By CHP – Contra Costa
Friday evening, May 8, 2020 at approximately 9:20 pm, Contra Costa CHP was advised of a vehicle collision vs. a pedestrian on HWY 4 westbound, east of Laurel Road. Upon emergency personnel and CHP arrival, a 29-year-old male pedestrian from Pinole, had been struck by a vehicle and was lying in the roadway. He was pronounced deceased at the scene by emergency personnel. The driver of the Nissan sedan that hit the pedestrian suffered major injuries and she was transported to the hospital. The Contra Costa County Sheriff Coroner’s Office will be handling the release of identify of the deceased male pedestrian.
In the initial investigation, the 23-year-old female driver from Bethel Island was traveling westbound on HWY 4 in a 2012 Nissan Versa, east of Laurel road. For unknown reasons, the male pedestrian was in the roadway and directly in the path of the approaching Nissan. The driver of the Nissan was unable to avoid the pedestrian and collided into him, causing fatal injuries. The driver suffered non-life-threatening but major injuries and was transported to John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek. Her two passengers in the Nissan were not injured.
This incident is still under investigation. If anyone witnessed this collision or the events leading up to it, please contact Contra Costa CHP in Martinez at (925) 646-4980. Thank you.
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Contra Costa County Health Officer Dr. Christ Farnitano speaks during a press conference on Friday, March 20, 2020. Screenshot of YouTube video. Herald file photo.
Continuing to coordinate with other Bay Area counties to determine when more loosening will occur; “Contra Costa is not an island” – Dr. Chris Farnitano
By Allen Payton
In light of Governor Newsom’s recent loosening of the rules on some businesses, including allowing florists to reopen as of today, Friday, May 8, 2020, Contra Costa Health Officer Dr. Chris Farnitano was asked several questions about what appears to be a positive trend and therefore why he’s not following the state’s lead.
The number of cases of those with COVID-19 in hospitals in the county peaked around April 14 at 47 and has continued to drop to just 16 as of today. Other statistics on the Contra Costa Health Services Coronavirus Dashboard also show decreases in almost all of the statistics tracked. The only statistic that continues to increase is the number of new cases, which is currently at 1,015. But, the dashboard doesn’t currently show how many of the 1,017 people who have tested positive in our county have recovered. The total number of deaths is currently at 29 and hasn’t increased since Monday, May 4.
Q: How many have recovered? When will we see that statistic on the Contra Costa Health website?
Dr. Farnitano: We’re waiting for the state and the CDC for a definition. Most people recover within 14 days. So, we’re working on a definition that if It’s been 14 days, you’re not in the hospital, and not dead, you’ve recovered. The data team that works on the website, we’re hoping to next week have that statistic on the website. Marin County is using something similar to that.
Q: With the continued reduction in numbers of those with the virus in the hospital in our county, do you see we are heading in the right direction?
Dr. Farnitano: We are definitely heading in the right direction. It’s both decreasing hospital numbers and decreasing the number of new cases. That gave us confidence in allowing all construction and all outdoor and most outdoor recreation, this past Monday. It takes two or three weeks to see after things are loosened up if cases don’t start to increase, again. So, there’s a little bit of a lag. We really haven’t seen the effects of the health order change on May 3rd.”
Q: Asked specifically about why he wouldn’t allow florists to reopen in time for Mother’s Day and what’s the difference if they use curbside delivery and everyone’s wearing their masks, he responded, “grocery stores are essential businesses, but florists are not. Essential businesses are allowed to sell non-essential items.”
Q: Why can’t you follow the lead of the governor?
Dr. Farnitano: We’re trying to work together (with the other Bay Area counties). Contra Costa is not an island and there’s lots of travel for work and shopping with Alameda County. What’s happening in Alameda County and San Francisco affects Contra Costa. The other counties’ statistics aren’t as good as Contra Costa County’s.
Q: If things are looking good in the next few weeks is it possible the shelter in place order can end on May 31st?
Dr. Farnitano: If we keep trending in the right way we can have more loosening.
Q: Asked if he’s been adding new criteria and raising the bar or just being more specific about what was already in place?
Dr. Farnitano: Some of it’s being more specific. There’s got to be a lot of social distancing requirements to open back up the economy. Wearing masks and social distancing are going to be in place for quite a long time, in order to open back up shopping and dining.
Q: What about churches opening for services, again?
Dr. Farnitano: The state has more details for their phases. In-person church gatherings and other public gatherings, they have in their Phase Three. A local order can’t allow anything looser than the state.
Q: On a more personal note, did you ever think you would have to use your authority to deal with something other than a temporary shelter in place order for something such as a chemical release?
Dr. Farnitano: I actually became a deputy health officer about five years ago. One of the health officers at that time who trained me told me, “there are tremendous powers in the health officer. Try not to use them and use them very wisely.” One of the main purposes of the statutory authority is for outbreaks and diseases. This is such an overwhelming event that it’s much more than I did really ever sort of plan for or expect. Ever since the H1N1 we’ve had these pandemic outbreak plans and that these social distancing tools would be one of the most effective tools. We didn’t expect this to go on so long. Farnitano has also been personally affected by the shelter-in-place order, as he had to watch his middle son get married in Georgia via Facebook Live, last week.
“When Chris makes decisions that affect us, it weighs heavy on him,” shared Kim McCarl, Contra Costa Health Communications Officer.
With the increase in tests at eight different drive-up or walk-up sites, for anyone in the county who wants one, regardless if they are experiencing symptoms of the virus, “that will help us get the economy open quicker,” she said. (See related article).
For more statistical details about COVID-19 in Contra Costa County visit https://www.coronavirus.cchealth.org/.
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Smith Canyon’s oak woodlands. Photo by Scott Hein.
By Laura Kindsvater, Communications Manager, Save Mt. Diablo
Save Mount Diablo (SMD) has successfully closed escrow and become the proud new owner of the beautiful and strategic 28.73-acre Smith Canyon, east of Clayton. It could eventually be a recreational gateway to Curry Canyon and Mount Diablo State Park from Morgan Territory Road. It is one of several properties Save Mount Diablo is raising funds to protect with the final $2 million in fundraising of its $15 million Forever Wild Capital Campaign. (See related article).
Protection of 28.73-acre Smith Canyon provides legal and practical access from a public road to Save Mount Diablo’s conserved 1,080.53-acre Curry Canyon Ranch. Narrow Curry Canyon and Curry Canyon Road have been contemplated as an eastside entrance to Mount Diablo for more than 110 years, but complicated legal access issues have made public access difficult. Smith Canyon provides a second, alternate access route into Curry Canyon with clear legal access rights.
“The Smith Canyon property is an incredible recreational gateway to the magical Curry Canyon on the east side of Mount Diablo,” said Ted Clement, SMD’s Executive Director. “But what also strikes me about the property is that it has great potential as a beautiful stand-alone preserve by itself.
“You can imagine groups of school children experiencing it, working with volunteers to replant trees to restore former building pads, taking care of the land together, and hiking its trails up to the stunning view spots where they can sit to appreciate and connect with nature. I didn’t expect the beautiful vistas of North Peak and Mount Diablo that we discovered on the high points of the land.”
“How often do you get to save an entire canyon,” said Seth Adams, SMD’s Land Conservation Director. “Smith Canyon is lovely. It’s one main lushly wooded stream canyon with several smaller drainages rising to ridges on either side and toward a small peak on our neighboring Curry Canyon Ranch.
