April 29, 2011 - Clayton Pioneer

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Page 12 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 29, 2011 Appliance Repairs by Bruce, Inc. 35 years experience “We do a dog gone good job” - Zoey & Bruce Bruce & Holly Linsenmeyer � Remodeling � Windows/Doors � Crown Molding � Decks � Overhangs � Siding � Trim Declan Woods 925.216.2679 FREE estimates June 13-17 & 20-24 9am to 3pm, $400 Early enrollment discount $50 Off if enrolled by May 15th Horseback Riding Horsemanship Horse painting Horse games Free T-shirt LIMITED CAMP SIZE Specializing in Bathrooms and Kitchens Clayton Resident Noel O’ Meara 925.518.0821 Tipperary Construction Inc. General Contractor, license# 783799, B, HIC In Clayton, 3141 Morgan Territory Rd. www.Earthquakearabians.com 925.360.7454 Cruise Adventures Unlimited Serving all cruise lines since 1987 Princess Cruises San Francisco Roundtrip Sailings, Spring 2012 15 Night Hawaii Cruise March 19, April 13 & 28 10 Night Mexico Cruise April 3 Call for Special Pricing & Amenities We repair all major appliances, most major brands, and we’re local 30 year Clayton residents Office: (925) 672-2700 Cell: (925) 956-8605 State of California B.E.A.R license #A44842 http://appliancerepairsbybruce.com Owners Valerie O’Connell (Clayton resident, 30 years) & daughter Colleen O’Connell CST 2074362-40 (925) 935-7447 1610 Locust St., Walnut Creek www.cruiseadventuresunlimited.com Dogs know that playtime is just a game ELENA BICKER PET PALS Dogs, like humans, are one of a few unique species that engage in play far beyond the end of their childhood years. And watching them play can be a great spectator sport. Like human games, dog play has rules that must be followed for fairness, and some players are more skilled than others. The more you know about dog play behavior and what their body signals mean, the more enjoyment you will get out of watching the game. Almost all animals play as juveniles; it is a crucial part of development. By definition, play is a rehearsal of key survival behaviors. Dog play is made up of four of these behaviors: PUPPETEER Puppeteer is a curious and fun loving boy who is always on the go. He will thrive in an active home where he can receive physical as well as mental exercise. Going to training classes is a great way for little Puppeteer to bond with his new family members while meeting new people, socializing with other dogs and brushing up on his manners.. The adoption fee for adult dogs is $225 and includes 60 percent off one 7-week dog training session. Futbol, from page 11 squad going to Boise are Isaiah Dargan, Esteban Berumen, Michael Guerrero, Mario Matute, Israel “Izzy” Murguia, Ryan Ringelstein, Jonathan “Sho” Silvan, Javier Valencia, Juan Velazquez, Reymond Velente and Derek Wilcox. Last month, Diablo FC 95 fighting, fleeing, feeding and mating. What distinguishes play from the real survival behaviors are special cues that dogs provide one another, called metasignals. Meta-signals are body movements, gestures and activities that signal a dog’s playful and harmless intentions despite his behavior, which looks like hunting or fighting. For instance, play bows and paw raises are signals typically used to instigate a play session. Healthy, friendly play interactions have both dogs offering frequent meta-signals. When meta-signals are absent, they are conspicuously absent, and what starts as play can quickly turn sour. Both parties should also pause frequently during play. This helps bring rowdy play back down to a reasonable level and allows dogs a brief pause to literally “shake it off ” and remember that they are just playing. A crucial component of safe play is a dog’s ability to restrain himself and to act with measured force. A bite is a play bite and does not hurt the other dog. Puppeteer and Portia are ARF’s Adoption Stars Portia is a beautiful little girl who enjoys gentle pets and lots of opportunities to snuggle! Could she be the purr-fect match for your family? The adoption fee for adult cats is $50. Meet your forever friend at Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation, 2890 Mitchell Drive, Walnut Creek, during adoption hours: 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The primary caretaker must be pres- went to Nevada and won the Las Vegas College Showcase tournament, going undefeated with wins over teams from Colorado, Arizona, Oregon and Cal South. The club’s U16 boys team, coach Marquis White’s Diablo FC 94, hoped to follow up on its Adult dogs who roll over and allow a puppy to wrestle on top of them are also exhibiting selfrestraint: the adult dog could easily overtake the puppy, but chooses not to for the sake of play. During play, dogs’ bodies should be loose and wiggly, their movements bouncy, exaggerated and a little sloppy. This demonstrates that the dog has no intention of doing harm or acting aggressively. A dog that is intent on harming conserves his PORTIA ent to adopt. ARF also encourages kids 16 and younger and canine family members (dog adoptions only) to be present during the adoption process. Would you like to be part of the heroic team that saves the lives of rescued dogs and cats? Can you share your talents to connect people and animals? ARF volunteers are making a difference! For more information see our website, www.arf.net, or call 925.256.1ARF. championship in the 12th annual Diablo Cup when the team traveled to San Diego for the Nomads Coaches Showcase last month. The team earned a championship game berth before wet weather forced a cancellation of the finale. The two finalists, Diablo FC 94 and Nevada’s No. 1 team Las Vegas Premier 95 White, went directly to penalty kicks. Las Vegas won energy and focuses exactly on the task at hand; there is no bouncing around when the hunt is on. The tendency of dogs to continue play into adulthood may explain why we as humans cherish their companionship so dearly: We’re just two fun-loving, playful