Contra Costa Herald

Officer involved shooting occurred with one of the armed suspects.

By Concord Police Department

On Monday, April 21, 2025, shortly before 10 am, two suspects committed an armed robbery at a credit union in Concord. Concord Police Officers located the suspect vehicle, which immediately began to flee, and a police pursuit was initiated.

The suspect vehicle became disabled on SB 680 in Sunol and the suspects carjacked two vehicles at gunpoint, ultimately fleeing again in one of them.

Concord Police Officers pursued the suspects in the carjacked vehicle to San Jose where that vehicle became disabled. An officer involved shooting involving Concord Police officers occurred with one of the armed suspects. That suspect was transported to a local area hospital for treatment. The other suspect was located in the area a short time later by San Jose Police Department officers.

There are no suspects still outstanding.

The Concord Police Department is investigating the bank robbery, pursuit, and carjacking and the San Jose Police Department is investigating the officer involved shooting that occurred in their jurisdiction. No further details are being released at this time.

Anyone with further information regarding this case is asked to contact Concord Police Department Major Crimes Unit Detective J. Riche at (925) 603-5922 or the Concord Police Department tip line at (925) 603-5836.

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Proponents will start gathering signatures today, Saturday, April 26

By Allen D. Payton

Ahead of the announced press conference by the recall proponents today, Saturday, April 26, 2025, which will be followed by the start of signature gathering, in a post on the Diana Becton for District Attorney Facebook page on Thursday, she fought back encouraging voters to not sign the petition. They gave reasons to support Becton including accomplishments while in office.

“As your District Attorney, I’m committed to protecting public safety and pursuing justice without fear or favor. That means holding everyone accountable—violent offenders, corrupt politicians, exploitative corporations, unethical polluters and anyone who abuses their power.

But now, special interests want to roll back our progress with a wasteful, misguided recall. They are weaponizing fear, distorting facts and exploiting victims—not to serve our community, but to push their own agenda.

Together, we have made significant strides in strengthening our criminal justice system. Here are the facts:

— I established a Major Crimes Task Force to crack down on violent offenders, gang crime and organized retail theft.

— I launched a Human Trafficking Unit to combat modern-day slavery and protect victims of exploitation.

— My Cold Case Unit is at the forefront of solving unsolved homicides by combining forensic science with traditional investigative methods.

— I have also expanded our Victim Advocate Team, increasing services and resources for victims of violent crime, particularly in underserved communities.

— And because prevention is key to lasting safety, I have championed initiatives that keep our youth on the right path and stop crime before it happens.

We cannot afford to go backward. This recall isn’t about public safety, it’s the final cry of a broken system and its failed policies that made all our communities less safe. What’s worse, this recall will cost taxpayers an estimated $8.5 million—money that should be spent on public safety, not political games.

After two decades as a Superior Court Judge and nearly eight years as your District Attorney, I’ve learned the right thing isn’t always easy, but it is necessary to deliver safety, justice and progress. I hope you will stand with me.

In the coming months, there are three simple things my team needs you to do so we can keep this recall off the ballot:

— First of all, do not sign the recall petition and remind your friends to do the same. Learn more at www.dianabecton.org.

— Second, endorse our Stop the Recall campaign.

— Finally, donate what you can to ensure we can defend our county’s hard earned progress.

Thank you for everything that you do for our community.

In solidarity,

District Attorney Diana Becton

P.S. We’re going to need a robust campaign to fight back against the special interests funding this recall. Please donate today if you can: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/diana-becton-1”

The proponents have until September 25, 2025, to submit petitions with a total of 72,556 valid signatures of registered voters in the county.

 

 

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Dante Tosetti will represent California’s Central Valley and San Francisco Bay Area

Has branches in Concord, Brentwood and Antioch

By Josef Britschgi, Marketing & Communications Administrator, BAC Community Bank

Stockton, CA – The Independent Community Bankers of America^® (ICBA) has announced the appointment of Dante Tosetti, CEO of BAC Community Bank, to its Safety and Soundness Committee. Tosetti will help shape national policy positions and advocate for the vital role community banks play in strengthening local economies.

Tosetti’s appointment ensures that the voices of community banks, businesses, and residents across California’s Central Valley and San Francisco Bay Area are represented in national discussions on banking policy and regulation.

