By Rick JonesMartinez News-Gazette Editor

Main Street Sweets, an anchor of down-town Martinez for over 20 years, will closeits doors on February 1. According to ownerMarty Bender the landlord at 815 MainStreet “basically has given us the boot.”

A 150 percent increase in rent the lastdecade puts the business operating at a loss.When Marty and Carol Bender bought theshop in 2010 the rent was $600 month.

The store was originally started byCathy Duncan in 1996 and was called YeOlde Sweet Shoppe. In 2001 current Mar-tinez City Councilmember Noralea Gipnertook over, later partnering with LindaFilomeo, who then sold it to the Benders.

“Our three-year lease ended in October,"Bender said. “And when we met with himthe first thing he told us was he needed$1,500 for that space. We were paying $875when the lease ended.”

Since that time the Benders have unsuc-cessfully attempted to sell the store.

The landlord “reluctantly let us put it upfor sale, we haven’t had any offers,” Bendersaid “Rent is so high it really wouldn’t work.He allowed us to do month-to-month untilthe end of February for $1,175 a month”.

The owner plans to lease the first floorbuilding as office space. There are 10 apart-ments on the second floor, Bender said.

The Benders have experienced the ebbsand flows of a small business the pastdecade. Holidays were always a big part ofthe yearly bottom line for the candy store.

“Valentine’s Day was always good forus,” Bender said. “It was hard work, but wemade money.

“The 'Shop Local' movement helped.It’s been kind of feast or famine. We hadsome really good stretches where sales weregood. But overall it was a struggle, it’s beenhard work.”

Bender has seen many changes to down-town Martinez, some of them hurt his busi-ness.

“One thing that really hurt us was whenthe Friday Night Car Show stopped,” Bendersaid. “That went on for many, many years.

For four to five months every year, we wouldstay open late.

“We had a lot of returning customersthat were affiliated with the car show. Wewould do triple the business every day, andthat really helped out. Gave us a nice boost.Sounds minor to some people, but a lot ofpeople were upset when the Car Show left.”

When the Friday car shows left, it wasreplaced with another event that Bender saiddidn’t draw people to his location.

“The car show was replaced with the'Thursday Music and Movie' but that didn’treally help us at all. Everything is down bythe plaza; we get little traffic where we are.”

Bender, who retired from a career withEast Bay Regional Parks District and hiswife Carol, who works for Kaiser Perma-nente, have no plans to continue the shop ata new location. Bender said it’s becomingmore difficult to start a business in Califor-nia.

“We are going to retire, no plans to re-locate,” Bender said. “Rent is too high. Andit’s expensive to start a business fromscratch. So many regulations with the healthdepartment just for our little store. Permitsto operate, checks on our scale, annual citypermit. We have seven sinks that are re-quired by health department.

“It’s really put the kibosh on people try-ing to start new things. You may have a goodidea but with the high rent, permits and reg-ulations it’s hard to get going.”

After being in downtown Martinez for10 years Bender understands the unique en-vironment Martinez presents.

“Martinez has a different atmosphere,”Bender noted. “The only draw down here isthe county (offices) and the courts.

“Concord, Walnut Creek and PleasantHill all have the big mega-movie theatersand that draws people all day long. We don’thave a family entertainment draw in down-town. We have a lot of alcohol related things,and they bring people in, but I would rathersee something for families. I don’t knowwhat that is, who knows what is.”

Bender says things are trending up indowntown and it’s because of energizedbusiness owners.

“Arash (Pakzad, owner of Barrel Aged& Barrelista) came in and was gung-ho,young guy who had an idea and the financ-ing to do it. Candice (Gliatto) at Citrus is an-other example. She used to be our neighborwhen she started in a teeny, tiny place. Shemoved down Main and then moved into thatbeautiful salon she has now. Candice was an-other who was just gung-ho.”

The Benders are thankful for the supportover the last 10 years and will always loveMartinez and its hometown charm.

