Sheriff-Coroner awarded $400,000 in grants
By Daniel Borsuk
Contra Costa Supervisors flashed the green light on Tuesday for county airport officials to ink a long-term lease with a Southern California developer to build a 52,000 square foot, single story mixed-use building at 550 Sally Ride Drive near Buchanan Field Airport in Concord.
The supervisors’ 4-0 action serves as a signal that more commercial and aviation related developments are in the pipeline on county owned property adjacent to the county’s two airports – Buchanan Field Airport and Byron Airport.
District 3 Supervisor Diane Burgis was not in attendance because she was at a business meeting representing the supervisors.
The supervisors’ action on the consent agenda item means that Airports Director Keith Freitas can proceed to execute a long-term lease with Montecito Commercial Group, LLC for the lease of about 3.21 acres of unimproved county-owned property at the south end of Sally Ride Drive.
As part of the supervisors’ action, the developer will receive a mitigated negative declaration attached to the project’s environmental impact report. During the EIR procedure, the Contra Costa Water District submitted a letter about the developer’s water usage and an easement issue. Both issues were resolved according to the CCWD.
The county can expect to cash in on the proposed single-story office-warehouse-distribution building. During the two-year construction period, the county will be paid $1,000 per month, but once construction is completed monthly rent will increase to $4,247 and will be adjusted every year on April 1 based on the Consumer Price Index.
The Montecito lease calls the one-year period beginning April 1, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 any adjustment will not be greater than 75 percent of the CPI factor. For the one period beginning on April 1, 2028, throughout the lease term, any adjustment to ground rent based on CPI may not be more than 4 percent of ground rent then in effect.
The Montecito development serves as an indication more projects near the county’s two airports are on their way for future supervisors’ review and action, Assistant Airports Director Beth Lee said. Supervisors are expected to soon consider two large developments proposed for the Byron Airport. One is a proposed building for aviation use and the other building is for non-aviation use, Lee said.
Lee noted the developer has yet to complete design and other procedural work before the Montecito project can get underway.
Before the Montecito -Buchanan Field development, the last development constructed on county airport property occurred in 2012 at the Byron Airport when the Patriot Jet Team building was constructed, said Lee.
When asked if real estate developers are finally recognizing how county airport projects can generate ideal real estate deals, Lee responded: “We sure hope so. This could mean a major new source of revenue for the county.”
Two State Grants Approved for Sheriff-Coroner
Supervisors approved two major state grants for the Sheriff-Coroner’s Office.
A $300,000 grant from the California Division of Boating and Waterways was awarded to the Sheriff-Coroner for the removal of abandoned vessels and the vessel turn-in program on county waterways. The grant goes into effect beginning Oct. 1, 2018 and remains in effect when grant funding runs out. Ninety percent of the funding comes from the state and 10 percent is an in-kind match.
Supervisors also approved a $97,100 grant for the Sheriff-Coroner from the Office of the Attorney General, California Department of Justice, Division of Law Enforcement Tobacco Law Enforcement Grant Program. The grant will be used from June 1, 2018 through June 30, 2020 to decrease juvenile access and use of tobacco products.
Both grants were approved as consent items.
Read MoreSACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Discovery Bay) issued the following statement today after the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s Board of Directors voted to finance the majority of the proposed Delta twin tunnels plan, known as the California WaterFix:
“Californians deserve comprehensive 21st century water management solutions in light of climate change and more frequent and devastating droughts, not a decades old plan that creates no benefit and picks the pockets of hard-working people.
The vote by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California shows that proponents of this project have been deceitful the whole time. There’s never been a “statewide” approach as they’ve claimed. It’s never been about sustainability but a foolhardy plan to overdraw the Delta to sell a limited and precious natural resource to the highest bidder.
This boondoggle uses antiquated methods for water delivery to degrade the water quality for all Californians and places greater burdens farmers in the Delta and Central Valley.
Just like the Colorado River Compact, this project is built on false pretenses of water availability. Met has already proven they are bad actors by overcharging San Diego for water many times. Given this history, my concern is Met may try to overcharge Central Valley farmers too.”
A press release issued Tuesday explaining their action, it stated, the board of directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California voted today to provide the additional financing necessary to allow for the construction of the full California WaterFix project.
