Mondo Live Music has become a huge part of our Campos Family Vineyards Family and he definitely will be missed! Join us on January 17th as we give Mondo Mariscal a Campos Family Vineyard Farewell.
Get tickets here: Farewell to MONDO – Wine Down Friday
A portion of ticket sales proceeds will be donated to Mondo to bless his family in the move.
Campos Family Vineyards is located at 3501 Byer Road in Byron, CA. For more information visit www.camposfamilyvineyards.com or call (925) 308-7963.
Read MoreToday, Representatives Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11) and Mike Thompson (CA-05) announced that they will host a town hall meeting to discuss the impeachment inquiry into President Trump at Alhambra High School in Martinez on Thursday, January 23rd.
This will be Congressman DeSaulnier’s 102nd town hall and mobile district office hour since coming to Congress. During the town hall, Representatives DeSaulnier and Thompson will be joined by a panel of constitutional scholars to answer questions about the ongoing impeachment process.
Impeachment Town Hall with Congressman Mike Thompson
Thursday, January 23, 2019
6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Alhambra High School
Performing Arts Building
150 E Street
Martinez, CA 94553
Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
This event is open to the public, press, and photographers.
To confirm your attendance, please RSVP online at https://desaulnier.house.gov/town-hall-rsvp or call (925) 933-2660. To request ADA accommodations or for more information, contact one of Congressman DeSaulnier’s offices in either Walnut Creek or Richmond.
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Begin process of possibly changing office to appointed instead of elected post
By Daniel Borsuk
The list of candidates for the County Recorder/Clerk-Registrar of Voters’ position was whittled down from 22 to six candidates at a special meeting of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
The six semi-finalists will undergo thorough interviews at the supervisors’ next meeting scheduled for February 4th when a potential finalist could be unveiled.
Still in the running is former Republican Assemblywoman Catharine Baker, who resides in Alameda County but 1.5 miles from the Contra Costa County line and attracted a major political lobbying effort with at least 10 supporters speaking on her behalf, citing her two terms of office as a State Assembly member and her service in the Dublin-San Ramon and LaMorinda communities.
According to Supervisor Candace Andersen’s Chief of Staff, Gayle Israel, Baker has already informed the supervisors that she has secured an apartment in Walnut Creek to meet the Feb. 4 deadline when the supervisors are expected to announce a finalist for the county clerk post. Baker had informed the supervisors about the Walnut Creek apartment at the supervisors’ Jan. 7 meeting.
One Baker backer, Cindy Chin, said the supervisors should appoint Baker to fill former County Clerk/Recorder Joseph Canciamilla’s term of office that expires in 2021.
“You need to take the money and politics out of this position. Catharine Baker would bring integrity to the office,” Chin said.
Supervisor Karen Mitchoff of Pleasant Hill made the semi-finalist list, even though she was not in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting.
Acting County Recorder-Clerk Kristin Connelly, who has been on the staff at the county office of clerk-recorder since 1990, got the nod to proceed in the supervisors’ deliberations on February 4.
A finalist could possibly be announced at the supervisors February 4 meeting.
Kristin Connelly, who is president and chief executive officer of the East Bay Leadership Council and executive director of the Contra Costa Economic Partnership, will interview for the top County Election Officer post that pays an annual salary of $350,000.
Current County Assistant Registrar of Voters Scott Kanopasek of Walnut Creek will move forward in the selection process on February 4.
Mark Friedman, who has served on the El Cerrito City Council for more than 11 years and works for a Fremont-based consulting firm, also made the cut to be interviewed.
Supervisors instructed deputy county counsel Mary Ann Mason to prepare a report on what options are available to transform the County Recorder-Clerk and Registrar of Voters from an elected position to an appointed position.
During the meeting, League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley President Susan Rena suggested that supervisors study the feasibility of changing the position that pays a salary of $350,000 a year from an elected position to an appointed position.
“The board of supervisors has the authority to convert the office from an elected to appointed office,” Mason said. Supervisors would have to place a proposition on the ballot to get voter approval to make the change.
