WALNUT CREEK
After 32 years as the Animal Rescue Foundation, one of Contra Costa County’s longest-serving nonprofit animal rescue and adoption groups has received a new name and makeover. The Animal Rescue Foundation will now be known as Joybound People & Pets.
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“If you’ve ever seen a dog give a happy wag or a cat lovingly nuzzle up to its person, you’ve seen Joybound in action,” said Susan Lee Vick, the group’s chief executive officer.
“The name Joybound reflects our longstanding commitment to forming and supporting strong human-animal bonds to bring greater health and happiness to dogs, cats, and their human families,” Vick said.
As Joybound, the organization plans to expand its services in forging and supporting human-animal bonds beyond Contra Costa County and the Bay Area. In addition, Joybound will introduce pet-related vocational training programs for people interested in careers such as pet grooming, dog training and veterinary nursing.
— Joybound People & Pets
CONCORD
Council votes to introduce ordinance for rent stabilization
At its Feb. 13 meeting, the Concord City Council voted to introduce an ordinance that would establish rent stabilization and just cause for eviction policies at Concord rental properties. In a 4-1 vote, the council approved language for the new law, which would take effect 30 days after final adoption.
In January 2023, the council expressed its desire to protect the tenant community from displacement and added a policy into the city’s Housing Element to move forward with considering rent stabilization and just cause policies. Since January 2023, Council has held seven public meetings on this topic and has heard from hundreds of property owners and tenants.
Following the Feb. 13 introduction of the ordinance, city staff expect to return to the council March 5 for the ordinance’s adoption. The ordinance would take effect 30 days later, on April 4.
All landlords are required to register their rental units annually with the city on or before July 1 and pay a yet-to-be-determined fee, which will be used to finance the cost of the registry and implementation and enforcement of this policy. For more details online, visit bit.ly/3T2GdSr.
— city of Concord
LAFAYETTE
Free garden club meeting March 14 at veterans building
The next monthly meeting of the Lafayette Garden Club (LGC) will start at 9:30 a.m. March 14 for social time and nibbles before a short business meeting at 10. At 10:30 a.m., club member Melinda Kell will then discuss “Soil Preparation for Your Summer Vegetable Garden.”
At 11, the LGC’s guest speaker will be Kim Bancroft, a longtime teacher who became an editor and writer. Bancroft will present her address, “Nature, Landscapes, Farms and Gardens Through Two 19th Century Bay Area Women’s Eyes.”
She will bring copies of her book for sale, and the club will hold a raffle. The LGC meets in the Lafayette Veterans Memorial Center at 3780 Mount Diablo Blvd. The meeting is free to attend, and the club welcomes guests. Visit lafayettegardenclub.com online for more information.
— LGC
CONCORD
Volunteers sought to teach English as a second language
The Concord-based Diablo Valley Literacy Council is seeking volunteer tutors to teach English as a second language, and the group’s next tutor orientations are March 2 and 9. English need not be a tutor’s first language, and no teaching experience is required.
The March 2 orientation will be online from 10 a.m. to noon via Zoom, and the March 9 orientation will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m in-person in Concord’s Good Shepherd Lutheran Church at 4000 Clayton Road. Volunteer tutors must attend both sessions, and $20 covers training materials along with 2024 membership dues and ongoing support.
Adult volunteers typically give one or two hours per week. Register online at dvlc4esl.org. For more information, leave a message at 925-685-3881 or dvlc4esl@gmail.com.
— DVLC
PITTSBURG
Comment on renewable hydrogen project until March 6
HC (Contra Costa) LLC, is proposing the construction and operation of a renewable hydrogen facility in Pittsburg that would use sorted waste materials as feedstock in a noncombustion thermal conversion process.
The project site is on a 20-acre portion of the property at 901 Loveridge Road in Pittsburg, about a mile northeast of the Pittsburg-Antioch Highway’s intersection with Loveridge Road. Written public comments on the draft environmental impact report (EIR) for the H Cycle Pittsburg Renewable Hydrogen Project are being accepted now through 5 p.m. March 6.
The city of Pittsburg, acting as the lead agency for the proposed project, will hold two public meetings Feb. 15 to accept comments on the report, one online via Zoom at 11 a.m. and one in-person at 6 p.m. in Pittsburg City Hall. For more details online, visit bit.ly/4blljFb.
— The East Bay 100
WALNUT CREEK
Community Arts Foundation seeks new board members
Are you passionate about fostering creativity and ensuring that everyone, regardless of financial constraints, has access to the enriching world of arts education?
Consider becoming a board member for the Community Arts Foundation (CAF) in Walnut Creek, and help the group raise funds to provide scholarships to students of all ages at the Center for Community Arts in Contra Costa County.
Many of the CAF’s recipients are designated at the “extremely low income level.” As a board member, you will actively help the group meet the need for arts scholarship funding, but your impact will extend beyond raising funds to the additional benefits of bringing arts awareness, advocacy and arts accessibility to the entire county.
The CAF is looking for individuals with experience in fundraising, as well as those with marketing and social media experience. Above all, they welcome voices and perspectives from all backgrounds.
For more information and to apply, contact Cole Portocarrero, the CAF’s the development director, at colep.caf@gmail.com or visit commartsfoundation.org online.
— CAF
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
Free income tax preparation available to eligible residents
The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program is again offering free income tax preparation this year, providing IRS-certified tax counselors for local Contra Costa County residents. The service is offered to people of all ages with limited to moderate income, with special attention given to those age 50 or older.
For general information, call 925-726-3199. The tax preparation service will be available at the locations listed below, where those interested can call the site-specific phone numbers listed to make an appointment.
Here are the locations: Concord Library, 925-471-5686; Concord Senior Center, 925-671-3320; the Danville Veterans Memorial Building of San Ramon Valley, 925-272-0902; Lafayette Library, 925-385-2280; Martinez Senior Center, 925-370-8770; Pacheco Community Center, 925-276-2590; Pleasant Hill Hillcrest Congregational Church, 925-289-9790; San Ramon Senior Center, 925-973-3250; Walnut Creek — Rossmoor, Hillside Clubhouse, Vista Room (appointments made on-site at this location.)
— AARP Foundation Tax-Aide
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