By Pittsburg Police Department
Last night, Friday, Feb. 14, 2020, we received multiple 911 calls of several shots fired near Crestview Drive and Alta Vista Circle. Officers arrived to find a 21-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds. Despite lifesaving efforts by EMS, he did not survive.
We are in the early stages of the investigation and the information is limited.
At this point, it appears the victim was in a park adjacent to Alta Vista Circle when an unidentified suspect approached the victim and fired several shots. The suspect then ran and got into a compact car and drove away.
Our investigators could use the public’s help with any information or security camera video from the area. Anyone with information should please contact our Pittsburg Police Tip-Line at (925) 252-4040
Read MoreBy Concord Police Department
If you were thinking about buying perfume for your special someone this Valentine’s Day, make sure you get to the store before this man and woman! View the surveillance video.
On January 23rd, just before noon the couple shown in this video entered a local beauty store and made a beeline to the fragrance section. There, they selected thirty-three bottles of a variety of perfumes and placed them into a bag. With haste, they left the store failing to pay for the almost $3,500 worth of merchandise!
Although we made light of the case at the beginning of the post, we take these crimes very seriously. We would love to get the suspects identified and make them answer for their crime. So, if you recognize either of them please contact the Concord Police Department’s Financial Crimes Unit at PDInvestigations@cityofconcord.org or you can call our anonymous tip line at (925) 603-5836.
Read MoreDomestic violence related; suspect arrested
By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
On Tuesday, February 11, 2020, at about 3:24 PM, the California Highway Patrol received a call of a rollover vehicle accident in the area of Kirker Pass Road and Hess Road near Concord.
During the initial CHP investigation, it was discovered that the cause of the accident was apparently domestic-related. The Office of the Sheriff responded to the location and started an investigation.
Deputy Sheriffs found the incident involved a woman and a man who were in a previous relationship. The woman was driving a tan colored 2004 Chevy Tahoe SUV with two passengers. The suspect, who was in a white colored 2015 Mercedes Benz, followed behind and later pulled in front of the victim’s car causing her to lose control and flip over an embankment.
The driver of the Chevy Tahoe, who was ejected from the vehicle according to ConFire personnel, was taken to a local hospital and is said to be in critical condition. According to the CHP many vehicles pulled over and passersby turned the vehicle onto its side. One of the other occupants, a young girl, was treated and released from the hospital. The last occupant of the SUV was uninjured.
The driver of the other vehicle was later arrested by Deputy Sheriffs. He is identified as 28-year-old Alejandro Arriaga of Concord. He was later booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on three felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one felony count of child cruelty. Arriaga is being held in lieu of $190,000 bail.
Anyone with any information on this case or who might have witnessed it is asked to contact detectives at (925) 313-2600. Tips could be emailed to: tips@so.cccounty.us or call (866) 846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.
Allen Payton contributed to this report.
Read MoreRecognize African American Mental Health Awareness Week
By Daniel Borsuk
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors took a major step forward in tackling East County’s unyielding homeless problem in approving the acquisition of a 4.79-acre vacant parcel of property on Delta Fair Boulevard in Antioch for a proposed homeless navigation facility.
At their meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 11 County Supervisors voted 4-0 to buy the property adjacent to the county’s Children and Family Services Center in Antioch and Los Medanos College in Pittsburg.
The land runs along the southern line of Delta Fair Boulevard, known as Assessor’s Parcel No. 074-080-034. (See parcel map, above.)
Supervisors agreed to purchase the future site of the homeless navigation center for $1.00 from the City of Antioch. Supervisors approved the land acquisition on a consent action. Supervisor Karen Mitchoff of Pleasant Hill was absent during the meeting.
“This is a real hot item,” commented Supervisor Federal Glover of Pittsburg, who represents District 5 where the proposed Antioch homeless center site is located. “We have tracked this project for a number of years and now we are getting close to seeing shovels in the ground.”
