Running to replace Tim Grayson, Sonia Ledo is the sole Republican in the race against three Democrats including Antioch Councilwoman Monica Wilson

District 15 includes all of Antioch

Sonia Ledo, a resident of Concord and Realtor, has announced her candidacy for the California State Assembly. She aims to bring an improved quality of life for all residents of District 15.

“I’m excited to take this important step in seeking to represent much of Contra Costa County in the California State Assembly,” said Ledo. “I believe my professional and personal experiences give me a unique understanding of the needs of the district and the challenges we face. I will work to develop common sense solutions to improve the quality of life for not only Contra Costa residents, but all Californians.”

Through her professional experience in mortgage lending and real estate, Ledo has helped many first-time buyers purchase their dream homes utilizing various down payment assistance programs. Personally, she has raised four sons in the public education system in Contra Costa, including autistic twins who require special needs assistance.

The bi-lingual candidate who is fluent in Spanish and a first-generation American, has also volunteered locally over the years by coaching Challenger baseball for special needs players, sorting food at the Food Bank, feeding the needy on Christmas morning, and directly assisting families through personal donations. Ledo served as treasurer for the Women’s Council of Realtors Contra Costa and is also a longtime member of the One Hundred Club organization that supports families of fallen firefighters and police officers.

According to her webpage on the Compass, Inc. real estate website, she has been a licensed California Realtor® since 1991 and earned a bachelor’s degree in legal studies from JFK University and is a certified paralegal. In her free time, Ledo enjoys hiking the Contra Costa trails with her dog.

This blend of professional and personal experience has given her a deep understanding of the challenges faced in our communities by small businesses, families, seniors, disabled, people in crisis, and those with special needs.

If elected to the State Assembly, Ledo promises to work hard to bring fairness, transparency and a strong work ethic to Sacramento. Her priorities would include public safety, education, improved mental health services, increasing housing supply, and serving as a good steward of taxpayer money when faced with tough decisions regarding the looming state budget deficit of $68 billion.

Regarding housing, Ledo emphasizes that, “Building more housing alone won’t solve the issues of housing affordability. The underlying reasons for the high cost of housing must be addressed. We also need to better serve individuals with disabilities, mental health issues, and homelessness as a collaborative state effort.”

The seat being vacated by Assemblymember Tim Grayson includes all or parts of the cities of Antioch, Brentwood, Clayton, Concord, Martinez, Pittsburg and Pleasant Hill and unincorporated areas of Contra Costa County including Bay Point, Crockett and Pacheco.

The only Republican in the race, Ledo is looking forward to the March 5th primary elections and will be ready on day one to begin with a strong commitment to working with all bay area and California elected leaders for the well-being of our communities, region and state.

She faces Antioch Councilwoman Monica Wilson, Contra Costa School Board Trustee Anamaria Avila Farias and former county Supervisor Karen Mitchoff in the primary. The top two vote-getters will continue on to face off in the general election in November.

For more information about Ledo’s campaign visit www.sonialedo.com.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Job Posting

Position:                         District Executive Position

Position location:           Pleasanton, CA

Council Website:           www.ggacbsa.org

Since 1910, Scouting has helped mold the future leaders of this country by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun. The Boy Scouts of America believes and understands that helping youth puts us on a path towards a more conscientious, responsible, and productive society.

Today’s professional Scouters are a diverse group of men and women sharing a dynamic career offering independence, achievement, and stability. This is work that makes a difference, work that calls one to continual learning and challenge, work that offers solid compensation, benefits and advancement.

