Walnut Creek needs an In-N-Out

Earlier this week, I was driving back home from a meeting in East Contra Costa. It was way past dinner time and I was hungry.

Then off to the side of Highway 4 in Pittsburg, there it was, blazing in the night: the sign with that golden arrow. It beckoned me to pull off the highway and fuel up on a fresh, made-to-order burger and naturally cooked fries.


For a couple weeks, my co-workers and I have been craving an In-N-Out lunch, and grousing about how we’d have to drive all the way to San Ramon to satisfy our needs. No, we didn’t want a burger from George’s, or the Counter, or Hubcaps—even though all serve very fine burgers.

We wanted In-N-Out. There's just nothing like the In-N-Out experience, right? My co-workers tried to draft me into running down to San Ramon yesterday to pick up burgers, and I would have, but, alas, it was early dismissal at my son’s school and I had to run out at lunchtime to bring him home.

Now, before the anti-chain and anti-fast-food-chain restaurant people get on my case, or representatives from the Walnut Creek Wellness City Challenge get out their pitchforks, let me remind you that In-N-Out has attracted fierce loyalty among customers, including big-time foodies. None other than Thomas Keller is a fan of In-N-Out. Yeah, the French Laundry chef and owner. He’s, like, one of the most famous chefs in the world.

From Via magazine: Why Thomas Keller Loves In-N-Out Burger

I really respect a company that holds its ground when there is so much pressure to follow the "what’s next, what’s new" trend. In-N-Out’s quality lies in the simplicity of what it promises and delivers. To be able to do something over and over with integrity and excellence, even if it is fast food, is something to be truly admired.

What Keller doesn’t mention is that In-N-Out, founded in 1948, is still a family-owned company that continues to hold to this philosophy: "Give customers the freshest, highest quality foods you can buy and provide them with friendly service in a sparkling clean environment."

We’ve heard that an In-N-Out might be going into Pleasant Hill. That’s great for Pleasant Hill. But how about we get one here? Hey, City Council folks, if this Neiman Marcus thing doesn’t work out … how about going after In-N-Out?

Thunder, lightning, rain: Oh my!

All I can say is: What a wonderful way to start a Saturday morning. Big flashes of lightning, then the roar of thunder. Popped out to get some photos and got caught in a downpour. It felt wonderful.

Statutory rape: I guess maybe it happened to me

Back when I was 17, I had sex with a man who was in his mid-20s. He was also married, but I didn’t know that until after we had sex and his wife called my family home to ask why he had my name and phone number on a piece of paper in his wallet.

I wasn’t in love with this man. I wasn’t even “in like” with him. I barely knew him. It was a one-night stand, the first of a few in my pre-married life. I guess you could say I did a very slutty thing at 17. Or a very girls-with-low-self-esteem kind of thing. I’m sure I could sit with my therapist and delve into the broken, attention-seeking part of me that sought out and consented to this encounter.

I can also say that I was motivated by simple curiosity and, yes, even a sense of adventure. I wanted experience. That sort of curiosity and desire for experience put me into less than savory situations in my college years and early 20s that I’d prefer my mother still not know about. But it also prompted me to move halfway across the country to attend college, to travel solo to Europe for six months after college and to become a writer and journalist. Some of the experiences I sought were risky and perhaps caused me some lasting psychological or emotional damage. Well, I am crazy, after all. But, I've probably been crazy all along.

Yes, I am writing in reference to the case of Mark Christopher Litton, the 33-year-old Miramonte High English teacher arrested yesterday at the Orinda school on suspicion of having unlawful sexual relations with a former, underage student. I’m afraid I’m fanning the flames of this case a bit more.

In no way do I mean to project my attitudes and motives as a curious, slutty, and/or adventure-seeking 17-year-old onto the alleged victim in this case. I don’t know the victim, the victim’s age, or the victim’s circumstances. None of us in the general public do.

At the same time, I am sharing my own slutty, broken teen past to make the point that pretty much all teenagers are sexually curious, if not sexually active. And some choose to do things that are stupid and harmful to themselves or to other people, because they are curious and because they aren’t mature enough to understand the consequences of their actions.

A teen’s sexual curiosity or need for attention wouldn’t excuse Litton. He was a teacher and the victim was a student, so it looks like he abused his position of trust and authority, and probably should never be able to teach again. But should he be held criminally liable?

The alleged crime, for which was arrested, essentially involves an adult, at least 18, having sex with someone who is under 18.

Maybe there will be more charges to follow? And maybe he really pulled a number on the alleged victim and really caused a lot of psychological damage.

So far, Litton, who lives in Walnut Creek, is not charged with forcible rape or lewd and lascivious conduct. The unlawful sex charge can either be a misdemeanor or a felony—depending on the circumstances—and can lead to anything from civil penalties, to jail time, to up to four years’ in state prison. The state prison time can come if you are, say, a guy who is older than 21 who has sex with a victim who is under 16.

