Walnut Creek Fro-Yo Smackdown II: With the opening of Coco Swirl, where are you gonna go? And what about this '80s fro-yo time warp?

So Coco Swirl has finally opened on Locust Street, next door to Century 14 movie theater, and in the former space occupied by Moonstruck Chocolates.

And ... Coco Swirl is a block from the trendy and the self-proclaimed healthy Red Mango, which took over the former Maggie Moo's spot in Plaza Escuela.

All these changes!

And remember, Red Mango is famous for its association with Yul Kwon, the affable winner of the 2006 season of TV's Survivor. Kwon grew up in Walnut Creek, became a health nut and proclaimed Red Mango to be "literally the healthiest yogurt out there." However, Kwon has picked up and moved to Washington D.C. There, the Yale Law School grad will be working in the Obama administration, at the Federal Communications Commission as Deputy Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau.

Meanwhile, the new Coco Swirl and Red Mango are going up against longtime Yogurt Castle, at the corner pf North California Boulevard and Bonanza Street, to win over our frozen yogurt hearts, minds, and stomachs.

Back in August, my husband, son, and I did our own tasting of frozen yogurt offerings at Red Mango and Yogurt Castle. Now, Coco Swirl has arrived in town. Who is going to win this fro-yo battle? Or, maybe there is a market for all three?

But even contemplating frozen yogurt--oh my goodness!--I'm warping back to the 1980s. If my memory serves me correctly, Yogurt Castle was in business in Walnut Creek in the 1980s. I remember patronizing it myself. And weren't frozen yogurt franchises cropping up everywhere in the 1980s, not just here in the Bay Area, but nationally, even internationally?

Wasn't frozen yogurt the sought-after dessert, because it offered all of us weight-freaked-out Americans the illusion that indulging in vanilla non-fat frozen yogurt (topped, of course, with chocolate chips, Oreos, and M&Ms) was healthy and wouldn't expand our waistlines?

Well, as I write this, it's time to listen to some Talking Heads. The other night, my son and I watched The Breakfast Club. And, in the past month, we have commemorated two historical events of the 1980s: the Loma Prieta earthquake and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Click Here to Read More..

Your kid’s brain, and how alcohol, pot, and other drugs can mess with its development

So much is going on in brain science these days: it’s all pretty exciting and illuminating.

Scientists can scan brains and see, for example, how the brain of someone with schizophrenia differs from someone who doesn’t have it. They also understand more about the biology of addiction, and they know that our brains apparently don’t stop growing and developing until we’re 25. So, there are apparently biological, anatomical reasons for why, for example, our middle-schoolers have trouble organizing all those damned pesky homework binders, and our teen-agers act like idiots. Why they truly don’t get long-term consequences of risky behavior, including having sex before they are ready and using and abusing alcohol, pot, and other drugs.

(For the record, I was a teen-aged idiot. Big time!)

If you want to learn more about the impact of alcohol and other drugs on your kids’ brains, you’re invited to attend a free talk Tuesday evening by drug educator Ralph Cantor at Stanley Intermediate School in Lafayette.

How Drugs Hijack the Teenage Brain: Do you really know how marijuana and alcohol interfere with the learning that is supposed to take place during the teenage years?

That’s the title of the talk, which starts at 7 p.m., and here's how it is described:

Adolescence is the time when teens are supposed to be working on self identity, dealing with stress, boredom, emotional growth, intellectual development and learning to socialize with others. Drugs and alcohol not only impair decision-making abilities but also interrupt your child’s ability to master these evelopmental tasks. Join us at Stanley for an informative evening and Q & A with esteemed Drug Educator, Ralph Cantor and the Stanley Counseling Staff. The talk is sponsored by Stanley’s Parent Teacher Association.

Meanwhile, middle school is not too early to start talking to kids about alcohol, drugs, etc. We all knew that, right?

And, the “just say no” approach is so Nancy Reagan ‘80s.

This view comes from a host of articles I came across while searching around for research on drugs, alcohol, and child brain development--and on educating kids on the risks associated with early substance use and abuse.

