editor @ yourmonthlypaper.com
JUNE 2017 • ALAMO TODAY • PAGE 1
JUNE 2017
HERB DAY: TREAT THE PALATE; TICKLE THE NEW HEMME PARK UNDERGOES, PASSES IMAGINATION By Jody Morgan ADDITIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING
The Northern California Unit of The Herb Society of America (HSA) holds its tenth annual celebration of Herb Day on Sunday, July 9 from 10am – 4pm at Rodgers Ranch Heritage Center, 315 Cortsen Road, Pleasant Hill. Free activities for all ages are planned with hands-on crafts for children as well as informative presentations and exhibits for adults. Admission and parking are also free. Vendors displaying plants and herbal products for sale are staged throughout the property leaving space for attendees to enjoy the gardens. What is an herb? Originally the term was applied to any plant that died back
By Sharon Burke
In recent months, several residents have raised environmental concerns over Alamo’s new Hemme Station Park, under construction at the intersection of Danville Boulevard and Hemme Avenue. Before purchase by the Alamo Parks District from the SRV Fire Department in 2014, environmental assessments conducted by two different professional engineering firms cleared the park parcel. The first was commissioned by SRV Fire in 2006 and performed by Kleinfelder, and the second was commissioned by the County in 2014 and performed by ENGEO. In addition, in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the County performed an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration. Despite this triple review, it was discovered in late March that the two environmental firms and the CEQA reviewer had not been informed that the parcel hosted a Standard Oil filling station from 1936 to the 1950’s (end date uncertain) when that corner was the site of the Shady Way Inn, a roadside fruit stand and restaurant, with three gas pumps installed adjacent Alamo Municipal Advisory Council presents the to modern day Danville Boulevard, then State Highway 21.
SeeConcert Park continued Series on page 18 2017 Summer
Karen Mahshi and Denise Koroslev with some of the herb beds at Rodgers Ranch NCUHSA maintains. Photo by Jody Morgan.
BOCCE, MOVIES, & CONCERTS! Fridays 6:30 6:30-- 8:30p.m. at Livorna Park LIVORNA ( A t t h e c o PARK r n e r o fBOCCE L i v o r n aCOURTS R o a d a n dOPEN M i r a nJUNE d a A v e16 nue
in Alamo)
All Alamo residents are welcome to the grand public opening of the FREE ADMISSION! Livorna Park bocce ball courts, set to the ground in winter. Eventually the term designated any plant thought to for 6pm Friday, June 16. The bocce be useful to mankind. Holly Shimzu defines an herb as “plants (trees, shrubs, ball courts were authorized by the vines, perennials, biennials, or annuals) valued historically, presently, or po- Alamo Municipal Advisory Council in June 23rd: The Sun Kings tentially for their flavor, fragrance, medicinal qualities, insecticidal qualities, to Beatles a townwide survey which Performing theresponse music of The with driving economic or industrial use, or in the case of dyes, for the coloringenergy, material spot-onfound arrangements, vocal harmonies bocceand courts to be the number they provide (HSA’s Essential Guide to The Beginner’s Herb Garden). one recreational amenity desired by Herb Day gives the thirty or so active members of the Northern California residents. Total cost of the courts Unit (NCUHSA) the chance to share their individual expertise in all aspects will be around $600,000, funded by a of the use and culture of herbs in a fun-filled event open to everyone in the grant received from East Bay Regional The Sun Kings will perform the music of Beatles. JuneThe 30th: Mike Amaral’s community. Culinary use of herbs is always a popular topic, but at Herb Day Parks District through voter approved California Beach Boys attendees can also discover ways to use herbs in everything from household Measure WW. The two courts will be Tribute band to the Beach Boys bringing cleaners to potpourris and natural dyes. Young folks always enjoy making open during park hours, and will be harmonies, energy, and excitement precise leaf rubbings and floral head wreaths. Herbal teas and herbal flavored water available on a first come first served Volume XVII - Number 6 are available for tasting. 3000F Danville Blvd. #117, basis. The courts are not lit, and play Alamo, CA 94507 See Herb continued on page 22 will cease at nightfall.
Local Postal Customer
MOVIES UNDER THE STARS & July 7th: The Houserockers PRSRT STD CONCERT Rock & SoulSUMMER band playing timeless classics SERIES U.S. Postage
Enjoy therhythm following horn and sectionsevents which PAIDfeaturing dynamic are being presented by Alamo Parks Permit 263 and Recreation with support from the Alamo CA
ECRWSS
Alamo Municipal Advisory Council
See Livorna cont. on pg. 28
Telephone (925) 405-NEWS, 405-6397 Fax (925) 406-0547 Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher Editor@yourmonthlypaper.com Sharon Burke ~ Writer
The opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, and do not necessarily reflect that of Alamo Today. Alamo Today is not responsible for the content of any of the advertising herein, nor does publication imply endorsement.
July 14th: Cocktail Monkeys
Covering Rock, Pop and R&B hits spanning several decades with high-energy and showmanship
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PAGE 2 • ALAMO TODAY • JUNE 2017
BOULEVARD VIEW
By Alisa Corstorphine, Editor
Stenciled on the window of a Berkeley eatery there were the words, “Dietary restrictions are culinary opportunities.” As someone who works around various dietary needs amongst family and friends, that quote jumped out at me. Coming up with meal plans, or even going out to eat, can sometimes be a challenge. However, we live in a wonderful place that provides us with so many choices and a diversity of food options in restaurants, grocery stores, farmers markets, and even our own gardens. I feel I have only just tapped into the abundance of available ingredients to create from and consume, and happily it seems the opportunities are endless. As kids we ate what was put on the table. Everyone had the same thing although maybe we accessorized with a little extra salt, pepper, butter, or hot sauce. It seemed to work OK, but decades ago food allergies seemed much fewer and more obscure. I believe our evolution from hunter-gatherer to diets of fast food convenience haven’t necessarily made our lives better. When I watch food commercials on network TV channels, I see so many “foods” that are being hawked that just can’t be good for us. There’s so much artificial, processed, and sugar-loaded food being offered. The meals, snacks, and beverages are served in colors “not found in nature.” The food being promoted is so far removed from our caveman past, and it leaves me wondering, “Have we really evolved at all? Is this ‘progress?’” Last year my daughter took a job with a company called Imperfect Produce (www.imperfectproduce.com). The company’s mission is to sell “ugly” fruits and vegetables that grocery stores reject as either too big, too small, too crooked, curvy, or misshapen in some manner. A recently delivered box had apples with strange bumps on them, and they had the most wonderful flavor. Learning more about the bumps, I found they were healed over spots where hail had hit the apples during a critical growth time. Typically these apples would have gone to waste, but Imperfect Produce has created a new home-delivery
market for them. While some of the produce fits the description of being “ugly,” much of it is gorgeous and just surplus that the farmer would have to plow-under or pay to have hauled away. Imperfect has created a market that is a win-win for both the farmer and the consumer. The selection of available produce changes week to week, and we’ve found we are being exposed to some fruits and vegetables that are new to us as well. With the plethora of recipes available on the internet, we’ve taken this bounty and looked for new “culinary opportunities” that we can create with what arrives in our box each week. We have easily found ways to explore the new-tous selections such as burdock root and turmeric. There are also new varieties of favorites such as huckleberry potatoes and romanesco broccoli that expand our culinary horizons. It is hard to eat poorly with a fridge full of kale, squash, herbs, and melons! Trying new produce and incorporating other cuisines has set us on a fun new path of eating, and we’re all healthier as a result. It is no longer hamburger Mondays, taco Tuesdays, soup Wednesdays, pizza Thursdays, and fish Fridays. Taking these dietary needs for all into consideration, our cooking has evolved and we are now enjoying new delights such as cauliflower patties, sauerkraut, lemongrass and chili soup, chicken pot pie baked potatoes, and more. My backyard garden loved all the rain we got this year, and with the days getting longer and the weather warmer, it is delightful to be outside again. My backyard garden has started producing, which expands my cooking choices as well. I’ve already harvested herbs, greens, potatoes, and a bushel of artichokes. The NextDoor website (www.nextdoor.com) has been a great help when I have ripe produce to share quickly and easily with my neighbors. It’s a great way to pay it forward and give others the chance to explore new culinary opportunities for themselves as well. Alamo Municipal Advisory Council presents the
Ro u n d H i l l C o u n t r y C l u b
2017 Summer Concert Series
Fridays 6:30 6:30-- 8:30p.m. at Livorna Park (At the corner of Livorna Road and Miranda Avenue in Alamo)
FREE ADMISSION!
Offer Extended Through July 1
June 23rd: The Sun Kings
Performing the music of The Beatles with driving energy, spot-on arrangements, and vocal harmonies
Renovation Special
June 30th: Mike Amaral’s California Beach Boys
Tribute band to the Beach Boys bringing precise harmonies, energy, and excitement
Renovate your lifestyle In anticipation of our upcoming Clubhouse renovation, Round Hill Country Club is offering up to a $10,000 credit on a limited number of new Memberships.
July 7th: The Houserockers
Rock & Soul band playing timeless classics featuring dynamic horn and rhythm sections
• Golf Membership: Initiation $40,000*, receive a credit on the Member account of $10,000. • Tennis Membership: Initiation $6,000, receive a credit on the Member account of $3,000. • Associate-Swim Membership: Initiation $2,500, receive a credit on the Member account of $1,250. • Social Membership: Initiation $1250 -Back for a very limited offering Available through July 1, 2017. Promotional credits are usable for any charges other than Initiation Fees. Admissions Requirements apply. *Purchase of a share also required.
Please contact our Membership Office for more details at rhcc@roundhillcc.org or 925.314.2901 Offer subject to change without prior notice.
www.rhcountryclub.com
July 14th: Cocktail Monkeys
Covering Rock, Pop and R&B hits spanning several decades with high-energy and showmanship
July 28th: Moonalice
Psychedelic, roots-rock band mixing a variety of genres with extended musical improvisations
Bring blankets, chairs, snacks, family, and friends. For information, call recreation staff at (925) 313-2272.
editor @ yourmonthlypaper.com
JUNE 2017 • ALAMO TODAY • PAGE 3
Home values hit new highs in 2017! However luxury homes (homes selling for $1,850,000 or more) are the exception to the general appreciation trend. The median sales prices in this market segment have fallen since peaking in 2015. Thinking of selling your luxury home? The Realtor you list your home with does make a difference. Is there anything more important to you than the highest possible price? Please contact appointment.
me
for
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CAROLYN GWYNN Realtor®
| 925.336.7525
carolyn@thegwynngroup.com | www.carolyngwynn.com
COMMUNITY BAND PRESENTS FIFTEEN
The Danville Community Band wraps up its 15th Anniversary Season in grand fashion on Saturday, June 10 at 3PM at the Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. Their selection of tunes includes Leonard Bernstein’s “SLAVA!,” music from The Lion King, Jacob de Haan’s Ammerland, Steven Reineke’s Rise of the Firebird, and more! Also on the ticket are a World Premier performance of an original work, Oskar Bohme’s “Concerto in F Minor” featuring trumpeter Bill Lohman, and Tchaikowsky’s “FIFTEEN” “Finale from Symphony in F Minor No.4.” The band will also award its annual Student Instrument Scholarship to a deserving student. This successful program of giving back to the community by awarding a new instrument is now in its second decade. Tickets are available by calling (925) 943-7469. Tickets can also be purchased via walk-up sales and through the Lesher website at https:// lesherartscenter.showare.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=769. Ticket prices are Adult - $17, Senior - $15, Youth - $10, and Child - $8. The 85-member, all volunteer band continues to flourish under the baton of Dr. Robert Calonico and founding director Dr. Lawrence Anderson, and with the generous financial support of its grateful audiences. In addition to its regular concert schedule, the band will again be performing at the Memorial Day observance for the Viet Nam Veterans of the San Ramon Valley and the Kiwanis Independence Day parade in downtown Danville on the 4th of July. The Danville Community Band is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For more information about the band, visit www.danvilleband.org. DA N V I LLE CO M M U N I T Y B A N D P R E SE N T S
O U R 1 5 T H A N N I V E R SA R Y SE A SO N
F I N A LE P E R F O R M A N C E
J U N E 10 , 20 1 7 , 3:0 0 PM
L ES H ER C EN TER F O R THE ARTS
WAL N U T C REEK , C A.
(925)
943-SHOW 7 •4 •6 9 •
SAN RAMON VALLEY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
The San Ramon Valley Genealogical Society invites you to attend their June 20, 10AM meeting at the LDS Church, 2949 Stone Valley Road, Alamo. The program will be presented by Robert Jackson on “The Great German Migration,” focusing on the towns your ancestors may have come from. For more information, please visit www.srvgensoc.org.
ALAMO RUN
The fifth annual Alamo Run will take place at 8:30AM, Sunday, June 11 in downtown Alamo. Please visit alamorun.org to sign up. Registration is $35 for all events; a family rate of $100 is available for up to four family members. The run has been expanded to include a 5K family friendly/competitive run & 10K competitive run for serious runners. Baby joggers and dogs are also encouraged to participate in the 5K event. Same day registration will be available for an additional $5 fee. Same day registration will begin at 7AM at the northwest corner of Stone Valley Road and Danville Blvd. Prizes will be awarded to top youth runners in three age groups (18 and under) and also to seven adult age groups from ages 19 to 80 plus. The top two runners overall (male and female) Berries and Blossoms Picnic Basket for Two will receive special prizes. Includes: 2 dinner plates, 2 salad plates, 2 bowls, 2 wine glasses, 2 forks, 2 spoons, 2 knives, Additionally, the categories 1 wine opener, 2 napkins, 1 tablecloth. of fastest dog and fastest baby jogger will be recognized. Basket: 20” wide, 14.75” long, 8” tall Proceeds of the Run are used to support the youth education programs of the Walnut Walnut Creek, Broadway Plaza Creek based, Mt. Diablo Peace Danville, The Livery & Justice Center.
295.00
PAGE 4 • ALAMO TODAY • JUNE 2017
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ALAMO PRIVATE GATED ESTATE 6 Bedrooms | 7.5 Baths | 7,100 square feet
Absolutely stunning GATED ESTATE created on 2.4 acres for maximum privacy and panoramic views. Design inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright featuring a MASTER SUITE on the main level with two full baths. Beautiful courtyard entry, luxurious yards, and manicured gardens showcase the sparkling pool. A unique design of space creates the opportunity to escape and enjoy private parts of the house. CAR enthusiast enjoys the FIVE CAR GARAGE to house your special cars or the everyday family vehicles. Lots of additional parking for friends and special occasions… A SEPARATE GUEST COTTAGE provides ideal in-law, au pair, gym, or private office.
CALL TODAY FOR A PRIVATE SHOWING TOTALLY TRAINS: MODELS AND MEMORABILIA
The Museum of the San Ramon Valley once again proudly presents the exhibit Totally Trains: Models and Memorabilia from June 24 to August 7 running through the Freight Room at the Museum Depot. The main layout of the exhibit has two elevations with four running trains, scenery, bridges, a trestle, tunnel, and a village with a replica of the Museum, the former Southern Pacific Depot. A secondary layout features a number of working accessories. On display are items from three private collections of model trains dating from the early to mid-1900s. They include Lionel & American Flyer Standard gauge and Marx O gauge. Don’t forget to purchase a Totally Trains Family Pass. This family ticket is only $10 and allows for unlimited visits to the exhibit! Totally Trains will be open with special train hours: • Tuesday through Saturday – 10AM to 1PM • Sunday – 12PM to 3PM • Closed Mondays First Friday Free (FFF) is a new tradition of opening the museum for free on the first Friday of the month. In addition to the regular 10-1 hours, the museum will re-open from 6PM to 8PM. Please drop by. The Museum of the San Ramon Valley is located in the restored train depot on the corner of Railroad and Prospect Avenues in downtown Danville. Free parking is available. For additional information, call (925) 837-3750, e-mail srvmuseum@sbcglobal.net, or visit www.museumsrv.org.
