s #1 The Orinda - Squarespace · including Sharon Kerst’s Cross Stitch and Queen Stitch Etui, a...
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THE ORINDA NEWS Gratis Published by The Orinda Association 12 Issues Annually Volume 30, Number 1 Delivered to 9,000 Households and Businesses in Orinda January 2015 NON-PROFIT US POSTAGE PAID ORINDA, CA PERMIT# 4 ECRWSS Postal Customer IN THIS ISSUE News Housing Element 7 MOFD 5 Police Blotter 5 Around Town Fitness Guide 9-10 Local Groups 13, 18, 19 Performing/Visual Arts 2 Schools/Students 11, 12, 15, 17 Business Buzz 20 Calendar 17 Car Time 7 Classified 16 Editorial 4 Everyday Changes 18 Obituaries 6 Orinda Association 3 Roving Reporter 8 Something to Howl About 12 Orinda’s #1 News Source! Orinda Association Names Volunteer of Year By MAGGIE SHARPE Staff Writer T he Orinda Association (OA) has named Dick Burkhalter its 2014 Volunteer of theYear and Orinda Intermediate School’s Others First organization the recipient of its 2014 William Penn Mott, Jr. Environ- mental Award. Volunteer of the Year “I have known Dick for over 10 years, and to me he personifies the real spirit behind the Volunteer of theYear award,” said OA president Bill Waterman. “He has selflessly volunteered to help the com- munity on several fronts, from his many different Rotary Club activities to Orinda Community Foundation work to driving our seniors in the OA’s SeniorsAround Town program. He always has been ‘hands on’ in that he takes the initiative and always seems ready to pitch in and help.” Burkhalter said he is honored to receive the award. “It is quite an honor to be selected as the Volunteer of theYear in a community that is full of volunteers, and it is a great experience to be associated with all these wonderful folks,” said Bur- khalter. “We moved to Orinda in 1970 so that our children could attend these great public schools. When I joined the Orinda Rotary Club in 1990, I found the avenue to give back to the community that has given so much to our family. That is where it all started, and I’m still enjoying helping others.” As well as the Rotary Club, Burkhalter has served with the Orinda Community Foundation, Grandfather’s Club of Ameri- ca, Lamorinda Village Formation Commit- Monteverde Apartments Opens Its Doors to Seniors By FRAN ENDICOTT MILLER Staff Writer A fter a three-month delay, the Mon- teverde senior apartment complex at 2 Irwin Way recently opened its doors to residents. Named for the verdant green hills surrounding the property, Monteverde offers 67 affordable one-bedroom/one- bathroom apartments, each between 616 and 717 square feet. Built by Eden Housing, whose mission is to build and maintain high-quality, af- fordable housing communities for those with lower incomes, Monteverde serves low-income seniors earning at or below 30 to 50 percent of the Contra Costa County area median income. Residents pay 30 percent of their household income for rent. A specific number of units are held for the varying income levels: seven units for the lowest Average Median Income (AMI), 14 at the next level and 45 units at a higher AMI level. Each unit can accommodate up to three people. Rental prices at each level vary according to the number of persons in each unit and the head of household must be at least 62 years of age. Monteverde is the first affordable hous- ing complex built in Orinda since the 1980s. It is situated at the site of the former Orinda library – a site that was identified by City of Orinda officials during a previous round of the Housing Element that called for increas- es in Regional Housing Needs Allocation. A deed restriction on the property required that the land be used for a public benefit and not for commercial development. In 2008, the city issued a Request for Pro- posals for the development of an affordable senior project and Eden was selected to de- velop the property. Eden participated in an extensive entitlement and approval process during which many community meetings where held. Eden modified Monteverde’s design based on community input. The new community is located in the downtown Village area at the corner of Irwin Way and Orinda Way across from the Safeway parking lot. The property is intended for independent living and easy access to transportation, shopping and community services, such as the library and community center. On-site amenities include a large com- munity room with television and a full [SEE SENIORS page 16] tee, Orinda Association, Seniors Around Town, Soccer 4 All, Orinda Chamber of Commerce, Orinda Public Works Aesthetic Review Committee and Shingletown Lions Club. Burkhalter has travelled extensively on behalf of Orinda Rotary in support of various international projects, including [SEE AWARDS page 14] MARY FRIESE Students in OIS' Others First program wrapped presents at the Bay Area Crisis Nursery in mid- December. L-R (standing): Lucy Wilson, Mina Jenab, Spencer Schneide, Isabella Nordstedt, Emma Stephens, Arman Marchiel and Chinmai Srinivas, (sitting) Sophia Pinto, Stephanie Friese and Mikayla Smith. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Orinda Association's 2014 Volunteer of the Year Dick Burkhalter (L) pictured with "one of the lo- cals" on a recent trip to Australia Zoo in Adelaide, Australia. SYLVIA JORGENSEN A young friend helps the Orinda Association's (OA) Kate Wiley with the welcome baskets for resi- dents at Monteverde senior apartments. The OA and the Orinda Satellite Rotary Club put together the baskets and delivered them in mid-December. FRAN ENDICOTT MILLER Monteverde, the new senior apartment complex at the corner of Irwin Way and Orinda Way, opened in December to its first residents. OUSD Faces Wave of Criticism By SALLY HOGARTY Editor T he Orinda Union School District’s (OUSD) actions to dismiss and then reinstate a second-grade Latina student made the district and the City of Orinda the topic of myriad publications and Internet articles – and not in a good way. Allegations of racism and the classification of Orinda as a wealthy, elitist suburb filled media and Internet sites. The Dec. 8 school board meeting was moved to the Orinda Library Auditorium to accommodate the number of speakers wishing to be heard on the topic as well as television crews. At the heart of the controversy is how the school district determines residency, whether race plays a factor and what type of investigative techniques it employs. School board policies as well as the State of California require districts to follow objective rules for determining residency and to investigate questions of residency when brought to its attention. According to the district’s attorney, Har- old Freiman, the school principal initially handles any questions of residency. “The principal would talk to the parents, the student and office staff. Most incidents are resolved at the school level. If it can’t be [SEE DISTRICT page 19]
Transcript of s #1 The Orinda - Squarespace · including Sharon Kerst’s Cross Stitch and Queen Stitch Etui, a...
The Orinda newsGratis Published by The Orinda Association 12IssuesAnnuallyVolume30,Number1 Deliveredto9,000HouseholdsandBusinessesinOrinda January2015
NON-PROFITUSPOSTAGE
PAIDORINDA,CAPERMIT#4
ECRWSS PostalCustomer
IN THIS ISSUENews HousingElement 7 MOFD 5 PoliceBlotter 5AroundTownFitnessGuide 9-10LocalGroups 13,18,19Performing/VisualArts 2Schools/Students 11,12,15,17BusinessBuzz 20Calendar 17CarTime 7Classified 16Editorial 4EverydayChanges 18Obituaries 6OrindaAssociation 3RovingReporter 8SomethingtoHowlAbout 12
Orinda’s #1 News Source!
Orinda Associat ion Names Volunteer of Year
By MAGGIE SHARPEStaff Writer
TheOrindaAssociation(OA)hasnamedDickBurkhalterits2014Volunteerof
theYearandOrindaIntermediateSchool’sOthersFirstorganization the recipientofits2014WilliamPennMott,Jr.Environ-mentalAward.
Volunteer of the Year“IhaveknownDickforover10years,
and to me he personifies the real spiritbehind theVolunteerof theYearaward,”said OA president BillWaterman. “Hehasselflesslyvolunteeredtohelpthecom-munityon several fronts, from hismanydifferentRotaryClubactivitiestoOrindaCommunityFoundationworktodrivingourseniorsintheOA’sSeniorsAroundTownprogram.Healwayshasbeen‘handson’inthathetakestheinitiativeandalwaysseemsreadytopitchinandhelp.”
Burkhaltersaidheishonoredtoreceivethe award. “It is quite an honor to beselectedastheVolunteeroftheYearinacommunitythatisfullofvolunteers,andit is a great experience to be associatedwithallthesewonderfulfolks,”saidBur-khalter.“WemovedtoOrindain1970sothatourchildrencouldattendthesegreatpublicschools.WhenIjoinedtheOrindaRotaryClubin1990,Ifoundtheavenueto
givebacktothecommunitythathasgivenso much to our family.That is where itallstarted,andI’mstillenjoyinghelpingothers.”
AswellastheRotaryClub,Burkhalterhas served with the Orinda CommunityFoundation,Grandfather’sClubofAmeri-ca,LamorindaVillageFormationCommit-
Monteverde Apartments Opens Its Doors to Seniors
By FRAN ENDICOTT MILLERStaff Writer
After a three-month delay, the Mon-teverde senior apartment complex
at2IrwinWayrecentlyopeneditsdoorstoresidents.Namedfortheverdantgreenhillssurroundingtheproperty,Monteverdeoffers 67 affordable one-bedroom/one-bathroom apartments, each between 616and717squarefeet.
BuiltbyEdenHousing,whosemissionis tobuildandmaintainhigh-quality, af-fordable housing communities for thosewith lower incomes, Monteverde serveslow-incomeseniorsearningatorbelow30to50percentoftheContraCostaCountyarea median income. Residents pay 30percentoftheirhouseholdincomeforrent.Aspecificnumberofunitsareheldforthe
varyingincomelevels:sevenunitsforthelowestAverageMedianIncome(AMI),14at thenext leveland45unitsatahigherAMIlevel.Eachunitcanaccommodateuptothreepeople.Rentalpricesateachlevelvaryaccordingtothenumberofpersonsineachunitandtheheadofhouseholdmustbeatleast62yearsofage.
Monteverdeisthefirstaffordablehous-ingcomplexbuiltinOrindasincethe1980s.ItissituatedatthesiteoftheformerOrindalibrary–asitethatwasidentifiedbyCityofOrindaofficialsduringapreviousroundoftheHousingElementthatcalledforincreas-esinRegionalHousingNeedsAllocation.Adeedrestrictiononthepropertyrequiredthatthelandbeusedforapublicbenefitandnotforcommercialdevelopment.
In2008,thecityissuedaRequestforPro-posalsforthedevelopmentofanaffordableseniorprojectandEdenwasselectedtode-veloptheproperty.Edenparticipatedinanextensiveentitlementandapprovalprocessduringwhichmanycommunitymeetingswhereheld.EdenmodifiedMonteverde’sdesignbasedoncommunityinput.
The new community is located in thedowntownVillage area at the corner ofIrwinWay and OrindaWay across fromtheSafewayparking lot.Theproperty isintendedfor independent livingandeasyaccess to transportation, shopping andcommunity services, such as the libraryandcommunitycenter.
On-siteamenities includealargecom-munity room with television and a full
[SeeSENIORSpage16]
tee, OrindaAssociation, SeniorsAroundTown, Soccer 4All, Orinda Chamber ofCommerce,OrindaPublicWorksAestheticReviewCommitteeandShingletownLionsClub.BurkhalterhastravelledextensivelyonbehalfofOrindaRotaryinsupportofvarious international projects, including
[SeeAWARDSpage14]
MARYFRIESE
Students inOIS'OthersFirstprogramwrappedpresentsat theBayAreaCrisisNursery inmid-December.L-R(standing):Lucy Wilson, Mina Jenab, Spencer Schneide, Isabella Nordstedt, Emma Stephens, Arman Marchieland Chinmai Srinivas, (sitting) Sophia Pinto, Stephanie Friese andMikayla Smith.
CONTRIBUTEDPHOTO
OrindaAssociation's2014VolunteeroftheYearDick Burkhalter(L)picturedwith"oneofthelo-cals"onarecenttriptoAustraliaZooinAdelaide,Australia.
SYLVIAJORGENSEN
AyoungfriendhelpstheOrindaAssociation's(OA)Kate Wiley with the welcome baskets for resi-dentsatMonteverdeseniorapartments.TheOAandtheOrindaSatelliteRotaryClubputtogetherthebasketsanddeliveredtheminmid-December.
FRANENDICOTTMILLER
Monteverde,thenewseniorapartmentcomplexatthecornerofIrwinWayandOrindaWay,openedinDecembertoitsfirstresidents.
OUSD Faces Wave of CriticismBy SALLY HOGARTY
Editor
The Orinda Union School District’s(OUSD) actions to dismiss and then
reinstate a second-grade Latina studentmadethedistrictandtheCityofOrindathetopicofmyriadpublicationsandInternetarticles–andnotinagoodway.AllegationsofracismandtheclassificationofOrindaas a wealthy, elitist suburb filled mediaandInternetsites.TheDec.8schoolboardmeetingwasmovedtotheOrindaLibraryAuditoriumtoaccommodatethenumberofspeakerswishingtobeheardonthetopicaswellastelevisioncrews.
At theheartof the controversy ishowthe school district determines residency,whetherraceplaysafactorandwhattypeof investigative techniques it employs.SchoolboardpoliciesaswellastheStateof California require districts to followobjective rules fordeterminingresidencyand to investigate questionsof residencywhenbroughttoitsattention.
Accordingtothedistrict’sattorney,Har-
oldFreiman,theschoolprincipalinitiallyhandlesanyquestionsofresidency.“Theprincipal would talk to the parents, thestudentandofficestaff.Mostincidentsareresolvedattheschoollevel.Ifitcan’tbe
[SeeDISTRICTpage19]
2 n The Orinda news n JANUARY 2015
VISUALARTS
New Year Exhibit Features Eclectic Mix of Artwork
By ELANA O’LOSKEYStaff Writer
OnewaytostarttheNewYear,accord-ing toTurkish playwright Mehmet
Murat ildan is, “For anewyear tobringyousomethingnew,makeamove,likeabutterflytearingitscocoon!Makeamove!”ThissentimentputsoneinmindoftheworkexhibitedbyJillLandau,MelodyHesaraky,TomWinn and members of the Embroi-derer’s Guild ofAmerica,Valley QuailChapter.TheOrindaArtsCouncilpresentstheirworkat theOrindaLibraryGallery
duringJanuary.ThepublicisinvitedtoanartistreceptiononSunday,Jan.4from2to4:30pmwhen light refreshmentswillbeserved.Theembroiderersareofferingtwo demonstrations of their work at thereception–agreatchancetolearnallaboutstitchingfromtheexperts.
Jill Landau ofWalnut Creek has beenpainting for30yearsand loves thechal-lengeofit.“Peoplethinkit’seasy,butitisnoteasy.ItisworkandIjusthappentolovethework,tryingtogetsomethingtolooklikewhatI’mlookingat,orgetthefeelingofwhatI’mlookingat,”saysLandau.“Myparentswereartcollectors,andIgrewupsurroundedbytheworksofMiltonAvery,JaniceFish,AliceNeelandJaneFreilicher– beautiful work which is embedded inme.” Landau will be showing more than25works,allrepresentationalandimpres-sionistinnature.LookforSunny House,a14”x18”oilonboardpainting.Shehopespeoplewillfeelsomekindofkinshipwithherwork,thewaythelightispresented,orexperience something they haven’t seenbeforeatall.
MelodyHesarakyofSanFranciscowas
borninTehran,Iran,andrecentlygraduatedfromtheUniversityofBrighton,England.Hesarakydiscoveredaloveofthegeom-etry,architectureandpatternsinherentinher Persian background while exploringdifferentmediums–textiledesign,mixedmediacollage,paintings,woodandmetal.InBrighton,sheinternedwithPamGlew,acontemporaryartistknownfor ingrain-ing imagery onto richly textured vintageflagsandtextiles.ThisexperiencehelpedHesarakyrealizeshecouldusehertalentstopursuegraduatestudiesintextiledesignwhilehonoringherPersianaesthetic.Sheisshowing20worksofmixedmediacol-lageandinkpaintings.LookforGlorious Destruction,an8.3”x11.7”mixedmediaon paper. Having lived in many differ-ent cultures around the world she says,“Art is my best friend; it doesn’t haveanyageandisalwaystherewhenIneedit.”