species that know how to have a good time. Elena Bicker is the Executive Director of Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation. She can be reached at (925) 256-1ARF (1273) Volleyball, from page 10 Wingard and McKay Blatter – also are playing key roles. Coddington won’t be losing the D’Angina name from his roster anytime soon, with freshman outside hitter Matthew following in his brother’s footsteps. Another frosh, Garrett Blatter, is a defensive specialist and sophomore Tyler Sun is an opposite on the varsity team. Last year, the Eagles not only chased powerful Northgate in the DVAL title race but then faced off again with the Broncos in the first round of NCS playoffs Division II – where CVHS lost a four-set match. The previous year, they lost in four sets to Las Lomas at NCS. “Northgate is again the class of the league. College Park has a very good team this year and is making a lot of noise. We will finish somewhere in the top three places in league. If everything comes together with this team, we have a chance to win or share the title,” Coddington said of the Eagles, who were 5- 1 in league through last week. NCS begins May 17. The fifth-year coach has fellow alums “Dice” Armstrong and Thuan Nguyen on his coaching staff. the shootout and the title 3-1. Diablo FC 94, which had won the prestigious Surf Cup last summer in San Diego, drew one and won three games to reach the Nomad semi-finals. They came away with a 1-0 win over San Diego Surf White before suffering the disappointment of not being able to play the final game. After these strong spring results, Diablo FC 95 is now ranked 15th nationally in U15 boys while Diablo FC 94 moved into the U16 top 50 in GotSoccer’s national ratings. Diablo FC’s spring tournament, the Diablo Cup, proved bittersweet for the local club. In the four girls brackets, a Diablo FC team reached the championship game in every age group yet all four teams lost in the finals by a single goal. On the boys side, Diablo FC 94 won the U16 bracket by defeating Nevada’s No. 3 team, Sagebrush SC Vipers Red, while Diablo FC was also second in U18 and U14 age groups
April 29, 2011 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com Page 13 Assembly, from page 9 Sophomore Mandalyn Savage’s dance performance turned into a creative two-person routine when Ted Hall leapt from his front row seat in the bleachers and joined in. “It was pretty exciting when Ted jumped out of the stands and started dancing,” said junior Safety, from page 7 It is important that neighbors know the people who are expected in the area, such as cleaning and gardening workers. I know that my neighbors have their lawns mowed on Tuesday or Friday. If I see something other than a red pickup across the street on Tuesday morning, I may be concerned. In Clayton, the Police Department coordinates a Neighborhood Watch Program that could be of benefit for all neighborhoods. There have been a number of presentations for Clayton residents in the last few years. Most recently, there were presentations for Black Diamond residents and in Peacock Creek. On Nov. 19, 2010, the Pioneer article “Neighborhood Watch gets results in Peacock Creek” documented the success of implementing some of the recommendations in an effort to reduce undesired activity in the neighborhood. During Neighborhood Watch presentations, which take about 1½ hours, there are discussions about suspicious activity and suspicious vehicles, home security, solicitations, reporting information and identity theft. Also discussed are some of the latest scams taking place. One great benefit of having a Neighborhood Watch meeting is the opportunity to meet and know your neighbors. If you know your neighbors and exchange information about who is “authorized” in the area to do gardening, home maintenance, etc., or just visiting for a period of time, then residents are aware of who should or should not be in the neighborhood. If you want to have a meeting in your neighborhood, contact the Clayton Police at 673-7350. Email Herb Yonge at hlyonge@att.net Please tell our advertisers you saw them in the Clayton Pioneer Taylor Wingard, “I wasn’t expecting it at all.” “I loved jumping out of the stands and surprising people,” said Hall, a junior. “It was fun to be able to experience the assembly as both a performer onstage and from the stands as a member of the audience.” enough to close the $2.8 million deficit facing the district next year. The assessment was originally set to go before the East County Board of Directors at the April 4 meeting, but the engineer’s report was incomplete. The report will be presented at the May 2 meeting, says Henderson. “We want to be sure we have a prudent, fully defendable assessment before we move forward,” Henderson says. If approved, the assessment will provide sufficient funding to keep open all fire stations in the district, including the Marsh Creek Sunshine Station that was threatened with closure during the non-fire season months. During the fire season, the station is operated by the state. The plan will also provide for full staffing at all of the stations and will begin a paramedic program. The district currently relies on ambulances for life-saving services. town, we have kids either entering or rapidly approaching high school and there is considerable concern about the quality of their school experience. Horror stories come second, third and fourth hand about bullying, drugs, “romance” (in quotes because it has more meaning than that, but this is a family paper), unsafe and unclean conditions, etc. at Clayton Valley High School. As a graduate of CVHS and with a child set to enter high school next year, I am concerned. But a ray of light has entered this tale with the announcement of the potential for CVHS to become a charter school (“CVCHS”). Since the first meeting I was asked to come to about planning this charter, where I knew nothing, to today where multiple public meetings have taken place