The District Executive selected will:

• Work with a volunteer board of directors and other community and business leaders to identify, recruit, train, guide, and inspire them to become involved in youth programs. 
• Achieve progress towards specific goals and objectives which include: program development through collaborative relationships, volunteer recruitment and training, fundraising, membership recruitment and retention.
• Be responsible for extending programs to religious, civic, fraternal, educational, and other community-based organizations through volunteers.
• Secure adequate financial support for programs in assigned area.  Achieve net income and participation objectives for assigned camps and activities.
• Recruit leadership for finance campaign efforts to meet the financial needs of the organization.
• Ensure that all program sites are served through volunteers, regular leader meetings, training events and activities.
• Collaborate with adult volunteers and oversee achievement of training for their respective role.
• Be a good role model and recognize the importance of working relationships with other professionals and volunteers.  The executive must have communication skills and be able to explain the program’s goals and objectives to the public.
• Provide quality service through timely communication, regular meetings, training events and activities.
• Have a willingness and ability to devote long and irregular hours to achieve council and district objectives.

Desired Skills:

• Strong marketing, fund-raising and program development background is highly desired.
• Non-profit, fundraising or sales experience is a plus.
• Must be comfortable with public speaking and interacting with diverse audiences. Excellent people skills, enthusiastic, punctual, responsible and creative.
• Self-motivated individual with solid time management skills and strong organizational skills in management, budgeting, and planning.
• Committed to personal and professional productivity, while maintaining high ethical and professional working standards.

Requirements:

• Must be willing to accept and meet the Boy Scout of America’s leadership and membership standards and subscribe to the Scout Oath and Law.
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university (transcript with the date degree conferred stated is required for employment).
• Attained 21 years of age or older unless prohibited by any applicable law.
• Ability to work varied hours when necessary, evening activities and weekend work is frequently required to achieve positive objectives.
• Ability to travel for training at least once a year for one to two weeks.
• A Scouting background is helpful but not required for employment.
• Offers for employment are subject to criminal, reference and motor vehicle background checks.

Compensation:

All councils are equal opportunity employers. In addition to offering a competitive salary of $64,480, Professional Scouting offers benefits to include major medical, prescription coverage, dental, vision, life-insurance, long-term disability, accidental death, a defined benefit retirement plan, plus compensation for authorized and approved business related expenses to include phone and mileage reimbursement.  We also offer generous vacation policy and ten holiday observances.

How to apply:

Qualified candidates must submit cover letter and resume with salary history to kara.miller@scouting.org only the most qualified candidates will be contacted.

Additional information on a career as a District Executive can be found at this link: http://www.scouting.org/Careers/WorkingWithUs/EssentialSkills.aspx.

Antioch Police search home in Brentwood for suspect who was taken into custody; Brentwood PD assists with new armored vehicle

At least 11 murders in city, this year

By Allen D. Payton

Antioch Police are investigating a fatal shooting of transient man by an unknown suspect next to the railroad tracks between Waldie Plaza and the fishing pier, in downtown Antioch Saturday evening.

Witnesses said the victim, named Eric, age 29, was shot point blank in the chest in front of his tent next to the BNSF Rail line after a Hispanic man walked up to him, asked his name then shot him. One woman said a group of people tried to resuscitate the victim, but he succumbed to his injuries.

According to an interview of Antioch Police Lt. Rick Martin by Art Ray of Bay News Video, Antioch Police served a search warrant at a home in Brentwood looking for the shooting suspect.

“Based on our investigation we had leads that led us to the 1200 block of Dainty Avenue in the City of Brentwood” where the suspect, described as is a Hispanic male in his 30’s, was believed to have gone, Martin shared.

The 40-year-old suspect from Concord was taken into custody.

The shooting incident “started as a dispute between two males,” Martin added.

Ray said Brentwood Police assisted APD by using their new armored Emergency Rescue Vehicle during the search at the home.

Lt. Martin said he believes this is the 11th homicide in the City, this year. According to the crimes statistics on the Antioch Police website there were nine murders through September. In addition, as previously reported, another homicide occurred in November.