TomWinn of San Leandro has beenworking with clay for almost 12 years.“Curiositydrewmetoworkwithclaytostartwith.AfterthatIwantedtoseehowfarIcouldgowithmasteringshapesandcreatingpiecesthatwerefunctionalorjustestheticallypleasing,”saysWinn.Hewillbeshowingabout25ceramicworksinclud-ingbasicfunctionalpiecessuchasbowlsaswellasdecorativepiecescreatedusingnon-standard firing techniques like raku,pop-off glazing and pit-firing. He hopespeoplegetasenseofthevarietyoftypesofceramicworksthatarepossibleandthedifferenteffects thatcanbecreatedfromclayandglazes,whicharebasicallymud
andpowderedminerals.Sheila Iskin,outreachcoordinator, and
members of the Embroiderer’s Guild ofAmerica (EGA),Valley Quail Chapter(QVC),haveathemefortheirshow:“OurMost Precious Tools.”Among the 50+works exhibited, look for needlebooks,scissor cases and fobs they have createdwhich highlight the way they store theirmost important tools.They hope peoplewillenjoyseeingthefruitsoftheirlaborsincludingSharonKerst’sCross Stitch and Queen Stitch Etui,a4”x2”4.5”hand-em-broideredboxcontainingneedlebook,scis-sorfob,scissorcase,scissorsandassortedtools.Attheartistreception,membersareholding a stitching demonstration and afree“howtomakeanewstitch”demo.TheEGAisanational,not-for-profitorganiza-tiondedicatedtothestudyandpreservationoftheartofembroidery;seewww.ega-gpr.orgformoreinformation.Manypiecesofembroiderycreatedtodayqualifyasfiberart.TheQVCmeetsattheFaithChristianFellowship Church, 860 Bancroft RoadinWalnut Creek, and alternates morningand evening meetings to accommodatememberswhoareworkingandmemberswhodon’tliketodriveatnight.Formeet-ing details and membership informationin theQVC,contactSheila Iskinat925-680-8877.
Astothevalueofartinourcommunity,Landausays,“Artisthelifeofanycom-munityandareflectionofthecommunitywelivein.I’mafirmbelieverinartintheschools,arteverywhere.”
TomWinnsays,“Personally,Ijustenjoythefeelingofdrinkingacupofcoffeefromamug that Imademyself and that feelsgoodinmyhands.”
Visitthegalleryat26OrindaWaydur-ingnormal libraryhours–Mon. throughThurs.,10amto8pm;Fri.andSat.,10amto6pm;andSunday,1to5pm.AlllibrariesareclosedJan.1forNewYear’sDayandJan.19forDr.MartinLutherKing,Jr.Day.Call925-254-2184formoreinformationorvisithttp://ccclib.org.
CONTRIBUTEDPHOTO
Jill Landau'soilonboardentitledSunnyHousewillbeondisplayattheLibraryGalleryduringJanuary.
The Orinda news n JANUARY 2015 n 3
ORINDAASSOCIATION
The Orinda Association
OFFICERSPresident BillWatermanVicePresident: JoeGarveySecretary AlisonDewTreasurer CindyPowellMembership JimLuini
BOARDMEMBERSMauraAarsMaryamAsgariJoeHaughinChrisLaszcz-Davis
TheOrindaAssociationisanot-for-profitcorporationdedicatedto:•Maintainingandimprovingthequalityof
lifeinOrinda;•Promotingawarenessanddiscussionofis-
suesthatareimportanttothecommunity;•Encouragingandrecognizingvolunteeref-
fortstoenhancethebeauty,character,andsecurityofOrinda.
P.O.Box9726OrindaWay(LowerLevelLibrary)Orinda,California94563Phone:254-0800Fax:254-8312www.orindaassociation.org
A Message From the OA PresidentResolve to Volunteer!
BillWaterman
Well,it’s2015,sonowisagoodtimetoreflectonourgoalsfortheNew
Year.OneofthebestgoalsIeversetformyself was to get involved in the com-munitybyvolunteering–inmycasewiththeOrindaAssociation(OA),buttherearemanynon-profitgroupsthatoffergreatop-portunitiestocontributeinOrindaandthegreaterLamorindaarea.Ifyouarethinking,“I’dliketogetinvolvedandcontributebutjustdon’tknowwhere to start,” then theOAcanhelp.
WeoperateaVolunteerCenterinthreeways:(1)wepostcurrent,specificandlocalvolunteeropportunitiesontheOA’sweb-siteundertheVolunteertab;(2)wehaveaVolunteerGuideonourwebsitethatlistsmorethan50localgroupsthatseekhelpfromvolunteers;and(3)ourOAstaffcanassist with questions about volunteeringin our office, by phone or in person, 30hoursaweek.Soifyou’rethinkingaboutthis,nowisagreattimetostartbycheck-ingoutourOAwebsite,lookingovertheVolunteerGuideandcallinguswithques-tions.Startingthismonth,wearefeaturinga“VolunteerOpportunityoftheMonth”ontheOApage.
Weareallsobusy,andyetmanypeoplesay they are happy they decided to con-tribute toanon-profit,despite theirbusyschedules.Here inOrindawehavequite
a number of non-profits and charity orservice organizations that welcome newmembers.TheseincludeRotaryClubs,theOrindaWoman’sClubandOrindaJuniors,garden clubs, theArts Council and theCaliforniaIndependentFilmFestival–thelistgoeson!
Speaking of volunteering, the OrindaAssociation will celebrate its 2014Vol-unteeroftheYearandWilliamPennMottJr. EnvironmentalAward winners at ourdinner on Feb. 8, at the Orinda CountryClub.This year the OA received quite anumber of nominations – and we thankeveryone for taking the time to suggestworthycandidates.The2014VolunteeroftheYear winner is Dick Burkhalter, oneof the many dedicated members of theOrindaRotaryClub.Dickalsovolunteersas a driver for the OA’s SeniorsAroundTown ride program and is a trustee withtheOrindaCommunityFoundation. OurWilliam Penn Mott Jr. winner is OthersFirst, a group of more than 400 OrindaIntermediate School (OIS) students in-volved in service projects in Orinda andthe BayArea. The OA congratulatesDickandthestudents,parentsandteach-ers of Others First at OIS.A heartfeltthankstoallfortheirgenerosityandtheircontributions!
HappyNewYear!
VolunteerOpportunities
Each month the OrindaAssocia-tion(OA)will featureavolunteer
opportunity in this space. If youhavea few extra hours and would enjoy afulfillingvolunteerendeavor,thisistheplacetolook!
And,ifyouareanOrindanonprofitorservicegroupseekinghelpforupcomingeventsorprograms,letusknowallaboutyouandyourvolunteeropportunitiessowecanfeatureyourorganizationinthisspotaswellasinouronlineVolunteerGuideandofficeinformation.
[email protected]., by phoneat925-254-0800or stopby theofficelocatedintheplazaleveloftheOrindaLibrary.Officehoursare9amto12pmand1pmto4pmMonday-Friday.
SALLYHOGARTY
TheOA'sSeniorsAroundTowndriveprogramrecentlyheldaholidayluncheonforbothvol-unteerdriversandseniorriders.
4 n The Orinda news n JANUARY 2015
EDITORIAL
The Orinda Newsprints9,000copiesandispublished12timesayearbyTheOrindaAssociation.Theofficeislocatedat26OrindaWay(lowerleveloftheLibrary).Allrightsreserved.Thepublicationissentoutbydirectmail(Permit#4,OrindaPostOffice)anddistributedtokeylocationsthroughoutthecity.Editor..........................................................................................SallyHogartyAssistantEditor...........................................................................DavidDierksCopyEditor..............................................................................MaggieSharpeAdvertisingRepresentatives...............................JillGelster,ElanaO’LoskeyEditorialCommittee...............................................JillGelster,SallyHogarty,
CharlieJarrett,JimLuini,ElanaO’Loskey,MarkRoberts,BillWaterman,KateWiley
StaffWriters......................... JenniferConroy,BobbieDodson,ValerieHotz,JeanetteIrving,CharlieJarrett,KathrynG.McCarty,
FranEndicottMiller,ElanaO’Loskey,MarkRoberts,JohnVanek,BillWaterman,BonnieWaters
ContributingWriters................ElizabethBennette,KonnieGhu,PascaleSiuGraphics................................ AspenConsulting:JillGelster&DavidDierksPrinting................................................................................... FolgerGraphics
Opinions of The Orinda News are expressed on theeditorialpage.Viewsofwritersand letters to theeditoraretheir own and do not necessarily reflect the views ofTheOrindaAssociationorofThe Orinda News.Advertisementsappearing in The Orinda News are not to be construed asendorsementsbyTheOrindaAssociationorThe Orinda News.
Letters to the Editor are printed on a space-availablebasisandshouldbenolongerthan400words.Theymustin-cludethewriter’sfirstandlastname,signatureandtelephonenumber.
Send letters to: Editor, The Orinda News, P.O. Box97, Orinda, CA 94563, fax them to 254-8312, or emailto [email protected]. Letters to Editor fortheFebruaryissuearedue January 8,2015.
Fordisplayadvertisingrates,callJillGelsterat925-528-9225oremailtojill@aspenconsult.net.ThedeadlinefortheFebruaryissueisJanuary8,2015.
The Orinda NewsAPublicationof
TheOrindaAssociationMailingAddress
P.O.Box97Orinda,California94563Telephone:925254-0800
Fax:925254-8312
www.orindanews.org
TheOAisa501(c)(3)not-for-profitorganization.
TaxiBleu 2Real EstateAGRealtyAlexanderGailas 3BetterHomes&GardensLisaShaffer 20ColdwellBankerLauraAbrams 13PattiCamras 9ShellieKirby 14MaureenWilbur 11PacificUnionVirginiaandPaulRatto 6LeilaSchlein 7SoheilaSmithRealEstateSoheilaSmith 15VillageAssociatesDexterHonensII 14AprilMatthews 3KarenMurphy 15AnnSharf 5ClarkThompson 17Restaurants/CateringBaanThai 6CasaOrinda 5LaMediterranee 15LavaPit 16Loard’sIceCreamandCandy 6SiamOrchid 15VillageInnCafe 3Zamboni’sPizza 3Retail StoresEchoGrove 2Morrison’sJewelers 2OrindaBooks 15TheatreSquare 20
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Page
Letters to the EditorClosure of Fire Station
RegardingtheclosureoftheHoneyHillfirestation,twothingsareundeniablytrue.
First, the response time of fire trucks andparamedics will be increased to hundreds ofhomesinOrinda.
Second,thetaxpayersofOrindaandMoragawillbepayingforafirestationlocatedinLa-fayette.
Howdoesthismakesense?–MaryDelSanto
Honey Hill Station Must Stay Open
Steve Cohn, in his letter in the Decemberissue, seems to imply that, sincewe in northOrinda have so few emergency calls, we donotdeservethesameexcellentresponsetimesheenjoys.Infact,hesuggeststhatwevotetotaxourselvesanadditionalamounttopayforservicetonorthOrinda.Ithoughtwewereallonefiredistrict. Whyshouldtheresidentsofnorth Orinda alone be expected to pay downtheunfundedliabilitiesonbehalfoftheentiredistrict?Besides,bothMOFDdirectorKathleenFamulenerandSteve’scandidateNateBellwerequotedinthepaperassayingtheybelievedthefinancialsituationisturningaroundandthatthedistrictwillbeabletocoveritsdebtinthefuture.
StevequotesseveralstatisticsregardingthenumberofemergencycallstonorthOrinda.Hisnumbersmaybeaccurate,buttheyaretotallyir-relevant.Onlyresponsetimematters!Hesaystherewillonlybea“minimal impact”on theHoneyHillresponsearea.ClosingtheHoneyHillFireStationinorderto“share”anewstationinLafayettewithConFirewouldresultinasig-nificantincreaseinresponsetimes.Howmanyadditionalpeoplewilldiebecause it took toolongforhelptoarrive?Howmanymorehomeswillburndown?WillitincreasethechancesofanOaklandHills-typefirestorm?Whatdoeshemeanby“minimal?”Ifhislifewasontheline,woulditstillbea“minimal”impact?
TheCommitteetoSaveOurHoneyHillFireStationopposestheplantocloseourstationandmoveittoLafayette.Weareconcernedthatin-creasedresponsetimeswillplaceusallatgreaterrisk.AndwecannotunderstandwhytheMOFDBoardhas,uptonow,supportedthisplan.WeassumedtheirfirstobligationwastoprotectthelivesandpropertyofMOFDresidents,notthoseofpeoplewholiveinLafayette.
Youcanreadmoreabouttheproposaltoclosethe Honey Hill Station at our website:www.savehoneyhillfirestation.com.AndpleasesignourpetitionsothattheMOFDBoardwillknowyouopposethismove.
–EllenDale
Closing Station Only Makes Sense for Lafayette
ItotallyunderstandwhytheCityofLafayettewouldsupporttheplantocloseOrinda’sHoneyHillFireStationandbuildanewfirestationonElNidoRanchRoadatLorindaLaneinLafay-ette.ThecountyclosedtheirstationinNWLa-fayettemorethantwoyearsago.Sincethen,the
residentsofthatareahavehadtodependonourHoneyHillFireStationtoprovideemergencyservices. If the new station is built, responsetimestoNWLafayettewillbereducedbytwominutes–atnocosttoLafayetteresidents.It’sagreatdeal–forthem!
Instead,thecostwillbebornebythetaxpay-ersoftheMOFDwhowillhavetheirresponsetimes increased by two minutes. No one hasstudiedincreasedrisksoflongerresponsetimesintermsoflossoflifeandproperty.TheMOFDBoardhopestosavemoneyonoperations,butwhatistherealcost?Whatisthevalueofalifelostwhilewaitingtoolongforhelptoarrive?Whatisthevalueofahousethatburnsdownsimplybecausethefiredepartmentcouldn’tgetthereintime?
Whiletherewouldcertainlybeanimprove-mentinresponsetimestoNWLafayette,thesetimes still won’t meet acceptable standards.Lafayette shouldbepromotinga replacementstationofitsown,notmovingoursfromOrindatoLafayette!
IunderstandwhyLafayettewouldsupportthismove.WhatIdon’tunderstandiswhyanyresidentoftheMOFDwoulddothesame.
–JohnRobertson
Two Minutes Can Be A Long TimeSteveCohn,inhisDecemberlettertotheedi-
tor,supportstheplantoclosetheMOFDHoneyHillFireStationandopenanewonewithConFire in Lafayette.This move would increaseresponsetimestomanypartsofnorthOrindabytwominutes--sothequestionbecomeswhyistwominutescrucialtooursafety?
MostofOrindaandallofLafayettenorthofHighway 24 are designated “Very High FireHazard Severity” zones by the State of Cali-fornia. Thismeansthattheareaisextremelyvulnerable to fires like theOaklandBerkeleyFirestorm of 1991, which grew from a smallgrassfiretoamajorincidentwithinhalfanhour.
It is important to note that because of theOSHA“twoin,twoout”rule,therehavetobefourfirefightersonscenebeforetheycanenterahousetoeffectivelyattackafireorsearchforpossiblevictims.Sincethereareonlythreefire-fightersonanengine,theyhavetowaitforthesecondenginetoarrive.Waitingtwoadditionalminutescouldbethedifferencebetweenlifeanddeath,betweenahouseburningdownornot,betweenafirestormornot.
TheproposaltocloseStation43andreplaceitwithajointstationinLafayetteadverselyaffectsallofLamorindainanotherway.Itmeansthatwewillforeverhaveonelessfirestationintheareatorespondtoemergencies.WehavehadonelessstationsincetheContraCostaBoardofSupervisorsclosedtheNWLafayettestationinUpperHappyValleytwoyearsago.Wedon’twanttomakethisdangeroussituationperma-nent.IftheMOFDgoesaheadwiththeplantocloseitsHoneyHillStation,MOFDconstituentswillbepayingthesameamountoftaxmoneyfor significantly reduced service.TheMOFDshouldkeepStation43rightwhereitis,andConFireshouldbuildastationinnorthwestLafayette
toreplacetheonetheyclosed.Formoreinformationgotowww.savehoney-
hillfirestation.com.–CarolBergren
Change Has Come To OrindaThategregiousmonopolythathasdominated
the Orinda City Council for many years hasfinallycometoanend.
Forthelastfouryears,thelike-mindedforcesofAmyWorth, Steve Glazer,Victoria Smith,Dean Orr, and Sue Severson had unbridledcontrolovertheentireCityCouncil.Seversonoptednottorunin2014.
A new candidate, Eve Phillips, not onlywonaseatonthecouncilbutcameinfirstin
November’selection.Phillips,unliketheothermembersof theCityCouncil (Worth,Glazer,Smith,andOrr)wantstokeepOrinda’ssemi-ruralcharm,preventovercrowdedschools,andputaheightlimitonthecity’sbuildings.
