Home Care In Pleasant Hill, CA

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Kids & Family

While parents worry about fentanyl, they need to worry about Pink too. The drug is very deadly, cheap and easy to get

Parents many of you are concerned about the drug, Fentanyl, and your teenagers dying from it. Yes you need to be concerned about it, but there is another drug to be concerned about too. The name of the drug is Pink. This drug is in the San Francisco Bay Area. I am hearing teenagers mention it to me. Also if I try to warn teenagers about this drug, I hear them tell me that they already know about it. So parents please pay attention to the following information.

Therefore, the name you need to know right now is Pink. This is the street name of a new synthetic drug being used by teenagers and college students. The legal name for this drug is U4. The DEA of the United States has banned the sale of this drug in all 50 states. However, the drug is still for sale on the internet. It is being sold by companies in China and it is being sold at a very cheap price. Therefore, teenagers can get it very easily.

This drug is twice as strong and heroin and seven times as strong as morphine. People often die the first time they use it. There have been well over 100 deaths in the U.S. that have been linked to Pink. It is currently mainly on the east coast but it is spreading across the country very quickly.

The drug comes in a white powder. Many teens assume they can use the same amount as if they were using morphine or heroin. However, this assumption is wrong. The drug is so deadly that the amount equivalent to a few grains of sand can kill someone. They call it Pink because teenagers typically snort it off their pinky. Teenagers who are buying this drug online often ignore the warning on the website that this drug is not for human consumption.

The DEA became aware of the drug two years ago and put a temporary ban on it. Now after further studies they have banned the sale of U4 or the street name for the drug, Pink, in all 50 states. Remember this drug is twice as strong as heroin and seven times as strong as morphine. We already have an epidemic of accidental overdosages from heroin in the U.S. The CDC estimated that in 2014 there were 50,000 deaths due to accidental heroin overdosages and a majority of these deaths were teenagers. Furthermore, the CDC statistics show a 62% increase over the past ten years in the number of accidental heroin deaths. Again most of the deaths are teenagers and children as young as 12 years old. Pink has the possibility to be far more devastating than any other drug.

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As parents you need to go online and educate yourself about this drug. You also need to educate your teenagers and children in college about how dangerous this drug is in reality. Maybe they have already used it and nothing happened so they think people are exaggerating how dangerous this drug can be. However, this is the point you really need to understand this drug comes as a powder and using the amount of one grain of sand too much can kill. There is no way to tell if you have too much on your pinky. Also since it is very new, we do not know the long term effects of this drug.

So again as parents educate your children about this drug and point out it states not for human use on many of the websites. Also if you notice any packages or bank charges by your teenager for buying items in China, check it out. This drug is not for sale in this country and the main way that people are obtaining it is via the internet from companies in China who still sell this drug.

Dr. Michael Rubino specializes in treating high risk teenagers and has over 25 years experience with this population. Those are teens who are suicidal, engage in cutting and drug use. These are a few examples but he is also an expert in providing psychotherapy to children and teenagers in general. For more information regarding his work or private visit his website at www.RubinoCounseling.com or follow him on X @RubinoTherapy.

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We have a lot of individuals and families grieving during the holidays this year. We have 2 wars happening & mass shootings continue

Halloween is here which means the Holiday season will be beginning. The Holidays are typically a happy time for many people. However, for others it can be a very difficult time. Especially this year with two wars going on in the world and we are averaging 2 mass shootings a day in the US (CDC). Therefore, there are a lot of people grieving in our Country. If you lost someone during the year, the first Holiday season can be very difficult. Also maybe the death occurred last year, but you are still be grieving the loss of your loved one. This is not unusual to still be grieving a year later. In fact, it is very common. The main problem is that our society doesn’t really acknowledge grief or know how to grieve and that makes it very difficult on the person or family that is grieving.

Part of the grieving process is learning how to continue your life without your loved one. This can be a difficult process especially depending on how the death occurred and if you had a chance to say good bye. Regardless of if it was sudden or expected there is a grieving process people undergo. There are stage theories about grief, but I encourage people not to worry about those theories, grief is an individual process and you need to allow yourself to experience it the way you need to.

In terms of the feeling of grief, the best way I have heard it explained is think about it as an ocean wave. You never know when the wave will come in or when it will go out so you just have to experience as it happens. However, you know the wave will eventually go out so you do your best to deal with it until it goes back out. However, it’s important to remember it will be back again until you are finished grieving.

