Contra Costa Herald

By Allen Payton

According to family members on Friday night and confirmed by the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff, Saturday afternoon, the body found by a hiker in John Henry Johnson Park in Pittsburg on Thursday, Nov. 7 is that of Kyle Beard of Brentwood, who has been missing since October 8. (See related article)

Family members and friends distributed flyers in English and Spanish on Facebook and through local media about Beard, also known as Kyle Young, who was last seen near Railroad Avenue and Buchanan in Pittsburg, not far from the park.

On Saturday morning, a family member informed the Herald that a “detective went to his mom’s house last night”.

No other information was provided by the Sheriff’s Office. Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Joe Canciamilla

By Daniel Borsuk

Former Contra Costa County Recorder-Clerk Joseph Canciamilla, who resigned abruptly on Thursday, Oct. 31st, has agreed to pay the California Fair Political Practices Commission fines totaling $150,000 for the misuse of political campaign funds for County Record-Clerk and as a candidate for Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge, the Contra Costa Herald has learned.

CFPPC spokesman Jay Wierenga informed the Herald on Friday afternoon that Canciamilla has paid the penalties, but the commission will have to approve the payment at the commission’s November 21 meeting in Sacramento.

“He has paid the penalties,” confirmed Wierenga. Attempts to reach Canciamilla at his Pittsburg Funeral Chapel and home were unsuccessful.

The four-person FPPC commission, currently with one vacancy, will consider at a 10:00 a.m. hearing on Thursday, November 21 the following:

“In the Matter of Joseph Canciamilla for Contra Costa County Clerk/Recorder in 2014/2018, Friends of Joe Canciamilla for Judge 2012/2014, and Joseph Canciamilla; FPPC No. 17/146. Staff: Neal Bucknell, Senior Commission Counsel and Bob Perna, Program Specialist II. The Respondents were represented by the Law Office of Andreas Rockas and the Law Offices of Wayne Ordos. This matter arose from an audit performed by the Franchise Tax Board’s Political Reform Audit Program. Joseph Canciamilla is the former Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters, as well as a former candidate for Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge. Joe Canciamilla for Contra Costa County Clerk/Recorder 2014/2018 and Joe Canciamilla for Judge 2012/2014 are his candidate-controlled committees. In 2011, 2014, and 2015 Canciamilla used campaign funds for personal purposes which were unrelated to a political, legislative, or governmental purpose, in violation of Government Code Sections 89510, subdivision (b), 89512, and 89513, subdivision (a) (15 counts). From 2011 through 2019 this activity was concealed on campaign statements by other reporting violations including non-reporting and overstatement of available cash on hand, in violation of Government Code Section 84211 (14 counts). Also, in 2011 Canciamilla and his judge committee commingled campaign funds with personal funds, in violation of Government Code Section 84307 (1 count). Total Proposed Penalty: $150,000 — $75,000 (Canciamilla personally) and $75,000 (Canciamilla and his committees).”

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors voted at Tuesday’s meeting to begin its selection process of a new County Clerk Recorder beginning, today, Nov. 8 with the acceptance of applications and to appoint a new Clerk-Recorder on Feb. 4.

Canciamilla was unavailable to comment for this report.

By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff

On Thursday, November 7, 2019, at about 5:12 PM, Muir Station Deputy Sheriffs were dispatched to a report of a found body in a remote part of John Henry Johnson Park in Pittsburg.

The body was discovered by a hiker. It appeared the remains had been at the location for some time.

The Coroner’s Division took custody of the body and is trying to identify the man. An autopsy will be scheduled to find the cause of death.

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

Sean Trambley from his campaign website.

Today, Martinez Planning Commission Vice Chair Sean Trambley, formally announced his campaign for Contra Costa County Supervisor in District 5. The district includes Antioch, Pittsburg, Bay Point, Martinez, Port Costa, Crockett, Rodeo, Hercules, Pinole and numerous unincorporated communities. Supervisor Federal Glover is the current officeholder and when reached for comment said he would be running for re-election for a sixth term.

“Our communities deserve a Supervisor who will show up and work hard for all of us,” Trambley said. “I believe Contra Costa County, with new, active leadership, can offer better opportunities to those hoping to buy a home, start a small business, and provide for their families.”

A press release from Trambley’s campaign stated, “As a small business owner and native of Martinez, the County seat of Contra Costa, Sean has watched as stagnant leadership has failed to address the challenges holding back working families and young people. Sean’s extensive experience in government, business, and advocacy has given him the tools and understanding to make smart, creative decisions and ensure the County reaches its fullest potential.”