“We get a lot of jurors from around thecounty in here and they love the town,” Ben-der said. “They love the look; we don’t havea lot of the corporate things. That was one ofthe fun things about this business was beingable to brag about Martinez.

The last day of business for the MainStreet Sweet Shop will be Saturday, Febru-ary 1.

50 CENTSESTABLISHED 1858 SUNDAY, JAN. 26, 2019 VOL. 162, NO. 39

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On November 15, 2019 at10:00 am, Officer Lucido con-tacted a 51-year-old man fromMartinez, in the parking lot of 7-11, 3520 Pacheco Boulevard. Hewas arrested for a $5,000.00 mis-demeanor warrant for drug posses-sion. He was also arrested forpossession of meth and violatingprobation. He was booked into theMain Detention Facility (MDF).Case# 19-3063.

At 10:40 am, Sergeant Gaulcontacted a 39-year-old womanfrom Martinez, in the parking lotof 7-11, 3520 Pacheco Boulevard.He had prior knowledge she waswanted for a $20,000.00 misde-meanor warrant for battering a po-lice officer. She was booked intoMDF. Case# 19-3064.

At 3:00 pm, officers were dis-patched to Amtrak for an armedrobbery which just occurred. Thevictim was selling an iPhone on“Offer Up” and agreed to meet thebuyer at the train station. Upon ar-rival he met the Hispanic femalebuyer at her black Ford Expedi-tion. Upon contact two Hispanicmales were hiding in the back seat.One pointed a handgun at him anddemanded the phone. He compliedand the suspects fled the parkinglot. Victim provided all of the com-munications over text. Unknown ifreal names/info. Corporal May-berry. Case# 19-3065.

At 10:57 pm, officers re-sponded to the Martinez Marinafor a report of a fire. Upon arrival,a boat tied to the launch ramp pier(east pier) was fully engulfed inflames. A man from Richmondclaimed to own the boat. He wason the boat with his girlfriend andthe boat caught on fire while theywere sleeping. There was no obvi-ous evidence of any foul play. Theboat burned into the water and thepier did not appear to be damagedand or burned. A Contra CostaCounty Arson investigator re-sponded to the scene. A city corpo-ration yard employee respondedand the pier was barricaded off.City employees returned in themorning to remove the boat fromthe water during daylight. Water

booms were wrapped around theboat to contain any chemicals.Case# 19-3067.

On November 16th at 8:00am, Officer Lucido contacted a 27-year-old man from Martinez and a57-year-old man from Santa Bar-bara, smoking in the Amtrak park-ing lot. They were both arrested forpossession of meth. Cite released.Case# 19-3068.

At 8:40 am, Sergeant Gaulobserved 37-year-old man fromMartinez dumpster diving at Nor-Cal Courts. Sergeant Gaul hadprior knowledge the man waswanted for two misdemeanor war-rants. $5,000.00 for drug intoxica-tion and a $5,000.00 for possessionof drugs and drug paraphernalia.He was also found to be in posses-sion of meth. The man was bookedinto MDF. Case# 19-3069.

At 9:00 am, Sergeant Gaulcontacted a 34-year-old man fromMartinez, on Waterfront Road nearCopart. The man was arrested fora $7,500.00 misdemeanor warrantfor drug possession. Cite released.Case# 19-3071.

At 9:15 am, Officer Lucidostopped a paper plated 2018 Nis-san Rogue on Marina Vista at 680.A check of the VIN revealed thevehicle was stolen. It was reportedstolen to Concord PD on11/13/2019. The driver was a 41-year-old man from Concord. Hewas arrested for possession of astolen vehicle and booked intoMDF. Case# 19-3070.

At 2:00 pm, Corporal May-berry contacted a 38-year-old manfrom Walnut Creek in the 400block of Richardson Street. Theman was arrested for a felony nobail warrant for burglary. He wasalso found to be in possession ofmeth. The man was booked intoMDF. Case# 19-3074.

