Being held on $147,000 bail
By Danville Police Department
On Saturday, January 20 at 2:18 pm, Danville Police Officers were dispatched to a disturbance on Glasgow Circle in the 200 block. Upon arrival, they found that Kevin Xu, a 24-year-old from Danville, had assaulted his father using a deadly weapon. Mr. Xu had already left the scene by the time the officers arrived. Consequently, a warrant was issued for his arrest that same day.
Throughout the night, officers conducted extensive searches in and around Glasgow Circle for Mr. Xu. The following morning, on January 21 at 6:38 am, officers located Mr. Xu on Grassland Court. They established a perimeter and successfully apprehended him. The Danville Police Department would like to thank community members within the search area for their help in reporting suspicious activity that greatly assisted in the apprehension of Mr. Xu.
Mr. Xu was booked and remains in custody at the Martinez Detention Facility on charges of Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Resisting Arrest. The case was forwarded to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office for review. According to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, the 5-foot, 10-inch, 150 lb. suspect is being held on $147,000 bail.
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
Read MoreHOME Investment Partnerships Reauthorization and Improvement Act would fund new units throughout state
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, U.S. Representatives John Garamendi (D-CA08) and Joyce Beatty (D-OH03) reintroduced updated legislation to help address the affordable housing crisis. Their HOME Investment Partnerships Reauthorization and Improvement Act would significantly increase the amount of federal funds available for affordable housing across the country. Companion legislation is being introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV).
“Hardworking Californians face a drastic shortage of affordable housing options,” said Congressman Garamendi. “Minimum wage workers have to work an 88-hour week on average to afford a modest one-bedroom rental at a fair market rate. This legislation reauthorizes the HOME Investment Partnership Program for the first time since 1994 to bring this crucial program into the 21st century and provide states and local governments with the funding to construct and rehabilitate affordable rental housing as well as provide homeownership opportunities for working families. I’m thankful to Senator Cortez Masto for introducing the companion legislation in the Senate, and we will work tirelessly until this legislation becomes law.”
“Families across Ohio and the United States are facing a daunting affordable housing crisis that demands creative, collaborative solutions,” said Rep. Beatty. “For more than three decades, the HOME program has provided essential gap funding for states and communities across the nation to address their most pressing housing challenges. I am proud to join Senator Cortez Masto and Congressman Garamendi in leading this legislation to authorize ample funding for HOME for the next five years and to make critical improvements to the program that will ensure more American families have access to safe, affordable housing.”
“We have to do more to address our affordable housing crisis and increase the supply of affordable homes for Nevada families,” said Senator Masto. “The HOME program delivers critical funding to help communities build new housing units, support rental assistance, and support new homebuyers – but it needs to be updated to meet today’s needs. My legislation reauthorizing, improving and expanding this vital program will ensure more Nevadans have a quality, affordable place to call home.”
The HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) is the largest federal affordable housing block grant and is HUD’s flagship affordable housing production program. Since 1990, HOME has helped state and local housing agencies support a wide variety of housing needs, from financing new construction and home repairs to funding down payment and rental assistance. It also provides additional funding to housing developments financed by the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, helping the program serve more extremely low-income people including seniors, veterans, those experiencing homelessness, and people with disabilities. Since 1992, the HOME program in California has:
- Invested $5.27 billion into housing across the state;
- Built or preserved 121,727 homes;
- Given rental assistance to 43,840 families;
- Supported 277,318 jobs; and
- Generated $19.2 billion in local income.
The program was last re-authorized in 1994 and needs critical updates to better address today’s housing crisis. Garamendi’s HOME Investment Partnerships Reauthorization and Improvement Act would reauthorize the HOME program and make several much-needed improvements. Specifically, it would:
- Authorize $5 billion in HOME funding for fiscal year 2024 and boost the funding for the program by five percent annually through 2028. Garamendi’s legislation would address chronic underfunding of the affordable housing investment program, which received only $1.5 billion in 2023;
- Improve HOME’s ability to provide downpayment assistance to homebuyers and home repair assistance to homeowners;
- Enable HOME funds to support Community Land Trusts and other shared equity homeownership programs; and
- Increase access to HOME funds for nonprofits and provide state and local governments loan guarantee options that would allow them to leverage their future HOME funds for investments today.