12/17/23 5:55 PM UPDATE from APD – The following press release was issued by Lt. Martin of the Antioch Police Investigations Bureau early Sunday morning but issues with APD’s server prevented it from being sent out to the media until Sunday evening:

On December 16, 2023, at approximately 4:30 p.m. Antioch Police Dispatch began receiving calls of a shooting near the railroad tracks in the 700 block of W. 1st Street. Antioch Police officers arrived and located a 29-year-old male suffering from a gunshot wound. Officers arrived on scene and immediately began rendering first aid. Paramedics arrived a short time later and pronounced the male deceased.

Witnesses on scene provided information to officers of the suspect and the suspect vehicle. A short time later, Brentwood Police located the suspect vehicle in the 1200 block of Dainty Avenue. With the assistance of the Brentwood police patrol officers and Brentwood police SWAT team, a 40-year-old male suspect was taken into custody without incident.

Antioch Police Detectives are still conducting this active investigation. We are withholding the name of the decedent until proper family notification has been made. The suspect’s name will be released at a later date.

APD would like to thank the Brentwood Police Department and Antioch citizens for their assistance in this investigation. No further information will be provided at this time.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Duffy at (925) 779-6884 or the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925) 778-2441.

Please be aware of a scam targeting our community. The scam involves an individual posing as an employee of the Sheriff’s Office who calls unsuspecting residents.

The scammer informs the resident that they have an active warrant and must immediately make a payment to avoid legal consequences.

It is important to note that the scammer is utilizing technology to manipulate caller ID systems, making it appear that the calls originate from legitimate Sheriff’s Office phone numbers.

We urge all residents to exercise caution and remain vigilant. Law enforcement agencies will never demand immediate payments over the phone (typically through gift cards) or threaten arrest for unpaid fees or fines.

Stay informed and protect yourself from falling victim to these scams. Hang up and never provide private, personal information.

Her third DUI arrest this year; cited and released

By Brentwood Police Department

Last weekend, on December 10, 2023, a Brentwood officer was patrolling the area of Heidorn Ranch and Kohl’s Drive when he pulled a car over for not having a front license plate and suspended registration. When he contacted the driver, identified as 20-year-old Arrieanna Renel Snell, Jr. of Antioch, he determined she was driving under the influence of alcohol. The officer also noticed an open bottle of tequila behind the passenger’s seat.

Upon contacting the passenger, identified as 23-year-old Jai Royale Williams of Oakland, the officer located a stolen gun in the car.

Snell was placed under arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol and Williams was placed under arrest for being in possession of the stolen gun. Both were transported to the County Jail for booking.

According to vinelink.com, Snell was cited and released and Williams is out of custody with no charges filed.  According to localcrimenews.com, she was also arrested for driving with a license suspended for drunk driving. Earlier this year, Snell was arrested twice for assault upon a peace officer, DUI alcohol/drugs and for DUI alcohol with blood alcohol content above .08 percent.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Contra Costa Health (CCH) seeks input from county residents about whether they use the Community Warning System (CWS), how well it works, and if more notification options would improve it.

The CWS is an all-hazards community notification system that alerts residents about emergencies affecting public health or safety, including those from refineries and large chemical manufacturing facilities in Contra Costa County.

CCH’s online survey, available on the CWS page at cchealth.org, seeks information about community familiarity with the tool, whether polled residents subscribe, and opinions about the service.

The CWS sends free phone calls, texts and emails to anyone who signs up at cwsalerts.com. Users have subscription options, including whether to receive alerts only from certain areas of Contra Costa County, or only about certain facilities.

The survey, conducted at the direction of the Industrial Safety Ordinance / Community Warning System Ad Hoc Committee of the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors, also asks if residents would like notifications about nearby industrial incidents that are not deemed emergencies.

The CWS was designed for emergency use, and so when a facility reports an unexpected release – such as flaring, odors, smoke, noises, or fires – CWS only sends an alert to its subscribers if the incident is likely to affect health in the surrounding community, in the estimation of the facility, or the emergency responders from CCH or the fire department who are investigating.

For details about the CWS and its response levels, visit the CWS page at cchealth.org.