Here's one. When 'Just Say No' Isn't Enough: Try Science, from Science Daily:

Teens are fascinated by their brains, the way they work, change, and even "freeze" sometimes. The American Association for the Advancement of Science recommends that parents, teachers and caregivers use that fascination to engage middle and high school students this holiday season in a discussion of why they shouldn't drink alcohol.

Scientists used to believe that human brains finished developing before adolescence. But according to The Science Inside Alcohol Project, an alcohol education effort of the AAAS that is funded by the National Institute on Alcohol abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), new and ongoing brain research shows that important brain regions and their interconnections are still developing well into a person's twenties … Alcohol can damage or even kill neurons, perhaps altering development of those parts of the adolescent brain that are still forming.

Alcohol can cause kids to make bad decisions, develop a tolerance for alcohol and drink more, take risks, harm their memories.

Other articles for your perusal: Middle Schoolers And Alcohol: Tips For Parents , and Access To Alcohol Among Middle School Children (Hint: they get it from us! Duh! )

Meanwhile, there is a whole body of research on possible links between alcohol, marijuana, and other drug use and mental illness, particularly the use of cannabis and the onset of psychosis linked to schizophrenia. This research gets into the whole chicken-egg question. Does marijuana use cause schizophrenia? (IMHO, I strongly doubt it.) Or do kids at risk of schizophrenia and other mental illnesses use pot, alcohol, and other drugs to self-medicate, to quiet the anxiety, depression, mania, and voices associated with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses?

But then, does use of these substances provide what you might call an environmental trigger for genetically vulnerable kids? If a child, preteen, or teen, vulnerable to a mental illness, becomes a heavy pot user at an early age, will the drug trigger the psychosis that was lurking there, ready to emerge?

Fascinating stuff. Important stuff, especially for parents of children whose families have histories of addiction to alcohol and drugs and histories of mental illness.

Hmm, that’s probably about 90 percent of the population, right?

But if you're interested, here is another article on research into the substance abuse/mental illness link among children and teens:

Children's mental health, substance abuse association studied:

Research is underway at Rutgers University that seeks to examine links between children's mental health problems and alcohol, nicotine, and illegal drug use over time. It is very common for people who have schizophrenia to also suffer from addictions - and this new research is targeted at better understanding this problem.

Click Here to Read More..

Walnut Creek braces for holiday crowds, parking, traffic while questions percolate over the health of this year's retail season

Even before the Halloween decorations and other tchotchkes came down in local stores, the Christmas stuff went up.

So, forget Black Friday, the Christmas shopping season is already in full swing. As a matter of fact, some retailers are getting a jump on Black Friday. According to the Wall Street Journal, retailers are turning it into "monthlong parade of promotions" by offering high-profile discounts. So in a post-Great Recession world, Black Friday might be going by the wayside. And, by the way, if you know of any major deals you want to share with readers, chime in.

A few weeks ago, predictions were grim about this coming holiday shopping season. More recently though, some retailers have posted unexpected third-quarter profits, including Wal-Mart stores, Inc., Kohl's Corp., and Nordstrom Inc. Still, the Chicago Tribune says, "although the results beat company expectations, executives at all three chains conceded that they faced a tough selling period ahead." So even though retailers' profits are up, consumers may still be wary, especially with national unemployment at 10.2 percent.

What will this mean for the East Bay's retail Mecca, downtown Walnut Creek? Who knows.? I'm guessing that the crowds will still descend, as they always have; the question is whether they will spend like it's 2006, or spend more time browsing, looking for those deep discounts, and ultimately spending like it's 2008.

There may be more empty store fronts than the same time last year. However, new shops and restaurants have been going in. And, a couple major chain retailers that, some analysts said, were not expected to make it into 2010 have hung in: Cost Plus World Market and Williams-Sonoma.

City staff are making an effort to "tame the holiday traffic Grinch."

The city, the Downtown Business Association, Chamber of Commerce, and property managers for the major retial and private parking garages have "teamed up to create stress-free parking for the season."

