Click on each photo above to view the Concord Police Arrest Report (four pages).

Names of those arrested are not included in the report.

The numbers in each address have been deleted to respect the privacy of any possible victim(s).

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Chrysanthemums a.k.a. Mums are one of the most abused perennials available.

Folks buy them by the trunk-load during the months of October and November. Mums are valued for their fall colors of gold, rust, orange, and purple. They can be seen layered on their entryway steps, in window boxes and containers. A moment after Thanksgiving has past, poinsettias and cyclamen replace the Mums that used to adorn our decorated areas. The Mums that were once loved are now cast to the side. Some Mums are given a promise to be planted in the garden, and others are tossed into the green-waste receptacle.

It’s tough to be a Mum. Some garden lovers don’t really get their potential. Mums are hardy, sun loving perennials that can live in a Claycord landscape or garden for many years. Typically, Mums bloom in Claycord from early to mid summer. Those porch castoffs can simply be planted into the landscape for months of summer color. Some folks crave flowering Mums in the fall. With few garden tricks we can enjoy Mums flowers in our landscapes in the autumn.

Mums are herbaceous perennials. This means that they enjoy periods of growth, bloom and rest. During the cold winter months, Mums rest beneath the surface of the soil. As spring begins to warm Mums foliage can be seen pushing through the ground. Usually by mid- late July almost a foot of plant can be seen (perhaps more depending on variety). If you want to trick your Mums into blooming during the fall, mid-late July is the time to take certain steps.

The first step is the hardiest. You’ll need to cut down all of your Mums spring growth. It sounds scary. But it’s necessary. Cut the Mums growth down to 3”-4” from the ground. Yikes.

Then next step is to fertilizer to encourage growth. Use a water-soluble fertilizer with a larger first number than the second and third, for example 15-6-3. You do not need to use this exact formula, just something close. Fertilize the Mums after summer pruning, three weeks after that, and then two weeks after that. Suddenly the calendar will say September, and it’ll be time for the final step.

The final step for forcing Mums to bloom for fall is to fertilize for the flowers. We’ll use another water-soluble fertilizer. Use a formula where the first number is smaller than the second and third numbers. Consider a 2-10-10, or a 3-20-20. Fertilize every other week, and watch the buds on your Mums swell, and burst into bloom. Flowering should begin anywhere from the last weeks of September or early days of October. Pinch backs faded blooms regularly, and continue to fertilize every other week until we are half way finished with November.

Those folks that have purchased floral forced Mums to enjoy this year should feed their plants with the same formula mentioned above, every other week. If your purchased Mums are wrapped in decorative foil, consider piercing the foil to allow your plant to drain.

This year, after Thanksgiving plant your mums in the garden. They can be rewarding for years!

Happy gardening.

Nicole Hackett is the Garden Girl at R&M Pool, Patio and Gardens, located at 6780 Marsh Creek Road in Clayton, 925-672-0207.

Nicole writes for the Clayton Pioneer Newspaper, and Claycord.com. She is also the Clayton Valley Garden Club 2012 President.

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A vehicle fire was extinguished this afternoon on SB-I-680 in Walnut Creek.

No injuries were reported.

Thanks to Sam for the pictures!

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Click on the photo above to read the weekly update from the City of Pleasant Hill.

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The Clayton Police Weekly Activity Report:

The times shown indicate when the incident was reported to the PD.

ACCIDENTS:

• Clayton Rd./Center St.  No Injuries.  (10/01/14 – 1913 hrs.)

ARRESTS:

• Easley Dr./Cabernet Ct.  DUI: Alcohol.  A 51-year-old Clayton female was arrested after being stopped for Vehicle Code violations.  She was transported to Concord Police Department for booking.  (09/28/14 – 0050 hrs.)
• Clayton Rd./Lydia Lane.  Use/Under the Influence of a Controlled Substance.  A 32-year-old San Francisco male was arrested after responding to a call for service.  He was transported to Concord Police Department for booking.  (09/29/14 – 1212 hrs.)
• Clayton Rd./Mitchell Canyon Rd.  Possession of a Controlled Substance.  A 24-year-old Pleasant Hill female was arrested after being stopped for Vehicle Code violations.  She was transported to Martinez Detention facility for booking.  (09/30/14 – 1840 hrs.)
• El Camino Dr./Shasta Ct.  Warrant.  A 46-year-old Pittsburg female was arrested after being stopped for Vehicle Code violations.  She was released on her signed promise to appear.  (10/01/14 – 0736 hrs.)