With the bail set at $250,000, police seem to be taking this case pretty seriously, so perhaps criminal prosecution is appropriate.

It will be interesting to see how this case plays out, and perhaps I’ll need to take back some or all of what I’ve thus far written.

Back to my “adventure” at 17, I guess you could say I could have been a victim of this crime, PC 261.5. But wait! I think I lied and told this dude I was 18 when he asked me out. That would have been his defense if, I guess, my parents had found out and wanted to press charges.

But you know what? I didn’t feel like a victim then—even after I got that phone call from the wife. In fact, I honestly felt like I was living out some single girl’s story in Cosmopolitan magazine, which I was, yes, reading at that time in my life. I’m sure that makes me sound like a callous bitch, but that’s the way it was. That’s the way I was.

Message from Acalanes school district superintendent regarding teacher's arrest

This was a message sent out yesterday from John Stockton, Acalanes Union High School District, regarding Thursday's arrest of Mark Christopher Litton, an English teacher at Miramonte High School. He doesn't have many more details but I thought I'd pass it along:

It is with sincere concern and regret that the Acalanes Union High School District acknowledges the arrest this afternoon of a Miramonte High School staff member. Since this action is related to an ongoing police investigation and district-level personnel action, the confidentiality of all individuals is paramount. There is no student or staff member at risk. Miramonte High School will have no unusual activity or meetings on Friday. This is strictly a police and district coordinated issue. Please feel confident that the Acalanes Union High School District takes pride in providing a safe learning environment for its students and staff.

John Stockton

Superintendent

“Creative and inspired” Miramonte High English teacher arrested on charges of having sex with former student

Mark Christopher Litton, an English teacher at Miramonte High, was taken into custody at about 1 p.m. at Miramonte High in Orinda. He was arrested on suspicion of having unlawful sexual relations with an under-aged former student.

Litton, 33, of Walnut Creek, was teaching honors and AP English this semester at Miramonte, according to the school’s Blackboard site.

Perhaps too prophetically, for his AP English class, it looks like Litton was having students this week read existentialist Jean Paul Sartre’s play No Exit. It's about a man who finds himself led into a room that could be hell.

For homework due Wednesday, students were asked to “describe your own worst “hell”: “Where would the worst place to spend eternity? What would that be the worst? What personal experiences inform this hell?”

I suppose Litton is in his own worst hell right now, having been booked into County Jail in Martinez, with bail set at $250,000. And his career and reputation potentially in ruins.

From various testimonials I could find, including some of the anonymous postings on the Rate My Teacher website, it sounds like he loves poetry, could be something of a character, made jokes that students either loved or hated, was very bright, and could be very “cool”—or “strange"—and that he could really connect with some students.

One former student, who was interviewed by the Orinda News after graduating in 2007, described Litton, his AP English teacher, as “one of the most my influential teachers. He taught me how to be a better critical thinker and a better writer. He’s absolutely professional, but I also consider him a friend.”

A parent, posting in March 2009 on the advice section of the Berkeley Parents Network, says her son went to Miramonte in Orinda his freshman year and became very depressed because the kids were “cliquish and cruel.” The only bright spot, this parent said, was his son’s English class because the teacher, Mr. Litton, “was creative and inspired.”

Acalanes district officials had no comment about Litton's arrest, which looks like it took place during fifth period. It will be interesting to see how this case unfolds, and what it reveals about this teacher, who was working in one of the Bay Area's top-ranked public high schools.

To dream the impossible dream? Walnut Creek’s Lawrence Beaman reaches America’s Got Talent finals

Someone posting on TV critic Chuck Barney’s blog on the Contra Costa Times suggested the R&B crooner sing "The Impossible Dream" for the September 16 finals.

Now I’ve got that Man From La Mancha tune worming around in my head. Anyway, Beaman, a native of Mississippi, learned, after performing Alicia Keys “Falllin’” that he is one of 10 vying for the big prize of $1 million and the chance to perform in Las Vegas.

I’ve never seen America’s Got Talent, and probably won’t start, after hearing that a recent episode featured judge David Hasselhoff (He’s a big music star in Germany, you know) performing with the Muppets. Yeah, yeah, who am I to sound snooty about a reality TV show? After all, for the past two seasons, I have found myself getting sucked into the American Idol sweepstakes and, more recently, the whole drama surrounding the great pressing question of who will replace Paula Abdul.

But I have to wish Lawrence the best. He sounds like a nice guy, and I’m intrigued by his Mississippi upbringing. Believe it or not, I’d love to tour the Deep South, including Faulkner Country. His America’s Got Talent bio says he had a “humble upbringing,” which is in “complete contrast to his booming voice and intense passion for music.” With both a gospel background and classical training, his repertoire grew … and his sound the great voices that have influenced his musical style: the depth of Barry White, the soul of Mahalia Jackson, the honesty of Bill Withers.

