Not in my name

While the City uses our tax dollars to slap around one of Walnut Creek's oldest families, the women of Casa Cristina have been digging into their own pockets for decades to protect their property. The home's history is documented in Bay Area publications back to 1933, and in 2001 architectural and landscaping surveys found national historical significance in details such as the backyard picnic area with walls and fireplace constructed of Australian basalt. The rock was first used as ship ballast, then to pave the cobblestone streets of San Francisco before H. Lloyd Drury put it to use behind his new home. ... It's this kind of history documented in the old guest book that Julia Maxwell and Elizabeth Heidt showed me today. You can trace the family's history through that book, from the yellowed news clippings to the children's scrawled signatures from Easter dinners. ...