BURGLARIES/THEFTS:

• None reported.

VANDALISMS:

• 6400 Clayton Rd.  Vandalism.   (10/01/14 – 2107 hrs.)

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John Neary, the former Clayton Valley High School Principal, who was very well loved by many students who attended CVHS in the late-1990s and early-2000s, has passed away, according to his friends & family.

Neary retired in 2005 after eight years at CVHS.

Many tributes are being posted to his facebook page tonight, including:

“We always knew you had our back and that you loved kids – and dogs! Thank you for your passion, your kindness, your forthrightness, your support – and honestly, the list would go on and on. My prayers to your family. You will be missed.”

Another says….

“So so sorry to hear this. Truly a man who loved education and community for the sake of kids. I appreciate the few years I have been lucky enough to know him.”

There are more than a dozen messages about him on his facebook page.

Neary also taught for many years at College Park High School in Pleasant Hill.

Rest in Peace to a man who obviously made a huge impact in our community.

This note of thanks came from a Claycordian on New Hampshire Dr., which is off Pine Hollow Rd. in Concord.

I want to thank a wonderful young man who saved our house from burning down. I live on New Hampshire Dr. and a fire broke out in the creek next to our house over the weekend.

A young man who was going by saw it and came and range the doorbell then went and got the hose and started to put the fire out. Before we could get to the front door.

My husband went out to help him. I called the fire department and they came and then pg&e came. It seems it started in the pg&e box on the pole out side our house ( elegeadly). We are two senior citizens. We just want to thank him.

Nice job, young man!

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Police and fire officials are investigating a Sunday night suspicious fire that broke out at a Walnut Creek strip mall.

Emergency crews responded at 9:20 p.m. to a building in the 1200 block of Arroyo Way that was engulfed in flames, police said.

Police said investigators from the Contra Costa Fire Department responded and located a gasoline can at the scene.

Officers viewed video surveillance from a nearby business and identified a known transient man in the area at the time of the fire.

The man, identified as Arthur Holden, 49, was located nearby. Police said there was physical evidence and stolen property from the business that was set on fire in the area where Holden was found.

Police arrested Holden on suspicion of arson, commercial burglary and parole violation.

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Pleasant Hill CERT is starting an emergency preparedness speaker series at the Pleasant Hill Community Center on the third Thursday of the month in October, November, and December.

The first speaker on Oct.16 is Dr. David P. Schwartz, Senior Geologist with the USGS. The event is free, but space is limited so we are accepting reservations for those who want to guarantee a spot.

The attached flyer has all the details, so please click on it for a much larger view.

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The “Water Cooler” is a feature on Claycord.com where we ask you a question or provide a topic, and you talk about it!

The “Water Cooler” will be up Monday-Friday at noon!

Have you attended one of your high school reunions? If so, did you enjoy it? If not, why didn’t you go?

Talk about it….

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Traffic Jammin’ with Janis Mara – Every Monday at 2pm on Claycord.com.

TRAFFIC JAMMER: Greetings, all! This Claycord.com column is for everyone who negotiates the highways and public transit of the Bay Area. It runs every Monday at 2pm and answers your commuting and transportation questions.

Email your questions to trafficjammin@claycord.com.

COMMUTER: When turning right in the right turn lane at the Treat Blvd exit off northbound Interstate 680, I have encountered many drivers who come to a dead stop in the middle of that dedicated turn lane on Treat just because they want to cross over to the left lanes.

I got into one fender bender about a decade ago there and two near-misses, one being just this past weekend.  Am I the only one thinking this is dangerous?  Is it OK for these drivers to come to a dead stop when there are no cars in front of them in this lane?

–Don’t stop THERE!

TRAFFIC JAMMER: Wow, DST, the Jammer is glad you didn’t get hurt! Just as a datapoint, I get more email about this exit than any other exit in Claycord. Anyway, of course you are right. You can’t stop in the middle of the roadway unless you’re avoiding an obstacle. Here’s how our resident law enforcement officer, Officer Leo, puts it:

“Without an obvious road hazard, it’s not OK to stop because you want/ need to get over or turn there.  In fact, you can’t even slow down to a turtle’s pace in a rabbit’s world.