The board authorized $10.8 billion for the project to modernize the state’s aging water delivery system, making Metropolitan the primary investor in the project and more than doubling the agency’s initially planned investment to ensure the project is completed as originally proposed and studied. “For decades, we have sought a solution to the problems of the Bay Delta, problems that put Southern California’s water supply at risk,” Metropolitan board Chairman Randy Record said. “We finally have that solution, California WaterFix. We simply could not jeopardize the opportunity to move this long-sought and much-needed project forward.”
WaterFix will be paid for by the people and businesses that use the water it helps deliver via the retail water agencies and cities that serve those customers. Metropolitan’s financing of the full project is expected to cost households on average up to $4.80 a month, though that average cost would be reduced as Metropolitan recoups some of its investments from the agricultural sector. Metropolitan will be selling or leasing capacity in the tunnels to allow water deliveries or exchanges for other parties.
About 30 percent of the water that flows out of taps in Southern California comes from Northern California via the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. But the Delta’s delivery system is badly outdated, its ecosystem is in decline and its 1,100-mile levee system is increasingly vulnerable to earthquakes, flooding, saltwater intrusion, sea level rise and environmental degradation.
Attempts to help the Delta have led to regulatory restrictions that have reduced water exports from the region. California WaterFix would modernize the state’s water delivery system by building three new water intakes in the northern Delta and two tunnels to carry the water under the Delta to the existing aqueduct systems in the southern Delta that deliver water to cities and farms.
In October 2017, Metropolitan’s board initially voted to participate in WaterFix and contribute up to 26 percent of its $17 billion cost, or about $4.3 billion. But the majority of federal agricultural contractors who also import supplies via the Delta have yet to commit to investing in the project, leaving part of the project’s costs unfunded. In February, the state proposed building the project in stages instead–starting with two intakes and one tunnel, with a capacity of 6,000 cubic feet per second. An additional intake and tunnel would be added when funding allowed.
In today’s action, Metropolitan’s board chose between supporting this staged construction of the project or helping finance the full 9,000 cfs project all at once, with the hope of recouping the investment from agricultural interests once the project is completed. Staging the project also would result in potential permitting delays associated with the change in approach.
Under the staged approach, the cost of building one tunnel would be about $11.1 billion, with Metropolitan’s share of those capital costs coming in at $5.2 billion. The board ultimately voted to support building the full project all at once at an estimated cost of $16.7 billion, with Metropolitan’s investment at about $10.8 billion in today’s dollars.
“Two tunnels better accomplishes WaterFix’s co-equal goals of improving the environment and securing supply reliability,” said Metropolitan General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger. “With them, we’re better able to capture the high flows of big storms that climate change is expected to bring. We’ll better address the reverse flows that disrupt the Delta’s ecology. And we’ll have more flexibility to operate the water delivery system.”
Kightlinger added that investing in WaterFix does not change Metropolitan’s commitment to local supply development and conservation.
“This investment is just one part of ensuring Southern California and its $1.3 trillion economy has a reliable water supply in the age of climate change,” he said. “We need a diverse portfolio, including water recycling, storm-water capture, and increased conservation. We will continue to work hard and invest in those projects.”
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a state-established cooperative of 26 cities and water agencies serving nearly 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.
Read MoreLos Medanos College (LMC) will be holding a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Brentwood Center on Wednesday, April 18, at 1:00 p.m. at the site of the future facility. The new site is located at Pioneer Square and Miwok Place in Brentwood (near the intersection of Vineyards Parkway and Marsh Creek Road, just off of Highway 4). The public is welcome to attend and the event is free; RSVPs are not required, and complimentary parking will be available.
This groundbreaking ceremony celebrates upcoming construction of a permanent Brentwood Center, which will expand and enhance learning opportunities for LMC students and Contra Costa County residents in the easternmost part of the College’s service area. The new one-story Center, designed by Ratcliff Architects, will be approximately 55,000 square feet. The project will be constructed on a 17.5 parcel purchased by Contra Costa Community College District (CCCCD) in 2011. It will feature instructional classrooms, science labs, student support services, library resources, tutorial labs, bookstore and food service areas, “linger and learn” space, faculty/staff offices, and more than 700 parking stalls. The current Brentwood Center, located in a leased facility at 101A Sand Creek Road in Brentwood, first opened in 2001. The existing space consists of 22,000 square feet and serves approximately 2,800 students – accounting for about one-third of LMC’s enrollment.
The permanent $65 million facility is made possible through funding from CCCCD Bond Measures A (2006) and E (2014), thanks to support from voters in Contra Costa County. Construction is expected to be completed in 18-24 months, with the new Brentwood Center projected to open in Spring 2020.