During the Holidays you need to take care of yourself and ask others to understand and be supportive. Maybe you cannot do what you have always done during the Holidays. Maybe this year you need to do something totally different such as go on a trip. Maybe you need to allow yourself some quiet time so you can remember your loved one in the way which feels appropriate to you. The important thing is to do what you feel is appropriate for you. There is no right or wrong way to express grief at anytime especially during the Holiday Se

It’s also important to remember that you need to be flexible. You may have a plan for the Holidays which sounds like it will work and at the last minute you discover it won’t work and you need to change it. If that is the situation, then change your plans at the last minute. You need to do what you need to in order to get through the Holiday.

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When developing a plan include the immediate family because everyone is grieving and you can support each other. If there are children involved, pay close attention to the children. They may have difficulty expressing their thoughts and feelings and may be very confused.

Also remember there is no timeline on grief. So it may take you a year to process your grief, while it may take someone else two or three years. The main point is do not impose a time frame on yourself or anyone else. If you notice grief is paralyzing you or a family member, you may want to suggest therapy so they can get the additional support they need. Again grief is a very individual process so some people may need psychotherapy and others may not.

The main point is to remember this Holiday will be very different and not to put a lot of expectations on yourself. Do what you can and if you cannot do something do not force yourself. Do not be embarrassed to ask others for emotional support or to cry. Cry as much as you need to. The bottom line is this Holiday is going to be different and you may not be happy and filled with joy. If that is the case, you are not doing anything wrong. You are simply experiencing your grief and it is important to allow yourself to grieve.

On last point, some people find volunteering at a homeless shelter or food bank to be helpful. Helping others and helping others to live without having to struggle can help with some of the helplessness you may be experiencing. Again, do what you and your family need to in order to make it through the Holiday. Do not worry how others may possibly be judging if they are judging you. They are not dealing with the grief, you and your family are dealing with the grief.

I have also included a link to a website that provides additional information about grieving during the Holidays. Having a list to refer back to can be helpful. Please take care of yourself and family during this emotional time. Coping with grief and loss during the holidays - https://go.shr.lc/2AoQ1yR via @Shareaholic.

Dr. Michael Rubino is a psychotherapist with over 25 years experience treating children, teenagers, trauma victims including first responders. He has also been working with people who are grieving too. For more information about his work or private practice visit his website www.RubinoCounseling.com or his Facebook page www.Facebook.com/drrubino3.

Many teenagers feel that their parents do not listen to them. This results in problems such as teens acting out for attention.

Todays world is very complex and confusing. This is exactly a time when parents and teenagers need to have open, honest communication. However, many teenagers report feeling frustrated with their parents because they feel that their parents do not listen to them. As a result, many teenagers decide not to listen to their parents. They feel their parents are disrespecting them by not listening, so why should they be respectful to their parents and listen to them. This does create a number of arguments at home because many parents get very upset when they feel their teenagers are not listening to them. Besides arguments, it results in many teenagers getting into trouble because they feel their parents are not listening. Often when teenagers feel no one is listening to them, they will act out to get their parents attention. In the movie, The Sound of Music, Maria, the governess asks the children why do they miss behave so often. The children’s’ response, “How else are we going to get father’s attention?” So as we can see this problem with communication has been occurring for many, many years.

If we are honest about the situation, the teenagers are probably right at times. Many parents may not really be listening to their teenagers, even though they feel that they are listening. Most people have poor listening skills. These are not skills we are taught in school or at home. Most people tend to be focusing on how they are going to respond to the person talking rather than completely listening to the other person. Also many parents don’t like to admit it but they have the same problem as their teenagers do with texting and looking at their phones. I have often observed parents listening to their teenagers while they are texting on their phones.

Since this is a common issue, what happens when children and teenagers feel that their parents are not really listening to them? What teenagers have told me is that they feel angry and that their parent does not care about their feelings. When teenagers have these feelings they tend to stop talking to their parents and to act out. When they feel that their parents don’t care, they feel like they have permission to do whatever they want and at times they act out using drugs or not going to school as a way to get their parents attention.

Teenagers, especially teenagers in 2024, may act like they know everything and that they are not afraid of anything or confused about what to do, but this is only an act. They do not know how to handle everything and often feel overwhelmed by life choices. As a result they turn to their parents. However, if their parents are not fully listening they feel hurt and rejected. As teenagers their communication skills and reasoning skills are not fully developed. Therefore, they don’t know how to let their parents know they feel hurt and rejected. They also do not know how to let you know that they feel you are not listening and they need your help. Most teenagers feel saying they need their parent’s help is a sign of weakness. They are trying to live up to the stereotype that they know everything as teenagers and that they do not need their teachers, therapists, or parents to help them.