Vehicle Code section 22400 tells us so: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc22400.htm

Simply put, you can’t impede the normal flow of traffic.”

COMMUTER:  I don’t know who sets the timing of the stop lights, but it could not be more obvious that they are deliberately trying to create traffic on Denkinger Road up Treat.  It is really bad, and it did not start until this school year.  There are not more people in the area to cause this.  It is definitely being caused by the traffic lights.  What used to take 30 minutes to get down treat from Denkinger is easily taking 45 minutes.

Doesn’t the city want to widen Denkinger and connect it through the naval land to Bailey?  Conspiracy theory?

Please find out who changed the traffic lights and why.

–Concord Citizen

TRAFFIC JAMMER: Here’s what Ray Kuzbari, Concord’s traffic manager, had to say, please note the last sentence with regard to Denkinger:

“I totally understand the frustration.  I have to fight traffic on Concord Boulevard every morning as well, and it’s no fun.  We are seeing a marked, steady increase in traffic volumes throughout the City during the commute hours.  Schools are in, which contributes mightily to congestion, and there appears to be a significant increase of commute traffic from East County as well, via Marsh Creek Road, Bailey Road and Kirker Pass Road, bypassing Highway 4.

This is to be expected as the economy continues to improve.  With the levels of traffic demand we’re experiencing oversaturating our streets, the ability of traffic signals to maintain a smooth flow of traffic unfortunately approaches a breaking point.  Nonetheless, we will recheck the signal timings on Treat Boulevard starting from Clayton Road to see if any adjustments can be made to help out the situation during the morning commute hours.

Please note that the City plans to improve the Clayton Road/Treat Boulevard/Denkinger Road intersection in the next couple of years to improve the traffic signal operation and reduce traffic delays at this intersection.

With regard to Denkinger Road, the street has two vehicular lanes of travel (one lane in each direction) and there are no plans to change that.”

TRAFFIC JAMMER:  Here’s an update on this question from last week:

COMMUTER: Is the Concord DMV office open yet after renovations? My driver’s license expired last Saturday on my birthday.

–Pleasant Jenny

TRAFFIC JAMMER: The DMV told the Jammer that the station would re-open Sept. 29, but these things don’t always go as planned. So our pal, frequent commenter Killjoy, went to the trouble to visit the Concord DMV and confirmed, “Folks, I’m currently sitting in the parking lot for the AAA office, and I’m happy to report that the Concord DMV office is in fact open for business.” (Obviously, the offices are quite close to each other.)

Killjoy also shared that the Pittsburg DMV is currently closed.

Thanks, Killjoy!

COMMUTER: Is it legal to park in spaces reserved for electric car hookups? More and more businesses are putting the stations in their parking lots, but I never see anybody using them. Can a non-electric car use the parking space legally for a limited time?

–Bob

TRAFFIC JAMMER: No, the only legit reason for parking in an electric car charging station is to charge your electric car, Bob. Many thanks to anon777, who already answered the question in last week’s column – just wanted to be sure everyone saw this.

TRAFFIC JAMMER: That’s it for this week – see you next Monday. Be sure to cruise by Claycord.com at 2pm for more traffic intelligence. Remember, whether you drive, walk, bike or hop Amtrak, BART or AC Transit, Traffic Jammer Janis Mara is here to answer your questions.

Send your questions to trafficjammin@claycord.com

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BART will soon begin charging for parking at its four remaining stations that have lots without daily fees, agency officials announced today.

New $1 daily parking fees will begin on Oct. 27 at the Concord station, Nov. 12 at the North Concord station, then on dates yet to be determined at the Coliseum/Oakland Airport and Hayward stations, according to BART.

The daily fees are required for parking between 4 a.m. and 3 p.m. at stations. Along with parking in “Fee” lots, drivers can also park in “Permit” lots if they have purchased a Single Day, Monthly or Airport/Long-Term permit in advance.

To pay the daily fees, drivers must sign up in advance at www.bart.gov/parking to link their Clipper card to BART’s parking payment program.