He’s a public relations consultant, and has worked on issues such as affordable housing and open land preservation. In the past Trambley worked in Washington, D.C. as an intern for Congressman George Miller, then as an aid for Congressman Dennis Cardoza. He then worked for an organization known as the Democracy Initiative.

“For too long, the current district leadership has failed to represent working families and has yet to enact a broader set of initiatives that could give our county a stronger footing. Our county must take the lead on the environment, regional transportation infrastructure, and the local economy. My neighbors can’t even get their representative, or his office, to answer the phone, let alone fight for them. I believe we need someone on the Board who will show up. I believe I offer a strong, new voice for our district,” Trambley continued.

The press release further stated, “Contra Costa County is home to more than 1.1 million people, an economic driver that houses much of the Bay Area’s workforce. Yet, it faces a lack of family and workforce housing, an unbearable commute, long-standing challenges for small businesses, mounting homelessness, and a county government that is often too slow to respond.”

Trambley’s campaign will be focused on tackling these growing challenges in close partnership with small business owners, labor partners, community leaders and the residents of District 5.

Trambley has the support of Martinez Councilmember Noralea Gipner, Martinez School Board Member Jonathan Wright and Martinez Planning Commissioner Jason Martinez. He also has the support of former County Clerk-Recorder Steve Weir, who said, “Sean is a new voice for Contra Costa and I’m excited to support his campaign. He is smart, thoughtful, and dedicated to public service. His background in government, business, and advocacy will be a huge asset to the County.”

More information is available at www.seantrambleyforsupervisor2020.com. Sign up for his newsletter here.

Please check back later for any updates. Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Joe Canciamilla

Canciamilla retired on October 31

By Daniel Borsuk

With the clock ticking for the June 2, 2020 California Primary Election, Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday set a schedule to appoint a new County Clerk-Recorder by Feb. 4, 2020.

Supervisors voted 5-0 on Tuesday to follow a schedule to select a new Clerk-Recorder to replace Joseph Canciamilla who surprisingly retired on October 31 after serving one year of his second four-year term.

Canciamilla, who is on record as the nation’s youngest elected School Board Trustee when he was elected to the Pittsburg Unified School District Board in 1973 at age 17, was one year in into his second four-year term as County Clerk-Recorder when he announced his retirement.

Prior to his serving as Clerk-Recorder, Canciamilla had served as a State Assemblyman, County Supervisor, Pittsburg City Council Member and Pittsburg School Board Member.

In March 2013, out a pool of 19 candidates Canciamilla was selected by the board of supervisors to complete the term of County Clerk-Recorder Steve Weir, who had resigned after serving as clerk-recorder for 24 uncontested years.

Supervisors were pressed to establish a selection process and agreed to open recruitment on Nov. 8, close recruitment on Nov. 16, interview selected applicants and select a finalist on Jan. 21, authorize County Administrator David Twa to conduct a social media check and a criminal background check of the finalist and to obtain fingerprints and an economic disclosure statement (Form 700) from the finalist. The finalist will be appointed on Feb. 4.

No one spoke in opposition or in favor of the supervisors’ selection schedule, but supervisors spent some time on whether they’d accept applicants from outside the county and whether the county can attract quality candidates from within Contra Costa County or if the pool of candidates should emanate from outside the county.

“We’re going to get good local people,” predicted Supervisor Diane Burgis of Brentwood.

But District 4 Supervisor Karen Mitchoff warned “I’m not going to vote for some who applies for this position and maintains a rental.”

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution proclaiming November as Adoption Awareness Month in Contra Costa County at their meeting on Tuesday. In 2019, more than 150 children, including adoptions by former foster parents, family members and non-relatives had transpired. More than 1,600 families like the Nicole and Adam Davis of Concord receive adoption assistance and post-adoption support. Nicole and Adam are the foster parents of Chris, 10, Kavin, 8, and Ayden, 2. Children and Family Services in Contra Costa County offers concurrent planning, enabling the placement of children in a potential adoptive home while working with the birth family to help overcome challenges and support reunification efforts. Photo by Daniel Borsuk

Authorize Byron Airport Development Lease Negotiations

Supervisors gave county airport officials the green light to commence negotiations with Mark Scott Construction, Inc. to negotiate a long-term ground lease and development terms for three acres of vacant land at the north corner of Falcon Way and Eagle Court at the Byron Airport. The item was approved as a consent item.

The Airport Division of the Contra Costa County Public Works Department received a letter of interest from Mark Scott Construction Inc. to lease and develop the property for aviation use.

The business proposal will be presented before the Aviation Advisory Committee, the Airport Committee, and other stakeholders.

Revert 12-Year Housing Action in El Sobrante

Supervisors took the unusual action of unanimously taking a reversion of property designation that supervisors had approved nearly 12 years ago for a five-lot subdivision at Luise Lane at Hilltop Drive in unincorporated El Sobrante.

