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September 2026 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • PAGE 1
& SEPTEMBER 2026
THE POWER OF A LIBRARY CARD
By Traci Wyss
In a world where anything you want to buy is just a click away, rediscover the lost art of borrowing. It’s not a cup of sugar from a neighbor (does anyone ever return that sugar?), but it’s a great way A library card is your ticket to a wealth of materials. to reduce possessions while still enjoying an item, and cuts down on subscription and membership costs. This is where the modern library enters the chat. Physical books have their place — and it’s the only thing most people think the public library has to offer, but eBook and audiobook borrowing is also available through Contra Costa County Library. Typically, a subscription such as this would be $10-$15 a month — but apps like Hoopla and Libby allow anywhere from three to six book borrows concurrently for free by using your library card. Books can be downloaded for offline reading or listening and are compatible with eReader devices. Your shelves aren’t cluttered with more books that you will never re-read or get around to reading in the first place! Magazines, available through the Flipster app, and newspapers like the East Bay Times, San Francisco Chronicle, NY Times, and Press Reader are also available for free via your library card. Flipster has an extensive catalogue with titles like Forbes, People, and TIME Magazine. And not just the most recent issue; most magazines have all issues for the past 12 years available just by entering your library card number and PIN. Written materials aren’t all that are available. For the movie and television aficionados, Kanopy has hundreds of movies and shows available. Users are given a set number of tickets each month which replenish on the first of the month The Danville Library at its current Front Street location has been open and each movie since 1996, however, Danville’s first public library was also on Front Street, or episode uses a opening in 1913 in a room above the post office. certain number of tickets. There are many movies, shows, and story time programs for kids that use zero tickets and are available on an unlimited basis.
See Library continued on page 20
9-11 REMEMBRANCE CEREMONY
The Exchange Club of the San Ramon Valley will mark the 25th annual 9-11 Remembrance, at a ceremony to be held at the All-Wars Memorial located at Oak Hill Park, 3005 Stone Valley Road in Danville. This year’s observance, takes place on Friday, September 11th from 5:15 to 6:30PM. Special tribute will be paid to fire, police, and military heroes who responded on September 11, 2001, while also bringing generations together to remember and reflect. The program will include youth carrying 50 American flags, fire and police representatives from the San Ramon Valley, an Honor Guard, the Monte Vista Choir, bagpiper and bugler, and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Chuck Kohler who is one of ten living survivors of Pearl Harbor. Attendees are invited to arrive early to view the new All-Wars Memorial walk featuring descriptive plaques highlighting America’s battles. The keynote speaker is Retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Chris Starling, a 26-year infantry veteran whose service included ten overseas deployments and combat tours during Desert Shield, Desert Storm, and Iraqi Freedom. Colonel Starling served as an instructor at West Point on September 11, 2001, and will share his personal perspective on the attacks and their lasting impact. Gold Star speaker Roxanne Langevin will also honor her son and local Gold Star families who lost loved ones in defense of our nation. Following the ceremony, guests can enjoy free ice cream treats and learn more about the student 9-11 Essay Competition and awards.
CALLING ALL GARDENERS!
By Cynthia Sofranac, Friends of the Danville Library
It looks like an old wooden card catalog, ready to stump you with the Dewey Decimal System. But, don’t be afraid! This particular card catalog contains seeds. From asters and snapdragons to melons and tomatoes, the seeds in all of its drawers hold a special kind of hope—and just what you want to get your garden started. Recently the Danville Library’s Seed Library, contained kale, heirloom tomatoes, cantaloupe, green beans, and an assortment of flowers, all donated and harvested locally. Seed Libraries, available at several Contra Costa County branch locations, are places for sharing and trading seeds. All of the seeds come from
See Seed continued on page 23
The Editors Serving the communities of Alamo, Diablo, & Danville
Volume XXVI Number 9
Volume XVII Number 9
3000F Danville Blvd. #117 Alamo, CA 94507 Telephone (925) 405-6397 Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher Editor@yourmonthlypaper.com The opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, and do not necessarily reflect that of The Editors. The Editors is not responsible for the content of any of the advertising herein, nor does publication imply endorsement.
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PAGE 2 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • September 2026
BOULEVARD VIEW
By Alisa Corstorphine, Editor and Publisher
A recent visit by a family friend from Japan, had us out exploring the highs and lows of our local area — literally! The What’sApp message I received said, “I want to go hiking to a place nearby where I can see a spectacular view.” Well, that was an easy request! From the website uptowhere.com/viewpoints/mt-diablo, the “stats” and “facts” from Mount Diablo are quite impressive. Did you know that, “on exceptionally clear days, Diablo is said to offer the second-largest area of visible land of any peak on Earth, after Kilimanjaro, thanks to its isolation above the surrounding lowlands.” At its’ peak, “Mount Diablo rises 1,173 meters from the San Francisco Bay Area as an upthrust peak of the Diablo Range. Despite modest elevation, it boasts some of the West’s most remarkable visibility, with Lassen Peak visible 181 miles away on clear days. Eight major bridges are visible from the summit.” We lucked out! While the day didn’t provide 100% visibility in all directions, we could view the Golden Gate bridge (which our friend had walked the previous day) and many other bridges in the Delta area. It can be easy to forget that such a treasure is literally right in our backyard. As part of the California Sate Parks system, there is a small entrance fee per car. (Read “The Power of a Library Card” on the front page to use library resources for a free pass!)
Classics, Custom, Vintage, Hot Rods, 1980 & Older Plus Exotics
13th Annual Autos of Alamo Celebration Thurs. Sept. 10, 4-8 PM Alamo Plaza Shopping Center
Live Music
For Kids of All Ages Presented by Alamo Improvement Association with:
The mountain offers camping, biking, wildlife viewing, exhibits and programs, the Mount Diablo Interpretive Center, Geocaching, hiking and horseback riding trails, big boulders to climb on at “Rock City,” and more. We brought a dinner that we enjoyed from a picnic table near the summit. The crowds were minimal. It was quiet, peaceful, and the air had the fresh pine scent you Auto registration ($40) Online at www.AlamoCA.org or call AIA 925/247-8081 (subject to space availability) find in places like Lake Tahoe. It’s minutes away by car, but feels a world away from our Valley floor. Learn more about what the mountain has to offer at https://shorturl.at/9L7Nr. Our friend loves Major League Baseball, so the following day, we rented a kayak in San Francisco, and kayaked in Mission Bay to the afternoon Giants game. We hung out in McCovey Cove with other eager boaters wishing and hoping to net a home-run ball. While baseball isn’t my “thing,” this was a whole new experience. From the water, you could hear the excitement of the game and see the scoreboard. A large screen TV was positioned on the side of the stadium facing the cove so the action could be enjoyed even from the water. Our kayak was due back to the rental place before the game ended, so we returned our vessel and walked over to the stadium. We got there at the bottom of the ninth inning. The Giants were down 1-4 against the Angels. Taking advantage of a freebie, we walked over to the “knothole” where you can view the game for free for up to three innings. Separated by a chain-link fence, the spot puts you in right-field and the view is excellent. Just our luck, the Giants were up, a hit came right towards us, the ball was dropped, two runs were made, and even though the home team lost, it was a magical ending to a great afternoon. While far away guests can be a good reason to go out and explore, it shouldn’t be the only time we take advantage of what our area has to offer. We live in a place that many people save for years to come visit and see during their limited vacation times. With a little planning, or even spontaneity, there is so much to see and do all around us.
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SENIOR VARIETY SHOW
Don’t miss the award-winning Senior Variety Show to be held on Saturday, September 19th, at the Village Theatre located at 233 Front Street in downtown Danville. This cherished annual event showcases the talent and creativity of Danville’s 50 and older community, with performances that may include song, dance, stand up comedy, spoken word, and more. Whether you are stepping on stage or cheering from the audience, it is a celebration of creativity and community you will not want to miss. Learn more at danville.ca.gov/varietyshow. Tickets for the 2026 Senior Variety Show can be purchased at danville.ca.gov/theatre.
September 2026 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • PAGE 3
JOIN THE DANVILLE CITIZENS ACADEMY!
Applications are now being accepted for the Danville Citizens Academy! The next session begins Wednesday, September 30th, and will meet for six consecutive weeks on Wednesday evenings from 6- 9PM. The program provides participants with an inside look at the Danville Police Department, operations, and the many ways they serve the community.
DISCOVER THE JOY OF SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCING!
The program includes one Saturday session on October 17th. This is a great opportunity to learn more about your local police department and gain a better understanding of public safety. Interested in joining? Call 925-314-3717 with any questions or to register.
Are you looking for a new way to stay active, meet people, and have fun? Join us for Scottish Country Dancing! Weekly classes for adult beginners are now being held Tuesday evenings from 7:30PM to 9PM at our new location at the Resurrection Lutheran Church, 7557 Amador Valley Blvd in Dublin. Class starts Tuesday, October 13th! • No partner or experience needed • Great exercise disguised as fun • Dance to toe-tapping Scottish reels, jigs, and strathspeys • Make friends, laugh lots, and learn something new • Wear comfortable clothing and soft sole shoes • Join our beginners class for only $10/week! Weekly classes for intermediate dancers continue to be held on Thursday evenings from 7:30PM – 9:30PM at the Danville Grange located at 743 Danville Rd. Contact Monica at monica.van.eck@gmail.com or visit the RSCDS-SF Branch website at rscds-sf.org/classes for additional information.
GFWC Danville Women’s Club, a 115-year-old local non-profit organization, has chosen STAND for Families Free of Violence as our charity for the fourth annual GFWC International Day of Service being held September 26th. The focus of this day is to promote world-wide support for prevention and victims’ recovery in cases of domestic and sexual violence. Through the gift card program, one of the ways STAND helps victims and families put the past behind them and move toward a healthy future full of choices, is to provide gift card funds for individualized recovery building blocks. Gift cards give freedom to the recipients to make their own choices, to have an occasional special treat or family fun, and to create new traditions. Card values are best between $25 and $50. To learn more, visit www.danvillewomensclub.org. Select the tab “GFWC International Day of Service” and you can donate directly via the QR code on the page. The Club will buy the cards. Alternatively, you can purchase gift cards and mail them to the Club, or drop them off at the September 17th meeting. Help make a difference for folks in need. For questions, email danvillewc@gmail.com.
LIVELY MUSIC • LASTING FRIENDSHIPS • FUN FITNESS
HELP IN “INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SERVICE”
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PAGE 4 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • September 2026
SONS IN RETIREMENT (SIR) 128 SAN RAMON VALLEY
Are you a man over 50 in the San Ramon Valley looking for friendship and fun? SIR 128 might be what you’ve been looking for. We’re a welcoming community where men come together to enjoy life to the fullest. Members take part in all kinds of activities hiking, wine tasting, book clubs, poker groups, cooking, walking, and golf (both 9 and 18 holes) and that’s just the start. We also organize monthly outings for members and their partners, so there’s always something new and social to look forward to. The best part? The people. You’ll build genuine friendships with men who are in the same stage of life and eager to make the most of it. Monthly luncheons feature great food, interesting speakers, and lively conversation. Coming on your own for the first time? No problem. We reserve a special table just for newcomers and solo guests, ensuring you feel right at home from the moment you walk in. We’d love to welcome you at our next gathering. To learn more or reserve your spot at an upcoming luncheon, email membership@sir128.com or visit www.SIR128. com. Come and discover what makes SIR 128 so special.
MEN’S RETIREE SOCIAL GROUP - SIR 146
STAY ACTIVE, HAVE FUN & LIVE LONGER!
SIR Branch 146 is a vibrant social group for retired and semi-retired men in Central Contra Costa County, offering a friendly community to help you make the most of retirement. With over 250 members, SIR146 features more than 25 activity groups, including golf, hiking, travel, dining, cards, photography, and cooking. Most activities are co-ed, welcoming spouses and partners. Members enjoy a monthly luncheon with guest speakers and plenty of camaraderie. It’s a great opportunity to connect with other men who share similar interests and enjoy an active lifestyle. Founded in 1988, SIR146 helps men build friendships, stay mentally and physically active, and even live longer – members average a six year longer lifespan than other men in the county. Guests are always welcome. Learn more at sir146. com or email sir146inquiries@gmail.com.
SEPTEMBER AT MSRV
This years First Peoples exhibit is titled “Walking in the Footsteps of the Past.” It will explore the connections between the valleys first residents and how today many of the traditions, foods, and cultures are being kept alive. In addition there will be an exhibit from the Phelps Collection, which features a beautiful array of handwoven baskets. The Waiting Room will have an exhibit that celebrates 50 years of Tao House as a National Historic site. This exhibit, explores the vision and dedication of the three remarkable women who helped preserve Tao House along with the friends and partners of the Eugene O’Neill Foundation who helped bring that vision to life. The Third Thursday free virtual program will be held on September 17th at 11:30AM. The speaker will be Linus Eukel from the John Muir Land Trust. The program is free, but registration is required. To attend, visit museumsrv.org, select “What’s On,” and then “Virtual Programs.” Don’t forget to stop by the museum store for a great selection of toys, games, books, and fabulous pictures of old Danville! The Museum is located at 205 Railroad Ave in Danville. Hours are Tuesday - Saturday 10AM-1PM and Sunday noon-3PM. For more information, visit museumsrv.org or call 925-837-3750.
QUILT SHOW
Come spend time with Diablo Valley Quilters (DVQ), at their bi-annual quilt show September 26-27 at the Shadelands Center for Community Arts, 111 N. Wiget Lane, Walnut Creek. The show runs 10am - 4pm each day. Admission is $12 (under 12 are free), and parking is free. The theme for the show is “Land that I Love,” in keeping with celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday. Inside the show will be over a hundred quilts including traditional, modern, and fabric art on display. Quilt shows today celebrate the creative use of color and texture, bright contemporary fabrics give quilts pieced in traditional patterns fresh appeal. There will also be vendors, prizes, raffle baskets, gift shopping, and a mini “Fabric Follies,” where donated fabrics and notions will be sold at highly discounted prices. The featured artist is a local teacher and nationally known quilter, Laura Fraga — best known for her mastery of hand applique and the Dear Jane quilt phenomena. Laura will tell about her journey into quilting after watching her grandmother hand quilt traditional quilts with her church group. She took her first quilting class in 1990, and after mastering the basics fell in love with Dear Jane quilts — a highly intricate quilt pattern inspired by the 1863 quilt created by Jane A. Stickle, featuring 225 unique blocks. Quilt guilds are known for their community outreach, and DVQ is no exception! The guild annually donates over 650 quilts to family and infant programs in the area, 1,500 pillowcases to Ryan’s Case for Smiles, quilts to the Branch Program for veterans in Hospice of the East Bay, and lap quilts to veteran honorees of Honor Flight Easy Bay. Guild members also participate in the First Place for Youth program annually providing nearly 200 larger quilts for kids aging out of foster care. Some of these outreach donations will be featured in the show as well. DVQ meets the third Wednesday of the month at Danville Congregational Church, 989 San Ramon Valley Blvd., Danville. For more information, visit www. diablovalleyquilters.org.