$3,798,000
Hilda Elmore—Cal BRE #00519888 Luxury Collection Specialist Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Drysdale Properties 588 San Ramon Valley Blvd. #250 Danville, CA 94526 925.577.4911 hildaelmore@gmail.com www.hildaelmore.com
VOLUNTEER AT MT. DIABLO STATE PARK
There are several exciting volunteer opportunities at Mt. Diablo State Park over the upcoming months. Projects needing assistance are: • Maintaining and improving hiking trails throughout the park • Control of invasive plants, such as yellow star thistle • Repairing and repainting park facilities, such as fences, picnic tables, and outhouses Service projects out in nature tend be excellent team-building activities, and they can support feelings of cooperation and respect among school groups, community organizations, and co-workers. Projects can accommodate a range of participant ages and group sizes, and a work day for weekends or week days can be planned. Volunteer Field Projects Coordinator can work with you and your organization to design a project that will make a significant contribution to our beautiful park, and that will be a fun and memorable experience for you and your organization. For answers to questions and for more information, contact Silas Ellison at 925-837-6122, 925-837-6819, by cell phone at 617-335-6833, or by email at silas.ellison@parks.ca.gov.
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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JUNE 2017 • ALAMO TODAY • PAGE 5
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SONS IN RETIREMENT
SAN RAMON VALLEY BRANCH 128
Are you looking for things to do in your retirement? Consider joining Sons in Retirement San Ramon Valley Branch 128. The group has monthly luncheons with interesting speakers and good fellowship. Additionally, members have lots of fun participating in a variety of activities including golf, bowling, bocce ball, movies, cooking, finance, bridge, reading, computers, and much more. Many other activities such as travel, dine outs, excursions, baseball games and holiday parties include spouses, friends, and guests. The group’s next monthly luncheon will be held on Wednesday, June st 21 at 11AM. The guest speaker will be Malcom Sher from Contra Costa County’s Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). Sher sits on the Board of Directors of CASA, which provides volunteer advocacy services to children who are dependents of the Juvenile Court. Be ready for a very interesting presentation. Your $25 luncheon includes a meal, guest speaker, and a great opportunity to socialize with at least 170 other retirees from the San Ramon Valley. To reserve a space, please email by Thursday, June 15th to www.info@ SIR128.com. The meeting will take place at The Bridges Golf Club, 9000 S. Gale Ridge, San Ramon. For more information about this retirement branch and activities, please visit www.SIR128.com.
SONS IN RETIREMENT BRANCH 116
Branch 116 Sons In Retirement, a group for retired or semiretired men, will be holding its 11:30AM lunch meeting on June 19 at the Clubhouse at Boundary Oak, 3800 Valley Vista Road, Walnut Creek. The guest speaker will be Dr. Brian Hopkins, a board certified urologist, who will be speaking on a myriad of urological problems which affect older men. The cost to attend the program is $25. For reservations or information, call (925) 322-1160 or email branch116@gmail.com. For more information about this men’s group, visit www.branch116.org.
FREE MUSTANG CAR SHOW
The Bay Area Mustang Association presents “Ponies and Snakes,” a free judged car show featuring Mustangs and Cobras on display will be held on Sunday, June 25th from 10am to 3pm at the Danville Livery located at 400 Sycamore Valley Road West in Danville. There will be awards, live music, a charity raffle, and more. For additional information and online registration to display your car visit PoniesandSnakes.com.
OPENING NIGHT PARTY: SCULPTURE IN THE GARDEN
Celebrate the unveiling of the 23rd Annual Sculpture in the Garden exhibition, and mingle with the artists. Enjoy live music by The Retroz Band and food by Roderick’s BBQ food truck. Over 50 artists from the Bay Area and beyond transform the Garden into a unique art exhibit. The sculptures line Garden pathways for a one-of-a-kind visitor experience. The event will take place on Saturday, June 17 from 5pm - 8pm at The Ruth Bancroft Garden, 1552 Bancroft Road, Walnut Creek. Advance ticket purchase is required. General admission is $25. Food and drinks are sold separately. For a list of featured artists and event information, please visit www.ruthbancroftgarden.org.
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PAGE 6 • ALAMO TODAY • JUNE 2017
ROLE PLAYERS ENSEMBLE PRESENTS HONKY
The Role Players Ensemble presents Honky by Greg Kalleres on Saturday, June 24 at 8pm and Sunday, June 25 at 2pm. The presentation will take place at Peace Lutheran Church, 3201 Camino Tassajara in Danville. A pair of sneakers triggers a tragedy…and a unique conversation about race relations in America. Honky is a provocative and hilarious take on the language of race and racism. Political correctness goes out the window as five people, both black and white, muddle through one of the most difficult discussions of our time. Each performance will be followed by an open discussion of the plays themes and will feature the artists and experts who have worked on this presentation. Honky is directed by Eric Fraisher Hayes and features Michael L. Grayson II, Dorian Lockett, Aaron Murphy, Edward Nattenberg, Kimberly Ridgeway, and Aaron Wilton. For full season information or to purchase $25 tickets online, visit Kimberly Ridgeway and Edward Nattenberg www.RolePlayersEnsemble.com. in Honky
VETERANS MEMORIAL BUILDING OF SRV
ROTA RY H O N O R S E D U C ATO R S A N D STUDENTS
One of the Rotary Club of Alamo’s most rewarding and inspiring annual programs is the awards the Club presents to the Educators of the Year and Students of the Year from five local schools including Alamo Elementary School, Rancho Romero Elementary School, Stone Valley Middle School, Monte Vista High School, and San Ramon Valley High School. The Educator of the Year Award recognizes the personal commitment that the recipient demonstrates on a day-by-day basis, despite all the challenges. Teachers select the students of the year based on academics, school activities, and community service. The Rotary Club of Alamo has been sponsoring the Educators and Students of the Year Award program for over 30 years.
Educators and Students of the Year: Back Row L to R: Cindy Chin, representing Assemblywoman Catherine Baker; Mary Dietler, Alamo Elementary School; Chris Sherwood, Stone Valley Middle School Educator of the Year; Jack Prichard, Stone Vally Student of the Year; Monte Vista High School Principal Dr. Kevin Ahern; San Ramon Valley High School Educator of the Year Eric Melvin; San Ramon Valley Student of the Year Cassandra (CJ) Mack; San Ramon Valley Assistant Principal Jamie Keith; Rancho Romero Principal Skye Larsh; and Rancho Romero Educator of the Year Deneka EllensHoralek. Front Row L to R: Alamo School Student of the Year Ryan Mead; Alamo School Educator of the Year Andrea Fettig; Monte Vista Student of the Year Sierra Taylor; Monte Vista Educator of the Year Sue Gordon; Rancho Romero Student of the Year Tyler Singer; Rancho Romero Teacher Allie Raney; and Jennifer Quallick, representing Contra Costa County Supervisor Candace Andersen. Photo by Skip Kuebel.
The Veterans Memorial Building of San Ramon Valley, located at 400 Hartz Avenue in Danville, offers a Historic Military Museum & Library as well as a Veteran Resource Center. The Museum & Library is open Monday through Friday from 9AM to 3PM. Every Saturday from 8AM to 11AM a Veteran Coffee and Pastry social is held. To access resources for Veterans, you can connect with a County Veteran Service Officer every Wednesday from 10AM to 2PM. For an appointment, call (925) 313-1481. To learn more about the Veteran’s facility and programs, visit www. vmbsrv.org or email info@vmbsrv.org.
Alamo Municipal Advisory Council presents
2017 Movie Under the Stars Movie starts at 8:45 p.m. Livorna Park in Alamo.
(Located at the corner of Livorna Road and Miranda Avenue)
Admission is Free
The Secret Life of Pets Friday, June 16th
Finding Dory Friday, July 21st
Bring blankets, chairs, flashlights, snacks, family and friends. For information call recreation staff at (925) 313-2272.
editor @ yourmonthlypaper.com
JUNE 2017 • ALAMO TODAY • PAGE 7
The Cox Team R E A L E S TAT E
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DANVILLE CHILDREN’S TRIATHLON
Children ages 7-10 are invited to “tri” the sport of triathlon at the Second Annual Danville Children’s Triathlon, which will be held on July 29 at Monte Vista High School. This swim-bike-run event is a great way to introduce children to the sport of triathlon. The majority of participants in the 2016 event were first-time triathletes. In order to keep the focus on safety and fun, the event isn’t timed. All participants will receive a finisher’s medal and hat. Race distances for the age groups: • Ages 7 & 8: Swim four laps (100 yards), bike one mile, run one lap (.25 miles) around the track • Ages 9 & 10: Swim six laps (150 yards), bike two miles, run two laps (.50 miles) around the track. An information session is scheduled for July 28. At the meeting, parents and athletes will hear about the event and be able to ask questions. Registration can be done online at www.danvillerecguide.com or by contacting the Danville Community Center at (925) 314-3400.
BLACKHAWK REPUBLICAN WOMEN
The Blackhawk Republican Women invite you to an informative luncheon meeting with Shirley Mark, President, of California Federation of Republican Women, who will share how to “Tap into the Power of Republican Women Federated.” The luncheon will take place Thursday, June 15 at the Blackhawk Country Club, Main Dining Room. Everyone is welcome. Check-in is at 11:15AM and the social and lunch begin at noon. The cost is $30. Do you realize that the California Federation of Republican Women is part of the largest women’s all volunteer political organization in the country (and, hence, probably the world)? That’s why candidates come to meetings to get elected. How does this organization serve you, and how can you leverage its resources to develop your talents to strengthen the party to elect candidates of your choosing? The group feels privileged to have Shirley Mark coming to their June luncheon meeting to give the answers! Shirley is a member of the Paso Robles Republican Women Federated since 1997 and has served in many positions in her local club and in the Central Division of the California Federation of Republican Women (CFRW). Come learn how to put the largest woman-powered volunteer political organization to work for you and the Grand Old Party! Please make your reservations by e-mailing or calling Jane Parish at janeparish@sbcglobal.net or (925) 216-6663, then mailing a check made payable to “Blackhawk Republican Women” to her Gopher/Mole Removal at 366 Jacaranda Drive, Danville 94506-2125, to arrive by Tuesday, June 13th.
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PAGE 8 • ALAMO TODAY • JUNE 2017
ALAMO ELEMENTARY
By Stan Hitomi, Principal
The end of each year is a time to stop and reflect upon all that has gone on at school for the past 10 months. Nowhere is that better captured than in my annual yearbook letter to our students, staff, and families. This year I thought I would share that letter to the many friends that follow our school in Alamo Today.
FROM THE PRINCIPAL #MANINCHARGE
Our theme this year is WE ARE ALAMO and #alamonation. There are many definitions for a nation, but the one I like is: a group that shares the same history, traditions, or language. Our experience as a nation began in 1865, and we continued to add to our legacy as ALAMO NATION this year! This year we paid close attention to words, and how Words Matter. In February our PTA helped us celebrate “kindness” in our first Words Matter Week. In March our Site Council planned a month of activities to help us all learn about “responsibility.” The activities included announcements made by students, artwork, a word tree, and Mrs. Raaum teaching us responsibility songs. The part I liked best was an assembly where we met our Students of the Month. Thank you Mrs. Mayer’s first-grade class for organizing and leading the assembly! We also added some new activities that may become traditions. Family Weekend, sponsored by our EdFund, included dodged ball and a dance. We were also introduced to One-On-One Sports that helped to make recess more exciting. Then there was Harvest of the Month that taught us that eating healthy can be delicious! Even some of our oldest traditions saw a little bit of change. Our beloved Hoedown moved into the evening. Having the Hoedown at night with lights made it more fun than ever! Food trucks, a climbing wall, and friends… what could be more fun? But the best part of Alamo School for me are the many traditions that have been around for a long, long time, including the Halloween Parade, Talent Show, Book Fair, and Family Reading Night that we continue to enjoy today. As you look through this yearbook you will find many of your favorite memories from 2016-2017. I hope you get a chance to collect autographs and messages from friends, classmates, and teachers that you will be able to look at again and again to remember this year at Alamo School. Thank you to the parents and staff at Alamo School for making our nation, ALAMO NATION, a proud place to be.
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RANCHO ROMERO ELEMENTARY
By Skye Larsh-Faraghan, Principal
On behalf of the teachers and staff at Rancho Romero, I would like to thank all of our parents, families, and community partners for another successful year of teaching and learning. The school and district are incredibly fortunate to have this level of support. As a result, children are afforded the highest quality of educational opportunities. We are also very excited to share with you that the Board of Education appointed Sandra Kontilis as Rancho’s new principal. Mrs. Kontilis joins Rancho Romero with years of experience in the community and will offically begin July 1. She has served as the Assistant Principal at Stone Valley Middle School since 2014. Welcome Mrs. Kontilis!
CINEMA CLASSICS
PARENTHOOD By Peggy Horn
This month’s Cinema Classic is Parenthood (1989). The cast includes Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Dianne Wiest, Jason Robards, Rick Moranis, Joaquin Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, and Tom Hulce. Dianne Wiest was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Best Supporting Actress in this movie, and the actors Tom Hulce and Joaquin Phoenix have been nominated for Academy Awards for their work in other films, so there was a lot of talent in this movie. Parenthood was directed by Ron Howard. Howard also contributed to the story development along with screenwriters Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel and film producer Brian Grazer. The film was also nominated for its second of two nominations with the Academy Award for Best Original Song, “I Love To See You Smile,” by Randy Newman (It lost to “The Little Mermaid” at the 1990 Academy Awards). The story line delves into various family issues, some serious and many humorous. Gil Buckman (Steve Martin) is a father and husband, happily married to Karen (Mary Steenburgen), and they have three children. Their oldest child is struggling with some emotional difficulties which causes them concern, but they console themselves with the apparently worse circumstances facing Gil’s divorced sister, Helen. Both of Helen’s kids seem to be troubled. And then there’s Gil’s younger brother, Larry (Tom Hulce), who is perpetually in need of a loan to pay off his gambling debts. The plot extends to Gil’s
See Parenthood continued on page 30
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JUNE 2017 • ALAMO TODAY • PAGE 9
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MONTE VISTA HIGH SCHOOL
By Dr. Kevin Ahern, Principal
Monte Vista is finishing 2016-17 with our usual flair and excitement. Over the final weeks of the school year, our primary focus becomes our Senior Class as they enter the last days of their high school careers. Our celebration began in earnest on Friday, May 19 with our annual Senior Breakfast which was followed by our Senior Awards Rally where we honored our graduating seniors with a wide array of speeches, recognitions, and awards. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the balance of MV’s seniors piled into buses for one last trip to Six Flags. On Wednesday, May 24, Monte Vista once again experienced our annual Powder Puff flag football between our Senior and Junior Class girls. The seniors won big this year, but the event was well attended and lots of fun for all involved. Due to our new schedule, Finals Week kicked off a little earlier this year. Monte Vista students with A period classes took their finals on Friday, May 26 while the rest of the student body enjoyed their finals on May 30, 31, and June 1. And everything culminated on Friday, June 2 with Graduation Day. That morning, Monte Vista’s seniors enjoyed a nice breakfast provided by MV’s PTSA before heading to graduation practice and then home to prepare for the actual ceremony. Finally at 6 PM, the 2016-17 school year officially concluded with Monte Vista’s Commencement Ceremony. Three Monte Vista seniors and a faculty member were recently recognized for their achievements by community organizations. First, Michigan-bound Sierra Taylor and Monte Vista Dance Teacher Sue Gordon were honored by Alamo Rotary as the Student and Teacher of the Year. The next day, Boston Hubbard received the Monte Vista PTA Scholarship at their annual awards breakfast. Last, Cal Poly-bound senior, Jenna Bloom was honored by the Danville Rotary as Monte Vista’s Female Athlete of the Year. I would like to express my gratitude to our local community organizations for their ongoing support of the students and staff at Monte Vista. Monte Vista’s Athletic Teams finished 2016-17 off with great accolades, as well. MV’s Women’s Swimming Team capped off a stellar season with a CIF State Championship to their NCS and EBAL banners. Congrats to Coach Dow Stewart and his team of incredible athletes. Men’s Golf also enjoyed an amazing spring,
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bringing home NCS and EBAL Championships. At press time, MV Baseball was making a playoff run, and our Track and Field athletes are headed to the NCS Championships to vie for a spot in the CIF Championship Meet in June. As the school year draws to a close, Monte Vista’s students and faculty would like to thank our community for their continued support throughout 2016-17. We are awesome and your support is a big part of that.