Supervisors plan to fill the vacant Recorder-Clerk/Registrar of Voters’ post since former office holder Joseph Canciamilla resigned from the post on October 30. It was eventually revealed Canciamilla resigned after he was cited by California Fair Political Practices Commission auditors that he had misused $130,529 in campaign funds for personal purposes, including renovations to a Hawaiian home.
In late November, the California Fair Political Practices Commission fined the former state assembly member and former county supervisor $150,000. The Pittsburg native still faces potential criminal charges and pension forfeiture.
Other applicants for the County Clerk-Recorder post who did not make the cut were: Karen Basting of Walnut Creek, Paul Burgarino of Antioch the Community Education and Engagement Specialist for the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder-Elections Department, Martin Dunlop of Martinez, Herman Farmer of Bay Point, Richard Hernandez of Martinez, Concord Council Member Laura Hoffmeister, Hakam Ibrahim of Walnut Creek, Debra McKillop of Martinez, Elliot Meltzer of Martinez, Tina Norton of Oakley, Courtney O’Brien of Martinez, Scott Rafferty of Walnut Creek, Martinez Vice Mayor Mark Ross, Dedra Siguenza of Martinez, Antioch City Clerk Arne Simonsen, and Walnut Creek Council Member Justin Wedel.
Read MoreBy Argentina Dávila-Luévano, Immediate Past Lt. Gov, Division 26
The Kiwanis Club of Brentwood has a new, dynamic and superb leader in President Alan Iannaccone. Alan represents the future of Kiwanis to bring invigorating and energetic Professionalism into its member ranks.
He was installed for the 2020 year during a ceremony on Friday, January 10 and received special recognition from U.S. Congressman Jerry McNerney and State Assembly Member Jim Frazier.
Alan works as a Station Design Engineer and earned a bachelor degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Portland, Oregon. Alan attended Holy Rosary Catholic School in Antioch and De La Salle High School. Among his many achievements, Alan was head coach of Springwood Swim Club and enjoys his hobbies in Golf, Hiking, and Water Polo. Alan brings ten years of community service to the Club.
He is the son of Brentwood chiropractor Dr. Alan and Elizabeth Iannacone of Brentwood and grandson of Monte and Lucia Albers, also of Brentwood.
Alan is already planning our Kiwanis Brentwood Club’s first Golf Tournament and Restaurant Tour. Come and Join us in welcoming Alan Iannaccone as the new president of the Kiwanis Club of Brentwood.
Our club meets once a month on the second Tuesday of the month from 6:30-8:00 p.m at Jalisco Restaurant in Brentwood.
Kiwanis International is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time.
Kiwanis is for men and women who want personal involvement in the leadership and improvement of their communities.
Our club is a snapshot of the community and made up of individuals who are unified in their belief that children and their community’s benefit from the efforts of a proficient group of caring and involved people.
Read MoreAntioch Police Officers assisted
By Pittsburg PD
Early Friday morning, graveyard Officers were dispatched to the report of shots fired in the area of Gladstone Drive at Loveridge Road. Officers were circulating the area when a witness pointed out a vehicle that was traveling at a high rate of speed through the neighborhood and was related. Officers attempted to initiate a traffic enforcement stop, at which time the vehicle fled from Officers and a pursuit ensued. The pursuit continued into the city of Antioch where the vehicle collided into the curb and flipped over.
Both suspects (see photo) fled on foot but were subsequently taken into custody after a brief search. A search of the vehicle was conducted, and several shell casings and live rounds were located. Both suspects were placed under arrest for several charges. Thank you @antiochpdca for the assist!
Read MoreWill be unarmed and given de-escalation and anti-bias training
BART will launch an ambassador program next month to increase the presence of uniformed personnel on trains to address customers’ concerns about safety and security. The BART Board voted unanimously today to move forward with a six-month pilot program that’s targeted to begin February 10th.
The ten ambassadors will be recruited from the ranks of the BART Police Department’s Community Service Officers, non-sworn personnel who perform a variety of police services including writing parking tickets. The ambassadors will receive additional de-escalation and anti-bias training. The effort is in addition to the team of 12 officers to begin patrolling the trains on Monday, Jan. 13. (See related article).
