Save the Dome! Future of retro landmark movie theater uncertain in shopping center battle

Believe it or not, the Cinearts “Dome” movie theater in Pleasant Hill is a historical landmark—of a sorts--certainly to movie geeks like me who found their way to geekdom by going to see movies at the Dome.

It is listed on the Cinema Treasures website and represents a certain era of grand technological experimentation in the art of filmmaking. The Dome auditorium opened in 1966 with a giant curved screen used to show films—generally big, sweeping epics—shot in a process known as Cinerama. This widescreen process worked by simultaneously projecting images from three synchronized 35 mm projectors onto a huge, deeply-curved screen. It was the first of a number of technological innovations introduced in the 1950s and 1960s to help Hollywood offer something to audiences that TV, the movie industry’s big competition, could not.

I’m pretty sure I saw my first movie at the Dome. It was The Sound of Music. (And, yes, I wanted to be Liesl.) I believe going to see this movie was a reward for getting through a week of preschool without crying and clinging to my mother. My older siblings took me to see it. Over the years, I remember going to see Jaws, The Godfather II, Apocalypse Now, and The Shining at the Dome. It was the theater in central Contra Costa to see the big screen epics.

Over the years, of course, the Dome abandoned the Cinerama process and changed the screen to a standard flat screen. The theater also was subdivided into a multiplex. It is now the place east of the Caldecott Tunnel to see art house films. And, most times I go there, such as this past Sunday to see The Road, it is pretty crowded with others who want more than the usual Hollywood blockbuster fare.

Well, the Dome’s fate has been uncertain for quite some time and caught up in an ongoing battle between developers of the Contra Costa Shopping Center. The Contra Costa Times says the battle has been over parking spaces and where within the shopping center each company can build.

Those of us who have been around for a while know that Pleasant Hill has been trying to fix up that shopping center for years. The northern half, which is owned by ICI Development and ts anchored by Kohl's, has received an extensive makeover, and added other new retail tenants.

But the southern part, owned by SyWest Development and which includes the Dome movie theater and a health club, hasn't had much, if anything, done to it. SyWest has discussed the possibility of building a parking garage and adding retail space, but it is unclear whether the movie theater would remain open.

Alas, I can see a developer wanting to tear down the Dome and replace it with stores, or with a hideous new multiplex movie theater, with some neo, faux, Mediterranean/Art Deco design combination. But wouldn't it be great if the developer realized the retro '60s cool value of the Dome and sought to preserve that, while, of course, fixing and cleaning up the lobby and interiors--and adding whatever modern movie technological innovations are needed--and, of course, keep it as central Contra Costa's art house cinema.

Did it snow early this morning? Yes, it did!

Here's a photo of the back window of a car in my neighborhood. Other cars also had similar sprinklings of that white powdery stuff, as did a clump of dirt and leaves in my front yard.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for the East Bay hills after snow fell throughout the Bay Area this morning. We're in the midst of a wet and cold storm, with a freeze watch in effect through Tuesday morning and temperatures to fall into even the mid- to upper twenties.

Snow was said to have fallen in the East Bay hills at elevations as low as 1,000 feet. But, my home is nowhere near that high, and we had a rare and light dusting of snow in our neighborhood, not too far from downtown.

The snowfall is expected to taper off late this morning. Sigh. No White Christmas, or even White Pre-Christmas.

Friend faces disapproving looks while considering an artificial tree at Walnut Creek's Target

My friend was telling me about how he had gone into Walnut Creek's Target the other day and was in the aisle looking at artificial trees to purchase.

He is Indian, and he says that, among friends and family who have come from that South Asian nation to the United States, it is common to put up a Christmas tree, but one that is artificial. In his view, it's more economical in that you don't have to buy a new one year after year.

Well, apparently he had gone looking for artificial trees at Targets and other stores in and around Fremont, where he and his wife live with their newborn baby. Not an artificial tree to be found down there, but, as he notes, Fremont is home to a large number of Indian immigrants. So, presumably, those other Indians snapped up all the artificial trees in stock.

During a lunch break from his job in Walnut Creek, he stopped in at our local Target.

