Brentwood & Antioch Events, New Coworking Space + Brentwood's Data Center Debate

This week on Living in Contra Costa County, host Amanda Abillano covers a packed Saturday in East County and the local stories shaping the area. On July 11, 2026, the Brentwood Chamber Hometown Heroes Safety Expo runs from 10am to 4pm at Los Medanos College in Brentwood, and Muscle Mobb Horsepower Hour 4 brings classic and muscle cars to the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds in Antioch from 11am to 5pm.

For the business spotlight, The Well at Seed and Stone opens in downtown Brentwood at 3877 Walnut Blvd, Suite I. This new coworking space pairs remote-work desks, privacy pods, a podcast room, and a photo studio with drop-in childcare. The ribbon cutting is Thursday, July 9 from 5:30 to 7pm, and the grand opening is Saturday, July 11 from 12 to 4pm.

In community news, the East Bay Regional Park District acquired 4.5 acres to expand Doolan Canyon Regional Preserve, with guided tours planned to begin in October 2026. In local government, Brentwood is weighing an ordinance that would prohibit new data centers within city limits.

Amanda Abillano is a licensed Contra Costa County real estate agent. If you are thinking about buying or selling in Brentwood, Antioch, Oakley, or anywhere in the East Bay, reach out.

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Q: What events are happening in Contra Costa County on July 11, 2026?
 A: The Brentwood Chamber Hometown Heroes Safety Expo runs 10am to 4pm at Los Medanos College, and Muscle Mobb Horsepower Hour 4 runs 11am to 5pm at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds in Antioch.

Q: When is The Well at Seed and Stone grand opening in Brentwood?
 A: The ribbon cutting is Thursday, July 9, 2026 from 5:30 to 7pm, and the grand opening is Saturday, July 11 from 12 to 4pm at 3877 Walnut Blvd, Suite I in downtown Brentwood.

Q: Is Brentwood banning data centers?
 A: Brentwood councilmembers Faye Maloney and Jovita Mendoza have requested an ordinance to prohibit new data centers within city limits. It has not been voted on yet.

Q: What is happening with Doolan Canyon Regional Preserve?
 A: The East Bay Regional Park District acquired 4.5 acres to add to the preserve near Livermore, with guided tours planned to begin in October 2026.

Stay connected with us for more real estate updates, community insights, and everything you need to know about living in Contra Costa County.