and the plan is in full planning stage (see accompanying article with more details), the excitement is palpable in the community. At a meeting on Monday, approximately 150 people packed our library meeting room to hear the teachers behind this movement and a charter consultant outline their vision and discuss the pros and cons of a charter school. The interest in improving CVHS was 100 percent and it appeared the vast majority were behind the charter idea. To be fair, not all questions were answered to everyone’s satisfaction and the The Latin dancing performances also created buzz. Both couples, one of current students the other of alumni gone pro, danced with spice and drama. But what really kept students’ attention was how the men threw, flipped and held their partners repeatedly in such crazy ways. This level of intensity and suspense was also found in the color guard act, which took on Assessment, from page 1 Mayor, from page 1 Henderson expects the board to approve the engineer’s report and call for the election at the May 2 meeting in time to mail out ballots by the June 16 deadline. If passed, the assessment would be on the 2011-’12 tax roll. The assessment affects property owners in the rural areas of Clayton along Marsh Creek and Morgan Territory roads. FIRE INSURANCE NO LONGER A CRISIS Last year October, East County Fire closed the Sunshine Station to save the district the $366,000 it pays CalFire to staff the station during the non-fire season.. A grassroots reaction from Clayton’s rural property owners forced East County to reconsider and they drew from reserves to reopen the station November 1. With the Sunshine station in jeopardy, homeowner insurance rates began to double and triple. Several homeowners were can- plan specifics are still being worked out for budgeting, administration, teaching standards, contracts, etc. But that did not appear to dampen the crowd’s enthusiasm for the idea. What was clear was that a charter school would increase the per student amount of money given to the school. It would be locally administered and would include specific and uniform codes of conduct geared toward restoring respect and following rules to make it easier for the teachers to teach. The loudest cheers and applause came when the crowd was informed that uniforms can be implemented to eliminate issues with inappropriate fashions and any gang identification. In short, charter schools are growing in California, and CVCHS could act as a shining example for the Bay Area. Granada Hills Charter High School in Southern California has a 99 percent graduation rate with 98 percent of their graduates attending college of some sort. Attendance rate is 98 percent and the school has top API (Academic performance index) scores. Clayton Valley organizers envision the same results for an extreme and rock ’n’ roll angle. For junior Ryan Dodge, this was the favorite act. “I thought the color guard act was interesting,” he said, “and it had good music.” Overall, the assembly was hailed as a massive success for straying from the traditional. “This was the best rally we’ve had so far,” Wingard concluded. celled by insurance companies that followed Insurance Standards Office stiff underwriting guidelines requiring homes to be no further than five miles from a fire station. ISO also imposes heavy staffing requirements that the district cannot meet. State Farm Insurance, however, sets their own underwriting guidelines and does not use the ISO standards, says local agent Doug Van Wyck. “We’ve been writing policies out there for 30 years and continue to do so,” he says. “As long as property owners in wildfire areas clear their properties and are in compliance with local fire codes, we have no problem insuring rural properties.” Van Wyck is in the Village Oaks building, 6200 Center Street, Clayton. For more information call (925) 672- 2300. For more information on the benefit assessment district, including the agenda and staff reports, go to www.eccfpd.org. Board meetings are at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 3231 Main St., Oakley. our kids with a charter school. What is most amazing to me is that in over a decade of involvement in politics in Clayton, every issue has had both proponents and detractors. The lone exception —CVCHS! That is unheard of in politics and I think proof of the soundness of the idea and the need to improve existing conditions at CVHS. As this moves forward, it will be vital for all interested parents, even if your child is only a toddler, to inform themselves and to make their support heard to the teachers at CVHS and to the Mt. Diablo Unified School District, which will be deciding whether to approve the charter. To this end, please go to Facebook and search “Clayton Valley Charter High School” or t o https://sites.google.com/site/ claytonvalleycharterhighschool to learn more and show your support. You may also email me at shuey@rankinlaw.com. As John F. Kennedy once said, “Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource.” Email the mayor at shuey@rankinlaw.com General Contracting Services Expertise in: � HOME ADDITIONS � REMODELS � KITCHENS � BATHS John & Jesse Hunt 925-672-4046 Local Builder for Jbh_hlb@yahoo.com over 25 years Clayton Residents www.h-lbuilders.com Always Fresh, Always Italian � Traditional & specialty ravioli and pasta � The best focaccia this side of the Atlantic � Homemade Cannoli every Saturday Items change daily Eat in or take out (925) 689-3819 CA. Lic. # 923479-B Free Design Consultations and Estimates Tue through Sat 10 am - 7 pm Picnic bags for Clayton/Concord Concerts in the Park $9.99 Includes: � Choice of Entrée � Choice of One Side Dish � Focaccia Bread � Cookie � Utensils & Tablecloth Call ahead to place your order Owned and operated by Clayton residents Carol and Jim Rackel Tami and Ernie Campora 4375 Clayton Road, Suite G, Concord Nearest cross street Treat
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