By Lt. Ryan Hibbs, Walnut Creek Police Department
On Friday, April 21, 2023, at 10:21 P.M., the Walnut Creek Police Department responded to a parking garage in the 1600 block of Mt. Diablo Blvd. for a reported armed robbery where the victim was struck in the face with a firearm and robbed of $100,000 in jewelry, including a Rolex watch.
The victim described the suspects as three male adults who were wearing all dark clothing and carrying rifles. Prior to officers arriving, the suspects fled in a grey sedan. The victim was treated for minor injuries at the scene.
The Walnut Creek Police Department is reminding everyone to be aware of their surroundings and to report any suspicious activity. Anyone with any information regarding this case is asked to contact the Walnut Creek Police Department at 925-943- 5844 or call the Anonymous Tip Line at 925-943-5865. Case #: 23-13295
Read MoreBy Lt. Holley Connor, Walnut Creek Police Department
Walnut Creek Police are investigating a violent assault on a student at Northgate High School, 425 Castle Rock Road, that took place this afternoon, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. Walnut Creek Police Department officers and detectives arrived, detained the student believed to be responsible, and quickly determined this was an isolated incident between two students. Based on the initial investigation, the suspect was arrested for PC 664/187 – Attempted Murder and PC 203 – Mayhem. He was transported to Contra Costa Juvenile Hall and is being held without bail.
The victim is currently being treated for her injuries at a local hospital and her condition is unknown.
The names of the involved parties will not be released, as they are juveniles. No other details are available at this time because this is an active investigation.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Walnut Creek Police Department at 925-943-5844 or call the Anonymous Tip Line at 925-943-5865. Case #: 23-13721
Read MoreBy Brentwood Police Department
Last week our Officers conducted a suspicious vehicle stop in the 4000 block of Walnut Boulevard, after one of the officers saw what appeared to be a male subject passed out in a vehicle. The occupant of the vehicle, 32-year-old Eric Freitas, was found to be on probation out of Contra Costa County. A search of the vehicle revealed a box of .22 ammunition on the floorboard behind the seat and within reach of Freitas. A backpack, behind where Freitas’ was seated, was also located. Inside of the backpack was a modified flare gun capable of firing shotgun shells.
In addition to his probation terms, officers also discovered Freitas was a convicted felon prohibiting from possessing such items.
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By Pittsburg Police Department
Our recent Pittsburg Police Retail theft operation was met with grand results. We arrested 14 people, towed 5 vehicles and recovered a total of $5,200 in stolen merchandise.
$3,200 of it was from our local stores (Winco, Walmart, Burlington & Target) in the City of Pittsburg.
$2,000 of it was from other department stores (Old Navy, Children’s Place, Forever21 & Macy’s) in the City of Antioch and San Francisco.
Two of the arrested persons admitted to being boosters (professional thief stealing for others to profit) that normally target department stores in San Francisco. The vehicle they use was towed and the additional $2000 was located inside several Sears plastic bags which were already separated and was supposed to be delivered to their customers. Due to them going on a shoplift spree throughout Contra Costa County, they were charged with felony shoplifting as well as being in possession of stolen property.
All the businesses were very appreciative of our assistance in recovering their merchandise.
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By Candice Martin, DCRR Racing Media
Antioch, CA…April 22…Kenny Shrader of Pacheco won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. Last year’s Bill Bowers Memorial winner had led several laps a week ago before mechanical gremlins sent him to the sidelines.
2019 champion Tommy Fraser of Antioch took the early lead ahead of Shrader, but Shrader moved into the lead on a Lap 4 restart ahead of Jason Ryan Jr of Oakley. However, Fraser went around the outside of Ryan to take second on Lap 5. Ryan hit the wall after relinquishing third to Mark Garner of Antioch on Lap 15. Shrader drove a flawless race and scored the victory ahead of Fraser. Reigning champion Fred Ryland of Brentwood made a late move to finish third ahead of Garner and Trevor Clymens of Brentwood.
Grayson Baca of Brentwood won the 20 lap Pacific Coast General Engineering Hobby Stock Main Event. Aidan Ponciano of Oakley took the early lead ahead of Taylor DeCarlo of Martinez, but Baca and Danny Wagner of Bay Point moved into second and third on Lap 6. Baca slipped past Ponciano for the lead on Lap 8 before a yellow flag waved for a spin in Turn 4.