The City Council team that went out ofexistence in December 2014 did irreparabledamagetoOrinda.
OneexampleistheconstructionoftheEdenHousing/Monteverde project at 2 IrwinWay(acrossthestreetfromtheOrindaWayfirehouseandthelocalbranchofCitibank).ThisIrwinWay monstrosity violates Orinda’s 35-footheightlimitandblocksviewsofnearbyhills.
Another example is the Housing Element,[SeeLETTERSpage16]
The Orinda news n JANUARY 2015 n 5
MOFD/POLICE/DRUGS
POLICE BLOTTERNovember 2014
Burglary, Auto: 4incidents:Nation’sGiant Hamburgers, Wagner RanchElementary,MoragaWayandWilder/Hwy24.
Burglary, Commercial: 1incident:MoragaWay.
Burglary, Residential: 3 incidents:OakwoodRd.andArborDr.(2).
Checks – Non-Sufficient Funds:1incident:OrindaWay.
Drunk in Public: 2 incidents: RiteAidandBrookwoodRd.
Grand Theft: 1 incident: MoragaWay.
Identity Theft: 4incidents:KiteHillTerr., Counter Report at Orinda PD,DavisRd.andEstatesDr.
Petty Theft:6incidents:OrchardRd.,CaminoSobrante,ArboladoCt.,HoneyHillRd.,WandaLn.andPaintbrushLn.
Petty Theft from Vehicle:1incident:BrookwoodRd.
Threats: 1 incident: undisclosedlocation.
Vandalism:2incidents:MarthaRd.andArdillaRd.
Vehicle Theft: 3 incidents: BatesBlvd., Hilldale Ct. and Bates Blvd./DavisRd.
ArrestsDUI Misdemeanor Arrest: 1arrest:
CaminoPablo/MinerRd.Motorist Assist Arrest: 1arrest:St.
Stephens/ElNidoRanchRd.Public Nuisance Arrest: 1 arrest:
DavisRd.Shoplift Arrest: 2 arrests: Moraga
WayandSafeway.Stolen Vehicle Recovery: 1incident:
St.Stephens/ElNidoRanchRd.Suspicious Vehicle Arrest:1arrest:
Safeway.Traffic Stop Arrest:7arrests:Fish
Ranch Rd./OldTunnel Rd., Oak HillRd./Hwy 24, Camino Pablo/CaminoSobrante (2), Davis Rd./Bates Blvd.,BryantWayandShellStation.
Warrant Service Arrest: 1 arrest:CaminoPablo/ArdillaRd.
Orinda BART StationNoincidents.
–CompiledbyJeanetteIrving,OrindaPoliceDepartment
Fire Captain Details High Level of Service
By DAVID DIERKSAssistant Editor
Captain-ParamedicAnthonyPerrytalk-edaboutunitresponsesinOctoberat
theNov.19boardmeetingoftheMoraga-Orinda Fire District (MOFD). “Moraga-OrindaFireissomethingspecial.Itoffersaveryhighlevelofservicebecausewehavetheresourcestoprovidethathighlevelofservice,”saidPerry.“Wearecommittedtoprovidingthehighest levelofemergencyandpublicserviceinresponsetotheneedsofourcommunity.”
During October, MOFD responded to
257 service calls including two vegeta-tionfires,136emergencymedicalservice(EMS)calls,12vehicleaccidentsand107othercalls.“Ioftenteachnewfirefightersto approach every person’s issue as anemergency,whetheritisourdefinitionofanemergency, a life-threatening emergency,ornot,”saidPerry.“Itcouldbesomethingsimplelikeafloodingconditionorasmokedetectorthatisout.Tothemthat’saprob-lemandifwecan’tfixit,weliketohanddeliverthemtoapersonwhocan.”
Perrydescribedthreeincidentstoillus-tratehispoint,oneaservicecallandtwomedicalemergencies.
“Theservicecallwasafloodingcondi-tion,”hesaid.“It’sprettycommon,espe-ciallywhenitstartstorain,andwerespondtofloodingconditions.Itcouldsimplybeacloggedgutterorstormdrain.”Inthiscase,a resident walked into a fire station andreportedabrokenwaterpipeinherfrontyardwiththewaterthreateningtoflowintoherhouse.
Firefighters discovered that the home-owner’ssprinklervalvewasbroken.Duetothebrokenvalve,theycouldnotshutdownthesprinklerandhadtoshutoffthemainwater supply. “That person now has nowater.Iftheyhaveagaswaterheater,theymighthavetoturnoffthewaterheaterandtheymightnotbecomfortable relightingthepilotlight.Asimpleproblemturnsintoamulti-hourordeal for that family.”Thefirefighterswereable todigupthevalveandreplaceitandthesprinklerwasbackinservicewithinamatterofminutes.“Obvi-ously,theywereonradioandavailableforanother call at any time.Those kinds ofthingsmeanalottopeople,anditmeansalottous.”Thehomeownersubsequentlymadeadonationof$500totheRescueOneFoundationthathelpssupportthedistrict’sparamedicprograms.
The other two calls illustrate, “differ-entperspectivesonamedicalcall.Thereare twomainparameterswhenwe runamedicalcallandthepatient’sneedsdictatewhich route we choose. It could requirerapidtransfertothehospitalorrapid[on-site]intervention,”saidPerry.
Thefirstcallinvolvedacyclistonaruralroadway.“Theinitialresponsewasthefireenginewiththreepersonnelonthescene,averynarrowroad,asharpturnandtrafficwhizzingby,”saidPerry.Whentheenginearrived,theyfoundamanwrithingontheground.“Thepatienthadanobviousheadinjury.There was a bicycle helmet that
[SeeMOFDpage16]
InRainyWeather,LawRequiresHead-
lightsTurnedOn
Ifyou’redrivingintherainwithyourwindshieldwipersonbutyourhead-
lights off, are you breaking the law?Generallyspeaking,theansweris“yes.”
TherearestillsomeOrindaresidentswhoappeartobeunawareofthe“wip-erson/headlightson”lawthathasbeenon thebooks fornearly10years.Thelawrequiresthatavehicle’sheadlightsbeturnedonwheneveritswipersareinconsistentoperation,dayornight.
Technically,therearetwoexceptions.Oneisifthewipersareonintermittentlyduringlightrain.Theotherisifavehicleisequippedwithdaytimerunninglights(DRLs) that illuminate the headlightsonlyatreducedbrightnesstomakethevehiclemorevisibletooncomingtraffic.
Mysuggestionistoturnonheadlights(lowbeam)wheneveryouneedtoturnon your wipers, regardless of the in-tensityof the rain andwhether or notyourvehiclehasDRLs.Thisisbecauserainfall intensity can change quicklyandDRLsdon’tturnontaillights.Thinkaboutwhenyou’redrivingonHighway24 during periods of heavy rain, evenin themiddleof theday.Rooster tailsof water thrown at your vehicle fromthoseinfrontcanmakeitverydifficultto see clearly. So please – don’t be a“dimbulb.”Whenit’sraining:Wiperson–headlightson!We’llalldrivemoresafelywhenwecanseeeachothermoreclearly.
–MarkRoberts,ChairoftheOrindaTrafficSafetyAdvisoryCommittee
6 n The Orinda news n JANUARY 2015
OBITUARIES
He Was the Love of My Life – Remembering Barclay SimpsonBy KATHRYN G. MCCARTY
Staff Writer
“Themiracleofmylife.”That’showSharon Simpson describes her
husbandBarclaySimpson.OveracupofcoffeeonarecentDecemberafternoon,hereyeslightupasshespokeoftheloveofherlife.Thecouplehadbeentogether41years,raised seven children and welcomed sixgrandchildrenandfourgreat-grandchildrentotheirfamily,whenBarclaypassedawayonNov.8,attheageof93.
I initially met the Simpsons in Marchof2013,whenIwenttotheirhomeforashortinterview.Thatshortinterviewlastedalmost three hours. During our meetingregarding Barc’s receiving the BerkeleyMedal, the University of California’shighesthonor,hespokeoftenofhiswife.Without hesitation Barc said, “The bestdecisionofmylifewasmarryingSharon.”
AchildoftheDepression,Barcknewthe
valueofhardwork.WhileenrolledatU.C.Berkeley,hewastwiceforcedtodropoutofschool.First,whenWWIIbeganandhewaschosentoserveintheeliteU.S.NavalAirCorps, theFlyingGoldenBears,andasecondtimewhenhisfatherbecameillandneededhishelpinthefamilybusiness.OverseveraldecadesBarc,(heinsistedIcallhimthat,andnot“Mr.Simpson”)ledthe family company as it evolved into aworld leader instructuralconnectors.HesmiledwhenIaskedhimwhataconnec-torwas.
Our interview took place in a diningroomthatwascovered,floortoceiling,inmagnificentworksofart–createdbybothrecognizablemastersaswellasyoungart-ists.TheSimpsons’liveswereintertwinedwiththearts.Theirfirstdatewasatanartfestival.Aftertheymarried,theyownedafineartgalleryinLafayettefor13years.Barcwasalsoa trusteeof theCaliforniaCollege of theArts and chairmanof the
U.C. BerkleyArt Museum.When I toldhimI’dneverhadtheopportunitytovisitthatmuseum,heassuredmeIwasgoingtoenjoyit.
When Sharon and I spoke about myearlierinterviewwithBarc,sheexplainedthatBarcwasgoodatmakingsuggestions.Peopleweresimply“caughtupinBarc’senthusiasm.” I know I was.At his sug-gestion,Ivisitedthemuseumandplanonattending thenewBerkeleyArtMuseumandPacificFilmArchivethatisslatedtoopennextyear.Sharon’seyesgrewwistfulasitdawnedonherthatBarcwouldnotbe
there,butbeamedwhenreflectingthatherchildren,liketheirparents,loveart.Whenthey were young, she and her husband“plantedtheseed.”
“The arts are a critical part of civilsociety and education,” said Barc in aninterview with the U.C. Berkeley NewsCenter. He added that the new buildingwould“ensurethatU.C.BerkeleyandtheCityofBerkeleyhaveaworld-classvisualartscenterbefittingthesecommunitiesforatleastthenextcentury.”
Barclay, Sharon said, “understood theimportanceofgivingback.GivingpeopleachancewassomethingthatBarcfirmlybelievedin.”
The couple spent decades contribut-ingtomanycausesinthearts,educationandsports.Theirnamesakesinclude:theSharon Simpson Center at Cal Shake-speareTheater; the Simpson Center forStudent-AthleteHighPerformanceatU.C.Berkeley;andtheSharonHanleySimpsonLibrary and Barclay Simpson SculptureStudioinOaklandattheCaliforniaCollegeoftheArts.
Yolanda Eldred Enjoyed Her LifeOn June 7, longtime Orinda resident
Yolanda N. Eldred passed awaypeacefully from the world she loved somuchintothearmsofherSavior.Yolandadiedathomesurroundedbyherchildrenandgrandchildren,listeningtoherfavoriteoperaarias.
YolandawasbornJan.6,1920inSavan-nah,NewYork.Aftergraduatingfromhighschoolat16,shemovedtoNewYorkCityto study acting at NewYork University.She also worked with stage productionsinCambridge,Massachusetts.Shesubse-quentlyworkedasamedicalsecretaryattheLongIslandSchoolofMedicinewhereshemetW.JamesEldred.TheymarriedandmovedtoSanFrancisco,whereJimdidhisresidency en route to becoming a highlyrespectedthoracicsurgeoninContraCostaCounty.In1955,JimandYolandamovedtoOrinda,where theyand their eventualbroodof six little swimmersbecame thequintessentialOrindaParkPoolfamily.
Yolandaisfondlyrememberedforherpassionforcookingforfamilyandfriendsgathered boisterously around the diningroomtable.BothJimandYolandaenjoyedraising champion herding dogs Bouviers des Flandres.Theywerebothpassionatelovers of the arts, especially opera. Formanyyears,JimandYolandawereseasonticketholdersattheCaliforniaShakespeare
Theatre;YolandacontinuedherattendanceattheBrunsAmphitheaterupuntilherfinalyear. She revived her acting career withseveralcommercialsandaroleinthelocaltelevision series, Trauma, when she wasinherlate80s.Activelyengagedwithallwhoknewandlovedher,shetrulyenjoyedherlife.
Yolanda is survived by her childrenMaryLeeLoughman,DinaFiatarone,Ju-lietMontagnon,JimEldredandRoxanneWieber;byhergrandchildrenMaria,Carlo,Jimmy,AnnalisaandGianniFiatarone;Tra-visandDenverSchaffarzick;CarmenandMichaelMontagnon;andBrennaandRyanWieber; and by her great-grandchildrenDamian,TannerandCaleb.
Yolanda is predeceased by her sonCharlesin1969andherhusband,Col.W.JamesEldredMD,F.A.C.S.,in2006.
[SeeSIMPSONpage16]
CONTRIBUTEDPHOTO
BarclayandSharon Simpson withdaughter Julie Simpson Erwin.
CONTRIBUTEDPHOTO
Yolanda Eldred.
The Orinda news n JANUARY 2015 n 7
HOUSING/CARS
Car TimeMakingTimeForYourVehicle
by JOHN VANEK
Werelyonourvehicleseverydaytogetus throughour lives.Wecarry
preciouscargotoschool,sportsandscouts.Whenyourdailydrivergoesdownitthrowsawrenchintheworks.Yourtimeissovalu-ablethatyoucannotaffordtobewithoutyour wheels. Sometimes there is just notimetodealwithabrokencar.
ThatiswhyIpreachpreventativemain-tenance.Ihaveseenseveralvehicleswithinthe lastweekthathadfailures thatcouldhavebeenavoided.Theseareemergencysituations like grinding brakes and deadbatteries that cause chaos and disruptioninourlives.Thereisalsoadisruptiontoyourcarcareprofessional.Youremergencyturnsintotheiremergency.Acaristowedin suddenly and you need it back rightaway.These disruptions can be avoidedwithregularcheck-ups.Yourvehicleshouldgetcheckedoutatleastonceayear.Notaquickie oil change but a total inspectionincluding an under-hood and under-carinspection.Thebelts,battery,brakes,tiresand other wear-and-tear items must be
lookedatregularly.There is a timecommitment thatmust
bededicatedtoyourcar.Makeaplantobewithoutyourcarforadayorsowhenyoubringitinforservice.Anoilchangewilltakelesstimeifthatisallthatisneeded.Thereisarecenttrendwherecarownersgiveaveryshorttimeframetohavetheircars serviced.Weneed time to takecareofyour car. It alsohelps tohaveagoodunderstandingofwhatkindofservicewillbedone.Havethisconversationwithyourshopbeforeyoubringinthecar.Speakingof time, be sure to giveyourself enoughtimetocheckinyourvehicle.Thisisforthebenefitofyourcaraswellasyourcarcareprovider.
Time is a hot commodity these daysandnobodycanaffordtoloseit.Planningtomake timeforyourcarwillsave timeand avoid chaos in the future. Neglect-ing your car or neglecting to plan foryour car will cost you time in the longrun.Iamalwaysavailableforautomotiveconsultation.
Fifth Cycle Housing Element Ready for HCD
By FRAN ENDICOTT MILLERStaff Writer
AstandingroomonlycrowdfilledtheOrindaLibraryauditoriumforthe10th
andfinalpubliccommentsessionregardingthecity’sfourthdraftoftheproposed5thCycleHousingElementplan.Thespecialmeeting, held in early December by theOrinda City Council, drew supporters,detractorsandthoseseekingtofullyunder-standthehousingelementprocess.
ThethreeandahalfhourspecialmeetingconcludedwithaCityCouncilconsensusthatallthreeoftheproposedsitesbepre-sentedtotheDepartmentofHousingandCommunity Development (HCD) withwording that the city is considering thethree alternatives and would like HCD’saffirmation that the sites meet the city’sobligationsunderstatelaw.Thestatehas60 days to comment, which will ideallyallow the city to make its final selectionbythedeadlineextensionofApril,2015.CityAttorney OsaWolff stated that dueto the tight time frame, the presentationofallthreesitesisprudent,andthatwhilethedeadlinewouldbemet,thecityisnotbound to the three as described and canmakesubstitutionsamongthevariousareas.