“This team will be police employees and trained to provide a sense of safety and security for our riders on-board trains and deter crime,” said Interim Police Chief Ed Alvarez. “I worked closely with our Board members, the General Manager, and police unions to develop a program that is responsive to our riders and is able to launch seamlessly, safely, and quickly.”
The ambassadors will walk trains in teams of two, seven-days-a-week from 2 pm to midnight, with extra coverage on Saturdays. They will focus their patrols on the most heavily travelled section of the system, the transbay corridor between 12th St. Oakland and Civic Center stations. During crowded evening commute hours, they will increase their coverage areas to other sections of the system such as Coliseum to Union City and Walnut Creek to Pittsburg/Bay Point.
“Our ambassadors will serve as extra eyes and ears on-board trains,” said BART Board President Lateefah Simon. “It’s a promising, first-of-its kind program at BART that will provide a welcoming presence focused on customer service and curbing inappropriate behavior.”
The ambassadors will wear easily-identifiable uniforms distinct from those of Community Service Officers or Fare Inspectors. They will be equipped with radios to report safety and security concerns or biohazards. The ambassadors will also be trained to respond to customers’ questions, complaints or requests for service. They will observe and report and call upon an officer when enforcement is needed.
“I am pleased existing Community Service Officers who are vetted, hired, trained and supervised by sworn police officers will be on trains on nights and weekends,” said BART Director Debora Allen. “I’ve been urging BART to add additional layers of security on board trains since I was elected to the board, and our vote today is a step in the right direction.”
The Board voted to fund the six-month pilot at a cost of $690,000 as well as an additional $810,000 to expand the paid area at Coliseum Station and enclose the elevator, using a new swing-style prototype faregate, into the paid area to prevent fare evasion.
Allen Payton contributed to this report.
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BART’s General Manager Bob Powers announced today the hiring of Ed Alvarez as Chief of Police and tasked the new chief with immediate changes to increase officer presence on board trains and other strategies to reduce crime on the system and improve the rider experience.
Alvarez is a 22-year veteran of the BART Police Department, an East Bay native, and has spent his entire law enforcement career moving up the ranks within BART Police. He was serving as Interim Chief of Police and was previously the Deputy Chief in charge of the Support Services Bureau. The selection is the result of a nationwide search process involving BART’s Police Citizen Review Board and Independent Police Auditor.
“Alvarez knows the system and has a vision for safety that includes short-term and long-term strategies to grow the department into a fully staffed, progressive agency serving diverse communities,” said General Manager Bob Powers. “We must do more to ensure all riders feel safe and to prevent crime on BART. Ed Alvarez brings the internal knowledge coupled with the creative thinking to better serve our riders, support our officers, and increase accountability without delay.”
The appointment is effective immediately and Alvarez is swiftly putting into place new deployment strategies responding to concerns voiced by riders in Customer Satisfaction surveys and the General Manager’s Listening Tour. Changes include:
- Beginning Monday, a newly created team of 12 sworn police officers will be dedicated to riding trains in pairs and walking platforms on nights and weekends. This team will supplement the newly approved ambassador program which Alvarez was instrumental in creating and begins February 10, utilizing unarmed non-sworn police staff to prevent and de-escalate problems on board trains. Coupled together, both programs offer 22 police staff dedicated to riding trains, representing a new shift in the deployment strategies of the police department.
- Immediate evaluation of patrol staffing to determine the feasibility for the creation of newly assigned fixed post assignments at key stations such as Coliseum, where data shows a high volume of calls for service. The assigned fixed post officer would be responsible for the safety and security of a specific station, opposed to current roving patrols. The fixed post assignments will create greater station ownership and on-going community engagement. The evaluation will include how to improve response times, reduce crime, and increase presence.
- Increased visibility and engagement with riders to prevent cell phone snatching, especially between Balboa Park and Powell stations where there has been an uptick in the number of juveniles snatching phones, running to make a quick escape, and selling them along Market Street for cash. In 2019 59% of violent crimes at BART were attributed to electronic thefts. If we are successful in stopping cellphone thefts, the violent crime rate at BART will dramatically drop. 2019 BART crime stats show crime is up 11% with violent crime up 4% compared to 2018.