“Community banks are the heartbeat of Main Street, driving local economies and forging lasting relationships with consumers and small businesses,” said Tosetti. “I’m honored to represent the Central Valley and Bay Area as I contribute to ICBA’s mission — ensuring community banks have a strong voice in policy discussions and access to tools that strengthen their service to local communities.”

In this leadership role, Tosetti will:

• Advocate for community banking interests at the national level.
• Promote ICBA’s policy positions and programming.
• Serve as a bridge between California’s community banks and ICBA leadership in Washington, D.C.

“Dante brings invaluable insight and dedication to the table, reinforcing the importance of community banks in fostering economic stability and opportunity,” said ICBA Chairman Jack Hopkins, president and CEO of CorTrust Bank in Sioux Falls, S.D. “We appreciate Dante’s leadership and look forward to working together to champion policies that empower community banks and the communities they serve.”

About BAC Community Bank

BAC Community Bank is celebrating 60 years of award-winning local banking and operates branch offices throughout San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and eastern Contra Costa counties. Established in 1965, BAC is one of California’s oldest state-chartered banks.

Centrally headquartered in Stockton, California, BAC is continuously recognized for its strength and banking excellence in the communities it serves.

BAC Community Bank is an Equal Housing Lender and Equal Opportunity Employer. Member FDIC. More information is available online at www.bankbac.com.

About ICBA

The Independent Community Bankers of America^® has one mission: to create and promote an environment where community banks flourish. We power the potential of the nation’s community banks through effective advocacy, education, and innovation.

As local and trusted sources of credit, America’s community banks leverage their relationship-based business model and innovative offerings to channel deposits into the neighborhoods they serve, creating jobs, fostering economic prosperity, and fueling their customers’ financial goals and dreams. For more information, visit ICBA’s website at www.icba.org.

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UPDATE: Following traffic stop; head-on crash sends driver to hospital, leads to more crashes

Two from additional collisions also taken to hospital

By Allen D. Payton

In an early morning post on X on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, by Contra Costa County Sheriff Director of Public Affairs Jimmy Lee, “Officer-involved protocol was invoked last night after a fatal vehicle collision. Deputy sheriffs terminated a pursuit on Highway 160 after the suspect crossed the divider and drove in the opposite direction. A short time after the pursuit was terminated and the deputies no longer had sight of the suspect’s vehicle, the collision occurred. DA’s Office and Sheriff’s Office are conducting the investigation.”

In a press release late Wednesday afternoon, Lee shared additional details:

A fatal traffic collision is being investigated by the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office and the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office per the county Law Enforcement Involved Fatal Incident Protocol.

On Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at about 9:19 PM, deputy sheriffs conducted a traffic enforcement stop in the area of Willow Avenue and E. 18th Street in Antioch. The vehicle did not yield, leading the deputies on a pursuit. Once on southbound Highway 160, the suspect vehicle crossed over the center median and drove south in the northbound lanes. The deputies immediately terminated the pursuit and lost sight of the vehicle.

A short time after the pursuit was terminated, the California Highway Patrol received calls about a collision on the Highway 4 overpass onto Highway 160. It was later determined the suspect vehicle was involved in the collision. The suspect was later pronounced deceased at the scene. He is identified as 50-year-old Victor A. Vigil of Pittsburg. Three others were taken to local hospitals.

Anyone with any information on this incident is asked to contact the Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call (866) 846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.

CHP Says Crash was Head-On, Led to More Crashes, Driver of Car Two from Subsequent Collisions Taken to Hospital

UPDATE: Later, CHP – Contra Costa offered more details about the incident.

On Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025, at approximately 9:23 p.m., officers assigned to the California Highway Patrol’s (CHP) Contra Costa Area office responded to a four-vehicle, head-on crash that occurred on the transition ramp from eastbound SR-4 to northbound SR-160.

As officers responded to the crash, they were advised that the wrong-way vehicle had previously been involved in a pursuit with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office; however, the pursuit had been discontinued prior to the crash.

Our preliminary investigation indicates a Lexus sedan was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of SR-160 before continuing wrong-way onto the transition ramp from eastbound SR-4 to northbound SR-160. While traveling the wrong way on the transition ramp, the Lexus crashed head-on with a Mercedes SUV, resulting in major damage to both vehicles. This crash led to a series of crashes involving two additional vehicle: a solo occupied Honda Civic and a Dodge Caliber occupied by driver and passenger. Both occupants of the Dodge were transported to a local hospital for treatment of moderate injuries. The driver of the Mercedes sustained major injuries and was airlifted from the scene to a local hospital for medical treatment. The wrong-way driver sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The transition ramp from eastbound SR-4 to northbound SR-160 was closed following the crash and reopened at approximately 6:24 a.m. the next morning.

