Contra Costa Herald

Ghouls and goblins aren’t the only thing California residents have to worry about this Halloween. There’s another threat lurking in nearly every household: you can’t see or feel it, but it drains your hard-earned cash without you even realizing. This threat is the “energy vampire” – and it accounts for nearly 10% of all energy use in California homes.

“Energy vampires” (or standby power) is a term used for any electronic we leave plugged in that slowly sucks energy from our homes. These can be video game consoles, phone chargers, guitar amps, laptops, printers and more. What’s worse, the average U.S. household spends about $130 per year to power devices while they appear to be off.

So how can households reclaim some of these costs? Here are a few tricks and tips:

• Unplug your devices.Perhaps the most obvious thing you can do to battle energy vampires is to unplug devices when they are not in use. Make it a habit to unplug your charger when your phone is fully charged, or your video game console, when you’ve finished playing. These small, simple behavior changes add up in energy savings – and in dollars and cents.
• Enable ENERGY STAR power management settings. ENERGY STAR qualified computers and monitors offer a variety of power settings to help you monitor your energy use. By enabling these settings, you can have your devices go into power save mode when they are not actively in use.
• Use Advanced Power Strips (APS). Replacing your conventional power strips with advanced power strips can help reduce electricity waste when devices are idle – without your having to change the way you normally use your electronics.  Advanced Power Strips work by preventing electronics from drawing power when they are off or not being used.

Congressman Jerry McNerney (CA-09) announced the start of his annual “Holiday Cards for Our Troops” program.  In previous years, the Congressman’s district offices collected more than 10,000 cards from the community with personal messages of gratitude and hope for our men and women in uniform. Rep. McNerney is again inviting constituents to submit cards to his district offices that will be delivered to troops at home and overseas during the upcoming holiday season.

“Our servicemen and women make tremendous sacrifices for our country throughout the year, and oftentimes the holiday season can be difficult for those stationed away from home,” said Rep. McNerney. “This holiday card program provides an opportunity for the community to express their gratitude and thank our troops for their service and all that they do to keep us safe. Many service members have told me that these cards, with their messages of encouragement and support, help boost morale when they cannot be home with their families and friends during the holiday season.”

The holiday cards will be sent to troops stationed overseas in packages organized by the Contra Costa Blue Star Moms, East Bay Blue Star Moms, and A Million Thanks.

To participate in the program, make or purchase a holiday card and write a message of thanks inside to a service member. Cards must be delivered to Rep. McNerney’s office in Stockton or Antioch by Friday, Nov. 4, 2016.  Cards should remain unaddressed and inside unsealed envelopes.

Holiday Card Guidelines:

• Make sure to sign your card
• Use salutations such as “Dear Service Member.” Cards addressed to specific individuals cannot be delivered through this program
• Do not include inserts such as photographs or candy
• Please no glitter or confetti
• Cards should not have an address or a return address
• Cards should be placed inside unsealed envelopes

Below are the addresses of Rep. McNerney’s offices. Cards can be dropped off at either office on or before November 4th.

Stockton

2222 Grand Canal Blvd., Suite 7

Stockton, CA 95207

(209) 476-8552

Antioch

4703 Lone Tree Way

Antioch, CA 94531

(925) 754-0716

McNerney represents California’s 9th Congressional District which includes portions of Contra Costa, San Joaquin, and Sacramento Counties, including most of Antioch. For more information on Rep. McNerney’s work, follow him on Facebook and on Twitter @RepMcNerney.

Citizens Academy participants at the firing range. Photos courtesy of CCC Office of the Sheriff

The current Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff Citizen’s Academy is now in its fifth week. Participants recently received presentations from the Office of the Sheriff SWAT Team, Hostage Negotiations Team, K-9’s and spent an afternoon at the range, where they learned about firearms and were put through use of force scenarios.

The Citizen’s Academy provides community members with an inside look at the Office of the Sheriff and its mission, duties, responsibilities and services. Students are exposed to a variety of important law enforcement topics, procedures and operations, such as patrol, investigations, custody, dispatch and search and rescue.

The Citizen’s Academy is a unique and exciting way to learn about the Office of the Sheriff and how Contra Costa County’s largest law enforcement agency serves the community.

Future Citizen’s Academies are being planned.

July 2, 1964 – October 7, 2016

John Travers Nejedly embarked peacefully on a new journey Friday, October 7, 2016. John was born on July 2, 1964 in Walnut Creek, CA. He is the son of John A. Nejedly and Pamela Maloy, both deceased. John is survived by his loving family, his wife, Katie, his daughters, Kathleen and Kristina and his son, John Christian. His siblings and extended family of nieces, nephews and in-laws also survive him.

J.T., as many knew him, attended Las Lomas High School, Modesto Jr. College, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and John F. Kennedy University School of Law. He founded Nejedly Corporation, a general engineering contracting company, worked as an attorney and served as a Contra Costa Community College District Trustee in the years preceding his death.