For more information, please contact Jennifer Adams, jadams@losmedanos.edu or (925) 473-7302.
Read MoreBy Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
The CASE (Contra Costa County Anti-Violence Support Effort) Team last month launched an investigation into a person who was allegedly buying guns in Nevada (that were illegal in California), transporting them into California and selling them. Following the investigation, the CASE Team obtained an arrest warrant for 50-year-old Virgilio Salazar of Antioch and a search warrant for his home.
Salazar was arrested on March 27, 2018. During a search of his home, the CASE Team seized a .223 Colt AR-15 as-sault rifle, CZ 9mm semi-auto assault pistol, three large capacity rifle magazines, and two large capacity pistol magazines.
Salazar was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on the following charges: importing an assault rifle, possession of an assault rifle, and importing large capacity magazines. He is being held in lieu of $300,000 bail. He has since bailed out.
The CASE Team is a joint effort by the Office of the Sheriff, California Department of Justice, California Highway Patrol, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Pittsburg Police Department, Walnut Creek Police Department, and Probation Officers from the Contra Costa County Probation Department. CASE was created in November 2011 as a collaborative effort to reduce violent crimes in Contra Costa, especially those related to illegal firearms.
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Deadline Extended – Due April 18, 2018
Measure AA is expected to generate $25 million annually for San Francisco Bay restoration over the next 20 years. Funding from this voter-approved measure will allow for the restoration of thousands of acres of natural habitat for wildlife, support our local economy, improve access to public lands, address flooding issues, and create thousands of new jobs.
The San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority’s Governing Board seeks six individuals to serve on the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee. The Committee has three main roles:
- Annually review the Authority’s conformance with Measure AA.
- Review the Authority’s audits and expenditure and financial reports.
- Publish an annual report of its findings, which will be posted on the Authority’s website.
The Board seeks committee members from all four Bay Area regions (North Bay, East Bay, South Bay and West Bay) with special subject matter expertise. Each member of the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee must possess expertise in one or more of the following:
- Water quality
- Pollution reduction
- Habitat restoration
- Flood protection
- Improvement of public access to the San Francisco Bay
- Financing of these objectives.
Ineligibility Factors for Membership
No person may serve on the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee who:
- Is an elected official or government employee;
- Has had or could have a financial interest in a decision of the Authority; or
- Is affiliated with an organization associated with a member of the Governing Board.
Apply to serve on the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee by April 18, 2018.
Application Submittal, Materials, and Deadline
Send your application to karen.mcdowell@sfestuary.org by April 18, 2018. Electronic signatures and scanned signatures will be accepted.
For more information, visit the SF Bay Restoration Authority’s website or contact Karen McDowell, Project Manager, SF Bay Restoration Authority or 415-778-6685.
Read MoreBy Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
Detectives from the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff have arrested Contra Costa Deputy Sheriff Patrick Morseman for unlawful sex with an inmate.
On Tuesday, April 3, 2018 the Office of the Sheriff immediately launched an investigation after receiving allegations of unlawful sex acts with two female county inmates committed by Morseman at the West County Detention Facility. A warrant was obtained for his arrest and a search warrant for his home. Morseman was also placed on administrative leave.
“Within 24 hours of learning of the allegations, we had interviewed the victims, collected and analyzed physical evidence, obtained search warrants, located the suspect, and made the arrest,” said Sheriff David Livingston. “We are now moving for-ward with termination of employment and providing assistance services to the victims.””
Morseman was arrested yesterday afternoon. After being interviewed by detectives, he was booked at county jail for engaging in sexual activity with a consenting adult in a detention facility. Morseman was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail. He has since bailed out.
The investigation is on going and the case will be presented to the D.A.’s Office for the filing of formal charges.
“The actions of this one deputy are criminal, offensive and do not reflect on the good work of the other one thousand employees of the Office of the Sheriff,” said Sheriff Livingston. “We will work closely with the District Attorney to see the deputy is held accountable and make every effort to regain the public trust we work so hard to earn.”
Morseman graduated the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Training Center Basic Academy Class 178 in November 2015.
Allen Payton contributed to this report.
Read MoreFrom CHP-Contra Costa Facebook Page
Monday night, at approximately 10:00 PM, a shooting occurred on westbound Highway 4 at Bailey Road. While the victim’s vehicle was struck several times, the solo occupant was not injured.
CHP – Contra Costa is actively investigating this shooting with the assistance of Golden Gate Division – Investigative Services Unit.