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Transcript

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Hey everybody, welcome back to Living in Contra Costa County. I'm your host, Amanda Ablano, and I have got a good one for you this week. Events, a brand new local business, a win for open space, and your city council doing something you will actually want to hear about. So let's get into it. Alright, let's talk about what is happening around the county this week. And this one is easy because we have got a full East County double header on Saturday, July 11th. Two events, same day, both family friendly. Clear your calendar, hydrate, let's go. First up, the Brentwood Chamber Hometown Heroes Safety Expo. So Saturday, July 11th from 10 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon out at Las Madonas College in Brentwood, and it is free. Bring the whole family, bring the kids, bring the neighbor who keeps borrowing your ladder. Here is why this one is going to be a good time. You've got law enforcement, fire, EMS, K9 units, and public safety, folks, all in one place. Live demonstrations, safety training, and the K9 units, which, let's be real, is why half of us are going. So we are there for the news. We are staying for the very good dogs, okay? It is a chance to actually meet the people who show up on the worst day of your life and make it better. So go and say thank you, learn something, let the kids climb on a fire truck and ask a firefighter roughly 400 questions. That's the dream, okay? And that's the plan. Then once your ears have recovered from the sirens, head over to Antioch for Muscle Mob Horsepower Hour 4 at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds. Same day, Saturday the 11th, running 11 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon. So you can absolutely do both if you pace yourself. Okay. This one is a car lover's dream. All classic and muscle cars are welcome. So we are talking rows of chrome, paint jobs. You can see reflection in and engines that were built to be heard from three zip codes over. There is a food, vendors, and music, and it is family friendly. So the kids can fall in love with a 1969 Camaro right alongside you. Now let's talk tickets because this one does have a cover. Spectators are $20. Kids under 10 get in free. Motorcycles are $30. Car entry is $40, and VIP is $75. Tickets are through Muscle Mob, and you can find them on the Cars Club Instagram at Muscle Mob Car Club underscore. So there it is. Heroes in the morning, horsepower in the afternoon, all without leaving East County. That's a good Saturday. Local business spotlight. Okay, this week's local business spotlight is a brand new one, and it is right here in downtown Brentwood. Say hello to the well at Seed and Stone. They are over at 3877 Walnut Boulevard Suite 1. And this is a big week for them because they are doing the full grand opening rollout. The ribbon cutting is Thursday evening with the Brentwood Chamber from 5:30 to 7. Then the grand opening celebration is Saturday the 11th from 12 to 4 in the afternoon. So if you miss the ribbon, you get a second chance to show up and be nosy in the best possible way. So what actually is it? The well is a co-working space, but with a twist that a lot of you parents are about to fall in love with. It is a curated communal workspace built for remote workers, and it comes with drop-in child care. Let me say that again for the parent in the back who just perked up. You can get real work done while your little one plays in a safe, supervised space right there. Some of the work areas have even observation windows looking right into the playroom so you can hit your deadline and keep one eye on your kid at the same time. That is a multitasking dream we have all been chasing. And it is not just desks, they have got quiet privacy pods for deep focus, a mother's room for parents with infants, conference rooms, and a cafe-styled coffee setup they call the Daily Poor. But here is the part that made me sit up as a content creator myself. They have a podcast room and a photo booth. So the next time you hear an episode of this show sounding extra crisp, you will know where I might be hiding. It is a workspace, a creative studio, a childcare lifesaver, all wrapped up in one spot in downtown Brentwood. They've got a few membership tiers if you want to make it your regular office, or you could book a space by the session. Here is my pitch to you. When a new local spot opens in downtown Brentwood, the best thing we can do as a community is show up early. Ribbon cuttings are basically a party where the whole point is celebrating somebody who took a huge leap to build something here. Bring a friend, say congratulations, and become a regular before it's cool. Support local, it matters more than you think. Go check out the well at Seed and Stone ribbon cutting Thursday, grand opening Saturday from noon to 4 downtown Brentwood. Okay, this next one is a slow win, and I mean that as a compliment. Now I know Livermore is technically not Contra Costa, but this is our regional park district that the one that serves both counties, so we are absolutely allowed to be excited about it. Think of it as being happy for a cousin. Here's the deal: the preserve is not actually open to the public yet. The new little slice of land sits about a half mile south of it, and the idea is it could become a staging area and the very first piece of a future public trail. If the park district decides to open the place up, and that is where you have to appreciate the long game, the land has been in the works since the early 2000s. They bought 640 acres back in 2010, added 160 more in 2018, and now these 4.5 acres. So this is a project moving at the speed of let's say a very patient tortoise, a tortoise with a land use plan. The board has directed staff to start building that plan out, studying the natural and cultural resources, and here is the fun part for the rest of us. They are going to offer guided tours while all this planning happens. The first one is this October. Details and reservations come out in the fall, and it is worth knowing the roots of this place. So Dulin Canyon sits within the ancestral homeland of the Guchineo Ohone. And I'm so sorry if I am butchering that. Speaking people, and it still has active cattle ranching today. So it is history, habitat, and open space all in one. The kind of thing that takes decades to protect and about 15 minutes to be grateful for. So keep an eye out for those October tours. And now the segment where we talk about your city council. And I promise to keep you awake. Councilmember Faye Maloney, along with Councilmember Joveda Mendoza, has asked the city to look at an ordinance that would prohibit data centers in Bruntwood. We are talking a ban on building, expanding, or operating any new data centers inside city limits. Quick refresher for anyone who's never thought about this, which is most of us. A data center is basically a giant warehouse full of computers that run the internet. They hum, they run hot, and they drink a ton amount of power and water. Great for storing your cloud photos, less great as your new next door neighbor. And Brentwood is not looking at this in a vacuum. Over in Pittsburgh, the city approved a data center back in 2024, and the residents there have been, let's say, vocal about how that turned out. So Oakley currently has a moratorium on a data center for up to a year and is working on extending it. And Antioch so far has not taken a position at all, very much sitting this one out on the fence. So Brentwood joining the conversation is a big deal. No word yet on exactly when this comes back to the council. So this one is to watch. And here is your friendly reminder. This is the kind of decision that shapes what your city looks and feels like for decades. And it gets made whether you show up or not. So show up or at least stay informed, which I am here for you for that. So that is your rundown for this week. Heroes and Horsepower is one big Saturday, a brand new co-working and child care spot opening in downtown Brentwood, a slow and steady win for open space, and Brentwood taking a hard look at data centers. And one last thing before you go, when I'm not talking your ear off about local events, I am a licensed real estate agent right here in Contra Costa County. So whether you are thinking about buying, selling, or you just want to nerd out about your what your neighborhood is actually worth, um, reach out. I'd love to help. I know this county because I live in it every single week right here on the show. Thanks for hanging out. I am Amanda Avalano and I will see you in the next episode.