Contra Costa Herald

Strike would affect more than 24,000 Kaiser Permanente workers in the Bay Area. Voting results in five other states, D.C. expected by September; would be nation’s largest walkout since 1997

OAKLAND, CA –  Kaiser Permanente workers in California poured out in large numbers to overwhelmingly authorize a strike in early October that would be the biggest in the United States in more than two decades.

Becoming the first of more than 80,000 Kaiser workers to vote, members of the Service Employees International Union – United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) across the state voted between July 29 and Aug. 11 whether to approve the unfair labor practices strike at Kaiser Permanente hospitals and clinics. More than 37,000 cast ballots in support of a strike (98 percent) while only 867 voted to oppose (2 percent). The turnout was uncommonly high for a strike vote in any industry, with two-thirds of workers casting ballots.

Strike authorization votes among other groups of Kaiser workers in California, and Kaiser Permanente employees in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia run through mid-September. The strike would start in early October and be the nation’s largest since the Teamsters’ walkout at United Parcel Service in 1997.

“Kaiser workers all over California are putting a stake in the ground that it’s time for this corporation to get back on track and live up to its mission to help patients, workers and communities thrive, said Heather Wright, a women’s health clerk at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Clara, Calif. “This strike vote is about stopping Kaiser’s unfair labor practices. This company should be all about providing the best possible patient care, but unfortunately its focus in recent years has been on making billions of dollars in profits and millions of dollars for Kaiser executives.”

Workers want Kaiser Permanente to bargain in good faith and stop committing unfair labor practices, and are fighting for a new contract that would:

1. Restore a true worker-management partnership, and have Kaiser bargain in good faith;
2. Ensure safe staffing and compassionate use of technology;
3. Build the workforce of the future to deal with major projected shortages of licensed and accredited staff in the coming years; and
4. Protect middle-class jobs with wages and benefits that can support families.

As a non-profit entity, Kaiser Permanente is supposed to serve the public interest in exchange for billions of dollars in tax breaks. But in recent years, the corporation has departed from its mission:

• Profits: Kaiser made more than $5.2 billion in profits during the first half of 2019, bringing its profits to more than $11 billion since Jan. 1, 2017. The company also sits on $35 billion in reserves.
• Executive pay: Kaiser gave its CEO a $6 million raise to $16 million a year and pays at least 36 executives a million dollars or more a year.
• Care for low-income patients: Kaiser provides very little care to Medicaid patients, far less than other non-profit health systems, even though it gets massive tax breaks in exchange for supposedly working in the public interest.
• Financial transparency: Kaiser lacks transparency and operates in the shadows. It is exempt from many of the financial reporting requirements of other hospitals and health systems. Operating secretly allows Kaiser to avoid the kind of scrutiny consumers, employers, unions and regulators need to protect themselves and the public.
• Turning its back on workers: Kaiser has worked to destroy what had been the most successful and largest worker-management partnership in the country that was a source of innovation and problem-solving for many years; it has committed numerous unfair labor practices, including refusing to bargain in good faith.
• Destroying good jobs. Kaiser is actively destroying good jobs by outsourcing them to companies that pay low wages with few benefits, and wants to limit the wages and cut the benefits of its frontline healthcare employees.

The workers’ national contract expired Sept. 30, 2018, and in December 2018 the National Labor Relations Board charged Kaiser Permanente with failing to bargain in good faith. Since then, Kaiser has continued to commit unfair labor practices.

The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions comprises labor unions in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Hawaii, Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia, representing more than 80,000 Kaiser caregivers. To learn more, visit www.KaiserKeepThriveAlive.com.     

Katie Volynets, of Walnut Creek, Calif., and Zachary Svajda of San Diego with their trophies. Photos by USTA.

Top American juniors Katie Volynets, of Walnut Creek, Calif., and Zachary Svajda, of San Diego, won the USTA Girls’ and Boys’ 18s National Championships this past weekend, each earning wild cards into the main draw of the US Open and headlining the annual USTA National Championships that took place last week.