This crash remains under investigation. If anyone witnessed the incident or the events leading up to it, please contact the Contra Costa Area office in Martinez at (925) 646-4980 or email your contact information to 320Investigations@chp.ca.gov to be contacted by the investigating officer.

According to localcrimenews.com, Vigil had five previous arrests by Walnut Creek, Pittsburg and Vacaville Police and the Contra Costa Sheriff dating back to 2013 for drug crimes.

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Co-founder and son, a company VP, of DeNova Homes

Corporate attorney responds saying company “not implicated”

Target, referred to as “he” and “him”, could be either former Mayor Hernández-Thorpe or Councilman Barbanica

“We are confident the facts will show that Dave is innocent, and that he was unfairly targeted,” – attorney Winston Chan

By Allen D. Payton

On Tuesday, April 22, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California issued the following announcement about an indictment for alleged bribery of an Antioch Councilmember by the father and son, former and current, leaders of Concord-based DeNova Homes. The company developed the Aviano new home project in Antioch’s Sand Creek Area and The Pointe at Wildflower Station project overlooking the condominiums near the Hillcrest Avenue/Davison Drive and Deer Valley Road intersection. In addition, the Sansons’ Yellow Roof Foundation is coordinating with DeNova homes to pursue a smaller housing project on the north side of the city,

A two-count indictment was unsealed today charging property developers David Sanson and Trent Sanson with conspiracy and bribery in connection with offering to pay an Antioch City Councilmember $10,000 and later giving the Councilmember a company travel mug with $5,000 in cash, in exchange for favorable treatment for one of their development projects.  The Councilmember reported the alleged bribe to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  Both defendants made their initial appearances in federal court this morning.

According to the indictment filed April 3, 2025, David Sanson, 60, of Philipsburg, Mont., is the owner and Chief Executive Officer of a home building and development company based in Concord, Calif., and his son, Trent Sanson, 33, of Walnut Creek, Calif., is the Vice President.  The development company has a number of projects in Antioch and neighboring areas, including the Aviano project, a multi-phase 533-unit residential development project.

As alleged, the Antioch Engineering and Development Services Division indicated that the development company had not completed all of its required public infrastructure improvements and that Phase 3 of the Aviano project should not be deemed complete or approved by the City Council until those improvements were completed.  As a result, the City of Antioch had not approved the release of bonds secured for the project.  To get the Antioch Engineering and Development Services Division to affirm completion and release the bonds associated with the project, Trent Sanson allegedly contacted an Antioch City Councilmember via iMessage on May 29, 2024, stating that he wanted to discuss with the Councilmember issues that the development company was facing with the Antioch “Engineering department” on a number of projects, including Phase 3 of the Aviano project.

“The indictment describes a video-recorded meeting between the Councilmember and Trent Sanson on June 12, 2024, during which Trent Sanson allegedly stated that he wanted the Councilmember to place on the City Council agenda, and vote in favor of, “acceptance for Phase 3 at Aviano to release the completion and guarantee bonds . . . .”  Trent Sanson allegedly stated that David Sanson was willing to pay the Councilmember $10,000 in exchange for the requested actions.  A second video-recorded meeting took place on June 20, 2024, at which David Sanson allegedly paid the Councilmember $5,000 in cash concealed in a travel coffee mug branded with the logo of the Sansons’ development company.

“This indictment alleges that the defendants tried to bribe an Antioch City Councilmember to take favorable action on their real estate project and to evade having to make the public infrastructure improvements that the City required,” said Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins.  “This case is another example of my Office’s commitment to working closely with our partners at the FBI to root out bribery and attempts to corrupt public office.”

“Attempting to bribe a public official is a blatant attack on the integrity of our government and the trust of the communities we serve,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani.  “The allegations in this case reflect a clear attempt to manipulate the system for personal gain. The FBI will continue to aggressively investigate and hold accountable anyone who seeks to corrupt public institutions through bribery or abuse of power.”

The defendants are next scheduled to appear in district court on June 12, 2025, for a status conference before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.

The indictment charges each defendant with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 and one count of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 666(a)(2).  The bribery count also includes an allegation that defendants aided and abetted one another in bribing the Antioch City Councilmember.