According to the city's November/December edition of its In a Nutshell, "the goal is to get cars off downtown streets as quickly as possible by making parking easy to find and encouraging shoppers to 'park once' and walk or use other means of getting around." The powers that be hope to accomplish this by posting new signs leading motorists to parking facilities; police staff directing traffic; and extended hours for the free downtown trolley. Between November 27 and December 12, the trolley will run until 10 p.m., and until 11 p.m., between December 14 and December 23.

Councilman Kish Rajan said this new emphasis on easing the parking and traffic crunch was not prompted by concerns about Recession retail struggles.

"I am not aware of any specific anaylsis/ projection of the crowds we expect," he e-mailed me. "Of course we are hopeful for a good shopping season. The intent here was to take some of the longer term ideas we considered and to put them in place right away -- both to try improve customer experience this season and to test what works best for the long term. "

Click Here to Read More..

In other retail news: Macerich's new venture and challenges

Macerich, the owner of Broadway Plaza, just scored big with the 71-percent win on Measure I, which will allow it to build a new 92,000-square-foot department store on the former David M. Brian store spot. So, that means Walnut Creek will most likely be getting its Neiman Marcus.

That is, unless Neiman Marcus backs out of its emphatic promise to open a new store in Walnut Creek. Or unless, the Neiman Marcus opponents have some other maneuver up their sleeve--perhaps another lawsuit, this one to block the results of the November 3 election. Can't say, though, that such a move would go over very well or win their cause any support. My guess is that most residents, even those who will rarely if ever shop at Neiman Marcus (moi!), just want to put this whole nasty, annoying, costly battle over this department store behind them. And get on with other city issues to gripe about--or to celebrate...

Meanwhile, I came across this tidbit in Andrew Ross' Bottom Line business column in today's San Francisco Chronicle. And it has to do with Macerich. It talks about Friday's grand opening of the Northgate Shopping Center in San Rafael, which is owned Macerich. And, actually, the center is 40 years old and never closed. It just went through a major remodel, and brought in new stores, restaurants, and "a strollable, town-plaza feel."

Ross notes that, despite a slight uptick in retail sales, consumer sentiment is at its lowest level in three years. Meanwhile, the Great Recession, Ross says, has "taken a bit out of" of Macerich's income. Revenues for the Santa Monica company slid 11 percent in the third quarter, and "its overall forecast has been cut, and pieces of its other shopping centers have been sold off, including most recently, a 49 percent interest in a New York City mall." Click Here to Read More..

Guest Commentary asks whether Walnut Creek staff, leaders really listen to neighborhood concerns regarding projects

This guest commentary comes from Tom O’Brien, a resident of the Almond/Shuey neighborhood, right next to downtown.

His commentary comes in advance of Tuesday night’s City Council meeting at which members will be asked to approve the construction of nine new homes, on a half-acre lot, at the Oakland Boulevard edge of this charming, historic neighborhood.

The homes, to be built on the oddly shaped lot at the corner of Oakland Boulevard and Almond Avenue, will be detached, and on their own lots, including one that will consist of a duplex. Most of the homes are two-bedroom, ranging from two to three stories, and between 1,400 and 1,900 square feet.

The project has been debated and discussed since 2004. The Planning Commission approved it, but not unanimously. Four commissioners praised the the developer for making several concessions and revisions to reduce its density (from 12 units to nine). Two commissioners said “no,” based on continuing concerns about insufficient onsite parking, access to the homes, and traffic issues.

With regard to concerns about density and parking, O’Brien, on his website about the project, says these “tightly-packed” homes are of a higher density than zoning permits in that neighborhood. He adds that each of these homes would feature a double-master bedroom design. “The developer has stated that one target market he has identified for the homes is young professionals who need to take in a roommate to afford their first home. Since it is reasonable to assume that a number of these homes will be occupied by unrelated adults, each of whom is likely to own a car - the neighbors believe that at least two parking spaces should be provided per unit. Throughout the hearings, staff has indicated that only 1.5 spaces per unit are called for, per the BART Proximate Parking Ordinance. "

You can read more about the pros and cons of this project at O’Brien’s website and in the staff report prepared by the city’s Community Development department in advance of the City Council meeting. The Contra Costa Times also covered the issue back in early October.