The legislation is cosponsored by Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Shontel Brown (D-OH), André Carson (D-IN), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), Glenn Ivey (D-MD), Dan Kildee (D-MI), Annie Kuster (D-NH), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Andrea Salinas (D-OR), Emilia Sykes (D-OH), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Nikema Williams (D-GA), and Juan Vargas (D-CA) and Senators Tina Smith (D-MN), John Fetterman (D-PA), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV). It is also supported by the National Council of State Housing Agencies, Council of State Community Development Agencies, Enterprise Community Partners, Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM), Grounded Solutions Network, National Multifamily Housing Council, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, National Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies, National Community Development Association, National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP), National Association of Realtors (NAR), National CAPACD, Habitat for Humanity, National Apartment Association and National Association for Community Economic Development Associations.
Representative Garamendi has spent his entire career advocating for affordable housing, robust homeowner protections, and rental assistance programs. As California’s first-ever elected Insurance Commissioner, Garamendi successfully implemented Proposition 103, which reformed the homeowner insurance industry and lowered homeownership insurance rates. Last year, Garamendi and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) led members of California’s congressional delegation in sending a letter to California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara urging him to use his power under state law to protect homeowners in the face of an insurance crisis. During his congressional tenure, Garamendi worked with Habitat for Humanity to establish a financing mechanism that utilized existing funding to build new veteran housing units. Garamendi originally introduced the HOME Investment Partnership Reauthorization Act in 2020 and has continued to champion the legislation in Congress. He is also a cosponsor of the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act, which would support the financing of more affordable housing by expanding and strengthening the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.
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Golden Hills Christian School in Brentwood is a TK–8th Grade school, accredited through ACSI and WASC. We’re hosting our annual Open House on January 29, 2024 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. to welcome prospective families to check out the campus and meet the staff. Open enrollment will also begin that day.
This is a great opportunity to meet our teachers, look at the school curriculum, and learn more about the enrollment process. For more info about Golden Hills Christian School you can visit ghcs.org and RSVP below to let us know you’re coming!
The event will be held and the school is located in the Education Building at 2401 Shady Willow Lane in Brentwood.
Read MoreInformation meeting Jan. 24; application deadline Feb. 2
Contra Costa County Fair Queen serves as a role model for young women in our community.
The pageant is seeking young women who are intelligent, articulate, charming, talented, sincere and healthy (in mind and body) with warm outgoing personalities.
The winner and her court will reign for one year.
Closing date for Application is Friday, February 2nd, 2024.
Contestants must be between the ages of 17 – 21 years old, on the day of the pageant (May 16th, 2024). Contestant must be female, single, have never been married nor is planning to be married until after her reign, and have never given birth to a child.
Pageant Information Meeting:
Wednesday, January 24th at 6pm, to assist and answer any questions regarding the pageant,
completing the application form and the required activities.
Location: Fair Administration Office
1201 West 10th Street, Antioch
For more information contact Devon Baldocchi, Pageant Director at office@ccfair.org or (925) 783-2275.
Visit www.contracostafair.com for Contra Costa County Fair updates on shows, exhibits, entertainers, fair-time sponsors, fair maps, promotions, ticket sales and more!
Read MoreJanuary is Sanctity of Human Life Month
January is Sanctity of Human Life Month, and this year Sanctity of Human Life Sunday (SOHLS) is celebrated on Sunday, January 21, 2024. SOHLS is a day for Americans to focus on the value of each and every human life. It is celebrated every year on the Sunday closest to the anniversary of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decisions Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, which legalized abortion in every state for any reason through all nine months of pregnancy.
In the past two years, the right to abortion has been one of the most heated discussions in our country.
We rejoice that the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade in 2022. But this hasn’t stopped abortion; it simply placed the decision back into the hands of each state. While many states have chosen to stop abortions, we still recognize the awful tragedy that, on average, the lives of approximately 98 precious babies are ended every hour!
In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, the abortion industry nationwide has stepped up its efforts of promoting a culture of death by offering abortion as the “smart answer” to an unplanned pregnancy during uncertain times.
One of the best ways to stand against this evil is to come together and openly state “We support and defend the Sanctity of Human Life.”
Pastors, churches and life organizations across the United States use this day to bring awareness to the attacks that are daily waged against human life through the abortion industry.
In 1984, President Ronal Reagan issued a presidential proclamation designating the third Sunday of January as National Sanctity of Human Life Day.