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28th Anniversary SALE
September 2 nd to Labor Day
SALE
Open daily
Discover VINTAGE heirloom reveals raffle GIFTS tasty elixirs artisanal guests & cool loot to behold
391 Hartz Ave. Danville 925.837.2664
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September 2026 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • PAGE 5
F RO M A L A M O TO AT H E N S
We’re everywhere you want to live ! D U D U M R E A L E S TAT E G R O U P
COMING SOON
JUST LISTED
ACTIVE
2516 ROUNDHILL DRIVE, ALAMO 4 BEDS, 2.5 BATHS, 3,514± SF, 0.47± ACRE LOT CALL AGENT FOR DETAILS
645 BIRCHWOOD COURT, DANVILLE 4 BEDS, 3 BATHS, 2,702± SF, 0.27± ACRE LOT OFFERED FOR $2,450,000
1718 ROCKSPRING PLACE, WALNUT CREEK 5 BEDS, 4 BATHS, 3,000± SF, 0.41± ACRE LOT OFFERED FOR $2,400,000
THE HUMPHRIES TEAM | 925.298.2249
STUART STEELE, BROKER ASSOCIATE 925.890.4909 | DRE# 01158988
ACTIVE
ACTIVE
SOLD
905 DANA HIGHLANDS COURT, LAFAYETTE 4 BEDS, 3.5 BATHS, 3,617± SF, 0.58± ACRE LOT OFFERED FOR $2,300,000
3170 PADRE STREET, LAFAYETTE 4 BEDS, 3 BATHS, 2,180± SF, 0.23± ACRE LOT OFFERED FOR $1,299,000
900 WOODLAND DRIVE, SAN RAMON 5 BEDS, 3.5 BATHS, 2,998± SF, 0.25± ACRE LOT CALL AGENT FOR DETAILS
LORI LEGLER & CHERYL HATA | 925.286.1244
ANGIE CLAY | 925.207.9366
THE HUMPHRIES TEAM | 925.298.2249
LORI LEGLER & CHERYL HATA | 925.286.1244
WE LIVE HERE. WE WORK HERE. WE SERVE HERE.
ANGIE CLAY 925.207.9366
BONNE WERSEL 510.304.3303
CHERYL HATA 510.912.5882
FONIA HUMPHRIES 925.998.4444
REALTOR® | DRE# 01361143
REALTOR® | DRE# 01173288
REALTOR® | DRE# 01389346
BROKER ASSOCIATE | DRE# 01019063
JULIE DEL SANTO 925.818.5500
LORI LEGLER 925.286.1244
MARGY LYMAN 925.963.6380
MARISA COX 925.383.3084
SCOTT HUMPHRIES 925.298.2249
BROKER | DRE# 01290985
REALTOR® | DRE# 00805132
REALTOR® | DRE# 02067680
REALTOR® | DRE# 01343504
REALTOR® | DRE# 02078065
WALNUT CREEK
LAMORINDA
DANVILLE
BRENTWOOD
SIERRA TAHOE
©2026 The information herein was obtained by sources deemed to be reliable by Dudum Real Estate Group. Dudum Real Estate group has not independently verified the information contained herein and therefore, assumes no legal responsibility for its accuracy. Buyer should investigate any matters or items disclosed, identified or about which they have concerns to their own satisfaction. DRE Lic. 01882902
PAGE 6 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • September 2026
FINDING HARMONY
THE BLACKHAWK CHORUS KICKS OFF A SEASON OF "BELIEVE"
For over three decades, the Blackhawk Chorus has been a cornerstone of the East Bay’s vibrant arts scene. It all began in 1991, when twelve women gathered in opera soprano Diane Gilfether’s living room for a few weeks of voice lessons. That intimate gathering quickly blossomed into a full-fledged ensemble, welcoming men by its second year and growing into the premier 100-voice community choir we know today. Under Diane’s visionary direction, the chorus built a reputation for polished, diverse performances, presenting beloved holiday concerts each December, and dynamic spring programs featuring everything from jazz and pop to Broadway and gospel. After her retirement in 2021, seasoned choral educator Ken Abrams took the artistic helm, continuing the tradition of excellence while introducing fresh repertoire. This fall, the chorus embarks on its next chapter. Rehearsals for the 2026-27 season officially began on Tuesday, August 25th, as singers came together to prepare for the upcoming winter concert, aptly titled “Believe.” This inspiring holiday program will take the stage on December 11th–13th.Ticket information will be available on its website www.blackhawkchorus.com. The Blackhawk Chorus is more than just a performance group; it’s a community. As they prepare for “Believe,” the ensemble is actively welcoming new voices, especially tenors and basses, to join their ranks for the season. If you or anyone you know loves to sing and wants to join, contact the chorus at info@blackhawkchorus.com. It’s a chance to be part of a legacy of harmony and create something beautiful together.
ALAMO ROTARY CLUB LAUNCHES SEARCH FOR 2026 CITIZEN OF THE YEAR
Alamo is a town built on heart — the kind that shows up with a casserole when a neighbor is sick, the kind that plants flowers along the trail “just because,” the kind that quietly makes life better for others without ever asking for applause. Following a suspension for COVID, the Alamo Rotary Club is ready to celebrate that spirit again in full color as it kicks off the search for the 2026 Alamo Citizen of the Year. The tradition honors residents of all ages who lift up the health, welfare, and happiness of our community. Maybe it’s the teen who organizes creek cleanups, the retiree who tutors kids after school, the parent who leads a kindness campaign, or the neighbor who always seems to be everywhere help is needed. If they make Alamo brighter, they belong in the spotlight. And here’s the best part — you can nominate as many people as you want. The Rotary Club encourages residents to think big, think wide, and think generously. This is the moment to celebrate the quiet heroes, the everyday helpers, the joyful doers, and the people who make Alamo feel like home. The winning nominee will be announced at the beloved Alamo Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in December, a night when the whole town gathers under twinkling lights to welcome the season. One extraordinary resident will step forward as Citizen of the Year — but every nominee will be part of the story of what makes Alamo special. To participate, simply request a nomination form, complete the nomination information and email it to ctomcik7@gmail.com. Whether you submit one name or twenty, your voice helps honor the people who keep our community thriving.
FREE GENEALOGY RESEARCH ASSISTANCE
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Tri-Valley Widow to Widow Support & Social Group Join us to meet award-winning Danville writer Debbie Weiss. Ms. Weiss will be sharing her journey from loss of her husband to award-winning author of
Available As Is: A Midlife Widow’s Search for Love
October 7TH ~ 10AM to noon
All widows are welcome at this free event. Optional no-host lunch to follow. Call 925-736-1434 for details and location. Tri-Valley Widow to Widow is a Social & Support Group meeting on the first Thursday of each month.
CALIFORNIA SYMPHONY KICKS OFF ITS 40TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
California Symphony opens its 40th anniversary season with a concert celebrating American connections in SIBELIUS, HIGDON, AND BARTÓK, September 26-27 at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek. The program highlights American connections across continents and generations. Each work was premiered in the United States, offering a fitting connection as the nation marks its 250th anniversary. Finnish composer Jean Sibelius’s The Oceanides captures the power and grandeur of the sea following his only U.S. visit. GRAMMY Award-winning Photo By Kristen Loken. American composer Jennifer Higdon’s Cello Concerto receives its Northern California premiere, performed by acclaimed cellist Julian Schwarz, for whom the work was written. Hungarian composer Béla Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra was commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra after the composer fled wartime Europe for the United States. “The emotion these three composers infuse into every note stays with you when you leave the concert hall,” said Donato Cabrera, California Symphony’s Artistic & Music Director. SIBELIUS, HIGDON, AND BARTÓK: Saturday, September 26th, 7:30PM, and Sunday, September 27th, 4PM at the Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. Tickets start at $50/$25 for students are available at californiasymphony.org or 925-943-7469. A free 30-minute pre-concert talk begins one hour before each performance.
Are you looking for your ancestors? Do you want to do a little genealogy research or start your family tree? Could you use some help, direction,or tips for using online genealogy tools? Bring your questions and any information you have (names, dates, places, documents) to get started to the Danville Library, located at 400 Front St., Danville on Tuesday, September 8th from 10am-1pm. Genealogy docents from the San Ramon Valley Genealogical Society will be available to help you take your research further with print resources from the library’s genealogy collection or online material. The free genealogy research assistance is provided by the San Ramon Valley Genealogical Society in partnership with the Danville Library. For questions, call 925-314-3750 or visit srvgensoc.org.
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September 2026 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • PAGE 7
THE GATTI REPORT: YOUR GREATER DANVILLE AREA REAL ESTATE UPDATE
By Joseph Gatti
Last month we analyzed detached properties under $2.5 million; this month we look at the upper level of our local market. A year-over-year lens, January 1 through August 16, cuts through the noise any single month adds. Across luxury detached homes $2.5 million and up in Danville, Alamo, Diablo, and San Ramon, 2026 moves in multiple directions, some markets surging, others pulling back, pricing steadier than sales counts suggest. Our real estate team, powered by Compass, the nation’s #1 brokerage is here to help you navigate that shift with clarity and confidence.
DANVILLE
• Closed sales up nearly 21% year-over-year (99 vs. 82) • Median sold price softened about 2.5% to $2,880,000 • Median days-on-market stretched from about a week and a half to eleven days • Price per square foot slipped roughly 5%, from $819 to $775 • Top sale reached $12 million, up from $7.175 million More volume with a slight give-back in price is the fair read. Additional inventory gave buyers a bit more negotiating room, while sharply priced homes still moved fast, eleven days is still brisk.
ALAMO
• Closed sales up nearly 47% year over year (72 vs. 49) • Median sold price essentially flat, down slightly to $3,175,000 • Price per square foot rose almost 8%, from $856 to $922 Despite the surge in transactions, price didn’t give ground, price per square foot climbed instead, pointing to larger or higher-quality homes changing hands. Alamo’s $2.5M+ tier is trading briskly, with well-positioned homes at this high level can move fast, but those are special circumstances.
DIABLO
Diablo remains the East Bay’s smallest, least liquid luxury market — with volume this low, a single sale can swing the numbers, so these figures are best read as context alongside Danville and Alamo rather than a trend on their own: • Closed sales flat year-over-year, nine sales both years • Median sold price rose nearly 20%, to $4,775,000 • Marketing time roughly halved, from 9 days to 4 • Top sale reached $11.25 million With only nine transactions a year, these swings reflect which estates changed hands as much as any broad shift. 1. Data taken from the MLS during specific dates and under the criteria mentioned within the article.
SAN RAMON
San Ramon told a different story — the one market where transaction count pulled back: • Closed sales down nearly 46% year over year (25 vs. 46) • Median sold price rose slightly, about 4%, to $2,900,000 • Median days-on-market dropped sharply, from 12 days to 7 • Price per square foot essentially flat The falling count isn’t a demand story, it’s a supply one. Fewer $2.5M+ homes came to market, and the ones that did sold faster, near or slightly ahead of last year’s prices. The ceiling also came down, this year’s top sale ($3.785M) below last year’s ($4.15M). San Ramon Valley Unified school demand continues to give pricing a floor here that few other factors can match.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
The 2026-versus-2025 story in the $2.5M+ tier isn’t uniform, but a few threads run through it. Pricing stayed resilient even where volume swung sharply, no market saw a meaningful price collapse, and two (Alamo and Diablo) saw prices rise. Outside Danville, days-on-market shortened, not lengthened for properties that actually sold. • Buyers in Danville have the most real negotiating room • Sellers in Alamo and Diablo see continued price strength — Alamo especially with a wave of new buyer activity • San Ramon’s luxury tier is tighter on supply, quietly supporting price even as fewer homes trade With 14 years serving the Greater Danville area, I bring deep market knowledge and a personalized, strategic approach to every client relationship. As an Associate Broker with Compass, I pair national resources with local expertise, building on the foundation my father, Ron Gatti, laid over 48 years in this community. My focus is modern strategy, clear communication, and helping you move forward with confidence.
L U X U RY M E E T S L O C A L H I S T O RY
N E W O N M A R K E T!
ACT IVE !
ACT IVE !
SOLD !
2 2 2 A BI GA IL C I R, DA NVIL LE
14 DA NVI LLE OAK P l , DANVILLE
755 6 SILVE RTRE E LN, DU BLI N
51 02 BL AC KH AW K D R , DANVI L L E
4 BD 2. 5 BTH 2 ,39 6 SQ FT $1 , 5 49, 000
2 BD 2 BTH $ 849,00 0
3 BD 2 .5 BTH $ 865,0 00
R EPR E SEN TED BU YER SOLD FOR $ 2, 6 00, 000
CO MI NG SO O N /ACTIVE
9 92 S Q FT
SO L D !
1242 SQ F T
SO L D !
SOLD !
27 1 7 STON E VA LLE Y ROA D, AL A MO
1394 VA N PAT TEN DRIVE, DANVIL LE
323 L AUREL DRIVE, DA NVI LLE
3 4 2 8 BE RM UDA CO URT, SAN R AM O N
~ 1 . 8 AC TO BU ILD YOU R DREAM HOME!
