General News
Council to hear introduction of commercial cannabis ordinance tonight
Martinez City Council will take public comment tonight during the first airing of a proposed commercial cannabis ordinance and the related amendment of the zoning code. The law has been in development for some time, with the Council giving its staff direction Sept. 5, 2018, about the number and types of cannabis businesses that should […]
Martinez Police blotter for Feb. 16-28, 2019
On February 16th at 1:38 am, Officer Angoco responded to an apartment complex in the 800 block of Brown Street for a woman yelling loudly and throwing items at her neighbor’s door. The woman refused to come out and speak with police, but was given a warning. Approximately twenty minutes later Officer Angoco returned to […]
Common Cause forum to address redistricting
MARTINEZ, Calif. – Martinez residents interested in the city’s voting districts may attend a California Common Cause and Thousand Friends of Martinez forum on the topic March 27 at the Veterans Memorial Building. Helen Grieco, an activist with California Common Cause, will address the forum. Thousand Friends of Martinez, a citizens group, is calling for […]
Martinez Waterfront, Marina subcommittee meeting Tuesday
The Martinez Waterfront and Marina Subcommittee will Tuesday to hear and discuss the Marina State Trust Lands Use Plan (TLUP) that the city must file with the state of California. The plan must be completed and filed with the State Lands Commission by Jan. 1, 2020. This is an element of the agreement that lets […]
Martinez resident accused of attempting lewd act on child
MARTINEZ, Calif. – A Martinez man who is a former Lamorinda soccer club coach is facing several charges in connection with an attempt in January to approach an underage girl for sex, the Contra Costa County State Attorney’s Office announced Thursday. Alejandro Sanchez, 28, was arrested in January by district attorney investigators who said they […]
Community Focus
Martinez Adult Education marks 100th year
MARTINEZ, Calif. – Martinez Adult Education is about to celebrate its 100th year of providing opportunities in a variety of areas. The celebration, with music, refreshments and prizes, will take place April 17 at the school’s campus, 600 F. St. The adult school (MEA) has been offering courses in the area of career and technical […]
No School? Go To Clown Camp!
Martinez Unified School District students will have Monday off from classes, and Martinez Recreation Department is offering a fun alternative for the day – Clown Day Camp. Clown Day Camp is open to those 4 to 11, and those interested may register online in advance either online at www.cityofmartinez.org, by calling 925-372-3510 or by visiting […]
Compost available March 23 at Yacht Club
MARTINEZ, Calif. – Residents can pick up free compost March 23 at Martinez Yacht Club in a giveaway by the city of Martinez and Republic Services, which handles the city’s garbage and recycling servicesThe compost giveaway will be at the same time as the Martinez Marina’s annual Swap Meet. The compost to be distributed has […]
Trafficking awareness topic at Soroptimist of Martinez meeting
Corporal Ryan Baillie of the Martinez Police Department spoke before a recent meeting of Soroptimist International of Martinez. He shared the events of the 3-year long investigation and subsequent conviction of members in a local human sex trafficking operation. The initial contact was with a victim living in Martinez where Officer Baillie first was assigned […]
Land Trust seeks donations to preserve Painted Rock
John Muir Land Trust is hoping to raise an additional $550,000 by May 31 to reach its $2 million goal to preserve 84 acres in Lamorinda called Painted Rock, and an event Thursday will welcome those who want to help make plans for a park there. The event, “Plan a Park for Painted Rock,” is […]
History
Underground Echoes: Aaron Rice: The final chapter (1880-1906)
By JOSEPH & JUDIE PALMER Martinez Gazette Contributors From our last column, we discovered Aaron had siblings. Although his sister Judy Schlesher (58) was never found, (nor could we find any record of her) his older brother William (62) and family, were located living in McKinney, Collin County, Texas. We additionally found them enumerated in […]
Underground Echoes: Family: Love, loss & found
By JOSEPH & JUDIE PALMER Special to the Gazette When we last left Aaron and his family, they were living blissfully. They had become in a relative short period: property owners, industrious entrepreneurs, founders of Napa’s AME Church, ardent voters and proud US citizens. As proof of their accomplishments an announcement published in the Napa […]
Underground Echoes: Life on the family farm: Aaron Rice (1860-1871)
By JOSEPH & JUDIE PALMER Special to the Gazette Picking up Aaron’s story from where we left off, William Rice still had custody of Nathaniel while the rest of his family was free. They finally get to celebrate the holidays without following someone else’s rules. This included their first ever Thanksgiving as it was not […]
