CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

The United States spends much more on health care and with worse health outcomes than other developed countries. Join the Zoom webinar “Understanding Universal Healthcare Part II” from 4 to 5:30 p.m. April 20 to learn more about it.

The U.S. system has inequities, inefficiencies and is unaffordable for many people. Learn about our complex health care system from an expert panel and what California can do to provide high-quality health care for everyone. The webinar panel will include:

• Laurel Lucia, a health care program director at the UC Berkeley Labor Center and a consultant to the Healthy California for All Commission;
• Dr. Jim Kahn, an economist with the Institute for Health Policy Studies at UC San Francisco Medical School;
• Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo of California District 40 and the state Assembly’s majority whip;
• and moderator Janet Thomas with the Lafayette-based League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley (LWVDV).

The program will open with a brief overview, followed by a report from the Healthy California for All Commission. Panelists will explore current initiatives in California to increase equity, affordability and access to health care and share opportunities for the community to advocate for less expensive and better health care. A demonstration of the Medicare for All Savings Calculator will also be offered.

Register for the Zoom webinar online at bit.ly/unihealthcarewebinar42023. Information on how to access the Zoom webinar will be sent to your email address 24 hours before the program. Audience questions will be collected and answered through the Zoom chat.

Sponsors include the League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley, the League of Women Voters of West Contra Costa County, CCTV and the Contra Costa County Library system. The library system will provide closed captioning for this event and simultaneous Spanish translation. This program will be recorded and uploaded to the libraries’ YouTube channel after the event. Email [email protected] for more information.

— LWVDV

CONCORD

Veterans Job Fair and Resource Expo set for April 20

Looking for a job, a better job, or a career? The 2023 Veterans Job Fair and Resource Expo is is the place to be! From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 20 at the American Legion Hall in Concord at 2290 Willow Pass Road, 30 employers looking to hire great people and more than 15 veteran resource providers will be in attendance.

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The event is open to U.S. military veterans and their spouses starting at 10 a.m. and open to the general public starting at 11 a.m. Hundreds of employment opportunities will be in one location with scheduled employers including Caltrans, the city of Concord, Sysco, Amazon, Coast Jobs, VA Medical, EBMUD, H&R Block, UPS, the California Department of Corrections, Save Mart, Recology, BART, the U.S. Postal Service, Altec, UC San Francisco, Republic Services, Goodwill and more.

Learn about veteran benefits, housing, counseling, job training, child support and other resources from on-site providers. Save time by preregistering online with Eventbrite at eventbrite.com/e/524039354817 (for veterans) and eventbrite.com/e/524042444057 (for nonveterans).

The expo will be hosted by the Veterans Accession House, Swords to Plowshares, Goodwill of San Francisco Bay, Berkeley Food and Housing, Veterans Affairs, California’s Employment Development Department, Rubicon Programs and Shelter Inc. Free public parking will be nearby, and the event location is three blocks from the Concord BART station. For more information, call Dennis Rojas at 925-791-3716.

— Goodwill of San Francisco Bay

ANTIOCH

Sign up kids for Max Academy’s martial arts classes

The well-known Max Academy has been astounding in teaching self-defense and life skills such as focus and perseverance. Currently, Max Academy has a class of 20 youths and offers monthly martial arts classes for ages 4 to 6 in its Pandas class and 7 to 12 in its Juniors class. Sign up for one of the next sessions with the keyword “Max Academy” at antiochca.gov/register.

— Antioch city manager’s office

PLEASANT HILL

California Writers Club Mount Diablo meeting April 8

Andrea Firth, the editor of the Brevity Blog and co-founder of the Diablo Writers Workshop, will be the featured speaker April 8 at the lunch meeting of the California Writers Club Mount Diablo chapter. Nonmembers are welcome to attend. Check-in is at 11 a.m. at Zio Fraedo’s restaurant in Pleasant Hill.

Firth, a finalist for The Missouri Review’s prestigious 2021 Perkoff Prize in nonfiction, will discuss how to create flash fiction, which she describes as “very short, short stories.” Register online at cwcmtdiablo.org/meetings-and-workshops. To join the CWC Mount Diablo, visit cwcmtdiablo.org/join.

Founded by Jack London in 1909, the California Writers Club has more than 2000 members statewide. The Mount Diablo Branch membership is 134, with a mix of published fiction and nonfiction authors, editors, developing writers and individuals who offer writing, editing and publishing support services.

— CWC Mount Diablo

WALNUT CREEK

Garden club’s next monthly meeting happening April 10

The Walnut Creek Garden Club (WCGC) will hold its monthly meeting on April 10 in the Elks Lodge at 1475 Creekside Drive in Walnut Creek.

Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m., followed by a brief business meeting, social time and an educational program, “Floristry with Materials from Garden Pruning,” presented by Steven Brown, the department chair of environmental horticulture and floristry at City College of San Francisco (bit.ly/ccsfhorticulturedept).

Brown will show techniques in floral arrangements using cuttings available from the garden, including use of geraniums in floral arrangements. We welcome the public to visit our meetings and join the club. For more details, visit walnutcreekgardenclub.org online.

— WCGC

Preschool’s Earth Day-themed fundraiser April 23

Grace Cooperative Preschool officials invite all to attend their event “Growing with Grace,” an Earth Day-themed fundraiser 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 23 at the preschool in Walnut Creek at 2100 Tice Valley Blvd. The event is free, but donations are welcomed, and will include free crafts for kids a raffle for prizes and more.

Raffle prizes will include a two-night stay at a rental house in Capitola, wine tastings, gift cards and much more. A food truck will be available to buy lunch from as well as the Kona Ice truck for dessert. All proceeds from donations and the raffle will go towards Grace preschool programs, including a new play structure. Those who cannot attend but want to buy raffle tickets can email [email protected].

— Grace Cooperative Preschool

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