5 BD 3 BA 2671 SF SOLD FOR $2 ,12 5,00 0
4 BD 2.5 BA 184 6 SF SOLD FOR $1,800,0 00
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PAGE 8 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • September 2026
MONTE VISTA HIGH SCHOOL
By Dr. Kevin Ahern, Principal
One of the best feelings in education is the first day of school when, all of a sudden, the hallways that were empty during summer break are once again filled with smiling, excited students and staff. The positive vibe truly surrounded the campus as the Monte Vista (MV) community began the 2026–27 school year on Thursday, August 13th. Campus community and connection are at the forefront of our work as we move through these first weeks and into another fantastic year. This is year twelve for me at MV, and I am just as excited as our students to make this year our best yet. As in past years, the MV staff began two days early with professional development. We used this time to reconnect and recommit to each other and our work, as well as develop action plans and strategies for the year. What makes the MV staff so amazing is their relentless focus on keeping students at the center of everything they do. Yes, there will always be challenges—such as an even tighter master schedule than last year—but our staff is committed to giving students their very best, and our students always respond in amazing ways. I would also like to extend a special thank you to our PTSA for providing a wonderful lunch during Tuesday’s session! MV celebrated its first Spirit Week August 24–28, leading up to our first Friday rally, pre-game tailgate, and home game football opener against Marin Catholic. Our energized students, staff, and families made our first Spirit Week a huge success and a lot of fun. On Wednesday, August 26th, MV hosted our annual Back to School Night. This is always a wonderful community event, and it is a joy welcoming new and returning families to MV. The evening was engaging and interactive, featuring presentations from a variety of school programs and giving parents the opportunity to walk their students’ schedules and meet their teachers. A big thank you to all of our parent and school organizations who helped make the night so successful! MV’s athletic teams are kicking off their seasons with a slew of contests throughout late August and early September. Please check the MV website for the Athletics Schedule to catch a game and cheer on our incredible student-athletes. It’s always great to see our community show up in full force. The MV Stampede is rolling, and there are a ton of events in the coming weeks—including Homecoming 2026 scheduled for September 18th. Be sure to visit our website or follow us on social media for the latest information on what’s happening on and around campus. MV’s students and staff are thrilled about the 2026–27 school year and look forward to sharing all of these great experiences with you. For a full list of what’s happening on campus, visit mvhs.srvusd.net.
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HEALTH TIPS FOR TEENS
ANGER MANAGEMENT By Serena Hicks, MVHS junior
Many teenagers describe anger management as “hanging onto the last thread of one’s patience.” Maybe it’s your parents asking about homework for the tenth time, a friend leaving you on read, or just a generally bad day where everything seems to go wrong, and the world is against you. Anger can show up quickly, especially when you are already stressed or overwhelmed. Everyone experiences it, and it is completely normal. However, what really matters is what happens after that feeling has arrived. Learning to handle anger can assist in avoiding saying things that you would never say normally; it can protect your relationships and allow you to feel more in control when emotions begin to feel intense. One of the first steps to managing anger is taking a pause and a deep breath to understand the reason behind why you are actually angry. The point of taking a pause is to be able to think things through before saying something you regret. While yelling the first thing that comes to mind can be satisfying for your emotions, those few seconds of fulfillment can turn into hours of regret. Instead, give yourself a chance to cool down and take a second to reset. During this pause, think about why you are actually upset. How did something make you feel, and why do you think it made you feel this way? It’s important and beneficial to assess your emotions to maintain control of them. This small pause and contemplation can help you understand what you need, instead of simply reacting to the strongest emotion in that moment. There are other ways to manage one’s temper. In many cases, physical activity is a useful way to regulate the physical tension that often comes with anger. Stretching, playing a sport, dancing, or doing another activity you enjoy can provide a healthy outlet while giving you time away from a situation. Remember that the goal is not to work off your emotions or suppress them, but rather to allow your mind and body to settle before deciding how to respond. Constantly ignoring frustration can cause emotions to build until they eventually come out in a much stronger way. Finding healthy ways to process your feelings can prevent this buildup. Talking to someone you trust, writing in a journal, listening to music, creating art, taking a short walk and getting fresh air, or simply giving yourself time to think can provide space to work through difficult emotions. Everyone has different coping strategies, so part of managing anger is discovering which healthy strategies work best for you. It is also important to recognize when anger may require additional support. If anger frequently feels uncontrollable, interferes with relationships or school, or leads you to hurting yourself or someone else, consider talking with a trusted adult, school counselor, or mental health professional. Asking for help is not a failure to manage your emotions. In fact, recognizing that you need support is an important part of taking care of your mental and emotional health. Ultimately, anger is not something teenagers need to be ashamed or afraid of. It’s a normal emotion that can provide information about what is bothering us. What matters most is learning to recognize that emotion, understand what’s behind it, pause before reacting, and communicate healthily. You can’t control every situation that makes you angry, but you can learn to control how you respond to it. With practice, anger management can become less about suppressing emotions and more about understanding yourself and choosing what to do next. Serena Hicks is a junior at Monte Vista High School (MVHS) and Teen Health Advocate, hoping to improve the health of her community one column at a time.
For those who have not heard about 4-H, 4-H is America’s largest youth-led organization, with over six million members and 90,000 chapters nationally. 4-H focuses on teaching children and teens the importance of agriculture and being active in the community. At Tassajara 4-H Club (your closest 4-H charter), there are monthly community meetings where everyone in the club comes together. Members can also choose from dozens of projects including robotics, goats, public speaking, archery, crafts, and many more, that each have their own meeting schedules. The group also participates in community events like local festivals, as well as attending and showing animals at the Contra Costa County Fair! 4-H is also a great place to develop leadership skills, do community service, and find your spark. 4-H runs on a school year calendar, so things are just getting started for this year. Enrollment is still open! For more information on Tassajara 4-H Club activities and how to enroll, please visit 4-H members at the county fair with their goats. tassajara4h.org or contact club leaders at info@tassajara4h.org. 4-H members in the advanced vet science project.
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September 2026 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • PAGE 9
SAN RAMON VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL By Naomi Guss, junior
Happy September! I hope everyone had a great start to the school year. I can definitely speak for San Ramon Valley High School (SRV) when I say that our first day of school was a success. The beginning of the school year welcomed not only new and returning Wolves to campus, but marked the beginning of the season for our fall sports, the start of new, challenging classes for SRV students, and the opening of exciting festivities. The year started off with SRV’s annual Welcome Back Rally — and this one was more exciting than ever. It opened with an incredible video put together by SRV’s Media team to introduce this year’s Rally leadership and featured an inspiring speech by SRV teacher Mr. Busboom. Other highlights included performances from the talented varsity cheer and pom teams; Leader of the Pack awards — prestigious recognitions of Wolves who embody the spirit and character of our school; and the annual freshman-senior sibling game, where freshman and senior siblings faced off in a tug-of-war which ultimately ended with the freshmen receiving pies to their faces by their elder siblings. A new addition this year was a raffle that offered a chance at winning great prizes (AirPods were well appreciated). One of the most exciting parts of September is Homecoming Week, taking place from September 21-26. It features the highly anticipated Friday night football game (at SRV September 25th against Foothill High School), school dress-up days, and the long-awaited homecoming dance to conclude the festivities. Homecoming Week hosts school dress-up days which are a homecoming trademark. This year’s theme is “Party Likes it’s Hoco!” The freshman sub-theme is “Slumber Party,” sophomores have “Pool Party,” juniors “Party in the USA,” and the seniors “Party Animal!” Each day of the week has a corresponding dress-up day, where students will base their outfits on the day’s theme. The Homecoming rally will feature fun, more Leader of the Pack awards, and most importantly, will showcase class lip-syncs and reveal the 2026 Homecoming Court nominees. The Homecoming Parade throughout downtown Danville will follow immediately after the rally. When the SRV students’ incredible floats are revealed. All floats are assembled by SRV community members, whether that be athletes on their team floats or extravagant class floats. Corresponding to each class’s theme, these floats are beautiful products of tireless hours of work from both students and parent volunteers. Students are highly encouraged to attend their class float-building sessions, where not only are snacks provided, but so is the opportunity to ride the class float in the parade. A few more updates on campus happenings: The class of 2027 is invited on a field trip to Hurricane Harbor September 1st. It is another SRV tradition to guide seniors through a memorable final year. The New Student Luncheon will take place September 1st and 2nd in A201. New students can join counselors and returning Wolves to play games, enjoy pizza, and meet new friends. Another social opportunity for freshmen is the Frosh Tailgate, organized by Freshman Leadership. It will take place on September 3rd by the Snack Shack — games, food, music, and great football are a guarantee. Finally, the Club Fair will be held on September 10th. SRV has over 100 clubs, and anyone is welcome to start one and advertise it to potential members in this fair put on by Leadership’s Co-Curricular committee. With fall in full swing, Homecoming on the horizon, and the beginning of the school year off to a wonderful start, I hope everyone can find a way to get involved with, and find meaning in, anything and everything that SRV has to offer. Stay in the loop through the SRV website (srvhs.srvusd.net) or Instagram (@srvhswolfpack and class pages: @srvhsclassof(year)). Have a great month, and Go Wolves!
PAGE 10 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • September 2026
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WILDFIRE SEASON: IS CONTRA COSTA READY? By County Supervisor Candace Andersen
As dry summer winds and rising temperatures settle across Northern California, Contra Costa County faces its annual question of whether the region is truly prepared for wildfire season. With dense Wildland-Urban Interface zones spanning Mount Diablo, the East Bay Hills, and rural eastern agricultural lands, local fire agencies have significantly upgraded their initial-attack capabilities to stop small blazes before they turn into catastrophes. At the center of the region’s modernized defense strategy is the expansion of aerial suppression assets. One of my roles as a County Supervisor is to serve on the Board of Directors of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (ConFire). We have integrated dedicated seasonal air support with Copter 1, a Type 2 firefighting helicopter stationed at the Byron Wildfire Center which we lease from May through the end of October This helicopter can deliver rapid 300-gallon water drops directly onto active fire lines within minutes of dispatch. While mid-air it drops a long hose which can suction water into the belly of the helicopter. It’s like a very large and efficient straw! The water source it draws from could be the bay, a reservoir, lake, pond, or even a swimming pool. However, to make it even more efficient we have deployed high-capacity, automated dip tanks known as HeloPods throughout Contra Costa County. HeloPods are self-contained, pre-positioned water cisterns connect directly to municipal hydrants or static water sources. They are about the size of a large construction dumpster, approximately 16 feet long. By positioning HeloPods closer to high-risk ridge-lines and wildland corridors, aircraft can complete up to twelve drops per hour, representing a 300% increase in water delivery volume during crucial early attack windows. High-flow automatic fill valves can replace the water in the cisterns up to 3,000 gallons per minute and allow the pods to replenish automatically as helicopters draw water. This frees up ground engines and water tenders to fight flames on the front line rather than managing temporary water supply operations. ConFire’s helicopter is available to respond to fires throughout Contra Costa County, including those areas covered by San Ramon Valley Fire. One of the newly installed HeloPods is located just outside of Danville and San Ramon, at San Ramon Valley Fire’s training facility in the Tassajara Valley. Air resources are only one piece of the defense puzzle, as ground operations remain equally vital. Fire agencies continue year-round ground mitigation through hand crews and dozer programs, maintaining more than 250 miles of critical fire trails across the county. These clearings give suppression engines rapid access to remote ridge-lines while creating strategic fuel breaks to slow advancing flames. Zooming in on the high-risk corridors surrounding Danville, San Ramon, Alamo, and the Mount Diablo foothills, the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District plays a central role in regional suppression and mitigation. The district prepares for wildfire season through a multi-tiered approach centered on early detection, hazard mitigation, augmented staffing, and community enforcement. To reduce available fuel along steep wildland-urban interface borders, the district coordinates targeted goat and cattle grazing alongside tractor mowing, while strictly enforcing 100-foot defensible space requirements and annual weed abatement mandates for property owners. For early detection, crews leverage high-definition, thermal-capable cameras connected to the regional ALERT California AI network for instant smoke detection, alongside tactical drones to map active perimeters and pinpoint spot fires. During extreme weather conditions, the district pre-staff’s extra wildland brush engines in foothill stations, and through automatic aid agreements, local crews collaborate directly with county, state, and park authorities to ensure regional aerial assets like Copter 1 dispatch immediately regardless of boundary lines. Ultimately, state-of-the-art technology cannot protect neighborhoods alone, making community and personal readiness an essential final pillar. Regional fire districts actively enforce annual weed abatement mandates and assist neighborhood groups in achieving Firewise certification, ensuring that local residents do their part to safeguard their homes and neighborhoods. My office is here to serve the residents of Contra Costa County District 2, which includes Alamo, Blackhawk, Canyon, Danville, Diablo, Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda, Rossmoor, San Ramon, Tassajara Valley, and parts of unincorporated Walnut Creek. Please contact us if we can provide you with additional information on this topic or on other County issues. I can be reached at SupervisorAndersen@bos.cccounty.us or 925-655-2300.
WRITING MATTERS By Linda Hora
Congratulations! Your drawings astounded and inspired me. Each drawing reveals so much more than simply that you read the article; your drawing shows that you appreciate learning, welcome a challenge, and enjoy new adventures. These powerful characteristics — curiosity, tenacity, and vivacity — all nourish your soul and fuel your brain. Mixing things up actually stimulates our brains. It also prevents our minds from stewing in confusion. In fact, variety is the very spice of life that gives it all its flavor. Good cooks recognize this, writers should too. To add spice to your writing, vary the length of your sentences. A short sentence attracts the eye. As every chef knows, people taste first with their Running swiftly eyes. A short sentence also pleases the palate. It allows your reader to try a little taste before along the branches, the lumberjack saw a committing to a read. As your readers nibble on your idea, add more flavor without overwhelming their senses. Cassie wore a bicycle helmet squirrel near the top Include some mid-length sentences, which provide more sustenance and enable your readers to savor what you’ve on her head that was too large. of the tree. written. But once pleasantly chewing, most readers remember that nutrition matters: what they consume should contain protein, the meaty subject, something that takes some time to digest and will keep them satisfied long after they’ve left the meal. A lengthy sentence delivers this. While it may initially daunt - or require a second taste - it ultimately completes the feast. A variety of sentence structures provides the secret spice. When various lengths of sentences are incorporated, your writing becomes engaging, appealing, and interesting. And your efforts will be appreciated by savvy Sentence length readers who have grown weary variety spices up of unsatisfying overconsumption. The daily abundance of writing your writing! presented to us reminds me of a buffet table, loaded with a cornucopia of options, some beautiful, some not, some delicious, some not, some nutritious, and some that appear downright questionable. Just as we can’t ingest all of the food on that table, we simply can’t digest every bit of information. So, we’re finicky. When we find something we like, we return for seconds. Good writing feeds on this. Good writers know this. As you assemble your next oeuvre, add the spice that will provide the “wow” — sentence length variety. Once you’ve prepared such a lovely offering, give yourself a well-deserved respite or write to me at thewritinggoal@gmail.com with a writing wish, a sentence stumper, or a remarkable recipe!