“We have been given the precious gift of human life, made more precious still by our births in or pilgrimages to a land of freedom. It is fitting, then, on the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade that struck down State anti-abortion laws, that we reflect anew on these blessings, and on our corresponding responsibility to guard with care the lives and freedoms of even the weakest of our fellow human beings.”
Ronald Reagan
President
We are continuing that tradition by setting this day aside – January 21, 2024 – as a day to pray for the end of the tragedy of abortion, ask for God’s mercy on our country for this heinous sin, and proclaim loudly that all lives are created in the image of God and should be treated as such.
On Sunday, January 21, we declare the sanctity of all human lives and stand together to protect the lives of each and every unborn baby.
“The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name.” – Isaiah 49:1
“For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139;13-16
We would also like to encourage you to focus on the value of human life all month — and all year — long. Watch the video below to find out four ways that you can make a difference for life this January.
A Message for Sanctity of Human Life Month (youtube.com)
Additional information included from Heartbeat International and LifePlan.
Read MoreBut faculty union wants 12% pay raise
By CSU Strategic Communications and Public Affairs
The California State University (CSU) announced on January 9, 2024, that it will be providing all instructional faculty, librarians, counselors and coaches with a general salary increase of 5% effective January 31, 2024, concluding contract negotiations and exhausting the state’s impasse process. This decision was made after the latest round of negotiations with the California Faculty Association (CFA) failed to yield an agreement that would provide faculty salary increases while still allowing the CSU to best serve students within the limits of its resources.
However, according to the CFA, they’re demanding a 12% pay increase. (See related article)
Throughout the bargaining process, the CFA never veered from its initial salary demand, which was not financially viable and would have resulted in massive cuts to campuses — including layoffs — that would have jeopardized the CSU’s educational mission. In addition to the general salary increase, the CSU will be increasing department chairperson pay and allowing for modest parking fee increases.
“With this action, we will ensure that well-deserved raises get to our faculty members as soon as possible,” said Leora Freedman, vice chancellor for human resources. “We have been in the bargaining process for eight months and the CFA has shown no movement, leaving us no other option.”
The 5% salary increase is consistent with agreements the CSU has already reached with five of its labor unions.
“Our overriding responsibility is to manage a systemwide budget in a fiscally sustainable manner,” said Freedman. “We are committed to paying fair, competitive salaries and benefits for our hard-working faculty members, who are delivering instruction to our students every day and are the cornerstone of our university system. But we must also operate within our means to protect the long-term success and stability of the university, our students and our faculty.”
Without a change in bargaining position by CFA, this concludes bargaining on their contract reopener. The CSU and CFA can now begin successor bargaining on the full contract. The CSU remains committed to the collective bargaining process.
CSU Agrees with Majority of Neutral Factfinder Recommendations in Labor Negotiations with Faculty Union
On Dec. 1, 2023, the CSU announced that it is prepared to agree to the vast majority of the recommendations contained in a neutral factfinder report addressing negotiations between the CSU and the California Faculty Association (CFA). The report was made public today following a state-mandated 10-day “quiet” period.
“We believe that the factfinder’s report offers many thoughtful recommendations and a pathway to resolving all of the open issues,” said Leora Freedman, vice chancellor for human resources. “CSU is prepared to get back to the bargaining table with CFA at any time to reach a fiscally sustainable agreement that provides salary increases for our valued faculty.”
The independent factfinder provided recommendations on all open issues, which fall into 15 categories. On 13 of the 15 categories, CSU indicated in its response that it is prepared to agree to the factfinder’s recommendations, subject to bargaining with the CFA. These recommendations include increasing paid parental leave from six to eight weeks and improving the alternative paid workload reduction program for faculty with new children by increasing the workload reduction from 40% to 60%. Recommendations also address issues such as minimum pay ranges for lecturers, additional pay for department chairs, workload, personal leave, counselor ratios, gender-inclusive bathrooms and lactations spaces, parking and other issues.
On salary, the factfinder recommended using changes in the Consumer Price Index for goods and services (CPI-U) to propose a 7% general salary increase plus other adjustments. CSU has proposed 15% in general salary increases for faculty over three years, plus additional increases that would make some faculty eligible for up to 20.3% in salary increases. CSU’s proposal would provide general salary increases for all faculty that exceed the anticipated increase in the CPI-U over the next three years.
CFA has demanded a 12% general salary increase for one year, which would cost $380 million in new recurring spending. For context, CFA’s salary demand would cost $150 million more than the funding increase that the CSU received from the State of California for all operations in 2023-24.
