Contra Costa News

59: Monica Barajas of Monicas Riverview

On this episode, a chat with Monica Barajas of Monica's Riverview in downtown Antioch. We get into the restaurant, challenges, how she has overcome it and the potential for all of the City of Antioch.
 
At Monica’s, it offers feel-good breakfast, lunch and dinner favorites with care and creativity. Our menu celebrates  regional comfort food made from scratch using seasonal, local, and organic ingredients—always with a focus on quality, sustainability, and heart.
 
From restaurants in Brentwood and Livermore, we get into how Barajas became an advocate for improving the city of Antioch and wanting to see improvements throughout the city, improve the waterfront and raise the quality of life. We talk about the business altering shooting outside of Monica's in July 2023 and the impact it had on her business and how she has overcome the stigma of violence in the city. She is also up for the challenges and work towards a thriving restaurant and community.
For more on Monica's Riverview, visit them at www.visitmonicas.com
 
 

58: Author Jack Jackson Talks AI and The Reaction to Inaction

 
On this episode, a chat with Jack Jackson, the author of The Reaction to Inaction: How to Outpace Disruption and Lead the Age of AI.
Jackson will be holding a book signing on December 13 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Barnes & Noble in Brentwood for his new book. Jackson grew up in Antioch and shares his journey.
Jackson is a leadership strategist, bestselling author, and former federal task-force professional known for helping organizations lead boldly in an era defined by disruption and AI-driven change. Recruited straight out of college, Jack completed his last training academy just months before 9/11 and went on to serve on the Joint Terrorism Task Force, where he developed his foundation in decisive action, crisis leadership, and operating with clarity under pressure.
Today, Jack brings that same intensity and practicality to the private sector. As a consultant and advisor, he works with executives, teams, and organizations to overcome hesitation, eliminate operational friction, and build high-performance cultures capable of moving fast and outpacing competitors. His frameworks have helped companies strengthen trust, increase execution speed, and navigate technological disruption with confidence.
Jack is the author of The Reaction to Inaction: How to Outpace Disruption and Lead in the Age of AI, a direct, actionable blueprint for leaders struggling to adapt to rapid change, organizational complexity, and the accelerating impact of artificial intelligence. The book empowers leaders and employees with the tools to make decisions faster, innovate consistently, and create cultures where action—not fear—drives results.
Jack earned his Bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary’s College of California and completed his postgraduate studies at Harvard University in Cambridge, further strengthening his foundation in leadership, strategy, and organizational development.
He continues to speak, consult, and write, helping leaders at every level build the confidence, discipline, and execution muscle needed to thrive in an age of nonstop disruption.

57: Antioch City Manager Bessie M. Scott Gives 1-Year Update

On this episode, Antioch City Manager Bessie M. Scott talks about her first year as city manager in the city of Antioch and offers many updates – including staffing, budget, and plenty of other updates.
 
I would argue year 1 was a fact finding mission to see what was underneath the hood of what had been going on in Antioch the past four years, now real progress can start as the systems have been identified, Scott shares much work has been done, but noted much of her work has been with the DOJ, CA DOJ and in courts due to outstanding issues from prior administrations. Now work can begin to shift to community services as directors have been hired. We talk public safety, economic development, bringing the community together and a variety of other topics.

56: Kathy Cabrera Talks K911 Animal Rescue Adoption Goals

On this episode, Kathy Cabrera talks K911 Animal Rescue adoption goals for 2025. She talks about how the rescue was created and highlights the partnership with Petsmart. 
K911 is a non profit animal rescue that rescues abandoned and displaced cats & dogs who would otherwise remain on the streets and/or be euthanized. Because of our home-based foster volunteers we can help give abandoned, abused and displaced cats and dogs a chance at forever homes.
 
For more on K911 Animal Rescue, visit: https://www.k911rescue.org/

55: El Campanil Theatre Could Shut Down by December

On this episode, a chat with Kathie Campbell, Board President of the El Campanil Theatre in Antioch. According to Campbell, she announced that without funding, they will begin shutting down operations by December 2025. We get into the impacts of prior business decisions by prior staff and the board, impacts by the City of Antioch, crime, the homeless. However, there is now an uptick in economic development which could improve funding efforts and save the Theatre.
 