Baca led the restart as Wagner got around Ponciano for second. However, Wagner made contact with a slower car in Turn 4 as he attempted to get around Baca for the lead. This resulted in a flat tire as Baca regained the lead. Ponciano was back in second, but he spun in turn 4, handing second to Michaela Taylor of Oakley. Baca Led the rest of the way for the win ahead of Taylor, Ken Johns of Antioch, Jared Baugh of Pittsburg and DeCarlo.
Five-time IMCA Modified champion Troy Foulger of Martinez won the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car Main Event. Reigning champion Travis Dutra of Concord set the early pace ahead of Jason Robles of Rio Vista and Raymond Noland of Porterville. However, Noland got sideways in Turn 4, resulting in Robles spinning to avoid contact for a yellow flag on Lap 5. Dutra found himself in a serious challenge for the lead on the restart, and a three-wide run going through Turns 3 and 4 resulted in Foulger using the middle line to take the lead. Noland motored his way into second at that point. Brentwood’s Fred Ryland made a Turn 2 pass on Dutra for third on Lap 11. Foulger built a straightaway advantage over the remaining laps to win ahead of Noland, Ryland, Dutra and Robles.
Tom Davis of Los Molinos won the 20 lap Print Club Mini Stock Main Event. Santa Rosa’s Tom Brown raced into the early lead ahead of Davis, but Davis used an outside frontstretch pass on Lap 6 to take the lead. Pittsburg’s Don Abitz was running a close third, but he got slowed up in traffic and fell behind the leaders. A low move in Turn 2 on Lap 8 put Brown back into the lead, but he again surrendered the point to Davis in Turn 4 two laps later. Davis led the rest of the way to win ahead of Brown, Abitz, Patrick Kelley of Clovis and David Carson of Antioch.
Racing continues next week with the NARC Fujitsu Winged 410 Sprint Cars in action for their lone appearance of the season. The IMCA Modifieds kick off their championship season along with a NorCal/Delta Dwarf Car shootout and IMCA Stock Cars. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Unofficial Race Results
Antioch Speedway April 22
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Heat winners (8 laps)-Kenny Shrader, Kelly Campanile. Main Event (20 laps)-Kenny Shrader, Tommy Fraser, Fred Ryland, Mark Garner, Trevor Clymens, Jacob Mallet Jr, Joseph Pato, Kelly Campanile, Matt Pitts, Jason Ryan Jr.
Pacific Coast General Engineering Hobby Stocks
Heat Winners (8 laps)-Kevin Brown, Danny Wagner, Grayson Baca. Main Event (20 laps)-Grayson Baca. Michaela Taylor, Ken Johns, Jared Baugh, Taylor DeCarlo, Jess Paladino, Aidan Ponciano, Kevin Brown, James Graessle, Colten Haney.
IMCA Stock Car
Heat Winner (8 laps)-Raymond Noland. Main Event (20 laps)-Troy Foulger, Raymond Noland, Fred Ryland, Travis Dutra, Jason Robles, Kenneth Robles, Jeff Bentancourt.
Print Club Mini Stocks
Heat Winner (8 laps)-Tom Davis. Main Event (20 laps)-Tom Davis, Tom Brown, Don Abitz, Patrick Kelley, David Carson. Tony Quinonez DNS.
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Photographs of the Lafayette Crosses by Jeff Heyman
The City of Lafayette’s Public Art Committee has selected “Every Day is Memorial Day,” a collection of nine black and white photographs of the Lafayette Crosses by East Bay photographer Jeff Heyman, for an exhibit at the Lafayette Library’s Public Art Gallery through summer.
“Every Day is Memorial Day” focuses on the somber experience of walking among the Lafayette Crosses, or Lafayette Hillside Memorial, and contemplating the lives lost during war. Heyman found inspiration for the photographs from his own experience in war zones while he served with United Nations Peacekeeping.
The exhibit runs May 4 through August 30, 2023. There will be an opening reception and artist’s talk Monday, May 22, from 6:00-7:00 p.m., prior to the Lafayette City Council Meeting. The Public Art Gallery exhibit is on display in the Don Tatzin Community Hall at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, Calif. For hours, please call the library at 925-385-2280.