Katie Volynets returns a volley during her championship match.

The nation’s top junior tennis players competed in eight USTA National Championships across America. In addition to the US Open main draw wild cards awarded to the 18s singles and doubles champions, the singles runners-up in the Boys’ and Girls’ 18s divisions received wild card entries into the US Open Qualifying Tournament set to being on Monday, Aug. 19 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. Meanwhile, the Boys’ and Girls’ 16s champions earn wild card entries into the US Open Junior Championships.

Seventeen-year-old Volynets, won the USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 18s National Championship, defeating Emma Navarro (18, Charleston, S.C.), 6-2, 6-4 in the finals at the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego. Volynets, who will be making her US Open main draw debut, reached the semifinals at the ITF World Tennis Tour W25 events in Florence, S.C., and Norman, Okla., as a qualifier earlier this year. As the runner up, Navarro will compete in the US Open Qualifying Tournament.

Svajda defeated Govind Nanda (18, Loma Linda, Calif.), 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-3, 6-1, to win the USTA Boys’ 18s National Championship in Kalamazoo, Mich. The sixteen-year-old will be the youngest player to compete in the men’s singles main draw since American Donald Young did it in 2007. Nanda, who reached the boys’ 18s singles and doubles finals, received a wild card into the US Open Qualifying Tournament.

Reese Brantmeier (14, Whitewater, Wis.) and Alexander Bernard (15, Bonita Springs, Fla.) won the USTA Girls’ and Boys’ 16s National Championships singles titles, and will receive wild cards into the main draw of the US Open Junior Championships.

Complete results of the USTA National Championships can be found below. The complete draws are available at the USTA National Championships page on TennisLink.

Katie Volynets holds her trophy presented by Billie Jean King (right).

USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 18s National Championships

Barnes Tennis Center, San Diego, August 3-11

Singles: (2) Katie Volynets (Walnut Creek, Calif.) d. (3) Emma Navarro (Charleston, S.C.), 6-2, 6-4

Doubles: (13) Abigail Forbes (Raleigh, N.C.) / Alexa Noel (Summit, N.J.) d. Gabriella Price (Boca Raton, Fla.) / Katrina Scott (Woodland Hills, Calif.), 7-5, 6-1

USTA Boys’ 18s National Championships

Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, Mich., August 2-11

Singles: (6) Zachary Svajda (San Diego) d. (5) Govind Nanda (Cerritos, Calif.), 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-3, 6-1

Doubles: (1) Martin Damm (Bradenton, Fla.) / Toby Kodat (Bradenton, Fla.) d. (3) Brandon Nakashima (San Diego, Calif.) / Nanda, 6-3, 6-4

USTA Boys’ 16s National Championships

Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, Mich., August 2-11

Singles: (1) Alexander Bernard (Bonita Springs, Fla.) d. (4) Aidan Mayo (Torrance, Calif.), 5-7, 6-2, 7-5

Doubles: (7) Hugo Hashimoto (San Jose, Calif.) / Benjamin Kittay (Potomac, Md.) d. (11) Lucas Brown (Plano, Texas) / Aidan Kim (Milford, Mich.), 6-4, 6-3

USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s National Championships

Barnes Tennis Center, San Diego, August 3-11

Singles: (14) Reese Brantmeier (Whitewater, Wis.) d. (1) Valencia Xu (Livingston, N.J.), 6-2, 6-0

Doubles: (17) Elise Wagle (Niskayuna, N.Y.) / Katja Wiersholm (Kirkland, Wash.) d. Tara Malik (Seacaucus, N.J.) / Nikita Vishwase (Phoenix, Ariz.), 6-3, 6-0

