Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA) articles from June 2005

Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA) archives from June 2005

Hot A's get swept away by success.
June 30, 2005... Byline: Joe Stiglich OAKLAND, Calif. _ This formula is starting to look very familiar to Scott Hatteberg. The A's have been a team capable of catching fire and rattling off wins in bunches in recent years. Now they find themselves in...

Bonds should do us all a favor and disappear.
June 30, 2005... Byline: Neil Hayes If you listen carefully, you can hear it _ silence. Riffle through the sports pages on most days and you'll find nary a word about performance-enhancing drugs in baseball, BALCO, Victor Conte Jr. and Greg Anderson. ...

Incumbent wins ambulance battle.
June 30, 2005... Byline: Kiley Russell Jun. 30--Contra Costa supervisors approved a new contract Tuesday that allows American Medical Response to continue providing ambulance service to the county. The contract talks were not without tension, but the...

Board saves services for disabled.
June 30, 2005... Byline: Sandy Kleffman Jun. 30--Contra Costa County supervisors approved a contract this week aimed at saving services for 450 developmentally disabled children and adults. The goal is to maintain all programs provided at the George...

Annual display gets OK.
June 30, 2005... Byline: Tom Lochner Jun. 30--They were on. They were off. Now Richmond's July 3 Independence Eve fireworks are on again, thanks to a late Coast Guard change of heart. The agency, part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,...

San Pablo gaming dealt blow in D.C.
June 30, 2005... Byline: Tom Lochner Jun. 30--The future of gambling in San Pablo took a hit Wednesday when a bill that would stop an Indian tribe from operating gaming machines in this city handily passed a U.S. Senate committee in Washington. The...

Dublin holds forum on Heritage Center.
June 30, 2005... Byline: Sophia Kazmi Jun. 30--DUBLIN -- How to get more foot traffic at the city's Heritage Center without creating a Disneyland-esque park to do it was discussed at a community meeting Tuesday night. About 20 people attended this...

Plans for land sours promise.
June 30, 2005... Byline: Theresa Harrington Jun. 30--A small uprising in one of Walnut Creek's oldest and most influential neighborhoods has erupted over what some see as a moral issue that could pit the will of a recently deceased resident...

Lab names head of nonproliferation.
June 30, 2005... Byline: Betsy Mason Jun. 30--Lawrence Livermore Lab named a nuclear weapons engineer with decades of experience as its head of nonproliferation, arms control and international security. Ray Juzaitis, a veteran of at Los Alamos Lab in...

OPINION: Check cow protocols.
June 30, 2005... Jun. 30--Officials and doctors say there's no reason to be concerned about our beef. Mad cow disease appears to be rare, experts say. Rules have changed; safeguards are in place, they tell us. Color us skeptical, however, when those...

OPINION: No BART pay hike.
June 30, 2005... Jun. 30--Despite fare increases and new parking fees, BART has a $24 million-a-year operating deficit. A significant reason for the shortfall is the unconscionably generous 24 percent pay increase the BART board approved in 2001. That came on...

Livermore schools budget to rebound.
June 30, 2005... Byline: Eric Louie Jun. 30--LIVERMORE -- In an apparent reversal of the money-slashing trend of recent years, school trustees on Tuesday approved a 2005-06 district budget that includes smaller elementary school class sizes, a return of...

BriteSmile replaces another chief exec.
June 30, 2005... Byline: Rick Jurgens Jun. 30--Lips were sealed around Walnut Creek's BriteSmile Inc. late Wednesday after the company issued a terse release saying that President Julian Feneley had become chief executive "after the Board of Directors...

BART higher pay offer comes with conditions.
June 30, 2005... Byline: Mike Adamick Jun. 30--As a deadline approaches on existing contracts, BART management on Wednesday offered to raise salaries for its union workers but asked employees to chip in considerably more for health benefits. The...

BART strike a test for traffic group.
June 30, 2005... Byline: Mike Adamick Jun. 30--From a 17th-floor office overlooking the East Bay's network of freeways and train tracks, a dedicated cadre of Web gurus, traffic engineers and transportation planners is working feverishly behind the...

