In brief: Apply by Oct. 31 to serve on Contra Costa’s civil grand jury
MARTINEZ
The Contra Costa County Superior Court is accepting applications for additional jurors to serve on its civil grand jury for the remaining 2022-23 fiscal year. The civil grand jury is made up of 19 members who serve for one year, from July through June, to monitor, review and report on city and county governments, special districts and school districts.
Grand jurors must be U.S. citizens of ages 18 years or older who have lived in Contra Costa County for at least a year before selection. They cannot currently hold any elected position within the county. Applicants should have reliable transportation to Martinez and must be prepared to devote at least 30 hours per week to civil grand jury service. Applicants should have access to a computer, be familiar with Microsoft Word and be able to send and receive email. Citizens who work should apply only if they can be released from their jobs to perform the jury duties.
Applicants selected will be fingerprinted and undergo a background check. Jurors receive a stipend for attending full jury and committee meetings and are reimbursed 62.5 cents per mile for allowable jury travel. Anyone interested in applying can contact the civil grand jury office at 925-608-2621, or visit cc-courts.org/grandjury online for more information about civil grand jury service or to get an application. Oct. 31 is the application deadline.
— Contra Costa County Superior Court
WALNUT CREEK
Enjoy beer, food, music Oct. 15 at Oktoberfest downtown
Walnut Creek Oktoberfest, Walnut Creek Downtown’s popular celebration of fall, will return from noon to 7 p.m. Oct. 15 for the first time since 2019 in beautiful tree-lined Civic Park East. Enjoy the biergarten, live international entertainment on stage, eclectic food, outstanding craft beer and wine, dancing and browsing artisan exhibitors.
The day-long, family-friendly event recreates Germany’s beloved fall celebration, complete with Kinder Platz Kids Zone. Admission is free, and advance ticket packages for other items are on sale online at walnutcreekdowntown.com. Civic Park East is at 1375 Civic Drive.
— Bay Area Festivals
Hit the Rossmoor links Oct. 17 to support kids in need
Yours Humanly is holding its third annual Tee Off for Education Golf Tournament at 9 a.m. Oct. 17 on the Rossmoor Golf Course at 1010 Stanley Dollar Drive in Walnut Creek, with an awards dinner following the tournament at the Stanley Dollar Event Center.
A global nonprofit, Yours Humanly (YoursHumanly.org) transforms the lives of children in need around the world by providing access to quality education and equitable resources. Proceeds from the fundraiser will support Yours Humanly’s mission to lift children out of poverty and other challenging situations through the power of education.
Registration begins at 9 a.m., followed by a putting contest. The putting green and practice range will be open for registered golfers. Tournament play begins at 11 a.m. with a scramble format. The awards dinner follows with a raffle and silent auction. To register, visit TeeOffForEducation.com.
“This is a great way to be outdoors enjoying the game of golf with friends and family, while being a part of something very special,” said Sunny Singh, founder and CEO of Yours Humanly.
— Yours Humanly
EAST CONTRA COSTA
Apply by Oct. 17 to be Tri Delta Transit director-at-large
Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority, also known as Tri Delta Transit, has current members consisting of the cities of Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley and Pittsburg and Contra Costa County. Tri Delta Transit operates public bus service and demand-response service (for seniors and the disabled) in the 225-square-mile region of Eastern Contra Costa County.
Tri Delta Transit is governed by an 11-member Board of Directors, two of whom are appointed by each of the four member cities and two of whom are appointed by the county. Those 10 appointed directors select one director-at-large. The Board of Directors is accepting applications for the position of director-at-large and will choose that individual during the board’s regularly scheduled meeting on Dec. 14.
The term runs for two years starting Jan. 1, and the position has no term limits and the successful candidate will be eligible for reappointment to future terms. Interested individuals must complete and submit an application by Oct. 17. For more details or an application, visit trideltatransit.com/board.aspx online, or call 925-754-6622 to have an application e-mailed to you.
— Tri Delta Transit
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
AARP Tax-Aide seeks volunteers for Feb. 1 through April 15
Do you like working with people? Are you good with numbers? AARP Tax-Aide is looking for volunteers to become members of a team providing free tax preparation for individuals of all ages in Contra Costa County.