Since the developer and owner of the project site, Geoghegan Homes, Inc., has not met county requirements of installing road, drainage and other subdivision improvements as of Dec. 4, 2009 and has missed that extended deadline five times, ultimately to April 20, 2019, the county opted to exercise its reversion powers.

Now the property can only be developed into one house containing 7,000 square feet. Furthermore, the developer must go through a new county planning department review procedure, explained Slava Gospodchikov of the Contra Costa County Public Works Department.

The supervisors’ action did not please everyone especially Robert Johannessen, who lives across the street from the subject site and has seen rise of traffic accidents on Luise Lane when motorists take detours off nearby Interstate 80 when the freeway is jammed due to an accident. “It’s not a safe neighborhood anymore,” he said. Johannessen thinks any development on that site, even a 7,000 square foot house, will draw potential traffic problems to the neighborhood.

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors recognized four county entities for their contributions in combatting homelessness in the county at Tuesday’s board meeting. Supervisors passed a resolution recognizing November as Homelessness Awareness Month. The county has only 28 percent shelter capacity needed for single adults. In 2018, 6,924 persons accessed homeless services in the county. At the supervisors meeting, four awards were presented by the Council on Homelessness. Ken Rickner of Shower House Ministeries was named Outstanding Volunteer. Lito Calimlin was named as Outstanding Landlord Award. Chris Celio of the Home Center was named winner of the Rapid Resolution Program and the City of Martinez was named Outstanding Jurisdiction. Photo by Daniel Borsuk.

Other Board Actions

In other business, the supervisors approved five United States Department of Homeland Security Urban Area Security Initiative Grants contracts for the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District totaling $408,900. Those contracts include:

• $295,000 for the purchase of a hook lift modular transport vehicle.
• $10,000 for two 8,000 lbs. rated grip hoist rescue units.
• $24,900 for Weapons of Mass Destruction rescue Personal Protective Equipment such as butyl rubber gloves, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear or Explosive filter cartridges and adapters.
• $38,000 for search and rescue listening devices; and
• $41,000 for the purchase of two search cameras.

By Doreen Mohler, Anne Loucks Chapter, NSDAR

Join the Anne Loucks Chapter of the NSDAR on Saturday, December 14th, at Union Cemetery in Brentwood to help place wreaths on veterans’ graves during the Wreaths Across America commemoration ceremony.

The ceremony begins at 9:00 am.  See flyer for information to purchase wreaths, volunteer to help or to just attend. Community members of all ages are welcome.

This will be the fifth year that Wreaths Across America has been commemorated at Union Cemetery in Brentwood and it’s just an awesome way to honor our veterans.  It will be a very feel good and positive event for our community.

John O’Connor and his wife, Tere.

By Luke Johnson

A man fell into the trackway – about 30 feet in front of an oncoming train – and a BART employee immediately thought:

“Oh, he ain’t gonna make it.”

Photo courtesy of John O’Connor.

However, the employee got on his knees and reached over the trackway – putting himself in harm’s way. He then grabbed the fallen man and pulled him to safety with inches to spare. This all happened in a matter of three seconds. (See BART video)

The hero: John O’Connor, 55, a 28-year Antioch resident and former assistant football coach for the Antioch High School Panthers.

He was working at the Coliseum Station after the Oakland Raiders game Sunday, Nov. 3 to provide extra supervision for the overflowing postgame crowd – which was needed to say the least.

“That’s what I’m here for,” O’Connor said. “God was with us at that moment.”

“It seemed a lot slower than it actually happened (on video),” said O’Connor to the media. “He came to the side, I figured he wasn’t going to make it so I grabbed him and pulled him up to the platform. That’s what we do. We got foreworkers, train operators, station agents who deal with this on a daily basis. We preach safety, and we practice it.”

He added that it doesn’t sound right to be called a hero, because people in the military, police and fire department save lives all the time and he doesn’t believe he belongs in that category.

Although he may not identify as a hero, this Thursday the Raiders will honor him as one. The team will host him in front of the Thursday Night Football audience as this week’s “Hometown Hero.”

O’Connor during a press conference. Photo by BART

BART said the young man who stumbled onto the trackway was intoxicated.

After O’Connor pulled the young man to safety, he lifted him from the ground, embraced him with a hug and said, “It’s OK.” Meanwhile, other BART riders cheered for O’Connor for saving the young man’s life.

The moment was captured on video and posted to Twitter – which quickly went viral and can be seen, here.

The story has been all over the news and has even garnered national attention. O’Connor said if it weren’t for that video, many people would not have known what happened, and it would have become “just another good drinkin’ story.”

