By Hercules Police Department
On January 29, 2021, at 11:19 am, an officer located a vehicle associated with multiple thefts from The Home Depot throughout the state.
On January 28, 2021, Hercules Officers were alerted of a suspect known throughout the state to steal items from The Home Depot and then make returns on some of the items stolen to make back the money for the purchased item. The Home Depot has been working cases for this suspect for over three years and believes he has stolen over $4.5 million from The Home Depot. Since September of last year, it is confirmed that the suspect had stolen over $500,000 from multiple different Home Depot stores up and down the west coast.
An officer located the suspect vehicle, a 2006 Ford Econoline Van, backed into a 1500 Sycamore Avenue parking stall. Officers waited for the man, identified as Miguel Alderete, age 49 of Hercules and Los Angeles, to return to his vehicle, where he was contacted and detained. His vehicle’s search resulted in approximately $10,000 of stolen merchandise from The Home Depot in the van. The occupants of the van were arrested and transported to jail.
A multi-state organized retail theft crew was apprehended after four years of stealing from The Home Depot. The estimated loss during that time is about $4.5 million. This crew averages about $105,000 per month in thefts.
After eluding multiple agencies, Hercules Police were able to catch the culprits, including a second suspect, identified as Antonio Marquez, age 56 from Southern California, in a shopping center across from The Home Depot. The crew had approximately $10,000 of merchandise in their possession from thefts that day in Tracy, Fairfield and Vallejo.
Allen Payton contributed to this report.
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Less than 5% immunization compared to 11-13.8% in Alamo, Lafayette and Walnut Creek where the population is older.
The county is distributing the vaccine primarily to residents 75 years and older, said Contra Costa County Health Officer Dr. Chris Farnitano – “I really do believe we are at the turning of the tide of this pandemic at this point.”
Annual Board Retreat held virtually
By Daniel Borsuk
During the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors annual retreat Tuesday, Jan. 26, the county’s top health official made a major admission, saying her department will investigate questions into claims of unequal distribution of COVID-19 vaccination injections in areas with high populations of Black and Latino residents.
Contra Costa Health Services Director Anna Roth was put in the hot seat by District 1 Supervisor John Gioia who, like last week, raised similar questions as to why the COVID-19 vaccine is being unequally distributed in the district he represents. His district includes the cities of Richmond and El Cerrito and other communities with high percentages of minorities who are more prone to be stricken with coronavirus, than in other communities that tend to be wealthier and have higher percentages of white residents.
Gioia also cited other high percentage minority communities like Antioch, Bay Point, and Pittsburg in supervisorial District 5 for exposing residents to the COVID-19. District 5 is represented by Supervisor Federal Glover of Pittsburg who did not comment on the issue.
Gioia said the vaccination rate in Antioch is five percent, in Bay Point it is 4.3 percent, in Richmond it’s 4.5 percent, while in Alamo the vaccination rate is 11 percent, 12 percent in Lafayette, and 13.8 percent in Walnut Creek.
“You make a very important point. The early data is showing an inequity,” Health Director Roth said. “We hear your request for a more specific plan.”
Last week, when Gioia raised the same inequity issue, Roth did not acknowledge the Supervisor’s issue as significant enough for possible further study.
Discussion about the vaccine inequity distribution issue arose at the same time Tuesday that President Joe Biden’s administration announced it would boost the supply of COVID-19 vaccines by about 16 percent for the next three weeks. White House officials said the order would buy enough additional doses to vaccinate most of the U.S. population with a with a two-dose regimen by the end of summer. Contra Costa County Health officials were unavailable to comment about that development. Like all counties in California, vaccine distribution is overseen by the state.
However, during the Health Services COVID-19 Response Update to the board, Dr. Chris Farnitano, the county’s health officer, pointed out that the county is distributing the vaccine primarily to residents 75 years and older. Of 93,000 doses administered, 61,000 have been given to citizens older than 75 years, he explained.
“I really do believe we are at the turning of the tide of this pandemic at this point,” Farnitano also stated at the end of the presentation.
Retreat Highlights
During their remotely held retreat, the supervisors were presented glimpses of the 2021 budget, economic forecasts, future capital improvement projects, redistricting, economic development, and developments planned at the two County-owned airports in Byron and at Buchanan Field in Concord.
Among some of the highlights of the presentations were:
- Supervisors expressed their preference for the potential construction of a 20,000 square foot, two-story office building with 80 underground parking spaces to be built at 651 Pine St., the former site of the 12-story McBrien Administration Building that will be demolished now that that county’s new four story $95 million administration David Twa Administration Building has been completed and is open for limited occupancy due to COVID-19.