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September 2026 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • PAGE 11
POSTCARDS FROM THE HEDGE
By Jill Appenzeller
When I went outside this morning, the light had changed. Gentler, barely golden, slightly slanting. I can feel fall coming. Last week was typical August: harsh white light bleaching the bright colors out of the roses and dahlias. Sweat in my eyes. Last week was too hot to garden after sunrise, too hot to pick flowers an hour after dawn. I am not a fan of August, of the bleak light, of all August does to the garden. The wilting tomatoes, the bolted parsley. The limp hydrangeas. The burnt edges of the leaves on the trees. The forget-me-nots and violas that had hung on since last fall finally giving up. I miss them. In my dreams I would spend August in Norway. Or in the high mountains of Wyoming, where it cools in the evenings, and the plants I love can recover. Never mind that most of the plants I love would not survive the winter in Wyoming. Or Norway. August light is relentless, making everything look flat. But the light this morning was softer, lightly golden. A promise of kinder days to come. The best days for planting, when the soil is still warm but the days are cooler. Mostly. Fall is my favorite season. Sure, I love the cool promise of spring, the quickening, the green shoots. The tulips. If I’ve not been lazy I love the way new things shoot skyward in a neat garden bed. If I’ve been busy with the dogs (ask me about Truman’s stitches and his cone) or with company, and didn’t get the garden put to bed, those green shoots may be struggling through last year’s nasturtiums. Or potatoes. Pushy potatoes. Years ago I threw some sprouted potatoes into a garden bed (not my best idea) because I cannot stand to let things die, and they are now permanent residents, throwing tall leaf stalks up through the Bearss lime and the Boscobel rose. Did you know you can tell the color of the potato by the color of the flowers? I dig a few potatoes when I need them for clam chowder. They are happily taking over that bed. I may try them as cut flowers. I love the rapidity of the summer garden, the way more tomatoes ripen before you can finish picking. Sun Gold is my current favorite. I love the beefsteaks, the Hawaiian Pineapples, but I have not had great success, so I get those at the farmer’s market. But the cherry tomatoes! I pick a trug full every day. I shared with my Mahj friends and they texted to say they had eaten them all before they hit the freeway. Three miles. They are that good. I love the winter, the dark, the pounding rain, the soft showers. I love the low light. I have mostly deciduous trees, and I love the way they let the winter light slant in the windows, reaching deep into the house, it’s magic. And I can rest. I tell myself it’s too dark to garden, too wet to dig. I neglect the garden with a clear conscience. There will be time in the spring, when the new foliage peeks through the tangle of last year’s growth. Leaving that old growth helps protect the tender new growth from frost — at least that’s what we gardeners tell ourselves. And others. There is a moment in fall when the crab apples outside my kitchen window drop all their leaves overnight, and the carpet of gold lights up the world. There is a day in summer, just after a heat wave, when you can feel fall coming, feel the glancing touch of a cool breeze. There will be more hot days and more sweaty hours in the garden, but you can feel the earth sigh, feel the turn towards something gentler, kinder, and the garden and I both take a deep breath. Jill Appenzeller has lived and gardened in Danville for longer than she cares to admit.
SPECIAL EVENT AT DANVILLE WIDOWS SUPPORT GROUP
Did you know there’s a Widows Support Group that meets monthly in Danville? Started in 2014 by Danville resident Ann Taylor, the group meets from 10:30AM to noon on the first Thursday of every month. Meetings are free of charge and there is an option to stay afterwards for lunch and socializing. Ann, a former flight attendant and teacher, was happily Ann Taylor married to her late husband Bill for over 40 years before his unexpected passing. Like many widows, her life changed overnight. Unable to find a support group that met her needs, she started the Danville Widows Support Group in 2014. What began as a way to heal became an ongoing source of joy and meaning for her. More than 10 years since its start, the group continues to meet regularly, discussing topics ranging from wellness, meditation, finance, home maintenance and emergency preparedness, to handling family relationships, to finding joy after loss. Over the years, group members have formed lasting friendships, laughing together, taking trips, celebrating milestones, and supporting one another through life’s challenges. The speaker for the October meeting will be Debbie Weiss, another longtime Danville resident and author of the award-winning memoir, Available As Is: A Midlife Widow’s Search for Love. A former attorney, Debbie is a widow, having lost her husband in 2013 after 32 years together. Debbie will speak about her own journey including finding a voice, going back to college to earn an MFA at 56, and creating a new life after loss. The book’s awards include the gold medal for grief in the 2024 Independent Book Publishers Awards. Her essays have been published in The New York Times Modern Love column, The Huffington Post, and Woman’s Day among other publications. She promises a hopeful, upbeat discussion including funny bad date stories upon request. The group includes widows in different stages of loss, both recent and longtime, including one who lost her husband at the age of 21. Loss changes but it doesn’t end, and being with other women who have lost their partners can provide a sense of community and understanding in what can be a difficult time. Ann’s motto is to make the best of your life as it is, and the Danville Widows Support Group can help. Widows seeking further information about this event or regular meetings, please call 925-736-1434.
PAGE 12 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • September 2026
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QUICK TRIPS By Linda Summers Pirkle
MARY BLAIR: MID-CENTURY MAGIC
Narrow knee-length skirts, broad shoulder pads, wide-leg trousers, and chic little chapeaus, the iconic fashion from the 1940s is one of my favorites. My personal nod to the era is my gorgeous three-strand pearl necklace and a small collection of 1940s brooches. I was excited to find a book that explained the history of fashion, with a deep dive into the war years and learn the fascinating stories of the incredible women who shaped the era’s visual identity. The book Empresses of Seventh Avenue by Nancy MacDonell promised a historical look into fashion, and it did not disappoint. The author writes that, up until the late 1930s, French fashion was considered “the only possible arbiters of style, with centuries of savoir faire to back their claim…Then the Nazis invaded Mary Blair, 1941. Paris, and everything changed.” When Paris fell, the book explains, the women of Seventh Avenue including designers, publicists, editors, photographers, and journalists, created what is now known as the “American Look.” Their names, however, are largely lost to history. MacDonell notes that “Some were gigantic talents; many others led poignant personal lives. All shared a common belief that fashion could be both beautiful and democratic.” It was their resilience and insistence on this truth that changed how we think about the clothes we wear, and MacDonell argues it is time to tell their stories. This theme of unrecognized female talent brought me to another fascinating discovery: Mary Blair: Mid-Century Magic, an exhibit at the Napa Valley Museum. Mary Blair (1911-1978) is not a household name, but her artistic vision is a cornerstone of classic Disney theme parks and films. She helped create the beloved attraction “It’s a Small World.” I loved learning about her bold use of color. Walt Disney once remarked that he thought Mary might be colorblind because the colors she used such as tangerine, fuchsia, and ochre were so unusual. The male artists nicknamed the “Nine Walt Disney & Mary Blair, 1963. Old Men,” the core group of supervising animators who created some of Disney’s first major works, including Snow White were not impressed with Mary’s exuberant color choices and her ideas were pronounced “too abstract and too colorful.” Her sketches were all rejected. In her first tenure at Disney, Mary stayed one year. She went on to work in New York as an in-demand commercial artist, Broadway set designer, and picture book illustrator. But, she had made an impression on Walt Disney and the two became life-long friends. According to Walt’s daughter Diane, Mary’s ideas “really burst forth… The color palette just really amazed Dad.” Mary joined the Disney team again and worked on The Three Caballeros, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan. In 1991, Mary Blair was named a Disney Legend. Thank heaven for Walt Disney’s vision and his decision to hire Mary for future projects. Like the women of Seventh Avenue, she is a testament to the power of female creativity, even when history doesn’t always remember their names. Mary Blair Art. Mary Blair, Mid-Century Magic is on display until October 25, 2026. Napa Valley Museum is located at 55 Presidents Circle, Yountville. Linda Summers Pirkle is a travel writer and long-term Danville resident. To share your “Quick Trips” ideas, email coverthemap@gmail.com.
THE GREEN SCENE
By John-Noah Chang, junior Head-Royce School FIRE ISN'T THE ENEMY: RETHINKING HOW CALIFORNIA LIVES WITH WILDFIRE
Headlines about wildfires often highlight the tragedy and destruction from a disaster. Yet, fires are not inherently disasters. For thousands of years, fire has been an essential part of many California ecosystems. So, how did fires go from being a natural part of our landscape to a symbol of catastrophe? The answer points, in part, to our own actions. To understand what changed, we go back to pre-European colonization in California. Indigenous communities used cultural burning, which were frequent, carefully managed fires that maintained meadows, encouraged useful plants, improved wildlife habitat, and reduced the buildup of flammable vegetation. These practices also reduced the risk of severe fires by limiting the buildup of dry brush. In fact, we can still see the legacy of cultural burns in places such as Yosemite. Rather than an uninterrupted wall of dense forest, we see open meadows, oak woodlands, and clearings, areas that were shaped by Indigenous stewardship. But, to the early European colonists, cultural burning was seen as barbaric and primitive, and they quickly suppressed the fires. As Indigenous communities were displaced and cultural burning was suppressed, California’s landscapes changed. Logging altered many forests, while decades of aggressive fire suppression allowed trees, shrubs, and dead vegetation to accumulate in places that historically experienced frequent, low-intensity fire. Combined with hotter temperatures and prolonged drought, this accumulation can create conditions in which wildfires burn with greater intensity. Drought and heat also weaken trees, which are then more susceptible to bark beetle infestations that kill trees, further turning living timber into dry fuel for fires. Ecologists eventually recognized that excluding fire was itself damaging many ecosystems. With millions of Californians now living near fire-prone landscapes, simply reintroducing fire is not easy. This challenge is especially relevant in communities such as Alamo and Danville, where homes border grasslands, oak
woodlands, and other fire-prone vegetation. These areas are part of what researchers call the wildland-urban interface, where wildfire and development meet. Prescribed burns must be carefully planned around weather, smoke, nearby communities, and available firefighting resources. Many of California’s largest and most destructive wildfires on record have occurred in just the past decade. What can we do as citizens and stewards of our environment? There are easy steps we can take to prevent both the initial start and the spread of fires. To avoid fires in the first place, always adhere to local fire rules and use extreme caution with anything that could produce a flame or spark. In Contra Costa County, all fireworks, even those labeled as “safe and sane,” are illegal. Avoid leaving a car on dry grass or brush, as the exhaust can burn the grass and start fires. Also, refrain from using power tools and mowing grass on hot, windy, and dry days. These tools can accidentally ignite dry brush and start fires. To mitigate the possible spread of fire, the idea is to remove dry, dead, plant matter around the house. This can be done by removing dry leaves and pine needles from gutters and near living quarters. This greatly reduces flammable mass and decreases the chance of a rogue fire spreading. We can prune trees and trim low-hanging branches to stop fires from reaching higher on the trees. When landscaping, consider well-spaced, drought-tolerant plants suited to our local climate, including appropriate California natives. No plant is truly “fireproof,” so regular pruning, removal of dead vegetation and thoughtful spacing matter as much as the species we choose. Hotter temperatures and increasingly severe drought can dry vegetation and lengthen periods of high fire danger. The good news is that we can change the severity of wildfires. One important change is in our mindset: wSe can recognize that the health of our communities is inseparable from the health of the ecosystems around us. We cannot—and should not—eliminate fire from California. Instead, the challenge is learning, once again, how to live with it. By combining modern science with lessons from Indigenous stewardship, reducing fuels around our homes, and addressing the changing climate, we have an opportunity to work with California’s ecosystems rather than against them. John-Noah Chang explores environmental and sustainability issues in his community, showing how small actions can lead to meaningful impact.
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September 2026 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • PAGE 13
THE TREE OF LIFE
By Joe Lamb, Brende & Lamb Tree and Shrub Care
On the TimeTree website (timetree.org) you can enter any two living things — human and coast live oak, or scrub jay and bay laurel — and it will tell you where they diverged on the phylogenetic tree of life, where their shared ancestor lived, and roughly when. If you place your self-worth on human exceptionalism, the numbers are humbling. If you place your self-worth on your interconnectedness, the numbers are liberating. Humans and oak trees share a common ancestor who lived around a billion and a half years ago, a single-celled organism adrift in a Precambrian Sea. She carried inside the chemistry of her being the potential that became forests and forest dwellers. Every living thing on Earth is a twig on The Tree of Life, a metaphor pointing directly at a reality too large and too strange to be appreciated without the twin lenses of science and poetry. Sitting in the shade of your favorite tree and musing about your shared ancestry, the trees in your garden become more than real estate amenities, or fire hazards, or view obstructions, though they can be all those things and require tending accordingly. They are living relatives held in trust, not owned in any simple sense. Distant relatives, yes. But the distance is a matter of time, and time is the soil in which the Tree of Life grows. Every coast live oak in the East Bay hills, every willow threading along the creek corridors, every California bay refusing to die after it falls — each one is a twig on the same branching structure that produced you. The family resemblance runs deeper than animal heart and heartwood. It runs to the biochemistry itself, to the ancient molecular machinery that every living thing on earth inherited from the same remote ancestor. Even before we had the science to map its chemistry, human cultures have long known about shared kinship, known in which imagining is a form of knowing. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all share The Tree of Life at the center of the stories they use to locate humans on Earth. In all three, the Tree of Life stands at the axis of creation, the spine-like loom connecting underworld, earth, and sky, rooted at the heart of the primordial garden that is not wilderness, but an Earthly paradise tended by humans. In all three, the tree is associated with immortality, with healing. Revelation places the Tree of Life explicitly in the New Jerusalem, its leaves to be used “for the healing of the nations.” Standing at the beginning and the end of time, the Kabbalistic Tree of Life maps the branching of divine emanation itself. The Tuba tree of Islamic paradise offers shade and sustenance to all who dwell beneath it. In all three religions there is one unifying intuition: that life is a single branching structure, that we share an origin, and that our separation from that origin is the wound that needs healing. The Ohlone who tended the oak woodlands of the East Bay for thousands of years know this in their unique and grounded way, as do many indigenous peoples who have defended their forests not merely as a resource but as a living community of which they are a part. The Oxford ecologist Yadvinder Malhi has argued that all landscapes on Earth have been shaped by human hands over deep time. What those hands were doing, at their best, was tending the Tree of Life. The East Bay hills are among the most biologically diverse urban landscapes in North America. Every mature oak, every healthy bay, every managed willow along the creek is a node in a web of relationships — with birds, insects, fungi, soil organisms, and the watershed itself — that took millions of years to assemble. We live now in a time when that web is under pressure. Climate whiplash, drought, wildfire — the threats are real and require real response. But the response begins with recognition. These trees matter not merely as fire hazards to be managed or views to be preserved, but as fellow passengers on an ancient and continuing journey. Tending them well is a form of gratitude. It is, in the oldest sense of the word, a form of belonging. At Brende & Lamb, we have spent decades caring for the trees of the East Bay. We would welcome the chance to walk your property and offer a free estimate for whatever your trees need. Call us at 510-486-8733, or visit www.brendelamb.com to see before-and-after photos, client testimonials, and work in your neighborhood. Advertorial
VALLEY VIGNETTE By Beverly Lane
STORYTELLERS FIND RICH MATERIAL IN MOUNT DIABLO’S NAME
Once the name “Diablo” was attached to the mountain, peoples’ fancies took flight, limited only by their imagination or ideas of the devil. Sulphurous odors, poisoned gold, satanic bears, and cavernous, flame-spuming openings appear in different versions. One story of the name which is often cited as fact comes from Gen. Mariano Vallejo, a prominent Mexican leader in the shift from Mexican to American California. In his well-known report to the California Legislature on April 16, 1850, he established and explained the names of the counties of California and included information on Mount Diablo’s name. His version shows that the original incident in the thicket was probably a well-known piece of oral history. “In 1806 a military expedition from San Francisco marched against the tribe Bolbones, who were encamped at the foot of the mount. The Indians were prepared to receive the expedition and a hot battle began in the large hollow fronting the western side of the mountain. As victory was about to be decided in favor of the Indians, an unknown personage, decorated with the most extraordinary plumage, and waving his arms as if to cast a spell on the intruders, suddenly appeared on the battlefield. The Pioneer Western writer Bret Harte. soldiers were routed and the incognito (Puy) departed towards the mountain. The defeated Spaniards, finding out that the spirit went through the same ceremony daily and at all hours, named it ‘Monte del Diablo,’ in allusion to its mysterious inhabitant…in the native tongue, ‘Puy’ signifies ‘evil spirit’; in Spanish it means ‘diablo,’ and doubtless it signifies ‘devil’ in the Anglo-American language.” This story has some elements of the actual 1804 Indian-Spanish battle with embellishments worthy of a fine storyteller, which Vallejo most assuredly was. Another tale, said to have come from a mission archive, told of an early padre’s efforts to suppress evidence of gold on the “high mountain” next to the Bay. In the story, the padre mixed the gold with poison and let the natives see what happened when their dogs drank the potion. When they died, the padre preached on the evil of gold and convinced the natives to avoid gold from the mountain.
