OAKLANDHundreds of Pacific Gas & Electric customers in Walnut Creek and Oakland Power outages reported On Sunday afternoon, the October heat wave soared above 100 degrees in parts of the East Bay.

The PG&E outages affected customers within the Northgate and Diablo Shadows neighborhoods of Walnut Creek, west of Mount Diablo State Park, and the hilly Montclair neighborhood of Oakland. Power is anticipated to be restored in Montclair at 8:30 p.m. Sunday and in Walnut Creek at 10 p.m.

Early last weekPG&E had warned customers in 11 counties, including Alameda and Contra Costa, of possible planned shutdowns this week resulting from gusty winds that increased the chance of fires. Alameda and Contra Costa counties were later faraway from the list of counties that might be affected by the ability outages.

According to the National Weather Service, temperatures on Sunday reached highs of 94 degrees in Oakland and San Francisco, 97 degrees in Fremont, 98 degrees in Walnut Creek and Lafayette and 99 degrees in San Jose and Danville.

An excessive heat warning is in effect for much of the Bay Area until 11 p.m. tonight.

Originally published: October 6, 2024 at 6:07 p.m

WALNUT CREEK – Plans for a brand new Chick-fil-A in a Walnut Creek shopping mall have sparked a heated dispute between a whole bunch of neighbors and city planners – and left considered one of the last tenants there caught within the crossfire.

Residents and public officials are divided over whether the fast-food chicken chain's alternative of a vacant bank on the Citrus Marketplace Shopping Center will breathe recent life into this sleepy Walnut Creek square or further increase traffic on the nearby, busy Ygnacio Valley Road bypass.

Rica Zaharia opened her bakery, European delicaciesopened on the property two years ago, and it has turn out to be a well-liked hidden gem in the case of making croissants, brioche, pavlova, strudel and other internationally inspired baked goods baked fresh from scratch.

Now surrounded by 10 vacant lots, the 63-year-old Transylvanian native has welcomed the concept of ​​a brand new Chick-fil-A with open arms – not due to menu or conservative politics, but due to its potential to generate much-needed customer traffic and protect the plaza's small businesses, which she says are currently “dying daily.” Current tenants within the quiet plaza include a BevMo, Panda Express, a small ice cream shop, a youth gymnastics center, a post office and a hair salon.

Despite the town's intention to draw more businesses to the still-vacant lots, Zaharia was the one Walnut Creek resident to specific support for the initiative.

“Please don't hate me,” Zaharia said on the May 21 City Council meeting, addressing the backlash against her position on the Chick-fil-A proposal. “More than any other mall in Walnut Creek, this place feels like a ghost town.”

The issuance of Chick-fil-A's first constructing permits has infuriated dozens of neighbors within the affluent Woodlands neighborhood up the road, who’ve argued vehemently that the proposed Chick-fil-A at 2290 Oak Grove Road would increase automotive traffic on already congested and dangerous streets in the town's northernmost corner, lower property values ​​and attract drifters and criminals.

Despite concessions from the town's elected officials – including prohibiting the development of a drive-thru lane for the 5,363-square-foot Chick-fil-A project, requiring the restaurant to shut at the least 10 p.m., and requiring traffic, odor and other mitigation measures – neighbors were still upset concerning the Approval of the town council in May.

Now, Zaharia said she's coping with strong backlash from her neighbors — including threats of a boycott — because she believes a Chick-fil-A would help your entire mall and her own business, which has experienced a steep financial downturn for the reason that first fried chicken dispute. She needed to cut the bakery's hours in late July after recording the weakest month in sales within the two years she's worked at Citrus Marketplace.

“When people start telling me and others how to think and do things, that is not acceptable,” Zaharia said in an interview. “I have worked 17 hours almost every day for the past two years – starting at 3 a.m. I am not tired because I do everything out of passion and to make my customers happy, but we cannot find enough people to sell our products to.”

After five hours of intense public testimony – which, apart from Zaharia’s comments, was entirely directed against Chick-fil-A – The Walnut Creek City Council unanimously rejected the appeal to the restaurant's design plans.

City staff said any traffic spike attributable to the fast-food chain can be minimal, as they determined that Chick-fil-A would only add a couple of seconds to the common wait time at this busy intersection. The project will now be sent back to Walnut Creek's Design Review Commission for final consideration of the long run restaurant's planned architecture, landscaping and signage.

