How would I feel if this item disappeared on its own right now?

• Could this item, that’s a source of pain or disappointment to me, become a wonderful addition to someone else’s life?

I proposed to my husband that we spend time each day working on lightening our load, and after some hesitation he climbed onboard. We realize that every object we possess actually owns US and has to be taken care of – cleaned, dusted, repaired, filed, trimmed, etc. All of the time used for these chores is better enjoyed, in my opinion, taking advantage of the lovely area we live in.

This place we raised our family in for the past 18 years has so much to offer, and we barely take advantage of its abundance.

There are many organizations happy to take items we no longer want. They repurpose others unwanted items or raise funds by reselling them. I know if I ever want to re-acquire something I’ve given away, with sources like eBay I can almost always find it again. For mementos like kids artwork, it is very easy to now take pictures or scan the items so they can live on and be shared in another medium. You don’t have to keep endless tote bins of papers, cardboard, glitter, and glue!

I’ll tell you one that thing I am hoarding is water. I hope it rains, but I’m planning for the drought. Our state is facing a serious crisis, and my opinion is that without more rain we are going to have water rationing before too long. I’ve purchased two “rain catching” barrels that fill up with water from our gutters when it rains, and we have buckets we fill with the “warming up” water from our showers.

We’ve found it takes about 2.5-3 gallons of water to make our shower hot in the morning, and instead of wasting that water down the drain we let it partly fill a five gallon bucket in the shower. Every drop is going to count. I’m going to use this previously wasted water to take care of my summer garden. Happy March!

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JARED HIGGINS TEAM Danville Home Sales 157 Angora Court 32 Bottlebrush Ct 1730 Camino Ramon 58 Casablanca St 466 Constitution Dr 2117 Creekview Pl 25 Edinburgh Pl 163 Elworthy Ranch Dr 608 Everett Dr 274 Gil Blas Rd 820 Glasgow Cir 749 Glen Rd 2324 Holly Oak 362 La Questa Dr 344 Laurel Dr 211 Laurelglen Ct 1050 Lehigh Valley Cir 261 Montair Drive 673 Paradise Vly S 906 Saddlehorn Court 27 Sage Hill Ct 131 San Thomas Way 626 Serramonte Ct 348 Silverado Ct 130 Soda Pl 3 Tamalark Ln 2320 Tassajara Lane 809 Tunbridge Rd 95 Tuscany Way 187 Wembly Dr 309 Windchime Dr 449 Winfield Ln

List Price $1,100,000 $1,049,000 $689,000 $925,000 $950,000 $1,269,000 $1,799,000 $837,557 $1,189,000 $860,000 $760,000 $2,375,000 $899,000 $800,000 $1,148,000 $999,000 $949,000 $1,695,000 $849,000 $1,050,000 $765,000 $899,000 $1,199,000 $1,100,000 $1,080,000 $1,790,000 $869,900 $1,198,000 $1,350,000 $999,000 $935,000 $849,000

Danville detached home sales per MLS 1/19/15-2/19/15.

Beds/ Sold Price Sq. Ft. Baths $/SqFt DOM $1,020,000 2506 4/2.5 $407 76 $1,055,000 2402 5/3 $439 4 $709,000 1902 4/2.5 $373 9 $948,000 2111 4/2.5 $449 4 $972,000 2023 4/2 $480 10 $1,212,500 4910 4/4.5 $247 44 $1,825,000 4351 5/4.5 $419 2 $834,633 1692 3/2.5 $493 15 $1,189,000 2216 5/2.5 $537 3 $865,000 1593 3/2 $543 8 $740,000 1645 3/2 $450 6 $2,375,000 3946 5/4.5 $602 0 $1,000,000 2995 4/2.5 $334 12 $900,000 1383 3/2 $651 12 $1,100,000 2180 4/2 $505 69 $999,000 2468 3/2 $405 5 $930,000 2168 4/2.5 $429 24 $1,525,000 3850 5/4 $396 92 $878,000 1785 3/2 $492 6 $1,155,000 2464 4 $469 3 $765,000 1632 3/2 $469 10 $899,000 1939 4/2 $464 3 $1,175,000 3203 4/3 $367 13 $1,027,000 2198 4/2.5 $467 24 $1,025,000 3238 4/4 $317 53 $1,750,000 3791 6/4.5 $462 14 $869,900 2221 4/2.5 $392 9 $1,173,000 2368 4/2 $495 27 $1,370,000 3013 5/3 $455 47 $956,888 1716 3/2 $558 85 $925,000 1860 4/2 $497 6 $830,000 1812 3/2.5 $458 15

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The Friends of the Blackhawk Museums Present Joel Hodge

Please join the Blackhawk Museum Guild and our guest speaker, Joel Hodge, on March 11th for a private tour of The Spirit of the Old West Museum. We will meet in the Auto Dining Room for cake, coffee, and champagne at 10am. A short talk by Mr. Hodge will be presented at 10:30am. Then we will proceed with Joel on an exciting and informative tour of our brand new Museum: The Spirit of the Old West!

Mr. Hodge is the Executive Director of the Wheelchair Foundation and is also the Exhibition specialist. He has been active in setting up this incredible exhibit…so pick up a glass of champagne and follow Joel on a tour you won’t want to miss. Bring a guest or two!

The Blackhawk Museum is located at 3700 Blackhawk Plaza Circle in Danville. For more information, visit www.blackhawkmuseum.org, email info@blackhawkmuseum.org, or call 925-736-2280.

Books for the Homebound

If you or someone you know has a passion for reading and can no longer visit the library, find out more about the Danville Library’s Books for the Homebound program, a free and unique library service. Trained library volunteers check out and deliver books to homebound individuals residing in their own homes or residential care facilities. Contact Sandra Paiva, Volunteer Coordinator, at the Danville Library at (925) 837-4889 for more information.

GFWC Danville Women’s Club

Join us for Lunch! On Thursday, March 19th, our program features Intro to Genealogy with Janice Sellers, a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. We gather at our Clubhouse, 242 W. Linda Mesa Ave. in Danville, at 11:30AM and lunch is served at noon followed by the program and business meeting. Reservations can be made by calling (925) 837-1165. Guests are always welcome and lunch is free for first-timers. It’s a great way to discover who we are and what we do in our communities.

At our luncheon on Thursday, April 16th, the program is all about the Contra Costa, Solano Food Bank that has served the community for nearly 40 years. The Food Bank assists approximately 188,000 hungry people in need every month directly at community sites and through a network of 180 charitable agencies.

Shredding for Scholarships is an event taking place on Saturday, April 25th from 9AM to 12:30PM. Bring your old confidential records to the Clubhouse, and have your documents shredded while you watch. The cost is just $5 per box (Bankers Box size). Net proceeds from this event go to our Patty Hart Memorial Scholarship Fund which awards scholarships to high school seniors in the Tri-Valley.

Calling all “Fashionistas”- Thursday, May 7th is our 19th Annual Fashion Show for Hospice of the East Bay. The event includes a luncheon and fashion show featuring CHICO’S. It is held at Blackhawk Country Club. Doors open at 11:30AM with lunch served at 12:15PM followed by the fashion show. Local businesses provide lots of prizes for our Opportunity Drawing. Invitations for the show are just $45 and may be purchased from a Women’s Club member or by calling Barbara Chavez at (925)938-0347. Reserve early for best seats.

The 104 year old Danville Women’s Club is a member of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) International and California Federation of Women’s Clubs (CFWC). For more information about any of our meetings, events, or the Club, please visit us at www.danvillewomensclub.org. Did you know that our Clubhouse is available for rental at reasonable rates? Call (925) 837-1165 or email danvillewc@gmail.com for complete details.

Page 4 - March 2015 ~ Danville Today News

Lic# 1100014354; Bay Area Entertainment

Sons in Retirement

San Ramon Valley Branch

Looking for things to do in your retirement? Consider joining Sons in Retirement San Ramon Valley Branch 128. We have monthly luncheons with interesting speakers and good fellowship. Our guest speaker in March will be Contra Costa County Sheriff, David Livingston. Additionally, our members have lots of fun participating in a variety of activities such as golf, tennis, bowling, bocce ball, bridge, computers, and much more. Many other activities such as travel, dine outs, excursions, baseball games, and holiday parties include spouses, friends, and guests.

Our next monthly luncheon will be held on Wednesday, March 18th at 11AM. The $23 fee includes luncheon, guest speaker and a great opportunity to socialize with at least 150 other retirees from the San Ramon Valley. To reserve a space, please email us by Friday, March 12th at www.info@SIR128.com. The location for the meeting is the San Ramon Golf Club, 9430 Fircrest Lane in San Ramon.

For more information about this retirement branch, events and activities, please visit www.SIR128.com.

Las Trampas Branch

Sons In Retirement - Branch 116 welcomes guest to socialize with us at our monthly luncheon beginning at 11AM on Monday, March 16th and held at the Walnut Creek Elks Lodge, 1475 Creekside Dr. The speaker will be Bernat Rosner who was born in 1932 in rural Hungary. At the age of 12, he was loaded onto a train with his family and the rest of the village’s Jewish inhabitants and taken to Auschwitz. He was the only member of his family to survive the gas chambers and the other horrors of the Nazi concentration camps. Bernie came to the United States in 1948 at the age of sixteen, and he received his education at Cornell University and Harvard Law School. He spent his thirty-five year career in the legal department of Safeway Inc and the last ten as the Company’s General Council.

After his retirement in 1994, he met Fritz Tubach, who was his same age, but was the son of a Nazi military officer. They became friends and decided to share their intimate story and co-wrote a book, An Uncommon Friendship, which tells the unique story of two youths trapped on opposite sides of the Holocaust. Please call (925) 322-1160 for lunch reservations. The cost for lunch is $15.

If you are retired or semi-retired and want to make new friends, participate in fun activities and better enjoy your leisure time, we welcome you to join us.

Our member activities include book discussions, bridge, computers, dine-outs, fishing, golf, hiking/walking, investments, poker, travel, wine tastings, and more fun things. In addition, we have special golf events and bridge tournaments where wives, partners, and guests are welcome. If these are activities you like to do, then you may find even greater enjoyment in doing them with the friendly group of retirees in the SIRs organization. For information about our activities for retired men, please visit www.Branch116.org.

Veterans of Foreign Wars

Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW), Post 75, San Ramon Valley, meets every third Wednesday of the month at the Veterans Memorial Building, located at 400 Hartz Avenue in Danville, on the corner at East Prospect Avenue and Hartz Avenue. Doors open at 7PM, and the meeting begins at 7:30PM. For more information, contact Post Commander Ernie Petagara at (925) 3629806. Send mail to VFW Post 75 San Ramon Valley, P.O. Box 1092, Danville, CA 94526. Find out more about the VFW and our Post at www.vfwpost75.org.

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Host Families Sought for Visiting French Students

For the tenth consecutive year, students from a large high school in the South of France are coming to Danville. Every visit by the students has been better than the last. The students will arrive on April 11 th and depart April 25 th .

The teens stay with local families and have a full itinerary of activities during the days and only require your attention in the evenings and weekends.

The visit is an ideal opportunity to experience another culture and hopefully consider visiting France in return. Anyone interested in hosting a student (or students!) is welcome to participate.

For more information or to find out about past year’s programs, please contact Martine Causse (teacher in charge of the group), at caussefly@wanadoo.fr or dachary.martine@orange.fr.

There are many happy local host families ready to discuss any questions with you (including the editor of this paper!). The local contact is Danville parent Kevin Dimler, who can be reached at kevindimler@gmail.com or 925-718-5052.

Alamo-Danville Newcomers Club

Are you new to the area or a long time resident, newly retired or emptynester interested in making new friends and participating in various social activities? We are a women’s organization whose purpose is to enrich the lives of all its members and their families in a social manner.

Check out all we have to offer by visiting www.alamodanvillenewcomers. com. There will be no “Welcome Coffee” in March, but please mark your calendar for our “Wine & Cheese Social” on Tuesday, April 28th from 79pm. Please RSVP to alamodanvillenewcomers@gmail.com.

In My Merry Oldsmobile Sunday, March 29th at 2pm

Come take a ride with the Danville Community Band at the fabulous, family-friendly Blackhawk Automotive Museum located at 3700 Blackhawk Plaza Circle in Danville. We’ll be playing some motoring tunes as well as selections including Highlights from CARS, James Swearingen’s Flight of Valor, and Robert Hawkins’ rousing How the West was Won, and more! Come see the fabulous auto galleries, tour the current exhibits, and enjoy a concert all in the same building. The concert is free with admission into the Museum (free for museum members).

For more information about the band, see our website at www.danvilleband. org. For Museum information, call (925) 736-2277 or visit www.blackhawkmuseum.org. The Danville Community Band is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

AAUW Celebrates International Women’s Day

AAUW (American Association of University Women) Danville-Alamo-Walnut Creek will celebrate International Women’s Day on March 7th by showcasing four cultures and recent grassroots movements in India, Chile, Africa, and the Middle East. Please join us for an informative and entertaining morning.

Light refreshments will be provided. The event will be held at 1001 El Capitan Dr. in Danville from 9:30AM to noon. Please RSVP to ashakiran@gmail.com.

International Women’s Day will be celebrated worldwide in honor of working women and women’s struggles everywhere.

For answers to questions about the program, contact Asha at (925) 899-9396.

Blackhawk “First Sunday” Cars & Coffee

Blackhawk Automotive Museum hosts a monthly Cars & Coffee event year round for all car enthusiasts. Held on the “First Sunday” of each month, starting at 8AM and going to 10AM, the Museum welcomes all classic, collector, and special interest car owners and enthusiasts.

On Cars & Coffee Sundays the Museum opens an hour earlier, at 9AM, and participating car owners will receive complimentary Museum admission tickets.

The Museum is located at 3700 Blackhawk Plaza Circle in Danville. For more information, visit www.blackhawkmuseum.org/carsncoffee.html, call (925) 736-2280, or email museum@blackhawkmuseum.org.

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DESTINATION . . .

Danville

Danville Today News ~ March 2015 - Page 5

DANVILLE IS COOKING! WE’VE SURPASSED THE PEAK May 2005 to February 2006

May 2014 to February 2015

Averaged Closed Sales Price: $805,210 Median Price: $823,500 # Closed Sales: 629

Averaged Closed Sales Price: $817,726 ( 1.6%) Median Price: $854,500 ( 3.8%) # Closed Sales: 601 ( 4.5%)

SELLERS, WHERE ARE YOU? • Danville listings commonly receive more than ten offers. That leaves many disappointed buyers still looking. It’s a HOT sellers market.

• As a buyer, you must have a competitive edge to win. Strategy, connections and experience get my BUYERS their home.

• Contact me now for a consultation on how to win in today’s market, whether you are a buyer or a seller.

The Realtor you list your home with DOES make a difference:

Carolyn With . . .

CAROLYN GWYNN Realtor®

CalBRE #01888136

(925) 336-7525

CGwynn@EmpireRA.com www.CarolynGwynn.com

The Carolyn Gwynn Real Estate Advantage: Call me today at (925) 336-7525 to discuss how business acumen, high work The San Ramon Valley Republican Women Federated ethic, professional photography, staging and preparation, and the knowledge that goes with being a lifelong East Bay resident will Proudly Presents

make the difference for you. www.CarolynGwynn.com Sally Pipes President and CEO of the Pacific Research Institute

Based on information from the CCAR MLS. This information is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed by MLS or Empire Realty.