“Despite limited rain this spring, it’s bright green and wildflowers are appearing everywhere. There were several approved subdivisions on the property that luckily never took place, but the large building pads show how threatened it has been. Its purchase is another piece in our Curry Canyon puzzle and ends that threat forever.”
In addition to its value for recreational and other access, Smith Canyon is important from a conservation perspective. The land has blue oak woodlands, grasslands, and a live oak-bay riparian corridor. California red-legged frog and Alameda whipsnake are special status species likely to be present on the property. Further, the land is contiguous with Save Mount Diablo’s conserved Curry Canyon Ranch, so its protection adds to the important corridor of conserved lands in the Mount Diablo area, which is critical for wildlife and water resources. The land also affords beautiful scenic vistas to passersby on the public Morgan Territory Road.
View of Mount Diablo’s peaks from Smith Canyon. Photo by Scott Hein.
Further, the oak woodland, oak savanna, and grasslands on the property serve as a carbon sink. In August 2019, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a new report, Climate Change and Land, that focused on how land is under increased pressure from humans and climate change but also noted land is a critical part of the solution to climate change. Land conservation mitigates against climate change in lasting ways. For example, forests and other undeveloped lands absorb greenhouse gases, thereby acting as carbon sinks, keeping those gases out of the atmosphere.
“We’re looking for angels,” said Karen Ferriere, SMD’s Development Director, about the need to raise the $650,000 purchase price and replenish the acquisition funds that were used to cover the real estate closing, “and talking to everyone we can.”
The money that Save Mount Diablo is raising for this acquisition project is part of the organization’s Forever Wild Capital Campaign. This campaign has an ambitious $15 million goal to help Save Mount Diablo expedite its land acquisition efforts while also giving the organization the resources to steward and defend its conserved lands in perpetuity. To date, just over $13 million has been raised against the $15 million goal. These funds have enabled Save Mount Diablo to do strategic land acquisition projects, like its Curry Canyon Ranch and North Peak Ranch projects, while also building a sizable permanent Stewardship Endowment Fund for the ongoing care of the organization’s protected lands.
As part of the Forever Wild Capital Campaign, Save Mount Diablo also recently signed an option agreement that gave the organization two years to raise a little over $1.04 million to purchase a perpetual conservation easement on about 154 critical open space acres on the northeast slopes of Mount Diablo, a mile-wide property owned by the Concord Mt. Diablo Trail Association.
Map of the Smith Canyon acquisition and Concord Mt. Diablo Trail Ride Association planned conservation easement showing their adjacency to other protected lands as well as lands still potentially threatened with development. Map by Save Mt. Diablo.
History
Curry Canyon became well-known to generations of East Bay residents visiting the Curry Creek Park picnic area, which operated from 1925 to 1979, and then to the present day as a small trailer park. Sylvester Olofson, his wife Louise, and his brother Albert Olofson bought 1,430 acres on Curry Canyon in 1895; ran cattle; and in 1925, opened Curry Creek Park. Over time Curry Canyon was divided between the two brothers’ heirs. After World War II, Curry Creek Park and neighboring Wright Canyon were owned and operated by Sylvester and Louise Olofson’s grandson, Martin Wright, and his wife, Dorothy. The larger part of the property was a cattle ranch run by Albert’s sons Raymond and Robert Olofson.
In 1961 Ettore and Geraldine Bertagnolli bought most of the Olofson cattle ranch and renamed it Curry Creek Ranch, but it included limited access for anything but ranching. Ettore Bertagnolli soon started proposing small subdivisions, but he was blocked by the Wrights’ ownership of the road lower in the canyon. In 1968 he subdivided Smith Canyon off his property but retained a 60’ road easement, to be located and constructed later. He used that “paper road” to complete several subdivisions in the canyon.
Albert and Bouwina Reyenga bought Smith Canyon in 1968 and proposed a four-unit subdivision there. Roads and large building pads were graded but without professional engineering.
The subdivision was approved in 1970, but subject to various improvements including engineering improvements to the roads and pads, and paving of the access easement to the Bertagnollis’ Curry Creek Ranch. The improvements were never completed, and the approval lapsed.
The same subdivision was proposed again by the Reyengas in 1992, but building regulations had become more stringent. For the first time Save Mount Diablo was involved, requesting that a public access into Curry Canyon be reserved.
The second subdivision wasn’t completed, once again because of the cost of the roads and other building improvements. In 2000 the Reyengas sold the property to the current owners, E & B Farms, who faced similar constraints including the access easement into Curry Canyon.
In 2013 Save Mount Diablo bought the 1,080-acre Bertagnolli property and renamed it Curry Canyon Ranch. The purchase included the partly improved and unrestricted access easement up Smith Canyon. Purchase of Smith Canyon has eliminated the threat of houses and further subdivision and avoided potential conflicts with access and recreational use.
Save Mount Diablo
Save Mount Diablo is a nationally accredited, nonprofit land trust founded in 1971 with a mission to preserve Mount Diablo’s peaks, surrounding foothills, and watersheds through land acquisition and preservation strategies designed to protect the mountain’s natural beauty, biological diversity, and historic and agricultural heritage; enhance our area’s quality of life; and provide recreational opportunities consistent with the protection of natural resources. Learn more at www.savemountdiablo.org.
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After more than 55 years since it was founded in 1964, Pleasant Hill’s JFK University will be closing its doors, this year due to the changes in higher education to more online learning.
In a letter issued on April 30 JFKU’s Acting President Dr. Thomas Stewart and Board Chair Michael McGill wrote:
“Dear East Bay Community
After careful consideration, the John F. Kennedy Board of Trustees has determined that the best course of action for our programs, students, and our service to the East Bay Community is to transfer almost all of its programs to other universities within the National University System (NUS) beginning in July and close the university by December 31, 2020.
This decision to close the university was difficult as JFKU has been an integral part of the East Bay community for over half a century and many of our 45,000 plus alumni still work here. However, the higher education landscape in our country is changing. More and more students, particularly the adult learners that we serve, seek flexible and affordable online educational opportunities that allows them to learn wherever and whenever they want to fit their busy schedules. We all are being challenged to adapt to meet those needs.
The majority of JFKU’s programs will be adopted by National University or Northcentral University. Specifically:
- JFKU’s graduate psychology programs will be integrated as degree offerings at National University.
- The JFKU College of Law—including the JD, BA and Paralegal Certificate Programs—will move to Northcentral University and carry on its name as the JFK School of Law at NCU.
- JFKU’s undergraduate programs in psychology and management, currently offered through FlexCourse, will be continued and adopted by NCU.
Most programs will now be offered online and will continue to be available to students in the East Bay area. The transfer of programs is part of broader vision and reorganization of NUS to create a more cohesive system that offers efficient pathway for working adults to complete high‐quality, low‐cost degrees.
We will be focusing all our resources on helping current students complete their degrees over the coming months. Many of our students will join the JFKU alumni community who continue to spread the ideals and values of JFKU. The university’s legacy lives on in them.
John F. Kennedy University thanks its entire community of organizational partners that have welcomed and supported our students. We also thank our community of faculty, staff, students and alumni for the privilege of being part of an institution that continues to live on through our programs, and through the impacts of our alumni in the communities they serve.
If you have further questions regarding this transition, please do not hesitate to reach out to Solomon Belette at sbelette@jfku.edu.”