USTA Boys’ 14s National Championships

Mobile Area Tennis Association, Mobile, Ala., August 3-10

Singles: (4) Cooper Williams (Greenwich, Conn.) d. (3) Nicholas Godsick (Chagrin Falls, Ohio), 6-1, 7-5

Doubles: (6) Alexander Razeghi (Humble, Texas) / Dylan Tsoi (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) d. (5) James Lian (Parsippany, N.J.) / Nicholas Mangiapane (Davidson, N.C.), 6-1, 6-1

USTA Girls’ 14s National Championships

Metro Tennis Associates, Rome, Ga., August 3-10

Singles: (3) Theadora Rabman (Port Washington, N.Y.) d. Brooklyn Olson (Mission Hills, Kan.), 6-7(1), 6-1, 6-1

Doubles: (17) Ananya Annapantula (Mason, Ohio) / Maddy Zampardo (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.) d. (17) Macy Hitchcock (Eaton, Ohio) / Piper Charney (Prospect, Ky.), 6-4, 6-0

USTA Boys’ 12s National Championships

Mobile Area Tennis Association, Mobile, Ala., August 3-10

Singles: (3) Maxwell Exsted (Savage, Minn.) d. (2) Abhinav Chunduru (Plano, Texas), 7-6(5), 6-0

Doubles: (2) Chunduru / Prathinav Chunduru (Plano, Texas) d. (1) Exsted / Cooper Woestendick (Olathe, Kan.), 6-4, 6-3

USTA Girls’ 12s National Championships

Windward Lake Club, Alpharetta, Ga., August 4-10

Singles: (4) Claire An (New York) d. (1) Bella Payne (Taylors, S.C.), 6-2, 6-2

Doubles: (1) Haylee Conway (Bellevue, Wash.) / Aspen Schuman (Menlo Park, Calif.) d. (5) Kate Fakih (Arcadia, Calif.) / Victoria Osuigwe (Bradenton, Fla.), 7-5, 4-6, 6-2

The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level — from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with more than 655,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended annual sporting events in the world, and launched the US Open Series, linking seven summer WTA and ATP World Tour tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.

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

Wednesday morning, Aug. 14, 2019 at about 1:05 a.m., Contra Costa Sheriff dispatch received multiple calls of a shooting on the 1200 block of Mariposa Street in Rodeo.

Deputy Sheriffs arrived on scene finding two gunshot victims. They were taken to a local hospital, one by ambulance and another by helicopter. Another shooting victim went to the hospital on his own.

The gunshot victims are a 41-year-old woman, a 54-year-old woman, and a 23-year-old man. They are said to be in stable condition.

The investigation is ongoing. Suspect descriptions are not available at this time.

Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact the Office of the Sheriff at (925) 646-2441 or 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.

By Acting Sergeant Loren Bledsoe #4055, Investigations Bureau, Antioch Police Department

On Wednesday, August 7, 2019 at approximately 9:33 PM, a 50-year-old Antioch male victim called 9-1-1 to report he had been stabbed in his apartment. Officers arrived to find the victim suffering from multiple life-threatening stab wounds. Officers on scene rendered first aid until fire department and ambulance paramedics arrived. The victim was transported to a local area trauma center and is currently listed in critical condition.

Prior to being transported, the victim reported being attacked by two female visitors. Both suspects fled the scene with the victim’s vehicle and personal belongings.

On Thursday, Aug. 8, at approximately 11:58 AM, Elk Grove PD officers located the victim’s vehicle in their city, occupied by two 19-year-old females, one, a Martinez resident and the other, a Sacramento resident. Both female adults were taken into custody without incident and transported back to APD for questioning. This case is still being investigated.

This preliminary information is made available by the Investigations Bureau. There will be no further information released regarding this case at this time.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Adrian Gonzalez at (925) 779-6923 or the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925)778-2441. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

There will be no single-tracking or track closures due to this project for the weekend of August 10-11.  However, there will be overnight lane closures on eastbound Highway 24 near the Lafayette Station.  You can get more details here. The first weekend track shutdown between Orinda and Walnut Creek stations is scheduled for the weekend of August 17-18.