SRVRWF Present Sally Pipes

“The Pipes Plan”

Treats for the Troops

Delta Nu Psi has now sent 1,270 boxes to American troops in AfghaniThe TTop op Ten Ways to Dismantle and Replace Obamacare Speaking on “The Pipes Plan, the Ten Ways to stan, and the group continues to collect “gourmet junk food” and cards for Dismantle and Replace Obamacare” additional shipments! The group will continue sending as long as American

San Ramon Valley Republican Women Federated military members are in the War Zone.

(SRVRWF) present Sally Pipes who is president and On March 6th Delta Nu Psi will be accepting items at CVS in Alamo, and CEO of the Pacific Research Institute, a San Francisco on March 13th they will be at Lunardi’s in Danville. Collections will be held based think tank founded in 1979. She as appeared on from 11am to 2pm both days, rain or shine. Money for postage is also always a wide range of national and international programs appreciated as shipping costs have risen 34%!

To learn more and see emails and photos from the thankful service people, from The Glenn Beck Show to Politically Incorrect. visit www.deltanupsi.org.

She writes a weekly healthcare column “Piping Up” for Forbes.com plus many other publications. Fol Search and Rescue Pipes is President and About Chief Executive Officer of the Thomas Pacific Research Institute, San Francisco based lowing his review of Sally’sSally book, The Truth Obamacare, TheaContra Costa County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team needs volunteer think tank founded in 1979. She has appeared on a wide range of national and international programs from Sowell said in his nationally “The syndicated column, “Fortunately, in fact, very members to respond to missing person incidents, disasters, and other critical inciGlenn Beck Show” to “Politically Incorrect.” She writes a weekly healthcare column “Piping Up” for dents.

Team members are on call 24/7 year-round. The program provides required fortunately, you don’t have to slog through pages ofFollowing legislative jargon Forbes.com plus many 2,400 other publications. his review of Sally’s book The Truth About Obamacare, Thomas S owell s aid i n h is n ationally s yndicated c olumn, “ Fortunately–in f act, v ery f ortunately–you d on’t h ave training; including wilderness traveling, first aid, map and compass usage, tracking or turn to a fortune teller to divine the future. A new book, The Truth About to slog through 2,400 pages of legislative jargon or turn to a fortune teller to divine the future. A new book disaster response, and search skills; and may also include special training for canine, Obamacare, by Sally Pipes lays it outThe in Tthe English.” ruth plainest About Obamacare

by Sally Pipes lays it out in the plainest English.”

The meeting will take place at Crow Canyon Country Club, located at 711 equestrian, technical, mountain bike, or other rescue skills. For information and applications, visit www.contracostasar.org or call 925-646-4461.

Crow anyon time Country Silver Lake Drive in Danville on Tuesday, March 24th.CSocial beginsClub

Silver Lake Drive, Danville, held at noon.

Members payCalifornia at 11:30am, and lunch and the meeting will be711

$25 and non-members pay $35. Guests that become members at Tuesday, March 24, 2015 the door pay $25. Everyone is welcome.

Please RSVP

by Friday, Social begins at 11:30, lunch and visit meeting at Noon March 20 to srvwf.lunch@gmail.com.

For more information Members $25.00 & Non-­‐Members $35.00*  www.srvrwf.org.

$$$

Men and students cordially invited

$$$ 10.00 Bonus Coupon!

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since 1968. Two of our programs, Meals on Wheels and Friendly Visitors, rely on the support of volunteers, and we need your help now more than ever. Meals on Wheels volunteer drivers deliver meals to local homebound seniors through regular two hour shifts once per week or as substitute drivers.

Friendly Visitors volunteers provide weekly one-hour companionship visits to isolated seniors. To volunteer for either program, please call (925)937-8311.



Please RSVP by Friday, March 20, 2015 to srvrwf.lunch@gmail.com

1 coupon per family. Not valid on previous purchases, other coupons and/or promotions.

No cash substitutes. May not be used on payment of account. Pandora, Brighton, Boy Scouts, Estee Lauder, Clinique, Lancome, Fragrance Dept., TOMS and UGG excluded.

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Present this coupon at point of purchase for 10.00 off your one-time combined purchase

Seniors in your community need your support! Meals on Wheels and Seof 50.00 or more in Mens, Boys, Kids, www.srvrwf.org nior Outreach Services has been supporting seniors in YOUR neighborhood *Guests that become members at the door pay the member rate for this event Womens, Jr’s, Lingerie, Shoes

Meals on Wheels

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Page 6 - March 2015 ~ Danville Today News

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The Gold Coast Chamber Players are proud to present their third concert of the 2014-15 season, Czech Mix. The concert will be held on JUMPSTART the 2015 POOL SEASON! Saturday, March 14 at 7:30PM at the Lafayette Upgrade Your Pool Equipment Library Community Hall, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Remodel your Pebble, Tile, and Coping!

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Josef Suk’s “Piano Quartet” is at times dramatic, Ruth Bancroft Garden’s Annual Spring Plant Sale lyrical, triumphant, and deeply expressive. It is the perfect keystone to this Shake off the winter blues with the Ruth Bancroft Garden’s annual Bohemian program.

Spring Plant Sale. The sale is the Bay Area’s best source for drought tolerant plants, succulents, cacti, California natives, and members of the Protea famHighly acclaimed Chicago-based pianist Yana Reznik will perform on ily from Australia and South Africa. Featured succulents include Agaves, Czech Mix. Ms. Reznik has appeared regularly with Gold Coast Chamber Aloes, Echeverias, including gems propagated from the Garden’s plants, Players since 2012, and her exquisite musicality has captivated audiences. some dating back to Ruth’s original collection. The Garden’s expert staff, The Gold Coast Chamber Players are known for their engaging and vibrant docents, and nursery propagators will provide insider tips and tricks to performances. Audiences have been responding with such enthusiasm that planting a stunning garden that looks great all year long with less irrigation tickets are in great demand. than a lawn. Unique garden related gifts and books will also be available.

Ticket price includes complimentary champagne, a pre-concert talk at The sale will take place from Saturday, 7PM, and a reception with the musicians following the performance. Tickets April 11 through Thursday, April 16 . are available at www.gcplayers.org and by phone at (925) 283-3728. Seating Saturday is limited, so please reserve early.

• Member’s Only Sale: 9 AM -11 AM (memberships available at the door) The Blackhawk Republican Women Present • Public sale: 11AM – 3PM There will be free admission all day Senator Jim Brulte (Ret.) On March 11, the Blackhawk Republican Women and the garden will be open until 4pm.

Docent-led tours will be held at 11AM present Senator Jim Brulte (Ret.), Chairman of Califorand 1PM. nia’s Republican Party, introduced by The Honorable Sunday – Thursday Catharine B. Baker, California State Assembly, 16th AM PM • The public sale continues 10 - 4 District. A V.I.P. reception with Chairman Brulte and each day elected officers will be followed by dinner and Jim Brulte The Ruth Bancroft Garden is located speaking on The Republican Resurgence in California. at 1552 Bancroft Road in Walnut Creek.

The event will take place at the Blackhawk Country Club, Lakeside BallFor more information, please visit www. room, 599 Blackhawk Club Dr. in Danville. Check-in and V.I.P reception ruthbancroftgarden.org or call (925) (no extra cost) will start at 5:30 and be followed by dinner and speaker Jim 944-9352.

Brulte. The cost is $40.

“Over the last 15 years, there has been no more enduring force in California Republican politics than Jim Brulte” ~ Capitol Weekly Obviously, California Republicans agree. Elected as Chairman of the California GOP with 25 years of fulltime experience in politics and government, Chairman Brulte’s strategies resulted in Republicans breaking the Democrat If you find him and your name is drawn! supermajority in the State legislature. Enjoy this unique opportunity to meet personally during our V.I.P. reception and to hear from this experienced He has become lost in this paper! politician about how the party can replicate the recent Republican victories, He is very small, so you will have to look hard if you want to find him. like Catharine Baker’s, and make California golden once again!

To be eligible send a letter telling us where you found him, Please make your reservations with a check made payable to “Blackhawk along with your name and address, to: Republican Women,” as well as any cancellations, by Monday, March 9th with Lost Dog! ~ Danville Today News Marianne Lyons, 856 Turrini Drive, Danville 94526, rlyons1009@sbcglobal.

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Chromatica Sings American Composers

Danville Today News ~ March 2015 - Page 7

Chromatica, a regional chorus recently dubbed “the undiscovered musical jewel of the East Bay,” will perform three concerts of music by American composers in April in Dublin, Danville, and Clayton Valley. The April 13th concert will be held at 7pm at Resurrection Lutheran Church, located at 7557 Amador Valley Boulevard, Dublin. On April 18th the show will be held at 7pm at Peace Lutheran Church, 3301 Camino Tassajara, Danville (a reception follows this concert), and on April 19th the show will be held at 7pm at Clayton Valley Presbyterian Church, 1578 Kirker Pass Road, Clayton.

Building on its tradition of innovative and compelling programs, the American Composers Journey will include works from as early as the 19th century scholars Stephen Foster’s “Come where my love lies dreaming” and Dominic Argento’s haunting “Dover Beach Revisited.” Morton Lauridsen’s “Nocturnes” is a recognized masterwork in modern American choral music, including three pieces in French, Spanish and English, while Rene Clausen’s “Jabberwocky” is an idiosyncratic and beguiling piece based upon the Lewis Carroll poem. Chromatica will also perform Clausen’s “One if by Land, Two if by Sea,” a tribute to Paul Revere’s ride. Eric Whitacre’s hilarious Ogden Nash settings called “Animal Crackers” will have audiences laughing while Frank Ticheli’s “Earth Song” is a touching and heartfelt tribute to singing. The program also includes Moses Hogan’s classic (and rollicking) spiritual “My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord,” among other pieces.

“This program illustrates the extraordinary richness and depth of American choral composing, ranging from the deeply serious to the lighthearted and entertaining. American composers continue to expand the boundaries of modern choral composition, and I’m delighted to share this program with our enthusiastic audiences. We are always looking for good, enthusiastic singers to join us on our musical journey,” says David Huff, Chromatica’s founding musical director.

Tickets and information are available at www.chromaticachorale.org or from any member of Chromatica. Tickets may also be purchased at each location on the evening of the performance (cash or check only, please).

Museum Volunteers Needed

Looking to get involved in your community? The Museum of the San Ramon Valley needs your help. Volunteer positions are available in the following areas: • Greeters • Docents • Walking Tour Docents • Events Committee • Educational Programs (One Room School/Indian Life) Call Eve or Donna at 552-9693 or send an email to srvmuseum@ sbcglobal.net for additional information.

Summer Jobs for Youth

By Supervisor Candace Andersen

Do you remember your first summer job? Mine was at the Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor in Kahala Mall in Honolulu, where I worked in the kitchen filling ice cream orders.

Besides being taught how to scoop a perfectly round ball of ice cream and slice a banana while still in its peel, I learned the importance of being responsible and on time, the satisfaction that came from working hard, and how to appropriately manage the money I earned.

Aside from keeping teenagers out of trouble during the break from school and providing a supplemental income, summer jobs present our youth with so many life lesson opportunities. Summer jobs provide hands-on career and technical skills as well as life skills, such as communication, collaboration, and critical thinking.

Summer jobs can create a great environment to learn networking and relationshipbuilding skills, as well as facilitate mentorships with industry professionals. Youth with jobs also gain newfound confidence in their skills and abilities.

However, recent reports show that fewer American teenagers are now engaged in the workforce than before. The numbers have been dropping steadily since 2000, when 45% of 16 to 19-year olds held jobs. In 2013, just 25% of Americans, ages 16 to 19, were in the workforce. These trends apply also to summertime employment, which is unfortunate, because according to research, teenagers who work in high school have wages 10 to 15% higher than their peers after college graduation.

The decline is due to the reality that many teenagers are simply unable to find jobs today. More teens are enrolling in summer school and pre-college enrichment programs as well as playing sports year-round. Some teens use their time in the summer to do volunteer work or participate in unpaid internships with the goal of building their resumes.

As our economy rebounds from the Great Recession, unemployment rates are at their lowest level in seven years, and the future is bright. But now more than ever, Americans must compete for jobs in a global economy, and we have to make sure our youth are ready to compete for those jobs. At the same time, many youth are graduating unprepared for the world of work, with some not graduating at all.

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Vespers: Music for Evening Prayers

Diablo Choral Artists (formerly Voices of Musica Sacra), directed

by Mark Tuning, presents “Vespers: Music for Evening Prayers,” featuring Stanford’s and Byrd’s Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis, Pergolesi’s Magnificat and Handel’s Dixit Dominus with stringed orchestra.

Shows will be held March 13, at 8 pm, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 1924 Trinity Avenue, Walnut Crrek, and March 15, at 3 pm at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, 1650 Ygnacio Valley Rd., Walnut Creek.

Details and ticket information are available at www.vmschorus.org, info@dcachorus.org.

Employers complain about the skills gap; they can’t find qualified workers to fill available jobs. Meaningful work experiences can bridge this gap – and for youth, summer is the perfect time to gain those essential skills that will set them on a path toward success.

In an effort to create summer youth employment and enrichment experiences, the Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County, in collaboration with Contra Costa Economic Partnership and the Diablo Gateways to Innovation Consortium, recently introduced “Earn & Learn East Bay.” The goal for Earn & Learn East Bay is to connect hundreds of youth ages 16-21 to summer jobs, internships and other high-quality work-based learning experiences, such as industry-lead summer camps.

To create these opportunities, the Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County and the Contra Costa Economic Partnership rely largely on the support of local employers and community-based organizations. Employers and organizations can help by hosting a summer internship or work-based learning opportunity for one or more youth, sponsor a youth for a summer experience at a rate of $1,500 per participant, or encourage colleagues to host a work-based learning opportunity.

Benefits to employer partners include the opportunity to build a future workforce; the chance to showcase their industry and organization, including positive publicity as a partner supporting Earn & Learn East Bay (through publications, website, news media and special events); and the ability to have a direct impact on strengthening communities in the East Bay region.

If you are a youth (age 16-21) or the parent of a youth and are interested in learning more about Earn & Learn East Bay, email wdb@ehsd.cccounty.us. To participate as an employer, or for more information about Earn and Learn East Bay, visit www.wdbccc.com/youth or call (925) 602-6800.

My office is here to serve the residents of Contra Costa County District 2, which includes San Ramon, Danville, Alamo, Walnut Creek, Saranap, Parkmead, Lafayette, Moraga, Canyon, and Orinda. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if we can provide you with additional information on this topic or on other County issues. I can be reached at SupervisorAndersen@bos.cccounty.us or (925) 957-8860.

Page 8 - March 2015 ~ Danville Today News

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Stone Valley Middle School

By Shaun K. McElroy, Principal SF Giants Pitcher Kicks Off Fight Against Hunger

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San Ramon Valley High School

By Ruth Steele, Principal

By the beginning of March, we are already starting to get ready for next school year. Over the next few weeks our counselors will be running parent information nights for each grade level. On March 10th and 11th we have Building Bridges Night for our incoming freshmen, and in March students will be signing up for classes for next year.

