K-9 officer assists in the arrest detecting the odor of ammunition, explosives; police, DA asked why suspect was released
2/14/22 UPDATE: DA claims Pittsburg PD has offered no report of arrest night before, won’t respond to “multiple inquiries”
By Pittsburg Police Department
Last night, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022, one of our proactive graveyard officers conducted a traffic enforcement stop for CVC (vehicle code) violations on Railroad Avenue. Upon contacting the driver, he was recognized as being previously arrested the night before for being in possession of a “ghost gun”.
K9 Kyra responded to the traffic stop to assist, which resulted in her alerting on the trunk of the vehicle (smelling/locating/detecting the odor of ammunition/explosives). A search of the vehicle was ultimately conducted, which resulted in officers locating 1 pound of marijuana, as well a large capacity magazine and ammunition. The driver was placed under arrest for the on-view charges.
However, officers weren’t done just yet. A search warrant was later authorized and served at the arrestee’s residence by multiple swing shift and graveyard officers. Upon searching the residence, multiple firearm manufacturing kits, high-capacity magazines, heroin, an assault rifle, and miscellaneous “ghost gun” parts were found. The driver had several additional felony charges added to his booking sheet and was transported to county jail.
Our officers are notorious for going the extra mile to making our city a safer place to be, along with our 4-legged furry partners.
A call was made to Pittsburg PD Investigations and an email was sent Saturday to Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton asking why the man was back out on the street to commit more crimes on Thursday following his arrest the night before.
2/14/22 UPDATE: DA’s Office Responds, Claims Can’t Get Response from Pittsburg PD
In response on Monday, Feb. 14, Simon O’Connell, Contra Costa County Chief Assistant District Attorney wrote in an email, “The suspect was booked in custody just after midnight Thursday 2/10 following a probable cause arrest by the Pittsburg Police Department. Today, Monday 2/14 the Pittsburg Police Department presented that arrest to the District Attorney’s Office for filing review and prosecution.
O’Connell further offered that, “generally speaking with regard to pre-filing custody or release, the District Attorney is not party to the decision by an officer book or release a suspect who is arrested on probable cause. The decision to arrest or cite release is that of the arresting agency. If a judge approves the probable cause, the arresting agency will then present the case for any in custody filing. The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for filing criminal charges when submitted for prosecutorial review. Once charges are filed, the arraignment court judge will review the bail set at filing along with Probation Department’s recommendation regarding continued custody.”
As of Tuesday, Feb. 15 Pittsburg PD has not yet responded to the call from the Herald about the arrest the night before and why the suspect was released.
Please check back for any additional updates to this report.
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
Read MoreFor county DA, sheriff, supervisor, Superior Court judges and other offices, U.S. Senate, Congress, governor and other statewide offices, and State Assembly
By Dawn Kruger, Civic Outreach/Engagement Specialist, Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder-Elections Department
On Monday, February 14, the June 7, 2022, Candidate Filing Period will begin, and nomination papers will be available for candidates running for Statewide Constitutional offices, County offices, Superior Court judges, United States Senator, United States Representative in Congress and Member of the State Assembly. The nomination period runs through 5:00 pm Friday, March 11, 2022. A list of offices currently up for election can be found here: https://www.cocovote.us/wp-content/uploads/22Jun07_PositionsUpForElection-1.pdf
Papers for offices that are up for election will be available at the Contra Costa Elections Office, 555 Escobar Street, Martinez.
For further information on the primary election and key dates, visit www.cocovote.us.
With COVID-19 still in play, the Contra Costa Elections Division is asking interested candidates to schedule an appointment through email at candidate.services@vote.cccounty.us or by calling 925-335-7800. Walk-ins are accepted, but subject to the availability of staff. Appointments are available on weekdays from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Filing documents and information will be provided to interested constituents at their appointment. The process takes 20 minutes.
All visitors will be asked to check-in at the Elections lobby and will be required to wear a mask and observe social distancing guidelines.