The county’s Hazardous Materials Incident Notification Policy requires specified facilities, including all the county’s refineries, to immediately report to the CWS whenever there is a release or threatened release of hazardous material, as well as flaring events.

Most of these are “Level 1” incidents – received and investigated by CCH’s Hazardous Materials Response Team, but not subject to a community alert. CWS has received 227 reported Level 1 alerts so far in 2023 from industrial facilities.

Since 2022, an automated feed has displayed all active Level 1 alerts that have lasted longer than 20 minutes and are seen, heard or associated with offsite odors, at cchealth.org/hazmat.

The survey asks whether CWS subscribers should have the option to directly receive additional alerts via phone, text or email as they happen, even for incidents that may not threaten the community.

The survey is planned to continue through January 12, 2024, and CCH share the results publicly and with the Ad Hoc Committee.

Katherine Piccinini challenges Mark DeSaulnier in District 10

Katherine Piccinini, a long time Oakley resident, has successfully filed to run for Congress in District 10. The district includes portions of Antioch.

As a mother of four and grandmother of five, she previously ran in 2022 as a write-in candidate for this position when contacted by some in the 11th hour to run. Piccinini secured 1,638 votes in a 20-day campaign—a record for Congressional Republican write-in votes since 2012, enough to get her name on the General election ballot.

Over the past four years, she has served as the President of East Contra Costa Republican Women and President and a founding member of Eastern Contra Costa Republican Assembly. Additionally, she has been a Central Committee Member for Contra Costa and Alameda Counties and a GOP Delegate.

Remaining true to her commitment to truth and transparency, Piccinini, coming from a law enforcement family, pledges to prioritize the protection of police, fire, and military. Her main concerns include the safety and security of children, families, parental rights, and borders. She criticizes the educational system as “indoctrination, not education,” and her motto is “Putting the People First.”

Passionate about the nation’s direction, she fears losing America if it continues down the path it is going and is determined to do her best to prevent this.  Piccinini emphasizes there needs to be accountability and transparency to the citizens, expressing a lack of belief in current leaders’  following through on this.

Her agenda focuses on the needs of the people of Contra Costa and Alameda Counties, with a

dedication to representing their interests in Washington.

She believes we deserve clean air, pure water, safe food, freedom of speech and balanced budgets for citizens.  She vows to stand for freedom, truth, and the flag.  She will not stand for tyranny, injustice, and lawlessness. With corruption at the highest levels in government and political parties, she invites others to join her in reclaiming the freedoms that are being taken from them and securing a future and hope for their children and grandchildren.

As a community advocate, Piccinini asserts that putting the people first involves prioritizing infants, children, law enforcement, workers, veterans and farmers. She advocates for rewriting  laws to address those that perpetrate their crimes on society, businesses and the gender mutilation of children.

Katherine Piccinini pledges to be your voice in Congress, ensuring your trust to carry forth your message to Washington D.C.  She is interested in hearing from you and what your issues are. 

Piccinini believes that together we can stand as communities dedicated to Putting People First.

Please contact Katherine Piccinini and share these thoughts with her. For more information visit piccinini4congress.com.

Rare volcanic habitat in the Dark Canyon part of Marsh Creek

SMD must raise $1.5 million within 12 months.

By Laura Kindsvater, Senior Communications Manager, Save Mount Diablo

Just in time for the holidays, Save Mount Diablo (SMD) has optioned the 98-acre Ginochio Schwendel Ranch on Marsh Creek Road between Clayton and Brentwood. The $30,000 option payment holds the property for 12 months while Save Mount Diablo raises almost $1.5 million for acquisition and other project expenses.

It’s the first property Save Mount Diablo is purchasing directly from Contra Costa County’s Ginochio cattle ranching family, which owns nearly 7,000 acres on and around Mount Diablo. The property includes extremely rare dacite volcanic habitat along Marsh Creek’s Dark Canyon section. The Ginochio Schwendel Ranch is the fifth acquisition project Save Mount Diablo has participated in this year. Save Mount Diablo expects to close escrow on its Krane Pond property next week on December 20th.