It is a strange time of year because while we are still in the midst of this school year and working on many different projects, we are busy starting to plan for the next school year, and that’s a huge undertaking!

Next year we will be running some new elective programs and some courses that we have not been able to offer before. These are listed in our course catalogue.

If you are interested in looking through these, the course catalogue can be found in the middle of our website, www.srvhs.net.

As many freshman parents are aware, we have started a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) pilot with 360 of our freshmen students. Our goal is to infuse technology into all classrooms over the next few years so that students have 1:1 access to laptops whenever they need them in class. At the present time we have carts of iPads and Chromebooks (Google based laptops) that teachers can check out and bring to the classrooms. We also have five computer labs.

However, the demand for these resources is much greater than our current supply as many teachers are doing innovative research projects, Google-based projects, and other work that is much more effective when internet access is available. There are many great educational tools and apps online that we would like our students to be able to take advantage of in the classroom.

Many of our middle school students are using this technology in 6th, 7th and 8th grades, and it’s critical that we are able to support the same rich learning environment at high school.

The pilot is already showing some interesting patterns: • Students are writing more.

• Students are more interested in the content being covered. The class time

On Tuesday February 10th, Jeremy Affeldt, SF Giants pitcher and Generation Alive founder spoke to our student body about the importance of meeting the needs of people suffering from food insecurity.

Generation Alive is a non-profit movement of young people who respond to the needs of other young people - wherever, whenever, and however.

Each of our students was given a collection bin to collect financial donations now through Monday, March 9th. The donations will fund meals. Each meal costs 25 cents, and our school goal is to provide 50,000 meals. Generation Alive will return on March 24th to assist students in packaging meals that will be distributed to Tijuana, Mexico and the Bay Area Food Bank.

To find out more about Generation Alive or our philanthropic partner Pledge to Humanity, visit www.generationalive.org or http://pledgetohumanity.org.

Facilities Information

Updated information on construction projects throughout the district can be found on the SRVUSD website at ­www.srvusd.net/cms/page_view?d= x&piid=&vpid=1346747333230. Contacts for the Stone Valley construction project are Gary Black, gblack@srvusd.net, Assistant Superintendent, Facilities & Operations, (925) 552-2960; Richard Lowell, rlowell@srvusd. k12.ca.us, Director, Facilities, (925) 552-2970; and Tina Perault, tperaul@ srvusd.k12.ca.us, Sr. Planning &Development Mgr., 925) 552-2969.

Farewell Alamo Community

With a heavy heart and countless irreplaceable memories, I have decided to leave the Alamo community and venture onto a larger educational stage.

I have been fortunate to serve the San Ramon Valley School District for over 32 years, including an amazing 13+ years as principal at Stone Valley Middle School and another five years here teaching science.

I am forever grateful for the time spent in your service. I will truly miss the support of our parents, the camaraderie of my colleagues, the warmth and expertise of the staff, and more than anything the children who have granted me a great life education. I am confident that our children will continue to thrive in a school district that is without rival in the state of California.

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is being used more efficiently, and more can be done within a 55 minute period.

• Students are more able to work at their own pace instead of the whole class needing to be at the same point at the same time.

One of our goals is to continue getting feedback from teachers and students over the second semester to see what is working and what needs to be adjusted.

For example, students have also shared that they remember concepts better when they write things down, so there is clearly a difference in information retention when students “think and write” versus “think and type.”

We are excited to be pioneering this work at the high school level and figuring out how technology can be most effectively used to support students in their learning.

There will be more updates to come as we continue with this initiative through June.

editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

Charlotte Wood Middle School

By Christopher George, Principal

Danville Today News ~ March 2015 - Page 9

11 Critical Home Inspection Traps to be Aware of Weeks Before Listing Your Home for Sale

Danville - According to industry experts, away altogether. In most cases, you can Second semester has been off to there are over 33 physical problems that make a reasonable pre-inspection yourself a great start for us since the end of January. As always, we are proud will come under scrutiny during a home if you know what you're looking for, and of the everyday, hard work of our inspection when your home is for sale. knowing what you're looking for can help student and teachers, especially A new report has been prepared which you prevent little problems from growing during these long stretches in winidentifies the 11 most common of these into costly and unmanageable ones. ter. On February 13th we continued our work towards better problems, and what you should know about To help home sellers deal with this issue curriculum building during our Staff Development Day. them before you list your home for sale. before their homes are listed, a free report Recently, we also began our discussion of better grading and Whether you own an old home or a brand entitled "11Things You Need to Know to assessment practices for kids. The mission we see ahead of us new one, there are a number of things Pass Your Home Inspection" has been is figuring how to make a Culture of Grading more reflective that can fall short of requirements during a compiled which explains the issues involved. of a Culture of Assessment of what kids have learned and home inspection. If not identified and dealt To hear a brief recorded message about determining what students have to do to master standards. with, any of these 11 items could cost you how to order your FREE copy of this report, That’s a big discussion with a lot of parts, but we have had dearly in terms of repair. That's why it's call toll-free 1-866-265-1682 and enter great conversations around that topic, and we look forward critical that you read this report before 1003. You can call any time, 24 hours a day, to the possibilities. you list your home. If you wait until the 7 days a week.

This semester, we have redoubled our efforts surrounding building inspector flags these issues for Get your free special report NOW to learn CLR, or Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching you, you will almost certainly experience how to ensure a home inspection doesn't and Learning. This study helps us ensure that we are reaching costly delays in the close of your home cost you the sale of your home.

ALL students and engaging all students regardless of who they sale or, worse, turn prospective buyers are or how they have traditionally fared in school in order to This report is courtesy of J. Rockcliff Realtors #01763819. Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract. Copyright © 2013 build a bridge to the culture of school and the culture of learning. We have seen quite a few teachers do great work within this framework and have learned much as a staff from this strand of professional development as well.

In school news, our advisory classes held an all-school march on January 21st. This activity was created by our advisory team in order to give more depth to our study of Martin Luther King Jr. Day by commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March. During this advisory, classes picked a cause which was important to them and ‘marched’ around the school in support of it. It was quite powerful to see and hear students learn that their voice in support of a cause mattered, and it was an all-around great activity for our school.

On Friday, February 20th, our Annual Career Day was held in which we invite members of our community to come in and share their careers with our students.

This is always a wildly successful day which allows us the fantastic opportunity to welcome our community members into our school. Kids are so excited by the possibilities and to meet people from all walks of life, and we are so grateful to those community members who came in. A special thanks also goes to our counselors, Tara Garrison and Brooke Dalrymple, who have worked so hard to make this event a success.

As we move into March, we are already planning for both the end of this year by making sure our 8th graders are prepared for promotion activities and beyond, as well as next year, as we begin our scheduling and planning for the 2015-2016 school year. As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions.

Best Sacramento, Last Sacramento, Bye Sacramento

By Alison Watson, San Ramon Valley High, Senior

I know I’ve shared with you the program that has changed my life once before, but I feel compelled to mention it again. I have recently returned from my last Youth & Government conference ever. I find this sad reality to be bittersweet. I’ve gotten so much out of the program, in fact far more than I could have ever possibly imagined. However, now it’s time for a change, to be more specific a life altering one - the choice to grow up. This may sound ridiculous but as a teenager of the 21st century I feel like it is truly a choice to grow up because there is always the ever present option of never growing up. There are too many people who never feel the need to accept responsibility and become independent; they fall back comfortably on what's easiest and what they consider the least terrifying. However, since I am someone who enjoys keeping up with the constant delusion of tricking myself into thinking I’m mature enough to be on my own, I’ve never truly let myself consider any other choice but to grow up. So next year I will be going away to college, leaving my family, my home, and my state.

I feel extremely lucky to have had the experiences of meeting strangers and making them into some of my best friends through my last four years of Youth & Government. The program has made me question the world around me, question the way I view the world around me, and even question what I want to do with my life. I would like to personally sell this program to every high schooler, like the sleazy car salesman I’m incapable of being. I recommend to all students to just do me a favor and join because I promise you won’t regret it.

My delegation of 12 is small compared to other delegations, but each in-

dividual is so valued that they make up my second family. They are some of the most amazing, talented, and intelligent people I have ever met and will probably ever meet.

My delegation advisor Alan Ellis has been such a mentor to me, to the point where I truly don’t think he realizes the impact he had on all of us. Often referred to as “Mama Alan,” it’s his humbleness and genuine passion for volunteering his time to us that makes us all trust and admire him immensely.

He is truly an inspiration, and anyone who finds that statement to be cliché has clearly never met him because there are truly no words that do him justice. He has taught me how to forgive people and how to not fear my future because, no matter what, I’ll be okay. Alan has made me a strong enough person to accept myself and to own who I am in anything and everything I do. “Mama Alan” is what made my Youth & Government experience the eye opening program I needed as an awkward, scared freshman. I am forever changed by Youth & Government and forever grateful for this change. So, I’m calling all awkward incoming freshman to join Youth & Government! My fingers are crossed that the program will bless you with your very own “Mama Alan.”

Scottish Country Dancing

Come dance every Thursday evening, year-round (with the single exception of Thanksgiving)! No partner is required and no Scottish ancestry is required. Adult beginner classes for Scottish Country Dancing take place each week with free lessons at 8PM. More experienced dancers also begin at 8PM. Once a month Ceilidh dancing will take place as well. Dancing will be held at the Danville Grange, located at 743 Diablo Rd in Danville. All dance nights are drop-in. The first beginner lesson is free, afterwards the cost is $8/ night or $6/night if attending a 10-week session paid in advance.

Call Witsie at (925) 676-3637 or Kathleen at (925) 934-6148 for more information. For children’s classes ages 7 and up, please contact Cathy at (925) 284-9068 for dates and fees.

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Page 10 - March 2015 ~ Danville Today News

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Del Amigo High School

By Joseph A. Ianora, Principal

Spring is in full swing, and Del Amigo has been quite busy. We are half way through our third quarter and gearing up for our new Common Core testing that will be happening in April. Below is a brief update on the many great things happening around Del Amigo.

• Our Auto Shop class is working with Danville PD to repair unclaimed bicycles. We fix the bicycles and the PD then donates them back to the community. It is a win-win for everyone involved.

• We have purchased five laptops for every classroom – this purchase provides our students the opportunity to work creatively and continue to hone their 21st century computer skills. In addition, we have 40 more laptops that can be checked out for student use.

• We are quickly moving into our “testing season” starting with the CAHSEE testing for Juniors and Seniors, then moving into our new state assessment testing (CAASSP).

• We have enrolled about 15 new students for the second semester and are looking forward to the many changes and positive energy they bring to our campus.

• Back for the first time in many years…Del Amigo Basketball! We have just completed our season and are already planning for next year. There are six continuation high schools who have expressed interest (and have a team) that we will play next year. This healthy competition brings a real sense of pride to the students. There is even some talk (if students are willing) of expanding to include soccer and softball teams!

• Our WASC report is done and sent off. We will be having a team visit midApril for this three year review process.

• While performing community service is not a district requirement for graduation, we feel strongly that it is important for our students to have the opportunity to serve others. Beginning in February we have a once-a-month field trip to the Contra Costa Food Bank. Our students spend a couple of hours preparing, sorting, and bagging food for families in need. It has been a great experience for our students.

As always, we appreciate your support as we continue to grow, change, and prepare our student for the 21st century.

2395 Monument Blvd., Suite J Concord (925) 680-4433 (Across from Costco Gas Station, next to Harvest House)

Monte Vista High School

By Janet Terranova, Principal

As we move into March, students are asked to begin class selection for the following year. The classrooms of today may look the same as they did 20 or 30 years ago, but the experiences students have in class are very different. Today students have the opportunity to choose from a wide array of required and elective courses. Engineering, Robotics, Sports Medicine, Biotechnology, or Game Art Design were likely not offered when you went to school. Many of us took Physics, but we did not take a PET class – Physics and Technology Together. Even required math, English, and social studies classes offer students choice. Seniors may select from five or six different English classes. Art classes include graphic arts and digital photography.

Advanced Placement courses are varied and scattered throughout the disciplines.

If you are helping a student choose classes for next year, urge them to challenge themselves but also urge them to take a class that sounds fun and interesting. Students are sometimes so focused on their GPA that they are afraid to take a risk with their classes.

In March our 10th graders take the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) and our 9th graders take the Mock CAHSEE to prepare them for next year. All students must pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) to receive a high school diploma. State law, Education Code Section 60851, authorizes this graduation requirement. The purpose of the CAHSEE is to determine that graduates meet identified standards in reading, writing, and mathematics. Students must also meet the district requirements for graduation in order to earn a high school diploma. While our students traditionally score in the proficient range, our teachers will spend some time reviewing concepts and building student confidence.

Important dates for the Month of March

• March 10 - Incoming 10th, 11th, 12th grade parent night and AP Night • March 12 - Incoming 9th grade Parent and Student night, including information on Student Life and Sports If you would like more information about Monte Vista High School, please visit our website at www.mvhs.schoolloop.com.

editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

St. Isidore School

By Maria Ward, Principal

Accreditation Success! St. Isidore School completed our double accreditation visit in late February. The school is accredited by the Western Catholic Education Association (WCEA) and the Western Association for Schools and Colleges (WASC). This is an extensive process in which an in-depth study is completed by all shareholders. Parents, teachers, faculty, and staff and students are surveyed on various categories, both academic and social. Feedback was synthesized and used in developing the Self Study report.

Thank you to everyone who helped make the visit a huge success. The visiting team found that St. Isidore School was “highly effective” in all 12 accreditation categories of the report. The following was shared in the Report of Findings: “It is evident that the administration, Faculty and Staff, and students along with their families value the education provided...We were especially impressed with the collaboration between grade level teams and the cooperation between lower and upper school teachers in different subject areas. We were so impressed with the many specialty teachers and their expertise... As a visiting committee, we feel privileged to have witnessed the dedication and commitment of the St. Isidore School community. Our experience here has been a fulfilling one. We have been inspired by the many examples of Catholic school excellence and the high standards and expectations for improved student learning.”

The report will be sent to the Western Catholic Education Association (WCEA) and the Western Association for Schools and Colleges (WASC) for review, and we should receive the final accreditation report and certificate in the summer.

Our Lenten theme this year is Make Your Hearts Firm. The school community attends liturgy together every Friday during Lent. Eighth grade students lead the “CAN” campaign and ask students to bring in a can of food each week for St. Vincent de Paul food pantry. This increases our awareness to serve others and grow as a Catholic School community. Please join us at 8:10AM liturgy each Friday during Lent. We encourage our parents to “Pack the Pews” and celebrate our faith.

On March 17th we honor St. Patrick. Students from grades one through eight are assigned as Faith Families and participate in many activities throughout the school year. Each month we come together as a school community in these Faith Families learning more about our Catholic Faith. Students look forward to this monthly activity. Faith Families are a very unique aspect of our school. Our graduates often report that Faith Family times are some of their most precious memories from their St. Isidore experience.

We end the month with Family Bingo Night hosted by our Student Leadership team on Friday, March 27th. Bingo night allows everyone to come together and enjoy simple, yet treasured, family time. Our family bingo night is a fun-filled memorable event for students and parents. It is yet another way we try to bring our community together to build and strengthen family time!

