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.
Posted in Clayton, Concord, Lafayette, Martinez, Moraga, Orinda, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek
The East Bay Health Expo is coming to Walnut Creek on Saturday, January 26, 2013! The mission of the East Bay Health Expo is to increases awareness of all forms of health and healthy living opportunities that are available to all residents of the East Bay. The event will be from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM and admission is free. First 200 visitors will receive a free swag bag full of goodies($100 value)!
Premier health providers, wellness based businesses from the surrounding cities will be sampling services and offering information. Several businesses will hosting a local job fair, so bring your résumé. The American Red Cross will be holding a blood drive. The expo also offers free workshop topics such as Natural Health – Green Living – Healthy Foods – Happy People. For a complete workshop schedule, click here.
Bring the family and enjoy a fun, relaxing day in Civic Park. For more information or directions visit the East Bay Health Expo website by clicking here.
Posted in Concord
The Milan Institute will be closing its doors and ending its beauty training programs on January 31, 2013. It will also be discontinuing its student beauty services. This closure came as a shock to beauty students, receiving less than 30 days notice, most of whom paid their tuition ($20,000 plus) in advanced. According to students, the business is closing due to lack of revenue generated at the John Glenn Drive – Concord site. Most students were upset to find that they would being commuting but some foresee a lack transportation to get to the Fairfield school. The Milan Institute has agreed to a monthly compensation (until graduation) for students commuting to Fairfield.
The Milan Institute’s Student Beauty Spa which is infamous for its $7 haircuts and $20 relaxing facials offers great deals will not around forever. To view the Milan’s Student Service Menu, click here.
If you have never been, treat yourself to a service but don’t forget to ask for the friends and family 50% off coupon for your next visit. The Milan Institute also offers free hair cuts to anyone that comes in during their birth week. They also offer a standing 20% off to seniors and military. Did I mention that they offer $5 children’s haircuts? Click here for their winter specials and here for their coupons.
Posted in Concord
The Rotary Club of Concord will be opening a free urgent care medical clinic at Cambridge Elementary School, 1135 Lacey Lane, Concord, CA 94520. The Clinic will be available to patients who live in the Concord area and have no health insurance. The Clinic will be open every Thursday from 5 P.M. until 9 P.M. Patients will be seen by appointment only. The clinic will be accepting appointments between the hours of 1 P.M. and 3 P.M. 2 P.M. on each Thursday at Concord RotaCare Phone #: 925-429-6409. Appointment slots are limited and only patients who make appointments will receive service.
This RotaCare Clinic is operated and underwritten by the Rotary Club of Concord. Supporters of the clinic include John Muir Health, Kaiser Permanente, Anka Behavioral Health, Inc., The Mt. Diablo Unified School District, La Casa Via Associates, LLC, and many dedicated health care providers, Rotarians and other caring people who live in Contra Costa County.
UPDATE: This clinic does NOT offer dental. This information we received was inaccurate. Sorry for the confusion.
UPDATE: This clinic has changed it’s call-in hours! To get an appointment call between 1 P.M. – 2 P.M. on Thursdays.
Posted in Concord
From Today until January 12th, 2013 Staples is offer 100% back on Avery heavy-duty binders, Staples portable file boxes & Bankers Box storage boxes. Everyone should take full advantage of this great offer. Storage boxes will come in handy for spring cleaning as well as good for storage in general. Binders, boxes and file boxes can be bought now and saved for school years to come. Staples filing boxes can help you get organized too! This is a new year so quit digging through piles of paperwork only to find that one you need. Let Staples PAY YOU to get organized! Save money and time by taking advantage of freebies like this and stock up for years to come! To see the full ad, click here.
This special was sent to us by the very awesome Anna Chan, The Lemon Lady! If you haven’t heard of her, check out her blog. She is doing a great service for our local community by picking up and delivering local food to local food pantries. http://thelemonlady.blogspot.com/
Posted in Concord, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek
On Wednesday President Obama made the National Defense Authorization Act official when he signed it into law. His justification for signing the bill was because “it authorizes essential support for service members and their families, renews vital national security programs and helps ensure the US will continue to have the strongest military in the world.” The NDAA has received a lot of opposition by civil rights activists, but how will this legislation affect all Americans?
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:
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.
All of this coming at a time when every major news source is making reference to the huge financial cliff that Americans are sitting on. It’s also at a time when there’s a national debt of $16, 422, 267, 986, 453, a state debt of $427, 508, 235, 085, and while West Contra Costra County School District requests another waiver (it’s fourth) because it’s unable to pay back it’s $797 million in bond debt that’s currently outstanding.
As Doug Thompson of Martinez states “Is the Spare the Air program something that we should be spending our money on? Or is this another unless money sucking program? I mean, who cares what people do in their homes. It’s ridiculous to think that the government regulates everything from our toilets to when we can use our fireplaces… When is enough enough especially since neither of us can’t afford it.”
SPARE THE AIR SUPPORTERS
So who’s supporting this program? The Contra Costa County Spare the Air Response Team is made up the following local businesses and individuals:
PUBLIC OPINION
For those that are wondering what the public thinks of the fireplace police, it’s not good. According to March 2012 ABC article, “Residents have called the inspectors “communists,” “disciples of Hitler,” “a disgrace to this country,” “inconsiderate,” “obnoxious” and “out of control.” In one (letter), the writer said he’s “enraged” that they’ve “ruined every holiday…” Another told them they’re going to hell.”
So according to the information available it seems that this is a misguided if not intrusive program that is both costly and ineffective. It’s also clearly not popular with the public and seems to be something that our already fully in debt government can’t afford. What are your thoughts?
Posted in Clayton, Concord, Lafayette, Martinez, Moraga, Orinda, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek
Diablo Reporter 