All together now:

To dream the impossible dream/to fight the unbeatable foe … This is my quest/To follow my star/No matter how hopeless/No matter how far

Sounds like this song might be a good match for a singer described by one critic as the "new Paul Robeson."

Northgate students at school fundraisers must from now on adhere to dress code

That's the word from John McMorris, principal at Northgate High, in response to my inquiry about Saturday's car wash fundraiser in Walnut Creek at which, witnesses say, Northgate High cheerleaders were dressed in revealing bikini tops and short shorts that barely covered their buttocks.

I shared links to my blog posts here and here about the scene at one of the gas stations at Ygnacio Valley Road and Civic Drive, and to that of fellow blogger Mister Writer, who broke this story after witnessing for himself what he described as "scantily, barely clad young teens pushing breasts at traffic and pants that barely cover their ass." To him, this was more than a fundraiser for a school activity--this was "pimping."

Mr. McMorris thanked me for sharing the links and quickly wrote back that the situation had prompted discussion regarding "appropriate behavior with all programs." He said "the discussion is that all students will adhere to the dress code for these things, shorts, shirt, etc."

He didn't specify which dress code, but I'm figuring, correctly I hope, that he's referring to the dress code for the Mount Diablo Unified School District, which I share below. And I'm figuring he and his staff might be thinking of something along the lines of the outfit shown here. Thanks Mr. McMorris (or Dr.?) for getting back to me on this.

CODE OF CONDUCT--Dress Code

To support a culture of academic achievement at Mt. Diablo High and to eliminate unnecessary distractions and conflicts, the following dress code will be enforced. This code is in effect until a permanent one is drafted with input from students.

· Shoes must be worn at all times.
· Clothing, jewelry and personal items (backpacks, fanny packs, gym bags, water bottles, etc.) shall be free of writing, pictures or any other insignia which are crude, obscene, vulgar, profane or sexually suggestive, which bear drug, alcohol or tobacco company advertising, promotion and likenesses, or which advocate racial, ethnic or religions prejudice.
· Dress which is disruptive and contrary to school rules regarding drugs/alcohol/violence, and gang affiliated or related clothing is not permitted.
· Clothes shall be sufficient to conceal undergarments for males and females at all times.
· Student clothing such as, but not limited to, see-through or fish-net fabrics, halter tops, off-the-shoulder or low-cut tops, exposed midriffs and skirts or shorts shorter than mid-thigh may be prohibited.
· Dress that presents a health or safety hazard or a distraction which would interfere with the education process is prohibited.
· Women’s dresses and tops must cover their back and have two straps.
· Head coverings are acceptable with the exception of red, navy blue or brown bandanas.

A KKK-style cross in Moraga: And who are the Neo-Nazis lurking beneath our happy suburban surface?

The FBI is investigating the discovery of a "KKK-style cross" left in the driveway of a Moraga home. The San Francisco Chronicle says the home belongs to a white couple whose son was visiting over the weekend with his African-American wife. According to the East Bay Daze, the 3-foot-tall object was a "fairly sophisticated rendering of the klan's 'flaming cross'--with this one wrapped in t-shirts and the KKK insignia.

It's natural to worry that this latest incident in Moraga is part of something very dark going on in our society, in the wake of the United States electing its first non-white president nearly a year ago.

On Sunday, I was listening to Brian Copeland on his regular Sunday morning talk show on KGO radio, and he was expressing alarm at the hysteria surrounding Obama's speech to school children Tuesday.

He contended this hysteria represented a growing atmosphere of hate and racism in our society--sparked by some people's resentment about a black man being in office. Copeland noted the nastiness, anger, and resentment in rhetoric behind the birther movement, the town hall shout-downs, and people showing up at Obama appearances armed with guns. Copeland also said there had been an increase in the number of threats against the president's life.

Copeland first addressed this issue back in November, shortly after Obama was elected. Around that time, as I reported, an African-American family in Pleasanton was targeted by anti-Obama vandalism. Vandals had slashed their elect Obama lawn sign and all the tires on their two cars. Obama's name and profanities were spray-painted onto their garage and cars, and their home was egged and toilet papered.

Right after Obama was elected, news reports were coming in from across the country of cross burnings, school children in Idaho chanting "Assassinate Obama," black figures hung from nooses, and racial epithets scrawled on homes and cars.