“CSU strives to provide fair, competitive pay and benefits for all of our employees. We recognize the need to increase compensation and are committed to doing so, but our financial commitments must be fiscally sustainable,” said Freedman.
The CSU has reached agreement with four employee unions representing about 26,000 employees. The CSU has yet to reach agreement with the CFA and Teamsters Local 2010 who represent skilled trade employees including electricians, plumbers and facilities maintenance workers. The CSU is at impasse with the Teamsters and will begin the statutory factfinding process with the union in the next few weeks.
The CFA has announced that it will conduct one-day strikes the following week at four CSU campuses.
“We respect the right of our labor unions to engage in strike activities, and we are prepared to minimize any disruptions to our campuses,” said Freedman. “Our hope is that the planned strike activities pose no hardships on our students and that we can get back to the bargaining table as soon as possible with the CFA to come to an agreement.”
For more information, view the factfinder’s report on the CSU Labor and Employee Relations website.
About the California State University
The California State University is the nation’s largest four-year public university system, providing transformational opportunities for upward mobility to more than 450,000 students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. More than half of CSU students are people of color, and nearly one-third of them are first-generation college students. Because the CSU’s 23 universities provide a high-quality education at an incredible value, they are rated among the best in the nation for promoting social mobility in national college rankings from U.S. News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal and Washington Monthly. The CSU powers California and the nation, sending nearly 127,000 career-ready graduates into the workforce each year. In fact, one in every 20 Americans holding a college degree earned it at the CSU. Connect with and learn more about the CSU in the CSU newsroom.
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
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Jan. 22-26 calling for “Equity and fair labor conditions to meet the needs of our students.”
Teamsters support effort announce settlement; Associated Students also support strike
By Kevin Pina, calfac.org
In a decisive move for educational equity and fair labor conditions, the California Faculty Association (CFA) has announced a strike set to take place from January 22-26, 2024. CFA is a union of 29,000 professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors, and coaches who teach and provide services to the California State University system’s 485,000 students. During the strike, members of CFA will be picketing the entrances of California State University, East Bay (CSUEB) in Hayward California (Carlos Bee Blvd. & Harder Rd). This decision comes after extensive negotiations and discussions with the California State University (CSU) Chancellor’s office have broken down.
To kick off the first day of the strike at the CSUEB Hayward campus on Monday, January 22, Assemblymember Liz Ortega, California 20th Assembly District and Keith Brown, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Alameda Labor Council, AFL-CIO, will join the rally at Carlos Bee Blvd. in support of CFA’s bargaining positions.
The primary focus of the strike is to draw attention to how poor working conditions and remuneration for CFA members negatively impacts the education offered to California State University (CSU) students. The CFA is advocating for a 12% wage increase for all faculty, reasonable workload requirements, longer parental leave, and broader access to campus facilities. The goal is to create an environment that fosters academic excellence, while ensuring the well-being of those who dedicate their careers to shaping the minds of the next generation.
A Dec. 20, 2023, post on the CFA Facebook page claimed the strike is also for “more mental health counselors…and safe campuses.”
The decision to strike was not taken lightly, and the CFA has exhaustively engaged with the CSU leadership to seek alternative solutions. Unfortunately, the inability to reach a mutually beneficial agreement has led to the inevitable decision to strike.
The strike garnered the support of the Teamsters of CSU which announced a settlement with CSU in a post on the CFA Facebook page on Saturday, Jan. 20th.
The strike is also supported by the Associated Students, Incorporated of Cal State East Bay. The following “Solidarity Statement” was posted on the CFA Facebook page on Friday.
The CFA remains committed to open dialogue with university administrators and encourages them to prioritize the needs of faculty members and our students. CFA believes that through collective efforts, a resolution can be achieved that benefits both faculty and the institutions they serve.
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
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Princeton University senior and Dozier-Libbey Medical High School of Antioch graduate Carlos Cortez, 2023 Projects for Peace grant recipient. Photo by Gwen McNamara.
It takes a village: Carlos Cortez – Class of ’24 – and the people of Zináparo bring music and soccer to their youth
By Lou Chen, Trenton Arts at Princeton Program Manager
Originally published by Princeton University’s Pace Center for Community Service. Republished with permission.
Carlos Cortez ’24 straddles two worlds.