During the project's public comment period, opponents dismissed data from months of research by Walnut Creek's city planners and transportation consultants, demanding that the town reject Chick-fil-A's plans or at the least delay their approval, arguing that the town is giving fried chicken an undue priority over their neighborhood's character and quality of life.

“The City Council has tried for several years to create a culture, charm and feel of a small community,” said Corban Porter, an attorney and Woodlands resident who has appealed previous project approvals. “We submitted 200 signatures from Woodlands residents and nearly 700 surveys, most of which highlighted health and safety concerns … to allow this to happen without conducting a more comprehensive study of the neighborhood is irresponsible.”

While a handful of speakers raved concerning the delicious baked goods at European Delights and expressed their support for similar small businesses, the Woodlands can't have their pastries and eat them too.

First, city officials argued, there was no legal reason why Walnut Creek could reject the project outright during its May 21 meeting since it was consistent with the town's zoning and general development plan. Second, Chick-fil-A's construction might have been quickly approved months ago if the corporate had not opted for a conditional constructing permit to supply take-out food.

In addition to safety concerns concerning the many young individuals who walk or bike to nearby schools, many residents also expressed concern concerning the Atlanta-based chicken restaurant's conservative repute and its history as a funder of anti-LGBTQ groups.

Chick-fil-A “does not reflect the inclusive and diverse values ​​of our community,” says Jessica Hunt, who has lived in Woodlands for 40 years, owns an area small business and might be the brand new president of the Valley Verde Elementary School Parent Council.

Council member Kevin Wilk also identified that Citrus Marketplace is virtually empty. Business suffered a pointy decline after March 2022, when a former Nob Hill food market on the property closed, which was blamed on skyrocketing rents. Since then, it has turn out to be increasingly difficult to get other businesses to sign business leases, in keeping with representatives of DPI Realty, the space's landlord since 2001.

Wilk lives near the Woodlands but even closer to traffic that results in Whole Foods, Walgreens, Rocco's Pizzeria and other stores within the Encina Grande Shopping Center, lower than a half-mile from Citrus Marketplace across Ygnacio Valley Road. After explaining that traffic near his home will not be as bad as he once feared, he dismissed the notion that city officials haven’t rigorously considered the small print and impacts of Chick-fil-A's future development.

“It's not like companies have to break down the doors of the shopping centers and operate their businesses there,” Wilk said. “We have a shopping center there now, which we need to survive.”

Originally published: August 4, 2024 at 6:15 am

WALNUT CREEK — A neighborhood middle school student was suspended, placed in a mental sanatorium and investigated by police after officials found he had created a “kill list” of classmates and used a college computer to go looking for tactics to acquire guns and grenades.

The student, whose name was not released because he’s a minor, was also the goal of a police raid on his Walnut Creek home in May. Authorities said they found nothing of value throughout the May 10 search but were searching for further evidence that he was planning to commit violence at the college.

Police say Foothill Middle School became aware of the boy's problems last yr when he allegedly threatened to stab one other student with a drumstick. But more recently, a series of incidents have heightened their concerns. In April, he allegedly threatened the identical student and searched online for tactics to amass an AK-47 and grenades and make an individual “disappear.”

In late April, school officials learned of a possible “kill list” containing the names of not less than 4 students and notified a crisis intervention team and police, authorities said. The boy also reportedly threatened a woman at the college, telling her he would “slit her throat,” authorities said.

About two weeks before the raid, the boy was placed in a psychiatric hospital and suspended from school, authorities said.

For far too long, stories about Native Americans have been told by non-Native people, whether in movies, television shows, books or the visual arts.

That's not the case with “Re-Discovering Native America: Stories in Motion with The Red Road Project,” a surprising photography exhibition on the Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek through June 23, or a panel discussion June 1 with Native American leaders artists, including Oakland novelist Tommy Orange.

The exhibition features around 100 photographs, personal stories and other artworks collected by Red Road Project founders Danielle SeeWalker and Carlotta Cardana. The photographs document the lives of Native Americans today, from the sprawling landscapes of distant reservations to their living rooms in cities, where they have fun their communities, traditional customs and achievements or give voice to the continued challenges of historical displacement and oppression.

SeeWalker can even take part in the June 1 panel discussion with “There There” writer Orange. They will discuss their inspiration and the strategy of creating their work. Rounding out the panel are: Tazbah Chavez, co-creator of the FX series “Reservation Dogs”; and host Jackie Keliiaa, a comedian, author and actress known for Amazon Prime’s “First Nations Comedy Experience.”

