This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

🌱 Welcome Walnut Creek & Danville Mayors! + Save Mt Diablo 50th

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Concord.

Jeri Karges's profile picture
Jeri Karges, Neighbor
|
(Patch Media)

Good day, people of Concord! It's me again, Jeri Karges, your host of the Concord Daily.

First, today's weather:

Plenty of sunshine. High: 55 Low: 36.

Rent this space:

Are you a local business owner or marketer in Concord? We'd love to start showcasing trusted businesses who can solve problems for our amazing local readers. Click here to learn how it works.

Here are the top stories today in Concord:

  1. Thursday we reported that Concord had a new mayor. Well, Walnut Creek and Danville didn't want to be outdone! They have new mayors too. In Walnut Creek, outgoing Mayor Kevin Wilk turned over the top spot to Mayor Pro Tem Matt Francois, who's been on the council since 2018. Francois, a land use attorney, also served on the Walnut Creek Planning Commission from 2007 to 2018. In Danville, Newell Arnerich became mayor for the sixth time in his 26 years on the Town Council Tuesday night, taking over for Renee Morgan. Robert Storer moves up to vice mayor for the coming year. (SFGate)
  2. The most recently available local unemployment figures for October show an improvement since September in the Concord area and the unemployment rate continues to be lower than it was at the beginning of the pandemic. The Contra Costa County unemployment rate was 5.3 percent in October, down from 5.5 percent in September. That reflected significant improvement from October 2020, when the unemployment rate stood at 8.4 percent. (Concord Patch)
  3. The Contra Costa District Attorney has filed 11 felony charges against 27-year-old Oscar Aguilar-Campos for allegedly starting a series of small fires at a variety of locations throughout Walnut Creek on Dec.3, according to police. Aguilar-Campos is currently being held on $1,000,000 bail. No major damage was reporting due to the fires, which were all extinguished quickly by the fire department. (Claycord.com)
  4. Contra Costa County will spend $95.5 million to expand the West County Detention Facility in North Richmond, adding more rehabilitation and mental health treatment space while alleviating overcrowding at the Martinez Detention Facility. The Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to award the contract to Montana-based Sletten Construction, with District 1 Supervisor John Gioia dissenting. (Claycord.com)
  5. Save Mount Diablo (SMD) will be celebrating its 50th anniversary with memorable events and activities throughout the year. The non-profit will offer hikes and outings, along with a fabulous celebration in September 2022. When Save Mount Diablo formed on Dec. 7, 1971, the mountain was home to just one 6,788-acre park. Today, there are more than 50 parks and preserves around the mountain totaling more than 120,000 conserved acres. (Pioneer Publishers)

Today's Concord Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at Verizon. They're building the fastest 5G network in the country. To learn how 5G is going to change life for you and your community — and to get access to this amazing technology — click here. And thank you Verizon for sponsoring this community resource in Concord!

Today in Concord:

  • Come out for Veterans First Bingo in Concord. (7:00 PM)
  • Salvage Title (70s, 80s & 90s Rock Tribute) will be at Retro Junkie in Walnut Creek. (7:00 PM)
  • Dave "Ouzo" Land does Tellus Coffee in Walnut Creek. (7:30 PM)
  • Join Mercedes & Friends at The Office Cocktail Lounge in Concord. (9:00 PM)
  • Grab your gals and hit Ladies Night Out at NICA Lounge in Concord. (10:00 PM)

From my notebook:

  • Last year, the pandemic kept us away from our favorite live theater productions. Thankfully, this year is a bit more normal – with local companies now doing live performances and celebrating the holidays once again. Here are a few of the local offerings.

From our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

  • ALL NEW Ecom-Biz Owners Profits for the Holidays and Beyond Workshop Live Q&A Friday 3 pm PST (December 10)
  • Carquinez Model Railroad Open House December 11-12 10 AM - 4 PM (December 11)
  • Diablo Symphony Celebrates the Holidays with the Fratello Marionettes (December 11)
  • A Christmas Concert @ First Presbyterian Church Concord, 1965 Colfax St. Concord Ca. 94520 (December 12)
  • Social Security Webinar (December 13)
  • Christmas Eve Special Take-Out Dinner - Roxx on Main (December 24)
  • New Years Eve Party at Roxx on Main (December 31)
  • Add your event

Gigs & services:

Loving the Concord Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

Thanks for following along and staying informed. I'll see you around!

— Jeri Karges

About me: Jeri Karges has been living in and loving the Sacramento region for over 30 years. Her passion is finding new and unique ways to enjoy the city and surrounding areas. On weekends, you can find her pestering her friends to sample the restaurant that doesn't have silverware, or try their hand at throwing an axe. Jeri also enjoys writing about retirement planning at https://rockinretirement.subst...

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Concord