“The economy will be roaring back,” forecast economist Dr. Christopher Thornberg. He made the prediction despite the fact that California faces a $54 billion budget deficit, “public transit like BART is going to have a tough time getting out of this thing, but electrically powered cars I see coming down the pike.”
- Former County Administrator David Twa will oversee work on the county’s redistricting process, a process that occurs every 10 years to adjust supervisorial district boundaries. The complex process involves conducting public hearings and meeting state and federal guidelines that are dependent on when the federal government releases 2020 census data. There is concern that due to COVID-19, the availability of census data might be delayed.
- The two county airports at Byron and Buchanan have generated a 9% increase in revenue for the county since 2017. The Byron airport recently landed, said Airports Director Keith Freitas, a vertical take landing aviation company. There are 10 ongoing development projects at the airports including fire station No. 9 and a new administration building at the Buchanan Airport in Concord.
By CHP Contra Costa
Monday morning, Jan. 25, 2021 at about 7:58 am, Contra Costa CHP was advised of a solo overturned vehicle crash on Hwy-4 eastbound, just east of Loveridge Road in Pittsburg. Upon emergency personnel and CHP arrival, it was determined that a solo black Nissan Ultima had overturned along the right shoulder area and the driver (41-year-old male from Sacramento) had been ejected from the Nissan and sustained fatal injuries. The solo male driver was pronounced deceased at the scene by medical personnel. The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Office will be handling the release of his identity.
It is unknown at this time if alcohol or drugs were a factor in this collision, but it is still under investigation. If anyone witnessed this collision or the events leading up to it and have not spoken yet with CHP, please contact Contra Costa CHP in Martinez, (925) 646-4980.
Read MoreBy Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department
On Saturday, January 23, 2021, at about 3:15 PM, STARR 3 was requested for an outside assist by Contra Costa Fire Protection District for a hiker in distress in the Castle Rock Regional Recreation Area in Walnut Creek.
STARR 3 located the hiker on a single-track trail running up a steep ridge. He was about half a mile from the nearest road which prevented any rescue by vehicle.
STARR 3 conducted a long-line short haul rescue. Pilot J. Meyers lowered Tactical Flight Officer Deputy Sheriff M. Ireland to the location. The hiker was short hauled to an awaiting ambulance for treatment.
Read MoreBy CHP Contra Costa
Early this morning at about 2:45am, Contra Costa CHP was advised of a solo vehicle crash on SR-160 northbound, at Main Street. Upon emergency personnel and CHP arrival, it was determined that a solo black Hyundai Elantra had veered off the roadway into the center median and collided into the center concrete guardrail. It then plunged down onto Main Street located below SR-160.
The solo female driver (25-year-old woman from Oakland) was ejected from the Hyundai and sustained fatal injuries. She was pronounced deceased at the scene by medical personnel. The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Office will be handling the release of her identity.
Alcohol or drugs may have been a factor in this collision, but it is still under investigation. If anyone witnessed this collision or the events leading up to it and have not spoken with CHP, please contact Contra Costa CHP in Martinez, (925) 646-4980.
Read MoreOutdoor dining allowed again; hair salons, barber shops can reopen.
State and local stats don’t match.
“The state has changed how they are calculating,” – Scott Alonso, Contra Costa Health Services spokesman
Contra Costa County is urging residents and businesses to continue practicing health safety measures and avoiding risky activities after California lifted its regional stay-at-home order today in the Bay Area. The state lifted the order Monday morning, effective immediately.
Some significant changes resulting from Contra Costa’s return to the purple tier include:
- Restaurants may offer outdoor dining, following the state health guidelines.
- Hair salons, barber shops and personal services such as nail salons may reopen following state health guidelines.
- Outdoor social gatherings involving 25 or fewer people, from three or fewer different households, are now permitted.
- For the full list of what businesses and venues are allowed to be open as of Monday, Jan 25. click here.
- More information available at org/coronavirus
The state order helped the region meet the deadly surge in COVID-19 infections following the winter holiday season. But per capita, the adjusted average number of new infections reported every day in Contra Costa was 46.2 in the last week – nearly seven times the threshold for a county to enter the purple tier of the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy.
“Our county continues to experience a winter surge in COVID-19 transmission,” said Dr. Chris Farnitano, Contra Costa County health office. “While we are making progress in vaccinating our most vulnerable residents, we are still weeks or months away from seeing the effects of immunization in our community.”
