The Contra Costa County Aviation Advisory Committee is asking for the public’s assistance in answering a one question survey to gauge interest in and support for a “public viewing plaza” at the Byron Airport, similar to the one at Buchanan Field.
The commission will discuss the matter at their next meeting on Thursday, August 9, 2018, which will be held at 10:00 a.m., 550 Sally Ride Drive in Concord, and will be deciding there is demand for the viewing plaza, the location for it at the Byron Airport and the cost.
Are you interested in and would you support a public viewing plaza at the Byron Airport?
Leave your response in the comments section, below or on the Herald Facebook page. Thank you for your participation.
Read MoreSpend $1.5 million in AB109 funds on Sheriff patrols; send cannabis tax measure to November ballot; approve Racial Justice Task Force report on split vote
By Daniel Borsuk
The dust may have settled as Contra Costa Sheriff-Coroner David Livingston’s decision (July 10) to sever department contractual ties with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to house undocumented prisoners at the West County Detention Facility, but Contra Costa County Supervisors still had to leap over two significant hurdles at Tuesday’s meeting.
Spend AB109 Funds on Sheriff Patrols, Advocates Not Happy
First, on a 5-0 vote, supervisors instructed that $1.5 million in unspent Assembly Bill 109 funds initially designated for undocumented immigrants imprisoned at the Richmond detention facility to be detoured for sheriff’s patrol services in unincorporated communities like Pacheco, North Richmond, Bay Point, and Byron. Sixty-four community organization advocates protested; supervisors should have allocated state AB109 money for nonprofit human service organizations that assist undocumented immigrants and others find housing, jobs and other services upon release from county jail facilities.
On the AB 109 issue, Richmond City Councilman Melvin Willis asked supervisors to spend leftover AB 109 funds for community support services. “We need these services to keep people out of incarceration,” he said.
“People feel betrayed” said Dominic Ware of Richmond, who added that most in the community services field contend AB 109 funds should go to human service nonprofit organizations rather than law enforcement. “This is a win without a victory.”
County Administrator David Twa said 40 percent of the funds from AB 109 go to community organizations, but he also added it is also appropriate for the county to spend the money to shore up sheriff patrols.
“I have to protect a very large area and that requires more patrols. This one-time allocation will provide those patrols,” said District 3 Supervisor Diane Burgis of Brentwood.
“This is a move to assure that patrols are in those communities of Crockett, North Richmond, Bay Point, and Byron,” said District 5 Supervisor Federal Glover of Pittsburg. “I think this is a popular move.”
Sheriff Released 63 Prisoners to ICE
Second, supervisors and most of the citizens attending a mandated ICE Access Forum learned that in 2017 of the 284 ICE information requests that the Sheriff’s Office had received, 63 undocumented immigrants held at the West County Detention facility were released to ICE agents in 2017.
Sheriff Livingston defended his activities adding, “We follow the law,” he said.
Community speakers criticized the way the sheriff operates the detention facility and had cooperated with ICE during a three-hour TRUTH (Transparent Review of Unjust Transfers and Holds) Act Community Forum that the supervisors were required to conduct for the first time this year to be in compliance with state law.
The sheriff confirmed ICE had requested 63prisoners at the West County Detention Facility to be released to ICE agents for interviews in the parking lot or to be detained and transported elsewhere. Livingston said in 2017 ICE would give two to three hours advance notice to contact a prisoner.
“The rounding up of people by ICE leads up to the question ‘who is next?’” asked Peter Cray of Richmond.
Cannabis Business Tax on Nov. Ballot, Commercial Cannabis Health Ordinance Unveiled
With no public comment, supervisors unanimously passed a cannabis business tax ordinance that will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot. The general tax measure will appear on the ballot for all county voters, whether they reside in the unincorporated or incorporated (city) areas of the county. They will vote on: The tax on commercial cannabis cultivation will be based on the square footage of a permitted canopy. The ordinance will establish initial tax rates and maximum tax rates, with automatic inflation adjustments of the maximum tax rates and permit the board of supervisors to make annual adjustments to the tax rates. The ordinance will include penalties for delinquent payments. The tax and appeals will be administered by the Treasure-Tax Collector.
Staff estimates that potential annual general fund revenues and county costs in the $1.7 million to $4.4 million range.