An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  If convicted, defendants each face a maximum sentence of five years in prison for the count under 18 U.S.C. § 371 and 10 years in prison for the count under 18 U.S.C. §§ 666(a)(2).  Any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas R. Green and Benjamin K. Kleinman are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Amala James and Laurie Worthen.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI.

Two Former Councilmembers Respond

The two current and two former council members and former Mayor Lamar Hernández-Thorpe, who were serving during the time the alleged incidents occurred, were asked if they were aware of the indictment and if they were the unnamed councilmember. Former District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock said simply, “It wasn’t me,” and former District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica responded, “I won’t comment on an active federal investigation. I took the same stance when I was on the council.”

No responses were received from Hernández-Thorpe nor District 1 and 4 Councilwomen Tamisha Torres-Walker and Monica Wilson. An additional effort to reach Hernández-Thorpe’s re-election campaign’s spokesman and former City of Antioch Public Information Officer Rolando Bonilla asking if he is the political consultant mentioned in the indictment was also unsuccessful prior to publication time.

DeNova Homes’ Chief Legal Officer Responds

Efforts to reach the Sansons were unsuccessful. But DeNova Homes, Inc.’s Chief Legal Officer, Dana Tsubota, responded with the following statement:

“DeNova Homes is aware of the legal matter involving our founder, Dave Sanson, and his son, Trent. While Mr. Sanson has been an important figure in the company’s history, he semi-retired in 2020 when he moved to Montana and he is no longer involved in the leadership or daily operations.

“Importantly, DeNova Homes is not implicated in the government’s investigation. DeNova remains financially sound and fully focused on delivering for our customers, partners, and communities without disruption.

“Under the leadership of President Ryan Parlett and our experienced executive team, DeNova continues its mission of building high-quality homes and supporting the communities we serve.”

According to the company’s website, Dave is a Co-Founder and CEO Emeritus, and according to theorg.com website, Trent is the company’s Vice President for Land Acquisition & Entitlements.

Indictment Claims Request Made “to place” Item “on the…Council agenda, and vote in favor”

The indictment claims, “TRENT SANSON and DAVID SANSON bribed the Councilmember during video recorded meetings, including a meeting at which TRENT SANSON offered the $10,000 bribe to the Councilmember and a subsequent meeting at which DAVID SANSON gave the Councilmember a travel coffee mug branded with the Development Company’s logo and name containing $5,000 in cash.”

The indictment includes quotes from the unnamed councilmember but uses the term “him” in reference in Section 17. Sections 15 through 17 lay out the allegations which read as follows:

June 12, 2024: T. SANSON Bribes the Councilmember

15. On or about June 12, 2024, T. SANSON met with the Councilmember and stated that he wanted the Councilmember to place on the Antioch City Council agenda, and vote in favor of, the following item: “A tract acceptance for Phase 3 at Aviano to release the completion and guarantee bonds ….” T. SANSON asked the Councilmember for the Councilmember’s assistance and vote in the hopes that the Antioch City Council would approve release of the bond and effectively override the Antioch Engineering and Development Services Division’s position that further work was required by the Development Company to complete its obligations on Phase 3 of Aviano.
16. In exchange for the Councilmember’s actions, T. SANSON told the Councilmember that he spoke with his father, D. SANSON, in advance of the meeting, and D. SANSON was “willing” to pay the Councilmember $10,000. T. SANSON stated, “[YJou’re not going to see anything directly, but Dave will be doing something for you[.]” T. SANSON then added, “I don’t know if it’s an IE or through a PAC because we … can give to a PAC and then the PAC isn’t limited, you know what I mean?” Shortly thereafter, T. SANSON reiterated, “I’m pretty sure we’ll go through one of the PACs.” T. SANSON ultimately told the Councilmember that he’d check with D. SANSON to determine if they could pay $5,000 to the Councilmember’s IE account and $5,000 in cash. T. SANSON stated that the split “sounds fair.” The Councilmember informed the FBI of the bribe offer by T. SANSON.

Mentions “the primary” and “the general” Elections; Refers to Councilmember as “He” and “Him”

Upon reading the indictment, the terms “he” and “him” are used to describe the unnamed councilmember.

