CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
Join a Community Conversation webinar hosted by the League of Women Voters of the Diablo Valley (LWVDV) from 4 to 5:30 p.m. April 7 entitled “The New Economic and Social Realities of Immigration 2025.”
A panel of experts will put into perspective the economic benefits of immigrants and the economic and social costs to our community when they are no longer part of our society. The panel will address legal hurdles immigrant neighbors face in immigration courts and offer resource information on how attendees can offer their support.
Panelists include Jon Haveman, of the National Economics Education Delegation; Ellen McDonnell, Contra Costa County’s chief public defender; and discussion moderator Doug Lezameta, the Contra Costa Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s president.
Register for the webinar online at tinyurl.com/lwv-immigration-2025. Information on how to access the Zoom webinar will be sent to your email address 24 hours before the program. Audience questions will be collected and answered through the Zoom chat.
The Contra Costa County Library will provide closed captioning and simultaneous Spanish translation for this program, which will be recorded and posted after the meeting on the YouTube channels of the Contra Costa County Library system and the LWVDV.
The program’s sponsors include the LWVDV, the League of Women Voters of West Contra Costa County, the Contra Costa County Library system and Contra Costa TV. Contact programs@lwvdv.org for more information.
— LWVDV
PITTSBURG
Group from center for visually impaired enjoys nature hike
A curious group of 25 clients, volunteers and staff from Pittsburg’s Lions Center for the Visually Impaired (LCVI) recently enjoyed reconnecting with nature at the Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park in the Oakland hills.
The group, who was mostly over age 65, expanded their knowledge during a hike with East Bay Regional Park District naturalists Michael Charnofsky and Susan Sanchez, who provided descriptions of the surroundings, tactile items to explore and auditory clues to decode forest happenings.
The group then enjoyed an outdoor brown bag lunch and concluded with an informal “Reinhardt Redwood Recital” that included acapella singing, poetry readings and a few lively “campfire songs that seemed to echo off the canyon walls.”“It was a therapeutic experience to be out in nature again,” said LCVI client Mac Coates, of Pittsburg.
“The cool redwoods, the birds calling from above and the sounds of the creek were so peaceful and calming.”
The LCVI provides free supportive services and activities for blind and visually impaired adults in Contra Costa, Alameda and Solano counties. Call 925-432-3013 or visit lcvi.org for more details.
— LCVI
WALNUT CREEK
Garden club to hear about ‘Floral Design’ at next meeting
The Walnut Creek Garden Club (WCGC) will hold its free monthly meeting April 14 in The Gardens at Heather Farms in Walnut Creek. Registration will start at 9:15 a.m., followed by a brief meeting, a break at 10:15 a.m. with complimentary tea, coffee and snacks and then an educational program, “Floral Design” with Steven Brown.
In previous presentations he has dazzled WCGC members with his knowledge of horticulture and floristry. April is the perfect time to showcase his art. The club welcomes the public to visit our meeting and to join them. One does not need to be a gardener to join the WCGC.
The Gardens at Heather Farm are at 1540 Marchbanks Drive in Walnut Creek. For more information, visit walnutcreekgardenclub.org.
— WCGC
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