FAMILY HISTORY CENTER
The Danville Family History Center has been open and serving the community for almost two decades. Everyone is welcome during library hours to use the resources available. There is a friendly and experienced staff who volunteer to help you to utilize the materials, including the Family Search web portal to over a dozen subscription-based genealogical research services, such as Ancestry.com. In addition, you may order online and have films or microfiche shipped from the main Salt Lake Library for viewing in our center. We are located inside the LDS building at 2949 Stone Valley Road. Enter the left side of the building. Hours are Monday 1-4pm, Tuesday 7-9pm, and Wednesday 10-4pm and 7-9pm. For questions, call 925-552-5920. 8
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PAGE 10 • ALAMO TODAY • JUNE 2017
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CONTRA COSTA PARENT PARTNER PROGRAM HELPS REUNITE FAMILIES
By Supervisor Candace Andersen, Contra Costa County, District 2
The County has the responsibility of overseeing the foster care of children in our community whose parents cannot care for them. Where possible, we want to reunify children with their parents. From its unremarkable beginning in 2003, Contra Costa’s Parent Partner Program has grown into a remarkable model that has changed the face of Child Welfare in the Bay Area, California, and beyond. Parent partner programs bring together parents currently in the child welfare system with parents who were involved with the child welfare system in the past and succeeded in being reunited with their children. The mentorship that parent partners provide brings hope, realistic expectations, support, and guidance to parents working toward reunification. Parent Partners collaborate with social workers and providers to meet the needs of families, assist in policy and program development, change perceptions in communities, and facilitate trainings and learning opportunities. Contra Costa County Children and Family Services (CFS) was already a very successful Child Welfare provider with state-of-the-art Independent Living Program, next-generation foster parent training and support, as well as innovative community collaborations when the Parent Partner program began 14 year ago. CFS invited parents who had been successfully reunified with their children to act as mentors for parents currently going through the system. In this role, they act as a coach, teacher, advocate, and counselor to the families they serve. Drawing on their own experience in successfully navigating the child welfare system, they help parents understand their rights and responsibilities while connecting them with the resources they need. Some are also bilingual, working with both monolingual and English-speaking families. Parent Partner Venny Mondragon explains, “My previous experience working in substance abuse treatment helped me to develop the compassion and clear focus that inspires positive change in the families I now serve here in Contra Costa County. I’ve also overcome some significant obstacles of my own. Growing up witnessing violence and being involved with the criminal justice system at a young age, I found a way to break old patterns and become a role model to my son, while earning the respect of the community, judges, social workers, and other client-serving professionals. In 2013, I was recognized as a Man of Merit for demonstrating that violence does not equal strength and for the impact I’ve made throughout my life as a result of these positive changes.” The idea for the program began with a System of Care Grant, the development of a model, and the hiring of exactly the right Parent Partners who could be supportive and nurturing and yet explain to parents the realities of their situation in a “straight talk” kind of way. Parent Partners would take their calls at times the offices were closed and when no one else was available: on their children’s birthdays, holidays, and times they felt discouraged. From the beginning, Parent Partners chose to believe that people who know better do better, so they coached the parents and taught them the skills that they needed to be successful. They reached out to fathers who felt marginalized, parents in substance abuse treatment programs, and those in the West County Detention Facility. The Parent Partners were the face of hope: they could honestly say, “If I could get my children back, so can you. Let me show you how.” The outcomes have been far greater than CFS ever expected. Parents who had Parent Partners have been approximately 50 percent more likely to be reunified with their children and 50 percent less likely to experience recidivism. In 2008, CFS collaborated with the Child Abuse Prevention Council (CAPC) of Contra Costa County which assumed the day-to-day responsibilities of administering the program that continued to be housed in the county buildings and interface seamlessly with county staff and services. The remarkable outcomes did not go unnoticed, and in the ensuing years, Contra Costa County’s Parent Partner Program became a national model for peer support programs. It has been modified and replicated in various counties in California and throughout the United States. Recently, it received international attention with a request to host a visitor from Australia who wants to understand the model in order to replicate it Down Under. To get a firsthand look at how this innovative approach works, view a video by visiting https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=aRZT2telOoo. The video features Dave Mason, one of eleven Parent Partners who teaches other parents how to leverage services and create safe, healthy environments while becoming self-sufficient. For more information about the Parent Partner program, contact Judith Knittel at (925) 602-6956. 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.
150 YEAR CELEBRATIONS: WHY? By Beverly Lane
In recent decades, California sesquicentennial celNEW YEAR ebrations have been everywhere, beginning with ones • CARPET NEW FLOORS! featuring California’s Gold Rush in 1998 and statehood • HARDWOOD in 2000. So much changed in California with the Gold • CARPET RUGS Rush and so many communities were founded by miners th not long afterwards that 150 parties have been the thing CUSTOM RUGS • HARDWOOD all over the state. Pinole celebrated in 2016, Lafayette • RUGS LINOLEUM in 1999, San Ramon this year, and Concord plans to celebrate in 2018. • LINOLEUM TILE Each community or city counts its 150th year from a different event, often the first post office or, with LafayFamily Owned Business ette, its first American settlers in 1849. Although Alamo The new large business in San Ramon, Aerojet-General Nucleonics, put this float in Since 1989 didn’t have such a celebration, it could have had one in the Centennial Parade in 1958. Donated recently to the museum by Ginny Fereira. 2002 since its very early post office was founded in 1852. 3344 Mt. Diablo Blvd. In our valley, Danville people really got into these celebrations, beginning Tony Cicero, and the local Chamber of Commerce Lafayette, CA with the Danville Centennial in 1958, a Silver Centennial in 1983-4, and a to organize the Confederacy of Danville -- and one 925.284.4440 thing led to another. The Confederacy announced Sesquicentennial in 2008. The history of Danville’s centennial is an unusual one. Promoter and pied piper Russel Glenn (developer of the Danville Hotel in the press that Danville was withdrawing from www.LamorindaFloors.com License# 708486 Territory) enlisted the support of John May, Tom Ohlson, Bill Hockins, See Celebrations cont. on page 20
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JUNE 2017 • ALAMO TODAY • PAGE 11
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Diablo Scorpions’ Kings won the U12A Boys Northern California Junior Lacrosse Championship on Sunday, May 21st . The Kings played teams from Redwood City to Petaluma to Folsom and finished the season 18-1. Standing: Wesley Powell, Graham Kol, Ryan Dreuth, Coach Ted Volk, JonCarlo Romo, Logan Tuell, Judd Phillips, Sebastian Peng, Cody Hersh, Coach Steve Flanagan, Elliot Kunz, Spencer Biles. On ground: Coach Mike Emerson, Nick Johnson, Jerome Chung, Harrison Vassel, Thomas Ivanov, Cooper Kennedy, Cooper Flanagan, Tate Ryan, Eli Volk
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Do you hate speaking in front of a group? You’re not alone. But good presentation skills are demanded by nearly every employer these days. Toastmasters can help! Toastmasters is an organization where people can fine-tune their speaking skills and receive valuable feedback. Beginning and advanced speakers are welcome. Local chapter Danville AM Toastmasters meets every Tuesday from 7 to 8:30AM in downtown Danville. For the location and other details, please visit 4143.toastmastersclubs.org, or email DanvilleAMToastmasters@gmail.com.
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PAGE 12 • ALAMO TODAY • JUNE 2017
QUICK TRIPS
BROOKS ISLAND By Linda Summers Pirkle
The headlines “Osprey Hatchling Thrills Birdwatchers” in a local newspaper caught my eye. Who doesn’t like good thrilling news these days? Young sea hawks named Rosie and Richmond have been the subject of a live web-cam with an audience of over 24,000 viewers. The nest where all the action is taking place is located 75 feet above ground on a decommissioned World War II Whirley crane on the shoreline near Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond. Birdwatchers, scientists, and anyone who has been watching the drama unfold were thrilled with the hatching of the first fledgling on May 12 and the second chick on May 14. If you Google the site Osprey in Richmond, you can see the nest and the new chicks. Look beyond the nest in a couple of the photos, and you will see the subject of my article: Brooks Island, a 75-acre piece of land with a 159-foot peak and 2.5 miles of walking trails. The island’s unique history includes Indigenous Ohlone peoples as well as goat and oyster farmers. Today it is managed by the East Bay Regional Park District as a preserve and bird sanctuary. Access to Brooks Island is limited to certain times of the day due to the tides, weather conditions, and mud flats that surround the island, so I was excited to be one of the fortunate few on the first expedition this year. We boarded AM Dolphin Charters at 7:15 from Berkeley Marina with Sara Fetterly, Supervising Naturalist. Our group of 25 (the maximum for each tour) learned about the unique history of the island and with binoculars were able to spot all kinds of birds. We even learned how to tell the gender of Oystercatchers (all females have full eye flecks and males have either slight eye flecks or no eye flecks). In 1848, when it was known as Isla de Carmen, it became a part of the U.S. In 1853, the name was changed to Brooks Island and was also known as “Sheep Island” where goats grazed. Ironically, the nearby Island Yerba Buena was known as “Goat Island” was where sheep were raised—no goats. In 1962, “Sheep Island” was leased to Bing Crosby and his group of gun club associates who escaped the paparazzi for afternoons while hunting pheasant. Our guide pointed out the huge BBQ pit the Hollywood crowd used when Bing and his cronies entertained. “Trader Vic” Bergeron of restaurant fame was a frequent visitor and often was chef for the day. Matt, the caretaker and only human inhabitant of Brooks Island, greeted us when we arrived at the dock. Our naturalist Sara explained, “Matt’s job as caretaker is to protect the island and its natural resources. This includes the nesting colony of Caspian terns.” Visitors are only allowed on the main part of the island as part of a naturalist led tour, so Matt patrols the island and makes sure that unauthorized boaters don’t try to land. Over one hundred bird species are visitors to the island. In addition to Caspian terns, there are Canada geese, egrets, osprey, and others, all with nests on the island. Just as we were pulling into the dock we saw an Osprey that had built her nest on a wooden tower off shore. Our group hiked along a pathway through wildflowers up the only hill on the island where we were rewarded with a spectacular panoramic 360º view of the BayArea. Tours last five hours including the boat ride to and from the island. Guided tours are available by reservation only. The Park District also leads public kayak tours to the island. Call the District Reservations office at (510) 636-1684 at least one month in advance of your planned visit. Information about Ospreys and how local residents can help them is available on the website that hosts the nest video stream, SFBayOspreys.org. Linda Summers Pirkle, travel consultant and long term Danville resident, has arranged and led tours for the Town of Danville for several years. Inspired by the many wonderful places to visit in the Bay Area, she organizes day trips, either for groups or for friends and family. “What a great place to live, so much to see, so much to do.” To share your “Quick Trips” ideas, email Coverthemap@gmail.com.