“The county is working collaboratively with the city and state to develop additional resources for individuals and families experiencing homelessness,” said District 3 Supervisor Diane Burgis of Brentwood. “I expect we’ll add significant capacity to Continuum of Care. The conveyance of this parcel provides a lot of flexibility.”
“While this is not a housing development, the plan is to place a CARE center there for people needing shelter,” explained Contra Costa County Homeless Services Director Lavonna Martin. The proposed Antioch center will be modeled after those now available for persons needing housing assistance in Concord and Richmond.
So far Martin is unaware of any public complaints about the proposed homeless navigation center in Antioch because up to now the project’s 2018 award of a $7.9 million in California Homeless Emergency AID Block Grant Fund made it exempt from public review.
As a result, it is presently unknown if there any public opposition to the CARE center at the proposed Delta Fair Boulevard site.
“The city council hasn’t voted on it, yet,” said Antioch City Manager Ron Bernal.
A shelter for women and children had been proposed for the site, in the past. But, that project never materialized due to a lack of funding. This will allow the county to move forward with a project on the same site that will serve the homeless in Antioch and East County
Approve Donation of County Land for Rodeo YMCA
In another consent real estate item, Supervisors approved the donation of an improved parcel of county property at 200 Lake Ave. in Rodeo to the Young Men’s Christian Association of the East Bay.
Since 1990, the county has leased the property the to the YMCA of the East Bay for $100 a month for children’s services. The county has declared the property surplus property and no longer requires the property for county purposes. The property is in need for repairs and is expected to cost the county in excess of $500,000. The board action essentially gets the county off the hook in being responsible for maintaining the property and for making necessary repairs.
CALeVIP Program Gets Green Light
In other business, the supervisors flashed the green light for the Contra Costa County Conservation and Development Department to proceed to work with the Contra Costa Transportation Authority and other partners in the California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project or CALeVIP. CALeVIP is focused on the expansion of electric vehicle infrastructure in the state.
According to state statistics, Contra Costa County currently has 151 charging stations with about 400 EV ports. By the year 2025, some 3,500 EV ports will be needed to meet the increased demand of electric vehicle owners.
Approve Public Protection Committee 2019 Report
On a consent item, supervisors approved 12 crime items that will be focused on by the Public Protection Committee that meets nine times during 2020.
Topics that the Public Protection Committee will study are:
Opportunities to Improve Coordination of Response to Disasters and Other Public Emergencies: Welfare Fraud Investigation and Prosecution; Multi-Language Capability of the Telephone Emergency Notification System; County Support and Coordination of Non-Profit Organizations to Provide Re-entry Services; Implementation of AB 109 Public Safety Realignment and Appointment Recommendations to the Community Corrections Partnership; Inmate Welfare Fund/Telecommunications/Visitation Issues; Racial Justice Task Force Project Review of Juvenile Fees Assessed by the Probation Department; County Law Enforcement Participation and Interaction with Federal Immigration Authorities; Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council; Review of Banning Gun Shows at the County Fairgrounds, Review of Adult Criminal Justice Fees; and Racial Equity Action Plan.
Appoint Discovery Bay Resident to County Planning Commission
Discovery Bay resident Bob Mankin was appointed to complete the unfinished term of Contra Costa County Planning Commissioner Duane Steele, also of Discovery Bay, who had resigned.
Mankin was recommended by Supervisor Burgis to complete former commissioner Steele’s term of office on June 20, 2021.
The commission meets regularly twice a month and pays each of the five appointed commissioners $50 per meeting plus mileage. There is a $300 a month cap stipend per commissioner.
View the complete Board of Supervisors meeting agenda, here.