In a separate consent action, supervisors set the stage for the August 7 formal adoption of the Cannabis Health Ordinance. Provided voters approve the cannabis business tax measure, the Commercial Cannabis Health Permit Ordinance would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2019. The health permit ordinance would set business hours by being closed between 9 p.m. to 8 a.m., controlling odors, prohibit the sale or delivery of flavored cannabis products for which the primary use is to be smoked or used in electronic smoking devices.
Supervisors Narrowly Approve Racial Justice Task Force Report – 2018 FINAL CCC-RJTF_Report
Even though the final Racial Justice Task Force (RJTF) report won widespread public support, supervisors Candace Andersen of Danville and Diane Burgis of Brentwood cast dissenting votes saying the two-year study basically did not dig deep enough into the racial justice issues in the county.
“I just think that the report barely scratched the surface,” said Andersen.
With a finding that Black adults were more than three times more likely to be arrested than adults from any other racial or ethnic group, and Black youth were more than seven times more likely to be arrested than youth from any other racial or ethnic group, the 17-member RJTF recommended that Board of Supervisors appoint a Racial Justice Oversight Body to oversee the implementation of the recommendations by the task force.
Other task force recommendations include:
- Diversion – With a goal of reducing racial disparities in the Contra Costa County criminal justice system, form a committee to recommend countrywide criteria and protocols for formal and informal diversion.
- Data – All Contra Costa County criminal justice agencies and local law enforcement agencies shall collect individual-level data on all individual encounters with criminal juvenile justice systems and processes.
- County support for local agencies – The county shall work with local enforcement agencies to seek funds that support the integration of de-escalation and behavioral health intervention trainings into local enforcement agency regional academy and/or department orientations.
- Community Engagement and Services – County criminal justice agencies shall establish formal partnership with community-based organizations to provide greater capacity for diversion, re-entry programs, alternatives to detention, and pretrial services, in custody programming.
- Practices Related to Trial and Adjudication Processes – Encourage the Superior Court to return to the process of jury selection where jurors are called to service to their local branch court for misdemeanor trials.
- Confinement – Expand eligibility for pre-trial services staffing, with a focus on reducing racial disparities and replacing the money bail system.
The board voted 3-2 to approve the final report.
To view the entire board meeting agenda, click here.
Read MoreJuly 26, 2018, Clayton, CA – An evacuation order is still in place for Marsh Creek Road between Gill Drive and Morgan Territory Road. Marsh Creek Road between Gill Drive and Dear Valley Road is open to residents. You must show valid identification to enter. We do not have an estimated time to reopen those sections at this time. Please take alternative routes to avoid this area.
The Evacuation Centers are still open in Clayton and Brentwood:
Clayton Library Meeting Room – 6125 Clayton Road, Clayton CA
Brentwood Community Center – 35 Oak Street, Brentwood, CA
For more information on the Marsh fire, please go to http://www.cococws.us/
Read MoreRichmond ranks 6th overall, 5th for murders; Antioch ranks 20th overall, 21st for murders; Pittsburg ranks 59th overall, 13th for murders; Concord ranks 82nd overall, 87th for murders
By Michael McKneely.
California is a large and diverse state. The landscape, social climate, and opportunities in one city may be entirely different than in another. Significant differences also exist in violent crime rates. Certain cities are more dangerous than others due to a variety of factors, such as economic opportunity, education, alcohol and drug use, availability of social and family services, gang activity, and much more.
In the most dangerous cities, you are more likely to become a victim of a violent crime. You also may be more likely to face accusations of committing an offense.
According to the FBI, since 2016, out of the 461 individual municipalities in California, four cities in Contra Costa County made the list of the 100 most dangerous cities within the state with a population of at least 50,000 residents. Richmond ranks 6th overall and 5th for murders at 18.9 per 100,000 residents; Antioch ranks 20th and 21st for murders; Pittsburg ranks 59th overall and 13th for murders; and Concord ranks 82nd overall and 87th for murders.
Richmond, a city of only 110,868 people, had a violent crime volume of 919.1 per 100,000 people. This number is made up of 18.9 homicides, 64.9 rapes, 328.2 robberies, and 506.9 aggravated assaults per 100,000 individuals.
Antioch had a violent crime volume of 678 per 100,000 people, as a result of eight homicides, 49.1 rapes, 261.4 robberies, and 359.5 aggravated assaults per 100,000 residents.
Pittsburg had 9.9 homicides per 100,000 people in 2016 – a higher rate than many other cities of a similar size. The city had 59.4 rapes, 164.2 robberies, and 159.9 aggravated assaults per 100,000 individuals. The overall violent crime volume was 393.4 per 100,000 residents.