They will then receive a hang tag by mail for their car and can swipe their Clipper card at a Parking Validation Machine inside the paid area of a BART station.

Riders can also pay for parking by remembering their stall number and paying — with cash only — at an Add Fare Machine, BART officials said.

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The election is just a month away, but there is still time for those interested in serving their community and making $125 in the process to sign up to work at a local voter precinct on Election Day, Tuesday, November 4, 2014.

Contra Costa County is in need of civic-minded men and women ages 16 and older to be poll workers in all areas of the county. Poll workers are urgently needed in San Ramon and Danville. Elections officials also say that bilingual poll workers (English/Spanish, English/Japanese, English/Korean, English/Tagalog, English/Chinese, English/Vietnamese and English/Hindi) are especially needed.

“There is no better way to serve your community, nor a more important part you can play on Election Day than being a poll worker,” said Joe Canciamilla, Contra Costa Registrar of Voters. “It is our poll workers who serve to keep our voting process open, accessible and fair.”

No prior experience is necessary and training is provided. Poll workers receive a stipend for their service, which includes attending a two-hour required training and working 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Election Day. They will receive a special pin denoting their service. Serving as a poll worker does not have any bearing on Social Security or unemployment status, according to State law.

Poll workers don’t have to be politically active or belong to a political party, Contra Costa County Election officials said. Poll workers are required to remain neutral while working on Election Day.

County and State employees are encouraged to apply.

High School students who are at least 16 and have a grade point average of 2.5 or above may serve as poll workers. Student poll workers will receive a stipend and may fulfill community service requirements.

Those interested in being a poll worker must be registered to vote in California, or a permanent resident in the United States, according to state election law.

For more information, visit www.cocovote.us. To apply, email eo@vote.cccounty.us or call the Elections Division at 925-335-7873.

Monday night, 10:15pm: Once again, just like a few weeks ago, we’re getting several reports of a loud rumbling/humming noise throughout Claycord.

Does anybody else out there hear it?

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We’ve been notified by several sources that Contra Costa County’s Director of Animal Services will be retiring this year. Glenn Howell came to Contra Costa County in 2004 following a long stint at Oakland Animal Services. The CC County shelter system serves the entire county (except Antioch which has their own shelter) of over one million residents.

The County operates two facilities. In May 2005, the County opened the new “state-of-art” shelter at 4800 Imhoff Place in Martinez, which includes a barn and totals over 38,000 square feet. There is a smaller facility in Pinole to provide closer access to West County residents.

We’ve received many emails throughout the past few weeks, including this one:

“I thought you might like to let your readers know that the Animal Services Director is retiring this year. This is a chance for our county to bring in someone who is ready and willing to make changes, introduce new programs and increase the good outcomes for our community pets.

There should be several changes and goals in hiring the right person (these are just a few):

• Work within our communities and include more marketing, more PR and more enforcement to bring about more responsible pet ownership. Bring in more spay/neuter/microchip resources (even collaborations with existing other entities). Stop the backyard breeding. Stop the sales of puppies at flea markets and other public places. Decrease owner surrenders with more resources.
• Create programs designed to get more of our pets out of the shelter, alive. Many don’t know of the beautiful facility we have and the wonderful animals available within it. If more did, we’d have more adoptions. They need to increase their marketing reach in networking the animals at the shelter. Why don’t we see our shelter on the morning news highlighting pets? Providing better photography? Involving the community in adoption efforts? More internet/radio/tv promotions? Themed days? Adoption fairs? Events? Out of the box thinking? In fact, we have both a juvenile hall and a VA hospital within a close distance to the shelter, both of which have been proven partners in shelter reform and people/pet enrichment in other areas.
• Create programs to enhance the time the animals are at the shelter. More foster programs. More enrichment. More volunteers. More youth programs. More training. Just more of everything. Enrichment helps these animals handle the stress of the shelter environment which in turn helps with happier outcomes.

I believe it takes much, much more than more of the same, and that the County Supervisors should lead the change into a complete county shelter reform, open this job search nationally, and collaborate with the public, shelter workers and volunteers to make OUR shelter a true reflection of our community. A compassionate community that loves and honors our pets, and wants better, and in fact, demands better.

Contra Costa County has (in shelter speak) only a 70% live release rate of cats and dogs. Last year that was near 4,000 pets that died in our shelter right here in Martinez. We must do better and it can begin with the right leadership.”