Read MoreLaunching initiative to implement electronic medical records
While celebrating the 9th Anniversary of serving uninsured residents of Contra Costa County, on Monday, Feb. 10th, RotaCare Pittsburg Free Medical Clinic at St. Vincent de Paul announces a major initiative – to update the clinic’s medical record keeping system. A successful implementation of an electronic medical record system (EMR) will allow the clinic to provide more efficient health care to the uninsured patients served, and more effectively track patients referred for surgical or specialty care. The Free Medical Clinic, located at St. Vincent de Paul’s (SVdP) Family Resource Center, 2210 Gladstone Dr. in Pittsburg, is one of the busiest Rotacare free clinics in the Bay Area, and provides no-questions asked healthcare to Contra Costa County’s most vulnerable, uninsured residents. The program serves adults with no medical insurance, providing exams, pharmaceuticals, lab tests, diagnostics, referrals, nutritional and healthy cooking classes – all at no charge.
The clinic is managed through a joint effort by SVdP and Rotacare Bay Area. Medical services are provided by volunteer doctors, nurses, interpreters, and other medical professionals. It is open every Wednesday from 4-8 PM and on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays from 8-11 AM. Since the clinic’s opening in 2011, over 13,000 patient visits have been provided to residents without insurance. Bi-lingual translation in Spanish is provided.
“What makes the clinic unique is that it is solely for the uninsured,” said longtime Medical Director Dr. Hamid Khonsari, “These are people who have no other place to go for medical care.”
“We are one of the largest Rotacare Clinics in the Bay Area – and the benefits of switching to an EMR system is tremendous. One of the benefits will be the ability to share records with other Rotacare Clinics in the area using the same system, as well as giving us a better insight into our impact on our community,” Khonsari continued, “It really helps us pinpoint what we can improve on.” This information is difficult to access using paper charts.
In response to the needs of the community, the clinic evolved from its original launch as an urgent care clinic. With the continued help of their dedicated team of volunteers, the RotaCare Pittsburg Free Medical Clinic at St. Vincent de Paul added days, added volunteer providers, developed a hypertension clinic, and established asthma and diabetic follow up care. A special grant from Rotary International and local Rotary Clubs has provided funding for a pilot program, The Transitional Care Clinic, which provides intensive, on-going care for a small subset of diabetes & hypertension patients in an effort to impact their health outcomes. Now the clinic is ready to take the next step in their record keeping as well.
Financial support for the free clinic is provided from Kaiser Permanente, Los Medanos Community Healthcare District, Sutter Health, John Muir Health, City of Pittsburg/CDBG, Contra Costa County/CDBG, Keller Canyon Mitigation Fund, area Catholic Churches, local Rotary Clubs, St. Vincent de Paul and many generous individuals.
SVdP’s Family Resource Center in Pittsburg, also provides additional safety-net services. Assistance is also available through SVdP’s 29 branches throughout the county.
To learn more, visit www.svdp-cc.org, or call (925) 439-5060 or send an email to info@svdp-cc.org.
Read MoreThe East Bay Leadership Council is proud to endorse Measure J in Contra Costa County and wanted to share a few reasons why we believe it deserves a YES vote on March 3.
1. All the Money Raised Here Stays Here
That may sound simple, but recent transportation funding initiatives have pooled revenue among all nine Bay Area counties and then divvied it up based on a number of factors. In these situations, the East Bay has not always received an equitable share.
Measure J is a chance to raise $103 million per year for Contra Costa County that is guaranteed to go back into our community to ease bottlenecks, improve transit access, and make roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians.
2. Funding for Bus, Bike, and Pedestrian Improvements
If Contra Costa County is ever going to get off the “worst commutes in the nation” lists, then we must make it easier and more efficient for commuters to opt for alternative transportation options like express buses, protected bike lanes, and pedestrian over-crossings.
These investments will ease congestion on our roads and improve air quality. It is one of the reasons why the East Bay Regional Park District, Save the Bay, Bike East Bay, TransForm, and Save Mount Diablo all joined us in support of Measure J.
Did we mention free and reduced fares for students, seniors, and people with disabilities? That too!