Tax-Aide volunteer positions include tax counselors, who are trained by Tax-Aide and certified by the IRS, and client facilitators, who schedule appointments and assist clients at tax sites. Orientation sessions will be held in November, and classes for tax counselors start in January. Service is from Feb. 1 through April 15. If interested, apply online at aarp.org/taxvolunteer or call 925-726-3199 for more details.
— AARP Tax-Aide
BAY POINT
Learn ‘All about Succulents!’ in garden club’s workshop
The Bay Point Garden Club will present “All about Succulents!” a free workshop by Lisa Bricker on Oct. 15. Bricker is an avid succulent gardener and an administrator of a Facebook page called C&S Hobbyists (facebook.com/groups/136152567063141), a fun group who share a love of cacti and succulents with members all over the world from as far away as Malta and South Africa.
Join the club in the Gloria Magleby Community Garden at 3105 Willow Pass Road in Bay Point. Learn how to buy, care for and propagate succulents from 10 to 11 a.m., followed by a succulent plant sale from 11 to 11:30 a.m. For more information email baypointgarden@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/BayPointGardenClub.
— BPGC
WALNUT CREEK
Writers club holds monthly meetings, open to new members
The Walnut Creek Writers Guild (WCWG) has openings for new members. Founded in 2011, the WCWG monthly meetings on Saturday mornings (currently on Zoom and formerly at the Walnut Creek Library).
Meetings last three hours, before which club members read the submissions to discuss and critique at meetings. The club also holds a longer meeting twice a year as a retreat for writing, writing exercises, and/or to have a writing speaker boost members’ skills. The retreats are a time to talk about the art and skills of writing more in depth.
The club is an eclectic and diverse group in its members’ identities and in their writing, which includes short stories, poetry, novels and memoirs. Discussions about writing are honest but supportive and encouraging. Even though the club’s members have day jobs, they are serious writers, and methods of submitting work and getting an agent have been topics.
Those interested can apply to the WCWG. Visit bayareane.ws/joinWCWG online and send in answers to the preliminary questions, to which the club responds promptly. Come share your passion, talent and willingness to work hard.
— Sandy Shaller, chair, WCWG
CONCORD
$7M nonprofit grant program launched for pandemic relief
The city of Concord has launched a $7 million grant program to partner with local nonprofit organizations to help the community recover from restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant application period opened Sept. 30 and will run through 5 p.m. Oct. 28. The grants will be awarded in amounts from $50,000 to $2 million after an application review and interview process.
The Concord City Council is expected to award the grants on Dec. 6. Eligible organizations include those that are tax-exempt nonprofits and provide projects or programs benefiting Concord residents. The $7 million comes from the total $27 million of one-time federal funding that the city of Concord received from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which provides stimulus funds intended to address the ongoing economic recovery after substantial financial losses suffered during the pandemic.
At its Sept. 27 meeting, the City Council received a report from the ad hoc committee responsible for making recommendations about how to allocate the remaining $19 million of Concord’s funding ($8 million has already been spent on pandemic recovery efforts). In addition to the nonprofit grant program, the council approved the following allocations:
- $7 million for city projects, public safety and special events;
- $3 million to support the homeless;
- $2 million to support small businesses (with a grant application period to open in November).
Eligibility information and the nonprofit grant application are now available on city’s ARPA webpage at cityofconcord.org/ARPA.
— city of Concord
ORINDA
‘Winner Winner Chicken Dinner’ fundraiser set for Nov. 7
The Rotary Club of Orinda (RCO) has partnered with Casa Orinda to host the club’s third annual “Winner Winner Chicken Dinner” takeout event from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Nov. 7 at 20 Bryant Way in Orinda.
Meals are $40 ($23 for food plus a $17 donation) and include four pieces of fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, a vegetable, a biscuit and a holiday cookie. The first 40 customers ordering two or more dinners will receive a free bottle of wine (must be at least age 21). Dinners will be ready for pickup Nov. 7 at Casa Orinda at your selected time. Donations support seniors, students, food banks and many community and regional services with the Rotary Club.
The last day to order is Nov. 4, online at orindarotaryfundraiser.com. Early ordering is encouraged for the best choice of pickup times. For more information, email orindarotaryfundraiser@gmail.com or call 925-360-1761.
— RCO
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