Living wage laws offer no panacea.
June 30, 2005... Byline: George Avalos Jun. 30--The latest salvo in the battle over living wage laws suggests the ordinances have unleashed some unintended consequences and produced mixed results. Over the past decade, the ordinances have helped some...

Alamo YMCA design, landscape plans OK'd.
June 30, 2005... Byline: Linda Davis Jun. 30--DANVILLE -- The Contra Costa zoning administrator gave thumbs up Tuesday night to the design and landscaping scheme for the proposed Alamo YMCA. The project, with a lengthy list of conditions, was...

Around the remote: TV picks for July 3-9.
June 30, 2005... Byline: Chuck Barney DON'T MISS: "WATCH THE SKIES!" _ "Whew, that movie! It just undid my world." That's the way director Steven Spielberg recalls how he felt when watching the 1953 sci-fi flick "Invaders From Mars" for the first...

Hot housing market cooks up a new name: 'souffle'.
June 29, 2005... Byline: George Avalos Jun. 29--So, we've had housing bubble and housing froth to describe the super-heated residential real estate market in California. Now, we can add housing souffle to the economic menu. Souffle is the latest...

Grunion back in San Francisco Bay.
June 29, 2005... Byline: Denis Cuff ALAMEDA, Calif. _ Michael Schiff stalked down a long beach at 1 a.m. and scanned the shallow water for a mystery fish lost for about 150 years. ``I know they're here, but they're very shy,'' whispered Schiff, a...

San Pablo, Calif., set for $1.5 million surplus thanks to bingo revenue.
June 29, 2005... Byline: Tom Lochner Jun. 29--SAN PABLO -- The city is expected to run a $1.5 million surplus next year, thanks largely to anticipated revenue from electronic bingo at Casino San Pablo. San Pablo City Manager Brock Arner presented the...

Livermore, Calif., city council scuttles plan to remove downtown fountain.
June 29, 2005... Byline: Bonita Brewer Jun. 29--LIVERMORE -- Strong protest from several residents prompted the City Council Monday night to scuttle plans to replace downtown's Lizzie Fountain with a retail building. Council members agreed that if...

Forecast predicts Bay Area to lead California in economic gains.
June 29, 2005... Byline: George Avalos Jun. 29--The East Bay will be the economic bulwark of the Bay Area over the next five years and will outpace the region's other major urban centers in economic growth, job creation and personal income, according to...

Grunions returns to San Francisco Bay after 150-year absence.
June 29, 2005... Byline: Denis Cuff Jun. 29--ALAMEDA -- Michael Schiff stalked down a long beach at 1 a.m. and scanned the shallow water for a mystery fish lost for about 150 years. "I know they're here, but they're very shy," whispered Schiff, a...

Senior finds fault with Contra Costa County, Calif., housing.
June 29, 2005... Byline: Tom Lochner Jun. 29--Kidd Manor, the Contra Costa County Housing Authority's apartment house for seniors in San Pablo, needs some tender loving care, a longtime tenant says. "We don't get no response from housing (authority...

A's stop M's, 6-2.
June 29, 2005... Byline: Joe Roderick OAKLAND _ If you know Curt Young, who is quiet and unassuming, you know why he just shrugs his shoulders sheepishly when told manager Ken Macha has gone out of his way to praise him this month. "I don't know...

Invisibility cloak doesn't hide new 'Harry Potter' book's debut.
June 29, 2005... Byline: Chuck Barney Jun. 29--Mike Barnard, owner of Rakestraw Books, can recall a time when the release of a "Harry Potter" book didn't send the world spinning off into unbridled delirium. For the 1999 debut of the third installment...

New study proposed on Livermore, Calif., housing project.
June 29, 2005... Byline: Bonita Brewer Jun. 29--LIVERMORE -- Pardee Homes supporters are crying foul over the City Council's consideration of plans to push back the deadline for ballot arguments on the Livermore Trails project. The council has...