Registration Time: We are accepting applications and welcome anyone to visit our school for a tour. Kindly, call the school office at 925-837-2977 to schedule an appointment. St. Isidore School provides the foundation for children in faith, academics, and character development. Dedication to excellence guides all we do!

Danville Today News ~ March 2015 - Page 11

San Ramon Valley Christian Academy By Jamie Westgate, Principal

In last month’s article I referenced our 8th graders upcoming trip to Washington D.C., Gettysburg, and New York City. We returned mid-February from this week long field trip across the country. One might think it’s crazy to take 35 eighth graders and a handful of chaperones across the country, but for me it’s among the biggest highlights of the year. One of the most endearing moments we have together is at the foot of the Marine Corps Memorial near Arlington National Cemetery. Many Danville residents can recall the loss of our fallen hero from Danville, Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Corral, who died serving our country on November 18, 2011. Josh was a former student of ours who joined his eighth grade class to Washington DC many years prior. That year while visiting the same memorial, Josh commented to one of our teachers that when he grew up, he wanted to become a Marine. Since his death, we have made a point to remind our students that our freedom isn’t free, and we are blessed to be protected by such dedicated and capable armed forces. With tears in our eyes a couple of teachers reflected on the infectious smile and love for others that Josh beautifully demonstrated.

God has given us precious time on earth to use wisely, and it was a privilege to share a bit about this beloved SRVCA graduate and pray for his family and the Danville community before leaving the memorial. A special bouquet of flowers was left at the site to honor and pay tribute to one who set a great example of love, sacrifice, and commitment to the Christian faith.

Our group enjoyed the trip to the East Coast, but was grateful to return to the warm California sunshine! It feels like spring has sprung early this year, and we notice signs of new life all around Danville. Just this week, our staff was reflecting on the life of a butterfly. We were discussing the fact that a butterfly’s struggle to emerge from a cocoon is essential to its healthy life. Without this necessary struggle, the butterfly wouldn’t be strong enough to fly. If you or I were to find a cocoon, we may be tempted to “help” the poor creature by easing it out of its silky envelope, but by doing so, we would disable the insect from living a healthy life. As a staff, we discussed how children are much like the butterfly.

Out of great intentions, we look for ways to help a child avoid circumstantial struggles. What we fail to remember, however, is children need the struggle for their survival. Rescuing children from challenges which strengthen emotional, social, or academic muscles can prevent them from recovering from hardships when they are older. Many children in our valley are blessed by comfortable lives, but we need to be careful not to make things too easy, or we may inadvertently impact their ability to succeed when it really counts. This spring, I’m reminded that challenges and trials may be hidden opportunities to develop determination and perseverance, a message our kids might benefit from hearing. Wishing you many blessings at the start of this new season.

Want to Become a Better Speaker?

St. Isidore School has many traditions and special days for students and family, but once a year third grade students and grandparents are treated to a special day just for them. In February students and their grandparents began their day together with a Mass especially for them. It was followed by a continental breakfast prepared by third grade parents. The parents help serve the food and help lead activities for the kids and their grandparents. A short musical program had the kids singing to their guests. Before their special time together came to a close, each child presented their grandparents with a special keepsake book that they made just for them.

Be a part of Toastmasters and practice your speaking and presentation skills in a supportive environment. There are several local clubs in our area.

The Danville AM Toastmasters, meets every Tuesday from 7 to 8:30AM at the Danville Chamber of Commerce office, located in the Town and Country shopping center (just north of the Livery). For more information, contact Hans Thoma at danvilletoastmasters@outlook.com.

A faith-based Toastmasters group meets Thursdays from 7-8:15PM at East Bay Four Square Church Conference Room, located at 2615 Camino Tassajara, Danville. For information email Tod at wthenry@sbcglobal.net.

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Page 12 - March 2015 ~ Danville Today News

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Rescue continued from front E-mail page or call for details

volunteer for another local rescue organization, Patricia Weisenberger, one of LDR’s originators, already had strong connections with shelters, veterinary clinics, and hospitals. “Lucky Dog was created with the vision that as a small group we could impact the lives of many animals with very little overhead cost. We attempt to match dogs with foster homes. We pride ourselves in going above and beyond to make sure we have a good match between adopter and foster dog,” Weisenberger explains.

While in LDR custody, canines are spayed or neutered, microchipped, and given all appropriate vaccinations and medical care. Adoption fees and generous support from donors cover the cost of surgery and other expensive procedures sometimes required to restore a neglected dog to health. Not having a shelter to maintain minimizes expenses. However, having the number of dogs LDR could save limited to the number of available foster homes is frustrating.

Donating spay/neuter fees to other rescues in areas where resources are scarce allows LDR to have an impact beyond their limited ability to place dogs in foster care. Sponsoring animals for transportation to places where they are

Danville resident Audrey Lennox, another LDR founding member, proudly comments on the way the organization has developed. “We started out wanting to save a few homeless dogs. In just over four years, we found ourselves finding loving homes for 500 animals locally, transporting approximately 100 to safety to other states, and procreation of thousands of dogs was prevented due to our involvement in the spay and neuter of 320 dogs.”

Friday, February 13th was a lucky day for 41 dogs flown from Livermore to Washington State locations by Wings of Rescue. Audrey Lennox and Nancy Moore were on hand to help with canines sponsored by LDR. As sponsors, LDR paid for medical examinations, vaccinations, health certifications and travel expenses necessary to get Wings of Rescue Boarding Passes for dogs from the Hayward Animal Shelter and the Tri-City Animal Shelter in Fremont. Partnering rescues in Bremerton and Bellingham, WA provided detailed descriptions of dogs desired by adopters in their area. Having previously partnered with Wings of Rescue, LDR was able to facilitate the introduction to the Bay Area shelters.

Once presented with the wish list by breed, size, temperament and other factors, the shelters choose matching dogs for the rescue flight. The process had to be accomplished in the final few days prior to departure to ensure health documentation was up to date and all of the selected dogs were still on hand.

Wings of Rescue has flown animals up and down the West Coast for the past three years. Pilots volunteer their time and planes, so the major expense is fuel.

They have already flown 11,335 dogs and cats to places where they are wanted and have set a goal for 2015 of flying 6,000 animals. Although many of the pilots are based in Southern California, Smith is a Bay Area resident. She often flies with Wings of Rescue Founder Yehuda Netanel. In 2014, Wings began chartering a Metroliner and flying up to 200 small dogs at a time to New York.

“Transporting dogs and cats to other areas so they can be rescued/adopted is not a new concept,” Smith writes. Doing it with high performance aircraft (turbine engine/weather capable) and the number of dogs we fly at a time is! There are other volunteer pilot organizations, but they typically fly 200-mile legs at a time. Our typical transport is 1,000-mile legs and a minimum of 25-35 at a time.”

Part of what makes LDR exceptional is the ability of the core volunteers to recognize remarkable canines even when they are suffering from severe neglect

info@amindamodrelldds.com or (925) 837-6052

Audrey Lennox far right introduces Murphy to his forever family with adoptive siblings Zeke and Soleil preparing to check him out.

See Rescue continued on page 13

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Chateau Carolands

By Linda Summers Pirkle

Downton Abbey, the Emmy award winning TV series about the fictional English aristocratic Crawley family in the early 1900’s, is known for great acting, writing, and costumes. I look forward to the weekly installments of the adventures of the Crawley family and their servants; my personal favorite of the “downstairs help” is the hard working Lady’s maid, Anna, who lovingly calls her husband “Mr. Bates.” Besides the great story telling, the show’s mansion, Downton, with its beautiful rooms, art work, and furniture as well as graceful views of the English countryside, is gorgeous. According to a recent documentary (The Heiress and Her Chateau, Carolands of California) Carolands mansion is America’s version of Downton Abbey. I had the good fortune to be on the inaugural tour for the general public, and I agree Carolands is indeed exquisite!

Carolands is an example of American Renaissance and Beaux-Arts design and is a designated California Historical Landmark. It was built by Harriett Pullman Carolan (1869-1956) between the years 1913 and 1915, has 98 rooms, and is 67,000 square feet. The majestic Carolands mansion rises above lovely residential homes in a tony Hillsborough neighborhood.

Danville Today News ~ March 2015 - Page 13

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Rescue continued from page 12

From the moment our tour started, I was drawn into the fascinating story of Carolands as our guide Paul Price wove history and architecture into incredibly interesting stories; his passion was evident. Harriett Pullman Carolan, heiress to the Pullman Railway fortune, had very distinct ideas for Carolands, her California home. In 1912, she purchased 554 acres of land south of San Francisco, hired a renowned French architect, and created a home that today stands the test of time with modern conveniences and timeless beauty. Harriett’s love of light and fresh air is evident in the spacious and bright home. Paul explained, “The fresh air intake, a large oval opening, is both decorative and very important to the mechanical workings of the house. The architect, Ernest Sanson, designed the building with the finest and most modern technology in mind. Air is drawn in through the intake, filtered, and (on most days) heated, and distributed throughout the house. The last private owner of Carolands, Mrs. Johnson, had the entire system replaced, but some of the modern heating units are still using this opening as a source of fresh air.”

Each room we toured (except the library which has low lighting to protect the collection of books) from the magnificent entry way to the two story butler’s pantry is cheery and full of light. The staircase, known as the “Main Staircase,” is a showpiece. Paul explained, “The staircase goes from the first floor to the third floor, and at the top it has an oval skylight which shines soft natural light to the base of the staircase. Each step is made of carved Hauteville limestone, imported from France. The steps are carved to be either convex or concave and are very beautiful in proportion and shape.”

The visit lasted two hours, and our guide Paul jokingly said an eight hour tour would be needed to see the whole house. Unlike many tours in grand homes where ropes cordon off beautiful spaces, we were able to enter each room and rest along the way on comfy couches and chairs; almost each stop had ample seating for our group of twelve. The view from the many windows looking out onto the beautiful lawn and pools of Carolands was delightful. At the end of our stay, in true Downton Abbey style, our wonderful guide Paul, with a smile and slight bow extended his wishes to each one of us for a safe journey home.

Carolands is located at 565 Remillard Drive, Hillsborough. Their website is www.carolands.org. Reservations can be made online and are offered once per week on Wednesday from 2PM-4PM. Tours are free and fill up quickly.

To share your “Quick Trips” ideas email Coverthemap@gmail.com.

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and appear anything but presentable. With access to online information unavailable to the general public, LDR discovers miracle mutts like Murphy.

Murphy was found wandering with a coat so matted that it took three professionals to establish his sex. His mouth was almost matted shut. Yet Lennox saw something in the photos from Merced that grabbed her attention. Based on a fellow-volunteer’s assessment that his personality did shine through despite the trauma he’d experienced, she agreed to have his veterinary bills covered, including shaving his coat in some places down to the skin and extracting all of the five-year-old terrier-mix’s rotten teeth. Friends told Audrey she’d be fostering this animal for a long time.

Murphy’s tail never stopped wagging. He curled up on the sofa beside Audrey every time she sat down. Nourished on wet food, he added 20% to his 10-pound weight. Lennox brought Murphy to her Danville home on January 7th and delivered him to his forever family in Berkeley on Valentine’s Day. They’d spotted his profile on the LDR website and were hooked. Their two large older dogs are cautiously welcoming their smaller adoptive sibling.

Weisenberger’s favorite rescue story unfolds along similar lines. Stockton Animal Control confiscated Manatee, a blue nose pit bull, from her owners due to neglect. Both of her ear canals had to be removed because of severe infection. But even when she was in extreme pain, Manatee remained sweet-tempered. Always a crowd favorite at adoption events, she now lives in an appreciative home where she reigns as family princess “Lulu.”

What’s is the biggest challenge for LDR? Weisenberger replies, “Not being able to save them all. We are small. It is very hard to recruit new foster families.

Without fosters our rescue power is limited. It is hard when a phone call comes in from one of the shelters staff asking for help, and you don’t have the space to help.”

Asked about training for new foster families, Patricia explains, “We supply the family with crates, leashes, dog bed, etc. We help them set themselves up for success in their home so they can continue fostering. We pay for all medical expenses. We provide individual and/or group training for new fosters as needed.”

Lennox adds that the hardest adjustment for new foster parents is giving up a dog when the ideal adoptive family comes along.

LDR adoption events are held the second Saturday of the month in Danville in front of Pyrenees Pets at 3440 Camino Tassajara and other Saturdays in Pleasanton in front of Blue Agave Club, 625 Main Street. Much more information on available pets, volunteering, and donating can be found on the LDR website at www.1luckydog. org. For more information on Wings of Rescue, visit www.wingsofrescue.org.

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Page 14 - March 2015 ~ Danville Today News

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Danville Today News ~ March 2015 - Page 15

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Page 16 - March 2015 ~ Danville Today News

Life in the Danville Garden

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A Garden Experience

By John Montgomery, ASLA, Landscape Architect

We long to connect with nature to rejuvenate, relax, recreate, and redeem ourselves. A garden is one of those places that has the gift to touch all of our human senses: sight, smell, touch, sound, and taste.

Wandering through a beautifully designed Danville garden allows the senses to be stimulated by the wonderful visuals, fragrances, textures, sounds, and tastes that nature can offer. One of the key elements to creating a gorgeous garden is to intentionally stimulate our human experience through our senses.

Sight is the primary sense in distinguishing the beauties of a garden. All the elements of a garden; plants, paths, structures, water, fire, and lawn; form the visual scenery. Color, texture, balance, form, and composition are the visual scales that our sight measures the landscape with. Sight is the very sense by which a great garden design flourishes. It gives our eyes pleasure by offering interest to spur the imagination, color to dazzle, texture to distinguish, composition to sooth, scale for a sense of place, balance to nurture, and form to define.

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The sense of smell in the garden is such a delight! Remember the delicate fragrances of apple and orange blossoms, irises, and mock orange? The old favorites are the more overwhelming scents of rose, jasmine, gardenia, winter-blooming daphne, and lavender. The scents so often not at the forefront of the nose are newly cultivated soil, tomatoes, decomposing leaves, compost, manure, and sprinkler water when it settles on the dry dirt. Even though these smells add to your experience, they are not very often planned for. Give your garden design a good smattering of fragrances throughout that will dazzle the old sense of smell both day and night.

Touch seems to be the sense we don’t often intentionally think about when planning a garden. We think primarily about our sight, secondarily about our smell, and lastly about sound. Touch adds a whole new world of sensuality to a garden. Hold out the palm of your hand to brush through a clump of wind grass (Nasella tenuissima), dip your hot tired feet into a cooling pond, walk barefoot through the cool grass, feel the warmth of the sun’s rays, and refresh under the shade of a red sunset maple (Acer rubrum ‘Red Sunset’).

Allowing your body to feel the environment gives you a sense of place and reality. Touch brings you to your senses and brings your experience to you. Design elements should beckon your touch. Let the branches hang over the path to reach out and touch you. Provide leaves with texture, flowers with interest, and bark with coarseness to coax the touch.

Go quietly into a well designed garden and listen. What do you hear? The sound of honey bees buzzing, the rustle of leaves in the breeze, the crunch of gravel under your step, and the chirping songs of birds can be deliberate design elements. Plantings provide everything necessary for bird and insect music. The breeze will do its magic in the trees and grasses without effort. Sound brings a sense of rejuvenation to our experience in the garden. Nothing sooths the senses more than the sound of trickling water.