Councilmembers conceded that thereareissueswitheachoftheproposedsites,the number two alternative (The OrindaCommunityChurchat10 IrwinWay,St.Mark’sChurchat451MoragaWay,andSt.JohnOrthodoxChurchat501MoragaWay)beingmostproblematicduetoitsdistancefrompublictransportation.ResidentChetMartine expressed his concern over thisparticularlocation,citingthepotentialforincreasedtrafficwoes.HesaidthatheandhisOrchardandOverhillRoadneighbors
typicallyhave longwaitswhen trying tomerge into MoragaWay traffic and thatadded housing would only increase thetrafficproblem.
AlvinDonner,amemberof theSantaMariaChurchcommunity,saysthecouncilis moving in the right direction but ex-pressedhis concernover alternativeone,the SantaMaria Church site at 40 SantaMariaWay.“Thissitehaspooraccessandasteepdriveway,”hesaid.“Theelevationchange,equivalenttoa12-storybuilding,needstobetakenintoaccount.”
Themostprolificprotestatthemeetingwasagainstalternativethree,TheOrindaCommunityChurch/RiteAid/1OrindaWay
[SeeHOUSINGpage14]
FRANENDICOTTMILLER
Alex Ryan,9,andhissisterAnnabelle,7,weretwoofmanyLamorindaMartialArtsStudiostu-dentstospeakoutaboutthepossiblere-zoningofthestudio'slocationat1OrindaWay.
8 n The Orinda news n JANUARY 2015
ROVINGREPORTER
Roving ReporterQ: What would make Orinda a more positive place to live?
CharlieJarrett
OrindaresidentsGreg and Lucia HaetsaidtheyloveTheatreSquare.“Ithink
wecoulddrawanenormousnumberofpe-destrianstothedowntownareatodineandshopiftheycouldexperiencewhatagreatareaitwouldbetoshopin,ifitwerefreeofcars,”saidGregHaet.“Ithinkalong-termsolutionforOrindawouldbetoclosetheeastboundHighway24entranceatBryantWay.”ThecouplethinksaTheatreSquare/MoragaWaystreetfairwouldbegreattopromotepedestriantraffic,localbusinessesandcommunityartsandcrafts.TheyalsowouldlikeajointLamorindacommunitycalendarthatlistsactivitiesthatorganiza-tionshavethroughouttheyear.“Ithinkthatabroadjointcommunitycalendarisreallya
greatideaaswecertainlythinkofourthreecommunitiesasone,”saidHaet.
Terri Moss BookbinderandherfriendJeanine Hunt were drinking coffee andchatting about a controversy over theOrindaSchoolBoard’shiringofaprivateinvestigatortohelptheschoolboarddeter-mineappropriatehomeresidencyofchil-drenattending localschools.Bookbindersaid she would like to have an event inOrindathatshowshowpeopleinsideand
outsideofOrindapromotediversity.“IwasverydistressedatthewayOrindahasbeenportrayedasa cityof theonepercent aselitistwhitepeoplewhowanttokeepotherpeopleout,”saidBookbinder.“Ithinkweareacommunitythatpromotesdiversity,Ijustdon’tthinkthatistheopinionotherpeoplehaveofus.Ithinkweneedonebigsocial mixer. I am not an event planner,butIthinkweneedsomethingtofacilitateconnectingpeopleonadeeperlevelinthiscommunity.Somethingotherthanawine-and-dineevent.”
Lucia Bennhoff,Maureen Rosati-WeeandJackie Smithsaidtheywouldlikeayear-long event calendar that is broaderinscopethansuchsourcesasThe Orinda News,localclubwebpagesandtheOrindaAssociationwebsite.“Thereisaneedforacombinedthree-communityLamorindacal-endar,”saidSmith.Inaddition,thefriendsthoughtthatsuchacalendarcouldbesetuptogenerateemailsaboutspecificevents.They also suggested a community eventeveryyear,perhapsinalocalpark,wherecommunitiesandclubscoulddisseminateinformation about their activities. Smithalso mentioned the Nextdoor web page.“Those who use it like it, but not manypeopleareenrolledandabroaderbaseofcommunityeventalertsisneeded,”shesaid.
Jenny Kaplan said thatwhensheandher husband decided to move to Orinda,primarilyfortheschools,theydidalotof
researchandreadThe Orinda Newstofindoutaboutupcomingevents.Oneproblemshehasencountered inOrinda is findingchildcare that allows her to pick up herchildrenafter5pm.Shecurrentlyusesthechildcareserviceswheresheworks,asitisimpossibletogethomefromworkby5pm.Shewouldliketogatherinformationandreferences from other mothers regardingthisproblem.“Itwouldbevaluableiftherewereacommunityeventwherechildcareproviders could meet one-on-one withparents,”saidKaplan.
CHARLIEJARRETT
Greg and Lucia Haet.
CHARLIEJARRETT
Jeanine Hunt(L)and Terri Moss Bookbinder.
CHARLIEJARRETT
Lucia Bennhoff, Maureen Rosati-Wee andJackie Smith.
CHARLIEJARRETT
Jenny Kaplanandbaby Kaplan.
International Film Showcase Returns
TheItalianFilmNoirfeature Human CapitalmarkstheInternationalFilmFesti-val'sreturnafteritsDecemberhiatus.Thefilmhaswon38internationalawardsandisItaly'ssubmissionforBestForeignLanguageFilmatthe87thAcademyAwards.
Human Capital tellsoftwoprominentfamiliesenmeshedwiththehitandruninjuryofayoungwaiter.
ThefilmrunsJan.30-Feb.5attheOrindaTheatre.Gotowww.Lamorindatheatres.comafterJan.25forshowtimes.
The Orinda news n JANUARY 2015 n 9
FITNESSGUIDE
2015 Orinda Fitness GuideBy ELANA O’LOSKEY
Staff Writer
Whatdefinesfitnessforyouandyourfamily?Onecommondefinition is
“theconditionofbeingphysicallyfitandhealthy.”Expertsagreethatregularexercisebuildsmuscles, burns fat, lowers choles-terol,easesstressandanxietyandleadstorestfulsleep.What’snot tolike?Januaryis theclichémonth tobegin,continueorchange up your exercise routine: what’sworking,what’snot,whatgoalsfitforrightnow (pun intended)? MyrnaWitt, of theOrindaArtsCouncil,suggestsreadingThe Power of Habit byC.Duhigg(availableatOrindaBooks),asawaytomigratefromwhere you are to a new place.We hopeour guide assists you in exploring howto takeexercisebeyondroutineso that ittrulyservesthephysicalwell-beingofyouandyourfamily.IfyouknowofafitnessresourceinOrindawe’vemissed,[email protected].
All-In-Fitness1OrindaWay,Suite2925-317-2207http://all-in-fitness.com
ArtofStrengthtrainingmethods,equip-ment and programs proven to improvestrength and endurance for all age andfitnesslevels.WidelyusedbyNFL,NBA,MLBandNHLteamsthroughoutthecoun-try,theyareyourchoiceforsportspecifictraininginLamorinda.
Body Strong Pilates82SleepyHollowLaneOrindaCA94563925-451-1117http://bodystrongpilates.com
Classisofferedwithmodificationsandchallengestoaccommodateyourleveloffitness. MeetsThursdays from 9-10 amindowntownOrindalocationwithampleparking. Private instruction available.Instructor Colleen Hummer Carter is aCertifiedPilatesInstructorandaCertifiedPersonalTrainerwiththeNationalAcad-emyofSportsMedicine.
Breathe Move Be Well1NorthwoodDriveOrindaCA94563510-290-3428
http://breathemovebewell.comCo-ownersBridgetMcCarthyandGaby
Diskinarecertified instructorswhoofferqualityPilates instruction.Group classesMon.-Sat.,drop-insOK,privatelessonsavailable. Onsite massage and nutritionworkshops.
CoreKinetics Pilates Studio50VashellWay,#120925-709-3279www.corekinetics.com
AfitnessandpostrehabilitationprogrambasedonthemethoddesignedbyJosephPilates and Eve Gentry, enhanced andpresentedby CarolynMueller.Your firstsessionisafitnessanalysiswhichincludesPosture,Alignment and GaitAnalysistailoredtoyourneedssofitnessbecomesfasterandmoreefficient.You’llalsoreceivea set of movements to take with you toenhanceyourstudyandgoals.
In Forma Integral Fitness23AOrindaWay,Suite6925-254-6877http://informaorinda.com
InFormaisafull-servicefitnesscenterwhichoffers awide rangeof fitness andcardioclasses,personaltraining,yoga,Pi-latesreformer,TRXtraining,Parkinson™sexercisetherapygroup,andBarreclasses.Newlyremodeledfacilityincludesagen-
eralgymarea,stateof theartcardioandstrength training equipment, large brightclass studio and new functional trainingstudio.Tryanyclassorfirstvisitforfree;duringJanuarytakeanythreeclassesforfree.
Lamorinda Martial Arts Studio1OrindaWay,Suite6925-639-4096www.tkdlmas.com/
Nationally ranked instructors teach alllevels of Tae Kwon Do classes from 4yearoldstoadults.Large,brightandairystudiowithbathroomsforgirlsandboys.Freeparkinginsharedlot.Highlyrecom-mended by local reviewers. Open sevendays,8am–9pm,ampleparking.Checkonlineschedulefordetails.
Living Lean by Sheena2TheatreSquare,Suite140925-360-7051www.livingleanprogram.com
A comprehensive nutrition and exer-ciseprogramdesignedforfatloss,musclegain and improved long term health andfitness. Program includes a customizednutritionplan,weeklymeasurementsandconsultation, personal training (core fo-cused).Smallgroupclassesincludespin,TRX, abs, circuit training, boxing and
yoga.Designedtohelppeopleintegrateahealthyroutineensuringlifelongfitnessandhealth.Newprogramfocusingonhighper-formancementalskillstrainingtoremovetheroadblockstoyourhighestgoals.
Meadow Swim & Tennis Club20HeatherLane925-254-3861www.gomeadow.com
Four tennis courts (two are lighted),many clinics, private classes, interclubmatchesforbothadultandjuniorclasses.Women’sleagueparticipationincludesBayAreaLadiesLeague,FlexLeagues,ContraCostaSpringLeagueandmore.Gentlemenparticipate in recreational weekend playandUTSAandFlexLeaguesatalllevels.State-of-the-artheatedinfinitypoolwithsixlanesforlapswimmingandashallowareaforwadingandplay(AprilthroughOcto-ber).Learn-to-swimprogram,competitiveswimteamandmastersswimming.
Moraga Valley Swim and Tennis Club15RisaCourt925-376-4110www.moragavalleypool.org
Privateclub;inquireregardingmember-ship.MemberoftheOrindaMoragaPoolAssoc., U.S.Aquatics Council and U.S.
[SeeFITNESSpage10]
JEFFBARTEE
LivingLean'sSheena Lakhotia (R)helpsaclientgetintoshapeatherTheatreSquarestudio.
CONTRIBUTEDPHOTO
ThreededicatedindividualsatBreath Move Be Well fitnessinOrinda.
10 n The Orinda news n JANUARY 2015
FITNESSGUIDE
TennisAssoc.PoolisopenAprilthroughOctoberandhassixlanes,adivingboardareaandsizeableshallowplayarea;alsoababypool.Tennisisopenallyear,fourcourts, upper courts refurbished withHar-Trucrushedstone.Observationdeckoverlookingpooland tennisareas.ManyOlympianstrainedhereincluding:HeatherPetri,WaterPolo2012,London;andMattBiondi,1992Barcelona.Familyorientedclubwithmanyactivitiesyear-round.
Orinda Country Club Tennis & Fitness315CaminoSobrante925-254-4313www.orindacc.org
Privateclub;inquireregardingmember-ship.TheFitnessCenteroverlooksbeautifulLakeCascadeandoffersmemberscardioequipment, weight machines, dumbbells,andastretchingarea.ThenewFitnessStu-diooffersgroupexerciseclassesincludingcycle,TRX,yoga,andmuscleconditioning.InquireabouttheSocialMembershipPack-
tFITNESSfrompage9
agewhichaffordsmembersaccesstotennisandswimprogramming,andparticipationinsocialactivities.
Orinda Fitness15AltarindaRoad925-528-9425www.orindafitness.com
Personaltrainingonsiteorinyourhome.Group training and individually tailoredworkout routines with a mixture of car-dio,corestability,balanceandresistancetraining.Fitnessassessmenttotrackyourprogression.Smallspinclasses(firstclassfree)andcircuittraining.AthletictrainingwithMiramontecoachesand/orex-athletesforyoungathletes.
Orinda Parks and Recreation Depart-mentOrindaCommunityCenter28OrindaWay925-254-2445http://www.cityoforinda.org
Seasonalactivityguideavailableonline,
also info about parks and trails.Adultsports leagues begin in spring and sum-mer,infoonline.DanceandFitnessclassesofferedyear-roundattheOrindaParks&Recreation Department including: ballet,Polynesiandance,flamenco,linedancing,ballroom dance, yoga, dancercise, bootcamp,Pilates,Nia,TaiChiCh’uan/Qigong,meditationandZumba.
Orindawoods Tennis Club650OrindaWoodsDrive925-254-1065www.orindawoodstennis.com
Privatemembershipclub;inquireregard-ing membership. Seven championshipcourts,proshop, lockerroom,saunaandpool.
Salsa Dance Lessons With TomajOrindaCommunityCenter28OrindaWay925-254-2445www.salsawithtomaj.com
Nopartner requiredandnoexperiencenecessary for salsa dancing lessons onMondays, Beginners 7-8 pm, Intermedi-ate/Advanced 8-9:30 pm. Open Dancingbeforeandaftereachclass-startsat6:45pm. Drop-in rate $15 per person. Seriesclassesavailable.
Sleepy Hollow Swim and Tennis Club1SunnysideLane925-254-1126www.sleepyhollowlegends.net
Private recreational facility; inquireregarding membership. Family orientedfacilityofferingexcellentswim,tennisandsocial programs for members. RecentlyrevitalizedOlympicclassrim-flowguttersystempool–theguttersreduceturbulence–witheight lanes;a racer’sdream.Newseparate children’s activity pool. EleventenniscourtswithfulltimeUSPTAcertifiedtennisinstructor.
Yoga With Jeanne72ScenicDrive925-254-0193www.yogawithjeanne.com
Jeanne Dowell teaches public classesat the Orinda and Moraga Communi-ty Centers.You can begin a class atany time, first class is complimentary.She is available for private sessions forindividuals or small groups, in yourhomeorhers.Tryhermeditationclassaswell.
40+ Norcal Tennis Champs Place Third at Nationals
By PASCALE SIUContributing Writer
Lamorinda women from local tennisclubs competed in the USTA 40+
leaguethisseason,emergingasNorthernCaliforniaSectionalsChampionagainstafieldof171teamsandwinningaspotinthe2014 National Championships held Nov.7-9atOmniRanchoLasPalmasResortinRanchoMirage,California.
During the first twodaysatNationals,theteamwonaroundrobinfeaturingteamsfromTexas,FloridaandMiddleStatestomakeittothefinalfour.Inthesemi-finals,
theteamhadthreematchpointsinathirdsettiebreakertoadvancetothefinals,butultimately lost to Oregon 3 matches to2. PlayingNewEnglandfor thirdplace,Andrea O’Brien, JessieThomas, DarletLinandStephanieYeepulledout a finalteamvictory.
“Itwassomuchfun.Everyonecontrib-utedtotheteam’ssuccess,”saidco-captainStephanieYee. “This fantastic group ofladies(andgreatfriends)trainedsohard,”saidYee.“ItwassuperfuntocompeteatNationalstogetherandtowatchtheplay-ers’hardworkpayoff.Itwasagreatteameffort.”
CONTRIBUTEDPHOTO
Teachers Tomaj Trenda (R) and Shahla Fisher can’tstopdancingattheOrindaCommunityCen-terwheretheyteachsalsaclasses.
CONTRIBUTEDPHOTO
A master instructor from Lamorinda Martial Arts Studio prepares students for a Tae Kwon Do classwarm-updrill.