Sincerely,
Dr. Thomas Stewart, Acting President
Michael McGill, Board Chair
John F. Kennedy University John F. Kennedy University
Read MoreContra Costa is first county in Bay Area to offer testing to anyone even if they don’t have symptoms
Contra Costa County will now offer an appointment for COVID-19 testing to any resident who believes they need one, regardless of insurance, ability to pay or whether they have symptoms or not.
Residents can make an appointment to visit one of eight sites throughout the county. The county is operating five drive-through testing sites while the state provides walk-up testing locations at three additional locations. Testing is available by appointment only. Call 1-844-421-0804 from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily for an appointment at any Contra Costa site.
The increased access to community testing will help Contra Costa County reach its goal for easing social restrictions in the current shelter-in-place order, which lasts through May. Previously, tests were only offered for patients with symptoms of illness.
“We need to test many more county residents to get a better sense of how widespread COVID-19 is in our community, and to help prevent its spread,” said Candace Andersen, chair of the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors. “Testing will also give us a better idea of when we can relax the current health orders.”
Between 300 and 400 patients are tested daily in the county. Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) hopes to test about five times as many people.
All CCHS-run sites offer drive-through testing by appointment only. These sites are located in Antioch, Concord, Martinez, Pittsburg, San Pablo and San Ramon. Patients must visit these sites in their vehicles, as testing is done in the car.
Three new state-run sites also opened on Wednesday in Brentwood, Pinole and Walnut Creek, accepting walk-in patients by appointment only.
Appointments can be made by calling 1-844-421-0804. For appointments at county-run sites, a screener will take the information necessary to begin the process. Callers will then get a call back from a health professional during which an appointment will be scheduled.
There is no up-front cost for testing. County residents do not need medical insurance to get tested. However, if you have health insurance, your insurance will be billed.
While you don’t need symptoms to get tested, symptoms that may warrant a test include cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, fatigue, muscle ache, sore throat, headache, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, recent loss of taste or smell, or confusion, particularly in older adults.
Visit coronavirus.cchealth.org/testing for details about community testing, including site locations.
Read MoreBy Timothy Leong, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa Community College District
Vice President Mary Gutierrez.Photo by Emma Hall, Assistant Editor, The Inquirer.
The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program today announced that Dr. Mary Gutierrez, Vice President of Instruction at Diablo Valley College (DVC), is one of 40 leaders selected for the 2020-21 class of the Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship. This highly respected national leadership program prepares the next generation of community college presidents to transform institutions to achieve higher and more equitable levels of student success.
Gutierrez became vice president of the college in 2018 and has over 36 years of experience in education, according to The Inquirer, DVC’s student newspaper.
The Rising Presidents Fellows will embark on a 10-month fellowship beginning in July 2020. Delivered in collaboration with the Stanford Educational Leadership Initiative, the fellows will be mentored by esteemed current and former community college presidents who have achieved exceptional outcomes for students throughout their careers, and will learn strategies to improve student outcomes in and after college, lead internal change, and create strong external partnerships with K-12 schools, four-year colleges, employers, and other partners.
“Evidence shows that substantial improvements in student success are achieved only when presidents have the commitment and skill needed to lead change within their institutions and through partnerships in the community,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the College Excellence Program. “These fellows have been chosen because they embody that commitment and, we believe, will build their skills even further to become transformational presidents.”
“We are thrilled the Aspen Institute has chosen Mary for this national leadership program,” says DVC President Susan Lamb. “She is smart, passionate about student success, and is already a tremendous leader. There is no doubt in my mind this fellowship program will increase her skills and experience to be a great future community college president.”
The Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship responds to the growing need for a new generation of leaders well-equipped to meet the challenges of the future. Nationally, nearly 80 percent of sitting presidents plan to retire in the next decade. While the traditional pathway to the presidency has excluded women and people of color, the incoming class of Aspen Rising Presidents Fellows is composed of 70 percent women and 61 percent people of color and represents institutions of varying sizes and locations. For a list of the 2020-21 class of the Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship visit https://highered.aspeninstitute.org/risingpresidents/.
“This is a wonderful honor and opportunity to continue my growth as a community college administrator,” says Dr. Gutierrez. “I want to thank President Lamb and the DVC community for their support in applying for this professional development.”
Diablo Valley College is a large suburban community college, approximately 25 miles east of San Francisco in Contra Costa County. One of three colleges in the Contra Costa Community College District, DVC enrolls approximately 20,000 students, about 40% who come from groups historically underrepresented in higher education. DVC ranks consistently as one of the most successful transfer institutions in California and also offers a wide range of highly respected occupational programs leading to certificates or degrees. The faculty is known for its intellectual vitality and deep commitment to the success of its students.
The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program aims to advance higher education practices and leadership strategies that significantly improve student outcomes. Through the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence, and other initiatives, the College Excellence Program works to improve colleges’ understanding and capacity to teach and graduate students, especially the growing population of low-income students and students of color on American campuses. For more information, visit highered.aspeninstitute.org and follow us on Twitter at @AspenHigherEd.
Stanford Educational Leadership Initiative (SELI) strives to help education leaders further develop their ability to transform education systems and drive meaningful change. SELI programs bring together the strengths of Stanford Graduate School of Education and Stanford Graduate School of Business, as well as additional Stanford faculty and resources, to offer multidimensional and immediately impactful professional development programming for practicing leaders in PreK-12, higher education, and policy. By fostering collaboration and building relationships between existing colleagues and among new peers, SELI programs create networks supporting participants’ continued learning and organizational improvement. For more information, visit https://seli.stanford.edu/.
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most important challenges facing the United States and the world. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners.
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Rep. Mark DeSaulnier speaks at his 100th Town Hall meeting at Concord High School on Nov. 7, 2019. Photo from his Congressional Facebook page.
Washington, DC – “We are so pleased to announce that this weekend, our dad returned home from the hospital. He’s eager to get back to California, but he’ll continue his recovery in Washington, DC until his doctors determine it’s safe to fly,” wrote his sons Tristan and Tucker DeSaulnier in a press release on Monday from the Congressman’s office.
“We want to say thank you, on our Dad’s behalf, to everyone who has reached out and everyone who has been pulling for him. Your thoughts, prayers, and compassion have helped sustain him throughout this experience. We are also eternally grateful to the doctors, nurses, and hospital staff who helped save our Dad’s life,” they continued. “While he’s made truly remarkable progress and has come so far, our Dad still has work to do and we appreciate his friends and constituents affording him time and support as the next phase of his recovery begins.”
DeSaulnier represents California’s Congressional 11th District in the U.S. House of Representatives which includes most of Contra Costa County.
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Dear Editor:
I am not an attorney, nor do I play one on TV. However, I do have 30 years of experience working on land-use legislation, litigation, politics, and policy at the local, state, and national level. Based on those experiences, I want to share my opinion with you.
In March, all Americans including recreationists were asked to comply with temporary Covid-19 shelter-in-place (SIP) orders and mitigation measures to “Flatten the Curve” to avoid overcrowding our hospitals and reduce the number of projected deaths.
The American public responded to the government mandates by largely complying with those plans and mitigations. Recreation leaders in the grassroots and industry sectors also responded with outreach and education programs to encourage compliance with those temporary orders.
Today, many in the general public are now questioning some states and local jurisdictions that appear to have politicized Covid-19 restrictions by extending hard SIP orders – without a strong rationale – that apply to residents and businesses.
Considering the above reality in some states, it should come as no surprise for the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) to weigh in on the matter when potential violations of the U.S. Constitution appear to be taking place.