June 20. 2024: D. SANSON Pays the Bribe Initiated bv T. SANSON

17. On or about June 20, 2024, D. SANSON met with the Councilmember. During the meeting, D. SANSON told the Councilmember, “Anyways, Trent called me and told me that he met with you last week, and 1 told him OK let me take care of it. 1 don’t want you involved.” D. SANSON thanked the Councilmember for meeting with him, stating, “1 know it was last minute, but this had to be done in person.” D. SANSON informed the Councilmember that he’d been in touch with the political consultant running the Councilmember’s IE, stating, “[That’s all still on track for round two. We did it during the primary, and now for the general – we’re back committed to supporting you and all that. So, 1 just want you to know that’s happening – that it’s not just a false commitment or anything like that; and then Trent told me you needed a little extra shot.” D. SANSON then handed the Councilmember a travel coffee mug branded with the Development Company insignia, which contained $5,000 in cash. The Councilmember informed D. SANSON that he had a detailed conversation with T. SANSON, and that he understood what D. SANSON and T. SANSON were asking him to do. D. SANSON replied, “Yeah – Phase 3,” and reiterated, “the project has been finished.” The Councilmember informed the FBI of D. SANSON’s bribe and gave the money to the FBI.

Dave Sanson’s Attorney Responds

In response to a request for comment, Dave Sanson’s attorney Winston Chan of the San Francisco office for the Gibson Dunn & Crutcher law firm denied the accusations against the developer.

“My client Dave Sanson is a respected business leader and philanthropist with a 30-year track record of building homes and supporting communities across Northern California.

We are reviewing the government’s allegations closely and caution against any rush to judgment based on mere allegations that present a one-sided story. We are confident the facts will show that Dave is innocent, and that he was unfairly targeted without cause to be dragged out of near retirement from out-of-state, to be trapped into a web of deceit manufactured to ‘take down’ Dave and his family by a controversial local politico, whose own suspect personal motivations we look forward to exposing.

It’s incredibly disappointing that Dave’s reputation—built on a decades-long career of creating opportunities for residents of cities like Antioch, that have struggled for years to keep up with housing needs and other challenges—is being dragged through the mud.

Dave and our team look forward to addressing this matter in court.”

Unnamed Councilmember Could Be Either Hernández-Thorpe or Barbanica

While only the mayor has the authority to place items on a city council meeting agenda, Barbanica was the only candidate of the five incumbent council members, last year, who ran during both the primary and general elections for the County Board of Supervisors. So, the “him” could refer to either one.

2022 Recall Campaign Contribution from Sanson Company to Hernández-Thorpe

During the effort to recall Hernández-Thorpe in 2022, the then-mayor’s campaign committee received a $10,000 contribution from another of the Sansons’ companies, Civic Park Properties, Inc. State law has since changed and the maximum contribution a developer who has business before a local agency can contribute to one of its elected members is $250.

No Contributions to Either Hernández-Thorpe, Barbanica or IE Committee Supporting Either in 2024

But a search of Form 460 campaign finance reports showed no contributions could be found of any amount over $100 from either of the Sansons, DeNova Homes or their companies that were made last year to either Hernández-Thorpe’s re-election committee, Barbanica’s campaign committee or the independent expenditure (IE) committee supporting Barbanica’s election entitled, “Citizens for a Safer Contra Costa County Supporting Mike Barbanica for Supervisor 2024, Sponsored by Contra Costa County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, ID #1347607.” In addition, no IE committee supporting Hernández-Thorpe’s re-election could be found in a search on the City Clerk’s or California Secretary of State’s campaign reporting websites.

Political Consultant Who Handled IE Supporting Barbanica’s Home Raided by FBI

Last month, according to news reports, Mary Jo Rossi, a longtime political consultant in Contra Costa County, whose company, Rossi Communications, was paid by the IE committee of the Deputy Sheriff’s Association supporting Barbanica, had her home raided by the FBI.

Laura Stephens of Stephen Company, the treasurer for the committee confirmed Rossi was its paid consultant.  But whether the raid was related to the investigation into the alleged bribery is unclear.

Sansons Have History of Serving the Community

Dave Sanson, and his wife Lori, have a history of giving back to the communities in which DeNova has done business, and founded the Yellow Roof Foundation to provide low-income housing to facilitate their efforts. The organization helped open a new home development with four rentals in Oakley in December and is pursuing another, 143-unit housing project, which will include six affordable rental units, located between E. 18th Street and Wilbur Avenue on the north side of Antioch.

The Sansons are most likely best known to the public for their 2004 work on the ABC-TV “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” project in which they led a team of 1,200 volunteers “to tear down and rebuild a two-story home in Martinez. It was done for a 17-year-old “teen, who suffers from a rare degenerative disorder, had been forced to move out of her home because her fragile immune system would not tolerate its mold issues.”