Bid by union to block closure of Oakland, Calif., city jail fails.
June 29, 2005... Byline: Guy Ashley Jun. 29--OAKLAND -- A judge on Tuesday rejected a union's request to block the planned closure of the Oakland City Jail, dashing what may have been the final hope for saving the downtown facility. Alameda County...

Contra Costa County, Calif., supervisors give budget thumbs up.
June 29, 2005... Byline: Kiley Russell Jun. 29--Contra Costa supervisors unanimously approved a $1.2 billion budget Tuesday that avoids millions of dollars in cuts to the Health Department and Sheriff's Office. Supervisors closed a $50 million...

OPINION: Separate fact, fiction at Guantanamo Bay.
June 29, 2005... Jun. 29--A BIPARTISAN GROUP of Congress members returned from a long-overdue inspection trip to the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, over the weekend, and they report that detainees there are being treated humanely. That is...

OPINION: Iraq policy unchanged.
June 29, 2005... Jun. 29--President Bush addressed the nation Tuesday evening in an attempt to reassure the American people that the administration is on the right course in Iraq. He said, "The only way our enemies can succeed is if we forget the lessons of...

Industry lobbyist picked to head California pollution board.
June 29, 2005... Byline: Mike Taugher Jun. 29--Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday appointed a lobbyist for oil companies, utilities and other large industries to the state's top air pollution control post. Cindy Tuck, a 45-year-old lawyer and...

West Contra Costa, Calif., school board approves new budget.
June 29, 2005... Byline: Shirley Dang Jun. 29--RICHMOND -- The West Contra Costa school board Monday approved a $268 million budget for 2005-06. The financial blueprint maintains programs such as band and athletics while cutting teacher positions as...

San Francisco transit workers say they'll give 72 hours strike notice.
June 29, 2005... Byline: Mike Adamick Jun. 29--BART unions promised a 72-hour grace period for a strike if contract negotiations stretch beyond the Thursday midnight deadline, meaning traffic jams can be expected Tuesday at the earliest if a new deal is...

Alameda County, Calif., supervisors retain Diebold for voting machines.
June 29, 2005... Byline: Guy Ashley Jun. 29--OAKLAND -- Alameda County supervisors on Tuesday voted to negotiate a new $6 million contract to upgrade its touch-screen voting system, facing down critics who believe the system poses security risks that...

FasTrak gridlock lighter than expected on Bay Bridge.
June 28, 2005... Byline: Mike Adamick Jun. 28--Fearing traffic bedlam on the Bay Bridge as three new FasTrak e-toll lanes made their debut Monday morning, Moraga couple Ina Rodman and Maury Schwartz gave themselves a two-hour window to get to San...

Unions urge California high court to overturn salary disclosure decision.
June 28, 2005... Byline: Thomas Peele Jun. 28--WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- Several law enforcement unions -- including the politically powerful state prison guards -- are urging the California Supreme Court to overturn a lower court decision that the...

Government has not released all info in terrorism case, defense says.
June 28, 2005... Byline: Andrew Lamar Jun. 28--SACRAMENTO -- Defense attorneys for a Lodi ice cream vendor and his son, who are accused of lying about connections to a terrorist training camp in Pakistan, said Monday the government was withholding some...

Bad-mouthing an ex only hurts the child.
June 28, 2005... Byline: Jann Blackstone-Ford and Sharyl Jupe Question: My ex-husband and his wife bad-mouth me when the kids visit them. From not liking the small town in which we live to my choice of career to calling me selfish and conceited, there...

A bonus for Allstate customers.
June 28, 2005... Byline: George Avalos Jun. 28--SAN FRANCISCO -- Hundreds of thousands of Allstate Insurance customers in California who own homes or drive cars could be in line for a refund following a $30 million settlement Monday between Allstate and...

Marine World ride closed after child becomes ill.
June 28, 2005... Byline: Kelli Phillips Jun. 28--A ride at Six Flags Marine World is being investigated for possibly sickening a youngster who was hospitalized over the weekend with headaches, numbness and nausea. The ride was shut down Saturday...