There were a number of artificial trees to choose from. But, he reports, he was getting some "dirty looks" from other shoppers. And he wondered if it was because--gasp--he was considering buying an artificial tree!! He was violating some kind of holiday fashion code that says "Thou shalt only put up a real tree in your home."

He said, laughingly, that he called his wife in a panic, saying he was afraid to buy one in Walnut Creek. I could see him worrying about being run out of the store by members of the Walnut Creek chapter of the Church of Martha Stewart Living. (Speaking of Martha: have you made your homemade popcorn garland yet?)

He concluded that no one in Walnut Creek buys artificial Christmas trees, but I suggested one market for them would be our residents of Rossmoor and other seniors, who perhaps wouldn't want to deal with the yearly hassle of buying and putting up a fresh tree.

In any event, my friend left Target empty handed. Maybe he'll have better luck this weekend, and feel more comfortable buying one closer to home.

Walnut Creek home: All lit up for the holidays

This is the Donnelly home on Flowerwood Place. According to the website, Lights of the Valley, the Donnellys have been decorating for 31 years. Their main theme is Winter Wonderland, and this display takes about a month to construct. Mrs. Donnelly makes the penguins and snowpeople by hand, while Mr. Donnelly takes care of that pesky PG&E bill.

The Donnellys will begin showing their display December 12 and keep it up through January 2, 6 to 10 p.m. weekdays, and 5:30 to 11 p.m. weekends. However, they will only have their lights up on clear nights. The lights don't work when it's raining.

If you didn't know about the Lights of the Valley website, where you can search for amazing Christmas lights displays in your neighborhood or hometown, anywhere in the Bay Area, check it out.

Suburban dad with his own business and prosperous home now a suspect in botched robbery and murder attempt

Driving up to the home of Thomas Paul Bennett, even at night, you would definitely think he has made a very nice life for himself. And that the 50-year-old builder is a very unlikely candidate to try to rob a jewelry store.

His contemporary ranch-style home sits on top of a hill, at the end of a long winding driveway. To get to his home, on a small cul-de-sac off Stone Valley Road, you pass other multi-million-dollar Alamo homes—faux Colonials, Cape Cods, Mediterranean villas—some twinkling with Christmas lights in the mist of a cold December night.

Yes, I took a short drive to Bennett’s house last night, after seeing that he owned a construction company, and that, according to the San Francisco Chronicle's Henry K. Lee, he lived in a $2.5 million house with Mt. Diablo Views and flew his own private plane. Of course, something very terrible must have been going on in his life for him, according to Contra Costa Sheriff’s investigators, to arm himself with a gun Thursday night and attempt to hold up a small jewelry store in his hometown.

As you’ve read here and in other news accounts, that attempted heist ended up with Bennett allegedly exchanging gunfire with the owner of Alamo Jewelry Mart in the Alamo Plaza shopping center. The store’s owner, Oscar Herrera, 53, of Hercules, was wounded in the upper torso. Late Friday, Herrera was listed in critical condition. Bennett was also wounded in the shoot-out, but initially refused to come out of the store.

Sheriff’s deputies say they found him, standing in the doorway of the store, holding a gun to his head and threatening suicide. Although wounded in the neck, mouth and wrist, he initially refused to come out and an hour-long standoff ensued with deputies finally talking him into surrendering. As of Friday, he was also in the hospital, and under arrest on suspicion of robbery and attempted murder.

And on Friday night, several Sheriff’s cars were crowded into the cul-de-sac below the home he shared with his wife, daughter and son, and from where he operates his Bennett Construction, according to the San Francisco Chroncile.

A couple, relatives of Bennett, emerged from the house, descended the driveway and got into the car. They said the family was declining comment: “Our family is going through a lot right now.”

I told them I was sorry. Some would say my sympathy is misplaced, that it should be with Oscar Herrera and his family. Well, I’m sorry for both of them and their families. Some would also say I was being intrusive and voyeuristic, driving up to Bennett’s house, maybe hoping to talk to someone, but a reporter’s habits die hard. The Chronicle added that in Bennett’s driveway was a boat and a pickup truck with National Rifle Association and Air Force Academy stickers.