Meanwhile, O’Brien believes this issue raises larger questions about city responsiveness to neighborhood concerns about projects and whether the city shows favoritism to developers—over those of residents. Read his commentary, and see what you think, whether you agree with O’Brien or not.

Thanks Tom for raising this question. I know it’s something that’s on the minds of residents, in the wake of the Neiman Marcus controversy. It has also come up as a topic in the series of Community Conversations the city has been holding to prioritize its goals for the future.

Anti-neighborhood bias in Walnut Creek
The questionnaire given to all applicants for the Walnut Creek Planning Commission points out that “frequently, at a public hearing, you will hear testimony only from those opposed to the project," and asks how the applicant would respond. (I sometimes suspect that the preferred answer is that you will listen politely, but not let the ravings of those whining malcontents influence your decision to approve the project.) If the City of Walnut Creek included the neighborhoods in the planning process, public hearings might not be so confrontational. But the City has chosen a different path.

When a developer comes to the City with a new project, the developer and the City Planning staff sit down in private and craft a proposal amenable to both. Staff then works to push the project through the public hearing process. All the neighborhoods can do is to try (often futilely) to voice our concerns over staff-level decisions we never had a say in. The Parkmead neighborhood was put in this position with the Mark Scott homes. Homestead had their battle over the Homestead Hilton. Now it’s the Almond/Shuey’s turn with the “Almond Bungalows."

Without consulting the neighborhood, the City staff decided that the zoning on the lot at the corner of Almond Avenue and Oakland Boulevard could be raised, the parking didn’t need to meet current standards, and the driveway for what is essentially an Oakland Boulevard infill project could be sited on our quiet neighborhood street. From the very first public hearing, these decisions have been presented as settled, and the neighbors’ attempts to have the impacts on our neighborhood mitigated have been rebuffed. Staff has even reinterpreted City codes and ordinances in support of their position. The Design Review and Planning Commissioners have followed along with the Staff’s recommendations – after all, Staff has more credibility than those whining neighborhood malcontents – don’t they? The project has been forwarded to the City Council for final approval.

You can see what we’ve been up against to date at http://www.inertboom.org/bias. Our neighborhood’s final stand will be this Tuesday, November 17th at the City Council meeting. If you agree that neighborhood issues aren’t given a fair hearing in Walnut Creek, please come support us.

Thank you,
Tom O’Brien
Almond/Shuey neighborhood resident. Click Here to Read More..

Reminder to parents after student found with knife at Walnut Creek Intermediate

This is a note from Kevin Collins, the principal of Walnut Creek Intermediate, reminding parents (and their kids) of what's not okay for kids to bring onto campus.

I am writing to let the community know that one of our students was found to be in possession of a knife on campus today. While the mere possession of a knife is serious, the knife was not brandished or used to threaten anyone on campus. We are following our disciplinary guidelines for an infraction like this which includes a suspension from school and police contact.

I am asking all families to review the following article that we have run several times in the past year in eNews regarding items that should not be brought to school:

Backpacks and Inappropriate Items--Over the years we have encountered students who have brought inappropriate items to school with little forethought for consequences or how these items may be viewed by others. These items have included things such as fireworks, lighters, handcuffs, pepper spray, and pocket knives.

Students who brought these items may have had the most innocent of intentions, but as a school we are required to work to keep the campus free of such dangerous items. While we inform students of our expectations and consequences at school, we ask that families reinforce this message at home. One suggestion we offer is to and to review the WCI discipline code in the student planner or and directory. Another is to go through your student's backpack with him or her to see what is being carried around on a daily basis. A positive side effect of this may be greater organization and a reduced load being carried around daily.

We all need to do our part to keep WCI safe. Student safety remains our top priority.

Click Here to Read More..