We are making extensive repairs and upgrades to the track between Orinda and Walnut Creek stations on most weekends through October, including some upcoming full weekend closures with bus bridges.   Using Measure RR funds, we’ll be replacing track and electrical equipment, installing new switches, improving station platforms, and making other repairs and improvements to provide more reliable, safer, quieter, smoother and faster service.

Closure weekends: 8/17-18, 8/31-9/2 (Labor Day Weekend), 9/14-15, 9/28-29, 10/12-13, 10/26-27

Riders should expect delays of 40 minutes or more on closure weekends.

County Connection and AC Transit will provide free shuttle bus services:

1.    Direct service between Orinda and Walnut Creek
2.   Service between Orinda, Lafayette, and Walnut Creek stations.

Single-Tracking
Single-tracking on some Saturdays will mean delays of up to 30 minutes. Please plan your trip with that in mind. We will single-track on 7/27, 8/3, 8/24, 9/7, 9/21, and 10/19.  We may need to turn back some trains at Orinda to maintain our schedule. If so, you will be asked to leave the train you are on and board a different train to reach your destination.

Highway 24 Lane Closures

On select weekends including single-tracking Saturdays, we plan to close the two eastbound lanes on the far-left side of Highway 24 near the Lafayette Station and Oak Hill Road to allow equipment and material to be placed near and in our tracks. The next lane closure is scheduled for 11 pm Friday August 9 and will continue until 7 am Saturday August 10.  The two eastbound lanes of 24 will also be closed Saturday August 10 at 11pm until 9 am Sunday August 11.

Lane closures for single-tracking Saturdays will only happen during overnight hours from 11 pm Friday to 7 am Saturday and 11pm Saturday to 9 am Sunday.  All lane closures will happen near the Lafayette Station at Oak Hill Road.

Night Work

We will also do work at night after service closes on weeknights through at least the end of October.

Sunday single tracking in San Francisco

On select Sundays through the rest of this year, there will be single-track service between the Embarcadero and 24th Street Mission stations in downtown San Francisco due to electrical cabling replacement work.  This replacement project is critical to ensure our trains can count on a reliable power supply. The work can add 15-30 minutes to your trip. Get the latest on this project here.

Use the Trip Planner, call the BART Transit Information Center at (510) 465-BART (2278), or get the Official BART app to plan your trip.

Complaint describes drug dealers housed in the East Bay and carpooling across the Bay Bridge who distributed heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl in the Tenderloin

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged thirteen defendants with engaging in a conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Chris Nielsen.  The charges were made in a complaint filed July 31, 2019 and unsealed Wednesday following the arrest of 11 defendants.

The complaint, described by U.S. Attorney Anderson in a press conference today, is one of the first steps in the Federal Initiative for the Tenderloin (FIT).  The initiative seeks to reduce crime in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco and is described here.

The complaint describes a conspiracy involving a large-scale drug-trafficking organization with networks extending across the Bay Area.  According to the complaint, from at least January 15, 2019, to July 31, 2019, Andy Reanos-Moreno worked with Karol Erazo-Reanos to rent housing throughout the East Bay for persons, including “redistributors,” who were part of the drug-distribution network. Reanos-Moreno, Erazo-Reanos, and Manuel Arteaga allegedly also supplied the redistributors with heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine.  The redistributors, including Allan Josue Funez Osorto, Brayan Martinez, Josue Natanael Perdomo Moreno, Jose Franklin Rodriguez Garcia, Cesar Estrada Cruz, Arnold Cruz Rodriguez, Christian Rodriguez-Valle, Alex Gomez Barrientos, Eric Montoya Marquez, and Kevin Arteaga-Morales, allegedly traveled to the Tenderloin neighborhood to sell drugs, often by carpooling together across the Bay Bridge.