CONTRIBUTEDPHOTO
(L-R)1strow: Kristin Rosenbaum, Hilary Leutenecker, Stephanie Yee, Darlet Lin, Kay Sander, Laura Kim;2ndrow:Andrea O'Brien, Ellie Kann, Janet Absher, Robin Rudolph, Marcy Sharafian, Pascale Siu, Jessie Thomas, Jennifer Glass.
The Orinda news n JANUARY 2015 n 11
STUDENTS
Oakland City Council Lauds Glorietta Student for Work with HomelessBy KATHRYN G. McCARTY
Staff Writer
“Iwish that someday therewillbenohomelesspeopleintheworld,”said
NatthanMesfin, a youngmanon a mis-sion.The10-year-oldGloriettaElementarySchool student was commended by theOakland City Council for his outreacheffortstothehomelessatitsNov.18meet-ing, when they presented Mesfin with aproclamation.
Mesfin’sinterestinhelpingthehomelessoriginatedseveralyearsagowhenhevisitedEthiopia, where he saw many poverty-stricken,homelesspeople.Twicehegavemoneytoayoungboyheencounteredonthestreets.Otherhomelesskidsalsoaskedforhelp.Mesfinsaidhecouldn’tgetthevisionofhomelesspeopleoutofhismind.“Icannotforgetaboutit,”hesaid.
LastyearatthefamilyChristmastable,Mesfinsaidhe“thoughtaboutthehome-lesspeople.”Hewasconcernedaboutnews
reports of people dying on the streets inthe BayArea because of the cold, so hedevisedaplan.Mesfinsaidhe“mademywhole entire family promise to give memoney and I raised a lot of money.” Hethenshoppedforqualitysleepingbagsthatcouldwithstandverycoldtemperaturesand
usedthemoneyheraisedtopurchaseanddeliverthemtothehomeless,withthehopethathewould“atleasthelpsomepeople.”AccordingtoMesfin’smotherSelamLe-gesse,thesleepingbagswereroughly$30eachandwere“ofverygoodqualityandreasonablypriced.”
AfewmonthslaterMesfinandhisfam-ily loaded up the bags and started theirfirst deliveries in Oakland and Berkeleybefore heading to San Francisco. Whenthey approached a man in a wheelchair,Mesfinaskedhimifheknewhowtoopenthebag.“Hesaid‘yes,ofcourse,IwasintheNavy.’”TheveteranaskedthegrouptogotoGlideMemorialChurch,wheretheycontinuedtodistributethesleepingbags.“IcamehomehappybecauseIgaveoutallthesleepingbags,”saidMesfin.
“Healwayshasaverysoftheartwhenitcomestohomelesspeople,”saidhismother.“Heneverpassessomeoneaskingforhelponthestreetwithoutaskingustogivethemsomething.Soitwasverynaturalforhim
tothinkabouthelpingthem.”Shesaidthefamilyisproudofhersonandthattheideatogivesleepingbagstothehomelesswas“allhim.”
Oakland City Council members alsopraisedMesfin’swork.“Iamsoinspiredbythefactthatyouconceivedanidea,andyoudidit.Andyoudiditintheserviceofoth-ers,”saidCouncilmemberLynetteGibsonMcElhaney.Shepraisedtheboyforbeingstrong enough to follow his convictions.“That’s a powerful example for us all.”CouncilmemberRebeccaKaplanthankedMesfin for positively impacting people’slives.“Youarereallyhelpingpeopleinaverydirectway,andit’sreallybeautiful,”saidKaplan.
Mesfinplans tocontinuehisworkandisraisingfundstobuyanddistributemoresleepingbags.Legesse saysher sonalsohopestointerest thecommunity“tohelpothers in theirownways.” Formore in-formationortohelpout,[email protected].
Orinda Juniorettes Spirit of Givingwiththisproject,”saidKonnieGuo,vicepresidentoftheOrindaJuniorettes.
The Juniorettes’ most recent projectwas Operation Christmas Child, whichprovideschildreninunderprivilegedareaswithschoolsupplies,toysandclothing.Theprogramhasgainedthousandsofsupporterssinceitstartedin1993.Forthepastthreeyears,theJunioretteshavemadeOperationChristmasChild theirNovemberproject.Eachgirl purchased a few items such ascrayons,markers,stuffedanimalsorhairclips.Theypackagedthegiftsinshoeboxes,thenwrappedanddecoratedtheboxeswithribbonsandstickers.Afteradayofpackag-ing,oneclubmemberreflected,“Notonlyis itsomuchfuntoembracetheholidayspirit with my friends, but OperationChristmasChildissuchaworthycause,”saysMadeleineBecker.“Takingpartinitallows us to make a difference and givebackduringtheholidayseason.”
Activities like these inspire the Junio-rettes to continue their charity-relatedactivities year round. Last month, theyassistedatSaintAnthony’ssoupkitcheninSanFrancisco,heldabakesaleandbeganpreparations for a school-wide textbookdriveinthespring.
Junioretteswelcomenewmembers.In-terestedhighschoolgirlsintheLamorindaareaareinvitedtoemailtheJuniorettesatojc.club@gmail.com.
By KONNIE GHU & ELIZABETH BENNETTE
Contributing Writers
It’s hard to imagine a group of teen-age girls sitting down to make quilts
on a Saturday morning, but the OrindaJunioretteshavedonejustthat.TheyalsodonatedagoatthroughHeiferInternational,supported girls’ education through theMalalaFundandknithats forprematurebabies.
The Orinda Juniorettes of Californiaareagroupofhighschoolgirlswhotakepartincommunityserviceprojects,someconventional and some unique. Startedin2010, the JuniorettesareadivisionoftheOrindaJuniorWomen’sClubandthenational General Federation ofWomen’sClubs. They plan monthly projects inwhichtheyfocusonaspecificcharity.InSeptember,theJuniorettesmade16quilts,which they donated to children in need,specificallythehomelessandthosesuffer-ingfromHIVorAIDSorwhowerebornaddictedtodrugs.Withquiltkitsprovidedby Children’s Quilts/East Bay HeritageQuilters,theJunioretteslaidoutpatterns,ironedandsewedthequiltstogether.Moreexperiencedsewerstaughtothermembershowtouseasewingmachine.“It’ssogreathowwewereabletohavefun,learnhowtosewquilts,andgivebacktothecommunity
CONTRIBUTEDPHOTO
Natthan Mesfin receives a commendation forhis work with the homeless from the OaklandCityCouncil.
COLLEENMCCULLOUGH
(L-R)toprow:Sondra Abruzzo, Leila Minowada, Colleen McCullough;bottomrow:Sarah Rockwood, Konnie Guo, Madeleine Becker, Lara Sanli.
12 n The Orinda news n JANUARY 2015
LOCALGROUPS/ANIMALS
Garden Club and Scouts Made Orinda Look Merry for the Holidays
By BOBBIE DODSONStaff Writer
OrindacertainlyhadtheChristmasspiritthisDecember thanks to theOrinda
Garden Club and Boy ScoutTroop 237.Ten scouts and fourdads from the troopjoinedwithGardenClubmemberstohangwreathsallaroundtown.Thescoutswereespeciallygoodontheladders.
MarkPatten,troopleadersays,“We’vebeenhelpinghangwreathsforseveralyearsandalwaysagoodtimeishadbyall.AftergatheringattheBankofAmericaparking
lot,wegotthejobdonequickly,especiallysinceallwerewellfueledbythedonutsandhotchocolateprovidedbythegardenclub.”
Garden clubmember,CaroleAmstutz,whowithherhusband,Andy,alsohelpedwiththewreathhanging,adds,“Theclubboughtthewreathsfromthescoutsandthenaddedbowsandpinecones.Thisisalovelywayforadultsandyouthtoworktogethertoexpressloveandjoybeyondthemselves.”
BoyScoutSamSernettenjoyedhangingthewreathsaswell.“Ienjoyworkingalong-side my fellow scouts while beautifyingthecommunityIlivein.Theorganizationrepresents selfless service and brother-hood. I try to live up to these standardsandfulfill theminmyeverydaylife,andthewreathsgaveourtownthatextralittleholidaysparkle.”
Anotheryearhasflownbyandallhopesarethatithasbeenawonderfulyear
foryouandyourcompanionanimals.Thepassageof time is both a blessing and acurseforthoseofuswhoshareourliveswith animals.We enjoy and cherish thetimewiththemand,yet,wecannotignorethe fact that the majority of companionanimals have shorter life spans than wehumans.Thebenefitforouranimalsisthatwecanbethereforthemintheirtimeofagingand,withgoodnutritionandhealthcaresoreadilyavailable,thereisnoreasonwhyourcompanionscannotenjoythefullextentoftheirlifespans.
Eachspecies,ofcourse,agesdifferently,withdifferentconcernsandsupports.Forcats and dogs there is a ready body ofinformation available through your ownveterinarian, through the Internet, andthrough the experience of others to helpyouranimalagewithrelativeease.
Perhapsthetrickiestpartofagingisthatitcreepsuponus.Onedayweareagileandpainfree;suddenly,thenextdaywemovemoreslowlyandtheachesandpainssur-face.Thesameistrueforourcatsanddogs.Jumping,running,climbing,tumblingareallpartoftheirearlyactivitiesandtheymaycontinuewiththoseactivitiesintotheirse-nioryears.Dogs,especially,wantsomuchtopleasetheirhumans.Theywillkeeponrunningafterthatballevenifithurts.Cats,ontheotherhand,maynotwanttoadmitto
Something to Howl About...Animal TalesANOTHERYEAR
JenniferConroy
themselvestheyarealittletoooldtoclimbthosedrapesallthewaytotheceilingandthenjumptothefloor.
The absolute key to determining howyouranimalisagingisbyhavingacloserelationship with your veterinarian whohasbeenmonitoringyouranimal’shealthat the very least through annual checkups.Astheanimalagesandstillremainsingoodhealth,Irecommendvisitstotheveterinarianatleasttwiceayearsothatanychangescanbedetected.Thisisespeciallyimportant in the case of cancer or otherdiseases that may not fully impact youranimaluntilitistoolate.Everycatordogshouldbeaccustomedtohavingyouphysi-callycheck itsbody frequently.Thiscanbepartoftheregulargroomingroutine.Itisimportanttoseeifthereareanyunusuallumps or growths; if fur is disappearingfromaparticulararea;ifeyesareclouding;oriftheanimalflincheswhentouchedincertainareas.Thosearejustafewofthesignposts requiringpromptveterinaryat-tention. Of course, if your cat or dog isactingabnormally,avisittotheveterinarianisdefinitelycalledfor.
Discuss with your veterinarian topicssuchas a changeofdiet, the additionofvitamins or supplements such as glucos-amine,varioustherapiesincludinghydro-therapy. It is never wise to make abruptchangesinyouranimal’slifeand,so,forexample,ifyouchangefromaregulardiettoaseniordiet,doitgraduallybyintroduc-ingsmallquantitiesoftheseniorfoodtotheregularfood,increasingandexchangingthevolumeuntiltheshiftiscomplete.
Becognizantofotherneedsofthesenioranimal.Forexample,moretripstorelievewill almost certainly be necessary andgreaterpatiencemayberequired.Dogsthatenjoywalkswill continue to enjoy thembutthedistancemayneedtobeshortened.Catswholikethatmulti-levelcattreemayneed to have the tree’s “limbs” lowered.Waterbowlsshouldbekeptwellfilledanddailygroomingbecomes evenmoreof acomfort.Gamesof fetchcanbeadjustedtoshorterdistancesforthrows,shortertimeperiods,andevenrollingtheballforthedoginsteadoftossingitintheairtopreventthedogfromairjumping.Thepurchaseofatherapeuticpetbedcanbehelpfulfortheagingdogorcat.
Enjoytheslowerpaceofyourcompanionanimal’ssenioryears.Therushforfrenziedactivity is behind you and together youcanenjoyrelaxingtogether,watchingthesunset,smellingtheroses.
BOBBIEDODSON
(L-R) Carter Fife, Sam Sernett, Troop237SeniorPatrol Leader and Andrew Patten (on ladder)helpedhangwreathsinearlyDecember.
Echo Grove's JanuaryCharms
Broadening their charms to includetheneighboring townsofMoragaandLafayette,EchoGrove'sJanuarycharmsfeatureCampolindoandAcalaneshighschools.To receive your free charm,just say the magic words – “HappyNewYear”–whenvisitingthestoreatTheatreSquare.
"This is a lovely way for adults and youth to work together to express love and joy be-yond themselves,” said Andy Amstutz, whose wife Carole is a Garden Club member.
The Orinda news n JANUARY 2015 n 13
LOCALGROUPS
SpeakersFor2015January 9 Ashlie Bryant, Vice
PresidentOfBreakFree,“The RaceTo End Hu-manTrafficking”
February 6 Dr. George Breslauer,Newly Retired Uc Pro-fessor,“Russia,Ukraine,AndTheWestIn2015”
March 6 Dr.JoelKramer,DirectorOfTheNeuroloicalInsti-tuteAtUcsfOnDemen-tia/AlzheimersResearch
April 10 KennethWiseman“ParksForward:ANewProjectToProtectStateParksInCalifornia”
May 1 Dr. David Sedlak “Wa-ter 4.0 The Past, Pres-ent,AndFutureOfTheWorld’s MostVital Re-source”
June 5 Dog Day: Three Pre-sentations On ServiceDogs; Guide Dogs ForThe Blind; Dogs ForDiabetics;And CanineCompanions
Friday Forum Speaker Addresses Human Trafficking
By BOBBIE DODSONStaff Writer
FirstFridayForum(FFF)ushers in its2015seasonwithatopicmuchinthe
newstoday.AshlieBryant,vicepresidentofdevelopmentforBreakFree,willspeakon The Race to End Human Trafficking on Jan. 9, 1:30 pm, in the Sanctuary of
growingcrimesintheUnitedStates,”saysBryant.Whenalocal17-year-oldgirlwastaken froma grocery store in her sleepySacramento suburb, Bryant was shockedthathumantraffickingwasoccurringrightinherbackyard.TheincidentinspiredherandthreefriendstofoundBreakFree,Inc.,adivisionof3Strands,toraiseawarenessandfundsaboutthecrime.
BreakFree’swebsitestates:“TherearemoreslavestodaythanwereseizedfromAfricainfourcenturiesofthetrans-Atlanticslavetrade.Themoderncommerceinhu-mans rivals illegal drug trafficking in itsglobalreachandinthedestructionoflives.”Itisestimatedthereare29millionslavesintheworldtoday,generatingabout$32bil-lioneachyear–andthenumberisgrowing.
TheBayAreaisoneofthetopmarketsforhumantraffickingintheU.S.Ina2009report,theFBIidentified13areaswiththelargestincidenceofchildsextraffickinginthenation.SanFranciscowasoneofthem.“Weneedtofindoutabouthumantraffick-ing,whereitoccurs,waystocombatitandhowvictimscanbehelped,”saysBryant.“BreakFreebelievesknowledgeispowerand seeks opportunities to educate ouryouth, especially, and all people so theytoocanhelpfightit.”
Bryant’s diverse responsibilities withBreakFreeincludespeaking,trainingandeducating.SheisalsoapartoftheCali-fornianAttorney General’s roundtable inSacramento that focusesoncollaborativesolutionstothecrime.In2013Bryantwasawarded a Resolution of the CaliforniaStateSenateforherdedicationinthefightagainsthumantrafficking.
Bryanthasextensiveprofessionalexpe-rienceinmarketing,communicationsandpublic relations.Prior to foundingBreakFree, she held executive marketing andcommunicationspositionsinSiliconValley.ShehasaB.A.inInternationalRelationsandFrenchfromU.C.Davis.
Overthepastthreeyears,BreakFreehaspresentedinformationonhumantraffickingtomorethan7,000studentsinschoolsandcolleges.AraceatLakeMerrittinOaklandinNovemberraisedmorethan$60,000forthecause.Asimilarevent inFolsomlastSeptemberraisedmorethan$100,000.
DarleneJames,chairof theFFF team,hopespeoplewillattendtheFridayforum.
“Whilehumantraffickingmaynotbeapleasanttopic,itisoneaboutwhichweallneed togainagreaterunderstandingandlearn about ways we might help combatit,”saysJames.“Wehopemanywillattendtobecomeeducatedabout this importantissueofourday.”
RefreshmentswillbeservedinFellow-shipHallat1pm. For information,call925-283-8722.
Lafayette-OrindaPresbyterianChurch,49KnoxDrive,Lafayette.
