Contra Costa News

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.

44: Rivertown Treasure Chest in Antioch

On this episode, a chat with Debbie Blaisure and Toni Lincks of the Rivertown Treasure Chest in downtown Antioch.
They share their growth from starting out in a co-op to launching their own store with growth from Oddly Unique to Rivertown Treasure Chest.
We talk “flip game” as the idea is to buy low, sell high, but its not as easy as it seams and products could sit for years. Blaisure and Lincks talk about the industry and impact of EBAY and Facebook Marketplace.  We get into the “myths” within the industry and how folks do not understand something is not always top dollar, but rather its value is tied to how much someone is willing to pay for an item. Finally, we talk about how to choose a vendor and what items to fill their store with.
For more information: www.rivertowntreasurechest.com

43: Mike Barbanica Talks Contra Costa County

On this episode, a chat with Mike Barbanica, candidate for Contra Costa County Board of Supervisor in District 5. He provides an update on the campaign, where he is at on several issues. With he and his opponent pretty close on most topics, the race will likely come down to public safety and ensuring people are held accountable—and impact of Proposition 36. We touch on the bizarre EB Times endorsement. The race also has an opportunity to bring Contra Costa County back more to the middle, or could continue down the same path. We get into both City of Antioch and City of Pittsburg issues, as well as needs in communities like Bay Point and Rodeo. Ultimately, Barbanica urges the community to watch both debates and make the choice that is best for them.
 
For more information, visit: https://mikebarbanica.com/

42: Louie Rocha Runs for Antioch City Council

On this episode, I chat with Louie Rocha who is running for Antioch City Council, District 2.  He is a retired principal of Antioch High School who is seeking to bring back stability and civility back to the Antioch City Council will looking to focus on not only public safety, but better improve services for residents in the city of Antioch. He also wants to bridge the communication and partnership with the Antioch Unified School District and work on solutions for not only the youth, but seniors and unhoused.
We get into a tone of stuff from Antioch being labeled the “new Oakland” to what Antioch HS has specifically done to help a unhoused students. Rocha also talked about the importance of hiring the right city manager, police chief and developing a plan for the city.
 
For more on Louie Rocha, visit him at https://louierocha.org/

41: Brian Oftedal Runs for Brentwood City Council District 3

On this episode, I chat with Brian Oftedal, candidate for Brentwood City Council District 3. We address not only why he is running, but some of the goofy online rhetoric being stated about him. We get into his experience on the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District Board of Directors, work with the American Red Cross and Ronn Nunn Elementary. We get into several items relating to the city of Brentwood from public safety, staff retention, smart growth, civility, road safety, homelessness and emergency preparedness. Episode may be long, but we cover a lot of items.
For more information: www.brian4brentwood.com

40: Faye Maloney Runs for Brentwood City Council

On this episode, I chat with Faye Maloney who is running for Brentwood City Council in District 1. We talk about what she has been up to in serving on a county role with the Contra Costa Commission on Women and Girls and how they serve the community. We get into her background where as a child it created her "why" in terms of living her life and serving the community.
We talk City of Brentwood public safety, importance of staffing and retention, preserving the agriculture and supporting local business. Along with a variety of other issues. She also wants to bring people together and stop with the divisiveness.
For more on Faye Maloney, visit her at www.fayeforbrentwood.com

39: Gerald Johnson Runs for Mayor of Brentwood

On this episode, I chat with Gerald Johnson who is running for Mayor of the City of Brentwood. We get into his time as president of the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce, serving as a Brentwood Planning Commissioner and his background. We debunk a ton of the social media chatter going on by explaining his stance on development/housing, DEI and zoos. We talk about the need for civility, raising the bar and helping everyone. He encourages the City Council to take care of staff and get their contracts done, the need to get the 5th Brentwood Police beat up and running as quickly as possible, the budget is questionable given all the future project funding needs, while also being more business friendly. We also talk Zoom and 5-minute public comments and homeless.
For more on Gerald Johnson, visit him at www.geraldcjohnson.com