Sheriff’s Captain Dan Terry said Bennett had been dealing with financial problems, but doesn’t know yet whether that was the motive in this incident. Terry also told the Chronicle that Bennett and Herrera had "at least one prior contact with each other" before Thursday's shootout. "It appears there might even be some kind of association here," he said. But again, it’s still not clear whether that association had anything to do with the robbery.

An online advertisement for Bennett Construction says the family-owned company has been in business since 1992. It specializes in window and door installation. “We will handle your project with the utmost care.” The ad also says the owner loves to work in this area and, in his spare time, loves working on his own home. A customer praised the company: “Just that thepeople were very nice, professional, great attention to details. Referred them to anyone, very good.”

Robber, jewerly store owner shoot it out in Alamo shop

An Alamo jewelry store employee wasn't going to give in to a gunman who entered his store Thursday night and attempted to rob his business. The 53-year-old employee pulled out a gun, and the two men opened fired and injured each other.

The incident took place at about 7:15 p.m. at the Alamo Jewelry Mart in the Alamo Plaza Shopping Center. The employee was wounded in the upper torso but his injuries were not life-threatening injuries in the incident, according to news reports in the San Francisco Chronicle and the Contra Costa Times. Information about the condition of the suspect, a 50-year-old Alamo man, was not available.

(An Alamo man trying to rob a jewelry store? Sorry, to resort to stereotyping but, hey, you don't hear about someone of that age and hometown resorting to robbery.)

Anyway, neither man's name was released. The robber initially refused to come out of the store as demanded by responding Contra Costa County Sheriff's deputies, and he briefly held a gun to his head. But he finally came out and was taken to the hospital.

For those annoyed by leaf blowers, here's Walnut Creek's relevant noise ordinance

With all the concern expressed by readers about the noise made by leaf blowers, how clever of one of you to to find out which city ordinance covers these noisy devices and the hours when they can and cannot operate.

The ordinance is in the city's Municipal Code, under Title 4 (Public Welfare, Morals and Conduct), Chapter 6 (Nuisances), Article 2.

Under "Prohibited Noises Enumerated," and Maintenance Equipment it states:

"The use and operation of any noise-creating commercial or residential landscaping or home maintenance equipment or tools including, but not limited to, hammers, blowers, trimmers, mowers, chainsaws, power fans or any engine, the operation of which causes noise due to the explosion of operating gases or fluids, other than between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on weekends and holidays. (§1, Ord. 1753, eff. November 8, 1990)."

In plain English, you can only operate leaf blowers between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays and between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekends and holidays.

But as you can see, the ordinance went into effect back in 1990. So, maybe it's time for the city to revisit that issue?

Sufism Reoriented responds to concerns about "story poles" and the size and design of their proposed sanctuary

This is a response from Steve Sardella, a spokesman for Sufism Reoriented, regarding the post I did earlier this week on flyers, objecting to the organization's proposed sanctuary, going up around the Saranap neighborhood. As you can read, the flyers raised questions about why Sufism Reoriented won't erect "story poles," wooden structures marking the outlines of their project in order to give the public a visual sense of its height and size. The blue flyers, affixed to telephone poles, specifically said:

"According to Sufism Reoriented, the Sanctuary Building is too large and complex to put up Story Poles…TOO BIG for Story Poles?!?!?!”

Sardella actually send me a longer, thoughtfully written response to several questions I had asked about the project. I'm only publishing his specific response to the story pole issue now, but plan on publishing his response to those other questions as I raise them in future articles.

I was unhappy to read this flyer because it is another example of someone falsely attributing statements to Sufism Reoriented. We never made the statement: “…the Sanctuary Building is too large…too big… to put up Story Poles.” This latest false claim can be added to other bogus statements that some opponents have made to our neighbors, such as saying our building will be “54 feet tall,” we want to create a “national headquarters” in the Saranap, and that we are an Islamic cult.

We have indeed commented on the idea of story poles, but we have said that many architects now value using high quality computer-generated in-scale renderings to provide viewers with more accurate views of how a building will look in its setting. We’ve had these renderings created and we’ve shared them liberally with our neighbors. I’d be happy to walk the property with you and let you hold up these renderings and verify their accuracy for yourself.