Water elements are the most common way to add the sense of sound to your garden. A water element needs deliberate design. Its placement, size, and particular sound play an important role in a successful garden. The sound of water serves many purposes. Most of us in the area can hear the freeway at one time of the day or another. The sound of water can create “white noise” to veil the road noise. Trickling water will be a much more desired sound than the hectic rush of cars, trucks, and motorcycles.

The sense of taste has to be my favorite. To reap the harvest of what can be grown in our Danville sunbelt has to be the most fulfilling of the senses. Vine ripened tomatoes, fresh juicy peaches, sweet red strawberries, apples, pears, lettuce, chard, green beans, corn, onions, peppers, and rosemary are all successful treats grown in Danville. Thanks to our wonderfully warm climate and long growing season, an abundance of garden treats can be added in any garden. Not only are the tastes exquisite, but they are attractive. The silver-gray of artichokes among the plantings add pizzazz! The abundance of fruits and vegetables growing in your garden brings an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment. You don’t need a lot, just some. There’s nothing better than stepping out of your kitchen and into your garden for fresh rosemary, tomatoes, or artichokes. Just because you grew it in your garden it tastes better.

Your garden is solely experienced through your five senses. The five senses when intentionally applied to our design process truly add another element of design to your garden experience.

A hot tip from your local Landscape Architect: If you are planning a new garden, make a list of each of the five senses. Under each sense list what you would like to experience in your new garden.

Gardening Quote of the Month: “The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses.” ~Hanna Rion If you would like me to write on any particular subject, email your ideas to jmontgomery@jm-la.

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Danville Today News ~ March 2015 - Page 17

Spring Pruning

By Blaine Brende & Joe Lamb

Once again, it’s that time of year when the landscape grows lush, beautiful... and out of control. At Brende & Lamb, we prune to balance the practical with the aesthetic. When our clients ask us to restore their views, bring more light into their gardens, and reduce fire hazards, we do our best to keep their screening intact and to protect their privacy. At the same time, we work hard to enhance the natural beauty of their trees. Balancing your tree care needs are skills we’ve developed over decades of caring for trees.

Aesthetic Pruning

Each plant has a natural growth pattern. Aesthetic pruning accentuates the shape given the plant by nature, and good pruning creates a light and open feeling. A well pruned plant enhances the observer’s experience by accentuating the interplay of light and shadow, open spaces and denser spaces, and the sculptural elements revealed in a tree’s trunk and branch.

The first step in aesthetic pruning is to see the flow of the tree. We begin by looking at the base of the trunk, and then we let our eyes follow the trunk upward into the branches and out to the branch tips. We notice how the flow of the branches determines the tree’s form. The form may be weeping, as with Willows and Chinese Elms. Perhaps, as with Monterey Cypress, the branches form at acute angles to the trunk, giving the tree an upswept look.

Or the branches may bend and twist, forming complex arcs, as does the Coast Live Oak. Within these patterns, each tree has its own unique form and flow.

Pruning and Size Reduction

It is important to prune in a manner that does not harm the health of the tree. When thinning a pine, for example, it is important not to strip the major branches of their smaller branches, a practice called “lion-tailing” which leaves a branch denuded except for foliage at the end. Lion-tailing increases the chance of branch failure by concentrating the weight at the branch tips.

A healthier tree, and more subtly beautiful look, is achieved by thinning to highlight the spaces or “layers” in a tree’s natural patterns. Removing diseased wood, and removing or reducing crossing branches that interrupt the natural flow, lets in more light and air, encouraging interior growth and overall health. Careful pruning can increase desired screening over time by encouraging interior growth.

Aesthetic View Work

In view work, the beauty of the view and the beauty of the tree often seem to be in conflict. Some tree-workers will sacrifice the tree for the view by “topping” the tree. Topping is almost always a bad idea. “Topping” creates a dense re-growth in “water-sprouts” that is unsightly. But more than the tree’s beauty is at stake here. Topping wounds the tree and promotes disease, including heart rot, and can make the tree dangerous. The water-sprouts on a topped tree are not deeply anchored in the trunk and are subject to failure in high winds. Add in the fact that these sprouts may be anchored onto a rotting trunk, and you have a safety problem that gets worse over time. Responsible arborists do not top trees. Removing a tree, perhaps replacing it with a smaller variety that can be kept out of the view, is usually preferable to beheading it.

Looking at tree and view as two elements that complement each other can often solve view problems. Sometimes, lightly bringing the tree back without cutting into major branches can prevent further encroachment on the view.

To open even more of the view, we create windows by selectively removing branches not essential for the tree’s natural form. We can enlarge these windows by removing branchlets that rise or drop into the view. Thinning above and below the window creates a feeling of openness, rather than a gaping hole. The image formed by Mt. Diablo framed by the trembling leafs of a well-windowed tree proves that nature and civilization can complement each other.

If your trees need a little TLC, please call 510-486-TREE (8733) or email us at bl@brendelamb.com for a free estimate. Additionally, go to our website www. brendelamb.com to see before and after pictures, client testimonials, and work in your neighborhood.

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Page 18 - March 2015 ~ Danville Today News

Clip Notes

By Jody Morgan

Victoria regia refused to bloom. Despite having been named for the Queen and treated like royalty, the giant water lily found England a totally inhospitable environment. Seeds delivered in 1836 from her home habitat, the backwaters of the Amazon River, did sprout at the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew in London, but none thrived.

Finally, on August 3, 1849, Joseph Paxton adopted a small specimen with four leaves. The largest measured 5.5 inches in diameter.

The Queen’s namesake breathed an expansive sigh of relief when she reached Chatsworth where Paxton had been Head Gardener for the past 23 years. The 12-foot square heated tank he’d prepared gave her space to grow. By October 1st, her largest leaf was 4 feet in diameter, and a month later it was over five feet. On the evening of November 11th, Paxton traveled to Windsor, bringing Queen Victoria the water lily’s first huge blossom and a gargantuan leaf.

Back at Chatsworth, seven-year-old Annie Paxton basked in the admiration of visitors come to view this horticultural wonder as she demonstrated the strength of Victoria regia’s floating foliage by standing on a leaf. Paxton’s daughter was in no danger of soaking her fashionable frock when she posed on the lily pad.

Capable of reaching seven feet in diameter, fully grown leaves of the species now known as Victoria amazonica can support up to 300 pounds. An intricate web of crisscrossing hollow ribs on the bottom surface of the pads provides both strength and buoyancy.

The giant water lily’s flowers can be as big as a soccer ball and open only in the low light of evening. The first night the blossom is white and sweetly scented with a pineapple-like fragrance irresistible to the beetles that pollinate it. The flowers can also heat their interiors to present an inviting sanctuary. Trapped inside overnight, the beetles emerge covered in pollen the following evening to seek another white flower as the now rose-colored second-night blossom releases them. On the third evening, the flower fades away.

Armed for environmental combat, Victoria amazonica is not an endangered species. The green upper face of the leaves is smooth, but their maroon underside

Sustainable Danville Area Tip of the Month Ode to the Earthworm

By Cynthia Ruzzi, President Sustainable Danville Area

I take the week’s kitchen scraps to my backyard compost bin and lift the lid. It’s a party! My local earthworms have been happily burrowing in and out of my family’s food scraps, and now they’re wiggling around on top of a lovely dark hummus as if to say, “Hey look what I did for you.” Grateful, I deposit their fresh meal of food scraps – satisfied that I have contributed to the complex balance of keeping carbon in check on our planet.

When you deposit leftover food into your garbage pail you contribute to the number one item in our landfills. Unfortunately, food scraps piles not exposed to oxygen decompose producing methane, which is a greenhouse gas responsible for trapping heat in the atmosphere. Additionally the breakdown of food scraps in a landfill produces an acidic liquid residue called leachate which can seep into our ground water.

Think feeding your food scraps to your kitchen garbage disposal is a better option? Besides the precious water wasted getting those pesky leftovers down the drain, there are also the solids that are screened out at the entrance to your waste treatment plant that are trucked off to the landfill, where once again in the absence of oxygen, you get…methane. Of course there’s more energy and chemicals used to dissolve the solids that do make it into the plant – which then turns them to…yes, you’ve got it - methane. Some facilities are turning methane into power for their facilities, but doesn’t that just seem like a vicious cycle?

Let’s face it - compost happens. It’s just a question of whether you and your garden benefit from it. It’s a great time to consider composting in your yard. Spring growth, the remains of winter leaves, and even newspapers provide plenty of material to give composting a great start! Composting will transform leaves and other yard waste into a high quality soil amendment that will invigorate your garden. When we compost, we are simply replicating a natural process that is going on all around us. Soils are continually replenished by nutrient-rich dead grasses and leaves as they decompose on

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is spiked with thorns that discourage predators from taking a taste. Notched in two places to allow rainwater to drain, the rims around the pads offer additional protection against nibbling nuisances.

The son of a tenant farmer, Paxton made up for what he lacked in formal education with extensive on-the-job experience. Having created what was then the world’s largest greenhouse in 1837, Paxton was quick to read the message in the giant water lily’s leaves. Taking a cue from the radiating cantilevers bolstered by thinner cross-braces on the flipside of Victoria’s foliage, Paxton built her a home that required only a few cast-iron supports for the expansive glass roof.

Hollow like Victoria’s leaf ribs, the columns drained rainwater to the ground.

Completed in April 1850, the lily house offered not only heat and light, but also a system supplying a continuous gentle current mimicking the action of the plant’s native waters.

Boldly applying the engineering adaptation suggested by the Queen’s namesake on a much grander scale, Paxton bested 245 others in the competition to design a building for London’s Great Exhibition of 1851, the first international fair for manufactured products. Time was of the essence. Paxton’s Crystal Palace was erected in only eight months, but covered 18 acres of Hyde Park with 900,000 square feet of glass. Tall enough to enclose towering elm trees, the hall so successfully demonstrated the superiority of British technology that Queen Victoria knighted Paxton in October when the exhibit closed.

How had Paxton managed to get a structure that large erected in just eight months?

He had modular sections constructed off-site, thus introducing the world to the concept of pre-fabricated buildings. The Great Exhibition ran from May 1 – October 11, 1851. Easily disassembled into its component parts, the Crystal Palace was reassembled at another London site where it stood until destroyed by fire in 1836.

Sir Joseph Paxton began his career as a 15-year-old garden boy. Having subsequently obtained a position at the Horticultural Society’s Gardens, he caught the attention of William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire, who hired him as Head Gardener for his Chatsworth Estate in 1823. Paxton’s talent and diligence in showcasing the Duke’s extensive horticultural collections became legendary in Victorian England. Paxton’s earliest mentors were plants. His keen observation of their attributes, assets, and needs secured his success. their own. Add your leftover food scraps – except meat, cheese, oils, and citrus fruits – and you’ll be participating in one of nature’s great wonders.

Many residents assume it is too much work to do their own composting.

Nothing could be further from the truth! Typically, composting requires less than 15 minutes of time every two weeks and will yield finished compost in as little as four months.

Here is a simple, low effort method for composting using a compost bin.

When building a compost pile, use equal amounts of fresh yard waste (high nitrogen content) and old, dry yard waste (high carbon content). Mix these materials together as they go into your bin, and add lots of water! Once composting has started, the material in your bin will begin to get warm or even hot. This is a positive sign that aerobic decomposition has started. Turn or agitate the composting yard waste once every ten to fourteen days to help with faster decomposition. The water content should be moist, not wet. At this point it’s fine to add food scraps buried under a layer of material in the bin. After a few months most of what has been added will look like dark brown, fluffy soil. This indicates that the compost process is done, and the finished compost is ready to be distributed around your yard.

Don’t have the space or interest in a backyard compost bin? Starting March 2015, residents of Alamo, Danville, Diablo, and Blackhawk will be able to add food scraps directly into their yard waste cart. Because our new waste provider uses a different method to process food scraps and yard waste into compost, you can even add items like bones, cheese, meat, fish, and egg shells to the bin. Contact your provider for a free kitchen container that can be used to collect your food scraps during the week. The tight fitting lids will eliminate smells in between trips to your yard waste bin. For more details, visit RecycleSmart (formerly Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority) at http://www.wastediversion.org/app_pages/view/251.

Either method you choose will help grow wonderful fruits, vegetables, and nuts – and our worms will thank you. We’d love to see a picture of you and your compost bin, so join us on Facebook and post a picture at www.facebook. com/sustainabledanville or send it to us at sustainabledanville@gmail.com.

SAVE THE DATE: The 5th Annual Town of Danville Earth Day Event is scheduled for Sunday, April 19th, 11am-3pm, at the Town Green which is located at 400 Front Sheet.

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Taking Care of Your Pool

Danville Today News ~ March 2015 - Page 19

By Mike Hennigan, Pure Pool Solutions

Many homeowners are unaware of the latest pool innovations developed to save pool owners a significant amount of money as well as make their pool safer and more enjoyable.

A single speed pool pump can draw the equivalent of twenty, 100-watt light bulbs!

Proper pool filtration normally requires running the pump for four hours a day. It is easy to see how a pool pump can be the most expensive household appliance to run. A variable speed pump can reduce power consumption to the equivalent of three 100-watt light bulbs and improve water filtration at the same time! How can this be done? The principle for this savings is two things. One, the pump utilizes the latest technology in efficiency and a principle called the “Pump Affinity Law.” The law states, if a pump is run at half speed, it consumes 1/8th the power of a pump running at full speed. Older pumps have two speeds, “off” and “on.” When the pump is turned on, it runs at full speed, 3,450 RPMs. A variable speed pump allows us to tune the pump to the minimum operational RPMs for that specific pool, usually in the 1,500 to 1,800 range.

This also improves filtration since the water is moving through the filter slower and with less force.

How great are the savings? Our customers are reporting $100 to $200 a month in savings. This makes the return on investment less than one year! For a pool without a spa, variable speed pumps start at less than $1,000 with the $100 PG&E cash rebate. For pools that use a booster pump to drive the pool cleaner, there is a new pump on the market that offers a 30% reduction in operating costs.

LED lights are now available for replacement lights on older pools.

They offer an 80% reduction in operating costs. Most pool lights are 500-watt incandescent bulbs. The LED replacement lamps use between 34 and 51 watts, create a more uniform light distribution, and lasts 10 times longer (30,000 hours opposed to 2,000 to 3,000 hours). For the fun factor, you may want to consider a color lamp that can produce five distinct colors or a variety of pre-programmed light shows!

Tough day at the office? The latest in pool automation utilizes an app on your smart phone or smart pad to control your pool, spa, lights, and heater so that your spa is running and warmed to your favorite temperature by the time you get home. The system is available as an upgrade to older automation as well as new automation installations.

During the summer months, many pool owners without auto fillers are challenged to keep their water at the appropriate level (mid-skimmer). If the water level is not maintained, the skimmer cannot remove the surface debris, and the pool pump as well as the booster pump can be damaged operating without sufficient water flow. If your pool is equipped with a manual fill valve with an anti-siphon valve, a new solar powered timer is available. It can be set to turn the water on at a pre-designated time for a predetermined length of time or be operated manually. I have mine set to run for five minutes at 8am every day at the peak of summer, so the water level remains constant. If we are hit with an extra hot spell, I press the manual button and add an extra five minutes of water.