First taking photography classes at San Ramon Valley High School in Danville, Calif., Heyman went on to earn a degree from San Francisco State University in Fine Art Photography. He studied under the photographers Catherine Wagner, Don Worth, Jack Welpott and Melanie Walker, and painters Paul Pratchenko and Robert Bechtle. “Every Day is Memorial Day” is Heyman’s third solo exhibit. See his photos here: https://heymanfoto.smugmug.com/Exhibits/Jeff-Heyman-LLLC-Memorial-Day-Exhibit/
“These photographs of the Lafayette Crosses really capture for me the feeling of forgotten wars and vanished lives,” Heyman said. “We should never forget war and those we have lost – in a very real way every day is Memorial Day.”
To view more of Heyman’s work visit his website at heymanfoto.smugmug.com or on Instagram @heymanfoto.
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Dalet Access Labs is going into the most underserved areas and building “infrastructure grid of the future” from the bottom up
By Allen D. Payton
A locally minority-owned tech firm in Antioch, CA was the only company to complete the requirements of the $1 Million Dollar State of California Innovation Challenge by deploying a system in Fairhaven, CA near Eureka in Humboldt County. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced the global competition in early 2021, to award “up to $1 million to the boldest, most revolutionary proposals to eliminate the digital divide and expand high-speed internet access to all Californians.” After they entered the competition in August 2021, Dalet Access Labs was assigned that community by the California Department of Education (CDE) to deploy their innovative network fabric
The CDE estimates that nearly a half-million students still lack either a device to attend school online, network access to their classroom, or both.
The rules of the challenge stipulated that competitors had to test their innovation with students experiencing a lack of connectivity either due to barriers of affordability or infrastructure. The solution had to be at a cost of no more than $15/month per household, include 100 megabits synchronous upload and download speed with no data caps, and have fully deployable implementation within a year.
The competition was the result of a partnership with Genentech and the Genentech Foundation, General Motors and Dr. Gary K. Michelson, Founder and Co-Chair of Michelson Philanthropies and the Michelson 20MM Foundation – and Dalet Access Labs was in it to win it.
On July 1, of 2022 the company successfully deployed broadband connectivity services to the Fairhaven community with upload and download speeds that exceeded the competition requirements. It was tested with students who came to visit the site and learn as part of the Technology Exploration Summer Institute (TESI) program sponsored by Humboldt County Office of Education (HCOE).
In October of 2022, HCOE sponsored a ribbon cutting ceremony to showcase the success of the broadband deployment in the Fairhaven community by inviting the leadership from CDE and other government officials to come tour the site with hopes of a winner being declared at this event.
According to the October 6, 2022 CDE press release, they celebrated the launch of the new high-speed digital internet system in Fairhaven. The newly installed broadband network is a model in an effort to reduce rural California’s internet “digital divide,” and is a collaboration between the HCOE, the Samoa Peninsula Fire District in Samoa, CA and Dalet. The fire district’s Fairhaven fire station was chosen as the base of operations due to its proximity to all the homes in the community. “The Fairhaven model surpassed the minimum requirements for the Innovation Challenge by providing download speeds of around 100 megabits. Dalet Access Labs led the project with HCOE to create the broadband system under guidelines set forth in the CDE competition. The group worked with Cogent Communications and AT&T to launch a live fiber optic line to the Fairhaven firehouse structure and through the system’s optimized sensor-networking software, the system was enabled, providing low latency, and high-speed internet coverage to families in Fairhaven. The infrastructure for high-quality distance learning was in place as a result,” the press release reads.
Edehomon claims the actual speeds were around 700 megabits.
Although Dalet Access Labs is a small tech start-up, this is big news for them and the City of Antioch, as the opportunities for this technology are endless. According to their website, the company was “founded in 2019 and has become one of the world’s premier disruptive innovation partners that is praised by customers and vendors as we forge strategic partnerships and create new opportunities for our clients and vendors. We are known for getting stuff done. We pride ourselves on working efficiently, on time and within budget.”
“We were one of the four finalists for the high-speed broadband for the underserved,” CEO Odion “Odie” Edehomon shared. “COVID exposed the poor state of infrastructure in our country. The California Dept of Education invited companies to innovate. We were one of the 48 companies to participate. They narrowed it down to seven, then to four companies. We were the only company to deploy our intelligent network fabric.”
“We have the corporate office, here in Antioch. The lab is in Fairhaven,” he shared. Damon Owens, known in the community as the head pastor of Genesis Church on E. 18th Street is Vice President of Community Development.