The 2020 Dozier-Libbey Medical High School gradaute’s family is from Zináparo, a small rural village in Michoácan, Mexico, where few people have ever heard of Princeton University.
The son of Carlos and Eréndira Cortez is a senior at Princeton University, where few people have ever heard of Zináparo.
But Carlos, the student, had an idea to bring these two worlds together. Last year, with the funding he won as Princeton’s 2023 Projects for Peace award recipient, he started a music and soccer summer camp for Zináparo youth.
Now everyone in Zináparo knows Princeton. And Princeton is just getting to know Zináparo.
An Idea
Even though Carlos was born and raised in Antioch, California, he considers his real hometown to be Zináparo, where most of his extended family still lives. Twice every year, he travels to Zináparo to enjoy the balmy summers and festive winters, hiking in the nearby mountains and participating in the annual peregrinación (religious pilgrimage).
Accepted into Princeton as a Questbridge scholar, Carlos chose to major in neuroscience and committed to the pre-med track, supplementing his coursework with research and tutoring jobs. Despite his busy schedule, he felt restless. His thoughts constantly returned to Zináparo.
“My dream was to become a doctor and open a pediatric clinic in Zináparo,” he says. “But I realized that it would be many years before I could accomplish this. I didn’t want to wait that long. I wanted a chance to do something now.”
That chance soon arrived. During his junior year, he heard about the Pace Center for Civic Engagement’s Projects for Peace initiative, which provides Princeton undergraduates with a $10,000 award to implement a service project anywhere in the world. With his family’s encouragement, he proposed a music and soccer summer camp for children in Zináparo.
“Growing up in California, music and soccer were very important for me in making community,” he says. “I wanted the kids in Zináparo to have the same experience.”
In the spring of 2023, he won the award.
According to a preview article about his project, “He saw his project as an opportunity to not only influence the youth of his town, but to have positive reverberations for the entire community and surrounding communities as well.
He summarizes this hope as he looks forward to this summer by saying, ‘just like a musical note can travel through both time and space when it is played, I am hopeful of learning how my project’s ideals and goals are going to have transgenerational effects on the future generations of Zináparo and ultimately transcend beyond the borders of my hometown,” he shared before the project began.’”
A Village
As any entrepreneur will tell you, the road from idea to execution is a winding one. “Right before arriving in Zináparo, I was feeling that the process would be easy,” Carlos says. “But when I landed in Zináparo, I started to realize that it was going to be a long journey with a lot of challenges.”
The first challenge was recruiting children for the camp, which Carlos had titled, “Musical Notes: A Composition for Peace.” Even though Carlos was a frequent visitor to Zináparo, he remained an unfamiliar face to many people. It didn’t matter that Princeton was supporting the camp; none of the children knew what Princeton even was.
He began by visiting the local high school where his aunt Noemí taught history and ethics, going from classroom to classroom and telling students about his new program. He later found out that one of the students called up Noemí, a widely respected community leader in Zináparo, and told her that someone from Princeton University wanted to start a summer camp. “Do you know about this?” the student asked. “Can we trust him?”
“Of course, you can,” Noemí replied. “He’s my nephew!”
Another challenge was procuring instruments. Almost 40 kids wanted to learn guitar, violin, or bass—but none of them had their own instrument. One hot summer day, Carlos, his younger sister Natalia, his mother, his uncle Adrián, and his grandfather Guillermo piled into the family van and drove two hours to Paracho, a small town in Michoácan that specializes in making instruments. (Paracho inspired the setting of the Oscar-winning animated film Coco.)
Once in Paracho, they purchased several instruments from a local luthier. Somehow, they crammed one bass, five guitars, and seven violins into a van that already contained five people. “I was pressed up against the side of the van,” says Carlos. “It was definitely an experience.” They made several return trips to Paracho for more instruments, and on one occasion, the aforementioned luthier drove a second bass all the way to Zináparo by himself.
Carlos was surprised by how enthusiastically the Zináparo community rallied around the camp. Countless people pitched in: the neighbor who let them use his house for rehearsals; the business owner who let them use his shop for a private recital; and Carlos’ 10-year-old student Hector and Hector’s mother Luz, who cleaned up after every rehearsal. “Without everyone’s help, this project would not have been possible,” says Carlos.
The camp exceeded even Carlos’ wildest expectations. Every Monday through Thursday for two and a half months, almost 100 children aged four to 17 participated in one or more classes: soccer, choir, guitar, and violin/bass. Carlos coached the soccer team and hired teachers for the other subjects. “I wanted teachers who were passionate about working with kids,” says Carlos. “I didn’t want them to treat this as just another way to make money.”