On such case is in Pennsylvania where according to the article linked to below: “A group of Pennsylvania businesses petitioned the US Supreme Court Monday in their lawsuit seeking to overturn Governor Tom Wolf’s March 19 executive order closing “non-life-sustaining” business in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
SCOTUS has now weighed in by giving the PA Governor until May 4 to respond to a petition that accuses the commonwealth of violating the constitutional rights of its citizens.
Folks in other states are also challenging extended SIP orders that appear to violate our constitutional rights. The purpose of this opinion is not to start a debate about the veracity or effectiveness of Covid-19 mitigation measures but to simply highlight the growing concern about government overreach and potential violation of our constitutional rights.
Having SCOTUS step in on this issue may be the biggest news item in recent weeks.
Don Amador
Oakley, CA
Don Amador has been in the trail advocacy and recreation management profession for over 30 years. Don is President of Quiet Warrior Racing/Consulting. Don served as a contractor to the BlueRibbon Coalition from 1996 until June 2018. Don served as Chairman and member on the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission from 1994-2000. He has won numerous awards including being a 2016 Inductee into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame and the 2018 Friend of the AMA Award. Don currently serves as the government affairs lead for AMA District 36 in Northern California and also serves as the OHV representative on the BLM’s Central California Resource Advisory Committee. Don is also a contributor to Dealernews Magazine
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BART is moving forward with a track replacement project near the Orinda Station, which will require five weekend track shutdowns between the Lafayette and Rockridge stations. Preliminary work is already underway on the effort to replace critical track components that in many cases date back to when BART first started service on its main Contra Costa line in 1973. This replacement effort has been designated as an essential public works project per the region’s public health orders issued in response to the coronavirus. The project is being conducted for the safety of BART passengers and employees.
The shutdown weekends are May 9-10, May 23-25 (Memorial Day weekend), June 6-7, June 20-21, and July 4-5. Free buses will replace trains on those weekends and riders should expect delays of 20-25 minutes.
BART closely examined the possibility of moving up the track shutdown weekends to minimize impacts to the public. However, it was determined this wasn’t possible because BART couldn’t acquire needed materials for the project ahead of schedule. BART is prioritizing the safety of its workers and contractors by following social distancing guidelines for all critical infrastructure projects that are allowed to proceed under state and regional stay-at-home orders.
The work will require temporary, late night and early morning lane closures of Highway 24 in Orinda to make way for construction equipment. Periodic overnight lane closures in Orinda begin in mid-April. These overnight lane closures will involve no more than two lanes and are expected to have minimal impact on Highway 24 drivers. Unlike similar work completed last year in Lafayette, this project will NOT require weekend daytime lane closures on Highway 24.
BART crews will work around-the-clock on shutdown weekends to replace critical railway components.
Project highlights include:
- Replacing four track switches that are at the end of their useful lives. These are large track components that can measure up to 200 feet in length and allow trains to move from line to line.
- Installing approximately 3,000 feet of new rail.
- Replacing approximately 300 badly worn wooden ties with longer-lasting, concrete ones.
- Replacing 600 to 800 tons of rock ballast, which is essential for stabilizing the rail.
Many of the components being replaced are more than 40 years-old and have reached the end of their design life. Once the project is complete BART customers will experience a more comfortable ride and trains will be quieter for riders and neighbors.
BART making gains on capital work during the stay-at-home order
While BART was unable to accelerate the timeline of this project, the agency is continuing work to improve the system and rebuild aging infrastructure.
Extremely low ridership and the new 9 pm service closure are allowing new opportunities for progress on capital projects. Several projects are being advanced during this period including the 19th Street Station Modernization, El Cerrito Del Norte Station Modernization, Rail Grinding, Rail Replacement, and Transbay Tube Cathodic Protection.
Capital projects are not paid for by operating funds, which means the huge revenue loss from the ridership decline isn’t delaying infrastructure work. Many capital projects are supported by Measure RR, which was approved by BART District voters in 2016. The bond measure provides BART with $3.5 billion in funding for infrastructure work. The rail replacement project near the Orinda Station is funded by RR.
Track revitalization to begin this summer in Hayward
A second major track replacement project is scheduled to begin this summer on the weekend of July 18-19 near the Hayward Station. The work is expected to require five weekend track shutdowns between the Bay Fair and South Hayward stations. Free buses will replace trains on those weekends and riders can expect delays of 20-40 minutes. The track shutdown weekends are scheduled to be July 18-19, August 1-2, August 22-23, September 5-7 (Labor Day weekend), and September 19-20. More details will be announced closer to the start of work.
Read MoreThe White House
Issued on April 29, 2020
More than 230 years ago, the Founding Fathers of our Nation crafted a revolutionary and unique form of Government rooted in the rule of law. Today, we continue to enjoy liberty, justice, and equality under the law as set forth and preserved in our Constitution. On Law Day, we celebrate the distinctive framework of our system of Government, which secures individual liberties and protects against arbitrary exercise of government power so that all citizens have the right and the freedom to pursue their American Dream.
In arguing for the ratification of our Constitution, James Madison wisely recognized that in a government “administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.” The Framers understood the inherent dangers of consolidated government power and that, in order for our Republic to survive, the power to make, execute, and interpret laws could not be vested in one individual or one institution. They knew that “ambition must be made to counteract ambition,” and accordingly devised an arrangement whereby separate and coequal branches share the power of the Federal Government, each limiting and checking the prerogatives of the others. They also created a system of enumerated powers for the Federal Government, reserving all other powers to the States. In doing so, the Framers limited the powers of the Federal Government and preserved a place of prominence for State and local lawmaking, which they rightly believed to be more responsive to the unique needs of each community.
This year also marks both the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the 15th Amendment, which prohibited denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude, and the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which prohibited denial of the right to vote based on sex. The women and men who fought to win a voice for people of color and women in the electoral process strengthened our Union and helped the country better fulfill the founding promise of our Nation — that the power to enact and enforce laws be truly derived “from the consent of the governed.” As we mark these milestones, we pay tribute to the courageous spirit of the trailblazers who made this achievement possible, and take inspiration from their righteous struggle as we continue working to root out and destroy injustice.
We know that our Republic can continue to shine as a beacon of liberty only if Americans diligently defend our Constitution and ensure that its limits are strongly enforced. My Administration has sought to simplify and streamline America’s statutory and regulatory code, checking encroachments by government on individual liberty and unleashing the spirit of genius and innovation that has made America the freest and most prosperous country in the world. Furthermore, one of my top priorities as President has been to nominate and appoint judges who are faithful to the proper role of the judiciary — to interpret the law, not to make it. In all of these efforts, we aim to ensure that the Government can continue to perform its fundamental responsibility to the American people, articulated in the Preamble of the Constitution, to “secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.”
On this Law Day, I urge all Americans to honor our shared inheritance of respect for the principles of the rule of law, limited government, and individual liberty. Let us rededicate ourselves to remaining ever vigilant in defending our rights secured by the Constitution so that our experiment in self‑government continues in perpetuity.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, in accordance with Public Law 87–20, as amended, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2020, as Law Day, U.S.A. I urge all Americans, including government officials, to observe this day by reflecting upon the importance of the rule of law in our Nation and displaying the flag of the United States in support of this national observance; and I especially urge the legal profession, the press, and the radio, television, and media industries to promote and to participate in the observance of this day.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fourth.