J.T. enjoyed spending time with his family and in the mountains more than anything. He loved golfing, skiing, coaching sports, riding dirt bikes and snowmobiles, fishing and living life to the fullest. John will be remembered most for his twenty-two years of dedication to the Community College Board and his twenty-seven years of giving his family so much love and happiness. He will also be remembered as a lifelong friend and confidant to everyone who knew him. His carefree demeanor, love of life and genuine smile will be missed more than anyone will ever know.

Services will be held on Thursday, October 27th at 11:00am at Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, 1315 Lomitas Avenue in Livermore, CA 94550. A reception will follow at Ravenswood Historic Site, 2647 Arroyo Road in Livermore.

Editor:

I have lived my entire life in East County, and I’ve been on the School Board for over 30 years. I’ve seen our community change a lot during that time, and learned that certain qualities make people into great leaders. I’m here to tell you that Steve Barr is a great leader and I hope you vote for him this election for County Supervisor.

I served with Steve for five years on the School Board. His knowledge about our community and many of the different issues we face, from complex budgeting to keeping our families safe, was always there. But I was also struck by his patience and ability to work with all sides on some very tough issues. He doesn’t just talk about bringing people together- he has the background to do it effectively.

And that’s what we need at the County, representing us and bringing us the resources our community needs. Many people don’t realize the important role the County plays in our lives, but let me assure you that we need a real leader like Steve Barr in that seat pushing for us and making sure East Contra Costa isn’t just an afterthought. Please join me this election and vote for Steve Barr for County Supervisor.

Joanne Byer

Board Member, Liberty Union High School District

Editor:

This letter is to enthusiastically support Steve Barr for county supervisor! As a former superintendent of the Liberty Union High School District, I had the very good fortune to work with Steve when he provided dynamic leadership as a member of the Board of Trustees.

In all regards, I found Steve’s honesty, integrity, intellect, optimism, compassion, and determination to make a positive difference to be truly exceptional qualities.

The LUHSD Governing Board is fortunate to have outstanding, dedicated, and committed members. Steve not only continued that tradition — he significantly enhanced it. His unwavering focus on providing the best academic education and personal growth for ALL students was inspirational.

Fiscal responsibility was another of Steve’s major emphasis. His leadership helped to create policies and procedures that ensured the efficient management of all finances. Accountability and transparency were of the highest priority for Steve.

During times of high stress and high stakes decision-making, Steve was at his best. After seeking and considering input from all stakeholders, he was able to objectively, and thoroughly, analyze all aspects of issues before making an informed decision.

Steve was an incredible advocate for all students. He promoted safe schools in which all students could flourish in an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust. College prep, vocational, special education, and agriculture programs were all strongly promoted by Steve.

I am confident Steve will exhibit these same qualities and provide the same high quality leadership as a member of the County Board of Supervisors.

Dan Smith

Retired Superintendent

Liberty Union High School District

By Derrick Burts

The California Nurses Association, the American Sexual Health Association, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and the Southern California Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health all agree: Californians should vote yes on Proposition 60 this November 8.

Prop. 60 is also endorsed by California Church Impact, the public policy arm of the California Council of Churches, representing more than 5,000 congregations in the state.

Prop. 60 will protect the health of California’s young men and women who are exposed routinely and illegally to sexually-transmitted diseases, including HIV, by their employers in the adult film industry. The law already requires condoms to be used in porn films. But industry bosses defy the law and require their performers to engage in unprotected sex because they believe condoms don’t sell films. It’s all about their profits, not the health of their workers.

The porn industry’s reckless business practices result in high rates of STDs among its workers. Adult film performers are 64 times more likely to contract gonorrhea than young people in the general population. Gonorrhea is also increasingly resistant to treatment with antibiotics.

And the performers don’t just have sex with their on-screen partners. They have lives off-camera and can infect members of the general public. The reality is that what happens in the porn studios doesn’t always stay in the studios.

Prop. 60 would give Cal/OSHA, the state’s workplace safety agency, additional tools to enforce the existing condom-use rules to protect not only workers but all Californians.

The American Medical Association and the California Medical Association support condom use in adult films and the vigorous enforcement of the rule. Workers in other occupations have workplace protections. Adult film performers deserve the same. It’s only fair.

On November 8, vote yes on Prop. 60 to protect the young men and women of California.

Burts is a former adult film performer and an advocate for performer protection. He lives in California with his fiancé and their infant son.

By Allen Payton

Some voters, including this writer, are wondering why we don’t have our copy of the State Voter Information Guide, yet, since absentee ballots are being mailed, beginning this week, and we already have a copy of the county voter information guide. (Yes, I know that was a run-on sentence. So, apologies to my high school English teacher, Jo Fyfe).

According to the California Secretary of State’s Elections Division, mailing of the State Voter Information Guides started on September 29th and ends on October 18th.

The Secretary of State’s office mails the state voter information guides to voters who are registered before the 60 day cut off. After that the counties mail them out.

If you don’t receive one by October 18th call 1-800-345-VOTE to get a hard copy mailed to you. In the meantime, you can read or hear the information in the guide online at http://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/en/alt-versions/.