For more information on the El Campanil Theatre, visit them at www.elcampaniltheatre.com

54: Dating After Divorce with Hope Petrow

On this episode, a chat with Hope Petrow, the author of Dating After Divorce: from Heartbreak to Soulmate. The book debuted this past week and was number 1 on amazon in two categories. Divorce sucks for anyone and everyone involved, but Petrow shares her experience of betrayal to rebuilding her self-worth starting over. She took journaling and her coaching experience to turn it into a book to help women navigate dating after divorce with a roadmap of tips and processes. We get into a variety of topics around starting over, dating, red and green flags, online dos and don’ts, rebuilding confidence. She also discusses manifestation, magnetic confidence, and much more.
For more information on Hope Petrow: www.hopepetrow.com
Purchase: Dating After Divorce: From Heartbreak to Soulmate
 

53: Vasco Forever Helping Families Seek Safer Vasco Road

On this episode a chat with Cynthia Loredo and Tammy Zickuhr of Vasco Forever Helping Families who have a mission to advocate for a safer Vasco Road. We get into their mission and what they would like to see occur. While advocating for safety improvements on Vasco, one of the most dangerous roads in the San Francisco Bay Area, they share what they want to see happen. We also get into the newly released data, which is a good first start, but does not pass the smell test, listing just 6 fatal crashes since 2019. Also, since 2019, 211 total crashes listed while 38% of all crashes on Vasco Road are from drivers under 30 years old. Near the county line, speed survey shows 96.7% of drivers are over the posted speed limit while near Camino Diablo and Walnut Blvd., 84% of drivers are over the speed limit.  
 
For more information: https://vascofhf.org/
For Contra Costa County information on Vasco Road, click here.

52: Paul Stonebarger Talks East County Valkyrie (Girls Flag Football)

On this episode, Paul Stonebarger drops in to talk about the East County Valkyrie and their upcoming U-Pick 6 Girls flag football tournament on May 18 at Heritage HS in Brentwood. Stonebarger shares U-Pick is tribute to Brentwood’s U-Pick Season for cherry’s, while also Pick-6 for football. He shares how the league started, its impact and growth – which we also get into the explosion in girls flag football across the nation. He also shares some tidbits of the future of the club.
For more infomation on the team: https://eastcountyvalkyrie.com/

51: Antioch City Manager Bessie M. Scott

On this episode, Antioch City Manager Bessie M. Scott drops in to talk about her first six months on the job. We get into her background, her expertise and her “why” she took the City of Antioch job given all the controversies, budget issues, staffing and the lift needed to improve the city. We get into the hiring controversy due to lack of transparency and within six months, improvements are already being observed, but first the council has to get through the budget to see what they are working with.
Scott highlights her expertise  and how that will only help Antioch – she is a systems and process person.  She has public sector experience in areas such as public safety, housing programs and municipal policy administration. While in Seattle, she was the Deputy Inspector General for Public Safety with the City of Seattle. In her role, she ensured consistent policy interpretation across all functions of public safety, including audits, Investigations, Policy and Standards and Compliance. Scott also says if Antioch is going to invest money into things, there must be a return on investment—no more handing out free monies with no checks and balances. Meanwhile, I argue the council needs to get her out into the public more so people can begin building better relationships given her recent presentation with the Downtown Antioch Association. Scott also talks about the importance of building a solid team around her and creating stability within the City of Antioch. Ultimately, it comes down to the budget and once that is decided, the city can begin making moves, which may be unpopular, but must be done.

50: Lindsay Zimmer Talks Etiquette

On this episode, a chat with Lindsay Zimmer who talks Etiquette as she is hosting an upcoming 2-day summer boot camp for youths ages 12-18. We get into her background and how she decided to bring a “etiquette boot camp” for youth to Contra Costa County.  We get into whether or not the world has lost its etiquette. While most topics could be considered common sense, many are not practicing good manners while many youths are simply not exposed to fine dining or certain social situations. And really, do we need four forks to eat dinner?  We close the episode with a rundown of many areas of etiquette from dating, who pays the bill, cell phones, grocery store, running late to horn honking and more.
More on the Brentwood School of Etiquette: click here
As a quick bonus on the episode, her husband Nick Zimmer of Advantage Driving School, also jumps in talking “etiquette” and the roadways. I’ll bring Nick back for a full episode in a few weeks.

49: Wendy of Knots + Found Talks Plants

On this episode, a chat with Wendy Gomez of Knots and Found (Knots + Found) located in the City of Martinez. This is a one stop shop for indoor plants (house plants, tropical, succulents and cactus, along with many other goodies, classes, crafts, events and more.
Wendy shares her passion for plants, her journey from passion to business along with tips and tricks for maintaining indoor plants. We also touch on the mental health aspect of what plants do for people, along with the many health benefits. We chat about the industry as a whole and what type of personal service you get from Knots + Found.
Knots + Found is located at 701, Escobar Street, Martinez CA and can be visited online at www.knotsandfound.com

58: Tirrell Muhammad Talks Kings Accountability Program

On this episode, Tirrell Muhammad joins me to talk about his efforts with the Kings Accountability Group and the work being done in the City of Richmond and other parts of the Bay Area. He shares how it started as just four men talking weekly to hold each other accountable, which morphed into a non-profit. Muhammad shares his journey of how a Big Brother program in San Francisco changed his trajectory. He shared the importance of how the Antioch Rotary Club and giving back led him to his new endeavors of being community focused, but also the importance of people having a mission statement in their own life, along with creating Life Operating Principles (LOP). We get into programs such as the Kings Accountability Group and Prince to Kings program working with youth.  Finally, the importance of finding mentors both in life and in business.
For more on the Kings Accountability Program, visit: https://kingsaccountabilitygroup.org/