For more information on any of the equipment listed, please call us at 925-820-8950, visit our website at Pure-Pool-Solutions.com, or email Mike@ Pure-Pool-Solutions.com. We are happy to provide you with an assessment of your current equipment and provide recommendations as to upgrades.

Mike Hennigan is the owner of Pure Pool Solutions Corporation, providing full service and equipment repairs in Alamo, Blackhawk, Danville and Diablo. He is a member of the Independent Pool And Spa Service Association, is a Certified Pool Operator, and holds California Contractor License #998550. Advertorial

To place an ad, share a story, or for more information about Danville Today News, call us at 925.405.6397 or visit our website www.yourmonthlypaper.com

Hospice Volunteers Needed

Hospice of the East Bay is seeking volunteers to assist Hospice patients and their caregivers. Opportunities include: • Licensed Hair Stylists to offer hair cuts and styling • Certified Massage Therapists to provide massage therapy • Mobile Notaries to witness the signing of important documents • Bereavement Support Volunteers to provide support to family members after their loved one has died • Patient Support Volunteers to provide companionship and practical assistance To apply for free training, call Hospice of the East Bay at (925) 887-5678 and ask for the Volunteer Department, or email volunteers@hospiceeastbay.org.

Established in 1977, Hospice of the East Bay is a not-for-profit agency that helps people cope with end of life by providing medical, emotional, spiritual, and practical support for patients and families, regardless of their ability to pay.

To learn more or to make a donation of time or money, please contact (925) 887-5678 or visit www.hospiceeastbay.org.

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Page 20 - March 2015 ~ Danville Today News

Using Charitable Trusts in Your Retirement Planning

By Christopher T. McClure

In conjunction with Lincoln FinancialAdvisors /Sagemark Consulting, a division of Lincoln Financial Advisors, a registered investment advisor

Land “rich” and cash “poor.” That describes Jim and Angela in a nutshell. While they actually live quite comfortably on their professional incomes, they are getting closer to retirement age and are looking for ways to supplement the income they expect from their employers’ retirement plans.

By far the largest asset they own is a tract of unimproved real estate that Angela inherited from her parents. Part of her family’s former farm, the property is located in a prime new development area, which has made its value increase over the past few years. But the land provides no current income.

What Can They Do?

Angela could sell the land to a developer now or at retirement and invest the proceeds in income-producing investments. Either way, she and Jim would lose a substantial portion of the property’s appreciation to capital gains tax.

A better strategy might be to establish a charitable remainder trust (CRT). To implement this strategy, Angela would transfer the land to an irrevocable trust created to provide lifetime payments to her and Jim. At the death of the surviving spouse, the trust property would be transferred to a charitable organization Angela named in her trust agreement.

With a CRT, the trustee can sell the trust property and reinvest the proceeds without having to pay any immediate tax on the gain. Thus, Jim and Angela would have more money invested toward retirement than if they had sold the land and invested the proceeds themselves. They also may be able to claim a current incometax charitable deduction for the value of the trust property, which the charity will eventually receive (within tax-saw limits). Jim and Angela could invest their tax savings outside of the trust to produce additional income.

Income Options

A CRT can be structured either an as annuity trust or as a unitrust. The type of CRT chosen determines how payments from the trust are calculated. If Angela chooses a charitable remainder annuity trust (CRAT), she and Jim will receive annual payments of a set percentage of the trust’s initial fair market value. The percentage must be at least 5% and cannot exceed 50%.

A charitable remainder trust (CRUT) would pay Jim and Angela an annual income based on the fair market value of the trust property, revalued each year. Again, the per-

Lincoln continued from front page

but also can be the most rewarding aspect of preparing the exhibit.”

Robert Chandler, retired Wells Fargo Senior Historian and prolific author on Civil War matters in California, serves on the MuseSRV Board. His expertise and artifacts from his collection add local zest. “Real items convey the spirit of the era,” Chandler notes. With no online searchable newspapers available during the 1970s when he was researching his doctoral thesis: “The Press and Civil Liberties in California during the Civil War,” he spent hours rolling through microfiche. Discovering an 1864 letter relating to the News-Telegraph Monopoly (the subject of his first article) in an ephemera shop in Port Costa turned him into a collector. When he and his wife Susan purchased their Lafayette home many years ago, one prerequisite was sufficient space to house Bob’s museum-worthy stash of books (possibly 9,000), letters, illustrations, articles, and objects (including a Civil War saber and parade torch).

Chandler’s San Francisco Lithographer: African American Artist Grafton Tyler Brown published in 2014 describes how fiercely African Americans fought to gain basic rights to testify in court, acquire land under the Homestead Act, and be recognized as free citizens in pre and post Civil War California.

“Democrats ignored the provision in the 1849 California Constitution that denied slavDavid and Eliza Glass came to the area in 1850 and bought ery ‘shall ever be tolerated.’ land in San Ramon in 1859. David Glass was a staunch Without enacting legislation Lincoln supporter. Photo provided by Ralph Cozine. legitimizing the statement, a

centage must be at least 5% and cannot exceed 50%. If the trust investments perform well, the income will increase. Some people prefer to use a CRUT because it can provide a hedge against inflation. CRUTs also can accept additional gifts; CRATs cannot.

Two other CRUT features that might appeal to Jim and Angela are the option to limit the annual payments to the trust’s income in any year when the trust’s income is less than the fixed percentage amount (a net-income CRUT or NICRUT) and the ability to include a “makeup” provision (a net-income makeup CRUT or NIMCRUT). The makeup provision would require the trustee to make higher payments in years in which the trust income exceeds the fixed percentage amount, to the extent that payments in prior years were less than the fixed percentage.

How would these features help Jim and Angela? When they establish the CRUT, Angela could transfer the land and Jim could transfer a small amount of income-producing investments or cash to be invested. The trust could hold the land until Jim and Angela are ready to retire, paying them the income from the investments in the meantime. Then, the trustee could sell the appreciated land and invest in securities that would produce a current income for their retirement.

Even if the investment income exceeds the fixed percentage set for their CRUT, the makeup provision would require the trustee to pay the excess to Jim and Angela to compensate for the earlier years of low income.

Protection, too

A CRT also may offer some protection from creditors. Depending on the laws of their state, inserting spendthrift clauses in their trust agreement could protect the trust property from creditors. (In some states, spendthrift protection is applied automatically by statute). Jim and Angela should be aware, though, that certain states extend spendthrift protection only to trust beneficiaries other than the trust grantor(s).

A charitable remainder trust can be used to help accomplish numerous financial planning objectives. However, complex legal requirements must be met to secure many of the benefits a CRT offers. You’ll want to consult with your professional advisor before deciding to use a CRT in your financial planning. And, if you decide to establish a CRT, seriously consider using an experienced professional trustee, such as a bank or the charity itself, to administer your trust.

Please contact Chris McClure to schedule a complimentary review of your financial situation. Call (925) 659-0213 or email Chris.McClure@LFG.com.

CRN 201303-2078185 Christopher T. McClure is a registered representative and investment advisor representative of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp., a broker dealer (member SIPC) and registered investment advisor, 3000 Executive Parkway, Suite 400, San Ramon, CA, offering insurance through Lincoln Marketing and Insurance Agency, LLC and Lincoln Associates Insurance Agency, Inc. and other fine companies. This information should not be construed as legal or tax advice. You may want to consult a tax advisor regarding this information as it relates to your personal circumstances. The content of this material was provided to you

by Lincoln Financial Advisors for its representatives and their clients.

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Supreme Court Justice ruled in 1852, the clause ‘stands, inert and inoperative.’” Brown’s personal accomplishments included registering to vote in 1867, three years before ratification of the 15th Amendment secured that right for men of color nationwide.

Additional local background is provided by extensive research done by Beverly Lane, past Danville Mayor and past President of the MuseSRV Board.

On the eve of the 1860 election, Danville was a nameless cluster of small businesses that sprang up after Daniel Inman’s 1858 purchase of 400 acres in the area now encompassing Front Street and Diablo Road. Inman had come to California in 1849 with his brother Andrew seeking gold. Andrew tired of mining and settled in the Green Valley in 1852. Outspoken Democrats, both Inmans opposed Lincoln’s policies. The town’s name, according to Daniel’s account, honors the birthplace of his brother’s mother-in-law – Danville, Kentucky. Most of Contra Costa County, including Alamo (50 to17), voted for Lincoln in the 1864 election, but Danville (then including San Ramon) voted for McClellan 91 to 76, as did Moraga 39 to 24.

David Glass led the local Lincoln supporters. Born in Pennsylvania, he worked with his cousins in Kentucky and Ohio before moving to the Midwest.

In 1850 he brought his wife and toddler son to mine gold in Hangtown (now Placerville). When the boy died, the couple moved first to Walnut Creek and finally in 1859 to a parcel in San Ramon. According to his youngest son Rolla: “In politics David was among the Democratic votes, then he cast his vote for Lincoln and has been a Republican ever since.” David served as Contra Costa County representative to the State Union (aka Republican) Convention in 1864.

Justice George Nicholson will deliver an opening address on March 17th at 7PM at the San Ramon Valley High School: “Lincoln’s Living Legacy: Solitude, Service and Sacrifice.” On March 30th at 7PM at the Danville Community Center, UC Davis Professor Vikram Amar will speak on “Lincoln

See Lincoln continued on page 24

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The New World of “Digital Legacy”

By Robert J. Silverman, Esq.

Social media and other prominent websites are paying more attention to what happens to a user’s account when he or she dies. Service providers are establishing more detailed policies and procedures and even some new legislation has been enacted.

As social media plays a bigger role in the lives of a growing number of people, companies like Facebook and Google are starting to respond to the important, but often sensitive and difficult, aspect of user legacy.

In this very new and rapidly developing arena, applicable law is very sparse, so companies are making up their own rules.

This is not a significant part of the formal estate planning process that clients typically discuss with their estate planning attorneys, and rarely are provisions about digital assets included in documents, such as Wills or Living Trusts. Nevertheless: a) clients have the option of having such provisions included in their documents; and b) clients will undoubtedly choose to do so more often in the future.

Mostly, Internet users who are “planners” will become familiar with the postdeath procedures that apply to the social media and other sites and apps that are most important to them. Then, they will submit the required forms to ensure that their post-death wishes are followed.

Internet services are grappling with tough questions and trying to determine the right balance between respecting a user’s privacy and being responsive to the wishes and requests of grieving loved ones. Google was among the early major Internet companies to deal with digital afterlife matters by enabling users to choose “digital heirs” for its Gmail, cloud storage, and other services. These digital heirs were labeled “inactive account managers.”

Facebook made a recent, high profile splash by changing its long-time policy of simply freezing the account of a deceased user and leaving up the decedent’s posts and pictures and maintaining the privacy setting that the decedent had established - a process Facebook calls “memorialization.” Facebook announced that users may now designate a “legacy contact” - a person the user chooses to manage certain parts of a deceased user’s account posthumously. Alternatively, members can choose to have their Facebook presence deleted entirely once they have died.

Facebook legacy contacts can turn a deceased person’s Facebook page into

Danville Today News ~ March 2015 - Page 21

what some people refer to as a “digital gravestone” by displaying posts on a memorialized profile picture and even responding to new friend requests on behalf of the deceased user. Many other options are available to the legacy contact as long as the deceased user granted prior permission for such options.

Fortunately, in lieu of a user designating a legacy contact, the user may designate a “digital heir” in his or her Will, and Facebook will honor that Will provision.

It may be a bit mind-boggling that, beyond your existing “to do” list (that’s probably quite long as it is), you now have the burden of thinking about what options you want and who you want in charge of your social media and Internet activity after you die. The good news is that now at least you have more of a choice about the legacy you want for your digital assets – just like you have lots of choices about creating a legacy for your conventional assets in your estate planning documents.

State law will undoubtedly develop rapidly in the area of succession, management, and privacy as they relate to digital assets. Delaware recently passed legislation known as “FiduciaryAccess to DigitalAssets and DigitalAccountsAct,” and about a dozen states are considering Delaware’s statute in view of enacting similar law. Evidently, this legislation was a response to the policy of many large Internet companies who have played things safe by heavily restricting access to a decedent’s online accounts. Under the new Delaware law, unless a decedent instructed otherwise, online accounts can be accessed by an Executor without spending the considerable time, effort, and money to obtain a court order.

While this Delaware law may seem perfectly logical and appropriate, it is somewhat controversial. A significant number of people and Internet companies insist that the law grants power to Executors that is too broad and in violation of privacy rights and existing federal privacy law.

Stay tuned for new legal developments in this interesting area. Meanwhile, give some thought to starting down the new avenue of digital asset planning…but don’t neglect to establish or review and update your traditional legacy (estate) planning as well!

Upon request, I’ll be happy to provide you, on a complimentary basis, any or all of the following: i) an “Estate Planning Primer”; ii) a brochure on alternative methods of holding title to property; iii) an introductory meeting.

Mr. Silverman is an attorney with R. Silverman Law Group, 1855 Olympic Blvd., Suite 125, Walnut Creek, CA 94596; (925) 705-4474; rsilverman@rsilvermanlaw.com.

This article is intended to provide information of a general nature, and should not be relied upon as legal, tax and/ or business advice. Readers should obtain specific advice from their own, qualified professional advisors.

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Page 22 - March 2015 ~ Danville Today News

One Size Does Not Fit All

By Evan Corstorphine, Portable CIO

Recent articles I’ve written about solving broadband internet problems in your homes and businesses have been received well. Today I want to help you recognize and avoid another common scenario we have been seeing. If you want a solid and reliable WiFi network, there are key things that must be in place to make it happen.

The best place to start is with some facts. The first fact is that Comcast and AT&T have a huge challenge in providing internet to such a broad variety of customers. The only way to survive that size of support challenge is to standardize as much of their offering as possible.

That means they choose equipment that should be robust enough to handle the overall majority of their installations and deal with any exceptions on a case-by-case basis.

Here is another fact. In this area we live in much larger homes, on average, than your typical homeowner across the Bay Area or the country at large.

Where a typical family home in the U.S. is now 2,700sf, the typical East Bay home size is often in excess of 4,000-5,000sf.

What these facts have in common is that the network gear being provided by our internet vendors is wholly insufficient for the larger homes we typically find in this area. On average, I see a typical wireless device capable of servicing 1,000sf. It varies widely depending on environmental factors such as obstructions, where the device is mounted, and the type of gear used. So, if you have a small home, a condo, a townhouse or an apartment, the offthe-shelf offering from either AT&T or Comcast will probably work fine.

However, if you’re a homeowner in this area who wants WiFi throughout their long, one-story Alamo ranch-style home, or a typical two-story Danville home, or a multi-level Lafayette home, it’s going to take at least two wireless devices, and easily more, to cover the area. And if you had visions of being able to use WiFi on your patio out back, you can plan for another WiFi radio for that, too. This isn’t me trying to sell access points; this is the laws of phys-

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ics clashing with what you’ve been told by advertisers about what is possible!

Remember, by design, WiFi does not come with a very strong radio signal.