Read MoreAnother Antioch man is wanted; victims were Pittsburg and San Leandro residents
By Pittsburg Police Department
Early Sunday morning, September 19, 2021, shortly before 6:30 A.M., Pittsburg Police Officers responded to the 7-11 store at 4600 Century Boulevard regarding a shooting. As officers arrived, they located a car parked in front of the business with two women inside. Both women were suffering from gunshot wounds to the upper torso. Unfortunately, 23-year-old San Leandro resident Courtnee Allen and 21-year-old Pittsburg resident Angelique Abercrombie died due to their injuries.
Initially, there was limited information for detectives to work with or identify the responsible in this case. Over the past few months, members of the Investigations Division, including the Pittsburg Police Department VICE Team, worked diligently to identify several subjects involved. After completing numerous interviews and working through a vast amount of evidence, detectives identified 28-year-old Lonnie Stewart of Antioch, 22-year-old Destiny Boyd of Sacramento, and 20-year-old Jordan Pierre Crear of Antioch as being involved in the incident. Crear was identified as the subject who shot and killed Courtney and Angelique. Detectives are continuing to determine the motive for the shooting.
Last week detectives presented the case to the Contra Costa County District Attorney for review. The DA charged all three subjects for Murder with enhancements. Boyd was arrested late last week in Elk Grove and is currently in custody on $3,000,000 bail. Wednesday, Crear was located and arrested at his home in Antioch and remains in custody with a $7,000,000 bail. A $3,000,000 warrant is issued for Stewart, and detectives are working to locate him.
The Pittsburg Police Department would like to thank our citizens and business community for their support during this investigation.
Read MoreBART’s schedule will change on Monday, February 14, 2022, with significant improvements to Sunday service. With this schedule change, BART will operate midnight service every night of the week representing a full restoration of pre-pandemic service hours.
Highlights include:
- Extend service to midnight on Sundays
- Run 5-line service every day (except for single-tracking Sundays) until about 9pm
- Consistent 3-line service every day after 9pm
- 4 trains an hour at SFO station on Sundays until 9pm
- 15-minute even headways on the Yellow line as far as Pittsburg Bay Point on Saturdays until about 8pm
- New transfer opportunity at Bay Fair for Dublin to Berryessa transfers every day
- Improved connections with Caltrain at Millbrae on Sundays before 9pm
- 12 single-tracking Sundays in 2022 when 3-line service will be provided
Some departure times will shift slightly. All riders are encouraged to look up their specific trips.
Sunday Service Improvements
Since the pandemic began BART has been closing at 9pm on Sundays to help accelerate infrastructure rebuilding projects. Beginning Sunday, February 20th, BART will extend Sunday service to midnight. Sunday service hours will be 8am-midight.
Starting Sunday, February 20, 2022, for the first time in history, BART will operate 5-line service on Sundays (except on 12 single-tracking Sundays when power cable replacement work takes place in San Francisco. 3-line service will run on single tracking Sundays). It is important to note the frequency of Sunday single tracking days that will remain as 3-line service with single tracking. March will have two Sundays of 5-line service. Some months will offer 5-line service on Sundays every other week. We’ve listed the 2022 Sunday single tracking days here.
Providing 5-line service on Sundays reduces the need to transfer for most riders and provides more frequency through the busiest core areas of our system. From 8am until evening (about 9pm), the Red line (Richmond to Millbrae + SFO) and Green line (Berryessa to Daly City) will run.
Running 5-Line service on Sundays provides more equitable service to Richmond and Berryessa line riders who previously had to transfer to complete their transbay trip-while other lines provided direct service. Based on ridership data 97% of Sunday riders will get to their destination without the need to transfer, up from 82%. Of those passengers who benefit from this change, about twice as many will ride the Red line than the Green line.
3-line service (Yellow, Blue and Orange lines) will operate every evening after around 9pm and on 12 select single-tracking Sundays. During 3-line service, the Yellow and Blue line will continue to run very close together through San Francisco to enable singling track through work zones. BART plans to improve this service pattern and run Yellow and Blue line trains more evenly spaced apart in the September 2022 schedule change.
Trains will continue to run on 30-minute headways on Sundays with some 15-minute levels of service due to running the Red and Green line. While some outlying areas will see 2 trains per hour on Sunday, most BART stations will see 4, 6, or 8 trains per hour.