Pinole approves a budget billed as road to recovery.
June 28, 2005... Byline: Tom Lochner Jun. 28--The Pinole City Council has approved an $11.7 million 2005-06 budget that dips into reserves to the tune of $400,000. But officials say they are righting the city's finances and should have the budget back in...

San Ramon city center plans to come into focus.
June 28, 2005... Byline: Scott Marshall Jun. 28--SAN RAMON -- The City Council will take another step toward creating a mixed-use city center site tonight as planners propose an ordinance outlining its parameters. The Planning Commission rezoned...

Bridge's new FasTrak lanes pass test.
June 28, 2005... Byline: Mike Adamick Jun. 28--Fearing traffic bedlam on the Bay Bridge as three new FasTrak e-toll lanes made their debut Monday morning, Moraga couple Ina Rodman and Maury Schwartz gave themselves a two-hour window to get to San...

Fair extends support to military.
June 28, 2005... Byline: Eric Louie Jun. 28--PLEASANTON -- Corrine Leslie says whether they are for or against the war in Iraq, Americans need to let U.S. troops know they are appreciated. "They're doing a job," said Leslie, a member of Pleasanton...

Livermore council OKs garbage rate increases.
June 28, 2005... Byline: Bonita Brewer Jun. 28--LIVERMORE -- The City Council on Monday approved an 8.8 percent increase in residential and commercial garbage rates. Rates will rise by 98 cents per month for a 32-gallon trash cart, the most common...

Chevron, Shell appeal will be heard; Justices to decide fate of antitrust case.
June 28, 2005... Byline: Rick Jurgens Jun. 28--A group of service-station owners seeking their day in court to challenge alleged price-fixing by joint ventures that marketed the competing brands of two huge oil companies will have to first get a go-ahead...

OPINION: Ten Commandments.
June 28, 2005... Jun. 28--In another attempt at compromise on a touchy issue, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday seems to have solved little about the display of the Ten Commandments in or around public buildings. Ruling in two different case, the court in...

Police unions take Oakland's side in lawsuit.
June 28, 2005... Byline: Thomas Peele Jun. 28--Several law enforcement unions, including the politically powerful state prison guards, are urging the California Supreme Court to overturn a lower court decision that the salaries of individual police...

Rail victim wins punitive damages.
June 28, 2005... Byline: Bruce Gerstman Jun. 28--MARTINEZ -- Less than two months before a train struck Robert Pietrowski's truck in Pinole, the train company acknowledged that the crossing was unsafe. But the company, BNSF Railway -- formerly...

Concord boy tastes sweet success.
June 28, 2005... Byline: Jackie Burrell Jun. 28--Victory is more than sweet for Concord fourth-grader Keenan Mahler. It's downright sugary. Keenan's sculpture of San Francisco's iconic skyline was awarded the grand prize in C&H Sugar's annual SugART...

Hot A's continue to roll.
June 28, 2005... Byline: Joe Roderick OAKLAND _ The skeptics say the Oakland A's are cleaning up on the dregs of the major leagues, Seattle and San Francisco, during their impressive June run, but the point is that they're winning, and lately, handily....

Plenty of options, but what to do?
June 27, 2005... Byline: Marcus Thompson II WALNUT CREEK, Calif. _ It is by all means a good thing that the Warriors enter Tuesday's NBA draft with options. They have three picks, valuable players with which to trade and the patience that comes with...

Lawmaker seeks end to juvenile translators.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Nathaniel Hoffman Jun. 27--Every day, hospitals press the children of immigrants into service as casual interpreters to convey sensitive and complicated medical information from English into their mother tongue. One lawmaker,...

Richmond seeks federal help tracking sex offenders.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Karl Fischer Jun. 27--RICHMOND -- A man holding a cup of beer and a cigar agreed that the police and state agents standing on his doorstep at 9:30 a.m. did find the correct doorstep, or at least the one listed on their paperwork....