More recently, in Walnut Creek, an employee at a North Main Street Midas auto service shop reported to KTVU that he endured repeated racial slurs from a mechanic and, as some kind of sick joke, seeing a noose hung in a work area. The employee complained to his manager but the manager failed to reprimand the mechanic or get him to stop his behavior. The Midas shop's owner has since said that the mechanic and the manager won't be fired, though they might deserve it, but will try counseling and community service.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, an internationally renowned civil rights organization that tracks the activities of hate groups, reports that right-wing militias, after a decade of largely disappearing from public view, are making a comeback, appearing in large numbers around the country. What's got them irked is that the federal government, their longtime target, is now headed by a black man.

"That, coupled with high levels of non-white immigration and a decline in the percentage of whites overall in America, has helped to racialize the Patriot movement, which in the past was not primarily motivated by race hate," the center reports. "One result has been a remarkable rash of domestic terror incidents since the presidential campaign, most of them related to anger over the election of Barack Obama. At the same time, ostensibly mainstream politicians and media pundits have helped to spread Patriot and related propaganda, from conspiracy theories about a secret network of U.S. concentration camps to wholly unsubstantiated claims about the president's country of birth."

Great.

The center says there are 84 active hate groups operating in California.

And guess what?!? According to the center, we're lucky enough to have a local group of racist skinheads. The group is called Volksfront, and it has a chapter in Concord. Volksfront, an international fraternal organization for "persons of European descent," says it represents "the independent voice of the white working class." Since October 1994, Volksfront has been at "the forefront of the struggle for white autonomy, white self-determination and the issues of the white working class."

The Anti-Defamation League calls this band of brothers, the most active neo-Nazi group on the West Coast, "virulently racist and anti-semitic."

So, are things really getting ugly out there, not just in the places you'd usually expect, but in so-called decent, respectablec ommunities like Moraga, Pleasanton, and Concord? If so, what do you think we should do about it?

Which O'Malley sibling will make it first to District Attorney in their counties? Dan in Contra Costa or Nancy in Alameda?

In a surprise announcement, Alameda County District Attorney Tom Orloff announced today to his county's supervisors that he was retiring from his elected post, which he has held since 1994.

He urged the supervisors to appoint his chief deputy and second-in-command, Nancy O'Malley, to succeed him. The San Francisco Chronicle says that "if the board goes along, it would be a boon to O'Malley's election chances should she run in June's scheduled election."

Meanwhile, Nancy's brother, Dan O'Malley, has just kicked off his campaign to run for District Attorney in 2010.

Dan and Nancy come from a powerful family in the East Bay legal establishment. Their father, Bill O'Malley, was Contra Costa's District Attorney. Dan O'Malley worked as a deputy district attorney in Contra Costa County, then served as a Contra Costa Superior Court judge. He met his wife, Mary Ann O'Malley, while both worked as Contra Costa County prosecutors. She is now a Contra Costa Superior Court judge.

"My mom won't believe her when I tell her I'm not gay"--best letter to an advice columnist ever!

I also spit out my coffee this morning laughing while reading "Tell Me About It," the advice column by Carolyn Hax that is printed in the Contra Costa Times.

Let's just say that the mom described in this letter takes being sensitive, understanding and politically correct to a hilarious but annoying extreme.

But maybe this mom just wants is a son she can watch the Academy Awards with. I confess I'm guilty on that count, wanting a son who'd watch the Academy Awards with. I managed one year when we made a competition out of it--to see who could guess the most number of wins. We tied.

I can see this young man's plight actually making a good plot line in a sitcom or in a movie, and it sounds like he came up with his own solution to the problem.

Here's the letter:

I studied music theater in college and the majority of my friends were gay, but I am about as straight as you can get. Always thought this was rather obvious since I dated a lot of different girls, but one day my mother approached me and said, "Are you gay? And if you are I am totally fine with that and I support you"

I said no, and what on Earth gave her the impression I was. She said that I have a lot of gay friends and seem comfortable with them and that she totally supports my lifestyle and will defend me regardless of what people say.

That's when it occurred to me that she hadn't heard me when I said I wasn't gay, and so I repeated myself. But she went on saying that I didn't have to deny it any longer. So I brought up the fact that I dated a lot of girls and she had met most of them. But she said that people want to seem like everybody else and she was behind me 100 percent. So I finally explained that regardless of what she tought I would remain straight.

So she said, "Oh. Well then I guess I will have to tell everybody that I was wrong."

She had bragged to all of her friends that I was gay and that she was fine with it! For years after, I had her friends ask me If I was seeing any nice boys. My standard line became: "Yes, but he won't have reassignment surgery so it's over."

Happy Autumn Walnut Creek!

Okay, it's not officially the start of autumn--yet. But it is the day after Labor Day, which in many people's minds, the start of the slide into autumn and then winter.

Did you feel that special, almost fall-like chill in the air this morning? And yesterday, I noticed a large number of oak leaves carpeting my back yard patio. On Friday, I noticed that the leaves on a Japanese maple near my workplace were starting to turn orange.