According to the criminal complaint, Reanos-Moreno, along with Arteaga, took drug orders on a nearly daily basis from the individuals living in houses across the East Bay.  The persons living in the houses occasionally would negotiate prices and would specify daily the quantities of heroin, cocaine powder, cocaine base, and methamphetamine they wanted to receive.  Reanos-Moreno and Arteaga would then deliver these drugs to redistributors who would travel to the Tenderloin neighborhood to sell the drugs, referring to the neighborhood as “Civic Cen.”  The complaint describes numerous alleged seizures of heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine from houses where the redistributors lived as well as numerous seizures of drugs from the redistributors in the Tenderloin, including near several federal buildings.

All defendants are charged with engaging in a conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C).  If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years’ imprisonment and between 3 years and a lifetime term of supervised release.  Further, additional fines, forfeitures, and restitution may be ordered; however, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

The complaint contains allegations only and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Several of the defendants were arrested on Tuesday, August 6, 2019, as part of a criminal enforcement operation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Garcia, Sailaja Paidipaty, and Ryan Rezaei are prosecuting the case.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the DEA, San Francisco Police Department, and Richmond Police Department.

Complaint describes drug dealers with ties to Mexico and Honduras who transported drugs from Los Angeles to the Bay Area and Seattle

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged nine defendants, many members of the same family, with engaging in a conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Chris Nielsen.  The charges were made in a complaint filed July 26, 2019 and unsealed Wednesday following the arrest of eight defendants.

The complaint, described by U.S. Attorney Anderson in a press conference today, is one of the first steps in the Federal Initiative for the Tenderloin (FIT).  The initiative seeks to reduce crime in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco and is described here.

The complaint describes a conspiracy involving a large-scale drug trafficking organization, a network extending across the Bay Area.  According to the complaint, between March 4, 2019, and July 26, 2019, Eduardo Alfonso Viera-Chirinos, a/k/a “Rojo”, worked with his family members Victor Viera-Chirinos, a/k/a “Mojarra”; Jorge Alberto Viera-Chirinos; Jorge Enrique Torres-Viera, a/k/a “Enrique”; and Karen Castro-Torres, a/k/a “Delany Ellieth Cardona Velasquez”, a/k/a “Belanie Elyzabeth Artiaga”, to obtain drugs.  The defendants brought the drugs from Mexico through Los Angeles to the Bay Area.  The defendants then repackaged the drugs for redistribution both in the Bay Area and in Seattle.  The complaint also describes the execution of search warrants in June 2018 by the Richmond and San Francisco Police Departments and how Jorge Alberto Viera-Chirinos thereafter remained in the Bay Area to run the family drug-trafficking business while Eduardo Alfonso Viera-Chirinos and his partner, Karen Castro-Torres, moved to Seattle.

Also described in the complaint is how Karen Castro-Torres, Cilder Velasquez, and Jorge Enrique Torres-Viera coordinated housing for individuals who redistributed drugs for the drug-trafficking organization.  Drug redistributors, including Gustavo Adolfo Gamez-Velasquez and Luis Almicar Erazo-Centeno, allegedly placed orders for drugs on a regular basis from Cilder Velasquez and Jorge Enrique Torres-Viera.  The complaint includes excerpts from calls and text messages intercepted over federally authorized wiretaps.  According to the complaint, the Viera family obtained drugs in Los Angeles, packaged them for local redistribution in Livermore, Calif., and then shipped the drugs to the Seattle area.  Eduardo Alfonso Viera-Chirinos, speaking with an individual using a Honduras-based area code, also allegedly plotted to murder an individual in Honduras.  The complaint also describes a traffic stop in Washington State during which Alexander Gonzalez-Vasquez and Eduardo Alfonso Viera-Chirinos allegedly concealed cocaine and heroin in a hidden compartment inside Gonzalez’s truck.