If you have any information or may have witnessed this event call 1-800-TELL-CHP. We wish to thank the public for contacting us with information in tragic cases such as this.
Read MoreRepublican candidate for California governor John Cox praised the Contra Costa County Sheriff David Livingston for supporting the rule of law and opposing Governor Jerry Brown and Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom’s devastating Sanctuary State policy.
“I am thrilled to see a county, less than 12 miles from Gavin Newsom’s home turf reject these dangerous Sanctuary policies. San Francisco values are not our values,” said Cox. I applaud Contra Costa Sheriff Livingston for standing up to the reckless Sacramento lawmakers who have put the safety of crime-committing illegal immigrants over our communities.”
“The Sheriff made clear his intent to obey federal immigration law and uphold his oath to the Constitution,” he added.
As of February, the Sheriff’s Office has been posting the release dates of all inmates at the West County Detention Facility (WCDF) in Richmond. That is the only county jail in the Bay Area to have a contract with Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) to detain illegal immigrants.
According to the Sheriff’s Department website, “Under the Detention Services Intergovernmental Agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, United States Marshals Service, provisions were established in 2009 that outline procedures for the housing of and billing for federal detainees under the care of the Office of the Sheriff. The housing of detainees is part of a long-standing contract with the Marshals Service to house prisoners in available beds at WCDF. ICE is part of that contract and pays for the Sheriff’s Office to house an average of 200 ICE detainees each day, provided we have the space for them to use.
These detainees are not persons who have been arrested by Office of the Sheriff personnel or are necessarily involved in criminal court proceedings in Contra Costa County, but instead are detainees ICE has brought to the facility in need of housing. This allows some ICE detainees to remain in the Bay Area, closer to their families, rather than at a remote jail somewhere out of the county or the state.
The program with ICE generates approximately $6 million in gross revenue each year and approximately $3 million in net revenue; this revenue reduces the local taxpayers’ burden for the overall operating costs of the Office of the Sheriff.”
The California County Sheriff’s Assocation opposes the sanctuary state policy and have asked the federal government to step in to stop it. The National Sheriff’s Association opposes it, as well.
About John Cox: Cox is a businessman and has been conservative leader for more than 35 years and served on Jack Kemp’s national steering committee. His campaign for Governor has been endorsed by Newt Gingrich. Cox serves as Chairman of Give Voters a Voice, the initiative campaign to repeal the gas tax increase.
Allen Payton contributed to this report.
Read MoreBy Allen Payton
On Wednesday, March 28, 2018, a Contra Costa County Coroner’s Inquest jury reached a finding in the August 2, 2017 death of 44-year-old Jeffrey Darrell Barboa of Benicia. The jury found the manner of death to be a suicide.
The jury reached the 8-4 verdict after hearing the testimony of witnesses called by the hearing officer, Matthew Guichard.
A Coroner’s Inquest, to which Sheriff-Coroner David Livingston convenes in fatal incidents involving law enforcement in accordance with the Contra Costa County Chiefs’ of Police Association Officer Involved Fatal Incident Protocol, is a public hearing where a jury rules on the manner of a person’s death. Jury members select from the following four options when determining a finding: Accident, Suicide, Natural Causes or At the hands of another person, other than by accident.
However, according to a press release by the Vallejo Police Department, five officers fired their duty weapons and “the suspect was struck multiple times and was later pronounced deceased at the scene.”
The complete press release reads as follows: “On August 02, 2017 at 5:05 PM the officers of the Vallejo Police Department attempted a car stop on a vehicle which was wanted in connection with an armed robbery in El Cerrito on the 26th of July. The person associated with the vehicle was reported to be armed and dangerous.
The suspect driver of the vehicle refused to yield to the officers and led them on a high-speed pursuit which ultimately terminated in the city of Richmond approximately 15 minutes later.
The male suspect and only occupant of the vehicle exited and advanced on officers with a machete raised overhead. The driver refused numerous orders to drop the weapon and submit to arrest. Officers perceived the suspect as an immediate and deadly threat and fired their duty weapons in order to stop the suspect’s actions. A total of five officers discharged their weapons. The suspect was struck multiple times and was later pronounced deceased at the scene.
The suspect driver has been identified as a 45-year-old Benicia resident. His name is being withheld pending next of kin notification.
The event is being investigated in cooperation with the Richmond Police Department and the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office in accordance with the County Fatal Incident Protocol. Anyone who may have information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Vallejo Police Department.”