I think the people who put up these flyers on telephone poles would be less concerned with how our church will look if they could understand that after the landscaping matures in 5-6 years, they will hardly be able to see it from any perspective. Two thirds of the building’s space will be unseen underground and the church building on the surface will be practically invisible inside a glade of trees.

I would like people to know that we have tried very hard to have our new church blend into the neighborhood. Some who oppose this new church building have particularly focused on the domes in our design. And yet, these domes have nothing to do with our choosing an architectural style we thought would be interesting. Instead, they have everything to do with our beliefs and creating the exalted quality of interior space beneath those domes in which we can practice our faith. They are not elective to us.

Churches of different faiths are located in residential neighborhoods all over Contra Costa County. Many have tall steeples, spires, crosses, and bell towers that are symbolic of their faith, which can be seen from a great distance and from many angles. Many are also located directly on the street, rather than being set back. Urban planners in America recognize the fact that churches, by their very nature, are houses of worship, not residences. The naturalness of congregations designing their churches to reflect their central principles and beliefs is generally accepted. Ours has been designed to reflect our own beliefs.

Many of our neighbors like the design of our new church as evidenced by the large number of signatures they have registered in support at the County. Many have told us they look forward to having the new church here and enjoying the lovely open gardens. These beautiful gardens are intended to convey a sense of peace, refreshment, and inspiration, and we invite your readers to enjoy them as well.

Walnut Creek kids offer holiday shopping alternatives that benefit good causes

Walnut Creek's downtown merchants might not be wild about my recommendation to patronize these Saturday craft fairs to purchase holiday gifts, rather than Broadway Plaza stores.

Oh well. These fairs, hosted by local elementary, middle and high school students are not for profit; rather they benefit some good causes.


The nonprofit, Creek Kids Care, will host a Craft Faire at Parkmead Elementary where its young members will sell original stationery, framed art, T-shirts, and touchtone magnets--all made by the kids themselves. Other families who live in this school neighborhood will also sell homemade items, including toffee, blankets, and baby wear.

(We already purchased many of our Christmas presents at the Creek Kids Care Benefit Boutique last month!)

The fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1920 Magnolia Way. All proceeds benefit Fresh Start, Walnut Creek's respite center for the homeless in our community, and the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano.

Also on Saturday, Las Lomas High School will host its Craft Faire and Sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is said to be the community event where you can find everything you need for the holidays: crafts, candles, knits, jewelry, specialty foods, and gifts. Proceeds will benefit the Las Lomas senior class.

Pot, a treatment for alcoholism? But no "cure" yet for what ails Walnut Creek's own pot club

As members of Walnut Creek’s embattled pot club, C3 Collective staged a small “protest” at the City Council meeting Tuesday evening, new research from a UC-Berkeley lecturer made headlines in the medical marijuana world, suggesting marijuana as a treatment for alcoholism and addiction to other drugs.

“Substituting cannabis for alcohol has been described as a radical alcohol treatment protocol,” says Amanda Reiman, a lecturer at Cal’s School of Social Welfare, in her study, published in BioMed Central's open access Harm Reduction Journal.

Reiman considers cannabis to be a potentially safer drug than alcohol with fewer “negative side effects.” Her research focuses on the study and evaluation of medical marijuana dispensaries—such as C3 Collective on Oakland Boulevard—as community health providers, and on using cannabis as a substitute for alcohol and other drugs.

Her latest study features a poll of 350 cannabis users. The poll found that 40 percent used it to control their alcohol cravings, 66 percent as a replacement for prescription drugs and 26 percent for other, more potent, illegal drugs.

I know, I know. It would be nice if addicts of alcohol and other drugs could just give up all substances and live a clean, sober life. It’s challenging enough for me to give up some of my bad habits to have great admiration for a friend who gave up his long-time addiction to smoking.

Anyway, I’ve read up enough on the bio-physical realities of addiction to know that, for some people and with some drugs, it might take a lot more than will power, strong moral fiber, or a "higher power," to break free of an addiction.

Reiman belongs to the "harm reduction" approach to helping people address their self-destructive behavior. This approach, yes, has its detractors. She seems to believe that letting some addicts substitute pot for another, more harmful, substance, might be one way to go for them.