“I am excited for the opportunity to move the department forward and improve the relationship with our riders and our employees as we work together to make BART the safest transit system in the country,” said Alvarez. “Our officers take great pride in protecting and securing our busy system, they are skilled and committed, and I will do everything I can to support their efforts.”
As Interim Chief of Police, he oversaw the record-breaking acceleration of hiring, outpacing attrition to increase the number of officers available for patrol; the on-going process and commitment to BPD’s prestigious accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA); the improvement of surveillance video recovery time; and the roll out and life-saving deployment of Narcan.
As a BART detective, he investigated, arrested, and helped get the conviction of a human trafficker that targeted a young juvenile. As a sergeant he’s credited with starting the Critical Asset Patrol team that provides additional uniformed presence within the stations and on trains in the core of the BART system which includes the downtown San Francisco and downtown Oakland stations.
Alvarez is a first generation Mexican-American, fluent in Spanish, and grew up in Newark riding BART to A’s games and into San Francisco. He understands the needs of the riders and the complexities involved with transit policing. It is Chief Alvarez’s goal to improve engagement between BART police and the public through increased outreach and accessibility.
Read MoreOn January 13th from 7:00-8:00 pm, we will talk with authors about the experiences and inspirations that shaped their literary works. Authors Steven Burchik, Bill Nelson, Jerry Whiting, Shauna Springer, and Jason Roncoroni will discuss their work, and take live call in questions.
The Veterans’ Voices monthly program can be seen live online on the County’s website and Facebook @Veteransvoices1. The show will broadcast live and re-run multiple times on Contra Costa Television (CCTV) at www.contracostatv.org. CCTV can be found on Comcast Channel 27, Wave Channel 32, and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 throughout Contra Costa County.
Viewers can share their own experiences or ask a question by calling into the program at (925) 313-1170, Facebook @Veteransvoices 1 or email veteransvoices@contracostatv.org.
For more information about the program, show topic or to arrange interviews, including many Veterans who volunteer to work on this locally produced talk show for Veterans, contact County Veterans Service Officer, Nathan Johnson, at nathan@vs.cccounty.us or (925) 313-1481. To view previous shows watch here, www.contracosta.ca.gov/5163/Veterans-Voices.
Our intention is to explore the process that turns military stories and experiences into published works, and perhaps inspire other Veterans to find a voice through writing. We want to invite you onto the show to be a participant in this conversation.
Read MoreBy Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office has filed five counts of first degree burglary against 57-year-old James Lipston and 25-year-old Devaughn Cooper both of Clayton. This comes after Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff detectives presented the case this morning.
The Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation after detectives were able to connect a recent burglary in Orinda to an attempted burglary in Alamo. The Investigation Division, along with the specialized patrol unit J-Team, were able to identify Lipston and Cooper as the suspects, as well as the vehicle they were using. They were linked to at least six residential burglaries in Alamo and Orinda.
On Tuesday, January 7, 2020, detectives began surveillance of the suspects. On Wednesday, January 8, 2020, at about 1145 AM, detectives arrested them in the area of Kaitlin Place and Court Lane in Concord. Lipston and Cooper were arrested as they exited a residence with stolen property.
Both were booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on charges of residential burglary. Cooper is being held in lieu of $250,000 bail. Lipston, who is on parole, is being held without bail.
Detectives later executed a search warrant at the suspects’ residence in Clayton. During the search of their vehicles and residence, a large amount of stolen property was recovered, in addition to a significant amount of narcotics. Detectives believe Lipston and Cooper may be responsible for numerous other burglaries. The Sheriff’s Office is now in the process of attempting to return the stolen property to the rightful owners.
Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact the Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. Tips could be email to: tips@so.ccounty.us. Anonymous voice messages could be left at (866) 846-3592.
Read MoreRuth Virginia Ferrell will be celebrating her 100th birthday with family, this Saturday.
Born January 12, 1920 in Memphis, Tennessee, she came to California in 1948, and lives with her grandson and family in Concord.
Ruth is blessed with three children, several grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren.
She’s doing very well and is very spry for her age.
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