For many parents this may come as a shock. It comes as a shock because of how teenagers tend to react to their parents. Again, because teenagers are not fully mature they tend to act like they know everything and don’t need their parents. However, as I stated above teenagers do need and want their parents support. However, due to their immaturity, teenagers act like they don’t need their parents. However, parents need to understand that teenagers, brains, specially the frontal cortex, is not fully mature yet. The frontal cortex is responsible for reasoning and problem solving. Therefore, since this part of their brains are not developed, they make choices that are immature and have difficulties fully understanding situations and problems.

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With this being said, it is very important that parents listen to their teenagers. However, since communication skills are a problem for most people especially listening skills, I have provided a list of listening skills that parents may want to try. Remember these skills don’t come naturally to most people so it will take a while for you to improve your skills. Also since teenagers can be confusing at times it makes listening even harder at times. In addition to these skills, if you are listening to your teenager, but you are still confused try asking a clarification question. Repeat back what you thought you heard and ask your teenager if you heard them correctly. This shows you are listening, you care and you want to focus on their concerns. This is exactly what teenagers are wanting from you. Here are the skills you may want to try:

1) Purposefully strive to focus on listening with an open mind, refrain from jumping to conclusions or forming an opinion while your child is talking.

2) Do not hurry them, listening requires patience. Wait for your child's thoughts to take shape and give time for the words to form and find expression.

3) Always show respect and courtesy in listening to what your child has to say, no matter how much you may disagree with them.

4) Your own body language is important, make eye contact and always provide your attentive and undivided attention.

5) Don't be thinking about how you will respond as this will take your concentration away from what they are really saying.

6) Exercise awareness of your child's nonverbal cues, facial expression, tone of voice, body stance, general mood and attitude.

7) Don't interrupt, hear them out and wait for the appropriate opportunity to ask questions.

8) Always remain calm when listening and never show your personal feelings of anger or disappointment.

9) Think of listening as personal growth as your children will always have something to say which will help you to grow.

10) Practice active listening with your heart to genuinely empathize with your child. Put yourself in their shoes to genuinely understand their feelings and emotions.

Remember this will take time and effort. However, by trying you are improving your relationship with your teenager and this is a tremendous benefit to you and your teenager if you can improve your relationship. Teenagers are facing a great deal of confusing and dangerous situations in today’s world and they need their parents now more than ever. Therefore, by improving your communication with your teenagers, you may help them from getting into trouble or a difficult situation.

Dr. Michael Rubino is a psychotherapist with over 25 years experience treating children and teenagers. For more information about Dr. Rubino’s work or private practice visit his website at www.RubinoCounseling.com or his Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/drrubino3 or his podcasts on Spotify or Apple.

The City of Pleasant Hill announced it will host a Unity Walk to stand against hate.

The Pleasant Hill community is invited to join together on November 18, 2023, to show that our city stands United Against Hate. As part of United Against Hate Week (November 12-18, 2023) the City’s Diversity Commission will hold a Unity Walk to show Pleasant Hill’s commitment to inclusion, equity, and diversity.

United Against Hate Week is a call for seven days of local civic action by people in every community to stop the hate and biases affecting the safety and civility of our neighborhoods. The Unity Walk is the culmination of the UAH Week in the City of Pleasant Hill. Participants of all ages are invited to join in the walk and are encouraged to bring friends and family.

The Unity Walk will commence in front of City Hall, 100 Gregory Lane, and follow a 1.5 mile loop ending back at City Hall. This event provides an excellent opportunity for individuals and families to come together and stand against hatred, discrimination, and prejudice. United Against Hate Week posters will be provided.

“In today’s global climate, it is important that we as a community do everything we can to celebrate our diversity and stand together against acts of hate and discrimination,” said Diversity Commission Vice Chair Brianna Shahvar. “By participating in the Unity Walk, we send a powerful message that the city of Pleasant Hill is a community where everyone belongs.”

Pleasant Hill Mayor Tim Flaherty expressed support for the event and encouraged the community to stand with the City. “I hope you will join me and heed the call to action to help stop the hate that threatens our safety and undermines our society.”

Event Details:

Join in the Unity Walk for United Against Hate Week and be part of a positive change in your community. For additional information and inquiries, contact [email protected].

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission approved an emergency transit operations funding plan which includes BART and Tri Delta Transit — which includes funding for Tri Delta Transit and Bay Area Rapid Transit.