A TASTE OF JAPAN
By Andrea Lucash, Alamo World Travel
In preparation for the 2020 Olympics, I decided to take a quick five-day trip to Japan, spending three days in modern Tokyo and two in traditional Japan. Tokyo by far has to be the cleanest and quietest city in the world. Everyone is so polite and respectful of others. Talking on cell phones is not permitted on the subways, but texting certainly is and thus the quietness. While walking on the city streets, I barely saw anyone talking on their cell phone or heard any cars beeping horns. The taxi drivers have an automatic door which opens to let you in and are incredibly clean. Even though the peak time of the year for cherry blossoms was about 10 days prior to my arrival, I was still lucky enough to see some in bloom and learn about the different varieties. On a clear day, you can see a view of the magnificent Mt. Fuji, a two-hour ride from Tokyo. Besides exploring the unique shopping in Tokyo, I recommend going to watch Sumo wrestlers practice at a training facility. You sit on a mat on the floor and watch them stretch, exercise, and practice. So much is going on in the ring. It is a show! In the evening, I went to the Robot Restaurant show which can only be described as a mix of Mardi Gras and the Disney Main Street Electrical Parade with robots. There’s a lot of music, energy, and lights, and it’s certainly an experience not to be missed. After my three days in Tokyo, I took the bullet train to Kyoto, passing many rice fields being prepared for the growing season. Upon arrival, I hopped on the local train to the bamboo forest. It was very peaceful and quiet. On a windy day, you could see the trees swaying and hear bamboo music. After the bamboo forest, I hopped back on the local train to the Fushimi Inari shrine. You probably have seen many pictures of this famous shrine and its red-orange tori gates snaking up the mountain. The hike is about 2 ½ miles and takes about 2 1/2 hours. If you’re not a hiker, you can still walk through some of the gates; they’re amazing to see. The following day I took a private tour with one of our destination specialists. I highly recommend private tours, as they can be customized to your preferences. Interestingly, my guide was not of Japanese origin, and this offered a unique perspective on the Japanese culture. He has lived in Kyoto for 22 years, and his belief in Zen Buddhism is what brought him there. We visited the highlights of Kyoto, which included the Ninji Castle, the Golden Pavilion, a Zen Buddhism garden, and the local market. At the market, I tried some matcha ice cream and grilled mochi. I was also quite surprised to learn the high price of fruits and vegetables. Sticker shock was beyond words. Now I know why my meals in Japan consisted of very small portions of vegetables. After the market we went to one of my favorite activities, geisha watching. My guide took me to a secret street to watch the geishas coming and going. He told me that if we saw paparazzi, we knew the geishas would be out that evening. Boy, was he right. The geishas walk quickly, so it was challenging to capture that moment in a picture/video. While watching the geishas, my guide explained the five years of training it takes to officially become a geisha. My visit to Japan was a short but memorable experience. I can only think about my return to visit more shrines and villages. Japanese ramen, sashimi, and heated toilet seats are awaiting you. I would recommend every traveler put Japan on their bucket list. I look forward to helping you plan your itinerary to Asia and learn about new cultures. Please call me at (925) 837-8742 ext. 19 or email me at alucash@alamoworld. com for assistance with planning your itinerary to Asia and experiencing a new culture. Advertorial
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JUNE 2017 • ALAMO TODAY • PAGE 13
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PAGE 14 • ALAMO TODAY • JUNE 2017
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THE ART OF SCREENING
By Blaine Brende & Joe Lamb
Trees and shrubs provide many valuable services in the urban ecosystem. One of the most important, from the perspective of homeowners, is screening for privacy and to hide undesired objects. Well-placed foliage can keep out prying eyes and enhance personal safety, and a view of beautiful leaves and branches gives more pleasure than the view of a neighbor’s garage. Over the long run, preserving a living screen requires planning and judicious pruning. Plants grow toward the sun; they maximize foliage where there is most light. As trees mature, the density of the canopy can act as an umbrella and shade out the interior lower branches, which causes them to die. To see a clear example of this, look at a mature oak in the forest. The majority of foliage is in the outer shell; the interior is bare. This natural phenomenon works well for plants in the wild, but it may not succeed well for your screening needs. Luckily, there are ways to avoid this loss of valuable screening. All strategies for maintaining screen involve keeping sunlight flowing to interior branches. Sufficient light on the leaves reduces dieback. It is best to act before the screen is compromised (an ounce of pruning is better than a ton of replanting). In plants with latent buds, English laurels for example, trunks can re-sprout even after interior branches have withered. However, many species lack latent buds and are incapable of re-sprouting, and for those species preventative medicine is the only medicine. Even for species with latent buds, keeping branches healthy is much easier, and more effective, than reinvigorating them. • Eliminate light competition from surrounding plants. Evaluate the plants growing near your screen plants to see if they are casting a shadow on branches critical to screening. Plants shading out important screen plants can be removed, or they can be thinned and shaped to increase
illumination of screening branches. • Thin the screen plants themselves. This may seem counter intuitive, but the exterior of the screen plant may be shading its interior. It is not uncommon to see 40-foot pittosporums that look like balloons, with the only green occurring in the canopy. To revitalize, it is generally best to remove all dead wood, thin the top heavily, and even thin the screen area. The goal is to maintain layers of green from the edge of the canopy through the interior. A thick, multi-layered screen is less prone to failure. If it is not acceptable to lose any bottom screen, even temporarily, a good compromise is to thin those portions above the screen area. Thinning only one portion of the tree is an aesthetic challenge, but it can be done. • Shape the tops of screen plants. It is sometimes possible to shape back the tops of screen plants to allow more light to reach the lower branches. Our philosophy of pruning requires that the overall beauty of the plants be considered in all pruning cuts. Because health and beauty are often synonymous, we have found that bringing light into the interior usually enhances tree aesthetics. What do you do if you have already lost the screen? It is difficult to get branches to grow back once they have died, but radically thinning or lowering the plant may induce growth in lower foliage. Unfortunately, this is hard to achieve without sacrificing the aesthetics of your trees and shrubs. Sometimes it is possible to fill the gap with shade-loving plants. Other times the only solution might be to remove the plant and start over. Each case is different. If you need help, do not hesitate to give us a call, for advice or to do the work. At Brende and Lamb, we have 20 years of experience balancing the aesthetics of your trees and shrubs and maintaining your screening needs. If your trees need a little TLC, please call 510-486TREE (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. Advertorial
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TECHNOLOGY MATTERS
COMPUTER SECURITY IN THE ERA OF WANNACRY By Evan Corstorphine, Portable CIO, Inc.
You may have read about the recent world-wide ransomware attack called “WannaCry.” It shone a bright light on a problem that has become exponentially worse in the last few years. The malware and viruses being released today are “weaponized grade” software that were largely developed by government agencies (CIA, NSA) and released into the wild through “WikiLeaks.” These are no longer simple programs the kids next door wrote. These were written by governments for spying and penetrating targets, and they have been co-opted by criminal syndicates who will enrich themselves on the backs of the unprepared. Fighting back takes an organized, layered approach, and it is far more involved than an average person is going to know how to do themselves or have the time to research. It is not enough to simply “avoid bad websites” or to “not open questionable emails” from people you don’t know. Many people don’t understand that you can get infected without clicking a single thing on a website, or even by simply receiving an email with a toxic payload; you don’t have to open the email to become infected. Website spoofing and phishing emails make criminal actions look perfectly legitimate. Pop-ups can take over your system and encourage you to call fake, predatory companies who are posing as legitimate industry leaders. These people are experts at being criminals; can you say you are an expert at spotting them? You need a security partner and a layered strategy for dealing with these threats. Ransomware encrypts and destroys the data on your computer. When you’re hit, the only way to recover is to pay the ransom or to rebuild your computer and restore with backups of your files. Otherwise your data, which may include your documents, pictures, financial records, etc., will be lost. These criminals will make billions on the misery of millions. While we never know exactly what the next threat will be, there are proven and effective technologies to reduce your risk, for BOTH PC and Macs. We have combined our tools and best-practice strategies into to offerings: Total Security Package (TSP) for businesses and a Workstation Security Package (WSP) for homes.
JUNE 2017 • ALAMO TODAY • PAGE 15
Using our specialized tools, we’ve developed a solid recipe to minimize your risk and provide you with a safety net. There are no guarantees, but there are several specific, important things we are doing to address these threats. When your systems are covered, you have the best protection from extortion and destruction, and your security is administrated by experts. Highlights of our package include: • Computer Anti-virus and Anti-malware, both monitored from a central console. • A system which manages your security patches and updates. Many exploits can be avoided if your system is religiously kept up to date. • Network protection via DNS denial technology, which provides: •Protection from ransomware by denying access to known malicious websites. •Customizable category-based content protection, for preventing any specific web content from being accessed from within your network. • Proactive security management by the PCIO Helpdesk team. Our systems and staff watch for any sign of improper activity, and adjust your defenses in the background. • Built-in tools for faster remote support in time of need. • Intelligent systems will quickly throw a wall around problems that occur and alert PCIO staff. Do you have backups? If the computers you rely on were suddenly blank, what would you miss? Could your business survive? What would it cost? Are you certain your data is reliably backed up? How much can you stand to lose? If the thought of that makes your heart skip a beat, let’s discuss and implement better backups immediately. We have backup plans to meet every budget and ensure your data is safe. If you don’t have backups yet, this is the time to add them. PCIO is staffed by experienced people you know and trust. We will watch over your systems and alleviate the worry of maintaining them in today’s increasingly complex internet environment. Our goal is to keep your data safe and accessible. Data security requires experience, partnership and a plan. We provide all three. Security Packages range from $25-$35/month per system plus a low set-up fee per site. Unlimited and per-GB backup solutions are available for workstations and servers alike. Secure and redundant HIPAA and SEC-compliant cloud-storage is available for your data. We can help you with every aspect of your computing infrastructure. Call us at 925-552-7953 ext 3 to speak with us about your needs and to setup your plan today. Or email helpdesk@pcioit.com if you’d like to set up a meeting to discuss your security, network, or backup infrastructure. I look forward to helping Advertorial you safely navigate your data security and storage needs.
PAGE 16 • ALAMO TODAY • JUNE 2017
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JUNE 2017 • ALAMO TODAY • PAGE 17
ENERGY CURRENTS
MANAGING THE FUTURE By Mark Becker, GoSimple Solar
In the world of renewable energy, there are many nation-states which have differing approaches to the adoption of renewable energy and differing long-term success rates resulting from the initial adoption approach. Some of the statistics are surprising, and some statistics are not. Delving into the demographics brings some clarity as to why some nations are bigger adopters than others. Some, like the citizens of North Korea, adopt out of necessity, because of their incredibly unreliable electric grid. They’ll spend a month’s wage on a 50-watt solar panel and small battery just to charge or run small household items. The reasons for the high renewable energy adoption rate in California are pretty obvious, at least to those whom have solar PV systems installed: The prime motivator is financial. For most homes and businesses, the rates of financial return (IRR/ROI) on solar PV typically best the stock market even in a bull year. Other nation’s citizens, like those from Bangladesh, adopt out of a different necessity: unavailability of a power grid in the remote places where most of the citizens live. The quality of life improvements provided by even a very small solar PV panel and a battery are huge. Small solar panels provide light and computer power for their schools and homes, and to power their mobile phones. Nations with very high adoption rates, such as Belize (60%+ adoption rate, their stated goal is 100%), adopt out of progressive thinking, environmental concerns, AND resource availability. Other nations adopt renewables and mandate certain technologies for security reasons: Israel mandates solar hot water heaters, is developing more of an internal renewable portfolio, and is leveraging newly discovered natural gas resources to try to limit the future import of hydrocarbon fuels from other nations that are not traditionally allies. Over 40% of Israel’s natural gas comes from Egypt. Europe pursues renewables because Russia is the major natural gas supplier in the region, and we all know Russia has a reputation as being at best a quirky citizen on the world stage. Germany and France are tired of being held energy hostage by their Russian neighbor to the east. The Russian and Ukrainian gas disputes have stimulated a renewables push in the Ukraine as well. Canada: What an interesting story our neighbors to the north have. The Province of Ontario adopted the first North American “Feed In Tariff “ program to forward a progressive agenda. For each kilowatt of electricity provided by solar or wind exported to the grid, the utility pays a premium to the owner of the solar or wind plant. As a result, solar and renewable manufacturing and installation businesses thrived. However, the payments ended up being an over-reach, and backlash has now resulted. The backlash will probably have a negative effect for the long-term positives that more renewables can bring when the nuclear plants begin to go off line in Ontario 20-25 years from now. Long-term planning to stabilize our energy future is a must. China is the world’s biggest polluter, and in response, to their credit has become the world’s biggest adopter of solar and renewables. Renewable energy, by definition, is clean energy. However, other tactics are required to get their pollution (which rains down on Japan and even North America) in check. Some nations or “city states” such as Hong Kong and Singapore simply don’t have the real estate to be able to accommodate a significant amount of rooftop distributed renewable energy systems, utility scale solar PV, or wind generator systems. Those of us in PGE territory may be subjected to high electricity rates, but we’re not held hostage by the utility because of the renewables market our legislature and the California Public Utility Commission helped create; we have options. In California, solar has advantaged all economic classes of citizens through solar leases and power purchase agreements. Although now much less part of the market because of new solar finance purchasing options, this deployment has leveled the playing field for solar adoption to all citizens, providing there was a reasonable credit score to back the investment risk. California’s adoption of renewables has been more measured than Germany’s and Ontario’s, and it will provide better long-term benefits. Although security, environmental benefits, and grid stability accompany America’s choice to pursue renewable energy, we’re fortunate that these are not the primary motivator for us to “go green.” The “real green” is the financial benefit. Mark Becker is the President and business owner of GoSimpleSolar, by Semper Fidelis Construction Inc, CSLB 948715. GoSimpleSolar is one of the very few solar PV installers utilizing both licensed roofers and licensed electricians for installation work, project managed by a solar PV NABCEP professional. For more Advertorial information, call 925-331-8011, visit www.GoSimpleSolar.com, or stop by the showroom at 115 West Linda Mesa Avenue, Danville.
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PAGE 18 • ALAMO TODAY • JUNE 2017
CLIP NOTES
By Jody Morgan
I had no intention of writing about a plant as seemingly mundane as parsley. But while paging through references on herbal folklore for information on parsley’s far less frequently cultivated cousin lovage, I discovered a treasure trove of legends concerning the now commonly consumed culinary herb. Parsley plays a sinister role in Greek mythology. Lykourgos, priest of Zeus and king of Nemea, and his wife Eurydice had an infant son named Opheltes. Lykourgos consulted the Delphic Oracle concerning how to safeguard their offspring. He was advised to keep the boy from touching the ground until he learned to walk. One day the famous fighting champions nicknamed the Seven Against Thebes arrived in Nemea parched from their adventures. They asked the child’s nurse Hypsipyle to show them the nearest source of potable water. She put the baby down in a meadow while she directed the warriors to the closest fountain. In her absence, a serpent slew the sleeping infant. Legend suggests the first parsley sprang from the baby’s blood. Inconsistency being the common denominator of myths, some sources describe the field in which the boy died as lush with wild celery, a parsley relative that looks in youth much like the herb now ubiquitously used in cooking. Parsley, nevertheless, acquired the reputation of being a harbinger of death. Opheltes was posthumously renamed “Archemorus,” meaning “forerunner of death.” At the funeral games at Nemea organized in his honor, victors were crowned with wreaths of parsley (or possibly wild celery as some historians indicate). In any case, the Greeks avoided parsley as a death warrant. A euphemistic description of someone on his deathbed was “he is only in want of parsley.” A translation of Homer’s Odyssey describing the island of Ogygia where Calypso detained Odysseus for seven years reads: “Soft meadows spreading round were starred with violets, lush with beds of parsley.” Calypso tempted Odysseus with the promise of immortality (no need to fear the parsley), but he chose to return to his wife and life. An account attributed to Plutarch, a Greek-born author who attained Roman citizenship, describes a clever Celtic ploy preying on Greek superstition. Out-
Park continued from front page
numbered by an invading Greek force, the Celts loaded hundreds of donkeys with cargoes of parsley, causing the terrified Greeks to break ranks and flee. Romans, however, recognized the virtue of parsley as a comestible. They decorated platters with parsley as we do today. They also believed parsley was effective in permitting revelers to imbibe prodigious quantities of alcohol without becoming inebriated. In medieval England, the tradition of associating parsley with evil continued. Possibly because the seed takes 4-6 weeks to germinate, folklore maintained that the seed went nine times to the devil before it could sprout. Beliefs varied from one provincial location to the next. Some insisted parsley only thrived when a woman ruled the household. Others were certain the person who cut parsley would be unlucky in love. In Devonshire, the populace worried that anyone transplanting parsley risked retribution from a vaguely envisioned, yet incredibly villainous parsley guardian. Hampshire folk felt giving parsley away brought on bad luck. When someone said, “Welsh parsley is a good physic,” they meant the gallows rope was the best cure for criminal tendencies. Actually, parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is remarkably nutritious. The leaves are loaded with more vitamin C than lemon, orange, or cabbage. Parsley also contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, K, and E. Lovage (Levisticum officinale) rises above parsley as Gulliver towered over the Lilliputians. Parsley is a biennial that flowers and goes to seed in its second year. Lovage is a perennial that dies to the ground in winter but comes back heftier each spring, sometimes topping out over six feet tall. Like its cousin parsley, lovage has flower heads that form umbels – think of extra tall Queen Anne’s lace. Every part of lovage is edible. The flavor is so much more pungent than celery that I am reluctant to resort to that frequently cited comparison. Use the leaves and stalks in soup, salad, stuffing, and broth as you would use celery. I have never cooked the roots, but they can be served as a vegetable and the seeds are sometimes employed to flavor baked goods. In medieval times, the village’s white witch was expected to provide love potions. Lovage was used as an ingredient in aphrodisiacs, although its efficacy in that regard is unlikely. The common name comes from “loveache” - a moniker once shared with parsley.