Details: Both the photography exhibition and panel discussion “Contemporary Voices” might be presented on the Lesher Center for the Arts. The exhibition runs until June 23 on the Bedford Gallery and entry is free. The panel discussion might be held on the Margaret Lesher Theater on June 1 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $35 to $40. https://www.lesherartscenter.org.

Sonja Christopher, the friendly, banjo-playing contestant on the primary season of “Survivor” who became the primary person ever voted off the fact show, has died at age 87.

The news of the death of Christopher, a Walnut Creek resident, has been confirmed the official “Survivor” Instagram account Saturday with an announcement from moderator Jeff Probst. A explanation for death was not given.

“(Sonja) was one of the nicest people to ever play 'Survivor.'” “Every interaction I had with her over the years was wonderful,” Probst wrote. “She would always greet you with a smile on her face and joy in her heart.”

Liz Wilcox, a current Season 46 contestant, first broke the news on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday. She shared a photograph of the “Survivor” symbol over FaceTime, as she held up her ukulele, her “luxury item” on the show. Wilcox wrote: “I had the pleasure of meeting her at Christmas. She had so much courage and love for “Survivor” and what the show brought into her life. I hope you sing and play your heart out in a good looking place, Sonja.”

In 2000, Christopher, then 63, competed on “Survivor: Borneo,” the primary season of the CBS reality series. She was extremely popular along with her tribe members, especially for the way in which she serenaded them with a satirical ukulele version of “Bye Bye Blues.” Still, she stumbled several times while attempting to get from water to land throughout the series' first immunity test. On the third day, her colleagues decided to vote her out. This season's winner was Richard Hatch, the contestant from Rhode Island, who performed the required feats naked.

Twenty years later, Christopher reflected on her time on “Survivor” in a wide-ranging interview with Entertainment Weekly. During that short time, she made history in additional ways than one. In addition to being the primary person voted out, the retired music therapist was also the show's first lesbian contestant, in addition to the oldest woman to ever play the sport.

“I was recovering from breast cancer treatment,” Christopher told Entertainment Weekly. “And I was in a relationship for 11 years and my partner found solace elsewhere during the time of cancer. So I had moved into a retirement community and was alone, unattached, my son was grown and taking care of himself. I was reading the morning paper and there was an article about CBS looking for 16 Americans to be found on a lonely road Island to see who can survive for 39 days.”

Christopher, who moved to the Rossmoor community in Walnut Creek, also said she had at all times been fascinated by the concept of ​​attempting to survive “with just my hands and my mind.”

It was “a little humiliating” to be voted out so quickly, she admitted. She also said she escaped with some physical injuries. “I got beaten up pretty bad,” she said. “To this day I still have bruises that won’t go away.”

“Someone once asked me if I thought my early vote-out was due to ageism,” Christopher added. “And I said, 'Oh no.' And you recognize why, because I had no idea about ageism. I used to be at all times good at sports and really physically lively.”

Over the years, Christopher enjoyed a number of the perks of celebrity, appearing on The Rosie O'Donnell Show and dining with Ellen DeGeneres. She has also been in demand as a speaker for breast cancer survivors. Back home in Walnut Creek, Christopher was lively in her community, particularly her local church, Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church. She grew her $2,500 consolation prize right into a cache large enough to finance the development of the church's fellowship hall.

Christopher said she at all times felt “so lucky” to have been on the show.

“The whole thing was so random. I mean, if I hadn't had breast cancer, we probably wouldn't have broken up the relationship,” Christopher told Entertainment Weekly. “And if I hadn't been alone, I wouldn't have tried 'Survivor.' And if I hadn't applied for Survivor, I would never have gotten to speak around the country and raise money for charities and try to convince people with breast cancer that they can not only survive, but thrive. And that was great.”

Christopher also remained good-natured about “the dubious distinction” of being the primary “Survivor” contestant sent home. In a 2017 video posted to the Survivor Central X account of “Survivor” was posted. She noted on the time that she had only just turned 80 years old.

“I plan on watching 'Survivor' for the next 17 years,” she said. “Then I can happily wander to the giant tribal council in the sky.” Then she paused and said mischievously. “Hmm. I hope they don't vote me out.”

Plans for a memorial service are still pending.