Save Mount Diablo’s Executive Director, Ted Clement, stated, “We are so thankful for our Save Mount Diablo team, including our amazing supporters, and the Ginochio family who together have enabled us to enjoy so much success this year in advancing our time-sensitive land conservation mission, even in the waning days of 2023. This is the first time Save Mount Diablo has bought a property directly from the Ginochio family, the most important landowning family in Contra Costa County. The Ginochios own several high priority properties on the slopes of the mountain. They’ve been amazing stewards of their land for generations. The Ginochio Schwendel Ranch will expand our abutting Marsh Creek 5 preserve. They both share very unusual volcanic geology and are in the high priority Marsh Creek wildlife corridor. If we don’t protect the Ginochio Schwendel Ranch, the property will eventually be divided up and developed, causing its special conservation values to be lost. We’re going to need help from our generous donors and agency partners to fund this project in the next 12 months.”

The Ginochio Family

The Ginochio family arrived in Contra Costa in 1867 and settled in Concord and the coal mining town of Nortonville, and then diversified into ranching. Over 156 years, they created and have stewarded the biggest cattle ranching operation in the county.

The Ginochios own nearly 7,000 acres, including the most important ranches remaining west, north, and east of Mount Diablo. Much of the land is in the Marsh Creek watershed, like the Ginochio Schwendel Ranch. But each generation has more family members, and over time, ranching has become more difficult.

Historically when the family has sold property, they’ve used the funds to buy more agricultural land. When another of their properties was condemned after World War II, the Ginochios bought the Schwendel Ranch. They will continue to own 665 acres north of Marsh Creek Road.

According to John Ginochio, a member of the ranching family, “I’m pleased to make this deal with Save Mount Diablo. When you think of influence, people often think about big environmental groups. Personally, I think Save Mount Diablo is the most influential environmental organization in our area. I’ve worked cooperatively with them for over 50 years. They’re financially sound and have the funds to make solid deals and the integrity to go with it. We graze cattle on a number of SMD properties. I’m happy to see this part of the Ginochio Schwendel Ranch go to Save Mount Diablo because they have always been a good neighbor.”

Added Ginochio, “This parcel south of Marsh Creek Road hasn’t been especially useful for cattle grazing but it’s always been interesting because of its unusual pink soil. I learned more about its volcanic character from Save Mount Diablo as they sponsored research on their neighboring property. I’m really happy we can help expand the protected volcanic habitat instead of more houses.”

The 98-acre Ginochio Schwendel Ranch would expand on Save Mount Diablo’s adjacent 7.4-acre Marsh Creek 5 preserve, an unusual volcanic dome. Marsh Creek 5 was protected in 2011. That same year and one parcel away, Save Mount Diablo also protected a similar volcanic dome, its 5.7-acre Marsh Creek 6 preserve, where the organization demolished a house overlooking the canyon and restored habitat.

According to Seth Adams, Save Mount Diablo’s Land Conservation Director, “The Ginochio Schwendel Ranch is part of the east-west Marsh Creek riparian, road, and trail corridor, and near the western end of the Dark Canyon section of the riparian corridor. Solid blue oak and live oak woodland, it is part of the wooded habitat corridor from Black Diamond Mines through Clayton Ranch south to Morgan Territory Regional Preserve and Mount Diablo State Park. Steep wooded slopes rise from Marsh Creek Road to flatter meadows, then climb higher in one direction, while dropping into a canyon in another. I consider John Ginochio a good friend and I hope this is just the first conservation project with the family.”

