Contra Costa Herald

News Of By and For The People of Contra Costa County, California

Chabad of the Delta invites public to annual Grand Chanukah Celebration in Brentwood Dec. 29

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You are invited to join us for a grand Chanukah Celebration on Sunday, December 29, 2024, at 4:30pm!

Come celebrate the Festival of Lights with Chabad of the Delta and our surrounding communities as we light the grand Menorah in Brentwood City Park. A reception will follow inside the adjacent Brentwood Community Center.

Our local community leaders will participate in kindling the giant “Menorah of Freedom”. There will be fun activities for everyone including:

  • Epic LED Light show
  • Giant Menorah Lighting with Dignitaries
  • Chanukah Donuts
  • Latkes
  • Chocolate Gelt
  • Chanukah Crafts
  • Festival Indoors, Lighting Outdoors
  • Win Chanukah Gifts
  • Security Presence
  • Free Fidget Dreidel for the first 50 Children

For many of us, Chanukah prompts warm, loving memories from our childhood. We light the Menorah every night of the 8-night holiday. These lights offer warmth, joy, strength, inspiration and renews our sense of identity.

This year, Chanukah begins at sunset on Wednesday, Dec. 25th and ends at nightfall on Thursday, Jan. 2nd.

Rabbi Peretz Goldshmid, director of the Chabad of the Delta Jewish Center, describes Chanukah as “a holiday that enriches our lives with the light of tradition. In ancient times our ancestors rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem with the Menorah. Today, we rededicate ourselves to making this world a better and brighter place.”

As we celebrate in East Contra Costa, we join millions the world over, promoting the universal message that good will prevail over evil, freedom over oppression and light over darkness!

Make sure not to miss this opportunity to celebrate with your family and friends! Brentwood City Park is located at 790 2nd Street and the Brentwood Community Center is located at 35 Oak Street.

For more information, contact Chabad of the Delta at (925) 420-4999 or online at JewishDelta.com/Chanukah.

 

22nd Annual Discovery Bay Parade of Lights Dec. 7

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See Super Heroes with Magical Super Powers beginning at 6:00 PM

Join us on Saturday, December 7th for the 22nd Annual Discovery Bay Parade of Lights!

This year’s decorating theme is inspired by the event date of Pearl Harbor Day, and by the amazing heroes we have in our community, the iconic toys and characters that delight us, and of course the Super Hero with Magical Super Powers who IS the ‘reason for the season’.

The Parade-of-Lights theme is ALWAYS about delighting children, creating memories of this community that they will treasure, and of an age-friendly community in which everyone is served.

The Parade-of-Lights is presented by local nonprofit, ROAR California, and their mission is to encourage and facilitate age-friendly communities, and supported by generous community sponsors.

Street Route: From Marina Road to Discovery Bay Blvd. (and the site of Discovery Bay’s Community Tree!)

Con Fire to hold 2024 Annual Open House in Concord Saturday, Oct. 19

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By Chris Toler, Fire Captain, PIO, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District

Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Contra Costa Fire) is excited to announce the 2024 Contra Costa Fire Annual Open House. The media and community are welcome and encouraged to attend this family-friendly event to see Contra Costa Fire up close. Multiple live demonstrations are scheduled. The live demonstrations are designed to display many of the services provided by Contra Costa Fire. The public will also have access to fire engines, meet firefighters, learn how to be fire safe and have the opportunity to ask questions.

All attendees, please adhere to parking signage and instructions. Free parking for the event is being provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at 2930 Treat Blvd. The church is located directly across the street from the training grounds.

WHERE: Contra Costa Fire Training and Safety Division, 2945 Treat Blvd., Concord

WHEN: Saturday, October 19, 2024, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

About Con Fire – Contra Costa Fire provides fire and emergency medical services to more than 770,000 residents in 12 cities (Antioch, Brentwood, Clayton, Concord, Lafayette, Martinez, Oakley, Pinole, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, San Pablo and Walnut Creek) and 10 unincorporated areas across our expanded 553 square-mile jurisdiction. The District comprises 34 fire stations, 40 companies and more than 500 employees. Through our unique ambulance Alliance, the District delivers EMS and ambulance transport services to much of Contra Costa County. Contra Costa Fire remains dedicated to preserving life, property, and the environment.

CoCoTax Luncheon with BART Director Debora Allen Oct. 25

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District 1 BART Board Director Debora Allen. Herald file photo.

The Contra Costa Taxpayers Association (CoCoTax) invites you to attend a Luncheon and Board  and  Members Meeting at Denny’s Restaurant 1313 Willow Pass Road, Concord, on Friday October 25, 2024, from 11:45 am to 1:10 pm.

Please register in advance on the CoCoTax website where you can pay online or bring cash or check on Friday and pay at the door-$25 for members, $30 for guests.