3. Innovate 680
If you were a fly on our office wall, you would hear a lot about innovation opportunities on Interstate 680.
Measure J will prioritize this critical commute corridor by helping to get express buses running on the shoulder of the freeway that could connect BART stations to job centers in the Tri-Valley. Other 680 innovations include smart freeway signs and metering lights, express lane extensions, and self-driving shuttles.
There is so much we can do to make commutes on 680 more efficient and Measure J will help us get there.
4. The Economy
We cannot expect businesses to attract and retain employees while Contra Costa County makes headlines for long and inefficient commutes.
Investing in the transportation system is an investment in helping businesses start, stay, and grow in the region. That means more jobs close to home for Contra Costa residents.
5. Matching Funds Get Projects Done
Money raised at the local level will not be enough to pay for every transportation improvement that Contra Costa County needs. The good news is that there are state and federal funds available to help complete important projects.
The secret to winning that funding is that the state and federal government both prefer to contribute the last dollars for a project, not the first.
By raising funds locally first, Contra Costa County will be able to win more grant funding and make more efficient use of every dollar for decades to come.
To learn more about Measure J and its benefits visit www.friendsofcontracostatransportation.org. To learn more about the East Bay Leadership Council visit www.eastbayleadershipcouncil.com.
Read MoreThe Green New Deal is a proposed package of legislation first introduced in Congress by freshman Member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey. It has aroused support and controversy in equal measures. The legislative proposal is their comprehensive approach to address claims of climate change and has become a central discussion point in the 2020 election. It combines the economic approach of President Roosevelts’ New Deal program and adds renewable energy and resource efficiency. It is being championed by self-described democratic socialist Senator Bernie Sanders, one of the front runners in the Democratic presidential primary race.
The two bills that make up the package are House Resolution 109 and Senate Resolution 59. In the Senate, Markey introduced the bill and it was defeated with no votes in favor and 57 votes against, and 43 Senators voting present in protest to there not being any debate or expert testimony. The House bill has not yet received a vote. However, the House Select Committee on Climate Crisis was created to study the list of proposals contained in the legislation.
But what does it mean for Contra Costa County?
The Sierra Club, one of America’s leading environmental protection organizations, is hosting a Town Hall in Antioch to discuss the plan and how Contra Costa communities will benefit and be impacted.
The event will take place on Friday, February 21st from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm at the Antioch Community Center, 4703 Lone Tree Way, Antioch.
Featured speakers include Dr. Mark Stemen, professor of geography, planning, and civics from California State University, Chico. Stemen is a noted authority and a highly entertaining speaker who is much in demand.
Also speaking will be youth leaders from the Sunrise Movement of Northern California. The Sunrise Movement is at the vanguard of environmental activism, their tactics of organizing have demanded attention from both elected officials and the public.
In addition, Deirdre Des Jardins, principal with California Water Research, will discuss water challenges for the Delta Region. From the Sierra Club, Helen Fitzmaurice will speak about the importance and ways to educate schools and students on climate change. Public officials and candidates have also been invited.
In response to the proposed legislation it was announced on Wednesday, Feb. 12 that a new website was launched to expose the dangers of the Green New Deal by America Rising Squared, which, according to their website, is an organization “dedicated to promoting the principles of freedom, limited government, free enterprise, and a strong national security, and pushing back against big government liberal policies and the special interests that support them.”
The Green New Deal Town Hall in Antioch promises to be a stimulating and exciting discussion of Contra Costa County’s future.
Allen Payton contributed to this report.
Read More
CORRECTION: The original headline was incorrect as the incident occurred in Concord, not Bay Point.
By CHP – Contra Costa
Last night, at approximately 9:15pm, CHP Contra Costa responded to a call of a pedestrian down in the roadway at the Port Chicago Highway on-ramp to Hwy-4 eastbound. Upon CHP and emergency personnel arrival, an 18-year-old male from Concord was located with major injuries and then transported to John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek. No vehicle or responsible party was located at the scene.