The Alamo Municipal Advisory Council and Sup. Andersen’s office had both received public input before the purchase about the historical gas station use. The resolution by the MAC authorizing the purchase specifically asked for environmental clearance before purchase. A miscommunication within the Public Works Department which ordered the ENGEO testing resulted in no soil testing being done at the exact site of the gas pumps, which location was known due to a historical photo of the site, although soil samples were taken in other locations on the parcel. The residents’ concern is that with the use of leaded gasoline before it was banned in 1996 that residual lead contamination remained in the park. In response to the concerns, despite the fact that the 2014 soil sampling elsewhere on the parcel revealed extremely low levels of lead (well below state and federal screening levels for residential use, the strictest screening level), in late April, the County ordered additional soil sampling and radar testing at the historical location of the 1930’s pumps. Ground penetrating radar and a magnetometer were used to determine presence of a metal underground storage tank. Magnetometer tests revealed no metal structures in the soil. Ground penetrating radar can determine disturbances in the soil, such as would happen if a tank had existed underground and then been removed and backfilled with soil that was different than the surrounding soil. The radar showed no evidence of the existence of any underground storage tanks. The parcel was also tested for arsenic, lead, all petrochemical residues, heavy metals and pesticides such as DDT and chlordane. The amount of soil samples taken went from five samples in 2014 to 18 samples in 2017 at two different depths and all over the parcel, particularly in the area that had been identified as hosting the gasoline tanks in the 1930s. All the new samples tested well below or at the strict residential screening levels for all chemicals tested, with the exception of two samples adjacent to Danville Boulevard which tested too high for lead. These two samples were still well below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency residential screening standards but slightly higher than California standards. ENGEO’s experts attributed these two higher samples to the fact that Danville Boulevard was a state highway for decades, crossed by vehicles spewing leaded emissions. This theory is borne out by numerous studies that reveal the problems with road shoulder contamination from leaded gasoline throughout the country in roads of longtime use. In addition, the high lead levels were only found in the soil samples in the top six inches, leading credence to ENGEO’s conclusion because if the high lead level was due to the long ago gas station, it would have shown up in the lower depth soil samples. After receiving the April ENGEO report, the County ordered the park soil along Danville Boulevard to be excavated and the top 12” of soil removed and disposed of in an environmentally appropriate manner. Clean soil will be brought in, and this part of the park will have a tall berm and landscaping installed to provide some screening from the Boulevard. In addition to testing the park parcel itself, ENGEO sampled the adjacent Iron Horse Trail, which was an active Southern Pacific Railroad from the 1890’s to the 1970’s. In 14 of 24 soil samples, the Iron Horse Trail tested positive for higher levels of arsenic than existing background levels of
See Park continued on page 24
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JUNE 2017 • ALAMO TODAY • PAGE 19
M A K I N G TH E J U M P I N TO RETIREMENT
You Know the Name of Your Doctor, Dentist & Hairdresser. BUT… Do you know your Realtors’ name? Don’t you think you should?!
Presented by Peter T. Waldron
In the book Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change (1991) by William Bridges, Bridges states, “It isn’t the changes that do you in, it’s the transitions. Change is not the same as transitions. Change is situational, the new site, the new boss, the new team roles, the new policy. Transition is the psychological process people go through to come to terms with a new situation. Change is external. Transition is internal.” (pg. 3) Transitions can be scary, confusing, and uncomfortable; we work with our clients to build a strategy to look at what our clients lose by retiring, what they gain by retiring, and what will be unchanged. We look at all of the elements of cash flow: looking at the variation of the income and asking – what comes from Social Security? Pension Plans? Assets that you’ve accrued over your lifetime? (i.e. 401(k) and nonqualified assets) Investment properties? We then look at expenses and ask – what expenses are going to be the same as pre-retirement? What expenses are going to be different post-retirement including Medicare, travel, health insurance, long-term care insurance, or a long-term care event? Once we’ve built a list of assumptions to the plan, we then look at the specific assets that will be paying out, and we try to minimize taxation by selecting assets that have the least amount of taxable income. We draw the least tax-efficient assets first and defer the tax-efficient assets as long as possible. Now that we have built our assumptions and built our distribution strategy, we then look at the jumping out of the plane scenario. If you’re in a plane and you could grab two parachutes and one opens 95% of the time and the other opens 75% of the time, which would you grab? I imagine that like many of my clients you’re going to grab the one that opens 95% of the time. Retirement planning cash flow is similar to that. As we look at the cash flows in retirement, we use modeling called Monte Carlo analysis, which gives us the percentage of certainty that your cash flow strategy will work. Some clients jump into retirement without knowing whether any future variations will impact their ability to stay retired. Through this analysis we can determine if our clients have a high degree of certainty regarding their cash flow. If Monte Carlo shows an 85% or higher chance that the clients have continued cash flow for the rest of their life, then we’ll recommend that they retire. If the score is less than 85%, it will recommend that the client defer retirement or change their standard of living in retirement. The biggest fears and questions that clients have when it comes to retirement are: Will I run out of money? How will a long-term care event impact my family situation? What happens if the stock market is down? To help answer these questions, we test all these risks which will in turn help you manage the transition into retirement. We execute a strategy that gives our clients confidence and helps them manage that transition from a life of earning income going to work every day to a life of retiring and living off of the assets that they have accrued during their life. Don’t you owe it to yourself to know whether your financial plan gives you the confidence to make that transition from a working life to a retired life? If you would like to have your financial plan properly diagnosed, please call our office at (925) 786-7686 to set up your complimentary visit. We are located at 3201 Danville Blvd. Ste 190, Alamo. Peter T. Waldron: California Insurance License #0E47827. Peter T. Waldron is a reg-
istered representative and investment advisor representative of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp., a broker-dealer (member SIPC) and registered investment advisor, 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. CRN1766106-042017 Advertorial
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It’s time we met! Terri Silva CalBRE #01920415
925.519.0758 terri@terrisilva.com
ALAMO RESIDENT
©2016 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Office is Owned by a Subsidiary of NRT LLC. Real Estate Licensees affiliated with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage are Independent Contractor Sales Associates and are not employees of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage or NRT LLC. CalBRE License #01908304.
WHAT’S UP?
By Jim Scala
Monthly Meeting: On June 27 the Lindsey Wildlife Museum Auditorium opens at 6:45PM, and the formal Mt. Diablo Astronomical Society (MDAS) meeting begins at 7:15 with a member’s short talk. That’s followed by the featured lecture, Exoplanets and SETI. SETI is short for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. This talk by Howard Issacson, a research astronomer at UC Berkeley, is sure to stimulate your thinking and provoke
Jupiter: The largest planet.
interesting questions. Howard studied under Professor Deborah Fisher of UCSF who is an accomplished planet hunter with many finds to her credit. Issacson, an accomplished scientist, also reads and enjoys science fiction. Arguably, modern sciences most compelling question is, “Is anyone out there?” Many thinkers speculate that our galaxy has societies far ahead of ours in age and intelligence. About 70 years ago, Enrico Fermi asked, “Where are they?” and created the dilemma called Fermi’s Paradox. That makes the recent increase in UFO sightings cogent. Add to the topic the speaker’s interests, and I promise a stimulating evening.
See What’s Up? continued on page 27
PAGE 20 • ALAMO TODAY • JUNE 2017
WHAT IF YOUR INHERITANCE IS DUE, BUT YOU’RE BEING LEFT IN THE DARK?
By Robert J. Silverman, Esq.
What if a deceased loved one made provisions for you to inherit all or some of his assets, and yet after a reasonable period of time you have received no significant correspondence, documents, information, or distributions? This is way more common than it should be. The rights of the inheritor (beneficiary) and the obligations of the estate representative depend upon whether the decedent had a Living Trust or just a Will (or neither). In any event, estate representatives are legally obliged to provide meaningful, timely information to beneficiaries and heirs of the decedent. If the person from whom you were to inherit had no Living Trust and owned more than $150,000 of assets in his or her name (other than joint accounts or those governed by beneficiary designation), the assets will be subject to Probate – a court-supervised estate administration proceeding. The Probate proceeding is typically initiated by someone like me - a Trust/ Estate attorney. Such attorney is hired by the executor who is nominated in the decedent’s Will (or if there’s no Will, then usually by a close relative who petitions to be appointed administrator; the equivalent of an executor). I then prepare and file with the Probate Court a Petition for Probate and extensive related paperwork and advise the executor during the many months while the probate is pending. The process is overseen by the judge, whose primary purpose is to protect the estate’s beneficiaries. Pursuant to many laws, local rules, and oversight by the judge, beneficiaries are generally well protected during the probate process. Thus, this article focuses more on situations in which the decedent planned well by establishing and fully funding a Revocable Living Trust. In such cases, probate is avoided and the administration of the Trust is handled privately, without court intervention or oversight by a judge. The successor trustee nominated in the Trust document handles the administration. So, what obligations do
Celebrations continued from page 10
www.yourmonthlypaper.com trustees have, and what rights do Trust beneficiaries have? First, within 60 days of a Trust becoming partly or fully irrevocable (e.g. upon the death of the person who established the Trust), trustees must send a “Trustee Notification,” containing certain prescribed information about the trust administration, to all beneficiaries and heirs. This mandatory notification informs the recipients, in part, that they may request a full and complete copy of the Trust. Of course, every recipient should make this request and then read the Trust carefully. The trustee also has a fiduciary duty – that is, a duty to act in the best interest of all of the Trust beneficiaries, a trustee has specific duties, including to timely keep the beneficiaries reasonably informed; provide an accounting of the Trust assets, income and expenses; faithfully follow the Trust terms and conditions; and distribute to the beneficiaries their Trust shares. Often, I hear from clients, prospective clients and professional advisors about beneficiaries who are being kept in the dark about their inheritance. Sadly, some beneficiaries mistakenly think that their only choice is to wait indefinitely and hope that the trustee eventually provides them with material information and distributions. I have been hired to advocate for many Trust beneficiaries. In most cases, after I make reasonable requests of the trustee or his attorney, things resolve amicably. Litigation is infrequently necessary. Fortunately, when litigation is initiated, Judges tend to be sympathetic to beneficiaries who have been ignored or mistreated, and harsh on trustees who have been recalcitrant. Trust and (probate/estate) beneficiaries should not be shy about hiring an attorney to be advised about: their rights and the Trustee’s obligations; and what demands should be made to ensure that their rights are protected. * Estate Planning * Trust Administration & Probate * Real Estate * Business Please contact the author to request a complimentary: i) “Estate Planning Primer”; ii) Real Estate titling brochure; iii) introductory meeting. Mr. Silverman is an attorney with R. Silverman Law Group which is located at 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. Advertorial
the 20th century to become a western town. Merchants were encouraged to spiff up their store fronts, put flowers out in pots, welcome more business, and put Danville on the map. Glenn even put up a billboard in San Francisco which asked, “Where the hell is Danville?” Talk of Danville’s actual history began, and the group realized that Dan and Andrew Inman had named the community Danville in 1858, with a post office established in 1860 at the hotel on Front and Diablo Streets. From that, the Danville Centennial Celebration was initiated. Everyone got on board, and from September 4-7, 1958, there were events which are still remembered. Included were a parade with plenty of horses, a bathing suit contest, election of a queen, a family carnival, a dance, and people dressed up in 19th century clothes. The local Valley Pioneer produced a Centennial Edition which was full of history articles about pioneer families, agriculture, churches, and businesses. The Silver Centennial (125 years) was initiated by Danville’s new Town Council. In 1984 there were parties, proclamations, a special plate, and a beautiful history book called Danville, Portrait of 125 Years (heavy on photographs) encouraged by Mayor Beverly Lane and produced by the committee of Marilyn Cozine, Roz Hirsch, Pauline Weber, Sylvia Kennett, Jean Cuff, and Barbara Hubinger. In 2008, Danville’s sesquicentennial events were the brain child of Danville Mayor Candace Andersen. The July 4th parade events reminiscent of the centennial (old fashioned bathing suits for example) were enjoyed, the San Ramon Valley Kiwanis and Danville Rotary got involved, and a fun time was had by Silver Centennial Commemorative Plate showed Danville highlights all. A Danville library event celebrated a new history book, Vintage Danville, 150 Years of Memories by Beverly Lane and Laura Grinstead. This year San Ramon is celebrating its sesquicentennial with a Museum of the San Ramon Valley exhibit, which ends June 11, called CELEBRATE SAN RAMON Rancho-Village-City. Mayor Bill Clarkson has been the driving force in the 150th recognition, reflecting his active research into the history of his city. San Ramon incorporated in 1983, and, by that time, the buildings which had comprised San Ramon’s old village had been gone for 20 years. But the history remained. That village had been a significant one in the 19th century, placed as it was at the intersection of the county road (today’s San Ramon Valley Blvd.) and the road leading west through Crow Canyon to Hayward. In the 1860s it included stores, hotels, blacksmiths, a school, Chinese wash houses, and saloons. A book published in 2015, called San Ramon Chronicles, Stories of Bygone Days, provides accessible history reading. Bill and others thought the village could be considered a real community when the voters created a local school district and built the large San Ramon Grammar School in 1867. This school became the center of community life, hosting dances, graduations, May Day celebrations, and lectures. It was built so a partition in the middle could be removed to provide for a large space. The San Ramon 150 Committee, headed by Heidi Kenniston-Lee and Gary Alpert, has promoted the city’s 150 years with a new logo, handsome banners, a website (sanramon150.com), and a big city birthday party planned for September 9. Happily, a San Ramon 150 Historic Task Force was set up to articulate the actual history. This group includes active and hard-working Museum of the San Ramon Valley members Ginny Fereira, Pat Boom, Beverly Lane, Roxanne Lindsay, and Carol Rowley.
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JUNE 2017 • ALAMO TODAY • PAGE 21
S TA R T I N G A WINE CELLAR
PART 1 By Monica Chappell
Why bother with a wine cellar? Done right, you’ll find fun and delicious drinking in even the simplest wine collection. Starting a wine cellar can seem intimidating to the uninitiated, but it need not be. Just familiarize yourself with the basics, set your personal strategy, and you’re on your way to the best kind of adult entertainment around. Whether it is a cave underneath your castle or a cupboard in your studio apartment, a wine cellar allows you to store your wine over time so you can experiment with the effects of age, develop your palate, and bring your best bottles to their peak potential. It’s like a savings account for your wine-loving soul.
GETTING STARTED
Stop by our new office in the Alamo Courtyard 3195 Danville Blvd #4, Alamo
Make a Plan - As with life, you’re more likely to like where you end up if you put some thoughts into your cellars up front. • How much do you drink? If you open a special bottle on each birthday and holiday, the annual total is the number you should lay down each year. Daily bottles can come from non-cellars bottles that are drinkable now. • How much can you store? A good cellar keeps you interested with a wide variety of selections – so if you’re working with a small closet, buy by the bottle and not by the case. • How much can you spend? In divvying up your budget, it helps to distinguish between daily drinking, special occasions, and splurges. Allot your dollars according to your priorities. For most people, only the latter two categories involve cellar-worth wines. Go Shopping – Most people buy wine to drink immediately. You’re about to distinguish yourself from the crowd. Buying wine for your cellar entails a few more considerations then daily wine buying. • Cellar wines improve as they age. Save valuable cellar space for only the best quality wines. Otherwise, skip the cellar and drink it tonight. • Use your personal taste as your guide. While wine ratings can steer you toward wines that you are more likely to appreciate, they are not the final assessment. Buy and drink wines that you like. • Try a bottle before buying in quantity. True cellarheads make their selections with a certain amount of ceremony. • Evaluate the wines color, clarity, nose, taste, and finish. • Try the wine with food • If you find a wine you like, re-cork the bottle and repeat this process for several days to see how the wine holds up after being opened. • Size what you buy to available space. The average cellar purchase is a case of more. This quantity enables the periodic taste tests that are part of the fun of having a cellar. If buying by the case requires too much money or space, try to stock at least 2-3 bottles of each wine to allow you to taste it across time. Get Tasting - Track how long bottles have been in your cellar and when you expect them to peak. Periodically pull and taste bottles to see how the wine is progressing. Ideally, you will want to leave a least one for the projected moment of optimal maturity. Keep a record of your tasting adventures EAST BAY’S BEST SOLAR INSTALLER to flesh out your preferences. I have hopefully whet your appetite for the perfect wine cellar. Look Since 1998, we’ve helped over for Part 2 of this series next month. Monica Chappell is a wine writer and 3,000 home and business educator - wineappreciation101@gmail.com. owners save with solar.