Dalet spent over $700,000 to prove their solution would work. They were able to successfully deploy its innovative Network as a Service (NaaS) network platform that provides broadband connectivity services that met and exceeded all competition requirement, as was stated by the CDE representative, Chief Deputy Superintendent Mary Nicely, during the official ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by HCOE. Edehomon and Owens said they were told that Dalet was the only remaining participants who had completed the challenge, which gave them hope that they would be declared the winner of the competition and be awarded the $1 million prize.
“We knew from the beginning we were going to win,” Edehomon said with a laugh.
Asked how he said, “We are vendor-neutral. I’m from the dev-test industry. We are the equal system behind any technology development. Our knowledge of where infrastructure is going to be in 10 years, we knew we were going to build something that will transform.”
However, none of the competitors won, according to a recent San Francisco Chronicle article which reads, “a Chronicle investigation has found that state officials misled contestants about the contest, then proceeded to ignore their urgent emails and calls for months at a time. State officials said they and the prize’s funders, who later judged the competition, hoped someone, maybe at academic heavyweights like MIT or CalTech, was sitting on an invention that would provide universal, fast and very cheap internet access — within a year’s time.”
But the result was practical solutions from Edehomon’s work and a very pleased Humboldt County community.
The platform deployed by Dalet Access is a “Public Infrastructure Network Node (PINN) compliant network. This is a model that enables the full functionality of Fourth Industrial Revolution 4.0 technology of the future like, autonomous vehicles, robotics, and drone technology through the implementation of an intelligent grid platform,” he explained.
“It is the standard for an infrastructure grid of the future,” Edehomon said. “It is software driven. It’s a single platform, whether it’s 5G or 6G, satellite or fiber. Smart cities will be plugging into it, driverless cars and buses. B2B (business to business), car to car, ultrawide band. Smart Dot, Smart Pavement, Smart Vault.”
“Autonomy Institute is taking the lead on it. They’re based in Texas,” Edehomon continued. “We’re looking at things five to ten years ahead. We’re building this intelligent transformation platform on a broadband network. Everything has to do with latency for the applications.”
Gas stations will still be there, but they will be converting to charging stations,” he stated. “Digital transformation is being brought to consumers. It’s what we call the shared economy, a heavy amount of data will be generated.”
They will use “distribution or smart nodes. The intelligence will be in the software, no longer in the hardware as it used to be,” Edehomon stated.
“They don’t build things that are available to poor people. They always develop from the top down. That’s what created the digital divide,” he continued. “We do things the other way around. We choose to go into the most underserved areas and build from the bottom up.”
Asked if the company is for profit or non-profit Edehomon said, “We are for profit. We are a Network as a Service (NaaS) provider.”
Asked who are their customers he shared “As a NaaS provider to all, our service is ubiquitous, and we are an early adopter OpenRoaming offers affordable access and connectivity to small and mid-size businesses, residential, enterprise and government customers through the platform. Just like you take your mobile phone or your laptop and can get service anywhere, but you can’t do that everywhere you go with services from most existing providers. The goal is to provide seamless connectivity to all our customers by leveraging the PINN-compliant platform. For customers the key is to provide them with seamless connectivity.”
“We are filling in the gaps,” Edehomon explained. “They sometime call it the last mile. But there’s a misconception as a minimum point of entry from the home to the business. We build from the edge to the last mile.”
“We have an infrastructure in which we are expanding the fabric into the entire city of Eureka,” he shared. “We use MmWave nodes that transform, and the optimization takes place in the software, not the hardware. You eventually get to 100 gig. The nodes are about half the size of a laptop and can be on existing infrastructure on the side of buildings, on light posts. Some of the unique advantages of the way the self-organizing nodes work, is like a flock of birds that fly in synchronized form, they operate together but as individual devices.”
“We are starting in a more rural area, but it’s designed it more for high-density areas,” Edehomon shared.
Asked how we get this application to come to Antioch he responded, “We need money, and we need the city to buy into it. We need a few fiber hubs. We actually had a meeting with the mayor, last year because we wanted to start in Antioch, first. But not everyone sees the need. We also had a meeting with Brentwood. We want to do an intelligent corridor from the Brentwood Blvd. exit all the way to Pittsburg. But they don’t see the way we see how infrastructure can work.”
“We want to bring industry to Antioch and East County, that’s the goal,” Owens added.
In spite of the outcome of the competition, the company has moved on and they are focusing their efforts in other communities.