See Mount Diablo continued on page 14
PAGE 14 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • September 2026
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PRIVATE PROFESSIONAL FIDUCIARIES VS. FAMILY MEMBERS AS TRUSTEE
By Robert J. Silverman, Esq. (left), Silverman & Jaffe
When establishing or reviewing your revocable living trust, you must make an essential decision: who will manage your assets upon your death or incapacity. Most people default to naming a child, another family member, or close friend as trustee. Some are inclined to name an institutional bank trust department. Fortunately, there is an increasingly popular alternative under California law: a private fiduciary, more formally, a California Licensed Professional Fiduciary (CLPF). This article summarizes why appointing a CLPF as your trustee or successor trustee can offer superior protection, preserve family relationships, and save money. 1. Neutrality and Preserving Family Harmony. The root cause of trust litigation is commonly family dynamics, not a technical legal issue. When an adult child is in charge of distributing assets to brothers and sisters, existing rivalries and old family rifts can surface. Even those who make prudent financial decisions (e.g. selling a family home or withholding a discretionary distribution), one or more beneficiaries may view it as unwise and motivated by personal bias. A CLPF is a neutral third party who makes decisions based on your trust terms and California law, removing emotion from the process. 2. Regulatory Oversight, Licensing, and Bonding. Family members are frequently thrust into the trustee role with no prior experience. In contrast, CLPFs are licensed professionals regulated by the California Department of Consumer Affairs (Professional Fiduciaries Bureau). To hold a license in California, a CLFP must fulfill specific educational prerequisites, pass a licensing examination, undergo a background and credit check (to ensure they are “bondable”), and satisfy ongoing continuing education requirements. They are also routinely covered by business and professional liability (E&O) insurance. Family trustees do not generally need to be bonded (or even “bondable”), and rarely obtain any liability insurance coverage. Further, they often unwittingly commit negligence and/or breach their fiduciary duty to the beneficiaries, even with the best of intentions. 3. Deep Knowledge of Asset Management and Trust Administration. Despite misconceptions to the contrary, trust administration is almost never simple. Trustees face complex regulatory and administrative hurdles. A CLPF is, among other things, well-versed in preparing comprehensive, probate code-compliant fiduciary accounting, managing trust assets, including real estate, and coordinating tax matters with the trust’s CPA. 4. Practical Flexibility vs. Large Bank Trust Departments. Corporate bank trust departments offer professional management and can be a wise choice in certain situations. But, many major bank trust departments refuse to serve when trusts are valued under $3M to $5M or hold real estate. Also, bank trust departments typically have a rigid fee structure, charging a flat percentage based on total market value of the trust assets, regardless of how much work is required. Many CLPFs offer high-level expertise but have more agility and a personal touch. They routinely manage real estate, personal possessions, and specialized family situations without institutional red tape. 5. Cost-Effective, Hourly Fee Models. Lay individual trustees are legally entitled to “reasonable compensation” and often work inefficiently, taking way longer to complete tasks and incurring substantial attorney fees, paid from trust funds, to fix simple administrative mistakes. Most CLPFs charge hourly rates for time spent (or modest percentage-based administrative fees). Because of their specialized licensing, training, and experience administering trusts, they tend to work efficiently — frequently costing the trust less overall than an inexperienced family member or bank. You can name a CLPF as your first successor trustee or as a backup if your loved ones are unable or unwilling to serve. If you think a CLPF may be optimal for your estate plan, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our office to review your options. Estate Planning | Trust Administration & Probate | Real Estate Please contact me to request a complimentary: i) Estate Planning Primer, ii) Real Estate titling brochure, and/or iii) an introductory meeting. I am an attorney with Silverman & Jaffe, 1910 Olympic Blvd., Suite 330, Walnut Creek, CA 94596; (925) 705-4474; rsilverman@silvermanjaffe.com. This article is intended to provide information of a general nature, and should not be relied upon as legal, tax and/ or business advice. Readers should obtain specific advice from their own, qualified professional advisors.
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Mount Diablo continued from page 13
Gold was held to be diabolical in this story, and because of this, the padre christened the mountain after the devil. Considering the havoc the real gold discovery created for Hispanic California, this story might have shown some prescience. However, according to Beverly Ortiz, East Bay Regional Park District naturalist and historian, it was written early in the 1860s and was therefore not at all prophetic. Accounts of soldiers pursuing Native horse thieves tell about the Natives disappearing when “Lo, from a cavernous opening ahead there issued forth such fierce flames accompanied by such terrible roaring that they thought themselves within a riata’s throw of…His Infernal Majesty’s summer palace.” Munro-Fraser’s 1882 History of Contra Costa County includes this legend along with several others. One of the most famous stories about the mountain was written by Bret Harte and appeared in the Atlantic Monthly of October 1863. Called “The Legend of Mount Diablo,” it tells about a Father Jose whose search Mount Diablo, photographer Mark Harrigan. for converts leads him to the summit of the mountain where he meets the devil in the guise of an old hidalgo. The hidalgo lays temptations before the padre before becoming a bear and attacking him. The padre then names the mountain for the devil. This is a whimsical and entertaining essay which Harte never claimed to be true. In fact, he began by saying, “The cautious reader will detect a lack of authenticity in the following pages.” Written less than a decade after he tutored the four sons of a Tassajara Valley rancher, the story showed Harte’s familiarity with the mountain. In the 20th century campers have found some physical phenomenon which they think may have contributed to the perpetuation of these tales. The author of the Oakland Tribune’s “Knave” column, cited a camper near the head of Mitchell Canyon in 1910 who said he was awakened by an eerie roar which rose to a high pitch, died out and returned. Evidently a rush of hot air from the valley below was the cause. Writers have let their imaginations range free as they created stories about the mountain and the devil. To some the name remains an unhappy choice and attempts to remove the “devil” from the mountain have been pursued over the decades. Resources: Dengel, John, “A Portrait of a Mountain,” Oakland Tribune, Jan. and Feb. 1961; Gudde, Erwin G., California Place Names, Berkeley, UC Press, 1969; Harte, Bret, “The Legend of Mount Diablo,” Atlantic Monthly, Oct., 1863; Hulaniski, F. J., The History of Contra Costa County, California, Berkeley: Elms Publishing Co., Inc., 1917; Munro-Fraser, J. P., History of Contra Costa County, Slocum, p. 43ff.; Ortiz, Beverly, EBRPD Naturalist, personal communication; Vallejo, Mariano, California Special Commission on the derivation and definition of County Names, 1850. Essay first published in The Valley Pioneer, August 26, 1987.
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September 2026 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • PAGE 15
WHY RISK MANAGEMENT BRINGS CONFIDENCE, NOT ANXIETY By Waldron Partners
There’s a certain kind of quiet that comes from knowing your family is taken care of, no matter what happens. It’s the feeling that comes after you’ve thought about them, made a plan, and made sure the people you love actually understand it. California FAIR Plan Policyholders to pay MORE! For the families in this area, many of whom have The State is announcing an increase of almost 30% on average to California FAIR spent years building businesses and putting down roots Plan policyholders. Some policyholders will see rates increased as much as 50%. here, it’s worth taking a fresh look at what “being prepared” actually means, not This is going to include a lot of people in Contra Costa County notably the just on paper, but around the kitchen table. There’s a common misconception that Lamorinda area. Policyholders are likely to see similar increases after many were non-renewed and sought out the FAIR Plan to find coverage. thinking about insurance or estate planning is somehow negative…that it means CBS News, Bay Area need Edition, 08/11/2026, San the Francisco, CA Fairplan! dwelling on worst-case scenarios. In reality, the opposite is true. You don’t to use CA Planning for risk is about working through what would happen if the We are writing Home Insurance policies and unexpected occurred, so the people you love have a plan to lean on rather than a scramble. A well-structured life insurance policy or an updated estate have preferred markets available. CALL US! **************************************** plan doesn’t invite misfortune. It’s a way of thinking through the “what ifs” Bill & Teresa White, Allstate Insurance while things are calm, instead of during a crisis. We are472 easily writing Home Insurance Prepared people tend to worry less, not because they’ve eliminated risk, Hartz Ave, downtown Danville but because they’ve answered the hard “what if” questions ahead of time, policies in 925-820-7220 Danville, Blackhawk, Diablo together. A plan that only exists in a filing cabinet doesn’t do much for the BillWhite@allstate.com CA license 0533649 family member who has to find it, understand it, and act on it during the and Alamo areas worst week of their life. For a lot of families in our area, the picture looks something like this: a No need to stress, call us! home that’s appreciated significantly over the years, kids in local schools, and AGGRESSIVE & SKILLED LEGAL ADVOCACY often a business or professional practice the household income depends on. ********************************************* Each of these pieces carries its own kind of risk. What happens to the mortgage Protect your rights after serious injury or wrongful death. if a primary income earner passes away unexpectedly? What happens to a family William W. "Bill" White business if the owner becomes unable to work for six months? Who steps in, and do they actually know they’re stepping in? These are answerable questions, but answering them tends to raise a follow-up question families often skip: does Bill & Teresa White, Allstate Insurance anyone besides the person who set up the plan actually know it exists? Life insurance is a good example. People often think of it as something 472 to Hartz Ave. Downtown, Danville Call us today schedule a consultation. you buy once there’s significant debt, or later in life. In truth, the earlier a policy is put in place, the more flexibility it tends to offer, but it’s only as 925-820-7220 925-587-9949 useful as the family’s understanding of why it’s there. This is where well-intentioned planning quietly falls short. Families tend “Making the world a safer place, one case at a time.” to handle it one of two ways: they say nothing, worried that talking about www.gattopc.com Alamo resident since 2002 money or mortality will worry the kids, or they say everything at once, in one 2540 Camino Diablo, Suite 201, Walnut Creek, CA 94597 overwhelming sitting. Both tend to fail for the same reason: the person closest to the decisions is often the hardest person to hear them from. When a parent explains why one child is a trustee, it can land as judgment. The same information, delivered by an advisor, tends to land as simply how the plan works. It doesn’t need to happen all at once, either. Younger children mostly need to understand that the family plans ahead. Teenagers benefit from getting familiar with the people involved before they’re ever asked to use it. Adult children are usually ready for the fuller picture, roles, and reasoning, even if exact numbers stay private until parents are ready to share them. None of this restricts ambition… It’s often what allows for it. Business owners already know how to take risks; the ones who do it well are deliberate about separating the risks worth taking (a new venture, a bet on growth) from the risks worth insuring against (illness, disability, premature death) and just as deliberate about making sure their family isn’t left untangling the difference. Start by reviewing what’s in place: When was your life insurance policy last updated? Does it reflect your current mortgage, income, and family size, or numbers from ten years ago? And just as important… has your family ever sat down and talked through any of it together? Answering these questions isn’t about dwelling on worst-case scenarios. It’s about doing the quiet, responsible work so the people you love inherit a plan they understand, not just a plan that exists. CAN YOU GIVE RIDES TO If you’d like to talk through how to bring your family into the conversation, SENIORS & VETERANS, OR DO email us at team@waldronpartners.com. Disclosure: Osaic Wealth, Inc. and its representatives do not provide legal YOU NEED A RIDE? or tax advice. You should consult a legal or tax advisor regarding any legal Are you an ambulatory senior or veteran who needs or tax information as it relates to your personal circumstances. a ride to medical appointments, the grocery story, or other essential Peter Waldron CA Insurance License #0E47827. Securities and investment services? Or, are you aged 25-75 and able to volunteer just three hours a advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc. member FINRA/SIPC. Osaic month to help provide a ride? Wealth is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or Mobility Matters (MM) is a nonprofit agency that has been serving services referenced here are independent of Osaic Wealth. Advertorial otherwise homebound residents trying to age in place in Contra Costa County since 2004. MM provides free, door-through-door, one-on-one, To place an ad, share a story, escorted rides for seniors and disabled veterans with volunteer driver programs, and they match riders to accessible transportation providers or find more information about our paper, through their Transportation Information and Referrals Helpline. contact us at 925.405.6397 or editor@yourmonthlypaper.com editor@yourmonthlypaper.com.. If you need a ride, call 925-284-6161. For volunteer opportunities, call 925-284-2215. For more details, visit www.mobilitymatterscc.com.