The purpose of the state’s regional stay-at-home order was to slow COVID-19 transmission to protect the intensive care unit (ICU) bed capacity of hospitals and healthcare systems from overwhelming medical surge.
Staffed ICU beds in Contra Costa hospitals continue to see heavy use, with 137 of 163 beds occupied on Saturday, including both COVID-19 patients and patients with other major health problems put the county at almost 16%, over the 15% state required threshold. All hospitals in the county remain on contingency care status, and most elective surgeries continue to be postponed.
However, on Saturday the Contra Costa Health Services’ COVID-19 website showed ICU bed capacity in the county at only 1.2% and 2.0% Bay Area-wide. On Monday the CCHS website shows the availability of ICU beds in Contra Costa is 4.0% and 3.7% in the Bay Area, far below the 23% the state is now claiming. Asked why that was, Scott Alonso, a spokesman for CCHS responded, “The state has changed how they are calculating. We are awaiting further information from CDPH and will update the CCHS website once ready and able when we hear from them.”
Health guidelines regarding physical distancing and use of face coverings outside the home remain in effect, as do occupancy caps for indoor businesses and requirements limiting close-contact gatherings of people from different households. Check the state’s web page for industry-specific guidance.
“Under no circumstances should anyone view the state action today as a reason to let down their guard. We have made progress, but we need to continue what we are doing to keep our families and communities safe,” Farnitano said. “It is just common sense.”
Contra Costa has kicked off a countywide drive to provide 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine by July 4. County residents who are older than 75 can now get a vaccination appointment by calling 1-833-829-2626 or using Contra Costa Heath Services (CCHS) online request form at cchealth.org/coronavirus. The county expects to extend vaccine eligibility to more people in coming weeks.
Please check back later for any updates to this report.
Allen Payton contributed to this report.
Read MoreBy Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
The suspect in the Bay Point homicide that occurred on Monday, January 18, 2021, has been arrested.
On Monday at about 6:36 PM, Muir Station deputy sheriffs were dispatched to the 2100 block of Willow Pass Road in Bay Point regarding a man who was shot.
Deputies found the victim suffering from gunshot wounds. They rendered medical aid until the fire department and an ambulance arrived. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.
The victim was identified as 42-year-old Tresylan Shelton of Pittsburg. An autopsy found he died of multiple gunshot wounds.
Sheriff’s Office detectives investigating the homicide identified the suspect as 27-year-old Jerome Goodwin of Bay Point. They obtained an arrest warrant for him.
On Saturday, January 24, 2021, detectives traced Goodwin to a motel on the 4000 block of Alhambra Avenue in Martinez. At about 4:50 PM, Sheriff’s Office SWAT team served the arrest warrant and took him into custody without incident.
Detectives interviewed Goodwin and he was later booked into the Martinez Detention Facility for murder. He is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.
Anyone with any information on this incident is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600 or through Sheriff’s Office dispatch at (925) 646-2441. For any tips, email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call (866) 846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.
Read MoreReflecting the countywide commitment to protect all Contra Costa residents from COVID-19, Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) announced Friday a new goal for the county and its healthcare partners: Deliver 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine by Independence Day. That would cover most county residents. The population is currently estimated to be 1,153,526 as of 2019.
“There is no higher priority in Contra Costa County than delivering COVID-19 vaccine to as many eligible residents as possible, as quickly as possible,” said Diane Burgis, chair of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors. “We believe this is a realistic goal, provided our supply of vaccine increases.”
The county’s announcement follows a promise yesterday from new President Joe Biden to administer 100 million doses during the first 100 days of his administration.
“Together with our partners in the community, from large health systems to independent doctor’s offices to supermarket pharmacies, we are building the infrastructure to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of county residents, quickly and safely,” said Anna Roth, director of Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS). “When doses arrive, they do not sit in freezers. They go straight to the public.”
Contra Costa went from providing zero doses to more than 5,800 per day during the first month that COVID-19 vaccine became available, and the daily average continues to climb as community health providers offer more shots to patients and members, and as CCHS opens more county-operated community immunization sites.
If the state can supply enough vaccine, CCHS and our partners together will soon have capacity to provide up to 9,000 doses of vaccine daily. With anticipated contributions from other health systems in the community, Contra Costa could achieve its million-dose goal by July 4.