The sign on a Halloween Spirit store has appeared in the windows of the former tire shop at Mt. Diablo Boulevard and Locust Street, prompting my son to ponder what he'll be for Halloween.

I love autumn. It's my favorite season. Bye bye summer. I still retain that schoolgirl sense of the calendar: that autumn signals the start of a new school year for students and the promise of new beginnings for everyone else.

Bay Bridge--amazing!--to open around 7 this morning

Just catching this on CBS5 and KCBS. It will officially open at 7 a.m. this morning!

Guess they worked hard all night, and everything came together. However, some detours will take place.

An insanity defense for Phillip Garrido? I seriously doubt it.

Over the weekend, I came across this headline for an Associated Press story about the Jaycee Lee Dugard case: “Phillip Garrido's mental state likely to be issue at Jaycee Dugard trial."

Sure, the 58-year-old Antioch man's mental condition might come up in some way during upcoming legal proceedings and the trial, but I really can’t see a defense lawyer trying to argue that his client should be declared not guilty by reason of insanity--that his client should be able to avoid criminal responsibility and state prison by saying he was crazy.

First of all, that argument would not fly in the court of public opinion; nor would it appeal to the sympathy of jurors.

But most relevant for any court proceedings, that argument wouldn’t fly legally.

Okay, that’s my humble lay opinion. I’m not a criminal lawyer, nor am I a forensic psychiatrist or psychologist. But bear with me a moment. Through both personal and professional experience, I have become familiar with how our criminal justice system deals with mentally ill defendants. Specifically, in researching several articles about mentally ill defendants, I talked to lawyers in Contra Costa County and the Bay Area and with experts in forensic psychiatry in California and nationally.

And if there are any criminal lawyers or other experts out there who want to share their views or correct what I am about to say, please do so.

First off, under Penal Code Section 25 (b), a person must prove “by a preponderance of the evidence that he was incapable of knowing or understanding the nature and quality of his or her act and of distinghishing right from worng at the time of the commission of the offense.”

What does this mean for Phillip Garrido (or his wife and co-defendant Nancy Garrido, for that matter)? Some key points to consider:

--How the psychiatric profession defines insanity is not at all the same as the way the criminal justice system defines insanity—for the sake of an NGI (not guilty by reason of insanity) defense.

--A person can have been diagnosed with a mental illness, including with one like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia that are known to involve psychosis, or breaks with reality. A person can be off their meds and hearing voices. By a lot of definitions—common sense ones even—this person is “insane.” But that doesn’t mean this person would necessarily be deemed legally insane. As one criminal defense lawyer told the New York Times about that state’s approach to mentally ill defendants—which is similar to California’s: “You can be extremely crazy without being legally insane. You can hear voices, you can operate under intermittent delusions, you can see rabbits in the road that aren’t there and still be legally sane.”

--As stated above, California, like most states, basically defines legal insanity as whether the person, at the time he committed the crime, knows the difference between right and wrong.

--However, there are situations where a defendant can be declared legally insane when he knows the difference between right or wrong, but is driven to commit a crime nonetheless because he is “incapable of knowing or understanding the nature and quality of his act.” Here’s an example given to me by a veteran San Mateo County prosecutor: a young man knew that killing is wrong, but he was under the delusion that his nephew, a toddler, was a demon that needed to be killed. That man was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

--It all gets down to the defendant’s state of mind at the time he or she committed the crime.

--Many defense attorneys and forensic psychiatrists and psychologists believe that this courtroom definition—based on the M’Naughten rule, an 1843 English definition of legal insanity--is narrow and not at all consistent with emerging understanding and research into mental illness and how it presents itself in those afflicted.

--As suggested by that lawyer interviewed by the New York Times, one common misconception about someone who is mentally ill, especially someone with an illness like schizophrenia, is that they are always “out of it.” It is true that some seriously ill people are consistently detached from reality—you might see some of those people muttering to themselves as they shuffle around downtown Walnut Creek.

But a lot of people who are mentally ill, even without medication, flow in and out of reality and delusions, in the same way that “normal” people shift from different moods and states of mind throughout the course of a day. These people may work hard to keep it together so that they can go to work, go to school, have personal relationships. They may be outwardly successful and happy, but inside they are suffering a great deal.

--With defendants whose attorneys try to go the insanity route, the courts want to see a defendant who has been out of it before the crime, is out of it at the time of the crime, and is out of it after his arrest. That’s pretty much what a veteran Contra Costa defense attorney told me. This attorney has specialized in working with juvenile defendants, and I was talking to him about a particular case, in which a young male murder defendant, at the time of the crime, was going to school, working, and maintaining a busy social life. The young man might have been very sick inside, but on the outside, he appeared sane and functional. So, according to this attorney, it would have been hard to make an insanity defense work for him. It turns out that the boy’s attorney didn’t go that route.

