Category Archives: Orinda

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  There may not be a pot of gold waiting for you, but you can take advantage of some fun free food and services offered today, plus lots of parades going on!

Visit the 30^th Annual City of Dublin St Patrick’s Day Celebration. The festival opens 10:00am – 5:00pm with free admission and is located at the Dublin Civic Center 100 Civic Plaza, Dublin. For events and activities schedule, click here or for directions click here. Plus take advantage of free transportation to the parade.

Free bus service to and from the Dublin’s St Patrick’s Day festival and the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station will be offered both Saturday and Sunday. Festival goers arriving at the BART station should look for signs directing them to the Wheels route 10 bus. Riders should ask the driver for a return trip coupon. Buses will leave every 40 minutes from 6:21 a.m. to 6 p.m. The city especially encourages out-of-town visitors to take the free bus, so come on out!

For other local parades and activities, check out StPatrick’sDay.com. All you have to do is click on your state to find a parade near you.

If your headed into the city, visit sf.funcheap.com for a list of all free and cheap St Patrick’s Day parades, live music and events. Berg Injury Lawyers is sponsoring the Safe and Sober Free Cab Ride Home program for 2013. Free Cab Rides Home for St. Patrick’s Day – Begins: March 17, 2013 – 10pm
Ends: March 18, 2013 – 4am. Call one of the following cab companies and tell them the ride is on Berg Injury Lawyers. Please remember, there’s a $35 cap on all rides home, and patrons are responsible for costs more than $35. San Francisco – Call Luxor Cab at (415) 282-4141.

*Note: Due to the high number of ride requests on St. Patrick’s Day, rides cannot be guaranteed for everyone who calls. Cab rides are made available to area residents who otherwise might attempt to drive home after drinking. Rides are provided from bars & restaurants (not from house parties) to an individual’s residence and not to other drinking locations. Links: Event detail  *Cabs must be requested by phone.

Before you go out with your friends, here are some freebies up for grabs. Hope you enjoy these & Happy St Patrick’s Day and drive safely!

Free Starbucks – Get a FREE Tall Hazelnut or Caramel Macchiato at participating Canadian and American Starbucks. One freebie per person and offer runs through March 31, 2013. Note – be sure to check with the Barista before ordering and ask for Discount Code 350. Some locations may require a copy of the flyer (below) for the freebie.

Free Coke – Stop by participating Walmart locations between 1:00 – 6:00 p.m. on March 17, 2013, and get a free ice cold .5 liter bottle of Coca-Cola Zero, while supplies last. Martinez.

Free Arby’s Sandwich – Buy one New York Style Reuben Sandwich, get a second one for free, at participating Arby’s locations. Offer is good from March 15 – March 17, 2013. Pleasanton & Vallejo

Corner Bakery Cafe Treat – Get a cookie, brownie, bar, Whoopee Pie or Baby Bundt Cake when you purchase an entree at participating Corner Bakery Cafe’s. Coupon is required. Offer expires March 19, 2013. Pleasanton.

Sweet Jelly Belly Deal – Speaking of sweet treats, the folks at Jelly Belly are offering a 15 percent discount on all green candy through March 17, 2013!

$2 Fruit & Veggie 16oz Smoothies Jamba Juice. Redeem with coupon (below).

JC Penny Deal – Get a $10 discount on orders of $50 or more when you use promotional code “SPENDIT” at JC Penny. Offer is good in store with printable coupon or online – though March 17, 2013.

Kohl’s Friends & Family Shopping Days – Get 20 percent off everything in the store or online using promo code “MARFB20.” Offer runs through March 17, 2013.

Bath and Body Works Sale – Get 20 percent off your entire purchase at Bath and Body Works when you use coupon code “SPRING13.” Offer expires March 31, 2013.

Nine West Sale – Nine West is having a great deal. Get 30 percent off on everything through March 18, 2013. No special code is necessary.

Free Music – In the mood for some tunes? Get your Irish jig on with free Celtic Sampler from Amazon!

Free Tea – Get a free 16-ounce cup of featured brew tea at participating Teavana stores with printable coupon (below). Offer expires March 31, 2013 at Sunvalley.