FasTrak lanes may spur delays.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Kelli Phillips Jun. 27--As three new electronic toll lanes open on the Bay Bridge today, the initial effect on traffic is likely to be anything but fast. The additional FasTrak lanes are designed to make vehicles move through...

U.N. marks 60th in S.F. birthplace.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Tom Lochner Jun. 27--Sixty years to the day after the signing of the United Nations charter in San Francisco, few, if any, American public officials attended Sunday's anniversary ceremonies. An East Bay corporate leader...

Voting system needs $6 million upgrade.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Guy Ashley Jun. 27--OAKLAND - Four years after Alameda County purchased its touch-screen voting system for $12 million, the manufacturer wants the county to sink nearly $6 million more into upgrades to meet pending state...

Kensington's paths lead to bureaucratic thicket.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Alan Lopez Jun. 27--KENSINGTON - Sandwiched between homes and hidden by trees, pedestrian pathways crisscross Kensington's winding streets, making shortcuts from one part of town to another. The pathways are paved at some...

Antioch, Calif., eyes boost for downtown.
June 26, 2005... Byline: Sarah Krupp Jun. 26--ANTIOCH -- The city is embarking on a massive effort to turn its languishing downtown into a destination spot with quaint stores, restaurants and sweeping vistas of the blue-gray Delta. City leaders are...

Investment in marina pays off for Richmond, Calif.
June 26, 2005... Byline: Dan Laidman Jun. 26--RICHMOND -- Driving along an unassuming stretch of West Cutting Boulevard, you can peek out the window and catch a glimpse of up to 70 boats at any given time. Each vessel has its story, from superstar...

Race for mayor in Richmond, Calif., heats up.
June 26, 2005... Byline: Lisa Vorderbrueggen Jun. 26--Richmond Mayor Irma Anderson put the brakes on her rivals' race to place the frightened city in a state of emergency, but some wonder whether it's her own political career that could stall. The...

Transit staff in San Francisco Bay area paid well, report says.
June 26, 2005... Byline: Mike Adamick Jun. 26--The number of BART employees making at least $100,000 nearly tripled since 2000, according to records obtained by the Times after a series of legal victories. During the same time period, overtime...

Beane not planning on moving Zito before trade deadline.
June 26, 2005... Byline: Joe Roderick OAKLAND, Calif. _ The A's resurgence hasn't altered the philosophy of A's general manager Billy Beane during the trading season. "Every year we're a buyer and a seller. We always have been," Beane said Sunday....

A's Zito on trade rumors: `I'm not going anywhere'.
June 26, 2005... Byline: Joe Roderick OAKLAND, Calif. _ The A's say they won't deal Barry Zito before the July 31 trading deadline, but Zito's name continues to pop up in rumors, including reports that the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets and San...

A's merciless in thrashing of Bay Area rivals.
June 26, 2005... Byline: Joe Roderick OAKLAND, Calif. _ The A's had absolutely no empathy for the San Francisco Giants at any moment of their 16-0 blood bath Sunday. They've been there before, and not too long ago, but certainly not to this magnitude....

With NBA Draft, futures of some franchises at stake.
June 26, 2005... Byline: Marcus Thompson II WALNUT CREEK, Calif. _ Somewhere, Milwaukee Bucks general manager Larry Harris is going hard on a treadmill, focused on a picture of Utah center Andrew Bogut. Somewhere, Charlotte Bobcats coach and general...

Rudd's career takes a late turn.
June 26, 2005... Byline: Neil Hayes SONOMA, Calif. _ It must be unsettling, realizing you may not have enough fuel to finish the race and then seeing that orange Home Depot Chevrolet in your rear view mirror, passing cars one-by-one and shaving fractions...

Phelps skips 50-meter freestyle.
June 26, 2005... Byline: Ann Tatko-Peterson SANTA CLARA, Calif. _ The "DQ" next to Michael Phelps' name initially seemed shocking. How exactly does a swimmer with eight Olympic medals and almost double that many world records get disqualified from...