--Because of this narrow definition of legal insanity and, practically, what will work in the courtroom, defense attorneys rarely attempt insanity pleas, and insanity defenses rarely succeed.

--Remember "diminished capacity?" Defendants in California used to be able to use this as a defense. It didn't totally excuse the defendant for a crime, like the insanity defense. Rather, it allowed a defendant to present evidence of a mental illness to ask a jury to reduce the charge to a lesser defense. Like from murder to manslaughter, as was the case with former San Francisco Supervisor Dan White, whom a jury convicted of voluntary manslaughter, rather than murder in the 1978 killings of Major George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk.

That case helped spur Californians in 1982 to vote to abolish the "diminised capacity" defense, and the state to tighten its rules surrounding the insanity defense.

--The death penalty is supposedly designed to punish the worst of the worst. Yeah, maybe. Meanwhile, the insanity defense is designed for … Well, not necessarily the sickest of the sick, but those who are sick and who can meet a specific legal definition.

*****

There is no doubt that Phillip Garrido is one strange, “sick” human being. But I don’t see him being able to meet that legal definition of insanity.

I don’t see him being able to say “I’m not guilty because I was insane.” (I don't see Nancy Garrido being able to do that either.)

A successful NGI plea would spare him a sentence to state prison and result in an indefinite stay in a state hospital. But again, I don’t see that happening—in my humble opinion. Again, attorneys, forensic experts tell me if I'm wrong on this.

With Garrido, as much as he expressed a “crazy” and “insane” view of religion and his relationship with God, he essentially functioned in life, albeit in his “Creepy Phil” way. He maintained his business and ongoing relationships with clients, and seemed to—ugh—take care of his family and feed and clothe his captive and the daughters he bore with her. He even took his two daughters out and about in public, on his “Creepy Phil” religious missions and to at least one birthday party.

I doubt it would be hard to show that Garrido knew that kidnapping and raping Jaycee Dugard, and holding her captive for 18 years, was wrong. He seems to have expressed remorse and acknowledged a need to change at various points in his long criminal history, which includes a prior conviction for rape and kidnapping. Oh, he might have experienced times when he was able to convince himself and tried to convince others that he was somehow doing something good by keeping Jaycee as his hidden “sex slave.” But such expressions of his amazing feats of goodness probably aren’t a sign of delusional thinking so much as evidence of consciousness of guilt, premeditation, and an amazing capacity for self-justification.

Garrido will probably receive a decent defense attorney, given that he’s a high-profile client. Hmm. I wonder if one of those lawyers who love to see and hear themselves on TV (fill in a name) will offer to take on Garrido’s case pro bono. But if Garrido’s alleged crimes are too much for even a Mark Geragos to tackle, Garrido will probably be assigned the best public defender or court-appointed attorney that El Dorado County can offer, and that attorney will no doubt ask for a psychiatric evaluation, just in case he or she can find something in Garrido’s psychological history to use in his defense.

But I can’t see that lawyer using any poor Phil stories as a way to prove insanity and excuse him of criminal responsibility. My bet is that the attorney would, at the most, try to use any evidence of mental illness as a mitigating factor to win a reduced sentence. If such a reduction is even possible, given the charges Garrido is facing.

Then again, I don’t think there’s anything Garrido will be able to say to “mitigate” what he is so far accused of doing, or of crimes we might not yet know about.

Bay Bridge to remain closed until early Wednesday: How will you cope?

That is, if you need to take the Bay Bridge tomorrow.

The announcement that work that led to the bridge's closure over Labor Day weekend won't be completed until 5 a.m. Wednesday, not tomorrow morning as scheduled, leaves thousands of drivers to find alternate ways to get into San Francisco. It could also create possible gridlock on other Bay Area bridges and roads.

I have to say I'm lucky. I live and work in Walnut Creek. So does my husband. We actually defied the advice of authorities and went to enjoy a getaway over Labor Day weekend in kthe Big City. Amazingly, we encountered little traffic coming or going via the San Mateo, Golden Gate, and Richmond-San Rafael bridges.

But then, the Bay Area had received plenty of advance notice of the bridge's Labor Day weekend closure. Caltrans needed to shut down the bridge for a few days so that it could finish work on a 300-foot section of the bridge's eastern span. The closure had been announced weeks, months in advance. So, people likely stayed away from the city this past weekend or found alternative ways to get there.

But everyone expected that things would be back to normal first thing tomorrow morning.

Now that's not going to happen. Work on the span hit a snag over the weekend. As KTVU reports labor on the replacement portion will be completed as scheduled, but essential work on a cracked eyebeam will force Caltrans to keep the span closed until 5 a.m. Wednesday.