DONALD J. TRUMP
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By CHP – Contra Costa
Friday evening, May 8, 2020 at approximately 9:20 pm, Contra Costa CHP was advised of a vehicle collision vs. a pedestrian on HWY 4 westbound, east of Laurel Road. Upon emergency personnel and CHP arrival, a 29-year-old male pedestrian from Pinole, had been struck by a vehicle and was lying in the roadway. He was pronounced deceased at the scene by emergency personnel. The driver of the Nissan sedan that hit the pedestrian suffered major injuries and she was transported to the hospital. The Contra Costa County Sheriff Coroner’s Office will be handling the release of identify of the deceased male pedestrian.
In the initial investigation, the 23-year-old female driver from Bethel Island was traveling westbound on HWY 4 in a 2012 Nissan Versa, east of Laurel road. For unknown reasons, the male pedestrian was in the roadway and directly in the path of the approaching Nissan. The driver of the Nissan was unable to avoid the pedestrian and collided into him, causing fatal injuries. The driver suffered non-life-threatening but major injuries and was transported to John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek. Her two passengers in the Nissan were not injured.
This incident is still under investigation. If anyone witnessed this collision or the events leading up to it, please contact Contra Costa CHP in Martinez at (925) 646-4980. Thank you.
Read MoreContra Costa County Health Officer Dr. Christ Farnitano speaks during a press conference on Friday, March 20, 2020. Screenshot of YouTube video. Herald file photo.
Continuing to coordinate with other Bay Area counties to determine when more loosening will occur; “Contra Costa is not an island” – Dr. Chris Farnitano
By Allen Payton
In light of Governor Newsom’s recent loosening of the rules on some businesses, including allowing florists to reopen as of today, Friday, May 8, 2020, Contra Costa Health Officer Dr. Chris Farnitano was asked several questions about what appears to be a positive trend and therefore why he’s not following the state’s lead.
The number of cases of those with COVID-19 in hospitals in the county peaked around April 14 at 47 and has continued to drop to just 16 as of today. Other statistics on the Contra Costa Health Services Coronavirus Dashboard also show decreases in almost all of the statistics tracked. The only statistic that continues to increase is the number of new cases, which is currently at 1,015. But, the dashboard doesn’t currently show how many of the 1,017 people who have tested positive in our county have recovered. The total number of deaths is currently at 29 and hasn’t increased since Monday, May 4.
Q: How many have recovered? When will we see that statistic on the Contra Costa Health website?
Dr. Farnitano: We’re waiting for the state and the CDC for a definition. Most people recover within 14 days. So, we’re working on a definition that if It’s been 14 days, you’re not in the hospital, and not dead, you’ve recovered. The data team that works on the website, we’re hoping to next week have that statistic on the website. Marin County is using something similar to that.
Q: With the continued reduction in numbers of those with the virus in the hospital in our county, do you see we are heading in the right direction?
Dr. Farnitano: We are definitely heading in the right direction. It’s both decreasing hospital numbers and decreasing the number of new cases. That gave us confidence in allowing all construction and all outdoor and most outdoor recreation, this past Monday. It takes two or three weeks to see after things are loosened up if cases don’t start to increase, again. So, there’s a little bit of a lag. We really haven’t seen the effects of the health order change on May 3rd.”
Q: Asked specifically about why he wouldn’t allow florists to reopen in time for Mother’s Day and what’s the difference if they use curbside delivery and everyone’s wearing their masks, he responded, “grocery stores are essential businesses, but florists are not. Essential businesses are allowed to sell non-essential items.”
Q: Why can’t you follow the lead of the governor?
Dr. Farnitano: We’re trying to work together (with the other Bay Area counties). Contra Costa is not an island and there’s lots of travel for work and shopping with Alameda County. What’s happening in Alameda County and San Francisco affects Contra Costa. The other counties’ statistics aren’t as good as Contra Costa County’s.
Q: If things are looking good in the next few weeks is it possible the shelter in place order can end on May 31st?
Dr. Farnitano: If we keep trending in the right way we can have more loosening.
Q: Asked if he’s been adding new criteria and raising the bar or just being more specific about what was already in place?
Dr. Farnitano: Some of it’s being more specific. There’s got to be a lot of social distancing requirements to open back up the economy. Wearing masks and social distancing are going to be in place for quite a long time, in order to open back up shopping and dining.
Q: What about churches opening for services, again?
Dr. Farnitano: The state has more details for their phases. In-person church gatherings and other public gatherings, they have in their Phase Three. A local order can’t allow anything looser than the state.
Q: On a more personal note, did you ever think you would have to use your authority to deal with something other than a temporary shelter in place order for something such as a chemical release?
Dr. Farnitano: I actually became a deputy health officer about five years ago. One of the health officers at that time who trained me told me, “there are tremendous powers in the health officer. Try not to use them and use them very wisely.” One of the main purposes of the statutory authority is for outbreaks and diseases. This is such an overwhelming event that it’s much more than I did really ever sort of plan for or expect. Ever since the H1N1 we’ve had these pandemic outbreak plans and that these social distancing tools would be one of the most effective tools. We didn’t expect this to go on so long. Farnitano has also been personally affected by the shelter-in-place order, as he had to watch his middle son get married in Georgia via Facebook Live, last week.
“When Chris makes decisions that affect us, it weighs heavy on him,” shared Kim McCarl, Contra Costa Health Communications Officer.
With the increase in tests at eight different drive-up or walk-up sites, for anyone in the county who wants one, regardless if they are experiencing symptoms of the virus, “that will help us get the economy open quicker,” she said. (See related article).
For more statistical details about COVID-19 in Contra Costa County visit https://www.coronavirus.cchealth.org/.
Read MoreSmith Canyon’s oak woodlands. Photo by Scott Hein.
By Laura Kindsvater, Communications Manager, Save Mt. Diablo
Save Mount Diablo (SMD) has successfully closed escrow and become the proud new owner of the beautiful and strategic 28.73-acre Smith Canyon, east of Clayton. It could eventually be a recreational gateway to Curry Canyon and Mount Diablo State Park from Morgan Territory Road. It is one of several properties Save Mount Diablo is raising funds to protect with the final $2 million in fundraising of its $15 million Forever Wild Capital Campaign. (See related article).
Protection of 28.73-acre Smith Canyon provides legal and practical access from a public road to Save Mount Diablo’s conserved 1,080.53-acre Curry Canyon Ranch. Narrow Curry Canyon and Curry Canyon Road have been contemplated as an eastside entrance to Mount Diablo for more than 110 years, but complicated legal access issues have made public access difficult. Smith Canyon provides a second, alternate access route into Curry Canyon with clear legal access rights.
“The Smith Canyon property is an incredible recreational gateway to the magical Curry Canyon on the east side of Mount Diablo,” said Ted Clement, SMD’s Executive Director. “But what also strikes me about the property is that it has great potential as a beautiful stand-alone preserve by itself.
“You can imagine groups of school children experiencing it, working with volunteers to replant trees to restore former building pads, taking care of the land together, and hiking its trails up to the stunning view spots where they can sit to appreciate and connect with nature. I didn’t expect the beautiful vistas of North Peak and Mount Diablo that we discovered on the high points of the land.”
“How often do you get to save an entire canyon,” said Seth Adams, SMD’s Land Conservation Director. “Smith Canyon is lovely. It’s one main lushly wooded stream canyon with several smaller drainages rising to ridges on either side and toward a small peak on our neighboring Curry Canyon Ranch.