Redbox has a new code available that will get you a free movies. Simply enter the codes below (one code per free movie) at checkout when prompted.

Get a free St. Patrick’s Day plastic beer mug. Just “Like” their page, fill in your information and put in the code green2013. Your mug should arrive in 2-3 weeks. Hurry and get yours before they’re all gone!

Smilebox- St. Patrick’s Day Offer: Free St. Patrick’s Day Design called Clover Stamp and it’s available to use for free through March 12th. This design is also great for sharing up to 25 pictures from your St. Patrick’s Day party. Get access to this premium design, email or post to Facebook ad-free or print at home, all for free through March 12th.

*Note: Please note – some restrictions may apply. Please visit the vendor’s website for specific information.

The Diablo Reporter has teamed up with Anna Chan, aka The Lemon Lady! Over the last four years, Anna has been on a nationwide campaign against hunger. The Lemon Lady Foundation is all volunteer and self-funded. Anna organized over 6,000 volunteer hours and personally harvested over 300 TONS of urban fruit and produce that’s delivered to local food pantries and hunger relief organizations.

Anna would like to inspire others about fruit and vegetable donations to local food pantries and she’s made simple to do so. Anna Chan & The Lemon Lady Foundation is looking for volunteers to pass out flyers! This is a great opportunity for everyone, especially walkers.

If your interested in lending a hand to the cause, please print out a few flyers (below) and delivery them to the doorstep of your neighbors that have fruit bearing trees or gardens. Most fruit tree owners will do the harvesting themselves, once they call, Anna will organize someone to come pick them up and transport the produce to the Share Food Pantry on Willow Pass Rd, in Concord or other local food bank.

Visit The Lemon Lady Blog for more information or contact Anna directly via email at AnnaAndAva@gmail.com or by phone (925) 672-1988 or (510) 406-1625. Happy Harvesting!

This free small claims advisor workshop is presented by the Contra Costa County Superior Court. The workshop will be held on the second Thursday of the month (tomorrow) from 5:30-8:30pm. No registration is required but late comers will not be admitted due to the large amount of information to be covered.  The workshop will be held at the Concord Public Library 2900 Salvio St, Concord. They can be contacted by phone for more information at 925-646-5455.

Just wanted to tell everyone Happy Valentine’s Day! I have had a crazy couple of weeks but soon things will settle down and I will get back to more regular posting. I hope all of you have a fabulous Valentine’s Day! Check back soon for more postings!

XOXO ~ The  Diablo Reporter

Unfortunately, The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has declared it “unlawful” to burn today. To find out more information on the Spare the Air legal issues, including how this costly program affects its residents and how they feel it about it, click here.

Since we can’t enjoy the real thing (unless you’re a rebel 🙂  ) perhaps this will help a little.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) is starting 2013 with a Spare the Air Warnings for January 1st & 2nd. On these days, it will be allegedly illegal to use fireplaces, pellet stoves, wood stoves and outdoor fire pits. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s winter season has begun is expecting to issue 10 to 15 winter Spare the Air alerts between now and Feb. 28.

The Spare the Air is a program established by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District in 1991 was originally created to combat air pollution during the summer in the San Francisco Bay Area. Unfortunately for many California residents, this program has already spread to other metropolitan areas including Sacramento and Los Angeles.

SPARE THE AIR LEGAL ISSUES
Words like “regulation”, “code”, “rule” and even “law” have been used to define the Spare the Air ban, however we were unable to find any California law that states it’s unlawful to burn wood anytime, even Spare the Air days (If you find one, let us know!). According to the BAAQMD website, “on July 9, 2008, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board adopted Regulation 6, Rule 3: Wood-Burning Devices to cut the harmful emissions that come from wood smoke.”

Regulation 6, Rule 3 reads as follows: “The Air District’s Wood Burning Rule:

• Restricts wood burning when air quality is unhealthy and a Winter Spare the Air Alert is issued
• Places limits on excessive smoke (exceeding 20-percent opacity)
• Requires that only cleaner-burning EPA-certified stoves and inserts be sold in the Bay Area
• Requires only cleaner-burning EPA-certified stoves and inserts in new construction or remodels
• Prohibits the burning of garbage and other harmful materials
• Requires labeling on firewood and solid fuels sold within the Bay Area.”