About Our Speaker: Debora Allen

Debora Allen was first elected to the BART Board of Directors in 2016 and re-elected in November 2020, representing eight cities in central Contra Costa County’s District 1. She leaves the BART Board at the end of this year having led the charge for improved fare gates, safe and reliable transit, and fiscal sanity.

In her lunch time remarks to CoCoTax, Debora will look back on her time on the BART board and discuss the transit district’s future.

Debora has over 30 years of financial and business management experience in both private and public sectors, primarily in construction and real estate industries. She received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (accounting) from CSU Sacramento and completed numerous continuing professional education courses in the areas of financial audit, taxation, accounting systems, institutional investing, and pension administration. She practiced as a Certified Public Accountant in California for almost 20 years and currently still holds an inactive CPA license.

Prior to election to BART, Debora spent decades volunteering on boards in youth sports programs, taxpayer oversight groups, and other non-profits including six years as a pension board trustee for the Contra Costa County Employees’ Retirement Association.

Since 2016, she served on regional transportation boards including Capitol Corridor JPA, Contra Costa Transportation Authority, West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Committee, CCTA Accessible Transportation Strategic Policy Advisory Committee, and the Pleasant Hill BART Leasing Authority.  She has also served on several BART Board subcommittees.

For more information call (925) 289-6900 or email info@cocotax.org.

Contra Costa Senior Legal Services Summer Soirée & Symposium fundraiser Aug. 22

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By Anna Mickelsen, Communications Intern, Contra Costa Senior Legal Services

On August 22nd, community members across the county will gather for Contra Costa Senior Legal Services’ (CCSLS) Summer Soirée & Symposium. For more than 40 years, CCSLS has served older adults by providing free legal aid to those aged 60+ who need it. Attorneys from CCSLS help fight evictions to preserve housing, prevent elder abuse, remedy fraud, assist with advance planning documents, and more.

Photo: CC Senior Legal Services

The Summer Soirée & Symposium is not only an opportunity to support the organization, but also will feature a panel discussion on the implications of an aging society, lively entertainment, and delicious refreshments. CCSLS also will present the Honorable Virginia George with the First Annual Elder Justice Award. A Bay Area native, Justice George is an upstanding figure in the community, and a powerful voice for Elder Law and the rights of older adults in Contra Costa County. The Elder Justice Award was created to honor Justice George and her service.

Moving forward, CCSLS will continue to present the Virginia George Elder Justice Award to other professionals who work tirelessly to support the well-being of older adults in the county. Tickets are still available for those interested in attending this upcoming event, and for more information or to purchase a ticket, click, here Summer Soirée and Symposium 2024. All proceeds support CCSLS.

About CCSLS

Contra Costa Senior Legal Services (CCSLS) is a private, nonprofit agency that has been providing free legal services to older residents aged 60 or older in the County since 1976. Thousands of seniors have benefited from these services which have enabled them to stay in their homes, to become eligible for and to retain public benefits, to recover real and personal property wrongly taken from them, and to obtain relief from physical, financial, and emotional abuse.

CCSLS seeks to provide the broadest possible access to its services. It prioritizes those areas of law relevant to the needs of older residents of the County, especially those not otherwise addressed by other legal services programs. CCSLS regularly provides individual assistance to over 1,000 clients per year and provides outreach and training to hundreds more.

Bay Area Rescue Mission to hold Back to School Block Party in Richmond Saturday, Aug. 3

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The Bay Area Rescue Mission – recently ranked as one of the top 0.1% nonprofits in the nation, addressing those in crisis – is hosting its annual block party in downtown Richmond on Saturday, August 3rd. The event is just one very visual way in which the Rescue Mission is expanding its good works from San Francisco out to the rest of the Bay Area.

The Back to School Block Party will include a Saturday full of fun individual and family activities – from the Backpack Giveaway to a Blessing Boutique, and Food, Groceries and Housewares Giveaways to The Kid’s Fun Zone. The event will give those in need the ability to “shop” for free resources that will help attendees get ready for the school year, prepare for the cold winter months ahead, get complimentary haircuts and much more. All in all, the event promises to have a real impact on the community.

“The 1,200 backpacks we’re giving away on Saturday were all packed by Chevron employees. They’ve been spoken for as people registered for them,” shared CEO Bram Begonia. “This is a huge thing. We close down the streets. We have gently used and new clothes in our Clothing Boutique. We’ll have a grocery give-away.”

We have Contra Costa Community College giving out food. We’ll have 50 community partners, here,” he added.

Asked if people have to register Bram stated, “The only thing people had to sign up for ahead of time was the backpacks.

Located on MacDonald Avenue between 1st and 3rd Streets, the event will run from 10 AM to 2 PM.

For more information about the Rescue Mission visit www.bayarearescue.org.