At 10:03 pm, Sergeant Bus-ciglio located a man (Martineztransient) laying on the sidewalk atAlhambra Ave. and Ward Street.The man was intoxicated, unableto walk without stumbling and ar-rested for disorderly conduct. Hewas booked into MDF. Officer Es-pinoza, case# 19-3077.

On November 17th at 7:45am, officers were dispatched toAmtrak for a battery which just oc-curred. A 46-year-old man fromMartinez punched the clerk ofRosemary’s Café in the face. Theman was refused service due toprior problems he has caused at thecafé and train station. He wasbooked into MDF. Sergeant Gaul,case# 19-3079.

At 9:45 am, Sergeant Gaulwas on foot patrol downtown. Hediscovered a vehicle which had itswindow shattered. He was unableto locate the victim to determineloss and time of occurrence. Case#19-3080.

At 6:11 pm, officers were dis-patched to Walmart located at1021 Arnold Dr. to investigate afraud via coin star. Officer Mon-tano made contact with the suspectwho on video put a few coins inthe coin star machine, but had avoucher for $700.00. The 32-year-old man from San Pablo was ar-rested for PC 470(d) and citereleased.

On November 18th at 10:42am, Officer Miller responded toBail Hot Line for a burglary inves-tigation. Over $6,000.00 wastaken. Video surveillance showstwo male suspects enter throughthe unlocked rear door and walkdirectly to the where the moneywas kept. The video surveillance isbeing looked at closer in effort toidentify the males. Case #19-3087.

At 12:29 pm, Officer Weemsresponded to the high school for areport of threats written on theboy’s bathroom walls. Video sur-veillance is being reviewed in at-tempt to identify the responsibleparty. Case #19-3089.

At 1:16 pm, Officer Weemsresponded to the 1000 block ofFerry Street for the theft of a cat-alytic converter. Case #19-3091.

At 2:29 pm, Officer Weemslocated an unoccupied stolen vehi-cle in the Jack in the Box parkinglot, via a license plate reader (LPR)alert. Case #19-3092.

At 10:33 pm, Officer Parsonsconducted a traffic stop at Pacheco

Boulevard and Camino Del Sol.The male driver was arrested forDUI (drugs). Case #19-3095.

At 12:00 pm, Officer Weemsreceived an LPR alert on a stolenlicense plate. He located the vehi-cle in the Lucky’s parking lot. Theoperator of the vehicle arrived andstated he had purchased the vehiclejust over a week ago. Both licenseplates were recovered and loggedinto evidence. Case #19-3100.

On November 19th at 7:57am, Officer Angoco took a reporton a theft of firearms from a resi-dent in the 300 block of WillowCreek Lane. Case #19-3106.

On November 20th at 12:08am, Officer Winslett took an autoburglary report at Chipotle parkinglot, where a back pack was takenfrom a vehicle. Case #19-3110.

At 3:06 pm, Officer Weemsresponded to a residence in the 500block of Amber Lane for a residen-tial burglary. The victim camehome and saw a U-Haul pullingout of her driveway. Property fromher yard and inside the residencehad been taken. Approximatelyone and a half hours later OfficerWeems located the U haul, occu-pied by the male suspect, on BirchStreet. The male fled and was notlocated. Case #19-3112.

At 10:26 pm, Officer Ramoswas on Scenic Drive, near ElmStreet, when he located and ar-rested the residential burglary sus-pect. Case #19-3112.

On November 21st at 12:09am, Officer Parsons received anLPR stolen vehicle alert on Al-hambra Avenue. He located the ve-hicle at the car wash. The femaledriver was arrested for possessionof stolen property, possession of afirearm, and possession of a con-trolled substance. The male pas-senger was arrested for possessionof a stolen firearm. Case #19-3113.