This week, CCHS also launched its new vaccine-appointment phone line – 1-833-VAX-COCO (1-833-829-2626). Now, those who are unable to schedule vaccine appointments online can call us and book an appointment Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Eligible residents seeking appointments are encouraged to use the online form unless they do not have internet access or have difficulty using the online form.
Other local resources, including links to other healthcare providers in the community now offering vaccine, are available at coronavirus.cchealth.org/get-vaccinated.
CCHS also has a new data dashboard on its COIVD-19 web page, cchealth.org/coronavirus, that provides daily updates for the county’s vaccination campaign. More than 65,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered so far in the county.
In addition to the first wave of vaccine recipients, which included healthcare and emergency workers and people who live or work in residential care facilities, all county residents 65 and older can now request an immunization appointment through CCHS.
Appointments with CCHS are not first come, first served. Every day we prioritize appointments for people who are in the highest risk categories, according to state and federal guidelines, especially people who are 75 or older.
Appointments for other eligible residents can vary according to several factors, including age, underlying health concerns, how close they live to a vaccination site where an appointment is available, and whether they live in a neighborhood or community that is especially impacted by COVID-19. Because vaccine is scarce, the reality is that it may take weeks for some eligible residents to get a vaccine.
As more private health systems serving Contra Costa expand capacity to serve their members and patients, more county residents will hear from their own healthcare providers about how and when they can access COVID-19 vaccine.
Visit cchealth.org/coronavirus for local information about the COVID-19 pandemic and Contra Costa’s immunization campaign.
Allen Payton contributed to this report.
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Workforce Development Program offers part-time employment and training in Pittsburg
The Workforce Development Program at St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County is a paid job training program that helps the unemployed re-enter the workforce and find stable employment. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen millions suddenly find themselves out of work. In these hard times, it is more important than ever that job applicants understand workplace expectations and have the soft skills to be a contributing employee.
The 24-week program teaches participants the skills and techniques to find a job and be successful in the workplace, offering training in resume development, interviewing, and organizational skills in a supportive and compassionate environment. Mandatory orientation sessions will take place on Saturday, 1/23/21 & Tuesday, 1/26/21 from 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM at 2210 Gladstone Drive, Pittsburg. To register call (925) 439-5060.
The Workforce Development Program aims to help tear down the barriers that stand in the way of employment for individuals who have struggled to obtain and maintain employment. Participants work with mentors and take weekly classes to develop workplace skills. A new class of participants is selected every six months.
Participants gain paid, part-time, (22.5 hours per week), work experience in a St. Vincent de Paul thrift store or SVdP’s trucking and transportation department. Additional training in retail operations including cash register operations, inventory display and optimization, and warehouse operations is also provided.
James Neitte, a graduate from SVdP’s 2017 WFD cycle, said, “SVdP was kind of a last-ditch effort for me. Going through that program really changed my life.” Convicted of multiple felonies in 2011, Neitte has maintained a steady job since graduating from the SVdP program in 2017.
The program is located at 2210 Gladstone Drive in Pittsburg.
St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County has provided safety-net services in the county for over 57 years, serving 100,000 people annually and distributing over $1M of direct financial assistance and over $1.5M of in-kind aid. Over 750 SVdP volunteers and a small staff lead operations in Contra Costa including the SVdP Family Resource Center in Pittsburg, 28 branches, and 3 Thrift Stores. One of the largest charitable organizations in the world, St. Vincent de Paul is an international, nonprofit, Catholic lay organization of more than 800,000 men and women who voluntarily join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to the needy and suffering in 155 countries on five continents.
Read MoreBy Brentwood Police Department
In December 2020, we initiated an investigation where Carlos Gonzalez, male, 35 years old, from Hercules was accused of sexual assault involving a male juvenile. Gonzalez was formerly the manager of the Chipotle restaurant in Brentwood where the sexual assault took place against the victim seeking employment at the restaurant. The preliminary investigation resulted in an arrest warrant being issued for Gonzalez. On 12/30/2020, Gonzalez was arrested without incident at his residence in Hercules. Gonzalez was booked into county jail on multiple felony sex crimes involving a minor.
Further investigation has revealed additional victims who communicated with Gonzalez through social media platforms. These victims met Gonzalez while he was managing other Chipotle restaurants throughout the Bay Area. Due to the fact Gonzalez was exposed to an unknown number of individuals while managing different Chipotle restaurants, it is believed there may be more victims that have yet to come forward.
The Brentwood Police Department is requesting anyone with information to contact Detective Talley at 925-809-7793.
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