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Seniors in your community need your support! Meals on Wheels and Senior Outreach Services has been supporting seniors since 1968. Two of the programs, Meals on Wheels and Friendly Visitors, rely on the support of volunteers. 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.
PAGE 22 • ALAMO TODAY • JUNE 2017
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Herb continued from front page
Karen Mahshi, long-term NCUHSA member, will once again be offering 20 or more different jams. Her most popular marmalade is blood orange. Among her blends, the ones that sell out the fastest include rhubarb. Karen joined the unit in 1978, shortly after relocating to California. In early May, her incredible talents were recognized at the national HSA convention as she received the Joanna McQuail Reed Award for the Artistic Use of Herbs. Although her exquisite herbal-themed quilts should have been sufficient for the judging, Karen’s submission for recognition also included culinary products, lavender wands, rose bead necklaces, booklets on individual herbs, and newsletter articles. Mahshi became interested in herbs while a student at Cornell University. She found housing with a Professor of Botany whose wife, Minnie Muenscher, was engaged in working on recipes for her local herb group. As she helped to test those recipes, Karen became intrigued. As Mahshi recalls, Minnie was an award-winning HSA member, even though her Ithaca, New York organization was not an HSA affiliate. Denise Koroslev, current NCUHSA Co-Chair along with Martha Scheer, recalls: “I found the information table for The Herb Society and met Karen Mahshi while walking around the displays at Borges Ranch Heritage Day. The local unit was meeting in members’ homes at that time, but as I was also involved The selection of plants offered for sale at Herb Day is extensive, thanks to Morning Sun in the restoration of Rodgers Ranch, I realized the potential of the 1860’s ranch Herb Farm. Photo courtesy of NCUHSA. to become both meeting place for the society and site of herb gardens they could use for research and education.” One of the herb gardens at the ranch was built from bricks recycled during the restoration of the 19th century chimney. Interest in the healing properties of herbs was so prevalent in the 19th century that Shaker religious communities, first established in the Eastern US following the Revolutionary War, created special drying, extracting, and packaging facilities to ship their products to Europe as well as throughout the United States. They offered seeds for culinary herbs along with their medicinal preparations. Amy Bess Miller’s Shaker Herbs: A History and Compendium quotes extensively from primary source documents. She cites Edward Fowler from an unreferenced writing stating that even in cultivated society the majority of persons were ignorant not only of botany in general, but more specifically of the “character and nutritive properties of the most distinguished products of vegetable matter.” Interviewed for an article for the American Journal of Pharmacy published about the time when Rodgers Ranch was settled, Fowler states: “Of indigenous plants we collect about two hundred varieties, and purchase from the South, and West, and from Europe, some thirty or forty others …” A Shaker catalogue from 1874 lists prices for 405 herbs, roots, seeds, and bark. By 1933, when seven women came together in Ipswich, Massachusetts, to talk about their mutual enthusiasm for herbal lore, the Shakers and their
See Herb continued on page 29
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BEYOND THE BODY
By Coach Michelle Brown, Gumsaba
Being “fit” feels great. Knowing that our bodies are strong and capable is empowering and awesome. While the health of our body is a large slice of our well-being, it’s not the whole pie. There are two other key factors that we can “train” in concert with our bodies to discover the true beauty of whole health, of life. Consistent exercise provides countless, obvious benefits to our well being. The “feel good” hormones it produces, the confidence it brings, the detoxifying and metabolic effects...all of these results (and more) make a firm commitment to fitness worthwhile. Caring for the gift that is our body with exercise and nourishment is integral in the process of wellness. As we care for our body, so must we tend to our mind. Our mental state is equally critical to our whole health. When we carry emotions associated with anger, fear, hate, and jealousy around within us, we do not feel healthy. No matter how “good” our body looks, a cloud of anxiety looms over us. When we hold love, kindness, compassion, empathy, and gratitude, we feel at ease. Carrying the “good stuff” with us becomes really difficult when life is tough. Having a healthy body will help, but it will not overcome the torment of a negative outlook. Yes, there is a time to feel negative, but holding onto these emotions will eventually affect our health. Practice gratitude when the temptation of negativity arises. Having a “go to” grateful mantra can help negativity subside. As the saying goes, “Let go, or be dragged.” When we carry a negative mindset into any situation, we go in depleted. This depletion may be subtle at first, reflecting in feelings lethargy and weariness, eventually leading to greed and acts of gluttony. Filling this void with external stimuli or “things” is a temporary fix. When that shiny new “thing” is no longer exciting, we find ourselves grasping for something else. This only causes more depletion. At some point, this mindset will begin to damage our soul. An over-active mind often overwhelms reality. Humans are amazing problem solvers: a strength that can become a weakness. The soul becomes buried in thoughts of should and should not be, who we are and who we are not, what happened yesterday, and what will happen tomorrow. Putting all that aside takes time and effort. Training the soul takes patience. It doesn’t respond to force like the body does. It doesn’t respond to critical thinking like the mind. It responds to quiet moments and longer rhythms. It starts to reveal itself when we let go of what we think should be and thereby see what really is. The soul is trained by less stimulating and even “unexciting” drills like attention to breath and observation of mind, creating distance between our thoughts and our truest self. It is cultivated in the garden of understanding, compassion, and grace. Training the soul is much like tilling the earth. Freshly tilled soil does not “excite,” it provides. It gives nourishment that is critical for growth and abundance in the garden of life. The body is imperfect. As are the mind and soul. So is life! Rather than seeing this as a weakness, try to see imperfection as opportunity. Each action we take, every thought we have, every breath, is an opportunity to make a better life. This life is not about fitting into some imaginary mold or having a lot of material wealth. Not that these things are bad, but they are temporary. Quite honestly, I don’t know what exactly life is all about. What I do know is that when gratitude inspires actions, thoughts, and breath, we drop into the now. In this freshly tilled garden of the soul, the mind and the body work together to make a life of abundant growth and endless beauty, even in stormy weather. Michelle Brown is an ACE Certified Medical Exercise Specialist, ACE Subject Matter Expert, ACE Certified Personal Trainer, Spartan SGX Coach, Martial Arts and Self Defense Expert, TRX Level 2 Certified Trainer, Certified Trigger Point Rehabilitation Therapist, SCW Yoga Level 2 Instructor, and has been a competitive Vegan Athlete since 1999. Michelle has been helping her clients surpass their goals for nearly 20 years. Her company Gumsaba offers outdoor fitness programs, corporate group fitness, personal, small group and sport specific training. Join Gumsaba for a FREE CLASS at one of our amazing outdoor locations. Visit gumsaba.com and click get started to redeem your free class with promo code “GoBeyond,” www. Advertorial gumsaba.com.
JUNE 2017 • ALAMO TODAY • PAGE 23
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SEARCH AND RESCUE
The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team needs volunteer members to respond to missing person incidents, disasters, and other critical incidents. Team members are on call 24/7 year-round. The program provides required training; including wilderness traveling, first aid, map and compass usage, tracking disaster response, and search skills; and may also include special training for canine, equestrian, technical, mountain bike, or other rescue skills. For information and applications, visit www.contracostasar.org or call (925) 646-4461.
www.yourmonthlypaper.com COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND EVENTS
AIA - ALAMO IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION - PLEASE VISIT WWW.ALAMOCA.ORG FOR UPCOMING MEETINGS - CREEKSIDE COMMUNITY CHURCH -1350 DANVILLE BLVD. ALAMO MAC (MUNICIPAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE) - FIRST TUESDAY OF EACH MONTH 6PM - ALAMO WOMEN’S CLUB P2B - POLICE SERVICES ADVISORY COMMITTEE - FIRST MONDAY OF EACH MONTH, 5PM - MEETS AT SHERIFF SUBSTATION, 150 ALAMO PLAZA P5 - ROUND HILL POLICE SERVICES ADVISORY COMMITTEE SECOND WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH, 7PM - MEETS AT ROUND HILL COUNTRY CLUB - LOWER LEVEL MEETING ROOM CERT CLASSES - COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM - VISIT WWW.FIREDEPARTMENT.ORG/COMMUNITY_OUTREACH/ CERT/UPCOMING_CLASSES.ASP
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PAGE 24 • ALAMO TODAY • JUNE 2017
By Roger Smith, Alamo Improvement Association ALAMO FARMER’S MARKET
Join us at our Alamo Farmer’s Market every Sunday for an outstanding selection of fresh fruits and vegetables including cherries, blueberries, and stone fruits on their way in June! Signature vendors featured this month include Achadinha Cheese, Dore (Golden) Bakery, Crab Fiesta, and Gotta Love Kettle Corn. Join us every Sunday at Alamo Plaza (near Bank of America) from 9AM to PM 2 . Enjoy live music and the easiest parking in Contra Costa!
READY.GOV • DO YOU HAVE A PLAN?
Beginning in 2014 and each year thereafter, FEMA and the Ad Council have encouraged everyone to “Resolve to be Ready” for potential emergencies by committing to make preparedness a year-round family activity. Your family may not be together when a disaster strikes, so it is important to plan in advance. How will you get to a safe place? How you will contact one another? How will you get back together, and what you will do in different situations? Visit https://www. ready.gov/calendar and www.ready.gov/california to learn more. This year’s “Resolve to be Ready” campaign focuses on the “Family Connection” to reinforce the importance of parents including their children in preparedness conversations in advance of potential disasters. The Ready campaign makes an emergency preparedness resolution easy to keep by recommending families consider these three ideas when making a plan. The ideas are who to call, where to meet, and what to pack. The campaign includes age-appropriate tools and resources to introduce conversations about disaster preparedness to children including 1) a downloadable family emergency plan, 2) emergency kit checklists, and 3) guidelines on how to make preparedness a year-round activity. Find resources at www.ready.gov/kids and www.ready.gov/make-a-plan. Here are a few easy steps to start your emergency communication plan. • Family Communication Plan. Due to disaster damages and heavy phone
ALAMO POLICE SERVICES ADVISORY COMMITTEE
APRIL 2017 REPORTS
Alamo police responded to 36 crimes which included false alarm, battery, drunk in public, battery, burglary, civil problem, stolen vehicle, tow, non-criminal death, domestic disturbance, drug possession and sales, forgery, mentally ill hospitalization, illegal entry, petty theft, found and lost property, suspicious circumstances, identity theft, and warrant arrest.
REPORTED INCIDENTS
• Miranda Ave., Commercial Burglary: Unknown responsible(s) gained entrance to the Stone Valley Middle School construction site and stole tools and laptops from the job site. The incident is currently under investigation.
traffic, it is often easier to communicate with someone that is out-of-state during an emergency. Therefore, choose a long-distance relative or close friend that your family will all contact if separated. • Understand how to receive emergency alerts and warnings. Check with your local emergency management agency to see what is available in your area, and learn more about alerts by visiting www.ready.gov/alerts. • Discuss family/household plans for disasters that may affect your area and plan where to go. Plan together in advance so that everyone in the household understands where to go during a different type of disaster like an earthquake or wildfire. Also pick an external meeting place if you can not get back to your neighborhood. If you have pets or service animals, think about animal-friendly locations. • Collect information. Create a paper copy of the contact information for your family that includes phone (work, cell, office), email, social media, medical facilities, doctors, service providers, and school. • How to share information and practice your plan with family members. Make sure everyone carries a copy in his or her backpack, purse, or wallet. You should also post a copy in a central location in your home. Have regular household meetings to review and practice your emergency plans, communication plans, and meeting place after a disaster. Emergency preparedness materials for families, pets, seniors, the disabled, and businesses can be found at www.fema.gov/media-library/ resources-documents/collections/344.
PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE
AIA is interested in attracting Alamo residents with suitable career experience in “First Responder” categories to volunteer time on our Public Safety Committee. Please contact AIA by emailing President@AlamoCA.org.
AIA’S ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
Now in its 62nd year, AIA, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization, has the longest history of serving our community and helping shape it into “Alamo - the place where we love to live”! Since 1955, Alamo residents have been joining the Alamo Improvement Association and working in support of AIA’s mission statement, which is to “preserve the semi-rural character of Alamo” I thank all of our many volunteers, both past and present, for their efforts over the last 61 years in making Alamo into the wonderful community that it is today. Please visit our website www.AlamoCA.org for information on AIA, articles of interest to Alamo residents, membership forms, and more.
Park continued from page 18
Southern Pacific. The ENGEO environmental assessment concludes that the higher levels of arsenic in some trail samples are acceptable for trail use, which typically involves transient biking, walking or running with no or minimal contact with soil. The MAC conducted an online survey to name the park, with input received from more than a dozen residents. The chosen name was Hemme Station Park, to honor the historical railroad station that was located very close to the new park (modern day Volz Court). The park is designed to be a trailside amenities park, to complement Alamo’s most used recreational resource, the Iron Horse Trail. The park provides shade, restrooms, picnic tables, benches, water filling stations, pet hydration stations, and a small tot lot. The only access to the park is via the Iron Horse Trail. The park will be completely fenced except for a 12 foot access along the trail. It is not possible to access the park with a vehicle, or drop off or pick up anyone. The additional testing has added $126,000 to the cost of the park to Alamo taxpayers. The total cost of the park is right at $2 million, funded by the Alamo Parks District from reserves that have built up over the years from a portion of the 1% property tax paid by homeowners. The County estimates the park will be finished in August.
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH
Lic# 1100014354; Bay Area Entertainment
Neighborhood Watch is a Community Action and Problem-Solving Program and one of the most effective means available for resolving issues within your community. Through organized problem-solving activities, your block can remove crime from your neighborhood and address any community issues that concern residents. Meetings can be held by a Crime Prevention Specialist who will share more information about the program. Please contact Christina Lind-Winters (925) 313-2682 or clind001@so.cccounty.us for more information.
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GOT PAIN? LASER IT AWAY!
By Dr. Kristin Moore, DC
Have you been suffering from longstanding, stubborn chronic musculoskeletal pain? Or have you been recently struggling with an acute and inflamed injury? If so, you are in luck! Class IV laser therapy can help! While laser treatments sounds like something directly out of a futuristic science fiction book, it is actually a fantastic treatment to aid in the reduction or elimination of pain. Class IV laser therapy is a cutting edge, non-invasive therapy that is used to relive and eliminate musculoskeletal pain conditions.
HOW DOES CLASS IV LASER THERAPY WORK?
The laser beam used at specific wavelengths and frequencies increases the blood flow to the area of injury. The increased blood flow helps to first carry away any inflammation or edema away from the site of pain. The blood also brings more oxygen to the injured tissue, which then stimulates mitochondrial ATP (cellular energy) production. The boost of energy helps the body to repair weakened and damaged tissues in order to have better function at the site of the injury.
WHAT CONDITIONS DOES THE LASER TREAT?
Class IV laser therapy is an FDA approved treatment modality that can be used to treat many types of musculoskeletal pain including: • Back and Neck Pain • Scar tissue • Arthritis • Sports Injuries • Muscle Spasms and Sprains • Whiplash Injuries • Nerve Pain
HOW EFFECTIVE IS LASER THERAPY?