Who would you like to pretend to be at your next high school reunion

So news comes, via the Mayor of Claycord and other news reports, that a 1988 graduate of Alhambra High in Martinez is facing federal charges for imitating a US Marine Corps officer and hero at his 20-year class reunion.

Steve Burton, 39, of Palm Springs, is officially being charged with unauthorized wearing of military medals. Turns out, he never served in any branch of the military, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Now he faces up to one year in federal prison.

So, it looks like he did something illegal and pretty pathetic to make him look good in the eyes of his former classmates. Who knows what he was like in high school? Maybe he was a dork and wanted to appear to have ascended way past his former dorkhood by pretending to be this military hero, wearing a Navy Cross and Purple Heart on an allegedly fake United States Marine Corps lieutenant colonel's uniform to his reunion, and blogging about how he had served on tours of Afghanistan and Iraq, according to an FBI affidavit.

But, come on, haven’t any of you fantasized about the person you wish you could be at your next high school reunion? (Confession: I’ve never attended any of my reunions; I’m such a coward) Don’t you fantasize about showing all those jocks and popular girls who snubbed you in high school how those years were not, unlike for them, the be all and end all for you.

How you were way too cool and smart, and you just couldn’t wait to graduate so you could get started with your life?

And wouldn’t you want to return and show how, over the past 10, 20, 30 years, you surpassed those former teen royals in various ways—financial or professional success, good looks, attractive spouse, adorable, high-achieving kids?

Let’s see: Who would I want to be? Or, rather, who would I have to pretend to be? Of course, I wouldn’t want to break any laws.

But, why couldn’t I make up some story about being a best-selling writer. But, not of trashy novels. So, no, I wouldn’t want to be her:

I’d rather be more like her:

You know, a writer who might have something like a National Book Award on my CV. A writer of quality literature. Able to throw big words around and stuff. Yes, I’d be emotionally high-maintenance, and maybe even able to boast and laugh about my stint in a psychiatric institution, but I would be absolutely brilliant, witty, and charming. Most important of all, I’d have the ability to look really cool when photographed in black and white.

Click Here to Read More..

Want your cat de-clawed? Can’t get it done in Berkeley

The City Council of Berkeley has once again passed a law that may have good intentions but little practical effect, the Oakland Tribune reports.

It has banned veterinarians within its borders from declawing cats. The city voted to make it a misdemeanor for any veterinary clinic to perform this practice. Someone caught doing it within city limits faces a $1,000 fine or six months in county jail. City council members and veterinarians called the practice horrific, inhumane, cruel, and similar to amputation. But a representative of the California Veterinary Medical Association, while agreeing that he doesn’t like to perform the procedure, said members are against the ban because it takes away a decision that should be left to the cat owner and his or her vet. This veterinarian, who spoke against the ban, is located in Hayward.

So, if you still want to get your cat declawed, I suppose you could take Fluffy to him. Or, to a vet in Oakland or even here in Walnut Creek.

The Tribune, citing a staff report to the Berkeley City Council, said:

Cat owners usually have one of two procedures done to remove their cat's claws to prevent the cat from clawing at personal property or causing minor personal injury.

One procedure is "10 separate painful amputations" called onychectomy where the "last bone of each toe is amputated," the report stated. In human terms that is "analogous to cutting off each finger at the last joint," the report added.

A second procedure for removing cats' claws, called a tendonectomy, removes a "portion of the flexor tendon in each of a cat's toes, thus preventing the cat from being able to extend the claws."

Both procedures can cause infection, abscess, hemorrhage, arthritis and "painful regrowth of deformed claws," the report said.

Click Here to Read More..

"They": a timeless poem about the tragedy of war and the challenges faced by returning veterans

They

The Bishop tells us: "When the boys come back
They will not be the same; for they'll have fought
In a just cause: they lead the last attack
On Anti-Christ; their comrades' blood has bought
New right to breed an honourable race.
They have challenged Death and dared him face to face"

"We're none of us the same!" the boys reply.
"For George lost both his legs; and Bill's stone blind;
Poor Jim's shot through the lungs and like to die;
And Bert's gone syphilitic: you'll not find
A chap who's served that hasn't found some change."
And the Bishop said: "The ways of God are strange!"