“Humantraffickingisoneofthefastest
OrindaWoman’sClubBeneficiaryForms
OrindaWoman’sClubisacceptingapplicationsforthemajorbeneficiaryawardsof2015.Acceptedapplicantsmustfulfillthecriteria:1)servingyouth,women
andchildrenprimarilyinContraCostaandAlamedaCounties;2)a501(c)(3)orga-nizationwithanincomenogreaterthan$2millionannually.
Application forms can be acquired from OrindaWoman’s Club, BeneficiaryChair,[email protected].
28th Annual Festival of Trees Raises $40K
OrindaWoman’sClubpresidentAlisonKling, along with Elene Lee, Festi-
val ofTrees chair and Susan Domingos,publicitychair,wereonhandtowelcomemorethan540attendeesattheSanRamonMarriottonNov.20.DanAshley,Channel7newsanchor,emceedthesold-outlunch-time event and explained how the fundsraised support the CourtAppointed Spe-cialAdvocates(CASA)program,HoldenHigh School in Orinda and the group’s
Community Service Committee. HelenLyallofClothesforWomenatRiverfrontinNapaoutfittedstatuesquemodelsinup-to-the-minute fashions.As theysashayedupanddowntherunway,theupbeatmusickept things moving. Guests at the eventcontributedmorethan$40,000tofundthechosenbeneficiaries.FormoreinformationabouttheOrindaWoman’sClub,seewww.orindawomansclub.org.
–ElanaO’Loskey,StaffWriter
CONTRIBUTEDPHOTO
Ashlie Bryant ofBreakFreewillspeakon"TheRacetoEndHumanTrafficking."
PHOTOSBYCHARLIEJARRETT
AveryhappyJean Barnhart(L)wonthetriptoMexicoattheFestivalofTreesluncheonwhilelocalRealtorPatti CamrastooktotherunwayasoneofHelenLyall'smodels.
14 n The Orinda news n JANUARY 2015
CONTINUATIONS
site. More than half in attendance wereyouthandadultsupportersofLamorindaMartialArts Studio (LMAS) located at1OrindaWay.LMASownerJohnDrathsuccessfully rallied his devoted studentsandparentstoattendthemeetingandvoiceconcernsover thepossibledestructionoftheirbelovedstudio.ButafterclarificationbyViceMayorVictoriaSmiththatgroundfloor zoning would not change and thatany development would take place on asecondandthirdstory,Drathhumorouslyapologizedforthecrowdhehadassembled.But,hecontinuedtoexpressconcernthatdevelopmentofthesitewouldlikelyentailamassremodelofhisentirebuildingandthepossibilitythathemightneedtofindatemporarysubstitutesitefortheschool.
LMASstudents,ranginginagefromfivethrough18,spokeeloquentlyandpassion-atelyabouttheeffectthatLMAShashadontheirlives,andpleadedthatthecouncilnotselecttheirsiteforzoning.ClaraWu,age13,discussedthemeritsofDrath’sstudioandhislessons.“Youcan’tfindafamilyatjustanystudio,”shesaid.SistersLieslandEmily,ages10and9,statedthatLMAS“islikeasecondhome.”AndSusanLevy,par-entofanLMASstudent,sharedhersupportstatingthatLMASisaplaceforthosefor
tHOUSINGfrompage7 whomtheOrindaformulaofmainstreamsportsandtoughacademicsdoesn’twork.“Thesekidsneedanalternativeplace,”shesaid.“Let’skeepLMASthewayitis.”
VoicingsupportfortheHousingElementwas26-yearOrindaresidentValerieSloven,whostatedherbeliefinregionalplanning,andthankedthecouncilandstafffortheirtime, acknowledging that the HousingElement process has been arduous. Sheremindedtheassemblythat“Orindaisnotan island,” and that “We need to do ourparttocreateaBayAreathatislivableforeveryone.” Eartha Newsong concurred,stating that many residents of affordablehousing are teachers and other valuedcommunitymembers,andnotnecessarily“peoplewithguns.”
The5thCycleHousingElementispartofastatelawmandaterequiringthatcitiesincludeadequatelandareazonedtoaccom-modate their “fair share” of the regionalneed for affordable housing. In order tomeetHCD’shousingmandateforthenexteightyearperiod,Orindamustallocate227unitsofhousinginthefollowingincomelevels:84verylow;47low;54moderate;and42marketrate.CityPlannerEmmanuelUrsuclarifiedthatthecity’sroleislimitedto identifying sites and establishing zon-ing to allow property owners to developasdesired.
tAWARDSfrompage1
Polio Plus and Operation Smile, whichraisesfundsforsurgerytorepaircleftpal-atesinchildren.
“He also took soccer uniforms and anambulanceandfiretruckonbehalfofourclubtoTala,Mexico,”saidfellowRotaryClubmemberGaryWong.“HehasbeeninchargeoftheRotarySpringEggHuntforseveralyears,headedupourteamforOrindaAction Day and shepherded ourproject for the electronic scoreboard atWilder. Dick is an enthusiastic, tirelessandfaithfulsupporteroftheRotaryClubof Orinda and the personification of theattitudeof‘givingbacktothecommunity.’”
William Penn Mott, Jr. Environmental Award
OthersFirstisastudentorganizationatOISdedicatedtobuildingavolunteerethicatanearlyage.Itsmissionis“toremindourstudentsthatacompleteeducationin-
cludesasenseofcommunity.”Everyyear,some400OIS students spendmore than3,000hoursvolunteeringtheirtimeatlocalnon-profits.In2014,studentstookpartinavarietyofenvironmentallyfocusedvolun-teeractivitiesincludingtheOliveFestival,cleaninguptheWagnerRanchNatureArea,walkingdogsandhelpingwithmailingsattheSanPabloAnimalShelter,sortingfoodattheContraCostaFoodBank,theSpecialOlympicsBridge toBridgeRunand treemaintenanceattheMoragapearorchards.
“It’sagreatgroup,especiallysinceit’scentered around youth,” saidWaterman.“It’s a fantastic opportunity because itallows youth to get a feeling for publicservicefromaveryyoungage.Thefactthatsomanystudentsareinvolvedisamazing–teachers,parentsandstudentsaredoingagreatjob.”
OthersFirst has been in action atOISfor10years,saidparentAnnetteLinney,who coordinates the program. Her son,eighth-graderScottLinney, ispartof theGreenTeam,whichpicksuprecyclingandcleansupthecampusatlunchtime.“It’sgreat that the program is finally gettingrecognizedwiththisaward.Itwillalsoletotherstudentslearnabouttheprogramandstartvolunteeringaswell,”saidLinney.
StephanieFriese isaneighth-graderat
OISandanenthusiasticmemberofOthersFirst.“IstarteddoingOthersFirstinsixthgrade,”saidFriese.“MyoldersisterEm-ilywas involved inOthersFirst before IwenttoOISsoIknewabouttheprogram.Attheendofhereighth-gradeyear,Emilyreceivedanaward(EllenD.AmenAwardforVolunteerism) for the most hoursthroughoutheryearsatOIS.Sheandmymotherbothinspiredmetohelpoutinthecommunity.”
Friese said the group completed manyprojects in 2014, including preparingand serving lunches at Glide MemorialChurchinSanFrancisco.“AnotherprojectI enjoyedwasgiftwrappingpresents forchildrenatBayAreaCrisisNursery,”saidFriese.“ItallowedmetotakeastepbackfrommylifeandrealizethatnoteveryoneisasprivilegedasweareinOrinda.”
The13-year-oldsaidshe’sreallyhappythatOthersFirstisreceivingtheOAaward.“IthinkthatitwillshowOISstudentsandparentsthatOthersFirstisagreatprogramtobe involved in,” she said. “I think theawardwillraiseawarenessaboutthepro-gramandwhatwearetryingtoachieve.Ihope others are encouraged to volunteerbecause it is one of the most rewardingexperiences a middle school student canhave.”
The Orinda news n JANUARY 2015 n 15
SCHOOL/STUDENTS
School CalendarJANUARYNote:SchoolsclosedforWinterBreakthroughJan.2,closedJan.19forDr.Martin
LutherKing,Jr.Day.PublicschoolsclosedJan.26forstaffdevelopment.
9 Del Rey Elementary School ParentsClubExecutiveBoardMeeting,library,9to10am.Visithttp://dr-orinda-ca.schoolloop.com.
12 Orinda Union School District BoardMeeting,8AltarindaRoad,6pm.Visitwww.orindaschools.org.
Del Rey Elementary School ParentsClubMeeting,library,7pm.Visithttp://dr-orinda-ca.schoolloop.com.
13 Miramonte High School ParentEducation:RaisingResilientGirls,theatre,7pm.Visitwww.acalanes.k12.ca.us/miramonte.
14 Acalanes Union High School DistrictGoverningBoardMeeting,1212PleasantHillRoad,Lafayette,7:30pm.Visitwww.acalanes.k12.ca.us.
21 Miramonte High School ParentsClubMeeting,9:30to11am.Visitwww.acalanes.k12.ca.us/miramonte.
23 Del Rey Elementary SchoolGrandparentsDay,,8to11am.Visithttp://dr-orinda-ca.schoolloop.com.
Orinda Intermediate School Dances,sixthgrade(3:45to5:15pm),seventhandeightgrades(6:30to8:30pm).Visithttp://ois-orinda-ca.schoolloop.com.
22 Miramonte High School JuniorParentNavianceWorkshop,CollegeCareerCenter,2pmand6pm.Visitwww.acalanes.k12.ca.us/miramonte.
28 Acalanes Union High School DistrictShakespeareFestival,AcalanesHighSchool,1200PleasantHillRoad,Lafayette,9amto3pm.Visitwww.acalanes.k12.ca.us.
Holden High School InformationNight,10IrwinWay,6pm.Visitwww.holdenhigh.org.
29 Miramonte High SchoolPublicSpeakingShowcase,MiramonteHighSchoolTheater,7pm.Visitwww.acalanes.k12.ca.us/miramonte.AlsoJan30.
Youth Ink Writers Reflect on Their Work
By KATHRYN G. MCCARTYContributing Writer
“What I love best about writing isthatyoucancreatewhateveryou
want,andthereisnorightorwrong,”saidSageKang,13. Lastyear,KangwonanHonorableMentionintheOrindaJuniors’Youth Ink 2014 program with her story“Don’tJudgeaFish.”
“IwasinspiredtowriteitbyaquotebyAlbertEinsteinthatmyPEteacherwroteontheboard,”theeighth-gradersaid.
InspirationforSarahInouye’sfirst-prizewinning story“Listen”was found inherbeliefthatifpeople“justtriedtounderstandandlistentoeachother,therewouldbealotlesshateandevil.”Theseventh-graderat Orinda Intermediate School added, “Iwritestoriesabouteverythingreally–thecharactersandplacesjustflyatmefromoutoftheair,andIhavetowriteaboutthem!”
WiththesubmissiondeadlineforYouthInk2015looming,theseyoungwritersareexploringfodderfornewstories.Theannu-alcreativewritingcontest,sponsoredbytheOrindaJuniorWomen’sClub,isopentoallsixth-,seventh-andeighth-gradestudents
wholiveorattendschoolinOrinda.Thepromptforthisyear’scontestis“Choices.”
“We can’t wait to see how Orinda’stalented youth writers will approach thisyear’s prompt although they can writeabout anything they choose,” saidTracyCummings,presidentofOrindaJuniors.
While Kang said, “Entering a writingcontestisafunwaytosharemyloveforwritingwithotherpeople, and forme tohearotherpeople’swritingaswell,”con-testorganizersseeothervaluesinwritingaswell.
Co-chairs Elizabeth Casey and LeighColburnsaidthat,“ThoughOrindastudentsarefortunateinmanyways,ourcommunitydoesnotshelterthemfromthestressesofadolescence.”
TheOrindaJuniorsbelievesthatprovid-ingahealthyoutlet,suchasthearts,canbuild self-esteem. The confidence builtfromtheevent“carriesovertoallaspectsoflife—includingschool,socialinteractions,familyandthecommunity.”
Casey expects the submissions to be“wide-ranging and very diverse.We getsome that are quite personal, some hi-lariously funny and others that are pure
fantasy.”Inouye,whodescribesherselfas“pas-
sionate” about writing, said, “When youwriteeverythingisyours.Youcreateamaz-ingpeopleanddifferentworlds.”
[SeeYOUTHpage18]
CONTRIBUTEDPHOTO
YouthInkwinnerSarah InouyefromOrindaInter-mediateSchoolwith Tamara Ireland Stone,anauthorwhospokeattheevent.
16 n The Orinda news n JANUARY 2015
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kitchen,anexerciseroom,alibrary/com-puterlearningcenterandlaundryfacilities.Abackcourtyardfeaturesabarbecueareaandaraised-bedcommunitygardenwitha Sunset magazine aesthetic. Designedto achieve aGreenPointRated* scoreofmore than 150 points, the developmentincorporates sustainable features such assolarhotwaterandphotovoltaicsystems.(*GreenPointRated isaprojectofBuildItGreen,anon-profitorganizationwhosemissionistopromotehealthy,energy-andresource-efficienthomesinCalifornia.)
Nearly 300 applications for residencywerereceived,including75fromLamor-indacitizens.Residentswerepickedviaarandom lottery, with preference given toSection8qualifiers,suchasthosecurrentlyontheHousingAuthorityofContraCostaCounty’sWaitList,thosewithahouseholdmemberwhoisacurrentorveteranmili-tary,thosewithahouseholdmemberwholives,worksorhasbeenhiredtoworkintheCityofOrindaorthosewithahouseholdmemberwhowasinvoluntarilydisplacedfrom housing due to a federal or state-declareddisasterorgovernmentaction.
Leslie Bown is Monteverde’s property manager. She also oversees Lafayette’s Belle Terre, another Eden property, and will split her time between the two properties. A part-time services coordinator will soon join the team. All Monteverde apartments have been allocated and a waiting list has been started. For more information, call 925-297-4297 or visit www.edenhousing.org.
tSENIORSfrompage1
was broken and the bicycle was on theground.There was no evidence that hewashitbyacarorhadjustcrashedonhisown.Hewasawake,butnotverbal.”Thethreefirefightersimmobilizedthemanandpreparedhimfortransport.Withinminutes,theambulancearrived,freeinguponeof-ficertomanagetrafficwhiletheotherfourhelpedthepatient.
“Onenoteonthiscall:Oneofthefire-fightersonduty thatdayhappened tobeoneofthefirefightersthatwassignificantlyinjured in the Highway 24 accident lastyear and found himself again in the lineoftraffic,”saidPerry.“Iwanttocommendhim for doing a tremendous job and notthinkingtwiceaboutit.”Thetotaltimeforthecallwas32minutes and22 seconds.
tMOFDfrompage5 “Fromthehillsonthatsideofthedistrict,that’simpressive,”saidPerry.Enroutetothehospital,bothparamedicsrodein theambulance,allowingthemtoestablishIVs,administeroxygenandalertthehospital’strauma center. “The patient underwentextensivesurgeriesandwillhaveatoughrehabbutisexpectedtomakeanearlyfullrecovery,”saidPerry.
Thelastexample,“isasituationwhereitwasimportantthatthepatientwastreatedonscene,”saidPerry.Engine42respondedtoareportofabeestingonahikingtrail.Upon arrival, the crew found an uncon-sciouswomanwithinadequaterespiration– two to three breaths per minute. Herlargedogwas standingguard. “Dispatchinformed us that she made the call andthatshehadbeenstungbyabeeandfeltlikeshewasgoingtopassout,”saidPerry.“Thatwasthelastanyonehadheardfrom
Sharon explained that as the son of ateacher and inventor, Barc respected thevalueofeducation. Tohelpsupportartsand education, the couple formed theSimpsonPutSomethingBackFund.OneofthecausesthegroupchampionedisGirlsInc.When the pair began working withGirlsInc.15yearsago,theylearnedonly4percentofthe30girlsintheclasswerereadingatgradelevel-sotheysupportedthe development of Girls Inc.’s literacyprogram,GirlStart,whichhasbeenhighlysuccessful.
Exposinginnercitykidstoart,musicandsciencewasBarc’spassion, saidSharon.“Hislegacyishelpingkidstogetahead,”Sharonsaid.“GirlsInc.wassomethingthat
tSIMPSONfrompage6Barcfeltstronglyaboutandsomethingourdaughteriscarryingon.”