The constitutionality of the ban has never been challenged in court, however that hasn’t stopped the BAAQMD from to issuing warnings and fines to violators. In years past violators are subject to a warning letter being issued, which was followed by a $400 fine for a second infraction. This year that has changed.

According to CBS October 2012 article, “Instead of warning letters, first time violators caught lighting a wood fire on a Spare the Air day they will face a $100 fine, said Kristine Roselius, spokeswoman for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.”

Also good to note, the fine depends on the severity of any later infraction – the duration of the burning and the proximity to a schools or nursing homes. A second violation fee can be upwards of $500. If you get a fine and are a first time violator, you can opt out of paying by attending the Air District’s Wood Smoke Awareness School. That’s right – There is a school for violators of the Spare the Air ban to educate people about wood burning issues.

EFFECTS ON THE PUBLIC
According to the Spare the Air website, “those who rely on fireplaces and wood stoves as their only sources of heat are exempt from the rule.” However, don’t let the Air Inspectors find out!  According to California’s State Housing Law, (25 CCR 34) “(a)Every dwelling unit and guest room used or offered for rent or lease shall be provided with heating facilities capable of maintaining a minimum room temperature of 70 degrees F, 24 hours a day.” If residences have only a fireplace available to use, according to California State Housing law their home is “declared to be a substandard building in violation of Section 17920.10 of the Health and Safety Code,” which will be followed by an “immediate order to vacated for demolition or closing for repair and compliance”. 

At least 7.15 Million residents of the nine Bay Area counties are supposedly not allowed to offer their friends and family that picture perfect holiday fireplace gathering and are suffering in other ways due to the “alerts”.  Since residents weren’t able to use their fireplace, wood burning stoves and other alternative heating sources on particular days their energy bill sky rocketed which leads to one thing… huge, very profitable days for giant energy corporation, PG&E.

As Shelia Smith from Concord states “It’s cheaper to get free wood on Craigslist and start a fire than it is to run the heat all day, and besides my family loves beauty and warmth that comes from that fire.”

To make matters worst, it appears that Spare the Air has a specific agenda to target popular days that people are most likely to gather around their fireplaces. In years past, it’s been “illegal” to have wood burning stoves and fireplaces active on the day before and the day after the following popular holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve and New Year Day.

Apparently the program has sparked an outcry from tattle tailers across the Bay. According to the San Francisco Gate November 2009 Article, “Last year (2008), the BAAQMD received more than 1,400 complaints across the nine-county area and turning in their neighbors for enjoying the age-old tradition. The largest portion of the complaints – 27 percent – came from Marin County. Contra Costa County was second, with 16 percent of the complaints. Warning letters were sent in 254 cases. Marin County and Contra Costa County were tied for the highest number with 55 each.”

COSTS FOR TAXPAYERS
California Air Resource Board (CARB) is a parent agency that oversees BAAQMD. According to KillCarb.org, (a group protesting the intrusion and financial waste of the Spare the Air program) “Your tax dollars fund California Air Resource Board (CARB). In fiscal year 2007-08 they received $722 million for 1172 employees. In fiscal year 2008-09 they received $650 million for 1272 employees, and in fiscal year 2009-10.” Killcarb.org also claims to have proof that the EPA has falsified their air pollution studies and believes that there’s no merit for the EPA’s regulation in private homes and the lives of millions.

In an NBC article published January 2012 about the Spare the Air program states, “I would say it’s early in the semester, but we are getting a D so far,” said San Jose State public policy expert Edward Lopez.  He says “the program doesn’t seem cost-effective. The tab for winter ‘Spare the Air’ is more than $1M.  It’s spent on things like phone alerts, advertisements, and the cost to mail citations and warnings.  What do they do, send them in gold?  That’s a huge amount of money,” said Nelson.

As cited on the Spare the Air – Get the Facts page, the BAAQMD claims to have 70 air inspectors (people who patrol neighborhoods looking for smoke coming from chimneys) on the payroll.  Considering the number of warning letters the BAAQMD sends out, that’s an average of just two warnings a year per inspector, since the program began.