New Transfer Opportunity at Bay Fair
More riders are coming in from the Dublin line and heading towards Berryessa. The schedule change includes a new transfer opportunity at Bay Fair every day during all service hours. Riders from Dublin on the Blue line will see a Green or Orange line train across the platform. This transfer has a tight window but the September 2022 schedule change will increase the window to allow for more flexibility to make the meet if there are delays.
Improved Connections with Other Transit Agencies
Most agencies operate the same schedule on Saturday and Sunday, making it difficult for them to design ideal transfers when BART schedules are different on Saturday and Sunday. Starting in February, the seven night 3-Line service that begins about 9:00 pm is matched all seven days which allows partner agencies to match their schedules with BART more successfully. The final trains of the night, all seven days in the week, share the same times.
We’ve updated the BART and Caltrain transfer timetable to outline the wait times of each connecting train. Offering 5-line service on Sundays reduces some wait times by 8 or 11 minutes. While weekdays and Saturday connections are very similar to what they were before, there are small improvements of 1-3 minutes shorter wait. For example, a 12-17 minute connection, becomes 9-14 minute connection.
Saturday Service
Saturday service hours will remain unchanged (6am-midnight). Trains will continue to run at 30-minute frequency with added trains on the Yellow line as far as Pittsburg/Bay Point until 8pm. This schedule change improves the Yellow line frequency with more even spaced 15 minute headways as far as Pittsburg/Bay Point compared to what was being offered before.
Weekday Service
Weekday service remains unchanged though some departure times have slightly shifted. Service hours continue to be 5am-midnight.
Pictured above is the system map showing 5-line service every day of the week for Sundays we are not single tracking.
Read MoreMatching state’s order one day prior; order comes one day after Contra Costa Supervisors appoint new county health officer; state continues to require masking in K-12 school settings
In alignment with the State, the Bay Area counties of Contra Costa, Alameda, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano, Sonoma, the City of Berkeley, and Santa Cruz County will lift universal mask requirements for vaccinated individuals in most indoor public settings beginning Wednesday, February 16. The change comes one day after Contra Costa Supervisors appointed Dr. Orli Tzvieli as the county’s new health officer. (See related article)
The change aligns with the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) decision to let expire the statewide indoor mask requirement, which was instated on December 15 during the latest COVID-19 surge, in spite of scientific evidence masks don’t work in preventing the spread of the virus. That’s because the size of the COVID molecule is much smaller than the gaps in the fabric of most if not all masks being used. In addition, a 2021 study (that has not yet been peer-reviewed), conducted using data from the CDC covering multiple seasons, reports that “mask mandates and use are not associated with lower SARS-CoV-2 spread among US states.” That study also shows “case growth was not significantly different between mandate and non-mandate states at low or high transmission rates, and surges were equivocal.”
Yet, unvaccinated individuals over age 2 will continue to be required to wear masks in all indoor public settings. Businesses, venue operators and hosts may determine their own paths forward to protect staff and patrons and may choose to require all patrons to wear masks.
Plus, indoor masking is still required by the State for everyone, regardless of vaccination status, in public transportation; health care settings; congregate settings like correctional facilities and homeless shelters; long term care facilities; and in K-12 schools and childcare settings.
Bay Area health officers, in alignment with CDPH, continue to strongly recommend masks be used as an effective tool to prevent the spread of the virus especially when case rates are high, or when additional personal protection is needed. Continuing to mask in indoor public settings, especially crowded or poorly ventilated spaces, remains the safest choice for an individual and protects those who are medically vulnerable or are not able to get vaccinated, like our youngest children. As evidence continues to show, vaccinations and boosters remain the best defense against the virus.
The highly contagious Omicron variant brought on a new stage of the pandemic with a high number of new infections, but significantly fewer cases of life-threatening illnesses, especially for those who are vaccinated and boosted. While relaxing indoor masking requirements is part of a population-level shift toward a “new normal” of living with the disease, the Health Officers recognize that essential workers and communities of color continue to be highly impacted by COVID-19 and will need additional support to limit widening health disparities. Changes to health orders and recommendations may be updated as Health Officers follow the science and the data to evaluate whether additional protective measures may be needed as the virus evolves and if future surges occur.