When I approached Barc for anotherinterviewforaVeteran’sDayarticle thisyear,Sharon responded thatherhusbandwasnotingoodhealth.Besides,shesaid,hewouldn’tbeagoodintervieweebecause“healwayslivesforthefuture.”
Like the seed the couple planted thatgrewinto theirchildren’s loveofart, theseedsof theSimpson’sphilanthropy andcommunityactivismwillcontinuetoblos-som,insuringthatBarc’slegacythrivesfarintothefuture.
Donations inBarclaySimpson’shonormay be made to Girls Inc. ofAlamedaCounty,510-16thSt.,Oakland,CA94612.Visithttp://www.girlsinc-alameda.org.
which mandates construction of low-incomehousinginOrinda,acitythathasno extra room for additional residences.AccompanyingtheHousingElementistheSecondUnitsprogram,whichwill allowmanyOrindapropertyownerstoconstruct-- virtually anywhere in town -- guesthomesforlow-incomeindividuals.
The proper, compassionate and unbi-asedwaytohandleshelterforlow-incomeindividuals is to have charities or thegovernment give these individuals cashandlettheseindividualsdeterminewheretheywanttolive.WhatwouldhappenifOrindabuilt1,000newhomesandnobodymovedin?
Eve Phillips, as a new member of theOrindaCityCouncilwillnotautomaticallyhavethevotestobringaboutthechangesthatOrindaneeds. But her election is astart.
AfterwinningtheBattleofEgyptinlate1942,theimmortalWinstonChurchillsaidwhattodaycouldbesaidaboutMs.Phillips’electionvictory:“Nowthisisnottheend.Itisnoteventhebeginningoftheend.Butitis,perhaps,theendofthebeginning.”
ThatcliqueofCityCouncilmembers--acliquebeholdentosuchspecialinterestsasreal-estatedevelopers,constructionwork-ers,andbanks--thathasbeenrulingOrindaformanyyearsnowhastoreckonwiththerealitythatOrindanswantchange.
–RichardS.Colman
tLETTERSfrompage4
her.”With the help of Moraga police, the
enginecrewdistractedthedogandbeganventilating the patient.When the ambu-lance arrived, paramedics completed theassessment, which revealed a low bloodpressure,highheart rate,poorskinsignsandaconstrictedairway.“This isa text-book anaphylactic reaction,” said Perry.“Onepersonfromtheenginecrewgotonthe ambulance and drove, allowing thetwo medics to continue treatment on thewaytothehospital.”OnemedicmanagedtheairwayandtheotherestablishedanIVandadministeredintravenousepinephrine.“Withinminutesafterreceivingthemedica-tionandincreasedoxygenation,shebegantoimprove.Bythetimetheyreachedthehospital,shewasawake,alertandembar-rassed,”addedPerry.Thewomansaidshe’d
beenstungbyabeeonthetopofherheadandwasunawarethatshewasallergictobeestings.“Shewastreatedandreleasedfromthehospitalinafewshorthours,”saidPerry.“ShevowstocarryanEpiPenwithherfromnowon.”Thedogwasreunitedwithitsownershortlythereafter.
MOFDboardmemberFredWeillaudedthefirefighters.“Wehearfromtimetotimefromself-appointedexpertsthattellusthatwehave toomanypeople showingupateventslikethis,”saidWeil.“Thecommonthreadintheseincidentsishavingenoughpeople to actually be able to do the jobthat’snecessaryandhavingenoughoftheright equipment on hand as well. Some-times it’scalledwasteful,but itcertainlywasnotwastefulforthesetwopeople.”
Formoreinformation,visitwww.mofd.org.
The Orinda news n JANUARY 2015 n 17
CALENDAR
JANUARY3 In Forma’s20thanniversaryparty,6pm,23OrindaWay.Call925-254-6877.7 Orinda Parks and Recreation Department and the American Red CrossBloodDrive.
Toscheduleanappointment,visitwww.redcrossblood.organdentersponsorcodeOrindaorcall1-800-733-2767.Walk-indonorsalsowelcome.
8 Orinda TheatreFreeMovieNighteverysecondThursday,7pm.Visitwww.lamorindathe-atres.com/index_orinda.asp.
Orinda BooksStoryHourwithCathyGoshornforchildrenaged2to4,Thursdays,276VillageSquare,10to11am.Call925-254-7606.
Orinda Community CenterThursdaysTogetherboardgamesforseniors,10amtonoon.$3residents,$4non-residents.Call925-254-2445orvisitwww.cityoforinda.org.
10 Orinda Books hostsmother-and-sonwritingteamCarolineandCharlesTodddiscussingtheirnewbook,A Fine Summer’s Day,276VillageSquare,3pm.Alsoattendingarefellowauthors,CaraBlack,SimonWood,KelliStanleyandPriscillaRoyal.Call925-254-7606.
17 Moraga Art Gallery, “ArtAppassionata”byLisaGunn,reception5-7pm,925-396-5407ormoragaartgallery.com
Rotary Club of OrindaDungenessandDraftsAll-You-CanEatCrabFeed,OrindaMasonicLodge,9AltarindaRoad,6pm.,courtesyofLaPiazzaandliveentertainment.Ticketsare$50.Visitwww.orindarotary.orgorcall925-2546262,ext.1,forreservations.
Rheem TheatreLiveJazzSeries,350ParkSt.,Moraga, featuresaward-winningsingerLindaKosut,7pm.$20general;$15seniorsandchildren.SeriesrunseverythirdSaturday.Visitwww.lamorindatheatres.com/index_newrheem.asp.
18 St. Mark’s United Methodist Church CelebrateWeekofChristianUnity,451MoragaWay,Orinda,2pm.
20 AAUWpresents“TheManyStoriesofRosieTheRiveter,”9am,HolyTrinitySerbianChurchCulturalCenter,1700SchoolStreet,[email protected].
Orinda Parks and Recreation DepartmentPeerlessCoffeeandTeaTourtoJackLondonSquareforseniors,8:30amto3pm.Residents$25;non-residents$29.Call925-254-2445orvisitwww.cityoforinda.org.
Orinda Books hostsYiyunLidiscussinghernovelKinder than Solitude,nowinpaperback,276VillageSquare,7pm.Call925-254-7606.
22 Orinda BookshostsPeteCrooksdiscussinghisbookThe Setup: A True Story of Dirty Cops, Soccer Moms, and Reality TV,276VillageSquare,7pm.Call925-254-7606.
30 International Film ShowcasepresentstheItalianfilmnoirHuman Capital throughFeb.5.ShowtimeswillbeavailableJan.26onthewebsite.Visithttp://internationalshowcase.org/.
ATTHELIBRARYAll events are free unless otherwise specified. Library closed Jan. 1 for New Year
and Jan. 19 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. For more information, call 925-254-2184 or visit www.ccclib.org/locations/Orinda.html. 7 Teen Advisory Group,firstWednesdayofmonth,TutoringRoom,4pm.Makeanappoint-
mentattheInformationDesk.Teensmeetwithteenlibrariantoplanfunteenprogramsandsuggestlibraryresources.Teensreceivevolunteerhoursandgrowleadershipskills.
Free Computer & eReader Help,Wednesdays,5:30to7:30pm. Paws to Read.First-throughfifth-graderspracticereadingwithafriendlydog,Gallery
Room,3:30to4:30pm.Callorvisitthelibrarytoregister.8 English as a Second Language Conversation Circle.PracticeEnglishconversationinan
informal,small-groupsetting,TutoringRoom,1to2:30pm.Preregistrationnotrequired.AlsoJan.15,22and29.
10 Saturday Morning Live!Storytimeforchildrenaged3to5,PictureBookarea,11am.AlsoJan.17,24and31.
Weekend Paws to Read.First-throughfifth-graderspracticereadingwithafriendlydog,GalleryRoom,2:30to3:30pm.Callorvisitthelibrarytoregister.
13 Toddler Lapsit.Storytimeforchildrenaged1to3andtheircaregivers,GalleryRoom,10and10:30am.Noregistrationrequired,butattendancelimitedtoonceperweek.AlsoJan.14,20,21,27and28.
Peek-A-Boo Time.Songs,stories,rhythmsandrhymesforinfantsto18months,GalleryRoom,11:30am.AlsoJan.20and27.
14 Hat Program.GetreadyforNationalHatDay(Jan.15)withhatstories,hatmakingandahatparade,sponsoredbytheFriendsoftheOrindaLibrary,3:30pm.
16 Mystery Book ClubmembersdiscussThe Art ForgerbyB.A.Shapiro,TutoringRoom,3to4pm.For18yearsandup.
CLUBMEETINGSDiablo Star Chapter #214, OrderoftheEasternStar.SecondMonday,7:30pm.OrindaMasonic
Center,KarenSeaborn,925-689-0995.Friends of the Joaquin Moraga Adobe.ThirdMonday,7:30pm,GalleryRoom,OrindaLibrary,
www.moragaadobe.org.Friends of the Orinda Creeks. FourthWednesday,8:30am,MayRoom,OrindaLibrary,925-
253-1997.Lamorinda Alcohol Policy Coalition. ThirdWednesday,10to11:30am,OrindaCityHallSarge
LittlehaleRoom,925-687-8844,ext.227.Lamorinda Nature Walk and Birdwatching for seniors. Wednesdays,9to11am,free.Call
925-254-2445forweeklymeetingplace.Lamorinda Sirs for retired men. SecondWednesday,11amto1:30pm,HolyTrinityCultural
Center,1700SchoolSt.,Moraga,PeteGiers,925-254-4667.Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary. EveryFriday,7am,LafayetteParkHotel,3287Mt.DiabloBlvd.,
Lafayette,www.lamorindasunrise.com/or925-283-8288.Lamorinda Toastmasters. EveryTuesday,7:30pm,Temple Isaiah,3800Mt.DiabloBlvd.,
Lafayette,www.lamorinda.freetoasthost.net.Jan.9speakerAAUWTechTrekInitiative;Jan.16BrazilianexchangestudentGustavoSilva;Jan.23LauraSimpsonon“WalnutCreek’sDevelopmentExplosion.”
Montelindo Garden Club. ThirdFriday,9am,SeptemberthroughMay,St.Stephen’sEpiscopalChurch,66St.Stephen’sDrive,www.montelindogarden.com. Januaryspeaker isClaireSplan,authorofCaliforniaFruitandVegetableGardening.
Orinda Garden Club. FourthThursday,10amtonoon,SeptemberthroughMay,OrindaCountry
ONTHECALENDAR
Send calendar items to Maggie Sharpe at [email protected]
Club,315CaminoSobrante.Orinda Junior Women’s Club community service group. FirstTuesday,Septemberthrough
June,7pm,www.orindajuniors.org.Orinda Rotary. EveryWednesday,noon,OrindaCountryClub,315CaminoSobrante,925-
254-2222.Orinda Association. SecondMonday,7:15pm,OrindaLibrary,MayRoom,925-254-0800.Orinda Hiking Club. Everyweekendand firstWednesday,www.orindahiking.orgor Ian at
925-254-1465.Orinda Historical Society. ThirdWednesday,7pm,10IrwinWay,925-254-1353.Orinda Job’s Daughters. FirstandthirdMonday,7pm,9AltarindaRoad,925-283-7176.Orinda/Tábor (Czech Republic) Sister City Foundation. FourthThursday,7pm,social,7:30
pm,meeting,call925-254-8260forlocation.Orinda Teen Advisory Council. SecondWednesday,4pm,CommunityCenter,28OrindaWay,
[email protected] Woman’s Club. SecondTuesday,9:30amtonoon,callJeanBarnhart,925-254-3881,
orhttps://sites.google.com/site/orindawomansclub/.Walnut Creek Garden Club. SecondMonday,9:30am,CamelliaRoom,HeatherFarm,1540
MarchbanksRoad,WalnutCreek,http://californiagardenclubs.com/content/walnut-creek-garden-clubormslittle44@gmail.com.JanuaryspeakerisrosebreederTomLiggittalkingonheirloomvarietiesoffruits,vegetablesandroses.
CITY/FIRE/SCHOOLDISTRICTMEETINGSCHEDULEAcalanes Union High School District.FirstandthirdWednesdays,7:30p.m.,districtoffice,1212
PleasantHillRoad,Lafayette.City Council.FirstandthirdTuesdays,7p.m.,LibraryAuditorium,www.cityoforinda.org.Historic Landmarks Committee.FourthTuesday,3to5p.m.,LibraryGardenRoom.Call
925-788-7323.Moraga-Orinda Fire District. First and third Wednesday of the month, 7 p.m.. Visit
www.mofd.org/board/meetingsmeetinglocationwillbepostedontheagenda.Orinda Union School District Board of Trustees. Second Monday, 6 p.m., OUSD
ConferenceRoom,25OrindaWay—Suite200,Orinda,CA94563.Forthelatestlistingofdates,pleasecheckthewebsiteatwww.orindaschools.org.
Planning Commission.SecondandfourthTuesdays,7p.m.,LibraryAuditorium,www.cityo-forinda.org.
Community, Culture and Vision
St.Mark'sChurchat451MoragaWaywill observe the week of Christian
unity, interfaith relations and Dr. MartinLutherKingJr.'sbirthdayonJan.18at2pmwithaworkshopfeaturingFatherTomBonaccioftheInterfaithPeaceProjectandmusicbytheChorusofSufiReorientedandguitaristChristopherGiffen.
CONTRIBUTEDPHOTO
Father Tom Bonacci.
Orinda Academy's Food Drive
CONTRIBUTEDPHOTO
NinthgradestudentsatOrindaAcademycollectedover40bagsoffoodduringafooddriveatOrindawoodsanddonatedittotheFoodBankofContraCostaandSolano.Studentsincluded(L-R):Malaya Phelps, Virginia Clark, Yusra KhanandHumah Sultani.
18 n The Orinda news n JANUARY 2015
HEALTH/BEAUTY
foramoresubstantialmeal.
Ingredients:4zucchini,slicedintospaghettionaspiralslicer1bunchbroccoli,roughchopped4kaleleaves,stemmedandroughchopped2cupsofbabyspinach2carrots,spiralslicedoliveoilseasalt&freshlygroundpepper3clovesofgarlic,coarselychoppedParmesanCheese(optional)
Spiral slice zucchini and carrot intoseparatebowls.Heatoilinthepan.Addbroccoli,andsauteuntildesiredtendernessisattained.Addincarrotspiralsandstirfryfor2minutes.Addinkaleandspinachandstirfryuntilkaleandspinacharewilted(about1minute). Turnoffheatandaddzucchini spaghetti and stir around for 1minutetoslightlywiltzucchinifordesiredtexture. If zucchini is still too raworaldente,coverthepanwithalidandletsitforupto3minutestosteamzucchiniintohealthfulsubmission.TosswithParmesancheese.
Fresh Fig and Kale Toss Thissaladcanbemadewitheitherfresh
blackmissionorgreenfigs.Iffreshfigsarenot available use dried figs reconstitutedinwarmwater.Thesweetfigtasteistheperfect complement to mild, curly greenkaleinalight,fruityvinaigrette.
Ingredients:1 small ripe avocado peeled, seeded androughchopped1/2tseasalt3 cupsof kale – off the stemand roughchoppedandmassagedwiththeavocadoandseasaltfor1minutetosoftenthekale3figs-MissionorGreenFigs,slicedortornintosmallpieces2carrots–inthinslicesorspirals1EnglishCucumber–quarteredlengthwiseandthinlyslicedorspiralcut
Dressing:2Toliveoil2Tseasonedricevinegar2tBalsamicVinegar2Tmaplesyrup1/8tseasalt5turnscoarselygroundblackpepper
While especiallygreat inwinter, theserecipes are yummy all year round. Re-memberforhealthyjointsanytimeofyear,Protect,MoveandEat!
Everyday ChangesPROTECT, MOVE, EATRecipes for a Healthy Winter
BonnieWaters
California winters are mild comparedwithotherpartsoftheUnitedStates.
Mostdaysarenotblusterycold,howeverwestillcanexperiencethetollofseasonalchanges – most notably joint pain andstiffness.Therearemanypossiblecausesof seasonal aches. The most commonreasonsare:
Blooddoesn’tcirculatetotheextremitiesasreadily.