Why do we still doubt Tim Duncan?
June 25, 2005... Byline: Gary Peterson Hop in. We're going for a ride in the Way Back Machine. We're headed for mid-March 1997. Tucson, Ariz. Tim Duncan doesn't know it, but his college career will end here this weekend. Duncan's Wake Forest team...

No lack of conflicts this season in NASCAR.
June 25, 2005... Byline: Joe Stiglich SONOMA, Calif. _ The finger pointing, the accusations, the promises of payback. Fans of professional wrestling might find the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup season to their liking. Each race seems to spring a fresh...

Walnut Creek, Calif., forum debates school needs.
June 25, 2005... Byline: Jackie Burrell Jun. 25--WALNUT CREEK -- There's little doubt that November's special election, with its bid to dismantle school funding guarantees, has the education community rattled. Political tempers are frayed. The airwaves...

Oakland, Calif., jail staff sues over planned closure of facility.
June 25, 2005... Byline: Guy Ashley Jun. 25--OAKLAND -- The union representing 85 employees of the Oakland City Jail filed a lawsuit Friday to try to block next week's planned closure of the facility, asserting the plan violates their employment...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., staff members capture 22 awards.
June 25, 2005... Byline: Amy Chen Jun. 25--WALNUT CREEK -- Times reporters, photographers and designers have earned 22 awards in a Bay Area journalism contest, putting the Times on top with the most first-place prizes and tied for the most awards...

University of California, lab reach settlement with fired technician.
June 25, 2005... Byline: Ivan Delventhal Jun. 25--OAKLAND -- Acknowledging that the time has come to move on, the University of California and Lawrence Livermore Laboratory have paid off a $2.1 million jury verdict awarded to a fired lab computer...

Maybe the grass is greener in the Bay Area.
June 24, 2005... Byline: Gary Peterson WALNUT CREEK, Calif. _ So you read about the internal turmoil currently ravaging the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. You notice they are headed for the eighth losing record and seventh last-place finish in their eight-year...

Raiders' Collins enthusiastic about future.
June 24, 2005... Byline: Steve Corkran OAKLAND, Calif. _ Raiders quarterback Kerry Collins and his teammates concluded the organized team activities portion of their season Thursday and shifted their sights toward training camp in late July. Most...

Billionaire gives Berkeley $40 million to build health-sciences center.
June 24, 2005... Byline: Matt Krupnick Jun. 24--WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- A Hong Kong billionaire has donated $40 million to help the University of California-Berkeley build a new health-sciences center, university officials announced Thursday. Li...

Accord settles Bay Bridge impasse, raises tolls on spans over San Francisco Bay.
June 24, 2005... Jun. 24--SACRAMENTO -- The Bay Bridge will get a fancy design after all but the region's motorists will pay most of the span's $3.7 billion in cost overruns, under a legislative deal reached Thursday night. The accord calls for tolls on...

Rally slams bingo-machine proposal at San Pablo, Calif., casino.
June 24, 2005... Byline: Tom Lochner Jun. 24--SAN PABLO -- Several dozen community activists, religious leaders and public officials rallied in front of St. Paul Catholic Church Thursday to denounce plans by the Lytton Band of Pomo Indians to install...

East Bay IPO market dries up.
June 24, 2005... Byline: George Avalos Jun. 24--The market for new public companies, one of the pillars of the Bay Area economy, has been knocked askew by a slump in funding. So far in 2005, initial public offerings for fledgling companies based in...

A's hold on to beat Giants.
June 24, 2005... Byline: Joe Roderick OAKLAND, Calif. _ History has shown us that when the A's and Giants get together for their midseason interleague bashes, the games are generally close and full of intrigue. Friday night's game wasn't following...

Defense attorneys for alleged terrorists get access to FBI interviews.
June 24, 2005... Byline: Andrew LaMar SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ A federal judge granted defense attorneys access to FBI interviews with a Lodi, Calif., ice cream vendor and his son accused of being connected to a Pakistani terrorist training camp, but...