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PAGE 16 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • September 2026
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TECHNOLOGY MATTERS
PDF EDITING By Evan Corstorphine, Portable CIO
ALAMO IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION (AIA)
By Roger Smith, President 13TH ANNUAL AUTOS OF ALAMO FESTIVAL THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH, 4 – 8PM, ALAMO PLAZA
Free admission! Join us for live music by the Tune Riders and enjoy locally owned vintage, classic, custom, hot rods, muscle, exotic cars, and more from the years of 1980 and before. Show off yours! Registration is still open and only $40. Pre-register online at www.AlamoCA.org or 925-247-8081. Being one of the few truly local community events, the community looks forward to this annual family festival which includes a fun Kid’s Zone and Short Line Model Railroad exhibit. Meet your neighbors and join in the fun.
A Special “Thank you” to our Sponsors!
• Alamo Plaza • Bare Bottle Brewery • Blackhawk Museum • Cole European - Range Rover • Fremont Bank • Glennhawk Winery • Porsche of Walnut Creek • Mercedes Benz of Walnut Creek • Poplar Spectacles • Safeway • Saintsbury Winery • Sequioa Grove Winery • Short Line Railroad • The Agency Real Estate • United Construction • Unlocked Investments
WHAT KINDS OF WILDLIFE LIVE IN ALAMO?
What kinds of wildlife live in Alamo? How can we reduce conflict/find ways to live in harmony with our wildlife neighbors? What is wildlife habitat? Join us for a special Zoom presentation on Thursday, September 17th. Access the link on www.AlamoCA.org.
ALAMO FARMERS MARKET
The Alamo Farmers Market is filled with amazing berries, melons, stone fruit, and grapes. You’ll also find sweet, juicy vine-ripened and heirloom tomatoes— perfect for salads or grilling—along with a great selection of yellow and green squash, and fresh corn on the cob. Visit our new hot food vendor, Dumpling Brothers & Sisters, and try their pot stickers, bun bao, and dim sum. For quality BBQ meats from a trusted source, be sure to visit Achadinha. Also featured Alamo resident vendor Mossy Stick Gardens, offering lotions, sprays, and more made from Denise’s garden. Shop locally and feel confident about the food you bring home, and support small farms and businesses. The Market is open rain or shine on Sundays from 9AM – 1PM in Alamo Plaza, off of Danville Blvd., near Bank of America. Please look for updated information about the Market on nextdoor.com.
Celebrating 70+ Years of Service to the Alamo Community ABOUT AIA
Now celebrating its 71st year, AIA, a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization, has an outstanding history of serving our community and helping shape it into “Alamo – the place where we love to live”! Visit www.AlamoCA.org and www.AlamoVision2040. org for information on AIA, articles of interest to residents, membership, and more! Don’t be left out, now is the time to renew or become a new member of AIA!
Recently, I visited a client and she mentioned she was looking for a way to edit PDFs. I walked her through what AI tools can do with documents and told her Claude, from Anthropic, could handle most of what she needed without buying anything. She thanked me, we wrapped up, and apparently the information didn’t stick, as I’d given her a lot to think about that day. I was talking with her a few weeks later and she brought the topic up again. In the interim, she’d bought an Adobe Acrobat subscription and she was really unhappy with it. It was a) too expensive, b) the interface is crammed wall-to-wall with features she didn’t need and couldn’t find her way around, and c) it’s full of the usual parade of buy-up offers to upgrade, expand, and spend more. She was frustrated and honestly, I wasn’t surprised. Adobe has spent years perfecting the art of making you feel like you’re always one subscription-tier away from the feature you need. I reminded her of our previous conversation. A brief silence, then a groan, and she remembered. She pulled up Claude, confirmed it did exactly what she needed, and by the end of the day had used Revo Uninstaller to scrub Acrobat off her machine entirely. Sometimes the cure is satisfying. To fill in the blanks, let’s talk about what AI actually can do with documents, because it’s more than most people realize. It’s easy to forget that AI is based on LLM, or Large Language Models, so working with lots of words and reorganizing them is simple for an AI. Upload a PDF and ask Claude to summarize it, and it will extract specific information, pull data from a table or form, rewrite a section, or convert the whole thing into a clean Word-friendly document. Need to pull selected pages out of a large PDF? Done. Need to combine content from multiple PDF documents into one cohesive output? Also done. Need to generate a new document from scratch, properly formatted, ready to save as a PDF? Handled. The same capabilities extend to Word documents, spreadsheets, and the kind of tedious reformatting that used to eat an entire afternoon. Scanned invoice you need the data from? Hand it over. To be fair, this isn’t unique to Claude. Microsoft Copilot does it. Google Gemini does it. Grok does it. For an AI operating at this level, parsing and manipulating documents is genuinely entry-level work. The competition is real and capable, and if you’re already paying for Microsoft 365 you may have Copilot sitting right there unused and it will do all of this. The point isn’t that one AI is better than another for these particular tasks. The point is that any of them can do it, and you probably don’t need to be paying Adobe on top of what you’re already spending somewhere else, and you don’t need look for alternative PDF editors because you find Adobe too expensive. Forgot all of them, and use Copilot, Claude, Gemini, Grok, etc. for free. Claude’s free tier handles quite a bit. The paid plan is $20 a month, one price, no upsell circus. Microsoft 365 subscribers already have Copilot included. Either way, the math is straightforward compared to what Adobe charges for the privilege of a cluttered screen and a monthly guilt trip about upgrading. If you signed up for a PDF subscription and you’re not sure it’s earning its keep, it’s worth a conversation before the next renewal date arrives. Evan Corstorphine is the owner of Portable CIO, providing technology consulting and computer repair services to residents and small businesses in Alamo and surrounding communities. Call or text 925-552-7953 or email Advertorial support@pcioit.com.
TAX-AIDE LOOKING FOR NEW VOLUNTEERS
AARPs Tax-Aide is looking for volunteers to become members of a team providing free tax preparation service in Contra Costa County. Tax-Aide needs individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences. While prior tax preparation experience is beneficial, it is not a requirement. 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. ● To learn more and apply online, visit www.aarpfoundation.org/ taxaidevolunteer or call 925-726-3199 for additional information. ● Orientation Sessions will be held in December 2026 and Certification Classes start in January 2027. ● Tax preparation service is from February through April 15, 2027. ● For additional client information, visit tinyurl.com/tax-ccc.
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September 2026 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • PAGE 17
MAKING ROOM TO WONDER
By Jeremy Davis, CloudMinders
Some of my favorite moments while traveling in Japan have happened before the day really gets going. I’ve developed a little routine while I’ve been here. I get up in the morning, head down to the hotel lobby, find a comfortable place to sit, and drink a cup of coffee, by myself. No meeting. No agenda. No laptop open with seventeen things demanding my attention. Just coffee and time to think. Like a lot of business owners, I’m not particularly good at doing nothing. There’s always a problem to solve, an email to answer, a new idea to chase, or something at CloudMinders that could be improved. Even when I’m technically “off,” my brain usually hasn’t received the memo. But sitting quietly in hotel lobbies halfway around the world has given me something I didn’t realize I was missing: Space to wonder. A few weeks before leaving for Japan, I had the opportunity to hear Patrick Lencioni speak at a conference in Nashville about his concept of the Six Types of Working Genius. The idea is that each of us has certain kinds of work that naturally give us energy, while other types of work drain us. I learned that my two Working Geniuses are Wonder and Invention. If you know me, the Invention part probably isn’t much of a surprise. Give me a problem, and my brain immediately starts trying to build a solution. Sometimes several solutions. Occasionally solutions to problems nobody actually asked me to solve. But the one I’ve been thinking about lately is Wonder. Wonder is the ability to look at something and ask: Could this be better? Are we missing something? Why are we doing it this way? What if we tried something completely different? Those questions have felt especially appropriate here in Japan because they remind me of another concept I’ve believed in for years: Kaizen. Kaizen is often translated as “continuous improvement.” It’s the idea that meaningful progress doesn’t always come from one enormous breakthrough. It comes from constantly looking for ways to make something a little better. You can see that philosophy everywhere in Japan. There’s an incredible attention to detail here, from transportation to hospitality to food and, yes, even that cup of coffee. There’s always an opportunity to improve. That’s Wonder. The problem is that Wonder requires something most of us don’t have enough of: space. Think about a normal workday. We wake up and immediately start consuming information. Email. Text messages. Teams. News. Meetings. Notifications. By the time we arrive at work, we’re already reacting. We can spend an entire day being incredibly productive without spending five minutes asking whether we’re being productive about the right things. That’s particularly interesting to me because I own a technology company. For years, the technology industry has sold businesses on productivity. Faster computers. Faster networks. Cloud computing. Mobile devices. Collaboration platforms. Now we’re entering the age of artificial intelligence, and the promise is even bigger. AI can write the email. Summarize the meeting. Analyze the spreadsheet. Answer the customer. Automate the process. At CloudMinders, we’re spending a tremendous amount of time thinking about how AI and automation will change the way our clients work and how they’ll change the way we work. But sitting over coffee in Japan, I’ve started thinking that maybe we’re asking the wrong question. The question shouldn’t simply be: How much more can technology help us do? Maybe the better question is: What are we going to do with the time technology gives back to us?
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support@pcioit.com www.pcioit.com Because if AI saves us an hour every day and we simply fill that hour with another 60 minutes of email, I’m not sure we’ve accomplished much. The real opportunity might be using technology to create more room for the things humans are uniquely good at. Building relationships. Having meaningful conversations. Creating something new. Thinking strategically. Helping someone. And, yes, wondering. That’s also changing the way I think about what we do at CloudMinders. Our job isn’t just keeping servers running, protecting businesses from cyberattacks, or answering support tickets. Those things matter enormously, but they’re the foundation, not the destination. Great technology should remove friction from people’s lives. It should make repetitive things easier, make information easier to find, and automate work that doesn’t require someone’s creativity or judgment. Most importantly, it should give people some of their time back. Technology is changing faster than at any point I can remember. AI alone is going to reshape jobs, businesses, and entire industries. In moments like this, our instinct is often to move faster. But perhaps there’s a lesson from Kaizen here too. Improvement doesn’t always mean doing more. Sometimes it means stopping long enough to notice what could be better. You probably don’t need to fly to Japan to do that. Although I highly recommend the coffee. Maybe it’s 30 minutes before everyone arrives at the office. Maybe it’s a walk without your phone. Maybe it’s sitting somewhere with a notebook and absolutely no agenda. Whatever it looks like, create some room to wonder. Ask what isn’t working. Ask what could be better. Ask what you’re doing simply because you’ve always done it that way. Then make it a little better. And tomorrow, do it again. Because perhaps the greatest promise of technology isn’t that it allows us to do more. Maybe it’s that, when we use it well, it gives us the space to think about what is worth doing in the first place. Jeremy Davis is a technology strategist who helps businesses use cybersecurity, modern IT, and artificial intelligence as engines of growth. As founder and president of CloudMinders, he advises organizations on turning complex technology challenges into lasting competitive advantages. To learn more, email info@cloudminders.com, visit www.CloudMinders. com, or call 925-269-9966. Advertorial
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PAGE 18 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • September 2026
HORMONE THERAPY CHOICES
FINDING THE BEST FIT FOR YOUR BODY By Dr. Niele Maimone, DC
Are you the mom who used to have energy for the carpool, a full workday, and still make dinner for the family, but now finds herself running on fumes by 2pm? Are you the dad who used to hit the gym three times a week without thinking about it, and now cannot figure out why your motivation and strength have quietly slipped away? Or are you the woman in her late forties who feels like her mood and sleep have become unpredictable, seemingly overnight? These are the patients we see every day at Align Healing Center in Danville. Most are not looking for anything dramatic; they just want to feel like themselves again. For many, hormone imbalance turns out to be a big piece of that puzzle.
WE USE BIOIDENTICAL HORMONES
At Align Healing Center, we work with bioidentical hormones. These are structurally identical to what your body already produces, so they are recognized and processed the way your own hormones would be. We also do not use oral estrogen, and this comes down to one of the biggest concerns with hormone therapy: blood clots. When estrogen is taken by mouth, it passes through the liver before reaching the bloodstream, and this first pass raises certain clotting factors. Delivering estrogen through the skin or as a pellet bypasses the first pass through the liver entirely, which is associated with a lower risk of clotting. This is a major reason we choose these routes for our female patients, so you can feel supported without carrying that added risk. Much of the fear around hormone therapy traces back to a large study from the early 2000s linking estrogen to higher clot and health risks. What often gets left out is that the study used oral, synthetic hormones in an older population, not bioidentical hormones delivered through the skin. Later research shows that route of delivery makes a real difference in clot risk, which is exactly why we are intentional about the hormones and methods we choose for you.
FINDING THE DELIVERY METHOD THAT FITS YOU
There is no single right way to take hormones. The best method often comes down to your daily routine, your comfort level, and honestly, your
personality. We take time to get to know each patient so we can match the delivery method to the person, not the other way around. Creams and gels are applied daily, and we fine-tune your dose in small steps. These suit patients who like being closely involved in their routine and want flexibility while we learn how your body responds. Suppositories are a preferred option for many patients, especially for estrogen. They are absorbed easily, skip the mess of a daily cream, and offer a simple alternative for patients who want something straightforward to work into their routine. Troches are small lozenges dissolved in the mouth, and we use them mainly for progesterone. They are absorbed directly into the bloodstream through tissue in the mouth, which offers better absorption than a progesterone pill. Pellets are tiny implants placed under the skin, usually in the hip, releasing hormones steadily over several months. This suits patients with busy, unpredictable schedules who would rather not think about a daily or weekly routine. Once placed, the dose stays steady until the next round, so we make sure your starting labs are dialed in. Injections are given on a set schedule, often weekly or biweekly. Patients who like structure tend to appreciate this option, and it gives good dosing control.
YOUR PLAN, BUILT AROUND YOU
We do not believe in applying the same protocol to every patient. Instead, we review your hormone panel, your lifestyle, and how you want to manage your care day to day, then build a plan around that. Our job is to meet you where you are, with an approach that fits your body and your life.
LET’S TALK
If any of these stories sound familiar, whether it is the afternoon crash, the fading motivation, or the moods that feel harder to manage than they used to, you do not have to just push through it. A conversation and some baseline labs can go a long way toward understanding what is going on. Call us at 925-362-8283 or book online at AlignHealingCenter.com to schedule your consultation today!