People should continue to choose layered prevention strategies, such as wearing well-fitted masks (N95 or double layer cloth over surgical are best); staying home and testing when symptomatic; testing before gatherings; and improving indoor ventilation in situations where these strategies can add protection for themselves and others. Staying “up to date” on vaccinations, meaning primary series and boosters when eligible, remains the most important way to prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and death.
After reaching a high on January 9 of 2,835 new cases per day, Contra Costa’s case rates have rapidly declined to a 7-day average of 958 on February 1 and continue to drop. Meanwhile, hospitalizations, a lagging indicator of disease, have begun to drop and never exceeded local capacity during this latest surge because of the county’s overall high rates of vaccinations (80%) and boosters (49% of those eligible). Contra Costa’s universal mask mandate has been in place since August 2 when cases began climbing from the Delta variant.
A combination of preventative strategies, along with the community’s cooperation helped get the Bay Area through this last surge together as a stronger community.
“We are able to take this next major step of removing the universal indoor mask requirement because we have laid a strong foundation in good public health protections..and know we can reduce severe illness, hospitalizations and deaths,” said Dr. Ori Tzvieli, health officer for Contra Costa County.
By aligning with the state masking rules, the participating Bay Area counties will not need to meet previously established criteria for lifting local masking orders, which were devised at a different point in the pandemic.
CDPH continues to require masking in K-12 school settings but has indicated adjustments to the state’s policies will be shared in the coming weeks. In the meantime, there is work to be done in closing the remaining gaps in vaccinations and boosters among children with a particular focus on equity gaps within the most highly impacted communities.
For early education programs, such as preschool and childcare settings, CDPH continues to require masking for children older than age two. Vaccinations for children under 5 are currently undergoing federal review. Workplaces will continue to follow the COVID-19 prevention standards set by CalOSHA.
Some people may understandably feel anxious about these changes to masking requirements in the county. People can continue to choose to wear face coverings around others whether it’s mandated or not and should respect people’s choices around their health. Community members who are vaccinated and choose not to mask should respect the choices of those who continue to mask. Officials ask residents and visitors to be kind and respectful as people evaluate their risks and make choices to protect themselves and those around them.
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
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Farnitano retiring next month; Tzvieli will also hold title and role of county’s Director of Public Health
The Contra Costa Board of Supervisors today appointed Dr. Ori Tzvieli as the county’s new Health Officer.
Dr. Tzvieli has helped to lead the county’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic for the past two years as a deputy health officer.
He fills a vacancy left by Dr. Chris Farnitano, who has stepped down from the role in preparation for retirement after more than 30 years caring for Contra Costa County residents.
“Dr. Farnitano will be missed. We are glad Dr. Tzvieli is ready to step into a role that is so crucial for the health and safety of our county residents during the pandemic,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Karen Mitchoff. “Over the past two years, both of them have contributed to one of the finest local responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in California.”
Each county in California appoints a health officer who has broad authority under state Health & Safety Code and are responsible for protecting the health of residents within their jurisdictions.
“Dr. Tzvieli has helped to lead our county’s emergency response since the beginning. We are fortunate to have someone with his experience and community knowledge ready to step up,” Contra Costa Health Director Anna Roth said. “I am very confident that he will help to continue our strong efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19 in Contra Costa County.”
Dr. Tzvieli joined Contra Costa Health (CCH) as a family medicine resident at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center (CCRMC) in 2000, launching a career in the county’s healthcare delivery system that has led to several leadership roles, including Medical Staff President, Ambulatory Care Medical Director, Public Health Medical Director and now Director of Public Health, serving under Director Roth.
During his time with CCH, Dr. Tzvieli has championed collaborative efforts to address opioid addiction and cared for some of the county’s most vulnerable residents as medical director of the Health Care for the Homeless program.