According to Builder Magazine, the pair received the 2017 Hearthstone BUILDER Humanitarian Award.

Dave and Trent serve on the foundation’s board of directors.

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By Louis Freedberg, EdSource.org, republished with permission

Top Takeaways

• Raising attendance would improve student outcomes and help the district achieve a balanced budget.
• The district will focus on boosting attendance of all students, not just those who are “chronically absent,” using a range of attendance-improvement strategies.
• Improving attendance will require an investment of funds and offering incentives, experts say.

To boost student attendance, the West Contra Costa Unified School District has launched a comprehensive plan to increase attendance by 2 percentage points this school year.

The plan will be reviewed by the school board at its meeting on Wednesday.

The challenge is in part an educational one. If students aren’t in class, they’re far less likely to succeed. It is also a financial strategy that is crucial to the district’s attempts to fend off insolvency and a state takeover for the second time in 30 years.

That’s because the main source of state funding for schools in California is based not just on how many students are enrolled, but on how many students actually show up each day for class.

But bumping up attendance, even by a few percentage points, is not as easy as it might seem, regardless of the district.

So what happens in this 29,000-student district in the San Francisco Bay Area, which includes Richmond and several adjacent communities, also holds lessons for numerous other financially struggling districts in California and nationally.

According to interim Superintendent Kim Moses, the math is simple: For every 1 percentage point increase in attendance, the district can raise $2.75 million in additional state funding.

Raising attendance by nearly 3 percentage points would generate over $7 million — about the same amount the district is projecting it will have to reduce its budget during each of the coming two years to achieve a balanced budget.

“It’s the biggest lever that we have,” board President Leslie Reckler, who is fully behind the attendance strategy to avert even more cuts in programs and staff than the district has already made, said in an interview. “We get paid by who shows up.”

Moses told the school board at a recent meeting, “If we are successful in increasing our attendance, that is a way to increase revenue. Then we can rescind the reductions we are proposing.”

Until now, the district’s attendance improvement plan has focused on “chronically absent” students — those who miss 10% or more instructional days per year. That has yielded results, pushing overall attendance rates in the district to 92.3% last fall, just below the state average.

But over the last few months, attendance rates in the district have started to drift down again, to 89.5% in February, according to district figures.

Natalie Tovani-Walchuk, vice president of local impact for Go Public Schools, an advocacy organization working in several Bay Area school districts, including West Contra Costa, speculates that some of the decline could be related to illnesses — the flu, Covid, norovirus and RSV — that simultaneously struck the district in recent months. It could also be that some immigrant parents fear bringing their children to school because of the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants.

“All of this creates conditions which you can’t control,” said Tovani-Walchuck, a former school principal born and raised in Richmond.

Aiming to boost attendance of all students

After initially focusing on chronically absent students, the district is now aiming to boost the attendance of all students, and to focus on schoolwide attendance-improvement strategies, including:

• Targeting schools with the lowest attendance and developing “individualized action plans” for those schools.
• Expecting schools to implement activities that reinforce positive attendance habits, such as recognizing students whose attendance improves and working more closely with families “to build stronger connections between school and home.”
• Helping schools use a toolkit developed by the district, including prepared scripts in communicating with parents, along with “action plans” for targeting lagging attendance to promote “Stronger Together: Show Up, Rise Up,” the theme of the attendance campaign.
• Recruiting more parents, representatives of community-based organizations and community members to participate in the district’s Student Attendance Review Board, to which students who are repeatedly absent or truant can be referred.

But Michael Fine, CEO of the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, an agency set up by the state to help districts in difficult financial straits, said, “There is a limit to how much improvement in attendance can be made.”

A year ago, his agency issued a report concluding that, despite financial and other improvements, West Contra Costa faced a high risk of insolvency.

A realistic goal, Fine said, would be to increase attendance by 1 percentage point each year over the next three years. He pointed out that the district will probably have to spend money on extra staff time and incentives to generate interest among students, parents and schools.

“Programs like this cost money, so you have to spend to be successful,” Fine said.

Fine recalls that when he was a deputy superintendent at Riverside Unified, the district persuaded local businesses to award a used car to high school seniors who achieved perfect attendance across their entire K-12 careers, or other incentives like computers and bicycles for meeting less ambitious goals. His district spent about $250,000 a year on the program, but generated $1.2 million in increased attendance revenue.