At 11:49 am, Officer Weemsresponded to a traffic collision oneastbound HWY 4, near AlhambraAvenue. An involved party re-ported that a firearm was bran-dished during the incident. OfficerWeems confirmed that an involvedparty had an unloaded firearm in

Martinez Police Department Blotter November 16 - 31, 2019

his waistband, and he did point itat the other involved party becausehe was scared. The party with thefirearm was detained and CHPtook over the investigation. Case#19-3117.

On November 22nd at 7:30am, Officer Buda took a vehicleburglary report from a resident inthe 100 block Macalvey Drive. Apurse and computer were stolen.Case# 19-3121.

At 8:00 am, Corporal May-berry arrested a male in the 900block of Ward Street for warrants.Case# 19-3123.

At 9:30 am, Officer Wah tooka vehicle theft and vehicle burglaryreport from a resident in the 100block Sunnybrae Court. Nothingof value was taken from the firstvehicle. A water pump was takenfrom the trunk of the second vehi-cle. Case# 19-3126.

At 1:30 pm, Officer Wah ar-rested a male for trespassing atChase Bank in the Village OaksShopping Center. Case# 19-3131.

At 4:45 pm, Corporal May-berry conducted a traffic enforce-ment stop on a motorcycle onMarina Vista Avenue near Alham-bra Avenue. A VIN check on themotorcycle returned as a reportedstolen vehicle. The male rider wasarrested. Case# 19-3132.

At 10:25 pm, Officer Weemsconducted a traffic enforcementstop on westbound HWY 4 nearCenter Avenue. The female driverwas arrested for DUI. Case# 19-3133.

On November 23rd at 12:16am, Officer Lucido contacted amale bicyclist in the 3200 block ofPacheco Boulevard. He was foundto be in possession of a controlledsubstance and arrested. Case# 19-3134.

At 7:10 am, Office Wah ar-rested a male for trespassing at theMarina Market. Case# 19- 3136.

At 11:00 am, Officer Budaconducted a traffic enforcementstop in the 1100 block of ArnoldDrive. The male driver was ar-rested for driving on a DUI sus-pended license. Case# 19- 3139.

At 3:45 pm, Corporal Schn-abel arrested a female in the 2700block of Alhambra Avenue for

public intoxication. Case# 19-3140.

At 6:39 pm, Officer Montanoresponded to Lucky’s for a theftwhere an unknown person saidthey were arriving to collect themoney from the Salvation Armycollection can. Case# 19-3141.

At 11:03 pm, Officer Mon-tano responded to the 100 block ofGilbert Court for fireworks in thearea. A fire was discovered on thehillside and Contra Costa Fire re-sponded to extinguish the fire.Case# 19-3142.

On November 24th at 11:50am, Officer Weems responded toSafeway (downtown) for a maleharassing customers. The malewas arrested for trespassing. Case#19-3147.

At 9:57 am, Officer Budatook a credit card theft report. Thevictim accidentally dropped hercredit card in the Ronald McDon-ald House donation box at the Mc-Donald’s drive thru. Theemployees did not have access intothe donation box, which was laterstolen. The victim’s credit cardwas used at several locations. Thecase is still under investigation.Case# 19-3145.

At 1:00 pm, Officer Wah tookan auto burglary report at theFranklin Canyon Park and Ride.The victim’s vehicle window wassmashed and her purse and cellphone were taken. Case# 19-3149.

At 3:15 pm, Officer Weemsresponded to a residential burglaryin the 1200 block of EscobarStreet. The female suspect fledafter being confronted by a neigh-bor. She was located in the 500block of Main Street and arrestedfor trespassing, as the residencewas vacant and no items weretaken. Case# 19-3150.

At 4:10 pm, Corporal May-berry arrested a male for public in-toxication in front of ValleyConvenient Mart. The male wasconsuming alcohol when he wascontacted. Case# 19- 3151.

