Free foreclosure workshop in Walnut Creek Saturday

All those little red houses, like pieces on a Monopoly board, signify homes in foreclosure in Walnut Creek, according to Zillow.com. The concentration of red on this map may still not be as bad as you would find in a Zillow map of a more notoriously hard-hit East Contra Costa County town such as Antioch. But, still it is disconcerting to see this happening in Walnut Creek neighborhoods--and sad for the people facing foreclosure.

According to a Dataquick, a San Diego-based real estate information service, foreclosures may be slowly spreading into more expensive neighborhoods, although there are signs that the worst may be over in hard-hit entry-level markets, like those in East Contra Costa. Contra Costa County saw Notices of Default (the first step in the foreclosure process) rise 11 percent between the fourth quarter of 2008 and the fourth quarter of 2009.

If you're at risk of foreclosure, you're invited to attend a free foreclosure prevention workshop this Saturday morning in Walnut Creek. The clinic, which takes place 9 a.m. to noon (with registration staring at 8:30 a.m.) takes place at the Civic Park Community Center, 1375 Civic Drive. It is sponsored by the Contra Costa County Community Development Block Grant Consortium, which comprises the cities of Walnut Creek, Richmond, Antioch and Contra Costa County, and the Home Equity Preservation Alliance, which inlcudes Bay Area Legal Aid, Community Housing Development Corporation, Housing and Economic Rights Advocates, Housing Rights, Inc., and Pacific Community Services.

Workshop topics include one-on-one assessments, free consultation with lawyers, information on the foreclosure process and timeline, how to avoid foreclosure, options and challenges. Bring proof of income, loan documents, and any other related correspondence or documents that need review. For more information, Walnut Creek residents should call (925) 943-5899, ext. 2208; residents from other areas of Contra Costa County should call (925) 335-7220.

RIP, I guess: Citizens for Walnut Creek, the town's notable slow-growth advocates

Citizens for a Better Walnut Creek was a political group that, in the 1980s helped establish building heights limits in Walnut Creek. It also created the group, Residents and Advocates for More Parking and Reduced Traffic (RAMPART), that unsuccessfully tried to block the recent proposed Neiman Marcus department store in Broadway Plaza.

The Contra Costa Times reports that the group, “best known for spurring slow growth measures in the 1980s and 1990s, has officially closed its political campaign account with Walnut Creek — and, by extension, with the state.”

The group has told the Times that is no longer has dues-paying members but that the “core group is still there” and is ready to “mobilize if needed.” This is according to co-founder Ed Skoog, also a former mayor.

For example, the group had some money “sitting there for a long time” and decided to donate $600 to the Lindsay Wildlife Museum.

Citizens for a Better Walnut Creek, formed in 1984, is “perhaps best known for bringing about Measure A in 1985,” the Times Elisabeth Nardi reports. “Measure A placed limits on building heights in Walnut Creek, basically freezing heights at then-existing levels.”

The Times adds:

While Citizens for a Better Walnut Creek have legally disbanded, don't count them out. "We are still alive," said Skoog. "We are not going gung-ho on anything in particular right now, but as issues come, you will see our flag flying."