KTVU says the cracked eyebar was spotted during an inspection of the bridge Saturday, and construction crews scrambled this weekend to complete designs for the repair work and gather all the materials needed to complete the project. The crack was described by engineers as being about two inches thick and halfway through the eyebeam.

New “Olive Bar” in Walnut Creek: Are there enough fancy olive oil lovers around to sustain this business?

I stopped in the other day at We Olive, the new shop on North Main Street that sells products made from olives, including an extensive selection of artisan olive oils that you can taste at their bar.

It’s a pretty shop, and that polished wood bar is long and lined with all varieties--or, as you say in WineSpeak, varietals?--of olive oils. These olive oils have been made in California and are part of a proud tradition that goes back to Spanish settlers, say the We Olive folks. These oils come flavored with different flavors and aromas--rosemary, lemon, and tangerine. The friendly employee behind the bar said that the Pasolivo tangerine blend—at $16 for 200 ml--is great to use in brownies.

The shop also sells olives that are stuffed with blue cheese and almonds, or graced with hints of orange and fennel or bay leaf and garlic. And, the shop sells tapenades, pesto, balsamic vinegars, cookbooks, and even olive-based skin-care and bath products.

Back to olive oils: We Olive says it has brought together the more than 200 producers across California.

At We Olive, you spend $34.50 for a sleek blue bottle of extra virgin, 100-percent estate grown, 100-percent organic Olivas de Oro Mission Blue, made in Paso Robles. This product is a “mild, unfiltered oil with a fruity olive aroma, with some herbaceous tones.”

As I write this, I’m getting hungry, and craving one of those blue-cheese stuffed olives, or a hunk of baguette that I can dip in olive oil from that $34.50 bottle.

At the same time, I’m wondering how well this store will do. We Olive is a franchise, originating from Paso Robles, the heart of the Central Coast’s Wine Country. This Walnut Creek location, at 1364 North Main Street, is We Olive’s seventh store. The company, according to its website, has plans to expand its franchise to up to 400 stores nationwide.

When a co-worker and I first heard about the opening of this olive bar, we were skeptical. You mean, like a wine bar? Both of us said, sure, we like to go to restaurants that serve hunks of delicious fresh bread, which you dip into small bowls of exquisite olive oil. We also really like noshing on fancy olives. But would we actually go into a shop and taste different olive oils?

I don't know.

However, I am tempted to go back to buy its We Olive brand of olive oil in bulk—for $1 per ounce. That’s the kind of oil I might use in a special vinaigrette for a salad, or for dipping bread.

I’d love to hear from people in the community who are more discerning about flavors and cooking than me, who are delighted that such a shop has come to our community.

Still, I wonder if, in this economy, whether people are going to want to spend money on specialty olive oils. Even in the way they would spend on the best coffee or the best wine.

Text of President Obama's speech to school kids: pretty dangerous, subversive, anti-American ideas here...

The White House today released the text of the webcast that President Barack Obama will deliver to school children tomorrow. I've just read it, and I'm scared. I'm very, very scared.

Here are some of the more disturbing selections:

--At the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

--And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it.

--We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.

And the president shares stuff about his own life, like growing up with a single mom who struggled to pay bills and not having a father around. He does a Bill Clinton "I feel your pain" and says he understands what it's like to not have certain advantages, but he says:

--At the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.

Saturday's Bikini Car Wash (?) in Walnut Creek: Readers help put this now notorious local event into cultural perspective

I'm learning so much doing this blog, about matters of great social, political, and historical significance. And, you readers, are adding to this amazing exchange of ideas. I think we're all becoming better, more engaged citizens, don't you?

Perhaps most noteworthy is that you have helped me to understand the cultural underpinnings of Saturday's car wash, reportedly a fundraiser for Northgate High cheerleaders, that involved teen girls in itsy-bitsy bikini tops and short shorts.

Community response to reports of this carwash (it was first reported by blogger Mister Writer, who witnessed it first hand) indicate that this car wash is one for the unofficial, Babylon history of Walnut Creek.

So, I guess that bikini car washes might be quite the thing among some high school cheerleading squads. Who knew? Well, I didn't. One reader passes along this handy-dandy analysis of the infamous Cheerleader Bikini Carwash, which explains the seven things that you'll find at every one, including Jailbait, the Married Guy in the Minivan, the Creepy Guy, and the Cheerleading Coach trying to relive her glory days. (And no, this above photo of Car Wash "Jailbait" is not from Saturday's event.)

Sure this guide is in very questionable taste, but it's very funny and on target--in its, of course, very tasteless way. This guide basically explains why these events are a pedophile's fantasy come true and a nightmare "for normal dudes who don't really need a car wash but can't resist the allure" of teen girls in bikinis covered in suds.