“We already signed off on the U.S. 30 Project which is a smart corridor in Ohio. It’s similar to what we want to do with Highway 4 east,” Edehomon stated. “It includes LIDAR (laser imaging, detection, and ranging) Data and smart cameras. You must build the infrastructure to be compliant. We want to help the knowledge transfer. It takes a visionary.”
Read MoreCCTA announces first in Bay Area free service to enhance mobility for both work and play
By Linsey Willis, Director of External Affairs, Contra Costa Transportation Authority
SAN RAMON, CA – Yesterday, Monday, April 24, 2023, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) launched the Bay Area’s first autonomous shuttle program to be open to the public. The Bishop Ranch Autonomous Shuttle Program will run through fall 2023, providing free, electric shuttles to four key destinations within Bishop Ranch in San Ramon, California. CCTA’s groundbreaking program will be available to the community Monday through Friday from 7:30am – 5:30pm. This marks the launch of CCTA’s PRESTO — a new suite of mobility options that will include bike share, scooter share, and express bus service in addition to autonomous shuttles. PRESTO will prepare the Bay Area for the future of transportation and increase transit options for all, including transportation-challenged and underserved communities in Contra Costa County.
“We’re excited to be able to provide the public with free access to these zero-emission, low-speed, autonomous shuttles. The service can help cut down on harmful emissions, reduce congestion on our roads, and create a new, accessible connection to transportation hubs throughout Contra Costa County, and we’re grateful to Bishop Ranch and the city of San Ramon for sharing our vision of a brighter future for the county,” said CCTA Board Chair Federal Glover.
CCTA’s partnership with Bishop Ranch allows campus employees and anyone from the public to experience the safe and accessible service that autonomous shuttles offer. Bishop Ranch’s 30,000 employees and miles of private roadways, bisected by public roads, make it an ideal location for the program’s launch. The program is funded in part by an $8 million grant award from the Federal Highway Administration’s Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) program.
“We are proud to be a part of such a beneficial project and we look forward to seeing members of the community trying out PRESTO here on Bishop Ranch,” said Alex Mehran Jr., President and CEO of Bishop Ranch by Sunset Development Company. “CCTA is bringing impactful innovation to the everyday lives of people and will help positively impact how we all get around.”
CCTA is also partnering with Beep, which specializes in testing autonomous shuttles to create and manage stress-free and self-sufficient autonomous mobility solutions. Beep has tested autonomous shuttles around the country, including in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and even at Yellowstone National Park. PRESTO shuttles do not have drivers, pedals, or a steering wheel, but an attendant is always on board to make sure riders have a safe and pleasant experience. The Beep Command Center also remotely monitors the shuttles at all times to ensure the shuttles are operating safely
“It’s an honor to partner with CCTA to deliver autonomous mobility solutions to Bishop Ranch,” said Joe Moye, Beep CEO. “CCTA shares our commitment to bringing these innovative technologies to communities to test how shared autonomous mobility can transform how we access goods and services. Our autonomous shuttles in San Ramon will provide all members of the community access to key destinations and opportunities at Bishop Ranch.”
The Bishop Ranch PRESTO shuttle will take passengers along a route with four stops throughout Bishop Ranch and City Center. PRESTO shuttles hold up to eight passengers plus an attendant and have a maximum speed limit of 15 miles per hour. The service is family-friendly, but riders under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. More information on how to use the shuttles can be found at ridePRESTO.com.
The Bishop Ranch Autonomous Shuttle Program will help CCTA develop services that could soon provide transit solutions in office parks, campuses, suburbs, and town centers. Just as CCTA’s INNOVATE 680 program aims to connect the I-680 corridor through seamless, efficient, and accessible modes of travel, this latest deployment is another example of how CCTA is bringing the future of transportation to Contra Costa County and the greater Bay Area.
CCTA plans to bring shuttles to several public events across the county this summer to make it easier for people to see and experience autonomous shuttles first-hand.
About Beep
Beep delivers the next generation of autonomous, shared mobility solutions through its software and services. Specializing in planning, deploying and managing autonomous shuttles for private and public communities, Beep safely connects people, places and services with autonomous networks that reduce congestion, eliminate carbon emissions, improve road safety and enable mobility for all. Beep leverages the data and learnings from its deployments to enhance and advance the safety, experience and operating capabilities of autonomous platforms. For more information visit ridebeep.com.