On the last day of camp, his soccer team surprised him with a loud round of applause. One student cried out, “Carlos for president!” Carlos promised to buy them jerseys out of his own money if they continued to practice soccer.
Continue they did. Even though Carlos had to return to Princeton for his senior year, he was determined to keep the camp going. He found two people to coach the soccer team on a volunteer basis; they had recently moved to Zináparo and had long dreamed of coaching their own team. He used his leftover Projects for Peace funding to pay for weekly choral and instrumental lessons for his students until December and let them keep their instruments. Noemí took his place as the point person for the program.
For Carlos, the experience was a blessing. “I just wanted to change the future of even one of the kids,” he says. “I’m seeing that difference already.”
A Debut
On January 7, Carlos woke up with butterflies in his stomach. Today was the debut of Musical Notes: A Composition for Peace. Since the summer, the choir and orchestra (consisting of guitar, violin, and bass) had been rehearsing weekly for a big concert in the Zináparo town square. The entire community had been invited, and Carlos’ extended family in California had flown out to watch.
First, Carlos stopped by the soccer field to observe a match between his team and a team from a neighboring town. He had kept his promise: His team was wearing brand-new orange and black jerseys. Natalia had designed the jerseys, including the iconic image of a Princeton tiger glaring through claw marks.
“In one of our first games, we played against a team from a much wealthier town,” says Carlos. “I could tell how discouraged my students were to see how much nicer [the opposing team’s] field was. I got them jerseys because I wanted them to feel proud to be on this team. I wanted them to feel like they were a part of something bigger…like they had the support of Princeton University.” The new jerseys seemed to do the trick: After putting them on, his team won the next game.
After the match, Carlos and his parents walked to the town square to set up for the performance. The owner of the local funeral home, whose daughter was in the choir, had donated 150 chairs for the audience—and had even purchased new ones so that there would be enough.
Carlos was worried that not enough people were going to show up to fill the seats. But as people started entering the town square, he realized that he had the opposite problem: He didn’t have enough seats. His family raced to the rehearsal space, grabbed as many chairs as they could, carried them back, and set them up with only minutes to spare. The new chairs were quickly occupied, and latecomers had to stand. At least 350 people were in the audience.
As Natalia helped tune the guitars, she noticed a student looking forlorn. She asked him what was wrong, and he quietly asked if this was the last day of the program. “Of course not,” Natalia assured him. He smiled.
The choir opened the concert with six Christmas carols. During “Noche de paz” (Silent Night), they cradled candles in their hands, their faces glowing as if lit from within. For their final song, “Ven a Cantar” (Sing with Us), they rolled up their sleeves, revealing bracelets made of jingle bells. As they clapped their hands, the ringing of bells filled the crisp winter air.
The orchestra was up next, performing two songs that featured a 15-year-old choral student named Andrea. Her voice, initially hesitant and wavering, gradually grew in power. The guitarists kept the orchestra together with their steady strumming, and the violinists trained their eyes on the conductor, determined not to miss their tremolo entrance. In the very back, a student plucked away at the bass that Carlos had brought back from Paracho.
After the orchestra finished, Noemí invited Hector and Luz to the stage and thanked them for keeping the rehearsal space clean. She presented them with gifts and embraced a clearly overcome Luz. The crowd cheered.
Next to speak was Carlos’ student José, who at 17 years old was the oldest member of the program. “I want to give a special thank you to Carlos for giving me and the children of this town the opportunity to learn music,” he said. “I hope this continues…Zináparo needs these programs.”
Carlos walked onstage to deliver the concluding remarks. “Thank you to my grandparents for giving me a love of Zináparo,” he said, choking back tears. “I know I wasn’t born here, but this is my home.”
As Carlos left the stage, he was mobbed by students, parents, complete strangers—all of whom wanted to take a picture with him. Grown men were crying and little kids were beaming. “Before this camp, the children of Zináparo didn’t have anything like this,” says Eréndira. “But now, they do.”
Carlos hopes that the camp will take place every summer, with weekly programming throughout the rest of the year. He hopes that someday his music students will be paid to perform or even to teach. (This is already happening: José has been invited by his guitar teacher to perform in a mariachi band, and Carlos wants him to teach for the camp.) He hopes to solicit donations from Zináparo residents who have immigrated to the United States, and to potentially seek funding from the Mexican government.