And guess what? There is some quick, easy cash to be made as a Bikini Car Wash girl, right here in Walnut Creek. Another reader came across a Craigslist ad placed, no doubt, by some Creepy Guy. He'ls running a car wash on a Saturday, apparently in Walnut Creek in the near future, and will pay you $100 an hour, and you can stay for as long as you want. To apply, you just need to send this Creepy Guy a photo of yourself and your contact information.

Of course, in no way am I advocating that any local underaged girls apply. Besides, according to what was reported about Saturday's event, local girls might have school programs willing to, er, use them as bait to bring in customers to their car wash fundraisers.

Las Lomas becomes site of Slow Food celebration today

Members of grassroots organizations are inviting the public attend what they call Slow Food "Eat-Ins" at 300 locations in 50 states. One of those will be held from noon to 3 p.m. today at Las Lomas High School, 1460 South Main Street.

The Eat-In is a potluck that, organizers say, brings people in a community together "to share a meal and show their support for a cause like getting real food into schools." It is a National Day of Action, in which we call upon our legislators to provide America's children with real food at school by strengthening and re-authorizing the Child Nutrition Act.

Among the honored guests will be state Assemblyman Tom Torlakson, who is running for state Superintendent of Schools and has, in his elected positions, promoted healthy life-styles, healthy food in schools, and school gardens.

Do you know what "slow food" is? I kinda sorta do. Something having to do with eating produce and other food that is grown locally. You know, if not actually growing your own tomatoes than buying them at your local farmers market from a farmer who grew them on their land in or near the Bay Area and just picked them that morning or the day before. It also means avoiding food that is heavily processed, or, if you go out, choosing venues that use as many locally sourced ingredients as possible.

If there are any Slow Food enthusiasts who want to correct me, please do. But here is what the organizers say about Slow Food and how they describe an Eat-In:

"Real food is good at every link in the chain. It tastes good, it’s good for us, it’s good for the people who grow it, it’s good for our country and it’s good for the planet."

At this Las Lomas event, organized by Slow Food Delta, there will be activities for children, petitions to sign and expect lively discussions from our community members.

About the discussion around this Day of Action, organizers say: "This year, we have an opportunity to begin reclaiming our children's future. We know that the childhood obesity and diabetes epidemics are spiraling out of control. We know our public schools struggle to serve children anything but the junk food and fast food that endangers their health. It's time for parents, teachers and every responsible citizen to tell our nation's leaders that change can't wait."

For more information visit the Time for Lunch web site:

High school girls gone Lolita (?) at Walnut Creek car wash

Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.

--Vladimir Nabokov's famous opening lines to Lolita, his brillliant but controversial novel about an aging man's love for a certain nymphet.

Teenage girls in string tops and "tight cheekless" shorts, waving signs, inviting motorists passing through the Ygnacio Valley Road and Civic Drive intersection to come into one of the gas stations to get their cars washed.

It was all to support their high school fundraiser Saturday. (A friend, who witnesses this scene said they were from Northgate High.) You see these fundraisers for different school groups all the time at the gas stations at this intersection.

This is scene Saturday witnessed and described not just by my friend but by blogger Mister Writer. You can read more details about what he saw and comments about the scene at his website.

We have a weird thing going on with our culture. On one hand, and in the worst-case scenario, we're horrified by men like Phillip Craig Garrido who view pre-teen and teen girls as potential sex slaves to be kidnapped, abused, and raped. In a not-so-worst case scenario, we don't want our pre-teen or teen-age daughters to become sexual, certainly before they are emotionally ready.

But then, fashion and culture dictate and some parents allow their pre-teen and teen daughters to go out in public, including to school, in tight underwear-like tops that accentuate breasts and expose midriffs and in short shorts and short skirts that show butt cracks, cheeks, and thighs.

These outfits basically say f---- me.

Do you think girls who are wearing these clothes are doing so out of their own emerging sense of power, sexual or otherwise? I doubt it. Most girls are naturally modest and can be a bit mixed up. On one hand, they are probably trying to adjust to the changes in their bodies--breasts, periods, etc.--that signal that, biologically, they are ready to have sex and have babies. They feel weird about it and are just trying to get comfortable in their own skin. At the same time, they are curious about falling in love and what having sex is like.

Many also care about trying to please and--unless they're gay--to win the attention of boys. So, some girls will go out of their way to dress like Brittney and other nymphet heroines of pop culture. They think that's what's expected of them to be seen as attractive and desirable.

Bottom line: I doubt very much that the girls at this carwash were dressed, as Mister Writer described, in order to exert their personal sense of power and individuality. They were trying to fit into some socially prescribed idea of what girls should do to get attention--whether it's from males, whom they want for boyfriends--or from motorists, whom they want to sell their fundraising carwash services.

I don't have a daughter. If I did, I'd like to think I would not let her out of the house or go out in public in the way Mister Writer described. Not because I'm a prude, but because I'd want to to grow up with more self-respect.