Concord reported 0.8 homicides, 23.9 rapes, 122.4 robberies, and 197.1 aggravated assaults per 100,000 people. This amounted to a violent crime volume of 344.1 offenses per 100,000 individuals.
Crime Statistics: Volume vs. Rate
One of the ways the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reports on crime around the country is to provide the crime volume for certain locations. This is neither the specific number of offenses that occurred in a specific period of time nor the crime rate. Instead, crime volume is a simplified indicator of how frequently a crime occurs.
In regard to murder and non-negligent manslaughter (homicide), robbery, rape, and aggravated assault, the crime volume indicates the number of known victims. For example, Los Angeles had a volume of 58.5 rapes per 100,000 inhabitants. This means there were 58.5 known victims of rape for every 100,000 people.
The crime rate would be the number of reported crimes standardized by population. To determine the crime rate, you divide a city’s population by 100,000 to obtain X. You then divide the number of offenses by X. This gives you the city’s crime rate per 100,000 residents for a specific offense. For example, Los Angeles had a population of 4,007,905. Divide the population by 100,000, and X equals 40.079. Divide the volume of homicides in Los Angeles, 293, by 40.079, and the homicide rate is 7.31 per 100,000 residents.
It is also notable that if a city has less than 100,000 residents, the numbers still reflect a rate of incidents per 100,000 individuals. This has been calculated to maintain consistency and allow for comparison of overall crime rates. All of the cities on this list have at least 50,000 residents. This allows for more uniform comparison of crime rates.
Most Dangerous Cities in California and Contra Costa County
The following California cities considered in this study are the most dangerous when comparing total crime rate per 100,000 residents:
- Oakland, 2. Stockton; 3. San Bernardino, 4. Compton, 5. Modesto, 6. Richmond, 7. Vallejo, 8. Santa Cruz, 9. Redding, 10. Madera, 11. Huntington Park, 12. Inglewood, 13. Hawthorne, 14. Hemet, 15. Los Angeles, 16. Sacramento, 17. San Francisco, 18. South Gate, 19. Lancaster, 20. Antioch, 59. Pittsburg, 82. Concord.
To view the crime map in Richmond, visit https://www.crimemapping.com/map/agency/310. To see crime maps, statistics and calls for service for Antioch, visit http://www.ci.antioch.ca.us/CityGov/Police/crime-maps/. Details on Pittsburg crime statistics can be seen here, http://www.ci.pittsburg.ca.us/index.aspx?page=746. To visit the Concord Police Department webpage click here, http://www.cityofconcord.org/page.asp?pid=1026. To see more details for each city on the list, visit www.fresnocriminalattorney.com/most-dangerous-cities-california.
McKneely is a criminal defense lawyer in Fresno, California.
Read MoreBy Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the District Attorney
The investigation into a fatal single vehicle collision after two suspects fled from an Orinda Police Officer on Saturday is ongoing. The investigation is being conducted by the District Attorney’s Office, Office of the Sheriff and CHP per the county fatal incident protocol.
On Saturday, July 21, 2018, at about 9:02 AM, an Orinda Police Officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a Nissan Altima for vehicle code violations in the area of St. Stephens Drive and Tahos Road in Orinda. As the officer approached the vehicle, it fled at a high rate of speed leading the officer on a pursuit. The suspect vehicle entered westbound Highway 24. The officer lost sight of the suspect vehicle and later came upon a single vehicle collision involving the car on Highway 24 near the BART station.
First aid was rendered to the two occupants of the vehicle. They were taken to a local hospital, where one was pronounced deceased. He is identified as 20-year-old Lawrence Mar-tin of Oakland.
The other occupant of the vehicle, 20-year-old Danny Lockett of San Francisco, was arrested for felony evading causing death and a probation violation. He is being held without bail at the Martinez Detention Facility.
Anyone with any information on this incident is asked to contact the Office of the Sheriff Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, please email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call 866-846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.
Read MoreFour in Pleasant Hill, two in Concord, two in Brentwood and one in Pittsburg
By Scott Alonso, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa County Office of the District Attorney
A joint enforcement strike force issued over $200,000 in administrative fines to nine Contra Costa County restaurants for failing to provide workers’ compensation insurance, announced District Attorney Diana Becton. On June 26 and July 20, 2018, investigators from the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office, Department of Industrial Relations’ Labor Commissioner’s Office, and Employment Development Department conducted surprise inspections at Contra Costa County restaurants suspected of deliberately evading the obligation to provide workers’ compensation insurance to employees.