57: Adam Gross Talks Foodie Crew

On this episode, I chat with Foodie Crew creator Adam Gross about everything food trucks and what is coming in Contra Costa County this year. Launched in 2017 in the City of Antioch, we get into how Adam got into food, then owning a food truck to launching Foodie Crew where they are weekly in Antioch, Brentwood and soon in Pittsburg—while Oakley is monthly. We talk about the industry, some data, myths what the future may hold for the industry.  
For more on Foodie Crew & the schedule, visit them at www.foodiecrew.com

56: Tara D. Sanders of Dále Vino

On this episode, a chat with Tara D. Sanders of Dále Vino-- the first wine bar in Pittsburg. Her love of wine first began while in South Africa. But her journey started while in High School when she became Miss Black Ca USA, Miss Teenage Ca, and Miss Teen of the Nation, Tara used her title funds to complete her BA and master’s degrees--along with the influence of her parents.
She is a big believer in education, providing tools to help others be successful and building community. We get into the idea behind Dále Vino, the process towards opening, early struggles and some upgrades coming soon this summer to the facility. 
 
For more on Dále Vino, visit them at www.dalevino.com.
 

55: Sam Gives Update on Three Nunns Farm

On this episode, a chat with Sam Nunn of Three Nunns Farm who gives an update on the upcoming strawberry u-pick season and soon to be cherry season.
Located at 550 Walnut Blvd in the City of Brentwood, Three Nunn Farms offers a variety of activities throughout the year between u-pick seasons (strawberry, cherry, peach and pumpkins) to a giant corn maze in the fall—along with many other amenities such as a roller coaster, and pumpkin launcher. Sam shares how he knew he wanted to farm for a living, what Brentwood means to him and the impact of farming in the State of California. We also talk about the role of Harvest Time in Brentwood and the benefit its providing to the local farming community.
For more on Three Nunns Farm, visit them at: https://threenunns.com/
For more on Harvest Time in Brentwood, visit them at https://harvestforyou.com/

54: Talking Beer With Side Gate Brewery

A chat with Paul Culbertson and Kevin Wilson of Side Gate Brewery in Concord, CA. We talk about how they went from being in finance to launching a brewery and their love of beer. The two share their journey from concept to reality of how Side Gate Brewery was born and what went into the transformation in downtown Concord—and how they ended up in Concord. Obviously, we talk beer, what they make and what goes into each beer launch—but also how they raise up other home brewers up by holding homebrew competitions.
 
For more information: https://www.sidegatebrewing.com/home

53: Trevel Talks TNT Smoothie & Juice Bar in Downtown Antioch

On this episode, a chat with Trevel Adanandus of TNT Smoothie & Juice Bar located in downtown Antioch. While waiting to become a longshoreman, he opened in October of 2022 after talking with his dad (owner of Tease Southern Kitchen) where he offers healthy options from Acai bowls (superfood bowls), smoothies, juices to many other items. We get into how he came up with the concept, early challenges, why he chose the City of Antioch and shares how downtown has changed in the past couple of years. He sees positive changes coming to the downtown and believes the area will soon become vibrant with all the changes being made.
Website: https://www.tntsmoothiebar.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tntsmoothiebar/

52: Sylvia Green Talks Food Pantry Non-Profit

On this episode, at chat with Sylvia Green of Blessed to be a Blessing Ministries who are a local non-profit food pantry in Contra Costa County serving families. They are helping fight hunger by serving families in Antioch, Bay Point, Brentwood and Oakley where they provide food via delivery every other Saturday.  The food pantry started 4-years ago and serves 30-35 families while being all donation and volunteer based.  We talk about how the non-profit started, its early challenges and the need in Contra Costa County—including donations, financial, volunteers and more.
 
Website:  https://blessedtobeablessingministries.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100065024558001

51: Sean McCauley Talks Antioch, Brentwood and Pittsburg Happenings

On this episode, a chat with Sean McCauley who shares some exciting news of 7 restaurants opening in the next 6 months. These will happen in the City of Antioch, City of Brentwood and City of Pittsburg. We get into downtown Antioch and what is transpiring down there. What cities can do to better help business. Get into chicken and goats, Harvest Time and Agriculture. Touch on the Urban Limit Line which is coming quickly. Meanwhile, some advice to business owners on how to navigate the national and state politic climate. Plus, much more!  
To reach out to McCauley, visit him at: https://mccauleyinv.com/

50: Lauren Huffmaster of Adventure Therapy Foundation

On this episode, I chat with Lauren Huffmaster, founder of Adventure Therapy Foundation, a nonprofit that exists to break the destructive cycles created by the isolation, fear and broken identity in families impacted by cancer. Through programs that are designed to teach individuals and families how to face each side effect and learn how to break through it. Lauren shares her story, how the foundation was created and how she woke up one day and decided she wasn’t going to be “good at dying” and instead start living through adventure. She now wants to help others. She is an author, podcaster and has courses to help people. Her book is available on Amazon and is called “Cancering”.