The move to California: Aaron Rice (1819-1860)
By JOSEPH & JUDIE PALMER Martinez Gazette Contributors We apologize for not writing since last May, but circumstances arose that put our column on hold. In celebration of Black History Month, we wanted to complete Aaron Rice’s story. However due to the time gap, we thought it best to summarize his saga in a few […]
New Year traditions vary around the world
The start of a new year, whether it’s celebrated Jan. 1 or on some other date, often is accompanied by some form of ceremony or tradition, no matter where in the world a person happens to be, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, a publication that dates to 1792. Many of these traditions resemble each […]
Sports
Deal falls through for new pro baseball team in Martinez in 2019 season
The 2019 Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs won’t include a Martinez team, city officials announced Tuesday afternoon. An investment team that has shown interest in backing a successor team to Paulette Carpoff’s Martinez Clippers ran out of time, Mayor Rob Schroder said. “They said, ‘We want to do it right.’” The Clippers drew crowds […]
Opinion
Column 1: Welcome aboard
By BILL SHARKEY III Martinez News-Gazette Columnist WELCOME ABOARD, Eric Figueroa, our new City Manager, arriving soon from San Ramon’s Assistant City Manager position. We all know he will be an asset to our community, and will be a ‘happy camper’ in Martinez. With a name Figueroa, he will feel right at home, right? He […]
Letter to the Editor: Be the change
I took a democratic party online poll the other day. One of the questions asked me to check the boxes for the 3 issues that are the most important to me. I was surprised and disappointed to see that “halting our endless wars” was not one of the choices. “Fighting terror” was. What happened to […]
Column 1: Blessed are we
By BILL SHARKEY III Martinez News-Gazette Columnist BLESSED ARE WE who live in the United States of America. Be we citizens, non-citizens, legal, not legal. We all benefit from the umbrella of security over us by being here. Not many across the globe can say the same and be certain of it day-to-day. Some never […]
Letter to the Editor: City council loses major lawsuit
The City Council has lost the Pine Meadow Rewrite History lawsuit. The Contra Costa County Superior Court states in their February 8 ruling: “… no reasonable person could have reached the conclusion the City did in 2017 that ‘the Subject Property has a residential land use designation’….” The Court goes on to state: “… it […]
Coffee Talk: Rain clouds parting soon
By JOHN FULLER Martinez Gazette Columnist Good morning Martinez! How are we doing with all this rain? There should be no talk about a drought for a while. Or at least, I hope not. With all this rain, I have been going nuts staying indoors, a little stir crazy. All this indoors and Netflix has […]
Arts & Entertainment
Martinez High School students invited to enter Congressional Art Competition
Martinez high school students are being invited to enter the 2019 Congressional Art Competition by the city’s two members of the House of Representatives, District 05’s U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson and District 11 U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier. The two are hosts in their respective districts for the art competition. Their districts include different portions of […]
National Park Service hosts a Springtime Saunter
“Another lovely day, mostly solid sunshine. Took a fine and fragrant walk up the west hills with Wanda and Helen, who I am glad to see love walking, flowers, trees and every bird and beast and creeping thing” – John Muir, April 12, 1895 Join a National Park Service ranger for a Springtime Saunter on […]
Martinez Arts honors women with SWAN Day
MARTINEZ, Calif. – As it has for the past 11 years, the Martinez Arts Association will be honoring women in art during the 12th annual SWAN Day. SWAN stands for Support Women Artists Now, and it’s an international holiday that celebrates the creative power of women, said Dorrie Langley in the Arts Association’s announcement of […]
9th Annual Albany FilmFest to run from March 16 to March 24
ALBANY, Calif – Complex subjects, human-centered story-telling, and pure entertainment will give filmgoers a kaleidoscopic view of the world we live in at this year’s Albany FilmFest. A week of film events includes documentary, narrative, and animated shorts from local and global independent filmmakers. “More than ever before, our filmmakers are using their films to […]
Martinez Museum open house, March 3
The Amen! exhibit, featuring seven Martinez churches, at the Martinez Museum at 1005 Escobar, will be on display through Thursday, March 28. We invite the Martinez community to an informal Open House on Sunday, March 3, 2019, 1 pm – 4 pm. Plan to take advantage of this opportunity to enjoy the Amen! exhibit and […]