Ginochio Schwendel Ranch is a beautiful wooded 98-acre property, most of a steep volcanic knoll rising from 530 feet to 1,140 feet—with dramatic views. The property is quite visible from a variety of protected lands and from both directions of Marsh Creek Road. Development of the property would degrade the visual value of the road corridor, a Contra Costa County General Plan–designated “Scenic Route.” The most likely development threat is minor subdivision and ongoing fragmentation to more houses over time. Development would destroy the habitat, wells would damage the unusual hydrology, and roads and pads would require removal of many trees. Dark Canyon is a critical fire danger area, and part of the property burned several years ago.

Save Mount Diablo and our partners have protected more than 15 miles of the 33-mile Marsh Creek riparian corridor. Marsh Creek is the second longest, least-disturbed creek in Contra Costa County. The creek is across the road in this case, but the overall corridor and this upland habitat are very rich.

As with our neighboring Marsh Creek 5 preserve, we know the property supports listed species such as Alameda whipsnake and California red-legged frog, along with a whole suite of rare or unusual plants such as endemic Contra Costa manzanita and Mount Diablo fairy lantern, western hop tree, and Hartweg’s umbrellawort. An on-site fire road accesses the property and will allow much better access to our neighboring Marsh Creek 5 preserve. In the future, we hope the property will help with the creation of a section of the Clayton to Round Valley Marsh Creek Trail.

The Ginochio Schwendel Ranch is the fifth acquisition project Save Mount Diablo has participated in this year. After a successful community-based public fundraising campaign this fall, Save Mount Diablo expects to close escrow on its 6.69-acre Krane Pond property next week. Save Mount Diablo recently made its eighth installment payment on the 87-acre North Peak Ranch. In August, Save Mount Diablo purchased the critical 10-acre Balcerzak inholding within Mount Diablo State Park, situated in Curry Canyon, including the most remote house on Mount Diablo, in just a few weeks. And in April, the East Bay Regional Park District closed escrow on the $11.2 million 768-acre Finley Road Ranch property with Save Mount Diablo’s assistance, providing a location for a new regional staging area for Riggs Canyon and Morgan Territory Regional Preserve.

The Schwendels

We’re just getting to know the history of the property. The Schwendel Ranch was originally pieced together from homesteads and holdings by the heirs of railroad interests. One owner was Joseph or “Josef” Schwendel, a well-known Austrian musician who played the violin or cornet until his death in 1930. He was the organizer of the Clayton Silver Cornet Band in the 1870s. Frank Schwendel was born about 1883. Sometime during that period, Frank Schwendel took ownership of part of the land. Apparently, Mary Berendsen owned another part in 1927. When her husband died, she married Frank. They were still living in the area in 1940 when he was 57 and she was 63, and he still owned the land in 1946 when he granted an easement to PG&E. Schwendel children married members of the Frank family, who arrived in Clayton in the 1870s, and the Cakebread family. The Ginochio family bought their part of the Schwendel Ranch after World War II.

“Anna (Berendsen) Berkheimer has lived in Brentwood since 1981, but Clayton will always be her home. Berkheimer was born in Clayton . . . in a building that is known as the Clayton Club, a country and western bar,” according to the Clayton Historical Society and reprinted from an article that ran in the Brentwood News on August 13, 1987. “’Before Prohibition my father ran the saloon and mother took care of the dining room.’. . . ”Berkheimer was the daughter of Carl Berendsen, who emigrated to the United States from Denmark at the age of 17. Her mother’s parents were also from Denmark. . . . In 1926 her father drowned in Marsh Creek after driving his vehicle off the bridge and her mother subsequently married Frank Schwendel, who was born and raised in the Marsh Creek area. Schwendel owned 1,200 acres between Brentwood and Clayton and Berkheimer assisted with many of the chores on the ranch. ‘I learned how to milk cows, drive a tractor, and quite a few other things, but I really enjoyed it even though it was hard work,’ she said.”

Why Does the Ginochio Schwendel Ranch’s Geology Matter?