Incoldweather,ourmusclestightenup.Weexerciselessinthewintermonths.
What to Do: Protect:Keepyourbodyandespecially
your jointswarm. Layerwhenoutdoorsandremovelayersindoors.
Move: Less movement means slowerbloodcirculationandmorestiffness.Optforexercisesthatwon’tgiveyourjointsapounding such as gentle yoga and walk-ing.ThaiYoga Massage is excellent forloosening up tight joints and improvingcirculation.
Eat: A diet containing calcium andvitamin D is important for good boneandjointhealth. ModeratesunexposureavailableinCaliforniaeveninthewinterhelpstoprovidethebodywithVitaminD.AdequatevitaminDallowscalciumfromthefoodsyoueattobereadilyabsorbed.Enjoyacalciumrichdietbyeatingfoodssuchasbroccoli,kaleandfigs.Hereareafewrecipestogetyoustarted.(learning-tolovekale.wordpress.com).
Zucchini and Broccoli “Pasta” (requires a Spiral Slicer)
Thisrecipefeatureszucchiniasthepastaelement, which should be added to thesauteedvegetableelementsonlyatthelastminuteafterallthecookingisdoneandtheheatisoff.Thepastaismore“wilted”thancookedtokeepitaldenteandpreserveitsnutrients.Itcanalsobeusedasasidedish
PHOTOSBYCHARLIEJARRETT
Bea Heggie (L)attendedtheOrindaHistoricalSociety'sholidaypartyatwhichEastBayMUD's Michelle BlackwellspokeonthehistoryofwaterdevelopmentinOrinda.
AAUW Presents the Many Stories of Rosie The Riveter
Join theOrinda,Moraga andLafayetteBranchoftheAmericanAssociationof
UniversityWomen (AAUW)onTuesdayJanuary20,foraprogramexaminingthepowerfulroleofwomenintheWWIIwork-force.Themonthlybranchmeetingbeginsat9amwithalightcontinentalbreakfast,followedbyapresentationat9:30am,attheHolyTrinitySerbianChurchCulturalCenter,1700SchoolStreet,inMoraga.
Guest speaker, Ranger RaphaelAllen
fromtheRosietheRiveterNationalPark,willleadahistoricalrecountingofWomeninWWII—with special highlights sur-roundingwarjobsforwomen,issuessur-roundingtheshiftingroleofwomenduringthisera,andthecriticalrole“Rosie”played—whoshewas,howshegotstartedandwhythebrandingeventuallydiscontinued.
For more information about the event,email [email protected].
tYOUTHfrompage15
A panel of local professional writersadjudicateYouth Ink 2015. Co-sponsorsinclude the OrindaAssociation, Friendsof the Orinda Library and The OrindaCommunityFoundation. Anawardscer-emonywillbeheldat theOrinda libraryon Thursday,April 23 from 6 to 7pm.Winnerswill receivecashprizesandgiftcertificates.Submissionsareacceptedonan ongoing basis through Feb. 18, 2015.Formore information,visitwww.orinda-juniors.org.
OrindaHistoricalSocietyHasFunHolidayParty
The Orinda news n JANUARY 2015 n 19
BUSINESSBUZZ
Mahan.Atalentedhairstylist,Enferadihas27yearsofexperience,sixofthoseyearsatCoiffeurHut.
In addition to cutting and styling hair,coloring,permanents,highlights,shampooand sets, Enferadi provides waxing andthreadingservicesaswell.“Manyofmycli-entslikenewhighlightsandredhighlightsareverypopularthesedays.FornewclientsIoffera20-percentdiscountonahaircutandpermanent,”saysEnferadi.
Manicurist Judie Johnson has been inthe business on a part-time basis for 30years.PreviouslysheworkedasregisterednurseatRheemConvalescentinMoraga.
tBUZZfrompage20 As a retired nurse, she is adept at doingmanicuresandpedicuresfordiabeticclientswithsensitivitytotheirspecialneeds.“ItisapleasureworkingherewithBob,Fay,Jan andYvonne.We have watched ourchildrengrowuptogetherovertheyears,”saysJohnson.
Johnson and all the stylists at Coif-feurHutwill travel toaclient’shometoprovideservicesbyspecialrequest.Plansare in the works to remodel the shopsometimelaterthisyear.Keepaneyeoutforadditionalstylists to join thiscomingfall.
ForanappointmentatCoiffeurHut,call925-254-3373.Foramanicureorpedicure,call925-254-9299.
resolved,thenitisreferredtothedistrict,”said Freiman. Orinda, like several otherlocal districts including Los Gatos, SanFranciscoandSanJose,usesprivateinves-tigatorsratherthanstafftohelpdetermineresidency.
However, speaking during the Dec. 8schoolboardmeeting,MiriamStorchsaidthattheywerenevercontactedbytheschooldistrict regarding the second-grader andhermotherwho liveat theStorchhome.Themotherisalive-innanny.“Icouldn’tbelievewhatwashappening.Noonecalledus to ask anything.We are parents, notcriminals,”saidStorch.
“Weareabsolutely lookingathowwehandlethesecases,”saidOUSDpresident
tDISTRICTfrompage1
MattMoran.“Thisgivesusanopportunitytolookatpoliciesand,specifically,seeifwecanimprovehowwecommunicatewiththefamilies.Thissituationhasbeenhurt-fulnotonly to themenandwomenwhoworkinthedistrictbuttothecommunityasawhole.”
Alargenumberofpeoplespokeat theDec.8schoolboardmeetingwiththema-jorityshowingsupportforthesecond-gradestudent,includingDavidGreenstone,akin-dergartenstudentatGloriettaElementarySchool:“Iwantpeopletobetreatedfairly.”OtherspeakerscalledtheOUSD’sactions“shameful”whileRebeccaVerityaskedforanindependentinvestigationtoensure“thatracialprofilingdidn’ttakeplace.”
AccordingtorecordsobtainedfromtheOUSD,recentresidencyinvestigationsatthedistrictlevelareasfollows:
2011-12-02012-13–3families2013-14–2families2014-15–1family“Thesixfamiliesinvestigatedduringthe
approximatelyfour-yearperiodrepresentedmultiple races and ethnicities, includingmultiple Caucasian families,” said Frei-man.FormerOUSDpresidentChristopherSeversonnotedinhisoutgoinglettertothepublic that“Ihaveseenandexperiencedhow thisdistrict valuesdiversity and ac-tivelyeducatesthe125inter-districttransferstudentsand26Englishlanguagelearnerstudents.”
Outofatotalof2,542students,withap-proximately100studentsdecliningtostate,theOUSDethnicbreakdownfor2014-15isasfollows:
White/Caucasian 1,803 71.4percentAsian 460 18.2percentHispanic/Latino 103 4.08percentNativeAmerican/other/PacificIslander 49 1.9percentAfrican-American 19 .75percent“The allegations of racism were very
hurtful to us,” said Moran. Our districtdoesnotuse race inanywaywhencon-sidering residency.There have been lotsofunfoundedstatementswithnobasisinreality, but privacy laws that protect thestudentpreventusfromresponding.”
Residencyrequirementsandpoliciesforstudents with divorced parents living indifferent schooldistricts canbeobtainedby contacting the OUSD office at 925-254-4901.
SALLYHOGARTY
David Greenstone, a kindergarten student atGlorietta, gets a lift from his mother so he canspeakattheDecembermeeting.
Children’s Health Guild Raises $115K+ for Worthy Beneficiaries
By ELANA O’LOSKEYStaff Writer
The Children’s Health Guild (CHG)raisedover$115,000for twobenefi-
ciariesatitsannualHolidayBoutiqueandLuncheononDec.4 at theRitzCarlton,SanFrancisco.“WeareespeciallyproudtohavelaunchedourfirstFund-a-Needatthisevent,inwhichallproceedsgodirectlytoRespite Care at George Mark Children’sHouse(GMCH)andTheFamilyInforma-tionandNavigationDesk(FIND)ProgramatUCSFBenoiffChildren’sHospitalOak-land(USCFBCHO),”saysKendallGlynn,CHGPresident.Seehttp://childrenshealth-guild.orgformoreinformation.
Over 400 attended the sold out event,whichincludedatalkbyOrindaresidentDr. Dayna Long. Dr. Long is the namedrecipient of the 2014 National ServiceLeadershipAwardbyAmericorpsandthespokesperson for the“TooSmall toFail:Talk,Read,Sing”initiativesponsoredbytheBill,HillaryandChelseaClintonFoun-dation.AWagnerRanchmotherof threeboysandrenownedpediatricianatUSCFBCHO, Dr. Long spoke about what theFINDprogramislikeinactionandhowitfeelstobepartofsomethingthatismakingadifferencetopatientsandtheirfamilieswhoareindireneed.FINDwasco-foundedaboutayearagobyDr.LongandDr.KellyMeade,associatedirectorofprimarycareandpresidentofthemedicalstaffatUSCFBCHO. Mary Jane Perna, vice presidentofphilanthropyatUSCFBCHOremarkedthat, “Medical recipients make up 71.2percentofchildrenreceivingcareatUCSFBCHO;68.2percentisourbudget.CHGandotherdonorsworktoclosethegap.”
JoanneMosellenofOrinda says, “Our3-year-old son is an oncology patient atUSCFBCHO,andwefeelfortunateheisbeing treatedat suchanamazing facilitywherepeoplearepassionateaboutcaringforchildren.”
RespitecareatGMCHoffersparentsandcaregiversperiodic“breaks”fromthenon-stopphysicalandemotionalresponsibilityofhomecareforachildwithchallengingmedicalneeds.Somechildrenareinneedofspecialrehabilitation,whichisdifficultto provide at home,while others receivehospice care. See www.georgemark.org/formoreinformation.
The FIND program at USCF BCHOaimstoreducehealthinequitiesbypartner-ingfamilieswithcommunityresourcestoaddresssocialdeterminantsofhealthandovercomeadversitiessuchasfoodinsecu-rity,housinginstability,secondhandsmokeexposure,accesstogreenspaceandphysi-calactivity.Seewww.childrenshospitaloak-land.org/main/departments-services/155.aspxfordetails.
ELANAO'LOSKEY
Over400womenattendedtheChildren’sHealthGuildHolidayLuncheonFundANeedprogramattheRitzCarlton,SanFranciscoonDec.4. (L-R)Kendall Glynn,CHGPresident,Holly Grossman (eventco-chair),OrindaresidentDayna Long, MD (speaker),and Jennifer Rego(eventco-chair).
20 n The Orinda news n JANUARY 2015
BUSINESSBUZZ
Business BuzzPutting a Personal Face on Local Business
ValerieHotz
To send items for consideration, email Hotz at [email protected].
Lamorinda Wine Growers Association While hunting for good ground cover
fortheirthree-acrepropertythathappenedtohaveanexcellent southwestexposure,Leslie and JimWard stumbled upon theconceptofplantinggrapevines.Aconsultwithfriendswhoareinthewinebusinessin the Los Robles area, an aerial surveyanda report fromasoilsengineer led totheirplanting1,500pinotnoirvines andtheLamorindaWineGrowersAssociationwasborn.
“Oursuperbmicroclimateofcooleve-ningsandwarmdaysmakesLamorindatheperfectlocationformanyvarietiesofthelighterredwinesandofcourseallthewhitewines,”explainsLeslieWard.“WerecentlypetitionedtheAlcoholandTobaccoTaxandTradeBureautodesignateLamorindaasanAmericanViticulturalArea(AVA)andan-ticipatehavingadecisionsoon.”TheAVAarefederallyrecognizedregionsintheU.S.and essentially define the distinguishingfeaturesofagrape-growingarea.
AVAdesignationisabenefittothewinegrapegrower,thewinerythatusesgrapesfromaspecificAVAandtotheconsumeras well. “Knowing where a wine comesfromisimportantbecauseitprovidesmoreinformationabouttheuniquecharacteris-ticsthatdefinegrapesgrowninaspecific
AVA,” saysWard. “The farmer growinggrapeswithintheAVAwillhavemoreofastorytotell,essentiallytyinghisorhergrapestotheland.”WardisexcitedaboutsecuringtheAVAbecauseitwilldrawvisi-torstothearea.
ManymembersoftheLamorindaWine-growersAssociation have10 to 12 acres
andcultivateupto5,000grapevines,whilemostmembersfarm200to400vines.Theorganizationhostsspecialeventsthrough-out the year, including a speaker serieswhich recently focused on sustainability
anderosioncontrol.“Wearetryingtoconnectwitheveryone
whohasvinesandareonthelookoutfornewvineyards,”saysWard.“Weencouragethepublictoattendourmeetings,especiallyindividualsinterestedinplantingvines.OurnumberonepriorityistohelpourmemberstomakethebestwineandintheprocesstobuildtheLamorindaregion.”
ToviewamapoftheproposedLamor-indaAVAandformoreinformationaboutLamorindaWine GrowersAssociation,visitwww.lamorindawinegrowersassocia-tion.com. LeslieWard can be reached at510-406-5680.
Orinda Chamber of Commerce Serves Community and Businesses
SylviaJorgensen,presidentoftheOrindaChamber of Commerce, wants OrindanstoknowtheBoardofDirectorshasbeenworkingtobetterservemembersandthecommunityasawhole.“Weareworkinghard, as previous boards before us havedone,tosupportaniceshoppingexperienceinOrinda,”saysJorgenson.
Programs implemented in order to ac-complishthisgoalincludeanewmember-shipprogram,an improvedwebsite,newcomputer system and more staff. “Thereareapproximately40nonprofitorganiza-tionsinOrindaandabout20ofthemaremembers, including the Orinda RotaryClub, theOrindaAssociation,FriendsofWagnerRanchNatureAreaandtheOrindaArts Council.We throw a lot of love tothe nonprofit community by mobilizingAmbassadorsandboardmemberstohelp,”saysJorgenson.
A private wealth manager for MerrillLynchforthepasteightyears,Jorgensonis an expert at creating 401(k) plans forbusinessowners,advisingonplanningforretirement and putting children throughcollege. “I deal with insurance and trustissuesonbehalfofclientsaswell,”saysJor-genson.SheismarriedtoEricJorgenson,ownerofCandlestickHomeandGarden,asmallbusinessspecializinginhomerepair.Thecouplehasfivechildren.
“Peopleworking togetherwell iswhattheOrindaChamberisallabout,”shesays.
“Everybody can have a place here andfinditveryvaluable.Weenjoyinterfacingwith theCityofOrindaonbehalfofourmembers.”
Mark your calendar for the ComedyNightat theOrindaTheatreonMarch6.TriviaBeattakesplaceinAprilincollabo-rationwiththeOrindaRotaryClub.VisittheOrindaChamberofCommerceatwww.orindachamber.orgforafulllistofupcom-ingevents,includingluncheonsandmixers.
For more information or to join theOrindaChamber, contactCandisKatten-burgat925-254-3909.
Coiffeur Hut 2015marksCoiffeurHut’s50thyearin
OrindaVillageand thissmallbusiness isstillgoingstrong.Originallyestablishedin1965byBobMahanandYvonneEidson,Mahan recentlyhanded the reinsover toFayEnferadi,ashepreparesforretirementlaterthisyear.Locatedat23LOrindaWay,adjacenttoOrindaVeterinaryClinic,thereisamplefreeparkingjustafewstepsawayfromthefrontdoor.
Small and cozy with excellent naturallight, the salon features oil paintings bylocalartistMarySpainandviewsofnativepinestreesacrosstheway.Fourhairstylistsoffertheirserviceshere–Mahan,Eidson,Enferadi and JanTambellini – and JudieJohnsonservesasin-housemanicurist.Ablastfromthepastistherowofhairdryers,offering cooler settings thanblowdryersand gentler treatment of hair. “Rollersanddryersarepopularwithsomeclientsbecause they provide less heat to hair,”saysEnferadi.
“WeareallgoodfriendshereatCoiffeurHut.Ilikedoinghair,butit istimeforavacationafter49years.Afterall,mywifewould like to do some traveling,” says
[SeeBUZZpage19]
SALLYHOGARTY
Fay Enferadi (standing) and Judie Johnson ofCoiffeurHutinOrindaVillage.
DAVIDDIERKS
OrindaChamberofCommercepresident Sylvia Jorgensen.
DAVIDDIERKS
Leslie Ward, president of the Lamorinda WineGrowersAssociation.