***

This poem was written in 1917 by an English writer named Siegfried Sassoon. He was among a group of poets who chronicled, with graphic urgency, the plight of soldiers living, dying and sometimes surviving in the battle trenches of that long-ago war--which, the more you study it, the more you can find comparisons to the current Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts in which our country is now engaged.

There is an interesting backstory to these World War I poems and their authors.

Sassoon grew up a "leisured Edwardian gentleman" and graduated from Cambridge, according to my Norton Anthology of Poetry."At the outbreak of World War I, he enlisted and went to the front. By 1917, disillusioned with the war, he publicly protested that it was being "deliberately prolonged by those who have the power to end it." His actions landed him in the Craiglockhart War Hospital. Authorities claimed he was suffering from "shell shock," what we now call post-traumatic stress disorder. There he befriended the young poet Wilfred Owen (who was killed one year later in action, one week before the signing of the armistice).

Sassoon was influenced by fellow poet soldier and Craiglockhart inmate Robert Graves, and produced poetry with "an immediacy untouched by his contemporaries' work. He not only expressed the horrors of trench warfare but also castigated those at home who blithely send a generation of young men to die." Click Here to Read More..

Joint Veteran's Day celebration for Walnut Creek and Lafayette

Here's a notice from the City of Walnut Creek regarding Wednesday's Veteran's Day celebration:

This year the traditional veterans day ceremony will be hosted jointly by the cities of Lafayette and Walnut Creek. The celebration will begin at 11 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial Building, 3780 Mt. Diablo Boulevard, in Lafayette.The ceremony will include a musical salute to the Armed Forces by the Walnut Creek Concert Band under the direction of Harvey Benstein.

Mayor Gary Skrel of Walnut Creek and Mayor Don Tatzin of Lafayette will welcome the guests. Allan F.P. Cruz, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired) and president of the Lafayette Veterans Building Board of Directors will be the keynote speakers.

Veterans recently returning from active duty are asked to contact Walnut Creek City Clerk Patrice Olds (925) 943-5819 or the Lafayette City Clerk's office, (925) 299-3210.

Click Here to Read More..

The city invites you to voice concerns about Walnut Creek's parking, including any gripes you have about those private lots!

I have read those reports in which the city says it has enough parking, if not on the street, then in its various public and private garages around town.

You know, I can’t dispute the city’s contention. I do usually find parking in the garages, when I decide to not be lazy and to forego finding a street space right in front of a business I want to patronize. However, I rarely find parking in the garage behind Macy’s and Nordstrom, especially on Saturdays or Sundays. Consequently, I rarely shop at either store—not that I’m a big shopper anyway—but sometimes I have wanted to go to either store and have encountered a pretty frustrating parking experience.

I digress. As usual.

What are your parking pet peeves? The city's Downtown Parking Task Force is seeking your input with this survey. And, the city is asking you to comment on those private downtown lots. That's my pet peeve, as I will explain momentarily. Here is what the city says:

If you've ever come to downtown Walnut Creek, you've got an opinion on parking. Here's your chance to share it, with a quick online survey created by the Downtown Parking Task Force.From street parking to parking garages, the Task Force wants to know what works for you, and what doesn't. The answers will help the Task Force achieve its mission of "Making Parking Work in Downtown Walnut Creek.

Deadline for answering the survey is 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14

In case you're interested, here are a Crazy Soccer Mom's pet peeves:

First, I think the city should align its meter holidays with all federal or state holidays—or any holidays that city offices are closed. I’ve stated this before, and I know some of you are tired of hearing me gripe about this.

Second, the city and the Downtown Business Association need to seriously look at the negative image created by the company or companies that manage the private lots around town. I have covered this perplexing private parking issue before, by citing expert legal opinion that tickets issued by these private companies have no force of law. But that doesn't stop them from trying to scare you into thinking they do.