Dr. Farnitano will formally retire in March after a celebrated career at CCH. He became Contra Costa County Health Officer in July 2018, after previously serving as Ambulatory Care Medical Director at CCRMC and Family Medicine Department Chair, among other roles.
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
Read MoreAlysa Liu is only athlete from Contra Costa County to compete in this year’s games
2020 World Junior Championships, bronze (individual); 2019 Junior Grand Prix Final, silver (individual)
“The Simon Biles of Figure Skating”
By Allen D. Payton
Two-time U.S. Champion figure skater Alysa Liu of Richmond, California is competing in her first Olympics in women’s singles at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, this month. She is one of four athletes from the Bay Area, there, including Karen Chen of Fremont, also competing on the Women’s Figure Skating team, Nina OBrien of San Fransico competing in Alpine Skiing, and Vicent Zhou of Palo Alto competing in Men’s Singles Figure Skating. But Liu is the only athlete from Contra Costa County to participate in this year’s Olympic Games.
The 5-foot, 2-inch 16-year-old was born on August 8, 2005 in Clovis, CA and began skating at age 5. She now trains in Colorado Springs with Christy Krall, Drew Meekins and Viktor Pfeifer, and represents the St. Moritz Ice Skating Club in Oakland, joining their list of champions which includes Kristi Yamaguchi and Rudy Galindo. Her new coaches as of November include Christy Krall, Drew Meekins, Viktor Pfeifer, Eddie Shipstad, and Philip DiGuglielmo. Liu was previously coached by Laura Lipetsky, Massimo Scali and Jeremy Abbott at the Oakland Ice Center.
According to her own website, “at the age of 13, Alysa became the youngest lady to win the U.S. Championships. She also became the youngest female skater to land a triple Axel at the U.S. Championships and the third woman to do so at the event. In August 2019, she became the first U.S. lady to land a quadruple jump (quad Lutz) in competition. In January 2020, she won her second U.S. title. Two months later, she competed in her first World Junior Championships and won the bronze medal. In 2021, she won the pewter medal at the 2021 U.S. Championships.
In the fall of 2021, Liu made her senior international debut and won the ISU Challenger event’s Lombardia Trophy and Nebelhorn Trophy, which the later event served as an Olympic qualifying event. With her win, the U.S. women gained the third spot for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Liu also debuted on the senior Grand Prix circuit, finishing 4th and 5th.
In January 2022, Liu was named to the 2022 Olympic team despite being unable to compete in free skate at the U.S. Championships due to a positive COVID-19 test.
She’s been competing in skating competitions for the past six years and also taking first place in 2016 at the U.S. Championships, Intermediate and Pacific Coast Sectional, Intermediate. Liu also placed second at the 2016 Central Pacific Regional, Intermediate competition.
Liu has been referred to as the “Simon Biles of Figure Skating” according to a January 20, 2022 report by the Today Show. She has been the subject of over 40 news articles, including by Forbes, NBC Sports, People, Time, USA Today, Sports Illustrated and the December 2019 cover of International Figure Skating magazine.
According to a Jan. 31, 2022 USA Today report, she “successfully petitioned her way onto the Olympic team after a strong first season on the senior international circuit”…and “probably has the best chance of any U.S. women of sneaking onto the podium, which the Russians are expected to sweep.” See video interview of Alysa.
According to an Oct. 28, 2021 article by People, “she attended ‘online school all of high school because my training schedule was just too hard to deal with regular school. So I did online school and I graduated high school in June.”
Four Siblings, Including Triplets
According to her profile on the Team USA website, Liu has a younger sister named Selina (age 14), and triplet siblings named Julia, Joshua and Justin (age 12). Liu is an active member of the Youth Court in Oakland, California, helping underage children with a criminal record. She has two cats named Kathie and Cranberry and enjoys watching movies, going to the beach and dancing. When she’s not skating, Alysa also enjoys reading, crafts, watching YouTube, playing video games, going to the park, riding her bike and playing tag with her younger siblings.
According to a Feb. 5, 2022, San Francisco Chronicle report, “Oakland immigration attorney Arthur Liu, fathered Alysa and her four siblings…through surrogate mothers.” After Alysa was born, her grandmother came to live with them and helped him raise her and her siblings until 1996 when she returned to China.
