Category Archives: Orinda

Gov. Jerry Brown has just declare a statewide drought emergency. He’s calling for everyone to conserve at least 20%, which is for now a voluntary request.

The Sacramento City Council recently voted to require users to cut back water use by 20 percent to 30 percent and San Francisco Bay Area may be next. The ordinance issues “Spare the Water Alerts” similar to the controversial “Spare the Air Days”; which ban users from burning woods or having backyard bbqs.

According to Sacramento’s new ordinance, regulate the days and times which water can be used outdoors. The ordinance calls to limit showering time, toilet flushes and even dictates the type of hose nozzle that is required. Fines up to $500 are issued along with mandatory attendance of the Water Conversation Education Workshop are a few penalties for violating the water usage ordinance.

To ensure that water is available when they need it, homeowners have responded to the drought by install rainwater catchment systems and/or in ground wells to collect future rainfalls.

As unreal as it may sound, at least 9 states have made it illegal to collect rainwater on your own land. Utah, Oregon, Colorado and a number of other states have passed rainwater laws that either limit or all out ban the collection of rainwater. An Oregon man was even arrested a sentenced to 30 days in jail for collecting rainwater on his own property. Check out the video below that discusses the problem.

California also made it illegal to collect rainwater until recently. According to the Rainwater Capture Act of 2012 signed by Governor Brown, Californians may now legally capture and use rainwater harvested from rooftops.  The Act exempts the capture and use of rainwater from rooftops from the State Water Resources Control Board’s (SWRCB) permitting authority over appropriations of water. This development affords residential users and private and public entities with a new source of on-site water supply, which should reduce reliance on potable water for landscaping needs and provide a recharge benefit to underlying groundwater aquifers.

Residents that install homemade rainwater collection systems like the one pictured below will ultimately save on their water and make it easier to comply with water limitations. The system which is simple to install and cheap to complete, can provide gardeners and landscapers will more watering options. Check out this cool video on how to create a water catchment system in 30 minutes for only $10!

Ready, Set, Respond Disaster Preparedness Course

Wednesday, February 5th at 06:00 PM

Ready, Set, Respond is a 90 minute training designed to increase the number of citizens in our communities who know the disaster hazards that may impact their communities and understand fundamental personal preparedness skills. The training aims to engage participants with the volunteer intake process following a major local disaster and provide information on the humanitarian mission of the American Red Cross and how to get involved.

The workshop starts with personal preparedness lessons and is then followed by interactive exercises that will prepare participants to respond during times of immediate need.

If your interested sign up as soon as possible! There’s only 33 spots left To register or to search other AAA classes in your area, visit http://philanthropy.go.aaa.com/respond/

Anyone looking to explore a national park for free in 2014 should mark his or her calendar. The National Park Service has nine fee-free days on the calendar in 2014. On the dates, all 401 national parks will offer free admission, though only 133 usually charge admission, according to the National Park Service (NPS). See the list below for this years dates and plan a trip to your local park. If you’re active military or family, you can also get a FREE Annual Pass to the National Parks.

Mark your calendar for these free fee days in 2014:

• Jan. 20 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Feb. 15-17 for Presidents Day weekend
• April 19-20 for National Park Week’s opening weekend
• Aug. 25 for National Park Service’s 98th birthday
• Sept. 27 for National Public Lands Day
• Nov. 11 for Veterans Day

While entrance, commercial tour and transportation entrance fees are waived on these days, some fees — such as those collected by third parties — will not be waived.

For anyone looking for a national park, here are a few parks to consider visiting when the fees are waived:

Yosemite National Park: With its stunning glacier-sculpted geology, abundant wildlife and world-class recreational opportunities, Yosemite, 200 miles east of San Francisco, is one of the crown jewels of America’s national park system. Yosemite’s granite wonderland was carved by massive glaciers around three million years ago, when ice covered all but the highest peaks in the Sierra Nevada.

Sequoia National Park: Sequoia is home to the largest tree in the world, by volume. Redwoods are taller, but giant sequoias win for sheer mass: the General Sherman’s trunk has a volume of 1,487 cubic metres and is estimated to weigh over 2,000 tonnes. Sequoia also boasts 4,421m Mount Whitney, the high point of the John Muir Trail, which runs through Sequoia on its way up to Yosemite.

Lassen National Park: The park is capped by 10,462-foot Lassen Peak, the world’s largest volcanic dome. Lassen’s 1915 blast makes it one of only two volcanoes to have erupted in the continental US in the 20th century (the other being Washington’s Mount Saint Helens in 1980). After the eruption, which laid waste to vast swaths of surrounding land, Lassen Volcanic national park was created to preserve the devastated areas for future observation and study. Visiting the area now, nearly 100 years later, is a dramatic lesson in the Earth’s own healing powers; it still bears vast scars of hardened lava, but between the rocks, the flora and fauna are flourishing.

“National parks not only protect and preserve the places we most value; they also add enormous economic value to nearby communities and the entire nation,” National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis said in a news release. “…Fee-free days are a great way to both thank those visitors and introduce parks to first-timers who can find a new place to call an old favorite.”

*Fee waiver includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise.

For more information, visit www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm.

Job Training and Placement Application Session

If you are unemployed or underemployed, Opportunity Junction may be the place for you!

Opportunity Junction is a nonprofit that offers a FREE of charge, 12-week training in computer skills and career development followed by paid work experience and assistance in finding permanent employment in the administrative field. 92% of thier graduates enter employment within 6 months of program completion.