So, with this approach, could this mean that if you’re an alcoholic or a meth addict you could go to a doctor and get a prescription to smoke some pot instead of going to AA or NA? And could it mean that one day you could get your pot from C3 Collective?

That is, if C3 Collective, which opened this past summer, stays in business …

Collective members were at the City Council meeting Tuesday night, asking the city to stop trying to close it down, according to the Contra Costa Times. C3 currently is ordered to pay $500 a day in fines every day it is open for zoning violations.

While Walnut Creek has launched a study to look at if and how it would ever allow a medical marijuana dispensary to open in town, city officials currently say "no" to any pot clubs right now because their operation is illegal under federal law—though they are legal under state law. Walnut Creek officials have also filed a suit to shut down the collective because it, like any pharmacy, would be prohibited under zoning laws from operating in that particular location.

Do yourself and Marsh Creek a favor this weekend with a Save Mt. Diablo planting project

Remember, back in October, I wrote about how mentally and physically restorative it was to go to Yosemite and do a volunteer project in the great outdoors? Well, you can enjoy the opportunity to do something like that closer to home this weekend.

Save Mt. Diablo is looking for volunteers to help plant native plants along Marsh Creek on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

And they provide lunch!

Here are details from Seth Adams, Save Mt. Diablo’s director of Land Programs:

Save Mount Diablo (SMD) has been acquiring properties along Marsh Creek, on Diablo's east side. On the weekend of December. 5 - 6, SMD seeks volunteers for a fun project planting native plants along Marsh Creek. This is a great opportunity to participate hands-on in the restoration of a creek corridor and to donate a few hours helping to enhance habitat for the diverse plants and animals living in the surrounding areas. We'll provide lunch.

What: Planting native trees and shrubs by hand, and doing a little weeding and watering. Bring shovels and hand trowels if you have them. Please dress accordingly - long pants, long sleeves, layers, boots and a rain shell if precipitation is in the forecast. Food provided. Heavy rain postpones, so call if it looks threatening. Bring your friends. Kids welcome. Please R.S.V.P. so that we know how much lunch to provide.

When: Saturday, December 5th 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. & Sunday, December 6th 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. You can participate on one day or both. Bring your friends, but R.S.V.P. so we can provide lunch.

Where: Meet at 3240 Aspara Drive, Clayton CA 94517 (Contra Costa County, East Bay).

RSVP and more information: George Phillips at gphillips@savemountdiablo.org or (925) 947-3535.

Want $500 to spend?

Then come down to City Hall this afternoon or Sunday and make your "withdrawal."

And, okay, it's a pretend $500, but you're provided with this amount and allowed to figure out how to distribute and prioritize it amongst different Walnut Creek city programs. This exercise will help the City Council figure how to prioritize its funds for the 2010-12 budget during these lean economic times.

This exercise also is part of the city's Community Conversations on Balancing the Future. During earlier Community Conversation workshops, people who live and work in Walnut Creek helped define its future goals in a half dozen basic areas, including economic vitality, safety, community and neighborhoods, and culture and recreation.

City spokeswoman Gayle Vassar describes this $500 spending spree as a "fast and fun process, using a computerized virtual bank account that asks people to invest in the areas they feel are most important for the future of their community."

Vassar adds that close to 100 people have already participated. The two times left are 4 to 8 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

People are asked to bring some form of idenfication, such as a driver's license, household bill or business card, to verify that they live or work in the community.

Photos released of 7-Eleven bank robbers

The Contra Costa Sheriff's Department is releasing photos of two suspects who robbed the 7-Eleven on Oak Road in unincorporated Walnut Creek back on October 23.

The robbery took place at 1:14 a.m., according to spokesman Jimmy Lee.

Two robbers, armed with guns, entered the store and ordered the clerk to the floor. The robbers took some cash and items from the store. It was unknown which direction they fled and whether they used a car to get away. Detectives believe the two may have robbed the same 7-Eleven before.

No one was injured.

Suspect 1 is described as heavyset hispanic or white male, wearing a black hoodie jacket, white t-shirt and dark blue or grey colored pants.

Suspect 2 is is described as a hispanic or white male, wearing a black jacket with a logo on the front, and grey pants.