The citations issued by the Labor Commissioner’s Office allege that the restaurants cumulatively employed 55 workers without providing insurance coverage in the event of an injury on the job. The restaurants failed to respond to a warning letter from the District Attorney’s Office in July of 2017.
District Attorney Diana Becton said, “The District Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting the workers of Contra Costa County. Operations like these are an important part of obtaining compliance before an employee finds out the hard way that their employer did not have coverage for a severe injury.”
The Labor Code requires employers to provide workers compensation insurance to cover employees in the event of an on-the-job injury.
“This operation protects employers who are playing by the rules from being undercut by those who don’t,” said California Labor Commissioner Julie A. Su. “We also issued these citations because employees are entitled to workers’ compensation insurance if they are hurt on the job.”
Willful failure to provide the insurance is punishable by substantial fines and misdemeanor criminal prosecution. Employees that do not know whether they are covered can check their employer’s notices board or ask a manager. Labor Code section 3550 requires the employers to post a notice identifying the current insurance at a conspicuous location.
Anyone with information about employers who dissuade employees from filing claims after they are injured, lie to a workers compensation insurance carrier about who is employed and what jobs they actually do, or fail to provide workers’ compensation insurance coverage at all, can report that information to DA-ReportFraud@contracostada.org. Labor Code section 1102.5 prohibits an employer from retaliating against an employee who reports a violations of a California statute, rule, or regulation to a supervisor or government agency.
Joint Enforcement Strike Results:
- Meson Azteca, 2237 & 2239 Morello Ave., Pleasant Hill ($71,668)
- New Lim’s Garden, 4340 Clayton Rd., Concord ($51,262)
- Dragon City Restaurant, 71 Sand Creek Rd., Brentwood ($28,500)
- La Mordida, 607 Gregory Lane, Ste. 140, Pleasant Hill ($16,500)
- Sushi One, 3111 Balfour Rd., Brentwood ($15,000)
- Sunshine Café, 1908 Oak Park Blvd. Pleasant Hill ($7,500)
- Tacos El Patron, 2290 Monument Blvd., Pleasant Hill ($7,500)
- Grant Street Pub and Pizzeria, 1822 Grant St., Concord ($6,500)
- Sunshine Café, 2227 Railroad Ave, Pittsburg ($4,500)
The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) has completed the first stage of construction on the Balfour Road Interchange Project, and has opened newly constructed lanes to the public as of Saturday morning. This major project milestone is part of a $42.7 million-dollar construction project to improve safety and efficiency at this busy intersection in Brentwood.
A traffic switch will occur this weekend that will move eastbound Highway 4 drivers onto the newly built, elevated alignment over Balfour Road. Additionally, eastbound Highway 4 motorists will be able to use newly constructed on and off-ramps. A new signal will be activated at the intersection of Balfour Road and the new off-ramp, and directional signage will be in place to help inform motorists.
“This is a big deal for Brentwood”, said Brentwood Mayor Bob Taylor. “Balfour Road is a major intersection, and the opening of these new lanes bring us one step closer to making this a better, safer intersection for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians.”
“Our goal is to help keep Contra Costa moving”, stated CCTA Executive Director Randy Iwasaki. “The Balfour Road Interchange Project is the final piece in the modernization of Highway 4 that our agency has led over the past eight years – and we are excited to be delivering on our promise to the public by bringing improved mobility to eastern Contra Costa County.”
“We purchased the right-of-way for the four lanes of traffic and two lines of transit down the center, 20 years ago, this year,” said Allen Payton, Chairman of the State Route 4 Bypass Authority in 1998. “Half of that section, of what was known as the Highway 4 Bypass, was paid for with local developer fees. The other half was to be paid for with state funds. But that commitment took years to be fulfilled. Special thanks go to Randy Iwasaki for helping secure the money from the state and to the CCTA for getting the project completed.”
A portion of the funds to complete the project were from Measure J, the county’s half-cent sales tax for transportation which is allocated by the CCTA. The effort for the project began in the early 1990’s and took until 1998 to get approval from the CCTA Board of Directors, without any financial commitment at that time.
Visualizations of the new eastbound on and off-ramps, as well as eastbound through traffic can be viewed online at:
Traffic on westbound Highway 4 towards Antioch will remain on the same alignment and continue to operate without any changes at this time. The entire project is expected to be complete in late 2018 or early 2019.
