After the war, Lesher sought other opportunities and found them in Contra Costa County. Shortly after buying the "Walnut Creek Journal-Courier" in 1947, he renamed it the "Contra Costa Times" to reflect its growing primacy in the region. Readers of the Times referred to it as "the green sheet" because the cover page was printed on green newsprint. Even though the Times was delivered without a subscription Lesher had his delivery people make a monthly attempt to collect delivery fees from readers. Over time, he purchased other papers in the region and pioneered a series of new subscription tactics including both "controlled circulation" and a gradual shift from free weekly to paid daily papers.