Laser therapy is incredibly effective at reducing and/or eliminating pain especially when it is coupled with other form of treatment. This can include gentle chiropractic care, spinal decompression, active release of tight muscles and ligaments, and at home exercises and stretches. The power of this treatment continues to surprise me! I absolutely love seeing my patients return back to their pre-injury status and get back to the activities they love. While I cannot promise specific results, approximately 70-80% of my patients notice either a significant reduction of pain or a complete recovery.
HOW MANY TREATMENTS WILL I NEED?
It’s hard to say how many treatments are necessary in order to alleviate your pain. It typically depends on the severity of the injury coupled with the chronicity of your condition. That being said, I have seen people get better in as little as 3-4 treatments, while others can take longer. I will have a better idea of how long it will take for you to get better once I learn more about your specific condition. Usually my patients see a decrease in the intensity of their pain and an increase in their body function within 3-5 treatments.
IS LASER THERAPY A COMFORTABLE TREATMENT?
Absolutely! Laser therapy is an incredibly comfortable procedure that almost feels like a warm massage. It is applied to the site of pain in order to increase blood flow, decrease inflammation, and aid in pain reduction quickly. Most patients that receive this form of treatment end up feeling so relaxed that they fall asleep during the session.
HOW DO I LEARN MORE?
The best way to find out if laser therapy can help is to call our office, and tell us that you read this article in the Alamo Today newspaper. Our office manager will then help you schedule a complimentary, non-obligation 15minute in office consultation. That will give me a chance to sit down with you and discuss your condition. It will also help me to determine if laser therapy is the best treatment option for you. To learn more, please visit www.alignhealingcenter.com. To schedule your complimentary consultation, please call our office at (925) 362-8283 or send me an email at drkristinmooredc@gmail.com. My office is located Advertorial at 125-G Railroad Ave., Danville.
JUNE 2017 • ALAMO TODAY • PAGE 25
SKIN CANCER
By Dr. Jerome Potozkin
Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Alamo resident, Happy Birthday to you! Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, I would like to discuss the status of your “birthday suit.” If you haven’t had your skin checked by a board certified dermatologist since your last birthday, I would encourage you to schedule an appointment now. I bet most people reading this can’t even remember the last time they had a complete skin examination by a dermatologist. In medicine, an ounce of prevention goes a long way. This is especially true in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of skin cancer. Last month was skin cancer awareness month. There are about 3.5 million skin cancers diagnosed each year in the United States. It is estimated that there will be about 132,000 cases of melanoma diagnosed. Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer because it can be lethal. In fact, one person dies every hour from melanoma in the United States. However, the good news is that early diagnosis can lead to complete cures. Surprisingly, melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults aged 25-29. Approximately 75% of skin cancer deaths are from melanoma. While melanoma can be deadly, most patients that we see are diagnosed at an early and fully curable stage. If you have a spot that has changed in color, it might be melanoma and should get checked. Extensive research is being done to discover new treatments for advanced melanoma. Despite these advances, patients do best when the diagnosis is made early. Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are the two most common types of skin cancers. These can appear as non-healing sores or crusted bumps. Some simply appear as a red patch that can be misdiagnosed as dry skin or eczema. The good news is that these skin cancers are much less likely to spread than melanoma. Most skin cancers have a genetic component. The other key ingredient is sun and ultraviolet exposure such as that from tanning beds. In order to prevent skin cancer, I recommend an ounce of prevention. Do what you love, but avoid the peak sun hours between 10AM and 2PM. Apply and reapply a broad-spectrum sunscreen. Men can use a lotion with sunscreen after they shave each morning. Forget about going to tanning beds (spray on tans are fine). Lastly, see a board certified dermatologist once a year for a full body skin check. It is often a good idea for you to check yourself once a month so that you will be able to notice if a mole or a spot is changing. Many people have started to worry about getting enough vitamin D if they use sunscreen. The simple solution is to take a vitamin D supplement which is equally as effective as the vitamin D you get from sun exposure. Skin cancer is most often treated with minor in-office surgical procedures that almost always can be performed with local anesthesia. For patients who are not good surgical candidates, radiation treatment can be effective. Some small or superficial skin cancers can be treated with topical creams that stimulate your own immune system to destroy the cancerous cells. Our approach to skin cancer treatment is to educate our patients about the advantages and disadvantages of treatments that are appropriate for their condition. If you have any spots that you are concerned about or if you can’t remember the last time you were checked from head to toe by a board certified dermatologist, please call my office now at to schedule an appointment. We would be happy to check you and to wish you a happy birthday! The screening for skin cancer is much easier than screening for other conditions with colonoscopies, prostate exams, and pap smears. So don’t just sit there thinking about that spot that has been worrying you; pick up the phone and make an appointment. 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 Advertorial or visit www.Potozkin.com for more information.
PAGE 26 • ALAMO TODAY • JUNE 2017
THE EYE OPENER
ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT By Gregory Kraskowsky, O.D., Alamo Optometry
Summer is almost here, and the rain is done (hopefully). Now that we will be heading out into the sun, it is time to discuss UV protection. The harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun can have several ocular consequences in addition to all the other body and skin conditions. I will address some of the potential eye issues here. First, ocular UV protection should be a priority year-round. Even though we receive more ultraviolet radiation in the summer months than in winter, we are exposed every day, regardless of weather and temperature. Ultraviolet exposure is cumulative throughout life, and approximately 75% is accumulated by the age of 18. UV light is part of the non-visible radiation we receive from the sun, and it has both good and bad attributes. It makes black-light posters glow, and it helps the body produce vitamin D, so a little time in the sun is a good thing. However, too much exposure causes sunburns and increases the risk of skin cancer. Exposure to UV has ocular complications such as premature cataracts and pingueculas. Everyone knows that cataracts form later in life and are a normal part of the aging process. However, long-term UV exposure can expedite the process. Studies have shown that people who live on or near the equator generally get cataracts about 10 years earlier than people who live closer to the poles. This is because those people receive the most daily UV radiation throughout the year. A pinguecula is the common yellow-looking bump on the white part of the eye. Many people have these, and they are completely benign. Over time these tend to become red and irritated in dry and/or allergic conditions, and prolonged contact lens wear can cause more irritation. The more inflamed the eye gets, the quicker these pingueculas tend to grow. Keeping the eye lubricated and having UV-blocking lenses is your best defense against further complications. For eye protection, the best thing you can do is have UV-blocking lenses
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www.yourmonthlypaper.com in your glasses. Fortunately, there are several ways this can be accomplished. The first thing to remember is that your lenses do not have to be tinted to be UV-protected. Conversely, all tinted lenses do not block ultraviolet light. Simply having tinted plastic lenses in your glasses will not block any of the harmful rays from the sun; plastic lenses do not inherently have any UV protection. To obtain the necessary protection, a UV filter must be present in the lenses. This is a clear filter, and it does not alter the appearance or color of the lenses in any way. For those of you who enjoy wearing sunglasses, the most common way to get this is to have polarized lenses. In addition to blocking the sun’s harmful rays, these lenses eliminate glare, which makes vision sharper and more comfortable. The effects are especially noticeable in high-glare situations such as driving, skiing, and participating in water sports. For those that want tinted lenses and clear lenses without two separate glasses, transitions lenses might be an option. These lenses come inherent with UV protection and are clear indoors and dark outdoors. Like polarized lenses, transitions lenses are available in single vision, bifocals, and progressive lenses. Some people just don’t like to wear sunglasses. As was mentioned before, the lenses do not need to be tinted to block UV. Patients who are uncomfortable with tinted lenses can have their clear glasses made from polycarbonate or trivex. These lenses have a UV filter and are thinner, lighter, and impact-resistant compared to plastic lenses. Patients of all ages should wear some form of UV protection outdoors. Whether they are inexpensive over-the-counter sunglasses for your children or higher quality polarized lenses for the adults, this protection is like “suntan lotion for the eyes” and will reduce the ocular consequences of UV radiation. You are welcome to come into the office anytime if you have any questions, and we can demonstrate the improved vision and contrast with our Maui Jim polarized sunglasses during our sunglass sale going on now through June. 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, and Twitter Advertorial @Alamo Optometry.
CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY
The following events are held at the Cancer Support Community, located at 3276 McNutt Avenue in Walnut Creek. Classes are free of charge. For more information and reservations, please call (925) 933-0107. Update on the Treatment of Lymphedema – Tuesday, May 30 ~ 6-8PM ~ With Dr. Stanley Rockson, Cardiovascular Surgeon at Stanford. Learn about the latest treatments to manage lymphedema, one of the most difficult long-term side effects that may occur after surgery or radiation. Dr. Rockson, a lymphedema specialist, will discuss current treatments and clinical trials along with leaving plenty of time for questions. For cancer patients and caregivers. Your Immune System & Cancer Treatment - Wednesday, June 28 ~ 6-8PM ~ With Piyush Srivistava, MD, Medical Oncologist at Kaiser Walnut Creek. Learn about one of the most exciting new discoveries and treatments for cancer: immunotherapy. Find out how the immune system interacts with cancer, treatments that are currently available, as well as treatments in development along with tips to manage side effects. For cancer patients and caregivers.
GROUP HELPS PEOPLE COPE WITH DEATH OF PETS
When you lose your pet, you often feel like a part of you is lost. The death of your beloved animal companion is one of the most difficult losses you may ever feel. This loss is sometimes made more painful by society’s seeming lack of support for pet grief. Hospice of the East Bay (HoEB) and the Tony La Russa Animal Rescue Foundation is offering a support group where participants can share memories and feelings and talk to others who truly understand and care. Meetings will be held the second Tuesday of each month from 5:30-7PM at the Tony La Russa Animal Rescue Foundation, 2890 Mitchell Drive, Walnut Creek. For further information and/or to register, please call Bereavement Services at HoEB (925) 887-5681. HoEB Bereavement Services are provided free of charge to all community members in need. However, donations are greatly appreciated.
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JUNE 2017 • ALAMO TODAY • PAGE 27
TIME TO MAKE STRIDES AGAINST BREAST CANCER
By Tiffany Svahn, MD
As a medical oncologist in the Bay Area for 11 years, I’ve been honored to meet many courageous, strong, and empowered breast cancer survivors. Our group, Diablo Valley Oncology and Hematology Medical Group, has been a Flagship Sponsor of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer (MSABC) in Walnut Creek since its inception seven years ago. MSABC has increased breast cancer awareness locally and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the American Cancer Society and breast cancer research. As a team, our physicians and staff enjoy participating in this 5K walk alongside our patients, their families, co-workers, friends, and neighbors. Breast cancer is a very important health issue for women and is the most common cancer. As of March 2017 there are over 3.1 million women in the United States who are breast cancer survivors…that’s a lot of women to stand, walk, and run for! This high survivorship rates is due to improvements in screening, earlier diagnosis, and advancements in treatments. About one in eight women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer in their lifetime. Fortunately, we are actually curing more than 90% of women diagnosed with this disease. And for those breast cancer patients who cannot be cured, advances in therapies allow us to treat and manage incurable breast cancer as a chronic disease, like diabetes and heart disease. Create your own team or join us, Team DVO. Stronger together, we can Make Strides Against Breast Cancer! MSABC takes place at Heather Farms Park in Walnut Creek on Saturday, June 17. Registration opens at 8AM and the walk begins around 9AM. Tiffany Svahn, MD is a board certified Medical Oncologist with Diablo Valley Oncology. Dr. Svahn specializes in treating patients with breast cancer. Dr. Svahn sees patients at Diablo Valley Oncology’s comprehensive cancer center, located at the California Cancer and Research Institute in Pleasant Hill and at their satellite office in San Ramon. For more information, call (925)677-5041. Advertorial
What’s Up? continued from page 19
Mt. Diablo: June 10. Observing begins at 8:30PM following the 8PM short talk about viewing Jupiter and Saturn, our solar system’s largest and most spectacular planets. It’s best to arrive at the lower summit parking lot by 7PM to park and familiarize yourself with the member’s telescopes and the MDAS observatory. Better still, pack some sandwiches, arrive at about 6:30PM, and enjoy a light meal, the setting up of telescopes, a sunset, and the natural beauty. Jupiter: Through the telescope, Jupiter, our solar system’s largest planet, shows colorful details in its atmosphere and especially its Great Red Spot, a gigantic storm over 160 years old. Jupiter’s four largest moons will be visible, and it will appear like a small solar system. Saturn, the Ringed Planet: Saturn, the next planet out past Jupiter, is graced with a large, clearly visible ring system. While other planets have rings, they are usually small groupings of debris only visible from passing satellites. Indeed, in Earth’s remote past it had a ring of debris that coalesced into the Moon. However, Saturn’s rings, by any criteria, are huge, rare, and beautiful as seen through the telescope. Driving home, you will have many interesting views to discuss.
IS FOOD A PROBLEM FOR YOU?
Overeaters Anonymous offers a fellowship of individuals who, through shared experience and mutual support, are recovering from compulsive overeating. This is a 12-step program. The free meetings are for anyone suffering from a food addiction including overeating, under-eating, and bulimia. The group meets Wednesdays at 6PM at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Lafayette. Visit www.how-oa.org for more information.
HEARING LOSS ASSOCIATION
Come to meetings of the Diablo Valley Chapter of Hearing Loss Association of America at 7pm on the 1st Wednesday of the month at the Walnut Creek United Methodist Church located at 1543 Sunnyvale Ave., Walnut Creek Education Bldg., Wesley Room. Meeting room and parking are at back of church. All are welcome. Donations are accepted. An assistive listening system is available for T-coils, and most meetings are captioned. Contact HLAADV@hearinglossdv. org or (925) 264-1199 or www.hearinglossdv.org for more information.