This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Hormone therapy options and outcomes vary by individual. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider to determine what is appropriate for your specific situation. Advertorial
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September 2026 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • PAGE 19
SKINtheNEWS By Jerome Potozkin, MD
WHAT CAN MICRONEEDLING DO FOR YOU?
If you’ve been looking for ways to rejuvenate your skin without surgery, you’ve probably heard about microneedling. Over the past several years it has become one of the most sought-after cosmetic procedures, and for good reason. Microneedling can improve fine lines, acne scars, enlarged pores, uneven skin texture, and overall skin quality with minimal downtime. Although it seems like a modern innovation, the concept behind microneedling has been around for decades. Today’s sophisticated medical devices create thousands of tiny, precisely controlled microchannels in the skin. These microscopic injuries stimulate your body’s natural healing process, encouraging the production of new collagen and elastin, the building blocks of firm, healthy, youthful-looking skin. The growing popularity of microneedling has also led to an explosion of at-home rollers and electronic pens sold online. Unfortunately, these devices are not without risk. They are often difficult to sterilize properly, may penetrate the skin unevenly, and can lead to infection, scarring, pigmentation changes, or simply disappointing results. Because skin conditions vary greatly from person to person, professional evaluation and treatment are the safest and most effective approach. Following an in-office microneedling treatment, most patients experience redness similar to a mild to moderate sunburn for one to three days. Mild swelling and dryness are common as the skin heals. Many people return to work or normal activities the following day, while collagen remodeling continues over the next several months, gradually improving skin texture and tone. Not all microneedling treatments are the same. Traditional microneedling uses a precision motorized pen to stimulate collagen production and is highly effective for improving skin texture, fine lines, and acne scarring. Radiofrequency (RF) microneedling represents the next generation of this technology. Systems such as Cynosure’s Potenza® combine microneedling with radiofrequency energy delivered beneath the skin’s surface. This added energy further stimulates collagen remodeling while tightening the skin, making it an excellent option for patients with wrinkles, skin laxity, acne scars, and other signs of aging. The most important decision, however, is not choosing a device, it’s choosing the right physician. At Potozkin + Ellis Dermatology & Aesthetics, our board-certified dermatologists perform a comprehensive evaluation of each patient’s skin, goals, and expectations before recommending treatment. In many cases, microneedling is the ideal choice. In others, patients may achieve superior results with laser resurfacing, intense-pulsed light (IPL), radiofrequency treatments, ultrasound skin tightening, or other advanced technologies. Because we offer one of the region’s most comprehensive collections of energy-based devices, including traditional microneedling and Potenza® RF microneedling, we are not limited to a “one-device-fits-all” approach. Instead, we tailor every treatment plan to the individual, selecting the technology, or combination of technologies, that offers the safest procedure and the best possible outcome. Beautiful skin begins with the right diagnosis, expert guidance, and a personalized treatment plan. That’s the difference board-certified dermatologists can make. Dr. Jerome Potozkin is a Board Certified Dermatologist and Board Certified Micrographic Dermatologic Surgeon specializing in minimally and non-invasive cosmetic procedures. He is the author of “Botox and Beyond: Your Guide to Safe Non-Surgical Cosmetic Procedures.” The practice is accepting new patients and Advertorial can be reached at (925) 838-4900 and www.potozkinellis.com.
Kitten & Cat Adoptions Saturdays 11 AM -3 PM & by appointment Petco ~ 2005 Crow Canyon Pl., San Ramon
All cats are fixed, tested, vaccinated, & microchipped for indoor placement.
FCF helps facilitate adoptions, TNR, and feline rescue work in our local communities. Help us help them. Join in our biggest fundraiser of the year! Tickets $2/each, $10/6 Win trips and cash! Purchase tickets at tinyurl.com/ymkdm64t or via QR code.
CALLING ALL SENIOR ADULTS!
CPC Seniors is a gathering of senior adults who like to fellowship, have fun, and make new friends! Gatherings are held in the Sanctuary of Community Presbyterian Church from 10AM – 12:30PM on the first and third Tuesdays, September through May. The first event of the new season will be September 1st. All Seniors are welcome! Come join in for some entertainment or a rousing game of BINGO. Coffee, tea, and a delicious home-made lunch is provided for $5. Get pampered, get fed, get loved! For more information, visit www.cpcdanville.org/seniors.
Learn more at feralcatfoundation.org Non-profit Federal Tax I.D. No.: 68-0411209
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PAGE 20 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • September 2026
YOUR PERSONAL NUTRITIONISTS
A NUTRITION PLAN FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS By Linda Michaelis RD, MS and Jackie Peterson RD CDCES
We work with many students who are moving away or off to college. Many want to take responsibility for their nutrition and weight to start off with a new image. They know mom and dad will not be around to provide meals, and they will have to make their own food choices at the dorm, cafeteria, apartment, or other spots on and off campus. Many students meet with us and initially do not realize what balanced meals and snacks truly are. They do not know how to read the food label and often just look at calories. They don’t understand that there is much more to the food label such as looking at the more important food groups such as protein, fiber, and sugar. Often a student will come back from college orientation and show us the college website where all of the eating facilities and menus are listed. Some students come with photos of the dining hall offerings from when they visited the campus. Our job is to help them evaluate all that is available and show what can be great prospective meal plans based on their class schedule. Many communities have a Trader Joe’s or other grocery store close to campus. For this reason, we make it a point to include a visit to the market of their choice during a counseling session. We show them what can be great meals and snacks for times that dining halls are closed. We see too many kids using protein shakes and bars thinking that they are a meal replacement after a workout. Yes, it is good to repair your muscles, but we find the bars are not filling and the student ends up being hungry soon after. It is better to eat a high protein and fiber meal such as an omelet with veggies and meat, or a baked potato topped with chili. As often as possible it is recommended to have a balanced meal instead of these shakes and bars. On a recent visit, our client Sam was excited to see that she could buy low fat macaroni and cheese as long as she used it as a topping for broccoli (which is also available in a convenient steam-in-the-bag option). We also looked at buying baked potatoes or sweet potatoes which can easily be cooked in a microwave in a dorm room. Sam liked the idea of topping a potato with Fage nonfat yogurt, which tastes like sour cream. Instant oatmeal packets with a side of yogurt and fruit were discussed as they are easily available and can provide a quick meal during study times. We talked about great soup choices that are hearty and high in protein and fiber such as Amy’s Lentil and Veggie Soup, Black Bean Soup, and Minestrone Soup. We learned how to look at soups and to be aware of how many servings there are in a can. Then we taught Sam that she has to multiply the protein and fiber by how many servings are listed on the food label. Lastly, we looked at buying baby carrots or hearts of celery and enjoying them with almond butter for a great portable snack. After our store visit, Sam seemed relieved that she could now manage her nutrition when left to buy her own foods at home or at college. We make ourselves very available to these students when they are away at school via text, which is how most prefer to communicate. We often receive photos of their meals at restaurants or even pictures of the nutrition label of food packages and asking opinions on whether the food would be recommended or not. If you would like us to help you improve your nutritional knowledge and feel the best you can feel at any time of life, please start keeping a food diary before you make an appointment. We promise you that this will be an experience that will change your life. The good news is that most insurance companies pay for nutritional counseling including ABMG, Aetna, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, CCHP, Cigna, Hill, Sutter, UHC, and others. We are happy to call on your behalf and see what your plan offers. Please visit www.LindaRD.com to learn more about our services. Email us at lifeweight1@yahoo.com, or 925-855-0150 to tell us about your nutritional concerns and see how we can help you. Advertorial
Library continued from front page
If live music is more your thing, the Qwest TV Collection offers nearly 300 titles with live performances from genres such as jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop, blues, and more. In just a few clicks you could be watching “Jammin’ the Blues” from 1944 or “The Kings of Rock N’Roll” concert at the historic Wembley Stadium in 1970 with greats like Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, and Bill Haley. There are many different musical resources and samples perfect for learning about the history of different musical genres across the world. The digital learning resources go far beyond passive media sources mentioned above. Modern library resources include live tutoring through Brainfuse, a resource that can connect students to a live tutor 24/7 to help with subjects like English, Math, Science, Social Studies, or Writing. Their expert support allows users to submit questions, obtain writing assistance online, or access skill development resources. The site also has study resources to help with memorization as well as learning games. The Adult Learning section of the website has resources for resume writing, Microsoft Office help, and writing assistance. If you’d rather spiff up your skills for your next international trip, the language learning resources may be what you need. Mango Languages and Rosetta Stone are offered for free via your library card. Mango specifically notes they have over 70 languages worldwide as well as 20 English courses taught in the user’s native language. They also include American Sign Language as an offering. For those ready to take the next step in their career, or those just entering the job market and in need of support, the library offers several different resources for professional development. LinkedIn Learning helps users build job-related skills such as web design and development, IT, media production, and more. Learning Express Library has endless resources for professionals and college students to build skills, obtain assistance with resumes, and explore career options. Similar to the Brainfuse live tutoring, Brainfuse
Job Now offers live interview coaching to help learners prepare for their next job interview. If you’re tired of relying on a third party every time you need an oil change or the check engine light comes on, head to the Contra Costa County Library website. Just plug your vehicle’s year, make, and model into the Chilton Library database for detailed diagrams, maintenance specifications, step-bystep instructions, and a labor estimating tool so you can see the whole picture before deciding how to handle any automotive situation. And if it is possible that all of the above in addition to the physical publications offered by the Contra Costa County Library system do not satisfy your need for learning, Link+ is a service offered to request and borrow any resources not available in our library system. The world is quite literally at your fingertips when you have a library card. For the immersive learner who wants to get out of the house, the Contra Costa County Library Discover and Go program is what can satisfy. Your library card can unlock tickets to museums and recreational venues all over the Bay Area and Sacramento. With names like California Academy of Sciences, CuriOdyssey, de Young, Exploratorium, and FairyTale Town (just to name a few), Discover and Go passes can provide endless opportunities for learning and fun. For a more adventurous outdoor spirit, the library also offers the California State The California State Parks pass Library Parks Pass. You can use your library is available for check out at the card to check out a free vehicle day-use pass Danville Library. gaining you access to over 200 California state parks. You can hike your way around the state, all thanks to the power of your library card. When it comes to our local library in Danville, there are some special in-person offerings you can take advantage of as well. The Danville library offers complimentary genealogy research assistance in partnership with the San
See Library continued on page 22
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September 2026 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • PAGE 21
LOVE YOUR WEIGHT LOSS, BUT MISSING YOUR OLD SMILE?
Michael Tomcik, M.D., FAAD Board Certified Dermatologist
HOW EMFACE CAN HELP By Diablo Dental Group
Losing weight can change so much about the way you look and feel. Your clothes fit differently. You may feel healthier, lighter, and more confident. But for some people taking GLP-1 medications, there can be one unexpected change they weren’t quite prepared for: their face looks different, too. As facial volume decreases during significant weight loss, the cheeks may appear less full, the skin can look looser, and the face may lose some of the softness that once framed the smile. Suddenly, you may love the changes you see from the neck down but wonder, “Why does my smile look different?” At Diablo Dental Group, we believe a beautiful smile is about much more than beautiful teeth. Your lips, cheeks, jawline, skin, and facial muscles all create the frame around your smile. That’s why we’re excited to offer EMFACE as a noninvasive option for patients who want to enhance their facial appearance while maintaining a natural look. Think about your smile like a beautiful piece of artwork. Your teeth may be the masterpiece, but your face is the frame. When the frame changes, the entire picture can look different. EMFACE takes a unique approach to facial rejuvenation because it doesn’t simply focus on adding volume. The technology is designed to stimulate facial muscles while delivering radiofrequency energy to the overlying tissues. The goal is to improve facial muscle tone and support while addressing the skin and facial contours—all without needles or surgery. And that can be particularly interesting for patients experiencing facial changes after significant weight loss. Your facial muscles play an important role in the expressions you make every day. They help lift your cheeks, move your lips, and create the smile that is uniquely yours. When evaluating facial aesthetics, we believe those muscles deserve attention, too. At Diablo Dental Group, our goal with EMFACE isn’t to change the way you look. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. We want you to look like you—refreshed, confident, and natural. Imagine loving your new silhouette and seeing that same energy reflected in your face. Imagine your beautiful smile framed by more defined facial contours and a refreshed appearance that doesn’t look “done.” One of the reasons patients are drawn to EMFACE is how simple the experience can be. There are no needles, no incisions, and typically no significant downtime. You can relax during your treatment and then return to your day. And at Diablo Dental Group, relaxing is something we take seriously. Choose from our comfort menu, settle in, and let your appointment feel a little more like self-care than a trip to the dentist. We’ve created our practice around the idea that advanced treatment and an exceptional patient experience should go hand in hand. What also makes EMFACE at Diablo Dental Group different is the way we look at your smile. As dental professionals, we spend every day studying teeth, lips, jaws, muscles, facial proportions, and how all of those elements work together. When we talk about smile enhancement, we aren’t simply looking at the shade or shape of your teeth. We’re looking at the entire picture. For some patients, that may mean EMFACE alone. For others, it could become part of a personalized smile transformation that includes whitening, clear aligners, bonding, veneers, or other cosmetic dental treatments. Because the most beautiful results rarely come from changing one feature in isolation. They come from creating harmony. Of course, GLP-1-related facial changes are different for everyone, and EMFACE isn’t a replacement for lost facial volume or the right solution for every concern. That’s why your journey at Diablo Dental Group begins with a personalized evaluation. We can look at what has actually changed and discuss which options make sense for the result you want. Your weight-loss journey is about becoming a healthier, more confident version of yourself. Your face should still feel like part of that transformation. If you love what your GLP-1 journey has done for your body but feel like your smile has lost a little of its spark, EMFACE may be the finishing touch you’ve been looking for. At Diablo Dental Group, we’re looking beyond the teeth and redefining what it means to create a beautiful smile. Because your smile deserves a beautiful frame, too. Diablo Dental Group is located at 156 Diablo Rd., Suite 202, Danville. For more information call 925-837-1742 or visit thediablodentalgroup.com. Advertorial
Where patients are treated like family.
Cosmetic Dermatology
• Micro-Fractional CO 2 Laser Skin Resurfacing • 532 Laser (red vein treatment) • Botox/Dysport • Fillers • Pharmaceutical Grade Skin Care Products
Medical Dermatology
• Skin Cancer Treatments • Mole Removal • Rashes • Skin Tags • We accept Medicare and most PPO insurances
All services provided exclusively by Dr. Tomcik.