Complex geology = complex soils = rich botany. As rocks break down, soils are formed, and when the geology is complex, so are the soils. Because they’re high in some minerals, chemicals, and trace elements, and deficient in others, rocky soils often exclude some plants and are speciation sites where others evolve into new forms. These volcanic dacite intrusions are high silica and break down into sands that hold water and support a different plant community and rare plant species, often with springs on their slopes or base. Their vegetation is brighter green and lusher than surrounding areas, often dense with trees or poison oak.

A dozen volcanic, mostly dacitic intrusions have been mapped along Marsh Creek at the northeast corner of Mount Diablo State Park. In 2011, Save Mount Diablo protected 7.4-acre Marsh Creek 5, including one volcanic dome and then later that year a similar dome, 5.7-acre Marsh Creek 6. Another volcanic dome is found in Mount Diablo State Park at Perkins Canyon, which is easily accessible. Marsh Creek 5 and Marsh Creek 6 are two volcanic exposures on either side of the Marsh Creek Springs resort. These properties form a volcanic habitat found nowhere else in central or eastern Contra Costa County. The 98-acre Ginochio Schwendel Ranch is part of this same volcanic area.

There’s not as much igneous rock in Contra Costa County as in the North Bay, but it’s not all that unusual, especially on Mount Diablo. The most common igneous rocks on Mount Diablo are old ocean crust formed deep out at sea. These rocks included parts of Diablo’s main peaks. Also, present are pillow basalts formed at underwater eruptions along a mid-ocean ridge. These pieces of igneous rock were carried to North America and added to the continent by the movement of tectonic plates.

In the Oakland hills, more recent volcanoes erupted and spread lava and ash locally years ago. And in various places around Contra Costa County, ash from eruptions farther away are consolidated as “tuff” beds. The pink Lawlor Tuff is an age marker around Diablo, laid down on a flat to rolling landscape before the peaks were exposed, and steeply folded as Mount Diablo emerged.

Save Mount Diablo’s Marsh Creek 5 and Marsh Creek 6 properties are different. So is the Ginochio Schwendel Ranch.

We began studying the geology of the volcanic deposits after we acquired these Marsh Creek properties and sponsoring research into their origin in grants in 2018 and 2019 from our Mary Bowerman Science and Research program. Ultimately a chapter was included, “Neogene volcanism on the eastside of Mount Diablo, Contra Costa County, California” with findings in a new geology book, Regional Geology of Mount Diablo, California in 2021.

“Neogene volcanic rocks are located to the east and north of Mount Diablo, near the eastern boundary of the San Andreas fault system . . . probably associated with the northward migration of the Mendocino Triple Junction along the western plate boundary in California . . . This event produced a series of volcanic centers along the plate boundary . . . referred to as the Coast Range Volcanic Suite.”  

These spots are of high silica, much younger igneous rock visible in mound- or dome-like surface exposures, within a four-mile northwest-southeast band, a mile and a half wide. They’re strangely steep because they resist erosion and look like mushroom caps, compared to more erosive sedimentary Great Valley Group geology nearby. Marsh Creek threads through them near the intersection of Morgan Territory and Marsh Creek roads. The volcanic intrusions are also one of the most limited habitats in the East Bay, retain water more than surrounding areas, and are often associated with springs and rare plants. The Ginochio Schwendel Ranch includes part of the biggest mapped exposure of these dacite intrusions.

The rare geology and plant habitat on the Ginochio Schwendel Ranch is just one more thing that makes Mount Diablo special.

About Save Mount Diablo

Save Mount Diablo is a nationally accredited, nonprofit land trust founded in 1971 with a mission to preserve Mount Diablo’s peaks, surrounding foothills, watersheds, and connection to the Diablo Rangethrough land acquisition and preservation strategies designed to protect the mountain’s natural beauty, biological diversity, and historic and agricultural heritage; enhance our area’s quality of life; and provide educational and recreational opportunities consistent with protection of natural resources. To learn more, please visit www.savemountdiablo.org.