At 5:00 pm, Corporal May-berry took a theft from an auto re-port on Talbart Street, nearEscobar Street. The victim’s pursewas taken. Case# 19-3152.

At 5:30 pm, Corporal May-

berry responded to an alarm atMartinez Junior High. A windowwas shattered. It appears potatochips were taken. Case# 19-3153.

On November 25th at 10:03am, Officer Weems responded tothe 300 block of F Street for a dis-pute between neighbors. A malewas arrested for brandishing afirearm during the dispute. He wasalso in possession of a controlledsubstance. Case #19-3158.

At 7:31 pm, Officer Mayberrywas conducting a security check atan abandoned building in the 3500block of Alhambra Avenue. Hecontacted a male who he thoughtto be trying to gain entry into thebuilding. The male refused to com-ply with Corporal Mayberry’scommands and began to approachCorporal Mayberry, who believedthe male was going to assault him.An altercation ensued and the malewas taken into custody. Case# 19-3164.

On November 26th at 4:32pm, Officers responded to the2300 block of Wayne Street for aresidential fire. Contra Costa Firecontained the fire to the property.Incident 1611260058.

At 8:13 pm, Officer Parsonsresponded to a theft at Safeway(downtown). A description of theresponsible female, her vehicleand direction of travel were pro-vided. Officer Parsons conducteda traffic enforcement stop near theFranklin Canyon Park and Ride.The female was arrested for war-rants. Case# 19-3175.

At 11:34 pm, Officer Es-pinoza arrested a female at Amtrakfor battery. The female struck anAmtrak employee with a treebranch. Case# 19- 3176.

On November 27th at 7:10am, Sergeant Busciglio arrested amale at Amtrak for interfering withthe business and trespassing.Case# 19-3177.

At 10:16 am, Officer Wah ar-rested a female at Walgreens fortrespassing. Case# 19-3178.

At 7:38 pm, Officer Parsonsresponded to a residence in the1900 block of Alhambra Avenue toconduct a welfare check on themale resident who was not answer-ing the door. The male resident had

passed away in the residence.There were no signs of foul play.Case# 19-3181.

On November 28th at 6:13am, Contra Costa Fire respondedto a fire under the Amtrak bridge.A female fell asleep under thebridge with a lit cigarette, causingthe fire. Case# 19-3184.

At 7:16 am, Officer Wah re-sponded to Hidden Creek Courtfor several vehicles that had theirwindows smashed. Case# 19-3185.

At 10:39 am, Officer Weemsresponded to Marina Market for amale panhandler. The male was ar-rested for public intoxication.Case# 19-3188.

At 3:58 pm, Officer Wah re-sponded to a theft at Rite Aid. Themale suspect was in the parkinglot, and he fled across the street.He was taken into custody in theTaco Bell parking lot. Case# 19-3189.

At 5:14 pm, Officer Weemsresponded to a residence in the1200 block of Escobar Street for aburglary in progress. The male sus-pect was located and arrested fortrespassing with property damage.Case# 19-3190.

At 11:33 pm, Officer Angococontacted a female driver during atraffic enforcement stop onPacheco Boulevard, near CaminoDel Sol. She was arrested for awarrant. Case# 19- 3191.

On November 29th at 8:38am, Officer Weems responded to aburglary at Public Storage, 901Arnold Drive. A storage unit doorwas forced open. The victim wasnot able to respond to the storageunit to determine loss. Case# 19-3192.

At 11:00 am, Sergeant Gaulstopped a vehicle on Pine Street atJones Street. He contacted a 26-year-old man from Martinez. Theman was arrested for a $50,000.00misdemeanor warrant for evadingand booked into MDF. Case# 19-3193.

At 2:50 pm, officers were dis-patched to McDonalds for a mansitting at a table with a crank piperefusing to leave. Officers con-tacted the 34-year-old man fromConcord. He was arrested for drug

A series of courses attractive to peopleinterested in outdoor, environmentally re-lated employment is being offered startingthis spring at Merritt College in Oakland.