What do you think? Should the County Supervisors be looking at shelter reform?

If you want to provide your input, the County Supervisors meet each Tuesday at 9am.

More information is available at their website, including ways to contact your individual Supervisor.

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Several trees on the vacant lot at Clayton Rd. & Treat Blvd. in Concord will be removed this week in order to make room for the planned Starbucks drive-thru coffee shop.

The land is currently owned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and the Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) manages it for the Bureau, and they develop guidelines for tree clearing since the the Clayton Canal, which hasn’t been used in many years, is located under this piece of property.

The developers have a license to build on the property, and the trees are being cleared by a contractor working for the developer, not by the CCWD.  The tree clearing operation is only following guidelines established by CCWD for the removal of the trees.

Starbucks wants to build a 2,000 food drive-thru coffee shop on the corner of the busy intersection.

The lot, which used to house a Shell gas station, has been empty for several years.

RELATED STORY: Starbucks with Drive-Thru Planned for Clayton Rd. & Treat Blvd. in Concord

Join National Park Service rangers for a full moon walk on Wednesday October 8, 2014 on Mt. Wanda, part of the John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez.

This free, two-hour program begins at 6:00 PM with a one-mile, moderately strenuous hike to watch the full moon rise over nearby Mt. Diablo. Atop Mt. Wanda’s 640-foot summit, visitors can use spotting scopes to view more detailed features of the moon. Visitors can also listen to the chorus of night sounds and keep an eye out for the nocturnal native grey fox.

Visitors should meet at the parking lot on the corner of Alhambra Avenue and Franklin Canyon Road, Martinez (at the Alhambra Ave. exit off Highway 4). Bring water, a flashlight, warm clothes, and binoculars (if you have them). Wear comfortable walking shoes, as the trail is steep. If it rains heavily, the walk will be canceled.

Reservations are not required. Please call the John Muir NHS visitor center at (925) 228-8860 if you have questions. For more information, please visit the park website at www.nps.gov/jomu.

Created in 1964, John Muir NHS preserves the home, landscapes, and gravesite of conservationist and national park advocate John Muir. Mt. Wanda preserves 326 acres of grasslands and oak woodlands that were part of the original Muir/Strentzel ranch in the Alhambra Valley more than a century ago. Muir named Mt. Wanda after his eldest daughter, Annie Wanda Muir, and he often strolled among these hills with his two daughters. Visitors can follow in Muir’s footsteps by enjoying Mt. Wanda seven days a week from sunrise to sunset.

The John Muir NHS, located at 4202 Alhambra Avenue, Martinez, CA 94553, is open five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday, from 10 AM to 5 PM. Admission to the site is free of charge. For more information, please visit the park website at www.nps.gov/jomu or call (925) 228-8860.

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OK, Claycordians, let’s find another stolen vehicle!

Here’s a note from a Claycordian:

My 1987 Suzuki Samurai was stolen last night from in front of Kings Valley Christian School on Denkinger Ct. I was wondering if you could put a picture I’ve sent you on here to get the word out. This car has been in the family since 1987 and has a lot of sentimental value.

If you’ve seen this vehicle, please call the Concord Police, or send an anonymous news-tip to news@claycord.com.

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The “Water Cooler” is a feature on Claycord.com where we ask you a question or provide a topic, and you talk about it!

The “Water Cooler” will be up Monday-Friday at noon!

Do you ever worry about the dangers associated with living near several refineries?

Talk about it….

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Here’s another picture taken in the 1970’s in downtown Clayton.

This picture shows the old LaCocotte restaurant, which operated downtown until about 2003.

The building now houses Moresi’s.

Thanks to Carol Putman for the look back in time!

ABOUT THE CLAYCORD ONLINE MUSEUM: The Claycord Online Museum is made up of historical photos, documents & anything else that has to do with the history of our area.

If you have any old photos or items that you’d like to place in the Claycord Online Museum, just scan or take a photo of them, and send them to the following address: news@claycord.com. It doesn’t matter what it is, even if it’s just an old photo of your house, a scan of an old advertisement or an artifact that you’d like us to see, send it in and we’ll put it online!

Click on the tag below titled “Claycord Online Museum” to view other items!