About Bishop Ranch
Owned and developed by Sunset Development since 1978, the family-operated company is guided by the long-held vision of making Bishop Ranch a distinct Californian community. Spread across 600 acres in Northern California’s San Ramon Valley, Bishop Ranch is where community, commerce and culture collide to create a thriving, walkable downtown for the city of San Ramon and a significant job center for the region. At its core, the 10-million-square-foot, next-generation workplace is one of the country’s largest office campuses and home to 30,000 employees and a dynamic mix of more than 600 businesses, including Fortune 500 companies, local startups and everything in between. With an award-winning transit program and a deep commitment to sustainability, Bishop Ranch aims to be the largest distributed power generation site in the world with 80% of its energy produced on-site by solar.
The heartbeat of Bishop Ranch is City Center, a $300 million, 300,000-square-foot, open-air shopping, dining and entertainment destination. With its range of nearly 60 distinctive retailers and notable restaurants – including The Slanted Door, LB Steak, Boba Guys and Fieldwork Brewing Company — along with Equinox Fitness, the luxurious LOT Cinema and the inviting public square, City Center is a unique and ever-popular gathering place. From art and music events to a thriving farmers’ market, City Center is the destination for social and cultural experiences.
With an unwavering commitment to build a walkable downtown, Bishop Ranch will soon introduce several distinctive residential communities, eventually numbering some 6,000 homes. Also planned is a new boutique hotel, as well as restaurant and retail options throughout the various neighborhoods. For more information, visit BishopRanch.com.
About the Contra Costa Transportation Authority
The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) is a public agency formed by Contra Costa voters in 1988 to manage the county’s transportation sales tax program and oversee countywide transportation planning efforts. With a staff of twenty people managing a multibillion-dollar suite of projects and programs, CCTA is responsible for planning, funding and delivering critical transportation infrastructure projects and programs that connect our communities, foster a strong economy, increase sustainability, and safely and efficiently get people where they need to go. CCTA also serves as the county’s designated Congestion Management Agency, responsible for putting programs in place to keep traffic levels manageable. More information about CCTA is available at ccta.net.
Read MorePresented by Tackle Warehouse
OAKLEY, Calif. (April 24, 2023) – The Liberty/Heritage High School Team of Noah Nguyen and Tyler Petersen, both of Antioch, California, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 17 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the second, and final, MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing Open on the California Delta Presented by Tackle Warehouse event of the year in Oakley, California.
A field of 33 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Russo’s Marina in Bethel Island. In MLF High School Fishing competition, the top 10% of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top three teams that qualified for the 2023 High School Fishing National Championship are:
1st: Liberty/Heritage High School – Noah Nguyen and Tyler Peterson, both of Antioch, Calif., five bass, 17-12
2nd: Casa Roble Fundamental – Ian Peatross and Preston Schweiger, both of Citrus Heights, Calif., four bass, 17-5
3rd: Lake County High School Fishing Club – Tyler Bryant and Joey Gentle, both of Kelseyville, Calif., five bass, 16-9
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
4th: Lake County High School Fishing Club – Payton Lyndall, Kelseyville, Calif., and Kaine Navarro, Glendora, Calif., five bass, 16-6
5th: Hughson High School – Logan Dekleva and Landon Mason, both of Hughson, Calif., five bass, 14-8
6th: Delta Saints Bass Team – Jax Soto, Courtland, Calif., and Nathan Tritt, West Sacramento, Calif., five bass, 14-1
7th: Delta Saints Bass Team – Zachary Carli, Ryde, Calif., and Jake Feldheim, West Sacramento, Calif., five bass, 13-11
8th: Liberty High School – J.D. Farage, Discovery Bay, Calif., and Fisher Perkins, Rocklin, Calif., five bass, 13-7
9th: Hughson High School – Hunter Cook, Hickman, Calif., and Cooper Scarbrough, Hughson, Calif., five bass, 13-4
10th: Oakdale High School – Troy Cox and Zane Ravalin, both of Oakdale, Calif., five bass, 11-12
Complete results from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com
MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing tournaments are free, two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and are open to any MLF and TBF Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school club. The top 10% of teams at each Open event, along with the TBF High School Fishing state championships, will advance to the 2023 High School Fishing National Championship. The 2023 MLF High School Fishing National Championship will be held on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin, June 20-24, and is hosted by Explore La Crosse.