“Despite limited rain this spring, it’s bright green and wildflowers are appearing everywhere. There were several approved subdivisions on the property that luckily never took place, but the large building pads show how threatened it has been. Its purchase is another piece in our Curry Canyon puzzle and ends that threat forever.”
In addition to its value for recreational and other access, Smith Canyon is important from a conservation perspective. The land has blue oak woodlands, grasslands, and a live oak-bay riparian corridor. California red-legged frog and Alameda whipsnake are special status species likely to be present on the property. Further, the land is contiguous with Save Mount Diablo’s conserved Curry Canyon Ranch, so its protection adds to the important corridor of conserved lands in the Mount Diablo area, which is critical for wildlife and water resources. The land also affords beautiful scenic vistas to passersby on the public Morgan Territory Road.
View of Mount Diablo’s peaks from Smith Canyon. Photo by Scott Hein.
Further, the oak woodland, oak savanna, and grasslands on the property serve as a carbon sink. In August 2019, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a new report, Climate Change and Land, that focused on how land is under increased pressure from humans and climate change but also noted land is a critical part of the solution to climate change. Land conservation mitigates against climate change in lasting ways. For example, forests and other undeveloped lands absorb greenhouse gases, thereby acting as carbon sinks, keeping those gases out of the atmosphere.
“We’re looking for angels,” said Karen Ferriere, SMD’s Development Director, about the need to raise the $650,000 purchase price and replenish the acquisition funds that were used to cover the real estate closing, “and talking to everyone we can.”
The money that Save Mount Diablo is raising for this acquisition project is part of the organization’s Forever Wild Capital Campaign. This campaign has an ambitious $15 million goal to help Save Mount Diablo expedite its land acquisition efforts while also giving the organization the resources to steward and defend its conserved lands in perpetuity. To date, just over $13 million has been raised against the $15 million goal. These funds have enabled Save Mount Diablo to do strategic land acquisition projects, like its Curry Canyon Ranch and North Peak Ranch projects, while also building a sizable permanent Stewardship Endowment Fund for the ongoing care of the organization’s protected lands.
As part of the Forever Wild Capital Campaign, Save Mount Diablo also recently signed an option agreement that gave the organization two years to raise a little over $1.04 million to purchase a perpetual conservation easement on about 154 critical open space acres on the northeast slopes of Mount Diablo, a mile-wide property owned by the Concord Mt. Diablo Trail Association.
Map of the Smith Canyon acquisition and Concord Mt. Diablo Trail Ride Association planned conservation easement showing their adjacency to other protected lands as well as lands still potentially threatened with development. Map by Save Mt. Diablo.
History
Curry Canyon became well-known to generations of East Bay residents visiting the Curry Creek Park picnic area, which operated from 1925 to 1979, and then to the present day as a small trailer park. Sylvester Olofson, his wife Louise, and his brother Albert Olofson bought 1,430 acres on Curry Canyon in 1895; ran cattle; and in 1925, opened Curry Creek Park. Over time Curry Canyon was divided between the two brothers’ heirs. After World War II, Curry Creek Park and neighboring Wright Canyon were owned and operated by Sylvester and Louise Olofson’s grandson, Martin Wright, and his wife, Dorothy. The larger part of the property was a cattle ranch run by Albert’s sons Raymond and Robert Olofson.
In 1961 Ettore and Geraldine Bertagnolli bought most of the Olofson cattle ranch and renamed it Curry Creek Ranch, but it included limited access for anything but ranching. Ettore Bertagnolli soon started proposing small subdivisions, but he was blocked by the Wrights’ ownership of the road lower in the canyon. In 1968 he subdivided Smith Canyon off his property but retained a 60’ road easement, to be located and constructed later. He used that “paper road” to complete several subdivisions in the canyon.
Albert and Bouwina Reyenga bought Smith Canyon in 1968 and proposed a four-unit subdivision there. Roads and large building pads were graded but without professional engineering.
The subdivision was approved in 1970, but subject to various improvements including engineering improvements to the roads and pads, and paving of the access easement to the Bertagnollis’ Curry Creek Ranch. The improvements were never completed, and the approval lapsed.
The same subdivision was proposed again by the Reyengas in 1992, but building regulations had become more stringent. For the first time Save Mount Diablo was involved, requesting that a public access into Curry Canyon be reserved.
The second subdivision wasn’t completed, once again because of the cost of the roads and other building improvements. In 2000 the Reyengas sold the property to the current owners, E & B Farms, who faced similar constraints including the access easement into Curry Canyon.
In 2013 Save Mount Diablo bought the 1,080-acre Bertagnolli property and renamed it Curry Canyon Ranch. The purchase included the partly improved and unrestricted access easement up Smith Canyon. Purchase of Smith Canyon has eliminated the threat of houses and further subdivision and avoided potential conflicts with access and recreational use.
Save Mount Diablo
Save Mount Diablo is a nationally accredited, nonprofit land trust founded in 1971 with a mission to preserve Mount Diablo’s peaks, surrounding foothills, and watersheds through land acquisition and preservation strategies designed to protect the mountain’s natural beauty, biological diversity, and historic and agricultural heritage; enhance our area’s quality of life; and provide recreational opportunities consistent with the protection of natural resources. Learn more at www.savemountdiablo.org.
Read MoreAfter more than 55 years since it was founded in 1964, Pleasant Hill’s JFK University will be closing its doors, this year due to the changes in higher education to more online learning.
In a letter issued on April 30 JFKU’s Acting President Dr. Thomas Stewart and Board Chair Michael McGill wrote:
“Dear East Bay Community
After careful consideration, the John F. Kennedy Board of Trustees has determined that the best course of action for our programs, students, and our service to the East Bay Community is to transfer almost all of its programs to other universities within the National University System (NUS) beginning in July and close the university by December 31, 2020.
This decision to close the university was difficult as JFKU has been an integral part of the East Bay community for over half a century and many of our 45,000 plus alumni still work here. However, the higher education landscape in our country is changing. More and more students, particularly the adult learners that we serve, seek flexible and affordable online educational opportunities that allows them to learn wherever and whenever they want to fit their busy schedules. We all are being challenged to adapt to meet those needs.
The majority of JFKU’s programs will be adopted by National University or Northcentral University. Specifically:
- JFKU’s graduate psychology programs will be integrated as degree offerings at National University.
- The JFKU College of Law—including the JD, BA and Paralegal Certificate Programs—will move to Northcentral University and carry on its name as the JFK School of Law at NCU.
- JFKU’s undergraduate programs in psychology and management, currently offered through FlexCourse, will be continued and adopted by NCU.
Most programs will now be offered online and will continue to be available to students in the East Bay area. The transfer of programs is part of broader vision and reorganization of NUS to create a more cohesive system that offers efficient pathway for working adults to complete high‐quality, low‐cost degrees.
We will be focusing all our resources on helping current students complete their degrees over the coming months. Many of our students will join the JFKU alumni community who continue to spread the ideals and values of JFKU. The university’s legacy lives on in them.
John F. Kennedy University thanks its entire community of organizational partners that have welcomed and supported our students. We also thank our community of faculty, staff, students and alumni for the privilege of being part of an institution that continues to live on through our programs, and through the impacts of our alumni in the communities they serve.
If you have further questions regarding this transition, please do not hesitate to reach out to Solomon Belette at sbelette@jfku.edu.”
