In brief: Pittsburg’s Los Medanos hosting gospel concert May 6 on Zoom

PITTSBURG

Los Medanos College on May 6 will host its 28th annual Gospel Celebration Concert via Zoom. The concert will feature a cadre of past celebrity artists, along with the Los Medanos Gospel Choir and more.

This noted festival celebrates diversity and promotes higher education. The “Decades of Academic Artistry, Urban Music and Higher Education” event will review the successes of past gospel festival concerts with performance clips from the past. Additional performers will include Los Medanos College Gospel Caravans, Palma Ceia Baptist Church Singers, Jeffrey Scott and Los Medanos College Chamber Chorale.

The Zoom concert will open at 6:15 p.m. online at 4cd.zoom.us/j/8809099244 with the password “music.” Admission is free. For more information, call Los Medanos Professor and Director Silvester Henderson at 925-400-7383 or email him at shenderson@losmedanos.edu.

— Los Medanos College

Adult school slated to host East County job fair on May 10

the Pittsburg Adult School will host its 11th annual East Contra Costa County Job Fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 10. The fair will feature more than 50 employers looking for workers and will be held on the adult school’s campus at 1151 Stoneman Ave. Bring your resume and dress for success. Email any questions to George Provol at gprovol@pittsburgusd.net.

The day before, from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. May 9, a short presentation on “How to Get the Most Out of a Job Fair” is scheduled. This light and lively mini-presentation can give attendees the edge to beat the competition. Attendees can bring their lunches to Room #23 at Pittsburg Adult School for the presentation.

— Pittsburg Adult School

BAY POINT

Garden club’s ‘Plant Sale and Demo’ happening May 6

The Bay Point Garden Club (BPGC) will present its “Plant Sale and Demo” on May 6. Join club members in the Gloria Magleby Community Garden at 3105 Willow Pass Road in Bay Point. The free demo will show how to plant seeds in soil from 10 to 11 a.m., followed by a plant sale from 11 a.m. to noon.

Proceeds from the sale will support future club projects. For more information, email baypointgarden@gmail.com or follow the club’s Facebook page or visit baypointgardenclub.org online.

— BPGC

CONCORD

Preapproved ADU housing plans can save time, money

The city of Concord has officially introduced its preapproved Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) program to help people save time and money during the design, planning and permitting process of building an ADU.

Thanks to a grant from the California Department of Housing and Community Development, Concord was able to create six building code-compliant, construction-level drawings, which are now available to the public at no cost. Sometimes called “granny units” or “in-law units,” ADUs are residential units located on the same lot as an existing or proposed single-unit or multifamily principal dwelling and provide complete independent living facilities for one or more people.

Concord’s six designs include studios, one-bedrooms  and two-bedrooms ranging in size from about 200 to 900 square feet, and each floor plan can accommodate different layouts. The designs also have multiple architectural styles commonly found in Concord, such as bungalow/craftsman, Spanish-inspired, postwar suburban rancher and modern.

“This is a huge benefit to our community,” said Concord Mayor Laura Hoffmeister. “Providing these free ADU plans will assist the city in meeting the identified goals and policies contained within our adopted Housing Element by making it easier, quicker and less expensive for our residents to add these units to their property.”

People who use the preapproved plans will not incur the cost of hiring a design professional to prepare drawings and will significantly reduce the fees associated with reviewing the plans before obtaining a building permit.

The plans also significantly reduce the time needed to get a building permit. Applications for custom ADUs typically require multiple rounds of plan review and can take weeks before permits are issued. With the new preapproved plans, complete applications can be approved within as few as five days.

More information and links to floor plans/elevations, site plan templates and full drawing sets are available online at cityofconcord.org/ADUs. Questions can be directed to the planner on duty via email at zoning@cityofconcord.org or by phone at 925-671-3152.

— city of Concord

WALNUT CREEK

Garden club’s annual fundraiser planned for May 17

The Walnut Creek Garden Club (WCGC) will hold its annual fundraiser luncheon and program from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 17 at the Crow Canyon Country Club. All funds raised will go toward the club’s community outreach grants.

The Golden Follies will perform their fast-paced Las Vegas-style review, featuring performers ages 55 and older strutting their stuff to musical sounds from the past to today’s hottest hits. We invite you to join us for a lovely lunch and program in a beautiful setting with a chance to win prizes, all for a good cause. Tickets are $60, and the deadline to purchase them is May 10. The reservation form is online at bit.ly/wcgc05172023fundraiser.

— WCGC

To submit an item for our “In brief” section, please email it, at least a week before publication, to njackson@bayareanewsgroup.com and jprieve@bayareanewsgroup.com. Each item should be 90 to 180 words and include a brief headline and the name of the group or individual to whom it is to be credited.