It’s easily disrupted by walls, furniture, and crowds of humans. The best analogy is to think of your WiFi like you would a sprinkler system. It should be as high in the room as possible (mounted on ceiling is best) and should have no obstructions around it, particularly those made of or containing metal. WiFi radios are little stronger than a children’s walkie-talkie, and the closer they are to you, and the fewer the obstructions between you and them, the better.

A good example of this is over in Berkeley, where we have installed WiFi for several sororities in those very old, very thick houses. The houses are constructed using lathe and plaster, and we typically end up with 10 or more access points per house. These houses are huge, and if they were constructed of lighter materials, we could probably cut the number of WiFi devices in half.

If you have a larger home or business that needs great coverage, can you buy gear off the shelf and be successful? Maybe, but you’re probably going to get a lot of what I euphemistically call “retail advice,” and waste a lot of time and money. I do not think an untrained individual earning $10/hour in retail is the person to look to for this sort of guidance! Seriously, the best way to achieve your goal with WiFi is to have a professional help you plan it out, and use the right calibre of gear. When we have identified how many wireless radios are necessary to provide full WiFi coverage for a house, we recommend a competent wiring vendor to run a network cable to each point. You’ll have a solid and trouble-free wireless network.

In an effort to sell computers, the computer industry has done a great job downplaying the technical requirements of implementing computers, software, and networks. While I agree that virtually anyone can be successful using a computer, constructing and managing a successful multi-node network system requires forethought and knowledge that laymen do not possess. To quote an old boss of mine, “If it were that easy, we’d pin a note to a dog and send him instead!”

If this sounds like your situation, home or business, we should chat and see if you can benefit from another set of eyes and some professional help.

Our helpdesk is ready for your call at (925)552-7953, or you can email us at helpdesk@theportablecio.com.

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Sciatica Sufferers: Hope with Chiropractic Care

By Melissa Ko, DC, Sycamore Valley Chiropractic

Sciatica is one of the most painful of low back pain conditions. It is the #1 reason for disability from work due to back pain. Sciatica describes a cluster of symptoms which is why the condition can vary from person to person.

Sciatica pain can range from moderate discomfort to severe, debilitating pain. Some patients cannot even tolerate standing or walking. The most common symptom is pain, sharp and shooting, that centers in the low back and usually goes down one leg to the foot, even into the toes.

In addition to pain, common complaints also include burning, shooting electricity, tingling, prickling, numbness, feeling like the leg has “fallen asleep,” and weakness. Oftentimes, the pain is worse when standing or walking.

What Causes Sciatica?

These symptoms are due to compression and irritation of the sciatic nerve.

It is the largest and longest nerve in your body (about the size of your pinkie finger) that comes out of your low back and goes all the way down the leg and into the foot. Oftentimes, a doctor can trace which branches of the nerve are involved by following the pattern of symptoms.

The sciatica nerve is very long and can be compressed and irritated at different sites. Most common are: 1. Lumbar Spine: The sciatic nerve arises from nerves in the lower back, so misalignments, joint dysfunction, and disc herniations in the low back can cause pressure and irritation.

2. Sacroiliac Joint: This large joint is formed by the spine and the pelvic bones at the back of the hip. Pain from this area can be in the low back, buttock, and hip.

3. Gluteals: The sciatic nerve runs between the piriformis and gluteal muscles; when these muscles are tight or in spasm, they squeeze and pinch

The Eye Opener

By Gregory Kraskowsky, O.D., Alamo Optometry Conjunctivitis, Pink Eye

This is the time of the year when we are all fighting the winter colds and flus. If your family is anything like mine, as soon as one person in the family gets the flu, they pass it around to the other members of the household. Some family members might get the cough and congestion, while others might get the eye infection; that is because the same bacteria and viruses that cause the colds and flus also cause conjunctivitis. It is therefore very common for different family members or co-workers to either have upper respiratory infection or conjunctivitis, or both.

Conjunctivitis is an inflammation secondary to allergies or infection of the conjunctiva, which is a thin transparent layer of tissue that lines the inner surface of the top and bottom eyelid and covers the white part (sclera) of the eye. Conjunctivitis, often called “pink eye,” is a common eye disease, especially in children. It may affect one or both eyes; it usually starts in one eye and then spreads to the other. Some forms of conjunctivitis can be highly contagious and easily spread in schools and at home. While conjunctivitis is usually a minor eye infection, sometimes it can develop into a more serious problem.

Conjunctivitis is mostly caused by a viral infection, but it can also be bacterial. In addition, it can occur due to an allergic reaction to irritants in the air like pollen and smoke, chlorine in swimming pools, and ingredients in cosmetics or other products that come in contact with the eyes. Bacterial conjunctivitis is an infection most often caused by the common staph. and strep. bacteria that is found on the skin and body. Infection commonly occurs via physical contact with other people, poor hygiene (touching the eye with unclean hands), or use of contaminated eye makeup and facial lotions.

A bacterial infection will usually present with a redder eye, swelling, and possible discharge. There is no pain associated, and vision remains good.

Viral conjunctivitis is most commonly caused by contagious viruses associated with the common cold. The primary means of contracting this is

Danville Today News ~ March 2015 - Page 23 the nerve as it passes through the buttock area. This is very common in patients who sit or drive for long periods of time.

There is hope!

Some sciatic patients can suffer for years before finding relief; because there are different locations where the problem can happen, the condition is often misdiagnosed which leads to a delay in proper treatment. For example, a patient with low back pain in the buttocks and back of the thigh may have an entirely different problem than a patient with shooting pain going all the way down the leg. So diagnosis is key.

Under conventional care, patients are usually prescribed painkillers and muscle-relaxants. However, these only serve to mask symptoms and do not address the root cause of the sciatica. Many of our patients share that the pain medications often do alleviate some of their pain but is not long-lasting.

At our office, we specialize in treating sciatica. We perform a thorough examination to properly diagnose the condition and identify the cause of the problem to prescribe the correct treatment. We use a number of different therapies including chiropractic joint adjustments, spinal traction, electrical stimulation, ultrasound, cold laser, massage therapy, and taping to help control inflammation, decrease pain, and recover with excellent results.

If you or someone you know suffers from sciatica, chiropractic care is a great solution, and we are here to help!

Sycamore Valley Chiropractic is located at 565 Sycamore Valley Rd. West in Danville.

Please visit www.sycamorevalleychiropractic. com or call 925-837-5595 for more information or to schedule an appointment. Advertorial through close exposure or physical contact to coughing or sneezing by persons with active illnesses. It can also occur as the virus spreads and enters the body through mucous membranes, mostly in the nose and mouth. Viral infections present with a lighter or pink color to the eye with associated swelling and tearing. As with a bacterial infection, there is very little to no vision loss or pain.

Practicing good hygiene is the best way to control the spread of conjunctivitis. Once an infection has been diagnosed, follow these helpful hints: keep your hands clean and avoid touching your eyes and face, change your towel or washcloth daily and do not share with others, and discard any eye cosmetics.

At our office, conjunctivitis can be diagnosed through a focused office visit. Testing with special emphasis on evaluation of the conjunctiva and surrounding tissues will include a patient history to determine the symptoms the patient is experiencing, when the symptoms began, and the presence of any general health or environmental conditions that may be contributing to the problem. As with all office visits and exams, visual acuity will be taken to determine the extent to which vision may be affected. We will then examine the conjunctiva and external eye tissues and the inner structures of the eye using an optometric microscope to ensure the diagnosis and that no other tissues are affected by the condition.

Even though the diagnosis of conjunctivitis is relatively straightforward, the cause of the condition is often more difficult. Depending on the exact signs and symptoms, several different kinds of causes can overlap. In addition, other more serious issues such as a foreign body in the eye or a corneal infection can initially cause some of the symptoms of conjunctivitis but need to be treated in a different manner. We have same-day appointments for any type of emergency visit.

Dr. K. at Alamo Optometry is your hometown eye doctor for outstanding service, vision care, and designer eyewear. He can be reached at 820-6622 or visit his office at 3201 Danville Blvd., Suite 165 in Alamo. Visit our website at www.alamooptometry.com, and join us on Facebook, Instagram, Advertorial and Twitter @Alamo Optometry.

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Page 24 - March 2015 ~ Danville Today News

Your Personal Nutritionist

How to Simply Add Fruits and Veggies to your Day

By Linda Michaelis RD,MS

We have heard countless times about the benefits of eating veggies and fruits to reduce obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. It’s true. Old recommendations are to eat five servings a day of fruits and vegetables, and the newest suggestion is that half the plate should be filled with veggies at each meal. With all of the benefits, you would think the entire population would be chomping on bok choy and snacking on broccoli, but we have not yet built a love affair with the produce department. If you struggle like many of us, here are some painless tips and tricks my clients use that increase their fruit and veggie intake.

1. Eat a vegetable with every meal. If half a plate of vegetables seems like an overwhelming goal for you right now, start by simply adding one veggie to each meal and snack. You can eat them as a side—think of adding spinach, mushrooms, and sundried tomatoes to your eggs in the morning, order a salad at lunch, or have your sandwich piled high with veggies. Enjoy a green smoothie when you come home, and have a cup of green beans with dinner. Don’t feel that you must eat plain, steamed veggies. Sautéing them in olive oil, garlic, and spices will have the whole family enjoying them. Once you start working them in, you’ll welcome the new additions!

2. Eat a fruit with each meal. I actually find my clients often eat too much fruit and not enough veggies. Too much fruit equals lots of sugar. I recommend having two fruits a day and three servings of veggies. Always eat a fruit as part of or after a meal and not in between when it often will make you more hungry.

3. Snack smart. Instead of hitting the vending machine for an afternoon pickme-up, start snacking on fruits and vegetables. Cut up veggies and eat them with hummus or nuts, or have some sliced fruit with Greek yogurt. This will satisfy you more than a candy bar will. Your energy level will be stable, and you will not drop after a large amount of sugar on an empty stomach.

4. Drink up. If you have trouble fitting fruits and vegetables into your busy life, work them into a drink that you can take on the go. Try out green shakes that have

Lincoln continued from page 20

and the Scope of Executive Power.”

Intrigued by history of the era when Milton Bradley introduced the board game Battle Cry to commemorate the Civil War Centennial, Amar gravitated in Law School toward Constitutional Law. He remarks, “I learned a great deal more about Lincoln’s views not just as a statesman, but as one of the most sophisticated constitutional minds of the nineteenth century.” Among the topics Amar will cover is Lincoln’s ability to “single-handedly pry the South open to free speech.” Postal appointments Lincoln made in the South allowed antislavery literature to circulate through the Federal mail.

On April 14th, the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s assassination, meet Civil War re-enactors at the Danville Library at 7PM. A condensed version of Our American Cousin, the comedy Lincoln was watching the night he was shot, will be staged.

After reviewing the script, Eric Hayes, Role Players Ensemble Artistic Director, realized the humor wasn’t readily translatable to modern tastes. “But I kept thinking there must be a way to tell the story of the play and in essence shine light on what Abraham Lincoln was experiencing during the last hours of his life,” Hayes explains adding that the short adaptation “naturally lends itself to the playful spirit of the play which made it so popular with audiences in 1865.”

Giving a glimpse of the Valley’s reaction to Lincoln’s death, a local student will recite the poem Whatever your personal image of Lincoln may “A Mighty Oak Has Fallen” first be, the upcoming exhibit at the Museum of performed in Danville at the Green the San Ramon Valley will sharpen the focus. Valley School Festival and Picnic

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mostly veggies and added fruit, and work them into your rotation as a breakfast or afternoon snack option. You can easily get several fruit and vegetable servings in a yummy beverage.

5. Enjoy soup more often! Soups and stews can be a nutritious, filling way to get lots of vegetables into a meal. Soup is an easy way to increase the variety of veggies you eat, too, as it can make some of your least favorite options more palatable.

There is always the option to buy fresh soups with lots of veggies at Whole Foods.

6. Be ready at all times. Have cut fruits and vegetables in the fridge ready for munching at all times. Whether you buy the pre-cut options in the produce department or take the time to cut and bag it yourself, you’re more likely to eat it if it’s readily and easily available.

7. Keep them in sight, in mind. Just like you keep sweets out of sight to discourage incessant snacking, keeping fruits and veggies in sight will help you think of them as an option for eating. Stock up at work. I always tell parents to keep a bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter at home, and when the kids come home from school put out veggies on the counter with ranch dressing, and you will see they are more likely to eat it when they are hungry.

8. Easy grab lunch. Next time you’re blanking on a quick, easy place to grab lunch, head to the salad bar at a local grocery store such as Whole Foods, Lunardi’s, or Diablo Foods. With an endless variety of vegetables, cut fruit, and soups, it’s an easy way to make sure you get a meal rich in all the nutrients provided by the multi-colored fruits and veggies.

9. Start smart. Make it a habit to order a salad or vegetable-based soup such as minestrone, garden vegetable, tomato basil, or lentil when you’re out at restaurants.

These fiber-rich starters may keep you from overeating when your meal comes, in addition to helping you add more vegetables into your day.

If you start following my suggestions, you will definitely see how much better you feel. Eating more fruits and veggies will probably take the place of eating too many carbs at meals. Clients tell me that when they add veggies to their meal, they feel that they get an extra hour of fullness which keeps their appetite at bay.

I am glad to inform you that insurance companies will cover nutritional counseling. Please visit LindaRD.com for the list of companies that cover counseling, past articles, and more information about nutritional concerns. Call me at (925) 855-0150 or e-mail me at lifeweight1@gmail.com.

Advertorial on May 7, 1866. A newspaper clipping describing the event is among the artifacts MuseSRV is sharing with Ford’s Theatre on the site “Remembering Lincoln” being launched March 18th. Dunn arranged the exchange with Sarah Jencks, Ford’s Theatre Director of Education and Programming, after they met while judging the National History Day (NHD) finals last June.

A long-term NHD judge, Dunn is pleased to announce MuseSRV support for NHD in the SRVUSD includes this year a monetary award presented to Julian La, a Golden View Elementary student, for his project: “President Abraham Lincoln - Leading a Nation on the Brink of Separation through its Darkest Hour.” NHD requires that research include primary sources and interviews with experts. Dunn hopes that in the future many students will take advantage of MuseSRV resources.

For information on hours, exhibits, programs and Valley history, visit www.museumsrv.org.

Lic# 1100014354; Bay Area Entertainment

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Danville Today News ~ March 2015 - Page 25

Lip Augmentation

By Dr. Jerome Potozkin

Lip augmentation is probably the single cosmetic recommendation that I make that elicits the most fear in people.

Oftentimes when I recommend that someone consider injections to enhance their lips they respond that they don’t want crazy big lips that they are used to seeing when they think of lip augmentation. Most people share that perception.

However, that perception is pretty far from the truth. There are many people who have had their lips tastefully restored.

Those are the ones that you never notice. They’re the ones with a big natural smile.

As we age our faces tend to lose volume. Our lips are no exception to this. Some people show their age around their mouth by losing both bone and soft tissue. Just as no two faces are the same, no two lips are the same. People of different ethnicities have different natural lip volumes. The goal in lip augmentation is to restore your natural volume and lip shape, not to create a distorted duck-like lip. We have been using hyaluronic fillers such as Juvederm and Restylane to restore natural looking and feeling lips. Hyaluronic acid is a biological gel that is soft to the touch. They have been the fillers most commonly used for lip enhancement with great natural results.