To learn more and apply, you must attend one of the following application sessions:

• Opportunity Junctions – Mon. Jan 13, 10 am: 3102 Delta Fair Blvd, Antioch, CA 94509
• Opportunity Junction Tues. Jan 21, 10 am: 3102 Delta Fair Blvd, Antioch, CA 94509

Applicants and attendees must arrive by 10 am – no late comers! Call (925) 776-1133 for more info about their programs or visit their site at: OpportunityJunction.org

UPDATE: The boat has been found. It was called in by Contra Costa Sheriff’s office in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The boat was found on Kirker Pass Rd on the Pittsburg side. Anything and everything on the boat that could be recycled, was removed. The thefts used baking powder to cover up their fingerprints.

Over the weekend a Concord man had his boat stolen.  A friend of the owner contacted and asked us to share information about the theft with our readers. The owners are offering a reward with no questions asked for safe return of the boat. Here’s what they had to say about the theft:

Our blue and white 1982 Sunray jet boat was stolen from a parking lot on Commerce Ave in Concord on the weekend of 1/4 or 1/5. It is sitting on a tandem axle blue trailer and all the tires were flat. There is no interior in this boat nor does it have a carburetor installed. It has a AMC 360 on board with a panther jet. This boat holds sentimental value to our family as we bought it brand new and would like it back. No questions asked on the recovery to this boat and trailer.

Reward if found intact!! Well as intact as it was when it was stolen.

If you are the dirt bag that stole this boat: There are very specific identification marks on this boat and trailer that only I know about for situations just like this….

If you don’t want to call the owner, the Concord Police Dept. is accepting any information. They can be reached at 925-671-3333 and refer to case #14-278.

Job Training and Placement Application Session

Thurs. Jan 9, 2014, 10:00am at 3105 Willow Pass Rd  Bay Point, Ca

If you are unemployed or underemployed, Opportunity Junction may be the place for you!

Opportunity Junction is a nonprofit that offers a FREE of charge, 12-week training in computer skills and career development followed by paid work experience and assistance in finding permanent employment in the administrative field. 92% of our graduates enter employment within 6 months of program completion.

To learn more and apply, you must attend one of the following application sessions:

• Ambrose Recreation & Park District Thurs. Jan 9, 10 am: 3105 Willow Pass Rd, Bay Point, CA 94565
•  Opportunity Junctions – Mon. Jan 13, 10 am: 3102 Delta Fair Blvd, Antioch, CA 94509
• Opportunity Junction Tues. Jan 21, 10 am: 3102 Delta Fair Blvd, Antioch, CA 94509

Applicants and attendees must arrive by 10 am  – no late comers! Call (925) 776-1133 for more info about their programs or visit their site at: OpportunityJunction.org

According to a crime statistic study put out by NeighborhoodScouts.com it looks like we are surrounded by dangerous cities. This study is based on the number of violent crimes per 1,000 residents. Violent crimes include murder, forcible rape, armed robbery, and aggravated assault. Data used for this research are 1) the number of violent crimes reported to the FBI to have occurred in each city, and 2) the population of each city.

1. East St. Louis, IL
2. Flint, MI
3. Camden, NJ
4. West Memphis, AR
5. Saginaw, MI
6. Detroit, MI
7. Bessemer, AL
8. Chester, PA
9. Oakland, CA
10. Newburgh, NY
11. Chelsea, MA
12. St. Louis, MO
13. Atlantic City, NJ
14. Memphis, TN
15. Wilmington, DE
16. Alexandria, LA
17. Myrtle Beach, SC
18. Homestead, FL
19. Stockton, CA
20. Birmingham, AL
21. Inkster, MI
22. Jackson, TN
23. Muskogee, OK
24. Trenton, NJ
25. Harrisburg, PA
26. New Haven, CT
27. Spartanburg, SC
28. Atlanta, GA
29. Baltimore, MD
30. Rockford, IL
31. Cleveland, OH
32. Harvey, IL
33. York, PA
34. Little Rock, AR
35. New London, CT
36. Hartford, CT
37. Riviera Beach, FL
38. Texarkana, AR
39. Milwaukee, WI
40. Buffalo, NY
41. Rocky Mount, NC
42. Lake Worth, FL
43. Pine Bluff, AR
44. Bridgeton, NJ
45. Kansas City, MO
46. Washington, DC
47. Compton, CA
48. Desert Hot Springs, CA
49. Niagara Falls, NY
50. Nashville, TN
51. Bridgeport, CT
52. Lima, OH
53. Salisbury, MD
54. East Point, GA
55. Indianapolis, IN
56. Council Bluffs, IA
57. Fort Myers, FL
58. Miami, FL
59. Newark, NJ
60. Philadelphia, PA
61. East Palo Alto, CA
62. Daytona Beach, FL
63. Brockton, MA
64. Fort Pierce, FL
65. Baton Rouge, LA
66. Carbondale, IL
67. Weslaco, TX
68. Atascadero, CA
69. Richmond, CA
70. New Bedford, MA
71. Odessa, TX
72. Fall River, MA
73. Farmington, NM
74. Texarkana, TX
75. Paterson, NJ
76. San Bernardino, CA
77. Albany, GA
78. Springfield, MA
79. Poughkeepsie, NY
80. Beaumont, TX
81. Orlando, FL
82. Miami Beach, FL
83. Pompano Beach, FL
84. Youngstown, OH
85. Antioch, CA
86. Lawrence, MA
87. Gadsden, AL
88. Merced, CA
89. Canton, OH
90. Lauderdale Lakes, FL
91. Houston, TX
92. Monroe, LA
93. Danville, IL
94. Minneapolis, MN
95. Springfield, MO
96. Tulsa, OK
97. Sumter, SC
98. Cincinnati, OH
99. Dayton, OH
100. Knoxville, TN

What do you think of their list? Do you feel your neighborhood is safe?