According to Antioch City Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock, Liu’s mother lives in Antioch, and the councilwoman met both Liu and her mother at her mother’s Antioch home, thanks to the connection made by Contra Costa Community College District Governing Board Trustee Andy Li, who introduced them. Ogorchock took photos with Liu, as well.
Liu is sponsored by Edea Skates, John Wilson Blades – makers of figure skating blades since 1696, and Toyota. Alysa makes a brief appearance in an Olympic-themed Toyota TV commercial which debuted on Friday, Feb. 4.
For more photos of Liu see her page on the US Figure Skating Fanzone website.
Read MoreRetiring Health Officer, staff never showed percentage of COVID cases that originated at those businesses, but still issued order in September
Average daily number of new cases have likely peaked, countywide hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have also in decline
With 80% of all county residents now fully vaccinated, Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, lifted its health order requiring certain businesses, including restaurants, gyms, bars and theaters, to verify the vaccination status or recent negative test results of customers. So, there is no longer a need to show your papers at those businesses. (For details see the Rescinding Order)
Although neither former county Health Officer Dr. Chris Farnitano nor county health staff could ever provide documentation showing the percentage of COVID cases in the county from patrons of restaurants, bars, gyms or theaters, he issued an order as of Sept. 22, 2021 requiring those businesses to verify that indoor customers were fully vaccinated, or had tested negative for COVID-19 within the previous three days. His order also included a requirement for workers in indoor areas of those businesses to show proof of full vaccination or test weekly. (See related article)
Farnitano is retiring from his position, next month and Contra Costa County Director of Public Health Dr. Ori Tzvieli is now serving as acting county health officer, as part of the transition.
Testing data show COVID-19 transmission, fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant, remains high in Contra Costa, but that the average daily number of new cases have likely peaked, and countywide hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have also begun to decline.
“We believe now is the right time to loosen a requirement that made a lot of sense last summer, when a different variant of COVID-19 was dominant and there was less community immunity,” said Dr. Ori Tzvieli, acting Contra Costa County Health Officer. “But by no means are we back to normal. There are still many more cases of COVID-19 in our community now than there were in mid-December, so we need to continue to take precautions when we go out.”
The best protection against COVID-19 infections, and serious illness from infections, is to be fully vaccinated and up to date with a booster dose whenever eligible.
“We deeply appreciate everyone who has chosen to vaccinate. You have made yourselves, your loved ones, and the entire community safer,” Contra Costa Health Director Anna Roth said. “If you are eligible and you have not gotten your booster, it is really important that you get one. People who get boosted are significantly safer from serious COVID-19.”
County data show that the daily COVID-19 case rate for Contra Costa residents who received booster doses is more than three times lower than that of unvaccinated people, and about nine times more effective at preventing hospitalization due to the virus.
On Thursday, Contra Costa reached a new milestone, with 80% of all county residents now fully vaccinated. So far, 48.4% of eligible residents have received booster doses.
The verification order, which took effect last September, applied to businesses where people remove face coverings to eat or drink indoors, such as restaurants, bars and entertainment venues, and to gyms and other indoor fitness facilities, including yoga and dance studios, where patrons breathe more heavily due to exercise.
The order required these businesses to verify that indoor customers were fully vaccinated, or had tested negative for COVID-19 within the past three days. It also included a requirement for workers in indoor areas of these businesses to show proof of full vaccination or test weekly.
Though the county requirement may be lifted, private businesses may choose to implement their own verification requirements to better protect customers and staff, and CCHS encourages them to consider doing so as a safest practice during the pandemic.
Other state and countywide health orders remain in effect, including workplace vaccine verification requirements for healthcare workers, first responders and congregate care workers, and a requirement for most people to wear face coverings in most indoor public spaces.
Current state health orders still require proof of vaccination or a recent, negative test result in certain situations, including when visiting hospitals or long-term care facilities, or attending indoor “mega events” of 500 or more people.
Visit cchealth.org/coronavirus for updates regarding Contra Costa County health orders and the county’s emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Allen Payton contributed to this report.
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