By the way, Robert Power, the past president of the Downtown Business Association heads Regional Parking, which manages parking facilities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, including Walnut Creek. "Our goal is to ensure customer parking, discourage illegal parking and create convenient employee parking alternatives," the company's website says.

Mr. Power, I hope you don’t take offense by this post, but I have to say that many of the complaints I hear about downtown parking centers on public confusion--and a perception among motorists--that these lots are not all that welcoming to visitorsand in fact see visitors as a way to make an easy buck.

Sorry, but that's the perception.

And, if the city and Downtown Business Association are truly serious about generating good will among patrons to their community, they will look at this issue.

Some of these private lots have meters, and those meters can be confusing. I’ve seen people at the private lot behind Peet’s coffee, on a Sunday morning, for example, trying to make sense of why those meters are in force on a Sunday morning.

Meters don’t usually operate on Sundays, right? Oh, but wait, those are city-run meters, and, but, wait, what does that sign say? These meters are private? What is that all about? What’s the difference between a private meter and a city meter? If I get a ticket, do I have to go to court? Will it hurt my driving record? For the record, no it won't. According to a report in the East Bay Express, as a private company, Regional Parking doesn't have access to confidential DMV address information. "Therefore, drivers could theoretically ignore a ticket from the company without consequence unless they later parked in a private lot patrolled by the company."

A couple evenings before Halloween, my son and I stopped in at the Spirit Store, housed in the former Mark Morris tire business at Mt. Diablo Boulevard and Locus Street. The meters there demand to be fed until 11 p.m., five hours past when the city-run meters shut down. Lots of people were trying to get in their last-minute Halloween shopping, and lots of people were trying to park in that lot.

Sure, the owners of the lot have a right to charge, but they had their enforcers out in full force, ready to write tickets to those whose meters had run out. The image was of a property owner, eager to reap whatever small profit he/she could from the crowds of Halloween shoppers.

Here, I was spending dollars in downtown Walnut Creek. And so were a lot of other people, and the parking lot owner and/or manager was trying to rake in every other last penny he/she could.

Well, if you want to fill out the survey, again, here is the link.

Click Here to Read More..

Second strong-arm robbery Monday; suspect sought

A woman parking her car at her home in the 1500 block of Geary Road was robbed of her purse Monday evening. Walnut Creek police say the robber approached the woman as she pulled into her residence in her car. The robber demanded her purse. She handed it over to him, and he ran off.

The robbery is described as a Hispanic or black male adult, 20 to 30 years old, 5 feet 11 inches, with a thin build, clean shaven, and wearing a blue fleece jacket, blue beanie, and dark colored pants.

Officers checked the area without finding anyone. Anyone with information should contact the Walnut Creek Police Department at (925) 943-5844.

Click Here to Read More..

Robbery victim helps nab the guy who strong-armed him out of his wallet along the Contra Costa Canal Trail

A robbery victim, with the presence of mind to notice key details about the guy who held him up Monday along the Contra Costa Canal Trail, helped Walnut Creek police locate a 22-year-old suspect a short time later.

The robbery happened about 2:45 p.m. Monday, Walnut Creek police said. The victim said he was walking along the Canal Trail near Winton Avenue when he was confronted by a man wielding a basebll bat. The robber demanded that the victim turn over his wallet. The victim complied.

The robber ran off to a nearby car. The victim and a witness provided a detailed description of the car to police. Pleasant Hill police, who were investigating the suspect on unrelated charges, located and arrested him. Walnut Creek police were notified and arrived to take him into custody for the robbery.

The suspect is identified as Jesse Meth, 22, of Pleasant Hill.

Anyone with further information is encouraged to contact the Walnut Creek Police Department at (925) 943-5844.

Click Here to Read More..

Get ready to skate! Walnut Creek's outdoor rink opens Thursday afternoon

It's that time of year again for Walnut Creek's Downtown On Ice, starting Thursday afternoon and continuing through January 18.