Sincerely,
Dr. Thomas Stewart, Acting President
Michael McGill, Board Chair
John F. Kennedy University John F. Kennedy University
Read MoreContra Costa is first county in Bay Area to offer testing to anyone even if they don’t have symptoms
Contra Costa County will now offer an appointment for COVID-19 testing to any resident who believes they need one, regardless of insurance, ability to pay or whether they have symptoms or not.
Residents can make an appointment to visit one of eight sites throughout the county. The county is operating five drive-through testing sites while the state provides walk-up testing locations at three additional locations. Testing is available by appointment only. Call 1-844-421-0804 from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily for an appointment at any Contra Costa site.
The increased access to community testing will help Contra Costa County reach its goal for easing social restrictions in the current shelter-in-place order, which lasts through May. Previously, tests were only offered for patients with symptoms of illness.
“We need to test many more county residents to get a better sense of how widespread COVID-19 is in our community, and to help prevent its spread,” said Candace Andersen, chair of the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors. “Testing will also give us a better idea of when we can relax the current health orders.”
Between 300 and 400 patients are tested daily in the county. Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) hopes to test about five times as many people.
All CCHS-run sites offer drive-through testing by appointment only. These sites are located in Antioch, Concord, Martinez, Pittsburg, San Pablo and San Ramon. Patients must visit these sites in their vehicles, as testing is done in the car.
Three new state-run sites also opened on Wednesday in Brentwood, Pinole and Walnut Creek, accepting walk-in patients by appointment only.
Appointments can be made by calling 1-844-421-0804. For appointments at county-run sites, a screener will take the information necessary to begin the process. Callers will then get a call back from a health professional during which an appointment will be scheduled.
There is no up-front cost for testing. County residents do not need medical insurance to get tested. However, if you have health insurance, your insurance will be billed.
While you don’t need symptoms to get tested, symptoms that may warrant a test include cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, fatigue, muscle ache, sore throat, headache, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, recent loss of taste or smell, or confusion, particularly in older adults.
Visit coronavirus.cchealth.org/testing for details about community testing, including site locations.
Read MoreBy Timothy Leong, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa Community College District
Vice President Mary Gutierrez.Photo by Emma Hall, Assistant Editor, The Inquirer.
The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program today announced that Dr. Mary Gutierrez, Vice President of Instruction at Diablo Valley College (DVC), is one of 40 leaders selected for the 2020-21 class of the Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship. This highly respected national leadership program prepares the next generation of community college presidents to transform institutions to achieve higher and more equitable levels of student success.
Gutierrez became vice president of the college in 2018 and has over 36 years of experience in education, according to The Inquirer, DVC’s student newspaper.
The Rising Presidents Fellows will embark on a 10-month fellowship beginning in July 2020. Delivered in collaboration with the Stanford Educational Leadership Initiative, the fellows will be mentored by esteemed current and former community college presidents who have achieved exceptional outcomes for students throughout their careers, and will learn strategies to improve student outcomes in and after college, lead internal change, and create strong external partnerships with K-12 schools, four-year colleges, employers, and other partners.
“Evidence shows that substantial improvements in student success are achieved only when presidents have the commitment and skill needed to lead change within their institutions and through partnerships in the community,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the College Excellence Program. “These fellows have been chosen because they embody that commitment and, we believe, will build their skills even further to become transformational presidents.”
“We are thrilled the Aspen Institute has chosen Mary for this national leadership program,” says DVC President Susan Lamb. “She is smart, passionate about student success, and is already a tremendous leader. There is no doubt in my mind this fellowship program will increase her skills and experience to be a great future community college president.”
The Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship responds to the growing need for a new generation of leaders well-equipped to meet the challenges of the future. Nationally, nearly 80 percent of sitting presidents plan to retire in the next decade. While the traditional pathway to the presidency has excluded women and people of color, the incoming class of Aspen Rising Presidents Fellows is composed of 70 percent women and 61 percent people of color and represents institutions of varying sizes and locations. For a list of the 2020-21 class of the Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship visit https://highered.aspeninstitute.org/risingpresidents/.
“This is a wonderful honor and opportunity to continue my growth as a community college administrator,” says Dr. Gutierrez. “I want to thank President Lamb and the DVC community for their support in applying for this professional development.”
Diablo Valley College is a large suburban community college, approximately 25 miles east of San Francisco in Contra Costa County. One of three colleges in the Contra Costa Community College District, DVC enrolls approximately 20,000 students, about 40% who come from groups historically underrepresented in higher education. DVC ranks consistently as one of the most successful transfer institutions in California and also offers a wide range of highly respected occupational programs leading to certificates or degrees. The faculty is known for its intellectual vitality and deep commitment to the success of its students.
The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program aims to advance higher education practices and leadership strategies that significantly improve student outcomes. Through the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence, and other initiatives, the College Excellence Program works to improve colleges’ understanding and capacity to teach and graduate students, especially the growing population of low-income students and students of color on American campuses. For more information, visit highered.aspeninstitute.org and follow us on Twitter at @AspenHigherEd.
Stanford Educational Leadership Initiative (SELI) strives to help education leaders further develop their ability to transform education systems and drive meaningful change. SELI programs bring together the strengths of Stanford Graduate School of Education and Stanford Graduate School of Business, as well as additional Stanford faculty and resources, to offer multidimensional and immediately impactful professional development programming for practicing leaders in PreK-12, higher education, and policy. By fostering collaboration and building relationships between existing colleagues and among new peers, SELI programs create networks supporting participants’ continued learning and organizational improvement. For more information, visit https://seli.stanford.edu/.
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most important challenges facing the United States and the world. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners.
Read MoreRep. Mark DeSaulnier speaks at his 100th Town Hall meeting at Concord High School on Nov. 7, 2019. Photo from his Congressional Facebook page.
Washington, DC – “We are so pleased to announce that this weekend, our dad returned home from the hospital. He’s eager to get back to California, but he’ll continue his recovery in Washington, DC until his doctors determine it’s safe to fly,” wrote his sons Tristan and Tucker DeSaulnier in a press release on Monday from the Congressman’s office.
“We want to say thank you, on our Dad’s behalf, to everyone who has reached out and everyone who has been pulling for him. Your thoughts, prayers, and compassion have helped sustain him throughout this experience. We are also eternally grateful to the doctors, nurses, and hospital staff who helped save our Dad’s life,” they continued. “While he’s made truly remarkable progress and has come so far, our Dad still has work to do and we appreciate his friends and constituents affording him time and support as the next phase of his recovery begins.”
DeSaulnier represents California’s Congressional 11th District in the U.S. House of Representatives which includes most of Contra Costa County.
Read MoreDear Editor:
I am not an attorney, nor do I play one on TV. However, I do have 30 years of experience working on land-use legislation, litigation, politics, and policy at the local, state, and national level. Based on those experiences, I want to share my opinion with you.
In March, all Americans including recreationists were asked to comply with temporary Covid-19 shelter-in-place (SIP) orders and mitigation measures to “Flatten the Curve” to avoid overcrowding our hospitals and reduce the number of projected deaths.
The American public responded to the government mandates by largely complying with those plans and mitigations. Recreation leaders in the grassroots and industry sectors also responded with outreach and education programs to encourage compliance with those temporary orders.
Today, many in the general public are now questioning some states and local jurisdictions that appear to have politicized Covid-19 restrictions by extending hard SIP orders – without a strong rationale – that apply to residents and businesses.
Considering the above reality in some states, it should come as no surprise for the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) to weigh in on the matter when potential violations of the U.S. Constitution appear to be taking place.