The suspects are considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with any information on their identities is asked to call the Office of the Sheriff at (925) 313-2653.

Do you like valet parking?

Valet parking is becoming more common in Walnut Creek, especially now during the holidays with the Downtown Business Association offering valet parking for $5 to $7. But prior to the start of this program on November 20, there had already been valet parking for the Cheesecake Factory in the parking garage at Plaza Escuela and in the parking garage for Nordstrom.

We dodged a very massive valet parking bullet with the original proposal for a new Neiman Marcus in Broadway Plaza. The original project plans would have necessitated transforming the entire South Main Street garage into valet parking during peak shopping times. That proposal faced legal challenges, which forced changes to the project--including the elimination of
the valet parking scheme. The rest, I guess, is history, with Walnut Creek voters saying "yes" on November 3 to a more modest new department store project, sans valet parking, in Broadway Plaza.

I call the original proposal, with is massive valet parking scheme, “annoying” because I am so not a fan of valet parking. But by making this statement, I am not objecting to the holiday valet parking program, coordinated by the city, the Downtown Business Association, and Signature Parking. This program may provide an elegant solution to holiday shopping and parking hassles.

My aversion to valet parking is strictly personal, and perhaps neurotic.

I’m just wondering if anyone else out there shares this aversion as well.

In my job, I have had the opportunity to eat at very nice restaurants or stay in very nice hotels—the kind where you have to drive up and valet park. First of all, I drive a 10-year-old Toyota, with its fair share of scratches, bangs, and rust forming on the rim of my driver’s side door. I always feel self-conscious pulling up to a hotel behind a shiny new BMW or Porsche.

The only benefit of having a crappy older car (which runs very well, by the way) and turning it over to a valet is that I’m not going to get all that bummed if it gets bumped.

But my biggest problem with valet parking is that I feel like I’m giving up control and access to easy mobility. Maybe this is an American thing, with our love of our wheels. I don't know. Or it's more evidence of my own neurosis. This sense of giving up control becomes more of an issue if you go to a hotel, where your car gets parked somewhere--maybe blocks away--and then you have to call the front desk and wait for someone to bring your car around if you want to leave the property. If I'm visiting a beautiful place with lots to sight-seeing opportunities, I just want to be able to leave my room, hop into my car, and go.

Valet parking would never be my first, second, or even third choice in Walnut Creek. I gave in to local valet parking when I attended a family dinner at Scott’s. When dinner was done and we said our good-byes, it irked my neurotic, impatient self that I couldn’t just walk out of that restaurant, find my car in the underground garage that serves that restaurant, and go. I had to wait! The night we went, there was one guy on duty, and he was a bit overworked, so it took me, like 10 minutes, to get my car.

But maybe you like valet parking. I have a co-worker who very much likes it, and was even excited about the original Neiman Marcus/Broadway Plaza valet parking proposal. He's the kind of guy who drives a cool-looking car, dresses well, and probably thinks valet parking makes things easier for him. He probably also likes that VIP feeling that a valet parking service can provide. (By the way, doesn't the guy in this silhouetted image remind you of Mad Men's Don Draper?)

To me, valet parking just feels so restrictive.

But again, I'm not voicing any general disapproval of this holiday valet parking program. I'm just stating my personal valet parking "issue." Think I should talk to my therapist about it?

If using this downtown valet parking service makes sense to you, helps to ease your holiday parking and shopping stress, go for it! Here are more details from Signature Parking's blog:

The program will incorporate several of our existing curbside locations at Il Fornaio and Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse alongside a new location at 1250 Locust Street, (The Old Veterans Building Lot) located directly across from Century Theaters. The Fee for valet parking at the new Locust Street location will be $5 and all other participating locations throughout town will charge $7.

The Public Valet Locations can be easily identified by valet podiums with large signs indicating “Public Valet Parking”, with valet attendants in Red Polo Shirts.

It is our goal to make valet parking a convenient and easily accesible parking option for all visitors of downtown Walnut Creek. As an added convenience, customer of the service will be able to drop off accumulated shopping purchases at the valet station for delivery to their vehicles, making extended shopping and dining outings easier.