DEA Special Agent in Charge Chris Nielsen stated, “Street-level drug dealing has, unfortunately, become somewhat ‘normalized’ in the Tenderloin. As for me and my law enforcement partners, and I suspect most people in this community, we are tired of drug traffickers preying on and profiting from the vulnerable. This case and the Federal Initiative for the Tenderloin is a sustained effort, and we are focused on drug dealers, their sources of supply and anyone else who assists them, while keeping in mind we need to help those suffering from addiction.  Our message is simple: we will continue to do our best to prevent these bold criminals from destroying any more lives.  There is much work to be done.”

All defendants are charged with engaging in a conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C).  If convicted, defendants face up to 20 years’ imprisonment and between 3 years and a lifetime term of supervised release.  Further, additional fines, forfeitures, and restitution may be ordered; however, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

The complaint contains allegations only, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Several of the defendants were arrested on July 26, 2019, as part of a criminal enforcement operation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Garcia, Sailaja Paidipaty, and Ryan Rezaei are prosecuting the case.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the DEA, San Francisco Police Department, and Richmond Police Department.

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors recognized two recent high school graduates who are recipients of Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarships. Overall 192 California college bound high school graduates were awarded scholarships in recognition for their academics and community work. At the presentation on Tuesday were from left Board of Supervisors Chair John Gioia of Richmond, Supervisor Federal Glover of Pittsburg, Freedom High School graduate Amara Payne who will attend Los Medanos College, Concord High School graduate Assal Bastani who will attend the University of California Los Angeles, Supervisor Karen Mitchoff of Pleasant Hill, Supervisor Candace Andersen of Danville, and Supervisor Diane Burgis of Brentwood. Photos by Daniel Borsuk.

Burgis gets Blackhawk Country Club to donate $40,000 per year for 10 years for police services

By Daniel Borsuk

Supervisors unanimously approved cost of living increases to three major elected office holders but withheld a salary boost for county assessor Gus Kramer citing “a salary adjustment for the Assessor will be considered at a later date once other issues in the Department have been resolved.”

That citation is in reference to an ongoing sex harassment case lodged against Kramer by county employees. Kramer would have been in line to have received a 1.96 percent cost of living adjustment increase that would have increased his pay to $208,013.

In compliance with a Dec. 11, 2018 Board Resolution, County Administrator David Twa said his office conducted a salary comparison of analysis of elected office officials in Alameda, Marin, Napa, Sacramento, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano and Solano counties and discovered in order to bring the salaries up to Bay Area average, the salary of Auditor-Controller Robert Campbell will rise 8.45 percent to an annual salary of $225,594. The annual salary of Clerk-Recorder Joseph Canciamilla will increase 5.48 percent to a yearly salary of $210,686. The yearly salary of Treasurer-Tax Collector Russell V. Watts will rise 4.77 percent to a yearly salary of $235,611.

There was no discussion from either the supervisors or public on the topic.

Blackhawk Country Club Donates $40,000 Per Year for 10 Years for Police Services

Notching a political victory in the tony enclave of Blackhawk, District 3 Supervisor Diane Burgis of Brentwood played a role for steering the Blackhawk Country Club to donate $40,000 a year over a 10-year span to help cover police services provided by the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department.

A dispute had erupted recently when the Blackhawk Homeowners Association, led by association president Ron Banducci, who had called on county supervisors to intervene in urging the Blackhawk Country Club to contribute funds towards the community’s police force that consists of three deputy sheriffs and one lieutenant. Up until now, the country club had not provided funds for police services since formation of County Service Area P-2A in 1985.

Since the creation of P-2A, homeowners have shouldered the financial costs for police protection, but the county club has never provided any financial assistance for P-2A coverage. Last May, Banducci, who also serves as chairman of the Blackhawk Police Advisory Committee, warned supervisors of “any backroom deal” like the one Burgis and the country club were then discussing, the 10-year, $40,000 a year donation.