The High School Fishing National Champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice and advance to the 2023 MLF Toyota Series Championship to compete as co-anglers.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Black Rifle Coffee Company, E3, Favorite Fishing, Fox Rent a Car, General Tire, Grundens, Lawless Lures, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com
. For regular High School Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, the Discovery Channel, the Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, the World Fishing Network and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 13 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Major League Fishing – WE ARE Bass Fishing™
Read MoreBy Allen D. Payton
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors will discuss the $5.515 billion Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Recommended Budget at 9 a.m. on Monday, April 24.
New this year is an updated online version, which increases accessibility through easier navigation, interactive content, additional performance measures, and customizable PDF printing options.
“This structurally balanced budget continues to reflect years of careful, comprehensive, and continuing review and refinement of our operations to cope with economic challenges.” said County Administrator Monica Nino. “At every opportunity, we continue to make changes to deliver services that residents need and expect from County government in ways that are more efficient and less costly.”
According to Nino’s report to the Board, “It is anticipated this year will be one of status quo in the delivery of services besides those program enhancements that are in the startup phase from the benefit of the Board-allocated Measure X funds for specific purposes. The increase in salaries and benefits totals $126.3 million, largely due to the second year of a 5% cost of living increase for over 80% of the County workforce received as part of a four-year labor agreement.
The Recommended Budget includes funding for 11,127.6 full-time equivalent positions (FTE), of which 6,836.4 are in the General Fund. The recommendation includes 85.4 new (60.0 General Fund) positions to be added for the fiscal year 2023-2024 (FY23-24). To structurally balance the budget, a number of our General Fund departments continue to have vacancy factors built into their recommended budget allocations. A vacancy factor accounts for cost savings related to personnel vacancies occurring within departments during the fiscal year. During the development of the Recommended Budget, there were approximately 2,013 vacant FTE positions, totaling $305.0 million, of which 1,395 FTE totaling $204.9 million are General Fund supported. Due to difficulties in recruitments, retention, and normal turnover, the following nine departments are maintaining vacancy factors totaling $101.5 million: Health Services, Sheriff-Coroner, Employment and Human Services, District Attorney, County Clerk-Recorder, Probation, Public Defender, Animal Services, and Assessor. We have continued the process of eliminating vacant/unfunded positions with the goal of more easily identifying funded vacant positions requiring recruitment during the fiscal year.
General Purpose Revenue for FY23-24 totals $725.1 million, an increase of 9.3% over the prior year budget of $663.6 million. Of the major revenue sources, property taxes are the largest category and total $496.9 million, based on an assumed 4% growth over current year projected collections. The next largest sources are Measure X sales tax at $118.2 million, interest income at $30 million, and sales and use taxes at $22.2 million. Interest income is projected to be received close to double in FY22-23 of what is budgeted for FY23-24; this is as a result of increases in interest rates. This economic benefit is projected not to last and actual interest earnings will be monitored during the new fiscal year in the event an adjustment is necessary.
The following items are potential pressures to the recommended spending plan.
- Persistent high inflation and economic uncertainty;
- Unanticipated impacts from the Governor’s May Revised Budget proposal and shortfalls in Federal allocations;
- Decreasing County revenue growth;
- Disallowed FEMA reimbursement related to COVID-19;
- Labor contract negotiations for agreements expiring June 30, 2023; and
- Limited qualified workforce to fill job vacancies
The majority of the budget ($2.876 billion) is funded from State and Federal revenues. This means that for the majority of the programs funded, a program cut would also result in a loss of the revenue associated with the program. Salary and Benefit costs are broken out to show the growth, which consumes 37% of the County budget.”
Among the recommended budget highlights provided by Supervisor Diane Burgis’ office are:
- Adds 26 positions in the Employment and Human Services Department to improve children and family services; youth programming and workforce development; In-Home Supportive Services case management; senior nutrition programs; CalAIM implementation; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and associated programs.
- Adds three full-time Animal Services Officers to increase beat coverage and improve response times to dangerous animal cases and an additional two full-time positions focused on transfer partner and adoption programs and lost and found programs.
- A $10 million allocation toward developing a new Bay Point Library branch. The branch is a new 10,000-20,000 square-foot space constructed in partnership with an affordable housing project.
- $10 million in capital funding to provide a local match for grants that would allow the County to leverage state and federal funds for large infrastructure projects, such as roads and bridges, as part of the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The Board discussion is tentatively scheduled to continue at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, April 25, if additional time is needed. The Board is scheduled to adopt the final budget on Tuesday, May 23.
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