Increasing attendance is especially challenging because there are many reasons why students don’t show up for school, all detailed in a presentation to be considered by the board at its monthly meeting this week. These include lack of transportation, illness, parent work schedules, child care constraints, and students feeling disengaged, unsupported and bored at school, plus, in some cases, severe mental health issues.

As a result, any initiative to reduce absenteeism demands a range of strategies to address its underlying causes.

Hedy Chang, executive director of Attendance Works, a nonprofit organization focusing on attendance, said West Contra Costa Unified appears to be on the right track by surveying parents and identifying why individual students don’t come to school. Another plus, she said, is the district’s creation of so-called community schools, which already work with social service organizations that can also help.

“It looks like the district has some things in place,” she said.  But she also cautioned that schools with large numbers of low-income students, like many in West Contra Costa, will likely experience higher absenteeism rates and have to come up with multifaceted responses to overcome them.

Building positive relationships with parents

The district says one school that has made notable strides is Verde Elementary, a community school serving transitional kindergarten through eighth grade students in North Richmond, an unincorporated area of the district.

The efforts of Martha Nieto, Verde’s “school community outreach worker,” have been central to the school’s efforts to boost attendance.

Nieto, a mother of six who was born in Mexico, says that a key to getting kids to school is building positive relationships with parents. Each day, the school systematically records which students are absent. Attendance clerk Patricia Martines then calls parents’ homes, sometimes with the assistance of school secretary Patricia Farias, who attended the school and still lives in the neighborhood.

Each Friday, Nieto  offers what she calls a “School Smarts” class for parents to learn how to get involved in the school. As for students, Nieto provides incentives to improve attendance with modest gifts like a soccer ball, or free ice cream or nachos, which she also hands out on Friday mornings. Students with perfect attendance are awarded medals at “Celebration of Learning” events held regularly in the school cafeteria.

The challenge, Go Public Schools’ Tovani-Walchuk says, is to extend efforts like these across the entire district.

“These are moments of real strength, and we’re seeing what is truly possible,” she said, referring to Verde Elementary. “But it has not been yet systematized where every school has their school community outreach worker doing this work. That’s really determined site by site, depending on its priorities.”

School board member Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy says that in addition to boosting the attendance of existing students, there needs to be more emphasis on attracting new ones to the district. That’s because the district’s financial plight is largely due to student enrollment that has declined by an average of 3.1 percentage points over the previous four years, according to the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team report.

“It has to be a two-pronged approach,” he said. “We need to get families moving into our community to come to our schools. We don’t want to be a place where we have to be closing schools.”

“If we want to continue to thrive as a district, we have no other option,” he said.

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Held on $4.2 million bail

Search warrants served in Antioch, Pleasant Hill

Multiple arrests since 2021

By Concord Police Department

On Monday morning, April 14, 2025, around 3:00 A.M., Concord Police Department patrol officers, working in the area of Monument Blvd. near Meadow Lane, heard gunshots being fired. At the same time, CPD dispatch received several 911 calls regarding gunshots being heard in the vicinity. Officers responded to investigate and located a forty-year-old male gunshot victim, later identified as Omar Gonzalez, lying on the ground near the intersection of Monument Blvd. and Reganti Drive. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. Concord Police Department Major Crimes Unit detectives responded.

Detectives were able to identify Chance Martin, a 27-year-old (born 4/14/98) male resident of Pittsburg, as the suspect in the murder. It is believed that Martin had been involved in a dispute in the parking lot of 1500 Monument Blvd. with a group of males, had left in a vehicle, and then returned a short time later and shot multiple times, from the window of his vehicle, at the group of people with whom he had previously been arguing. One the bullets he fired struck and killed Gonzalez. A warrant was obtained for Martin’s arrest.

On Wednesday, April 16, Concord Police Department detectives, with the assistance of the United States Marshals Service Fugitive Apprehension Task Force, Pleasant Hill Police Department, and Antioch Police Department, served search warrants in Pleasant Hill and Antioch. Martin was located, arrested, and later booked at the Martinez Detention Facility.

Today, Concord Police Department detectives presented their case to the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office, who filed murder charges (187 PC) against Martin, who will remain in custody.

Anyone with further information regarding this case is asked to contact Concord Police Department Major Crimes Unit Detective Justin Wilson at (925) 603-5859 or the Concord Police Department tip line at (925) 603-5836.

