General News
Hotrod Hoodlums, Chrysler of Fairfield event Saturday to help Las Juntas Elementary
A team-up event Saturday between a Fairfield Chrysler dealership and a Bay Area car club will help raise money for a Martinez elementary school during its annual PTA car show and barbecue. Chrysler of Fairfield is bringing its parent company’s “Cars 4 Classrooms” fundraising program to Las Juntas Elementary School Saturday. Megan Benando, a member […]
Council to hear appeal of cannabis dispensary permit
Martinez City Council will hear an appeal tonight of the Planning Commission’s approval of a conditional use permit for a medicinal marijuana dispensary in a suite at 4808 Sunrise Drive. After several Planning Commission meetings to determine whether a gym that’s a tenant in the building has enough young clientele to be called as a […]
County receives grant to help end sexual, domestic violence, abuse
MARTINEZ, Calif. – Contra Costa County has been awarded a federal grant of nearly $1 million to help respond to incidents of sexual assault, domestic and dating violence and stalking, Tish Gallegos, community and media relations representative for the county’s Employment and Human Services Department. The Justice Department’s Office on Violence against Women awarded a […]
PRMCC to hear about Prop 68 funds
MARTINEZ, Calif. – Martinez might be able to use Proposition 68 money for park improvements, a former Parks, Recreation, Marina and Cultural Commission (PRMCC) member will tell the panel Tuesday. Sherida Bush is a past Commission member who also is a longtime nature advocate, “Bay Nature” writer, founding member of Thousand Friends of Martinez and […]
DTSC considering Shell’s RCRA permit renewal
MARTINEZ, Calif. – The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) is considering the Shell Martinez Refinery’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permit renewal application that would delay closure of a hazardous waste management unit so Pond 7 could be used for non-hazardous wastewater treatment. The permit renewal application was submitted April 20, according […]
Community Focus
Veterans Commission plans November ceremonies
MARTINEZ, Calif. – Taking the lead of the federal government, which will be observing Veterans Day Nov. 12, the Martinez Veterans Commission has agreed to have local ceremonies on that date. A hundred years ago, the Treaty of Versailles, signed June 28, 1919 in France, ended World War I, or “The Great War” as it […]
Message from the Chief of Police, Sept. 2018
By MANJIT SAPPAL Martinez Chief of Police MARTINEZ, Calif. – This month our community celebrated another successful National Night Out and every year the event gets better and better! We saw an incredible turn out at various locations and it was a great opportunity for the community to come together and support one another. National […]
DeSaulnier announces app coding contest for area high school students
MARTINEZ, Calif. – High school students who live in U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier’s district, California 11, may compete in the fourth annual Congressional App Challenge, a coding competition. DeSaulnier is host of his district competition, which is open to high school students who either live or attend school in this district. To enter, students will […]
Adopt a pet, Sept. 16, 2018
These animals are available from Contra Costa County Animal Services. Joe, No. A0924227, is one of the most unusual looking dogs in the Martinez Shelter. He has a Pittie-type doggie face and a Basset hound body, and staff there say he has a sweet personality. Joe leans in to give kisses and seeks out petting. […]
Park It by Ned MacKay: Coastal Cleanup
Every year at this time, there’s a call for volunteers to help remove trash and recyclables from shoreline parks, lakes and along creeks throughout California. Coastal Cleanup 2018 is from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 15. East Bay Regional Park District will participate at nine regional parklands. Volunteers should bring a refillable water […]
History
Our Town: A city without a city hall
By CHARLENE PERRY Reprinted from January 1985 Editor’s Note: Due to the pressures of time, energy and upcoming knee surgery, this writer will return from time to time to reaching into the treasure chest of Charlene Perry’s well-researched columns from the 1980s and 90s. This piece, from 1985, will be the introduction to a forthcoming […]
Our Town: Celebrating Martinez’s movie fame
By HARRIETT BURT Martinez News-Gazette Contributor CARTER WILSON Martinez Historical Society Photographer Last week this writer thought she’d written the last story about Tucker: The Man and His Dream but then Carter Wilson, photographer of homes on the annual Martinez Historical Society Home Tour, brought over a handful of images of the Saturday’s film party […]
Our Town: Tucker movie true to creator’s past
By HARRIETT BURT Martinez News-Gazette Contributor The special screening of the restored Francis Ford Coppola film, “Tucker: The Man and His Dream” will be held Saturday, August 11 at the Shell Club House. Doors open at 6 for hearty hors d’ oeuvres and a silent auction and the screening will begin at 8 p.m. James […]
Our Town: Semple of Benicia, Smith of Martinez, Alike in many ways
By HARRIETT BURT Martinez News-Gazette Contributor Editor’s Note: This is the second part of an article about Robert Semple of Kentucky, the founder of Benicia, who made it possible for another ambitious American from Georgia to found Martinez. Written some years ago for the MHS Newsletter by the late John Bonnell who, in retirement, used […]