The courses are taught by MerrittCollege faculty and East Bay Regional ParkDistrict staff, leading to certificates ofachievement.

Courses include conservation andresource management, natural history andresources, and urban agroecology. For moreinformation, visit the website,www.merritt.edu/wp/nhs.

* * *

The first weekend in Februarybrings a variety of programs to the Environ-mental Education Center at Tilden NatureArea near Berkeley.

It all starts with botanical water-color painting from 2 to 3 p.m. on Saturday,Feb. 1 with interpretive student aide EmilyRitchie. The idea is to create watercolor im-ages of the nature area’s native plants. Par-ticipants will gain basic skills inlife-drawing, plant identification, and ofcourse watercoloring techniques.

Then from 3 to 4 p.m. on Saturday,Feb. 1, explore the nature area with naturalistTrent Pearce in search of salamanders andfrogs. The search will proceed rain or shine.The program repeats on Feb. 15.

And farm animals are the focus oftwo programs with naturalist Jenna Collins,on Sunday, Feb. 2 and again on Feb. 16.

Meet the Little Farm rabbits fromnoon to 1 p.m., or flock with the lambs from3 to 4 p.m.

The center and Little Farm are bothat the north end of Tilden’s Central ParkDrive. For information, call 510-544-2233.

* * *

For an opportunity to explore thenewest addition to Sibley Volcanic RegionalPreserve in the Oakland hills, join theWednesday Walkers on a three-mile loopstarting at 9:30 a.m. at the Wilcox StagingArea on Pinehurst Road. The property willsoon after be closed for creek restoration.

The best access is from CanyonRoad in Moraga, then turn right on Pine-hurst. No dogs, please, and heavy rain can-cels. For information, call 510-544-3187.

* * *

The Over-The-Hills Gang is an in-formal group of hikers 55 and older whoenjoy exercise, nature study and local his-tory.

Naturalist “Trail Gail” Broesderwill lead the group on a mostly flat hike atPt. Pinole Regional Shoreline from 10 a.m.to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Learnabout the park’s explosive past.

Meet Gail at the staging area at theend of Atlas Road in Richmond. Call 510-544-2233.

* * *

Crab Cove Visitor Center inAlameda features Family Nature Fun from 2to 3 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday, withactivities for all ages.

The theme on Feb. 1 and 2 is“Duck, Duck, Goose!” with games to helplearn more about our feathered friends.

There’s also story time from 11 to11:30 a.m. every Sunday with stories, crafts,and activities. And from 3 to 3:30 p.m. onSaturdays and Sundays, you can watch the

staff feed the fish in the center’s large aquar-ium. The aquarium fish are the same speciesthat inhabit San Francisco Bay.

Crab Cove is at 1252 McKay Ave.off Alameda’s Central Avenue. For informa-tion, call 510-544-3187.

* * *

Sunol Regional Wilderness insouthern Alameda County also has recurring,naturalist-led programs every Saturday andSunday. “Nature Crafts” is from 10 a.m. tonoon, with a different craft each week. And“Wild Wonders” is from 2 to 3 p.m., a fam-ily-friendly exploration of the park withgames and other activities.

Sunol Regional Wilderness is at theend of Geary Road off Calaveras Road aboutfive miles south of I-680 and the town ofSunol. There’s a parking fee of $5 per vehi-cle; the programs are free of charge. Call510-544-3249.

* * *

For an update on current events af-fecting the Delta, join in coffee talk andDelta news from 8:30 to 9 a.m. on Wednes-day, Feb. 5 at Big Break Regional Shorelinein Oakley.

Big Break is at 69 Big Break Roadoff Oakley’s Main Street. Call 888-327-2757, ext. 3050.

* * *

There’s always something to seeand do in the regional parks. For a completeschedule, visit the website,www.ebparks.org.

Park It by Ned MacKay: Merritt College Classes

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