Call Today 925-743-1488
3168 Danville Blvd., Suite B, Alamo (in the CVS shopping center)
www.alamoderm.com
Voted runner-up by Diablo Magazine
DISCOVERY COUNSELING CENTER (DCC) PROVIDES MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT ACROSS THE COMMUNITY
For more than 50 years, Discovery Counseling Center of the San Ramon Valley has been an important community resource, helping local individuals and families access quality mental health care regardless of their ability to pay.
CLINIC SERVICES
Through its clinics in Danville and San Ramon, Discovery provides counseling for children, teens, adults, couples, and families, with sliding-scale fees and financial assistance.
SCIP IN SRVUSD SCHOOLS
Another cornerstone of DCC’s work is the School Counseling and Intervention Program (SCIP), offered in partnership with the San Ramon Valley Unified School District (SRVUSD) at all 22 elementary schools, eight middle schools, four high schools, and two alternative education sites in the district. The program provides free counseling and support to students who may be navigating anxiety, stress, social challenges, grief, or other concerns. The program helps students develop social competence, strengthen problem-solving skills, and build self-esteem. Since its implementation, SCIP has served more than 8,700 SRVUSD students through more than 103,000 clinical counseling sessions. Today, approximately 400 students receive support each school year.
FREE SUPPORT GROUPS
DCC also offers free clinical support groups. Led by experienced therapists, these groups provide a safe and supportive environment where community members can connect and learn with others who share similar experiences. Current free groups include Seniors 65+, Caregivers, Grief, Somatic & Intuitive Eating, and LGBTQ+ Teens. As our community continues to recognize the importance of mental and emotional well-being, organizations like DCC play a vital role in ensuring that support is available to everyone. To learn more about DCC’s counseling services, school-based programs, and free support groups, or to get started, visit discoveryctr.net.
PAGE 22 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • September 2026
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YOUR GREATEST LEGACY
or declining memory... are simply the price of getting older. Sometimes they are not. While none of us can stop time, many of these changes can often be improved—and in some cases substantially reversed—when their underlying causes are identified and addressed early. The greatest opportunity isn’t simply living longer. It’s protecting the years that matter most. The years you remain active. Mentally sharp. Strong. Independent. Present with the people you love.
ISN’T WHAT YOU LEAVE BEHIND. IT’S BEING HEALTHY ENOUGH TO LIVE IT.
By Dr. Jeffrey Mark, M.D & Dr. Frances Mark, Pharm.D., The Real Gut Doctor For more than three decades, we’ve had the privilege of caring for entrepreneurs, executives, business owners, professionals, parents, grandparents, and even three generations within the same family. We’ve watched patients build remarkable careers. Grow successful businesses. Create financial security. Support meaningful causes. Raise extraordinary families. Leave a lasting legacy. Those accomplishments deserve admiration. Yet after thousands of conversations, one truth has remained remarkably consistent. As people look toward the years they’ve worked so hard to reach, almost no one wishes they had spent more time at work. Instead, they hope they’ll have the health to enjoy everything they built. To travel. To walk the beach with the person they love. To chase grandchildren through the backyard. To celebrate anniversaries. To continue contributing. To wake up each morning with energy, clarity, strength, and independence. Because in the end... The life you’ve built is only as enjoyable as the health you bring into it.
DON’T MISTAKE AGING FOR SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT Too many people quietly assume that fatigue... Weight gain... Brain fog... Digestive problems... Aching joints... Loss of strength...
HEALTH IS THE ONE ASSET YOU CANNOT DELEGATE
You can hire exceptional advisors. Build a talented team. Protect your investments. Delegate almost everything else in life. But no one can protect your health for you. That decision remains deeply personal. For more than three decades, our mission has remained unchanged. Protecting the health that makes every other achievement possible. Because the greatest legacy isn’t simply what you leave behind. It’s having the health to fully experience it while you’re here.
THE BEST TIME TO INVEST IN YOUR HEALTH WAS YEARS AGO
The second-best time is today. Every year we wait, we lose opportunities that may never fully return. Don’t wait until declining energy, reduced mobility, cognitive changes, or chronic illness begin deciding how you spend your time. Protect the years that matter most—before they begin slipping away.
BEGIN WITH A DISCOVERY CONSULTATION
Whether you’re planning the next chapter of your life—or simply want to enjoy the one you’ve already built—we’re here to help you protect the health that makes it possible. We encourage you to bring your spouse, partner, or a family member. Because the greatest transformations are often the ones you experience together. Call The Real Gut Doctor today at 925-736-9828, visit www. TheRealGutDoctor.com. Advertorial
Library continued from page 20
Ramon Valley Genealogical Society. During a session, docents help participants search the library’s genealogical collection and online databases. We are especially fortunate to have the Friends of the Danville Library (FODL), a nonprofit organization formed in 1958 to support library programs. FODL runs a used bookstore (they sell gently used puzzles too!) inside the library that raises funds to make children’s programs like Legos and Listening, Paws to Read (which brings dogs to listen to young readers), and family story time available on a regular basis at the Danville Library. The public can support by donating books, buying from the store, joining FODL, or donating funds to ensure these programs and more continue at our library. Find out more by visiting www. friendsofthedanvillelibrary.org. The Contra Costa County Library system has also embraced the Library of Things phenomenon — the ability for people to check out physical items that they may otherwise not need or want to purchase. Items in our library system include everything from a ukulele set to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) sets for kids, a home energy efficiency toolkit, and an outdoor explorer backpack stocked with binoculars, nature guides, and East Bay Parks passes. The Danville library and several others also have seed libraries where patrons can take or leave seed packets so flower, fruit, and vegetable varieties can be shared throughout the community. All of this and even more are available with your library card. To get a full access library card, just visit your local branch with a photo ID and address verification. Some services are available with an eCard, so check the library website for more information on what you want to access and which card you need. The power of your library card is all in how you decide to use it. Whether you’re updating your resume, streaming a documentary, brushing up on a language, or heading to a museum, the library is there to support any endeavor. It cuts clutter, lowers expenses, and expands learning while reducing waste and pollution. For more information about library services and to jump in to your next learning adventure, visit https://ccclib.org.
TELECARE CONNECTS WITH THE HOMEBOUND
The Friends of the Danville Library bookstore is open Monday - Saturday 10 am - 5 pm with incredible deals on used books all benefitting programs sponsored by the nonprofit at the Danville Library.
Since 1971, member volunteers of TeleCare, a philanthropic program of Diablo Valley Giving Partners, have been making weekday reassurance calls to seniors and the homebound in our community. Clients can anticipate a friendly exchange of ideas with trained volunteers who provide high quality, consistent communications. If a client cannot be reached, family members will be notified. This service is free! Make that call to get you or someone you know connected! For more information, call 925-934-0901. To learn about Diablo Valley Giving Partners’ other philanthropic programs, please visit www.diablovalleygivingpartners.org.
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September 2026 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • PAGE 23
THE EYE OPENER
VISUAL FIELDS By Gregory Kraskowsky, O.D., Alamo Optometry
Since we recently upgraded our visual field instrument, I thought it would be a suitable time to discuss this important topic. For those of you who have used the VR helmet and controller, it is a more user-friendly way of assessing visual fields as a screening for all exams or for more sensitive testing for those who require it. I think most, if not all, patients have had their visual fields evaluated when they have visited the optometrist. Most patients just assume it is part of the pretesting procedures during the visit, but few are aware of the many indications to assess visual fields and what possible visual field deficits can identify about your eyes and overall health. To understand visual fields, we must first discuss how peripheral vision is created and processed by the brain. It is important to note that each area of the retina corresponds to the opposite area in the visual field, i.e. the superior area of the retina corresponds to your inferior visual field, and the temporal retina (area closer to your ears) corresponds to the nasal visual field. The photoreceptors throughout the retina all send their signals to one area in the back part of the eye that comes together and then exits the retina as the optic nerve. Part of each optic nerve crosses to the other side of the brain at a place called the optic chiasm located close to the pituitary gland. These fibers then travel through distinct parts of the brain until they reach the occipital lobe, which is in the back of the head. By knowing the type and location of the peripheral vision defect, your optometrist can make an assessment where in the brain the cause of the defect is located. For example, a pituitary gland tumor will cause a temporal field loss in both eyes. Since the nerve fibers of the nasal optic nerve cross over by the pituitary gland, those fibers are therefore damaged and will cause a visual field deficit. As a visual field defect can occur anywhere along the optic nerve trail, a condition of the optic nerve itself will cause a specific kind of field loss. As most people are aware, the location of your optic nerve is your blind spot because there are no photoreceptors on the nerve itself, just the fibers from the photoreceptors. Therefore, an enlarged blind spot will show up when there is an infection, inflammation, or trauma of the nerve; the area immediately surrounding the nerve head will be swollen and therefore will not function properly. Most types of optic nerve diseases will also show specific patterns of field loss. Glaucoma is one of the more well-known diseases that are monitored by visual fields. Since glaucoma slowly kills the optic nerve, there will be a corresponding field loss associated with the dead and dying section of the nerve. One of the other main reasons to assess visual fields is to make sure there are no effects on the macula from certain medications. Early detection can very often help to prevent vision loss. It is common that visual field loss will precede actual vision loss, so it is not sufficient to follow these patients by routine vision assessment alone. Some common medications that warrant this are tamoxifen (for breast cancer), and plaquenil (a drug commonly used to treat some autoimmune diseases such as lupus). There are certain types of visual tests that should be done on these patients to monitor them. Communication with the prescribing doctor is also paramount by informing him/her of any visual effects so any modifications in their treatment plan can be made. A visual field test is a valuable tool in assessing the eyes, visual system, and the body as a whole as certain medications and diseases such as diabetes and hypertension can cause conditions in the eye and brain that would show up in an eye exam and/or a visual field test. Dr. K. at Alamo Optometry is your hometown eye doctor for outstanding service, vision care, and designer eyewear. He can be reached at (925) 8206622, or visit his office at 3201 Danville Blvd., Suite 165, in Alamo. For more information, visit www.alamooptometry.com, or follow on Facebook and Instagram @Alamo Optometry. Advertorial
Seed continued from front page
plants acclimated to our county’s local microclimate and soil. In other words, they come with a hearty chance to do well in your garden because they have worked well for someone who lives close by. What makes this even more special is that particular someone decided to share these seeds, to make their success with them yours as well. Maybe it’s an heirloom tomato that’s perfectly sweet and juicy, or a petunia vibrantly colorful with frilled petals. They all grew well in someone else’s garden. How easy is it? You take only the seeds you need, then plant, water, grow, and enjoy. At the end of the season, you harvest a portion of the seeds from the plants you grew so successfully, and come back to the library to leave your seeds for future borrowers. The collection is replenished and ready for the next season. Envelopes are provided. Seeds have long been collected, dried, and stored for a future growing season—seeds were even found in ancient burial chambers in the pyramids! For a Seed Library to grow and thrive, it needs you! Check out the seed catalog at the Danville Library and take your pick. It’s a great time to start fall crops! Come, borrow, and plant for tomorrow. Seed Libraries, like Danville’s, also need a little help from their Friends— and that’s where the Friends of the Danville Library come in. It’s one of the many programs the Friends group helps support every year. You can help with that support by donating books, shopping the book sales, visiting the bookstore, and becoming a Member. Come to the Library today, become a Friend, and help cultivate even more programs for the growing library. The library is located at 400 Front Street in Danville. Hours are Monday-Thursday 10AM-8PM, Friday and Saturday 10AM-6PM, and closed Sunday.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR ADULT DAY CARE
Valley Oak Respite Center, located at 989 San Ramon Valley Blvd. in Danville has provided adult day care for local memory-impaired adults for more than 30 years. Caring for loved ones with dementia is a 24/7 responsibility. Respite care allows caregivers freedom for four hours a day that they would not otherwise enjoy. The program helps adults with dementia to be more social and outgoing. A c t i v i ties include games, crafts, painting, drawing, exercise, Danville Dementia Day Care team. sing-along music, daily facts and memory joggers. Volunteers assist staff in providing conversation, companionship, and assistance in activities. To volunteer, you must be at least 18 years old. Occasionally, children of volunteers come in with them to experience helping seniors. Volunteers should have a genuine love for older adults. For more information, or to become a volunteer, please visit valleyoakrespite. org or call 925-915-0095.
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PAGE 24 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • September 2026
Small details, big results.
JON AHERN
DRE 01169357 | 925.838.9999 jon@ahernregroup.com ahernrealestategroup.com
JUST LISTED 3108 Sombrero Circle, San Ramon 4 BD · 3 BA · 1,972 SF · .09 ACRES $1,450,000
JUST LISTED
CAMILLE AHERN
DRE 01865464 | 925.963.0068 camille@ahernregroup.com
COMING SOON 430 Woodbine Lane, Danville 4 BD · 2.5 BA · 2,391 SF · .24 ACRES Call for Inquries
8231 Cardiff Drive, Dublin 3 BD · 2 BA · 1,1 16 SF · .1 6 ACRES $998,000
AVAILABLE 1315 Alma Avenue #211, Walnut Creek 2 BD · 2 BA · 914 SF $685,000
The property information herein is derived from various sources that may include, but not be limited to, county records and the Multiple Listing Service, and it may include approximations. Although the information is believed to be accurate, it is not warranted, and you should not rely upon it without personal verification. Not intended as a solicitation if your property is already listed by another broker. Affiliated real estate agents are independent contractor sales associates, not employees. ©2022 Coldwell Banker. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker logos are trademarks of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. The Coldwell Banker ® System is comprised of company owned offices which are owned by a subsidiary of Anywhere Advisors LLC and franchised offices which are independently owned and operated. The Coldwell Banker System fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act.
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Meet Dr. Yvonne Hyland & Her Family
Dr. Hyland has been in private practice since 2000. She received a DDS degree from Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas, Texas. Following dental school, she pursued a hospital-based General Practice Residency at the Veteran’s Medical Center in West Los Angeles for two years. Realizing this was not the end of her formal education, she completed a successful three-year post-graduate surgical residency in periodontics. Dr. Hyland’s experience and professional skills excel in every aspect of dentistry from general cosmetic procedures to complex surgical cases. She has placed thousands of successful dental implants and is highly trained in all phases of gum disease therapy, tissue and bone grafting procedures, and wisdom teeth extraction. Dr. Hyland understands the desire to provide the very best care for the entire family. As a resident of Alamo, she strives to meet community needs by providing unparalleled services for those seeking the finest complete dental care in one location. In her spare time, Dr. Hyland enjoys spending time with her husband Terry, two sets of twin boys, and their three rescue dogs adopted from ARF.