Our Town Special Event: “Tucker: The Man and the Automobile” returns to town 30 years later to benefit MHS
By HARRIETT BURT Martinez News-Gazette Contributor Editor’s note: A showing of the recently restored Francis Ford Coppola film “Tucker: The Man and His Dream” is scheduled for Saturday, August 11, 2018 at the Shell Club House. The benefit for the Martinez Historical Society will take place starting at 6 p.m. A small portion of the […]
Sports
Alhambra Girls Waterpolo vs College Park. Photo Gallery
Photos by Mark Fierner (Martinez News-Gazette) Alhambra Lady Bulldogs Waterpolo lost to the College Park Falcons 17-3
Alhambra Waterpolo vs College Park. Photo Gallery
Photos by Mark Fierner (Martinez News-Gazette) Alhambra boys waterpolo lost to College Park 15-5
49ers hold 30-27 on to win home opener vs Lions. (photo gallery)
Photos by Tod Fierner (Martinez News-Gazette) The 49ers improved to 24-10-1 all-time against the Lions at home. Including the postseason, San Francisco has now recorded 13-consecutive home victories against Detroit, which is the longest active home winning streak against any opponent. Head coach Kyle Shanahan moves to 2-1 as a head coach against the NFC […]
Grand Prix of Sonoma to decide IndyCar champion for last time
When the checkered flag flashes later today at Sonoma Raceway, the winning driver of the Grand Prix of Sonoma will have earned fans’ cheers. In addition, the 2018 Verizon/IndyCar series champion will be crowned at the conclusion of the race. After today, those ceremonies are going away for the foreseeable future. In July, the series […]
Bulldogs down Livermore 23-13 in home opener (photo gallery)
Photos by Mark Fierner (Martinez News-Gazette)
Opinion
Mayor, school board president should focus on school safety, not election law minutiae
Now that Mayor Rob Schroder and school board President Jonathan Wright have teamed up on an op-ed discussing the nuances of election law (“Contra Costa Elections Department wrongly blames School Board, City for voting confusion”) , perhaps they can carve out some time to work together on matters that actually impact the well-being of our […]
Column 1: Where were you
By BILL SHARKEY III Martinez News-Gazette Columnist WHERE WERE YOU when the twin towers in New York City came crashing down? What were you doing? Seventeen years ago this past week, was a day that everyone remembers; but what other memories? How did you hear the horror that was unfolding at the hands of terrorists? […]
Letter to the Editor: No weeds in the garden
Martinez is getting seduced into the marijuana business. It’s most apparent motive is that we need the “money”. As in taxes, fees and whatever. It’s almost as if panic has set in at city hall and we the people must comply with this emergency. The emergency is not our fault. This is the city council’s […]
Letter to the Editor: Why I’m supporting Measure X
I was part of the Citizens for Measure H, a $30,000,000 bond that the citizens of Martinez approved to rebuild our pool, upgrade our library, and renovate our parks. One of the concerns was that once this work was accomplished, would the city be able to provide proper maintenance. When serving on the Park, Recreation, […]
Gipner: Measure X critical to Martinez’s future
Today I would like to talk about the half-cent sales tax measure that the City Council placed on the November 6 ballot. It is called Measure X – the City of Martinez Quality of Life/Essential Services Measure. In November, the citizens of Martinez will be asked to decide whether or not to pass Measure X. […]
Arts & Entertainment
Martinez Arts Association’s Art in the Park Aug. 19
MARTINEZ, Calif. – More than 50 artists are expected to exhibit their paintings, sculptures and other works in Susana Park Aug. 19 in the 49th annual Martinez Arts Association Art in the Park show. More than an art show, this event also is the Martinez Arts Association’s largest fundraiser for the its goal of encouraging […]
Outside Lands with a twist
Steve Langsam ( Martinez News-Gazette ) San Francisco, Calif. – In one week from now Golden Gate Park will be filled with the music of over 50 artists as Outside Lands comes back for another addition of their wonderful summer festival in San Francisco. This year the festival from Another Planet Entertainment will of course […]
New play opening at the Campbell finds comedy in death
By SCOTT BABA Art and Entertainment Editor Women of Words premiered its sixth show at the Campbell Theater this weekend, opening “Dearly Departed” on Friday, a goofy southern comedy about life, death, and family. Written by David Dean Bottrell and Jessie Jones, “Dearly Departed” premiered in New Haven Connecticut in 1991, and that same year […]
Local band to play during Martinez’s Relay For Life
MARTINEZ, Calif. – While volunteers and team members take laps at the Martinez Junior High School during the Relay for Life of Martinez, they’ll be serenaded by a local rock and roll band whose music will keep them energized. The band is Dorothy Lane, formed by two brothers-in-law, Nick Knoblock and Lorin Holmen discovered they […]
Beaver Festival at Susana Park Saturday
The Martinez beavers are back, and so is the annual Martinez Beaver Festival that celebrates wildlife and their contributions to a healthy environment. Founded 11 years ago at a time a new beaver dam in Alhambra Creek might have exacerbated flooding in the city’s downtown business district, the first festival gave residents and ecology supporters […]