About the Highway 4 Projects
The Highway 4 projects include improvements that will help modernize eastern Contra Costa County. The projects expand Highway 4 from four to eight lanes between Loveridge Road in Pittsburg to just west of State Route 160 in Antioch, from two to four lanes from Lone Tree Way to Balfour Road in Brentwood, add missing connector ramps at the State Route 160/Highway 4 interchange, and add a BART extension from Pittsburg to Antioch with a new stop in Pittsburg and Antioch. This will greatly improve transit accessibility for the region, help reduce traffic congestion, and enhance the quality of life for the more than 250,000 residents of eastern Contra Costa County. The projects have been carefully staged to keep 130,000 vehicles per day moving as major construction and demolition work continue. These projects, plus previously constructed projects in the region, bring the total investment in East County to $1.3 billion, including State, Federal, Contra Costa Transportation Authority Measures C and J, regional bridge tolls, and other funds. View the story of Highway 4 at http://4eastcounty.org/stories/
About the Contra Costa Transportation Authority
The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) is a public agency formed by Contra Costa voters in 1988 to manage the county’s transportation sales tax program and oversee countywide transportation planning efforts. With a staff of twenty people managing a multi-billion dollar suite of projects and programs, CCTA is responsible for planning, funding and delivering critical transportation infrastructure projects and programs that connect our communities, foster a strong economy, increase sustainability, and safely and efficiently get people where they need to go. CCTA also serves as the county’s designated Congestion Management Agency, responsible for putting programs in place to keep traffic levels manageable. More information about CCTA is available at ccta.net.
Read MoreBy Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
Homicide Detectives from the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff Investigation Division have arrested two suspects in connection with an El Sobrante homicide Wednesday night. (See related article).
The two suspects are identified as 22-year-old Anthony Gaines of Richmond and 57-year old Judy Barkas of El Sobrante. Both have been booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on murder and conspiracy charges. They are each being held in lieu of $2 million bail.
Last night at approximately 10:46 PM, Bay Station Deputy Sheriffs were dispatched to the 4800 block of San Pablo Dam Road, El Sobrante, for a report of a person shot.
Deputies arrived on scene and located a shooting victim lying in a driveway. Deputies started CPR on the victim and requested the fire department and an ambulance to respond to the scene. The 22-year-old male victim was later pronounced deceased at the scene. His identity is being withheld pending the notification of next of kin. The autopsy this morning found the cause of death to be a gunshot wound.
The investigation is ongoing. Detectives are still trying to establish the exact motive in the case, but know the individuals are acquainted with each other and appear to have an ongoing dispute.
Anyone with any information on this incident is asked to contact the Office of the Sheriff Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, please email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call 866-846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.
Read MoreCar catches fire, closes all westbound lanes
By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
This morning (7/21/18) at about 9:02, an Orinda Police Officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop for vehicle code violations in the area of St. Stephens Drive and Tahos Road in Orinda. As the officer approached the vehicle, it fled at a high rate of speed leading the officer on a pursuit.
The suspect vehicle entered westbound Highway 24. The officer lost sight of the suspect vehicle and later came upon a single vehicle collision involving the vehicle on Highway 24 near the BART station.
First aid was rendered to the two occupants of the vehicle. They were taken to a local hospital, where one was pronounced deceased. They are not being identified at this time. The officer involved fatal incident protocol has been invoked. This incident is being investigated by the District Attorney’s Office, Office of the Sheriff and CHP.
According to an ABC7 News report the collision resulted in the shutdown of the westbound lanes of Highway 24 and “the CHP reported the overturned car was engulfed in flames and that an ambulance was called to the scene.” According to a tweet on the CHP-Contra Costa Twitter feed, all vehicles were being diverted to the Orinda Road offramp.
Anyone who has any information on this incident is asked to contact the Office of the Sheriff Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, please email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call 866-846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.
Allen Payton contributed to this report.
Read MoreBy Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
On Wednesday, July 18, 2018, at approximately 10:46 PM, Bay Station Deputy Sheriffs were dispatched to the 4800 block of San Pablo Dam Road, El Sobrante, for a report of a person shot at that location.
Deputies arrived on scene and located a shooting victim lying in a driveway. Deputies started CPR on the victim and requested the fire department and an ambulance to respond to the scene.
The 22-year-old male victim was later pronounced deceased at the scene. He is not being identified at this time. The investigation is ongoing and detectives are interviewing several people at this time.
Anyone with any information on this incident or the identity of the suspect is asked to contact the Office of the Sheriff Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, please email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call 866-846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.
Read More