Sponsors say that an anticipated 45,000 skaters and thousands more spectators will have the opportunity to visit downtown Walnut Creek during this 10-plus week skating "extravaganza" organized by the Downtown Business Association and the Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce.

With the library construction, the rink has moved to a new spot in Civic Park.

If you're interested, you can skate on key holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day. Here is information about about THE public skating schedule and admission prices, which can range from $11-$15.

Click Here to Read More..

How would you slice up Walnut Creek’s budget pie to make the town a great place for people to live and work?

With Walnut Creek dealing with the fall-out of the recession and a decline in revenues, the city has launched what it called Community Conversations to receive input from residents on what their priorities are.

Those conversations will continue with Step 2 of those conversations. That is, workshops that will take place the week of November 30-December 6. In those workshops, participants will be given $500 (sorry, imaginary) to divvy up according to what services they see as most vital to achieving six goals that, it is believed, make Walnut Creek a desirable place to live and work.

Step 1 of these Community Conversations took place September and October. They consisted of five workshops in which 175 community members participated to create definitions for each of those six goals. Yours truly, by the way, participated in one of these workshops. Those definitions became the basis for “subgoals” that City Council members will discuss at a special meeting Tuesday.

Are you following me with this goal/subgoal thing? I hope so. Anyway, city council members will discuss these goals and subgoals at a special Tuesday meeting, starting at 5:30 p.m., and then turn the matter back over to community members for more input, which will be expressed by letting us go on our $500 budget spending spree.

Anyway here are the six goals. Each is followed by subgoals that are supposed to represent a consolidation of ideas of how community members define that goal.

A Safe Community

--Builds an informed, involved, and engaged citizenry

--Employs effective law enforcement practices and ensures visible law enforcement presence.

--Engages in broad emergency preparedness programs

--Maintains, preserves and protects public and private infrastructure

--Provides for safe access and mobility

--Provides for the social needs and well-being of its citizens

Culture, Recreation, and Learning

--Effectively collaborates with the community to jointly support cultural, recreational and learning opportunities

--Leverages partnerships with schools to offer life-long learning opportunities

--Offers cultural opportunities that attract regional visitors

--Provides high-quality, diverse, and multi-generational arts, recreational and athletic programs and venues

--Supports a vibrant downtown with amenities for gathering and a variety of shopping and entertainment venues

Economic Vitality

--Attracts robust and diverse retail and commercial businesses

--Facilitates planned development and diverse housing options

--Invests in building and maintaining a sustainable and thriving community

--Offers activities and amenities that attract regional visitors

--Partners with schools and community to foster top-rated educational opportunities

--Provides a safe, secure, and accessible community with a variety of mobility options

Effective Transportation and Mobility Options

--Ensures adequate, well-planned, and accessible public parking options

--Plans, builds, and maintains a transportation system that eases congestion and optimizes mobility

--Provides and encourages safe travel for pedestrians and cyclists

--Provides and promotes convenient access to diverse and efficient modes of public transportation

Stewardship of the Natural and Built Environment

--Facilitates environmentally sound transportation systems

--Preserves, protects, and maintains natural resources and public space

--Preserves, restores and enhances what exists today

--Promotes sustainability of the environment

--Promotes responsible development and maintenance

Strong neighborhoods and a sense of community

--Develops and encourages community involvement, participation, and pride

--Effectively collaborates and communicates with its citizens

--Offers and encourages a variety of transportation modes to connect neighborhoods and the downtown

--Promotes and sustain physically attractive neighborhoods and public space

--Promotes and supports enrichment opportunities

--Provides citizens with a safe place to live, work and play.

Next Steps in the Community Conversations

Following today’s study session, people who live or work in Walnut Creek will be invited to allocate an imaginary $500 among the goals and subgoals according to what they value most. This activity will take place over the week of November 30 through December 6 in the first floor training room at City Hall:

--Monday, November 30, 4-8 p.m.

--Tuesday, December 1, 7:30-11:30 a.m.

--Wednesday, December 2, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

--Thursday, December 3, 4-8 p.m.

--Sunday, December 6, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

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