During a press conference, O’Connor stated, “A lot of times, people see us, and they don’t understand what we’re doing and what we’re going through but when something like this goes down, we rise to the occasion. Whether it’s the ’89 (Loma Prieta) Earthquake, the Giants World Series, you name it, BART’s been here for the Bay Area, and what we do is we try to get people where they need to be.”

By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs. Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff

On Thursday, October 31, 2019, at about 8:30 PM, Lafayette Police Officers were dispatched to a report of a home invasion robbery that happened on the 1300 block of Martino Road in Lafayette.

The incident involved three suspects who were armed with a pistol. One suspect apparently knocked on the front door, while two others hid. When a resident opened the door, he was assaulted and forced back inside. The suspects went through the house, stealing valuables and personal items. The suspects were in the home for approximately one hour before leaving with the victims’ BMW sedan.

The stolen vehicle was tracked to Oakland. Officers from the Orinda Police Department, assisting in the investigation, responded to Oakland and found the stolen vehicle abandoned.

One of the victims was transported to a local hospital. The other suffered minor injuries.

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact the Lafayette Police Department at (925) 283-3680 or (925) 299-3234. For any tips, email: 94549TIP@gmail.com or call (866) 846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.

By Daniel Borsuk

On Friday, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution ratifying County Administrator David Twa’s Sunday, Oct. 27 proclamation of the existence of a local emergency when the board of supervisors was not in session and could not be called into session immediately.

The supervisors’ action on Friday triggers the county’s application for federal and state funds for reimbursement for fire emergency costs for responding to fires that flared up in Crockett, Bethel Island, Morgan Territory, Oakley and other locations in the county that stretched the resources of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District and Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff and its Emergency Services Division.

The proclamation states: “Conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property have arisen within the County, caused by a severe weather event commencing at 8 p.m. on October 26, 2019. The velocity and duration of wind, coupled with low humidity, is driving wildfires in locations causing power disruptions, tree falls and infrastructure damage, and necessitating evacuations; and that these conditions are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of the County.”

Contra Costa County Emergency Manager Rick Kovar said while the supervisors’ action sets in motion the application for federal aid that will reimburse the county for 75 percent of the costs and state aid for 22 percent of the costs, the county will have to pick up the remainder of about 2.5 percent of the Oct. 26 emergency expenses.

Kovar said as of Friday a total cost figure has not yet been compiled for the Oct. 26 fire emergency activities and probably won’t be revealed until perhaps Nov. 8

“It was a very collective effort by all parties,” said CCFPD Chief Lewis Brossard, who noted the outbreak of five fires around the county occurred about the time firefighters were cleaning up from a major blaze at a three-story building in downtown Walnut Creek. Concerning the Office of the Sheriff, Chief Brossard remarked “pretty spectacular work.”

“The county prepares for emergencies,” said County Administrator David Twa. “Our teams did the work they were trained to do. We are grateful that there was no loss of human life. We will continue to support residents and encourage you to stay prepared.”

“You were so prepared,” said District 3 Supervisors Diane Burgis of Brentwood. “I’m very proud of Contra Costa County. You did a very good job. We all came together.”

“The weather conditions were such that there were a series of fires one after another that led to evacuation orders in multiple parts of the county on that day alone,” said Board Chair John Gioia of Richmond. “Throughout the local emergency, Con Fire and other fire district firefighters, Sheriff’s Office, county departments’ employees and other partners including the National Weather Service, worked diligently to coordinate in the county’s Emergency Operations Center.”

By Scott Alonso, Public Information Office, Contra Costa County District Attorney

On Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019, defendant Ramiro Jimenez-Osorio of Richmond (73-years-old) pleaded guilty to two felonies for his repeated sexual assaults against two minor Jane Does under the ages of 14. The assaults occurred on multiple occasions from 2012-2015. After the victims in this case reported the improper conduct committed by the defendant, he fled prosecution and arrest to El Salvador.

On October 31, 2019, the Honorable David Goldstein in Department 6 sentenced the defendant to a term of 15 years to life in state prison. The defendant was previously convicted of a felony sexual assault of a minor in 2007. The prior conviction was charged as an enhancement.

“I want to emphasize how important the work of the Richmond Police Department was to successfully bring this case to a just resolution. RPD detectives and officers never gave up on seeking justice for the victims. Their work led the defendant to come back to the United States after years abroad in El Salvador,” said Deputy District Attorney Jay Melaas. DDA Melaas prosecuted the case on behalf of our Office and assigned to the Sexual Assault Unit.

To protect their confidentiality, our office does not release the name or age of the victim, or their relationship to a defendant.

Case information: People v. Ramiro Jimenez-Osorio, Docket Number 05-190838-3