These are all big dreams. It’s a lot for one Princeton student—and soon-to-be-alum—to take on alone.
But Carlos knows he isn’t alone. “I feel honored to have so many different communities believe in the project,” he says. “It ensures the life of the project, because there are so many people invested in wanting to see the kids succeed.”
To learn more about Musical Notes: A Composition for Peace, follow them on Instagram. Their full debut performance can be viewed on YouTube.
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
Read MoreAt 3:51 pm on Friday, January 19, 2024, BART Police received a call about a shooting that occurred on the platform of Pittsburg Center Station located at 2099 Railroad Avenue. The initial report was that a male suspect shot a male victim and fled the scene. The victim was taken to an area hospital and remains in critical condition.
A few hours later a second male victim who had also been shot showed up at an area hospital. The second victim remains in stable condition with a wound to his leg. BART PD is working to determine a motive for the shooting. At this point, investigators believe the shooting was not random.
The incident forced the shutdown of Pittsburg Center Station for approximately 4 1/2 hours so investigators could gather evidence. Investigators are also reviewing surveillance video captured by platform cameras at the station. The station was reopened and normal service restored.
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Contra Costa Board of Supervisors Chair Federal Glover with Humanitarians of the Year Willie Mims, Vedant Kathrani, Robi ToZulAhmad and Noor ToZulAhmad. Photo by Office of Congressman Mark DeSaulnier.
Willie Mims of Pittsburg and three Dougherty Valley High students recognized during annual Martin Luther King, Jr. ceremony
By Allen D. Payton
During their 46th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. themed “Beloved Community” ceremony on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors honored Humanitarian of the Year, Willie Mims for his tireless commitment and Student Humanitarians of the Year, Vedant Kathrani, Robi ToZulAhmad, and Noor ToZulAhmad for improving the lives of Contra Costa County residents and all for reflecting the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Mims has been a community activist since 1963 and helped found the East County NAACP and Pittsburg’s Black Political Association. He has been a constant presence in the community and in public meetings, where he has always been ready to weigh in with his perspective. A retired teacher, Mims has been an advocate for quality education, especially, making sure students know history, particularly the history of the African-American experience. See video of and about Mims.
The three honored students were recognized for founding PlatetoPeople, a non-profit committed to ending hunger, preventing food waste and positively impact the environment. They partnered with White Pony Express and RecycleSmart to distribute meals. See video of the three students.
“Our students are remarkable young people who do remarkable things,” said San Ramon Valley Unified School District Superintendent Dr. John Malloy. “These three students have followed a path of exemplary service to their community, and we are so proud.”
Noor and Robi Tozulah are brothers from Rohingya, Myanmar, and Dougherty Valley High School students. Hunger is personal for the Tozulahmad brothers; they were born and Myanmar and had to live parts of their childhood begging on the streets in Malaysia to get their next meal.
At six years old, the brothers took a harrowing 11-day boat journey to Malaysia, where they faced moments when they feared their fate. In 2016, the Tozul Ahmad brothers arrived in America and gained a deeper understanding of global issues, with one problem standing out prominently – food waste and its environmental impact.
Vedant Kathrani, a Dougherty Valley High School junior, is an aspiring computational environmentalist committed to community improvement through STEM, innovation, and environmental sustainability. He has been acknowledged locally and globally for his academic achievements and community service, and he is also a Global Youth Ambassador for the Gates Foundation. When he discovered that food from restaurants often went to waste at the end of the day rather than being given to those in need, he joined forces with Robi and Noor to make a difference.
PlateToPeople collects food from restaurants, schools, and other businesses to provide food for the homeless. Their mission is to fight hunger and provide food for those in need in their community and beyond. The organization believes that everyone deserves access to healthy and nutritious food.
“Through our journey from Rohingya to America, I’ve learned the value of food, resilience, compassion, and the potential for positive change in the face of adversity,” said Noor Tozul Ahmad, Co-Founder of PlateToPeople.
“Our initiative involves saving surplus food and serving it to the homeless, one plate at a time,” shared Robi Tozul Ahmad, Co-Founder of PlateToPeople.
Learn more about PlateToPeople at https://platetopeople.org/.
Ilana Israel Samuels, Director of Communications, Family and Community Engagement, SRVUSD contributed to this report.
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