On such case is in Pennsylvania where according to the article linked to below: “A group of Pennsylvania businesses petitioned the US Supreme Court Monday in their lawsuit seeking to overturn Governor Tom Wolf’s March 19 executive order closing “non-life-sustaining” business in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
SCOTUS has now weighed in by giving the PA Governor until May 4 to respond to a petition that accuses the commonwealth of violating the constitutional rights of its citizens.
Folks in other states are also challenging extended SIP orders that appear to violate our constitutional rights. The purpose of this opinion is not to start a debate about the veracity or effectiveness of Covid-19 mitigation measures but to simply highlight the growing concern about government overreach and potential violation of our constitutional rights.
Having SCOTUS step in on this issue may be the biggest news item in recent weeks.
Don Amador
Oakley, CA
Don Amador has been in the trail advocacy and recreation management profession for over 30 years. Don is President of Quiet Warrior Racing/Consulting. Don served as a contractor to the BlueRibbon Coalition from 1996 until June 2018. Don served as Chairman and member on the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission from 1994-2000. He has won numerous awards including being a 2016 Inductee into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame and the 2018 Friend of the AMA Award. Don currently serves as the government affairs lead for AMA District 36 in Northern California and also serves as the OHV representative on the BLM’s Central California Resource Advisory Committee. Don is also a contributor to Dealernews Magazine
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BART is moving forward with a track replacement project near the Orinda Station, which will require five weekend track shutdowns between the Lafayette and Rockridge stations. Preliminary work is already underway on the effort to replace critical track components that in many cases date back to when BART first started service on its main Contra Costa line in 1973. This replacement effort has been designated as an essential public works project per the region’s public health orders issued in response to the coronavirus. The project is being conducted for the safety of BART passengers and employees.
The shutdown weekends are May 9-10, May 23-25 (Memorial Day weekend), June 6-7, June 20-21, and July 4-5. Free buses will replace trains on those weekends and riders should expect delays of 20-25 minutes.
BART closely examined the possibility of moving up the track shutdown weekends to minimize impacts to the public. However, it was determined this wasn’t possible because BART couldn’t acquire needed materials for the project ahead of schedule. BART is prioritizing the safety of its workers and contractors by following social distancing guidelines for all critical infrastructure projects that are allowed to proceed under state and regional stay-at-home orders.
The work will require temporary, late night and early morning lane closures of Highway 24 in Orinda to make way for construction equipment. Periodic overnight lane closures in Orinda begin in mid-April. These overnight lane closures will involve no more than two lanes and are expected to have minimal impact on Highway 24 drivers. Unlike similar work completed last year in Lafayette, this project will NOT require weekend daytime lane closures on Highway 24.
BART crews will work around-the-clock on shutdown weekends to replace critical railway components.
Project highlights include:
- Replacing four track switches that are at the end of their useful lives. These are large track components that can measure up to 200 feet in length and allow trains to move from line to line.
- Installing approximately 3,000 feet of new rail.
- Replacing approximately 300 badly worn wooden ties with longer-lasting, concrete ones.
- Replacing 600 to 800 tons of rock ballast, which is essential for stabilizing the rail.
Many of the components being replaced are more than 40 years-old and have reached the end of their design life. Once the project is complete BART customers will experience a more comfortable ride and trains will be quieter for riders and neighbors.
BART making gains on capital work during the stay-at-home order
While BART was unable to accelerate the timeline of this project, the agency is continuing work to improve the system and rebuild aging infrastructure.
Extremely low ridership and the new 9 pm service closure are allowing new opportunities for progress on capital projects. Several projects are being advanced during this period including the 19th Street Station Modernization, El Cerrito Del Norte Station Modernization, Rail Grinding, Rail Replacement, and Transbay Tube Cathodic Protection.
Capital projects are not paid for by operating funds, which means the huge revenue loss from the ridership decline isn’t delaying infrastructure work. Many capital projects are supported by Measure RR, which was approved by BART District voters in 2016. The bond measure provides BART with $3.5 billion in funding for infrastructure work. The rail replacement project near the Orinda Station is funded by RR.
Track revitalization to begin this summer in Hayward
A second major track replacement project is scheduled to begin this summer on the weekend of July 18-19 near the Hayward Station. The work is expected to require five weekend track shutdowns between the Bay Fair and South Hayward stations. Free buses will replace trains on those weekends and riders can expect delays of 20-40 minutes. The track shutdown weekends are scheduled to be July 18-19, August 1-2, August 22-23, September 5-7 (Labor Day weekend), and September 19-20. More details will be announced closer to the start of work.
Read MoreThe White House
Issued on April 29, 2020
More than 230 years ago, the Founding Fathers of our Nation crafted a revolutionary and unique form of Government rooted in the rule of law. Today, we continue to enjoy liberty, justice, and equality under the law as set forth and preserved in our Constitution. On Law Day, we celebrate the distinctive framework of our system of Government, which secures individual liberties and protects against arbitrary exercise of government power so that all citizens have the right and the freedom to pursue their American Dream.
In arguing for the ratification of our Constitution, James Madison wisely recognized that in a government “administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.” The Framers understood the inherent dangers of consolidated government power and that, in order for our Republic to survive, the power to make, execute, and interpret laws could not be vested in one individual or one institution. They knew that “ambition must be made to counteract ambition,” and accordingly devised an arrangement whereby separate and coequal branches share the power of the Federal Government, each limiting and checking the prerogatives of the others. They also created a system of enumerated powers for the Federal Government, reserving all other powers to the States. In doing so, the Framers limited the powers of the Federal Government and preserved a place of prominence for State and local lawmaking, which they rightly believed to be more responsive to the unique needs of each community.
This year also marks both the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the 15th Amendment, which prohibited denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude, and the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which prohibited denial of the right to vote based on sex. The women and men who fought to win a voice for people of color and women in the electoral process strengthened our Union and helped the country better fulfill the founding promise of our Nation — that the power to enact and enforce laws be truly derived “from the consent of the governed.” As we mark these milestones, we pay tribute to the courageous spirit of the trailblazers who made this achievement possible, and take inspiration from their righteous struggle as we continue working to root out and destroy injustice.
We know that our Republic can continue to shine as a beacon of liberty only if Americans diligently defend our Constitution and ensure that its limits are strongly enforced. My Administration has sought to simplify and streamline America’s statutory and regulatory code, checking encroachments by government on individual liberty and unleashing the spirit of genius and innovation that has made America the freest and most prosperous country in the world. Furthermore, one of my top priorities as President has been to nominate and appoint judges who are faithful to the proper role of the judiciary — to interpret the law, not to make it. In all of these efforts, we aim to ensure that the Government can continue to perform its fundamental responsibility to the American people, articulated in the Preamble of the Constitution, to “secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.”
On this Law Day, I urge all Americans to honor our shared inheritance of respect for the principles of the rule of law, limited government, and individual liberty. Let us rededicate ourselves to remaining ever vigilant in defending our rights secured by the Constitution so that our experiment in self‑government continues in perpetuity.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, in accordance with Public Law 87–20, as amended, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2020, as Law Day, U.S.A. I urge all Americans, including government officials, to observe this day by reflecting upon the importance of the rule of law in our Nation and displaying the flag of the United States in support of this national observance; and I especially urge the legal profession, the press, and the radio, television, and media industries to promote and to participate in the observance of this day.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fourth.
DONALD J. TRUMP
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