In addition to loss of volume, many people are plagued by the fine vertical lip lines also referred to as smoker’s lines. Ironically, most people that I see with these have never smoked. Up until now, we really didn’t have an injectable filler that worked well for these lines. Recently, Restylane Silk was approved for these lines. Restylane Silk has unique properties that allow us to successfully inject the vertical lip lines.

Common side effects include bruising and swelling. Most people can expect Restylane Silk to last about six months. There are other options to help around the mouth such as injecting neuromodulators, applying topical creams, and using laser treatment.

Rejuvenating the perioral region of the face can have a great impact on how people look and feel. If you are interested in exploring your options for this area, mention this article to receive a complimentary consultation. We are committed to creating natural results to have you looking like the best version of yourself.

Dr. Potozkin is a board certified dermatologist who has been serving the local community since 1993. His fully accredited dermatological and laser facility is located at 600 San Ramon Valley Blvd, Suite 102 in Danville. He is accepting new patients.

Please call (925) 838-4900 or visit Potozkin.com for more information. Advertorial

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By Linda Adams, LVN

Everyone knows the old saying, “Kegels every day keep incontinence away,” right? Okay, this may not be the most well known principle, but it’s one for women to live by.

Urinary incontinence – the accidental or involuntary release of urine – affects nearly 25 million Americans.

It is caused most often by a weakened or damaged urinary tract. For women, the urethra (urinary control “valve”) lies on a “hammock” of ligaments and muscle. If this hammock is stretched, urethral compression weakens and leaks can occur.

Kegels, also commonly referred to as pelvic floor exercises, consist of repeatedly contracting and relaxing pelvic floor muscles – the structure that supports the uterus, bowel, and bladder.

While noting the difficulty in quantifying improvement in urinary incontinence after Kegel exercise, recent studies have shown that women who correctly and regularly perform the exercises reduce the likelihood of urinary incontinence.

From the occasional sneeze to bending over to pick something up off the floor, mild urinary incontinence can happen when it’s least expected. It also affects women and men of all ages, from college athletes, to postpartum women.

For women suffering from incontinence, there are varying options to correct their condition including bladder training (timed voiding), prescription medication, biofeedback, and surgery. But the first line of treatment and defense against urinary incontinence is the Kegel technique. Kegel exercises can help to strengthen the pelvic floor and create needed tension to avoid to urinary mishaps.

How to do Kegels:

• Finding the pelvic muscle: Without tensing the muscles of your leg, buttocks, or abdomen, imagine that you are trying to control the passing of gas or pinching off a stool.

• Two Types of Exercises: Short/quick contractions (two seconds) and slow/long contractions (10 seconds). To do the short or quick muscle contractions, contract or tighten your pelvic muscle quickly and hard, and immediately relax it. For the slow or long (sustained) contractions, contract or tighten your pelvic muscle and hold for a count of 10 seconds, then relax the muscle completely for the same amount of time. Kegels consists of both “tightening and relaxing” the muscle. It is equally important to control when your muscle tightens and relaxes. Be sure to relax completely between each muscle tightening.

• Exercise Regimen: Set a goal of doing 15 repetitions of each type of kegel, morning and night. The more often you workout the better the results. Now there are great Kegel apps for your phone that will help remind you to exercise!

• Concentrate and tighten only the pelvic floor muscle. DO NOT tighten thighs, buttocks, or stomach. If you feel your stomach move, than you are also using these muscles. DO NOT hold your breath. Breathe normally and/or count out loud.

After 4 to 6 weeks of daily exercise, you will begin to notice less urine leakage. Make the exercises part of your daily lifestyle. Tighten the muscle when you walk, as you stand up, and on the way to the bathroom.

Linda Adams, LVN has dedicated her career to helping patients take control of their incontinence for the past 20 years. In addition to crafting individualized care for her patients, Linda also works to increase awareness and knowledge of continence through classes held at both Pacific Urology Advertorial and in the greater community. She sees patients in Walnut Creek and San Ramon and can be reached at (925) 937-7740.

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Page 26 - March 2015 ~ Danville Today News

Colon Cancer Prevention with Vitamin D

A Physician First

By Dr. Barbara Persons, MD, FACS

Recently, I had a discussion with someone who was considering career choices. They confided in me and asked if they should pursue being an investment banker or a plastic surgeon.

To many, these aspirations might seem similar: two careers, each offering the hope of success and prosperity.

Shouldn’t we all pursue such dreams?

I offered the best advice I could. “I know very little about investment banking,” I said, “but from my perspective as a plastic surgeon, I believe there is another choice you must make first.”

I explained that long before mastering the field of surgery, a person must first choose to become a physician. I explained that this path means caring for people and finding joy in it.

In the field of medicine--increasingly so as the taxonomy of healthcare broadens--we are given many options. We may choose to be a dermatologist or an obstetrician. Some choose radiology, and others, like me, are drawn to surgery.

In the end, however, being a physician comes first. No matter what specialty we choose, we become, and should always remain, doctors.

Any medical student will tell you that the moment they entered training, family and friends began asking for counsel. I am sure that most of my colleagues will remember those first years of medical school: everyone asked us for advice, and we probably gave it, thinking we already knew so much.

That kind of enthusiasm shouldn’t change over the years, but unfortunately it sometimes does. So when I was asked for career advice, I found myself answering a bigger question. Is it possible to dedicate oneself to something truly loved? And does that choice include a commitment to service and compassion?

The answer is yes.

For me, going into medicine was a calling. I became a physician for two reasons.

The first was simple: a sense of duty. The second is one I hold dear: the wonder of forming relationships with people in their time of need. Some might describe it as a sacrifice; holidays, weekends, and nights are dedicated to helping patients.

But it has never felt like a sacrifice to me. Being a physician is honorable, and it offers me purpose. It gives me great pleasure, and I go home feeling good about what I do. Sometimes my job is challenging, but the most difficult moments pale in comparison to what patients feel when they are in pain or chronically ill.

In my experience, many doctors forget the idea of what it feels like to be a patient. Separating ourselves can be a way to keep an even keel, but this risks alienating the very people we are trying to help. It is tempting to believe that work is better left at the office. “Don’t take your patients home with you,” I have been told. And although it is important to maintain a good balance between my personal and professional life, I do, ultimately, take my patients home with me.

I think about patients in my car as I drive home, and I look forward to seeing them when I wake up in the morning. Medicine is part of who I am, and I don’t think of it as a job or occupation. Rather, it is something I have chosen because I believe in it. This perspective has actually helped me be a more energetic surgeon and a more complete person. It is thus that I think those of us with a stronger sense of calling are more resilient to the challenges of our profession. We enjoy what we do. It informs us, shapes us, and makes us better people.

Becoming a board certified plastic surgeon took more than a decade of training.

But along the way, I was a doctor to my patients. I find comfort in the fact that simply caring for people is something I still do on a daily basis. Over the years, I have watched our healthcare system transform and policies evolve. Many of us feel swept up in the changes; we are not sure what to predict and how it will affect us. I hope that whatever system emerges will allow doctors to follow their calling, as I have done. I hope that if we have been called to serve, we will be able to do it.

How will that happen? Who among us should choose this path? These are difficult questions. In the end, however, I have begun to recognize that even the most complex questions have a simple answer. For me, the answer is taking care of my patients and finding joy in it. I am so grateful to have found my calling, for it is one that inspires and rewards me in equal measures. I am a surgeon, but I am also a physician; both are roles I am honored to fulfill. I look forward to meeting you at my practice soon.

Dr. Barbara Persons is a Plastic Surgeon and owns Persons Plastic Surgery, Inc. located at 911 Moraga Rd, Suite 205 in Lafayette. She may be reached at 925-283-4012 or drbarb@ Advertorial personsplasticsurgery.com.

By Jewel Johl, MD

It is well known that an adequate amount of vitamins and minerals are good for your health. However, recent studies suggest there is a possible association between vitamin D intake and colon cancer prevention.

The role of vitamin D is to assist in calcium absorption, to have healthy teeth and bones, and to boost the immune system. The daily recommendation for individuals 1-70 years of age is 600 IU per day. Over 80% of Americans have adequate intake of vitamin D from exposing the skin to sunshine and eating foods containing it, such as fatty fish, eggs and fortified foods like milk, juices and cereal. Though it is uncommon for individuals to have a high intake of vitamin D, it is important to note that excess of nutrients of any type have toxic effects.

With colon cancer being the third most common cancer in America, not including skin cancers, it is understandable why researchers have been looking for ways to prevent it, and higher survival rates for individuals who have been diagnosed.

The specific cause of colon cancer is unknown, but factors that increase risk are a mix between genetics, age, diet and weight.

Throughout several studies we have seen that individuals with high vitamin D levels have a lower risk for developing colon cancer, and if diagnosed, they have a better survival rate. When a cancerous tumor develops, it does not contain only cancer cells, but an array of cells. This includes immune systems cells, also known as T cells, which fight against cancerous cells, limiting their duplication and killing them. Therefore, anything that helps to boost your T cells assists in prevention and a higher survival rate.

While an individual cannot change their age or genetics, one can reduce their risk of cancer by making healthy lifestyle choices that include daily exercise, less red meat and alcohol, a healthy diet, and proper intake of vitamins.

More research is being conducted to determine the level of vitamin D that is essential to decreasing the risk of colon cancer and to improving survival in patients with colon cancer. What is becoming more clear is the importance and protective role of vitamin D in patients with colon cancer and several other cancers.

Dr. Johl is a Medical Oncologist with Diablo Valley Oncology & Hematology Medical Group. He sees patients in Pleasant Hill and Brentwood. Join Dr. Johl and other medical experts at an educational event focusing on the unique issues of patients with colon cancer. Q & A session to follow. March 25, 2015 6:00 PM at the Cancer Support Community 3276 McNutt Ave Walnut Advertorial Creek, CA 94597. For more information call 925-677-5041.

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Run the same classified ad in our sister papers “Alamo Today” or “Lafayette Today” and pay half off for your second and/or third ad! Payment by check made out to “The Editors” must be received before ad will print. Your cancelled check is your receipt. We reserve the right to reject any ad.

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Danville Today News ~ March 2015 - Page 27

Page 28 - March 2015 ~ Danville Today News

The Combs Team

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Professionals You Can Count On

Nancy

Joe

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Danville Area Real Estate: Another Good Start in 2015

which represents less than two months of inventory. It would not be surprising to see Danville appreciate faster than the other markets in the coming year.

Diablo is interesting in that it is a very small market and less than 1/3 of homes have sold this year compared to last year, which by all accounts was a banner year for Diablo. It’s noteworthy that the few homes which have sold so far in 2015 are significantly smaller than those sold during the same time period last year. Given the size difference and the ever so slight decrease in dollars paid per square foot, I think it is safe to say that the market in Diablo is stable at more than $500 per square foot.

While the numbers presented here are mixed, positive and negative, I don’t see anything in these early months data to suggest anything other than a very good year in the Danville Area Real Estate Market. As I have said in more than one of these articles, it isn’t likely that we will be enjoying these incredible rates of growth very much longer.

Eventually supply and demand will come into balance. While I doubt that 2015 will be the year where inventory catches up with pent up demand, I believe we are beginning to get close to that day and a return to a more normal rate of appreciation of 3-5%.

It’s important to remember there really is no “average” home and no two homes are exactly alike. If you would like an honest no-strings-attached opinion of your home’s current market value and suggestions for getting it ready for market, please give me a call 925-989-6086 or send me an email joecombs@thecombsteam.com.

Although the early season in real estate is not a great predictor for the entire year, I thought I would look at the first two months of 2015 and see if there is anything useful to be gained by an analysis of this same time period last year. I’ve used red and green in the chart to indicate the direction of change, green for the positive and red for the negative. Days on Market must be interpreted in the opposite as a negative change in Days on Market means market time is decreasing which is a good thing.

The majority of indicators on the chart are green which portends well for another really good year for Danville Area Real Estate. An exception is in Diablo where the number of homes sold declined, price paid declined significantly, and dollars paid per square foot dipped just a smidge. Is this reason for concern? It’s probably not. It’s just a small hint that market prices in Diablo are unlikely to continue growing as fast as we have seen them during the past three years.

A significant issue in Alamo is lack of inventory of homes for sale. At this time only 30 homes (14 less than last year) are active listings and this is less than 1/3 of what might be considered normal. Average price is up 8% over last year on a home that is almost 400 sq. ft. smaller than at this time last year. Dollars paid per square foot are up 31% in the first two months of 2015 compared to 2014. I would not expect this rate of growth to hold up throughout the rest of the year and would expect our rate of growth to even out between 5% and 10% for all of 2015.

All Home Sales Alamo, Blackhawk Danville, Diablo (Jan1-Feb 21) Blackhawk experienced a 62% increase in sold price between 2013 and 2014, so we Sold DOM List Price Sold Price Sq. Foot shouldn’t be surprised to see the prices pull back a bit in 2014. The average size of homes Alamo 2014 13 62 $ 1,336,461 $ 1,311,384 3,397 2015 8 43 $ 1,445,750 $ 1,419,333 3,010 sold in Blackhawk decreased by 519 square feet and this accounts for the average price 10 47 $ 1,725,590 $ 1,678,800 4,045 reduction. Although the numbers on the surface don’t look very good for Blackhawk, Blackhawk 2014 2015 14 56 $ 1,541,828 $ 1,547,823 3,526 price paid per square foot increased by 6% over the same time period last year.

Danville 2014 60 39 $ 880,462 $ 880,908 2,213 Danville continues to show strong positive growth. Average price has moved 2015 76 32 $ 998,092 $ 992,471 2,333 from $880,908 to $992,471 for nearly a 13% increase in average price. Size of the Diablo 2014 16 84 $ 2,164,624 $ 2,021,402 3,835 average home also increased from last year by about 110 square feet. Dollars paid 2015 5 120 $ 1,817,790 $ 1,706,000 3,330 per square feet in Danville increased by 9%. Inventory in Danville stands at 74 units

Alamo West Side

$ Sq. Foot $ 386 $ 506 $ 415 $ 441 $ 398 $ 435 $ 527 $ 522

Alamo Condo

G

IN D N E

P

Beautifully updated single story. Everything you want on ½ acre flat lot. Includes pool, pool house, orchard and irrigation well. Priced to sell $1,435,000.

Updated 2 bedroom 1.5 bath condo in downtown Alamo. Walk to Starbucks.

Priced to sell at $499,000.

Danville West Side

Single Story Newer Construction

Concord Investors Dream

Built in 2006 this amazing 4 bed 2 bath single story has 10 foot ceilings and all of the goodies. Priced to sell at $1,299,000.

2 bed 1 bath single story on large level lot.

Priced to sell $368,888.

LD

SO

Nicely updated West Side single story. Backs to open space, large level yard. Oak trees. Priced to sell at $999,000.

Data presented in this column is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the Contra Costa and Alameda MLS service and other quoted sources.

Joe Combs, Nancy Combs, The Combs Team, J. Rockcliff and the MLS service do not guarantee the accuracy of this information. DRE #0144125.

J. Rockcliff Realtors 15 Railroad Ave., Danville CA. 94526