This incident is still under investigation and requires follow up investigation as well. The 18-year-old pedestrian transported to the hospital is listed as life-threatening critical condition. At this time CHP has located a party and vehicle of interest regarding this incident and is still gathering information.
That is all the information we to offer at this time as it requires follow up investigation. If anyone has information regarding this collision, the events leading up to it, or witnessed it, please call CHP in Martinez at 925-646-4980. Thank you.
Read MoreTwo from Richmond, one from Oakland, one from Hayward
By Brentwood Police Department
On Monday, February 10, 2020 at 11:45 AM, officers were dispatched to Ulta Beauty Supply,in the Streets of Brentwood Shopping Center, to investigate a theft. Keilaysha Usher (24-year-old female from Oakland) Talmika Bates (24-year-old female from Hayward) and Ramiah Armstrong (22-year-old female from Richmond) left the store with about $10,000 worth of merchandise and fled in a Nissan Murano toward Lone Tree Way.
A responding Brentwood Police Officer located the vehicle at the intersection of Shady Willow Lane and Lone Tree Way and attempted a traffic enforcement stop. The driver of the Nissan collided with the patrol car and fled. The vehicle was located in a field at the north end of Slatten Ranch Road where the occupants fled on foot into a nearby neighborhood. A perimeter was set up by Brentwood, Antioch and Oakley Police units until all three females were located and taken into custody.
An additional subject, Adrian Benton, Jr. (21-year-old male from Richmond) appeared in the area to pick up the females and help them flee the area. He was also taken into custody without incident.
All four subjects are being booked into Martinez Detention Facility.
This case is currently under investigation. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to call Brentwood PD dispatch at 925-809-7911.
Read MoreBy Richmond Police Department
On Friday, Feb. 7, 2020 at 5:00 pm, Richmond Police officers responded to a hit and run collision in the 2200 block of Coalinga Avenue. A 4-year-old child was struck and killed in the collision.
RPD turned to social media, our community members, and local media outlets to request their assistance in locating the suspect vehicle.
Our community partners answered our request and assisted in sharing our request tens of thousands of times on social media platforms. Local media outlets assisted by providing extensive news coverage. All of these things combined to assist us in identifying the driver and suspect vehicle.
Saturday at 7:00 pm, RPD Traffic Investigators arrested the suspect for this hit and run. On Sunday, Feb. 9, the suspect and suspect vehicle were located and are in police custody. The suspect was booked on charges of hit and run resulting in death.
RPD is grateful for the outpouring of support from our community in helping us bring this driver to justice. Thank you from RPD and from the victim’s family for helping them achieve some closure.
**Spanish Translation**
***SOSPECHOSO ARRESTADO EN COLISION QUE REAULTO EN MUERTE***
El Viernes, 7 de Febrero, a las 5:00 PM, Oficiales de la Policia de Richmond respondieron al bloque 2200 de la Avenida Coalinga en una investigación donde un vehicúlo atropello y mato a un niño de 4 años de edad.
La Policia de Richmond solicito la ayuda de nuestros miembros de la comunidad, usando redes sociales y noticias locales para encontrar el vehicúlo del sospechoso.
Nuestros miembros de la comunidad nos ayudaron con compartir este incidente miles de veces en redes sociales. Noticias locales asistieron con reportar una amplia cobertura de noticias sobre el incidente.
Todas estas cosas combinadas nos asistieron en identificar al sospechoso y el vehicúlo.
El Sabodo a las 7:00, Investigadores de tráfico arrestaron al sospechoso. El sospechoso fue transladado a la carcel con cargos de huir la escena de colision que resulto en murte.
La Policia de Richmond esta agradecido por el soporte de la comunidad por ayudarnos el traer el sospechoso ante la justicia.
Gracias de parte de la Policia de Richmond y de la familia de la victima en lograr un poco de cierre en este caso.
Read More