Here is the release:

MTC Approves Emergency Transit Operations Funding Plan from Senate Bill 125

Funding distribution still is subject to state approval

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) today approved an emergency transit operations funding plan that, if approved by the state, will use state and regional funds for transit operations to address Bay Area transit agencies’ most dire funding shortfalls and help them avoid service cuts.

Today’s action by the Commission approves the principles informing the funding distribution, the funding distribution framework, and regional accountability measures(link is external) for funding from the Transit and Intercity Rail Program (TIRCP), Zero-Emission Transit Capital Program (ZETCP), and various regional funding sources according to the guidelines described in Senate Bill (SB) 125. The resolution also makes the transit agency boards’ acceptance of the accountability guidelines a requirement for receiving the funds. The actual distribution of the funds is subject to the submittal of these documents to the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) and CalSTA’s approval of the documents.

Distribution amounts will be reassessed annually to respond to changing conditions, and the disbursement of operating funds will be contingent upon transit agencies meeting or making significant progress toward a set of accountability requirements, including customer experience and efficiency enhancements.

For all agencies receiving emergency operating money, the accountability requirements will include participation in ongoing Transit Transformation Action Plan initiatives, and implementation of schedule coordination and real-time transit data improvements. Other accountability requirements are specific to individual operators and focus on safety and security, fare evasion reduction, and comprehensive service improvements.

Under this plan, MTC will contribute an additional $300 million in regional funds to help address the funding shortfall and to keep transit operational.

MTC will distribute funds according to the following framework:

Amounts shown in thousands ($1,000)

In June, Gov. Newsom signed into law California’s fiscal 2023-24 state budget, which includes $1.1 billion in flexible transportation funding to help support transit operations. The state investment will help transit agencies avoid a near-term ‘fiscal cliff’ that has resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic and associated changes in travel patterns and that likely would have led to deep service cuts as early as this year by Muni, BART and other agencies whose fare revenues remain well below pre-pandemic levels.

SB 125 also requires that MTC collect and summarize data from transit operators on a variety of topics, including expenditures on safety, opportunities for enhanced coordination and improvements, and monthly ridership statistics. MTC by June 30, 2026, must submit a Long-Term Financial Plan that demonstrates the implementation of ridership recovery strategies and provides a five-year operating funding outlook.

In order to meet the December 31, 2023, deadline to submit materials to CalSTA, staff will return to the Commission in December to request adoption of the Short-Term Financial Plan. MTC will receive FY2023-24 SB 125 funds no later than April 30, 2024, and will be eligible to receive FY2024-25 funds early in that fiscal year, pending CalSTA’s review of MTC’s allocation package.

As more and more Californians find out what has happened, anger is growing.

Parents should be able to transfer property to their children without triggering reassessment to current market value and a huge tax increase.

For more than 30 years, they could. It was a right enshrined in the California constitution. But now, it’s gone.

That constitutional right was removed by Proposition 19 in 2020, a measure that seemed to be only about helping wildfire victims and seniors. Hidden in the fine print was the biggest property tax increase in state history, on the backs of people who have just lost a parent.

Under Prop. 19, property transferred from parents to children is reassessed to current market value, with only limited exceptions. Grieving families find out about it in a letter from the assessor’s office that arrives in the mail along with the sympathy cards.

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is taking action. They are now collecting signatures for a new ballot measure that restores the right of parents to transfer property to their children without a tax increase. And you can help.

Print and sign the official petition RIGHT NOW at RepealTheDeathTax.com

The official petition to get this measure on the ballot can be printed using any printer, on ordinary letter-sized paper. Do it right now. Just go to RepealTheDeathTax.com and click (or tap) the “Download the petition” link. It’s easy — complete instructions are included, and there’s even a clip-and-tape mailing label that you can use to send the signed petition back to the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

Please don’t delay! Time is limited to collect the signatures needed to get this measure on the November 2024 ballot. Go to RepealTheDeathTax.com now to download the petition.

When approved by voters, the Repeal the Death Tax initiative will restore the parent-child property transfer rules that allowed parents to pass their home and up to $1 million of assessed value of other property to their kids without any change to the tax bill. And it is retroactive. Anyone whose property was reassessed for a parent-child transfer will be able to get the previous assessed value reinstated.

Please spread the word! Forward this to your friends and family.

Send the RepealTheDeathTax.com link to everyone you know. Post it on social media.

If at least 1.2 million signatures are collected no later than January 16, this measure will be on the November 2024 ballot.

All parents should have the right to build financial security for their children without taxes taking it all away. Protect your family’s future. Sign the petition to Repeal the Death Tax.

Thank you!!

Pete SabineReal Estate Consultant925.787.2548

[email protected]

CompassDRE #00889760