According to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department, the five-foot, 10-inch tall, 135-pound Chance is being held on $4.2 million bail and his next court appearance is scheduled for May 6 at 8:30 AM in Superior Court, Martinez.

According to localcrimenews.com, he has a history of arrests since 2021 by Antioch, Pleasant Hill and san Pablo Police Departments and CHP-Contra Costa, including for gun charges and driving on a suspended license.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

 

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Two out of custody with no charges filed; multi-agency effort

By Brentwood Police Department

Earlier this month, the Brentwood Police Department hosted the Contra Costa County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force for a multi-agency, week-long operation focused on identifying and apprehending individuals seeking to sexually exploit minors online.

This proactive operation brought together 12 law enforcement agencies and dedicated hundreds of investigative hours to targeting those intending to harm children. The results of the operation included:

• 3 arrests
• seizure of digital devices and firearms
• a safer community—which remains our ultimate goal

Arrested during the operation:

• 48-year-old Tommy Ray Vance of Brentwood (see details in related article)
• 29-year-old Anthony Robert Mozingo of Elk Grove
• 29-year-old Sheldon Devin Ludd of Sacramento

We remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of our community. We extend our sincere appreciation to the following agencies for their collaboration and support:

Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, FBI, Oakley PD, Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, Antioch PD, Contra Costa County MCTF, Martinez PD, Walnut Creek PD, Homeland Security Investigations, Contra Costa Probation Department, and the United States Secret Service.

According to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, as of April 14 Mozingo is out of custody with no charges filed and as of April 15, Ludd is also out of custody with no charges filed.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

 

 

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High school football referee

By Brentwood Police Department

As part of a recent week-long operation led by the Contra Costa County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force—hosted by the Brentwood Police Department in collaboration with 11 additional agencies—significant progress was made in safeguarding children from online exploitation.

During the operation, Brentwood PD Detectives, working alongside a Martinez PD Detective, arrested 48-year-old Tommy Ray Vance of Brentwood (born 12/19/76) on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. Vance had allegedly arranged to meet a minor for the purpose of engaging in lewd and lascivious acts.

Following his arrest, Detectives obtained a search warrant for Vance’s residence, which resulted in the recovery of over 15 illegally possessed firearms. Vance, a convicted felon, was taken into custody on charges including:

• Arranging a meeting with a minor for lewd purposes
• Contacting a minor for sex
• Prohibited person in possession of a firearm
• Possession of an assault weapon

(and other related charges)

Detectives also confirmed that Vance is a high school football referee.

We are releasing Vance’s photo in order to identify any potential victims. If you have any information or believe you may have had contact with him, please contact the Brentwood Police Department at 925-809-7911. Callers may remain anonymous.

According to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department, the six-foot tall, 230-pound Vance is being held in the West County Detention Facility on no bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for May 5 at 8:30 AM in Superior Court, Martinez.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

 

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Organizers can begin gathering signatures

By Allen D. Payton

The organizers for the effort to recall Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton announced on Friday the Contra Costa Elections office approved their petition. They can now begin gathering signatures following a press conference this Saturday, April 26.

“We are pleased to announce that our recall petition has received approval today, Friday, April 18, 2025. As stated in the email with the official letter we received, we need a total of 72,556 valid signatures. The reviewing body has 60 business days from the filing date to assess the petition and verify that the necessary number of voters have signed it. All completed petitions must be submitted by 5:00 PM on Thursday, September 25, 2025, which is 160 days from the notice date.

“If the petition meets the required standards, the elections official will certify the results to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors upon completing the review. The Board of Supervisors is required to order an election within 14 days following their meeting. Should the Board fail to issue this order within the specified timeframe, the Registrar of Voters will set the election date within 5 days.

“The election will take place no sooner than 88 days and no later than 125 days after the order is issued. However, it may also occur within 180 days of the order if it can be coordinated with a regularly scheduled election.

“The recall organizers have decided to hold a press conference and the first day of signing on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 5 PM. This event will take place at Alexis Gabe’s memorial bench located at 3231 Main St., Oakley, CA, just outside city hall. They believe it is important to celebrate this momentous occasion with the many supporters who have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to sign the petition.

“Please confirm your attendance. For any questions or further information, feel free to contact us via email at recalldianabecton@gmail.com or info@recalldianabecton.org. We look forward to seeing you there.

Sincerely,

The Recall District Attorney Diana Becton Team”

(See related articles here and here)

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