49: Bri and Joseph Drake Talk Break Free Fitness

On this episode, I chat with Bri and Joseph Drake who are launching Break Free Fitness in Brentwood with an open house on March 2 and will open next week. Bri shares her credentials from the fitness world to nutrition and what she hopes to achieve with this facility--focusing on women's health. She hopes to build community with small group and semi-private fitness classes where one can work out, stay motivated and achieve their goals. We get into a ton of stuff from nutrition, health fads, Ozempic to achieving success one goal at a time. The goal is always to build confidence and feel good about yourself.
 
For more information: www.breakfreefitness.com

48: Photojournalist Art Ray

On this episode, I chat with photojournalist Art Ray who shoots local news stories with a camera. We talk about what he does, how he got started and how no one would hire a African American man to shoot news in Chicago. Ray shares his journey to California and ended up in Contra Costa County and many of the videos on local news channels are from Ray. We get into several other issues from socioeconomic to racism to how politics ruins everything. We touch on Contra Costa County news and what the lack of news the public is getting. Art also shares his new business which is shooting videos for memorial services while also working to promote the Three Queens of Motown show.

#47: Paulo Sausage Company

On this episode, I chat with Ronnie and Jena of the Paulo Sausage Company who have expanded their business over the last few years, including a storefront in the City of Pittsburg.
 
We talk about how they started, taking the concept from idea to reality and the growth trajectory and even tackle some of their challenges. A lot of fun goodies they share including navigating a work-life balance.
 
Launched in 2021, the Paulo Sausage Company produces some of the best sausage around with a variety of flavors from hot Italian to sweet habanero, each sausage is a labor of love—including the amazing blueberry maple which is perfect for breakfast sandwiches. They have also expanded to offering some pretty amazing sandwiches (I recommend the Meatball Sub or Mortadella Brie—but they are all good, and filling). Finally, they are set to launch their own breads in store.
 
For more info: www.paulosausageco.com

46: Kori Barton Talks Hometown Highlights Alphabet Series

On this episode, a chat Kori Barton about her Hometown Highlights Alphabet Series. This is a husband-and-wife team illustrating their way across Contra Costa County with a series of children’s books.
To date, books have been released on the City of Clayton, City of Concord, City of Brentwood and City of Walnut Creek – with the City of Martinez in progress. The goal is to bring to light the beauty and unique aspects of Bay Area cities.  
We talk about the importance of community pride, art, putting together the projects and ultimate goals. Plus, much more!!!
For more on Kori, the projects, and where to purchase the books, visit them at www.hometownalphabet.com

45: Dennis Mobley New Winemaker at Vino Olivo Winery

On this episode, a chat with Dennis Mobley, who is the new head winemaker at Vino Olivo Winery in Brentwood. This Sunday, they release the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon as they host a wine tasting at McCauley Estate Vineyards in Brentwood. We chat about Mobley’s background, where his passion came from and his style of wine making. Plus, cover a bunch of other stuff of how Contra Costa County is primed to see great things from the wine industry going forward.
For more on Vino Olivo Winery, visit them at www.vinoolivo.com
 
Dennis Mobley, Senior Wine Maker 
With over a decade of experience in winemaking, Dennis Mobley brings a wealth of expertise and passion to every bottle crafted at Vino Olivo Winery. His journey spans the entire spectrum of the winemaking process—from  grape harvest and cellar operations to fermentation, bottling, and beyond. In 2023, Dennis earned his Certificate in Winemaking from the prestigious UC Davis program, a milestone that coincided with his award-winning successes, including silver medals for his Chardonnay and Zinfandel at major wine competitions, along with additional accolades for a range of other varietals.
Before immersing himself in the art of winemaking, Dennis enjoyed a distinguished career in global investment banking technology. This experience sharpened his attention to detail, communication skills, and collaborative mindset—attributes that now inform his meticulous approach to crafting exceptional wines. His extensive international travel and exposure to world-class dining further refined his palate and deepened his appreciation for the nuanced relationship between food and wine.
A native of Central California, Dennis’s roots in agriculture instilled in him a profound respect for the land and a steadfast work ethic. This unique combination of agricultural heritage, technical proficiency, and genuine passion for winemaking fuels his commitment to producing wines of exceptional quality at Vino Olivo Winery.