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PAGE 28 • ALAMO TODAY • JUNE 2017
YOUR PERSONAL NUTRITIONIST
HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO I REALLY NEED EACH DAY? By Linda Michaelis RD, MS
This new year I have evaluated many food diaries that clients bring in, and often I see they are not consuming enough protein. I tell them this easily explains why they are feeling hungry all the time and have endless cravings for sweets. The question I often get is, “How much protein do I really need to reach my weight loss goal, as well as build muscle and feel my best?” I tell my clients the food label is upside down. Protein is the last item listed on the label, where it should be the first. It is the most important food group and is very easily overlooked. Protein is expressed in grams as if we are on the metric system, rather than in ounces or pounds which typically is how we purchase protein in our markets. We need to know how many grams of protein is equal to an ounce. Let me use my favorite example with clients: the golden standard cereal Kashi Go Lean. Kashi Go Lean has 13 grams of protein for a 1 cup serving. If you learn that 1 oz of protein is equal to 7 grams, then you will see that you are getting almost 2 oz of protein from the cereal. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is established by The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences. It is based on your bodyweight. It is suggested that individuals consume 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight for a healthy adult, or roughly 54 grams daily for a 150 pound female or 71 grams daily for a 195 pound male. This calculation does not factor in exercise, and I find it overestimates protein needs for overweight or obese people. For my active clients and those who workout often, this amount of protein is far too low. I always recommend to veer on higher protein intake. I create personalized protein recommendations for my clients based on their lifestyle, age, exercise, and health concerns. I suggest that protein should
Livorna continued from front page
at Livorna Park, located at the intersection of Livorna Road and Miranda Avenue in Alamo. Snacks will be available for purchase at the movies and concerts. Get ready for movies under the stars with the presentation of two family fun films this summer: Secret Life of Pets on June 16 and Finding Dory on July 21. Showtime is at 8:45PM. Bring family, friends, chairs, blankets, and flashlights. The 2017 Alamo Summer Concert Series at Livorna Park is a five-concert series features live music from a variety of genres. Concerts take place on Friday evenings from 6:30-8:30PM and will feature a schedule full of dynamic bands: • June 23: Sun Kings (Beatles Tribute Band) • June 30: Mike Amaral’s California Beach Boys (Beach Boys Tribute Band) • July 7: Houserockers (Rock, Rhythm & Blues Music) • July 14: Cocktail Monkeys (Rock & Pop Music) • July 28: Moonalice (American Roots & Rock Music) Bring family, friends, chairs, blankets, and a picnic dinner, and enjoy music in the park. For details, contact Alamo Recreation Staff at (925) 313-2272, or visit www.cccounty.us/alamoparksandrecreation. COMPUTER SERVICES, IT DESIGN & IMPLEMENTATION, IT INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT
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be distributed mostly during the day as opposed to eating the large traditional protein meal. This eating style keeps you more satisfied, and prevents blood sugar fluctuations and cravings for sweets. I educate my clients about the fact that protein takes several hours to digest and creates a fullness that you will not get from a carbohydrate based meal. When I work with a new client, I first set up a meal plan for them with specific amounts of protein to eat at each meal and snack. I teach them how to make sure they are getting at least two ounces of protein at breakfast, such as with the favorite Kashi Go Lean, 1 whole egg and egg whites with veggies and 100% whole wheat toast, or even oatmeal and Greek yogurt. I make it a point to create a list of protein snacks that are portable and tasty such as beef jerky, portion sized almonds, one cup of cottage cheese, bean soup, or peanut butter with celery or apple. I make sure that lunch contains at least 4-6 oz. of protein along with a healthy grain and a cup of veggies. I put together a yummy list of lunches that can be taken to work or eaten at clients’ favorite lunch spots. I encourage parents to make sure that their kids are eating protein-based lunches that prevent them from coming home from school famished and snacking all afternoon. Clients are always surprised that I tell them for dinner we do not need protein if we have had the amounts that I suggest in prior meals and snacks. The feedback I get is that when dinner comes around, they are not as hungry as they use to be and are good with less protein at night. Many of my clients say that trainers tell them that they need more protein and recommend protein shakes galore. I think protein shakes are great for pre or post workouts but often are not filling enough to last for several hours. Contrary to popular belief, studies have shown that consuming more protein than recommended does not lead to increase in muscle size or strength. There is a limit to the rate at which protein can be synthesized into muscle, and muscle size is determined by genetic makeup and training programs, not by how much protein one eats. Insurance Companies Cover Nutritional Counseling. Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Health Net, Sutter , UHC. Please visit LindaRD.com for more information about your nutritional concerns. Call me at (925) 855-0150 Advertorial or e-mail me at lifeweight1@yahoo.com.
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(925) 202-2846 We invite you into our conveniently located office next to Peet’s Coffee & Katrina Rozelle
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JUNE 2017 • ALAMO TODAY • PAGE 29
Shanny A. Baughman MD Alamo Oaks Dermatology
Accepting New Patients
(925) 362-0992 | www.alamooaksderm.com 3189 Danville Blvd, Suite 130, Alamo
Ultherapy lifts and tightens your skin. Learn more about this non-invasive treatment.
Thursday, June 15, 5:30 to 7PM. Beverages and appetizers. RSVP by calling 925-362-0992
Accepting New Patients
Herb continued from page 22
Local and Convenient
mail order seed and herbal preparation businesses were all but forgotten. (Shakers were prohibited from bringing their own offspring into the world to perpetuate their way of life.) The Herb Society those enterprising women founded was formally incorporated in Massachusetts in 1935. In 1946, The Society boasted 282 members with six units. HSA is dedicated to “promoting the knowledge, use and delight of herbs through educational programs, research and sharing the experience of its members with the community.” HSA took root in California in 1948 and grew by 1953 to sufficient size to support being divided into Southern and Northern California units. Both her daughter Betty Rollins and granddaughter Julia Kulmann have continued the work of Bette Butler Dibble, founder of NCUHSA. Special interest groups as well as the general organization met in members’ homes until Koroslev offered Rodgers Ranch as a venue for monthly get-togethers. Mahshi recalls that the women involved had traveled extensively and frequently selected themes for culinary projects such as “All Along the Danube” involving preparation of recipes from the cuisine of each country bordering the river. Fresh herbs are easy to find at Farmers’ Markets and supermarkets these days, but 50 years ago they were luxuries even connoisseurs had trouble purchasing if they didn’t have space to grow the plants themselves. Food Editor for the New York Times for many years commencing in 1957, Craig Claiborne writes in the introduction to the 1984 edition of Cooking with Herbs and Spices, “I remember the days when I would print a recipe using shallots and have to describe in detail what they were and how they were flavored and offer a mail order source for procuring them. Fresh dill was a rarity, and for the vast majority of Americans fresh or dried tarragon was very much a novelty among flavors.” A similar report comes from Sheryl and Mel London, co-authors of The Herb & Spice Cookbook. Shortly after it opened in 1959, they dined at the Four Seasons Restaurant in New York and were given an after-dinner tour of the kitchen. “We do not remember what we ate that evening, and we certainly don’t remember what the bill was, but we still carry the memory of fresh herbs being plucked and minced and scattered and mixed right there in the kitchen of the Four Seasons.” The herbs were growing in pots arrayed on shelves above the preparation areas, which inspired the couple to plant their first herb garden in their own living room. In 1960, HSA began planning sponsorship of the National Herb Garden at the National Arboretum in Washington, DC. In 1980, after successfully lobbying Congress for matching funds, HSA members witnessed the completion and dedication of the garden they envisioned. Today HSA has 47 units throughout the US and Canada. The Green Bridges initiative promotes the establishment and/or protection of ecosystems that provide safe passage for pollinators through contiguous corridors of native vegetation. NCUHSA welcomes non-members with an interest in learning more about herbs to come to one of their monthly meetings to explore the possibility of joining their non-profit group. Monthly gatherings at Rodgers Ranch typically occur the second Sunday of each month at 1:30pm. However, some meetings involve field trips and offsite outreach projects, so contact ncuhsa@ gmail.com or call 925-330-1773 for the current calendar. Meetings include presentations by speakers and workshops. Membership in the local unit includes membership in the national organization with access to the extensive herbal data base as well as reciprocal discounts at participating gardens and preferred vendors of the American Horticultural Society. Visit www. The spiral herb bed at Rodgers Ranch was built using bricks recycled from the 1860's chimney restoration project. Photo by Jody Morgan. herbsociety.org for more information.
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PAGE 30 • ALAMO TODAY • JUNE 2017
THE HIDDEN MAGIC OF FAT
By Dr. Barbara Persons
As time goes on, we acquire excess fat in some areas, while we lose volume in others. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could zap fat from our thighs, arms, abdomen, or chin and put it in our face, buttocks, or breasts? The great news is – we can! Liposuction has long been a popular plastic surgery procedure. Recently, a patient in my office was astonished by how many variations I offer, from suction lipectomies, to power-assisted liposuction (Microaire), to ultrasound assisted high definition liposuction (Vaser), and laser liposuction. Liposuction is also the first step in a procedure called fat grafting, which takes fat cells from unwanted areas and uses them to enhance and fill others. During fat grafting, fat is suctioned from impacted areas of the body using a fine, blunt tipped cannula that looks like a piece of spaghetti. This
Parenthood continued from page 8
father, Frank (Jason Robards), and another sister as well as their families. It is hard to believe that this is a comedy, but it manages to thread humor through the various predicaments very successfully. Furthermore, this movie seems to support the proposition that a sense of humor is one of the best weapons against adversity. Parenthood is a delightfully humorous movie combined with tender moments that make it seem real. From start to finish, it is endearing even though it is a little raw at times. Overall, this is a very worthwhile and entertaining movie.
MUSICAL NOTES
It is enjoyable to look up Randy Newman’s work as an American singer/ songwriter, film score composer, and arranger. The pop tune “I Love L.A.” (1983) was in the zenith of its popularity when I lived there, and “I Love To See You Smile” makes me…smile! Newman has received twenty Academy Award nominations and has won the Oscar twice. He has composed lots of film scores including the beautiful and enigmatic music for the movie The Natural.
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.
To advertise call 925.405.6397
fat is then sterilized by washing away everything except for the fat, growth factors, and plasma. Then, syringes are filled with this fat and used to add volume to the desired body parts. Fat really is liquid gold. Looking at it in a syringe before it is delicately placed into its new area of the body reveals its glistening gold color. The injected fat grows naturally without any reaction and adapts to its new location because it’s still within your own body! About 50% of volume of the fat thrives in its new home. Fat grafting is also one of the newest advancements in breast augmentation procedures. You can remove fat from any area of the body and have it placed in the breasts. This procedure can achieve half a cup size per fat grafting session, and it’s about the same price as augmentation with implants. It’s natural and effective because you are using your own cells to enhance your look and feel. Now, I am not just talking about women. Men commonly have excess fat in their chest and flanks which can effect their physique. These issues can be handled through liposuction and fat grafting as well. I cannot count the number of women who have brought their own partners in for a little “work” after they saw the magic of fat grafting for themselves. Something important to note regarding liposuction and fat grafting is that you should be at a stable weight before undergoing the procedure. You are born with the same number of fat cells that you die with – unless some are surgically removed. However, even if fat cells are removed, if a patient fails to change their diet and activity level, the remaining fat cells will grow in size and fill back in the area that was surgically altered. This explains the misconception that after liposuction fat moves from one place to another. This is inaccurate – fat doesn’t move, it just increases in volume because of its capacity to suck up fatty acids. Fat grafting can be great when it comes to enhancing your youthful appearance. We at Persons Plastic Surgery offer a variety of safe fat grafting and liposuction services to achieve your dream look. Contact us to learn more! Persons Plastic Surgery, Inc. is located at 911 Moraga Rd, Suite 205 in Lafayette. To contact me call 925-283-4012 or email drbarb@personsplasticsurgery.com. Advertorial
C L A S S I F I E D APARTMENT WANTED
Small apartment needed for semi-retired gardener. Good credit. Call Gary at 510-410-3225.
AUTOS WANTED We Will Buy or Consign Your Car. All cars displayed in our private and secure showroom. We are a locally family owned dealership serving the Lamorinda and San Ramon Valley for over 30 years in a very relaxed atmosphere. Free pick-up and delivery. 925-820-1188
COMPUTER HELP
ITkid Computer Help with any tech related issue for a low price. Computer Set-up & Repair •Email •Wifi •Smartphone •Home Theater - $40/hr. Contact Max Nunan, (925) 482-5488, maxnunan@gmail.com, www.itkid.co.
FOR RENT
CONDO VACATION RENTAL Mauna Lani Resort, Big Island. New luxury 2 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath condo on 4th fairway. Minimum 3 night stay. Contact Alamo owners for discounted rate. (925)381-7042, Alamomgt@usa.net
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PAGE 32 • ALAMO TODAY • JUNE 2017
The Combs Team Nancy
This is Rockcliff Country
Professionals You Can Count On
Joe
Call the Combs Team
®
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AL AMO/DANVILLE RE AL ESTATE MARKET: VALUES CONTINUE TO RISE!
As I write this, it is the end of May. There is enough data to review this year’s market performance against the same time period last year (January 1-May 19) and be fairly confident that it has meaning. On average, home prices as measured by dollars paid per square foot continue to rise both in Alamo and Danville. A key driver to that growth appears to be relatively low inventory at the mid to lower price points for homes as well as great interest rates for buyers. Low inventory coupled with insatiable demand have been the price drivers in Danville and Alamo for several years. The Alamo homes that have sold so far in 2017 have sold on average within 20 days. Let’s contrast that with the 51 active listings (homes not sold) that carry an average of 64 days on market with a list price ranging from $1,299,000 to $39,000,000. I am beginning to perceive that inventory and sales are less in balance this year than last, even though inventory is not high and continues to decline. In fact, there are nine fewer active listings on the market than during the same time last year. The upper price tier properties above $2 million account for 62% of all active listings which is greater than the percentage of sold listings, suggesting the high end may be getting ahead of itself. They represented half or more of last year’s unsold inventory. This year they account for around 80%. I think it is worth mentioning that dollars paid per square foot is up 8% from last year in Alamo and up 7% in Danville. Size of homes sold in Alamo dropped 13% and impacted sold price in a negative way as homes sold were on average about 500 square feet smaller than last year. The size of Danville homes sold increased, and that change accounts for at least 2% of the value growth. In 2016, a great many Alamo homes listed in the upper price tiers were significantly over priced. This year there are at least as many. It appears to me that the appetite for homes in the 5,000 to 6,000 square foot class is weak. The reason is unclear. It could be price or it could be cost of operation and effort required to
Alamo 10 Acre Estate
maintain. Perhaps the memories of the downturn have impacted buyer psychology. Recently, in both Danville and Alamo a few homes of less than 5,000 sq. ft. have pushed through the $3 million mark. This will bear watching over time. Median price stands at $1,600,000 for Alamo and $1,299,000 for Danville. These are really important numbers to aid our understanding of the Alamo/ Danville market. It means simply that half of the properties closed for more than their respective median price number, and half sold for less. Half of all Alamo and Danville sales were below median price, and significantly more than half were below the average (mean) price. As inventory shrank, home sales increased in Alamo by 3% from the previous year. Danville experienced an 18% increase. Danville is out pacing Alamo because of price. There are simply more people who can afford to buy into the Danville market. I think it’s safe to conclude that the Alamo has reached the point where it has fully recovered. Moving forward we probably will see only small incremental price increases driven by real growth in jobs and income as opposed to rebound appreciation from the down turn. Danville could have more room to run. Nothing in these data suggest that prices will go down from here. Something of consequence and worth noting is that actual selling price in both Alamo and Danville is now a bit lower than list price. That means there are fewer multiple offers, and buyers are standing on footing more equal to sellers than we have observed over the last few years. In conclusion, if this were Facebook, I would insert a big thumbs up right here. It’s important to remember that there really is no “average” home, and no two homes are exactly alike. Computer generated estimates of your home’s market value are probably wrong. If you would like multi-dimensional analysis of your home’s current market value, based on solid sales data and years of Alamo market experience, please give me a call 925-989-6086 or send me an email, joecombs@ thecombsteam.com. For more Alamo and Danville Real Estate articles, please visit our website at www.thecombsteam.com.
Alamo Jones Ranch
Alamo Coming Soon
P
IN D N E
G
Beautiful custom home with views, gardens, huge master, 3 ensuite bedrooms, bonus room/au pair suite with private entrance. Priced to sell $5,950,000.
Executive home 6,521 sq. ft. with views of Mt. Diablo. Two master suites, au pair unit, office, exercise salon, wine room. Priced to sell $2,599,000
Luxury Mediterranean resort living in Alamo. Downstairs Master, tennis court pool/spa, water slide, waterfall, bocce. Call for pricing and details.
Alamo Custom Luxury Home
Danville Single Story
Alamo Single Story
P Stonegate 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath with 1 bedroom downstairs. Pool/spa, BBQ, putting green. Priced to sell $2,000,000
IN D N E
G
Four bedroom single story. Like new with view. Priced to sell $1,299,000
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.
LD O S One story backs open space. 3 bedroom, large workshop. Nancy and I represented the buyer. We have more buyers. J. Rockcliff Realtors 15 Railroad Ave., Danville CA. 94526