Read MoreLow-income housing in the county “stagnates”
Voters in the financially challenged East Contra Costa Fire Protection District convincingly decided in a mail ballot election concluded on March 6, to shrink the number of board members from nine appointed directors to five elected directors.
Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors certified the election results as presented by Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters Joseph Canciamilla as a consent item at Tuesday’s supervisors meeting.
Of the 64,351 ballots mailed to registered voters residing in the ECCFPD, county election officials received and tallied 11,772 ballots or 18.29 percent of the total ballots mailed.
Of those ballots returned and counted, 90.46 percent or 10,605 votes were in favor of changing the board from nine chosen board members to five elected directors. Only 1,119 votes or 9.54 percent of the of the ballots returned wanted to retain the present setup of nine appointed ECCFPD board directors.
Results of the special election means those wanting to serve on the ECCFPD board of directors will have to run for office in the November 6 general election. Winners will be sworn into office on December 3.
The ECCFPD board presently has four directors appointed by the Brentwood City Council, three directors appointed by the Oakley City Council and two appointed by the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors.
By transitioning to an elected board of five directors, the ECCFPD will be in step with other policymaking boards like the city councils of Brentwood and Oakley and special districts such as park, water and irrigation districts, said ECCFPD Fire Chief Brian Helmick, who oversees the $15 million a year fire district that operates three fire stations and a Marsh Creek station under contract with CalFire from November through April.
There are plans for the fire district to operate as many as nine fire stations.
Historically, the ECCFPD has been hammered with financial mismanagement issues that have hampered its fire effectiveness due to the closure of fire stations and the departure of seasoned firefighters who join fire districts offering better pay and benefit packages.
Under a five-person elected board, Chief Helmick says the district can convey a more consistent and solid financial picture about the ECCPFD than under the current nine member appointed board.
“The election results will bring efficiencies and more effective communications to the general public about the district’s direction,” Helmick told the Herald. The fire chief said a newly elected board of directors will play a key role in the roll out of the fire district’s new strategic plan. A consultant is slated to present a mockup of an ECCFPD strategic plan at an April 9 meeting, Helmick said.
“I am excited to see that voters supported the East Contra Costa County Fire Protection District’s plan to move from nine members to five,” said District 3 Board of Supervisor Diane Burgis of Brentwood. “Nearly 12,000 people cast ballots and over 90 percent of them voted for the district’s initiative. That level of engagement and confidence shows that the district’s efforts to communicate more actively with residents and to be transparent about the district’s challenges are paying off. Chief Helmick and the board are making their case to residents and building the right foundation for the future.”
Report: County Housing for Low and Very Low-Income Residents “Stagnates”
Contra Costa County’s production of new housing units built for families in low-and very low-income categories continues to “stagnate” while permits issued for the construction of above-moderate income housing units continues to soar, a new housing report approved by the Board of Supervisors reveals. CoCoCo 2017 Annual Housing Report
In order to be in compliance with annual housing regulations set by the Association of Bay Area Governments, California Department of Housing and Community Development, and California Office of Planning Research, the Contra Costa County Conservation and Development Department’s annual report prepared by Christine Louie reported, “While the county has made significant progress in achieving gross housing production goals, production of new housing units available to households in low-and-very low income categories continues to stagnate.”
Last year, the report states, the county issued three permits for new units available to low-and very-low income households. Through the first three years of the current housing cycle only 11 such permits have been issued, constituting 1.2 percent of the total building permits issued for new units.
Discrimination, high land acquisition and construction/development costs are key factors for the county’s low housing production for low and very low-income households.
“Through the first three years of the current housing cycle, the total number of units for which the county has issued building permits is 856 units, which includes 11 low-income units, 14 moderate income units and 721 above-moderate income units,” the county housing report stated.
Last year, the county sponsored a number of subsidized housing programs designed to increase affordable housing. Among the housing programs the county sponsored were:
- The issuance $19.5 million in tax-exempt bonds for the rehabilitation of 114 units in unincorporated Bay Point and the city of Richmond.
- The release of $146.8 million in tax-exempt bonds for construction of 376 new units in the unincorporated community of North Richmond and the cities of El Cerrito and Richmond.
- The issuance of $100,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds for an 82-unit senior housing project in the city of Pleasant Hill.
- Providing $625,000 of HOME funds to support rehabilitation of a 14-unit apartment complex in Bay Point.
Neither the supervisors nor general public commented on the annual housing report that was approved as a consent item on the supervisors’ agenda.
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