Banducci did not return a Contra Costa Herald phone call to respond to the $40,000 a year donation consent agenda item at Tuesday’s board of supervisors meeting. There was no comment from either the public or supervisors on the item.

“I appreciate the Blackhawk Country Club’s donation to the county to support supplemental law enforcement services in the Blackhawk community,” Burgis said in a statement to the Herald. “I look forward to continuing to work with the Blackhawk Police Advisory, the Sheriff’s Office and other community shareholders to support the level of police service that the community wants.”

In a July 26 letter, sent to Burgis, that lays out details about the donation, Country Club President Scott Batiste states that this is a donation, not a tax.

“Residents of P2-A have authorized a special tax for police protection services in this area,” he wrote. “The BHCC does not pay this tax. The BHCC Board of Directors has authorized making a donation to the County of Contra Costa of $40,000 per year to support the Sheriff’s law enforcement services in P-2A each year for a ten-year period.”

Over the next 10 years, the county will receive a donation totaling $400,000 from the country club.

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors presented a resolution recognizing National Health Center Week, August 4-10, at its meeting on Tuesday. Supervisors recognized the work of Community Clinic Consortium consisting of Lifelong Medical Care, La Clinica de La Raza, and Planned Parenthood of Northern California that provide high-quality, affordable. Comprehensive primary and preventive health care in the county’s underserved communities regardless of their ability to pay, insurance or immigration status. Health centers serve more than 160,000 patients in Contra Costa County a year. Attending the resolution presentation were from left, Board Chair John Gioia of Richmond, Supervisor Federal Glover of Pittsburg, Lifelong Medical Clinic Executive Director Lucinda Bazile, Supervisor Karen Mitchoff of Pleasant Hill; Community Clinic Consortium Executive Director Alvaro Fuentes, Board Vice Chair Candace Andersen of Danville, and Supervisor Diane Burgis of Brentwood.

Supervisor Glover Postpones Youth Summit Over Mass Shooting Concerns

Citing the series of weekend deadly shootings triggered by ultra-right shooters in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, Supervisor Federal Glover of Pittsburg announced that the Youth Summit, a one-day event that he co-sponsors at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg has been postponed.

Originally slated to be held this Saturday, August 10 to draw thousands of youth in Contra Costa County, Glover announced at the supervisors meeting, “I will convene a meeting of the stakeholders, including law enforcement, to make sure we are ready to deal with active shooter scenarios and other public safety emergencies that may arise. The Youth Summit brings together a number of youth and I need to be confident as well as be able, to assure their parents that we have taken all reasonable measures to ensure their children’s safety at such a large public event.”

“As we review our protocols and formulate our plans, we will notify members of the public of our plans for a future youth summit,” Glover said in a press statement.

Approve $19.2 Million Multifamily Housing Revenue Rehab Bonds for Bay Point Apartment Building

Keeping in mind the county’s affordable housing shortage, supervisors approved a resolution authorizing the issuance of $19.2 million in Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds to finance the costs for the acquisition and rehabilitation of 88 units of rental housing known as Hidden Cove Apartments at 2900, 2911, and 2921-2931 Mary Ann Lane in Bay Point. The apartments will be initially owned at the time of the financing by Hidden Cove Apartments, LP, a California Limited Partnership.

OK Contract With Canine Companions for Independence

In another consent act, supervisors approved an agreement with Canine Companions for Independence to provide a dog to the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office. The dog offers comfort and assistance to victims of crimes during interviews, in-court testimony, and other traumatic situations. The cost of expenses for the care and feeding of the facility dog is estimated to be about $5,000 a year and will be covered from the District Attorney’s general fund budget.

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

On Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019, Seth Sears a 39-year-old resident of Richmond, CA, pled guilty to first degree murder during his trial for the 2015 killing of victim Neil Akin. Sears will be formally sentenced on September 27 before the Honorable Judge Charles Burch in Department 23 of the Contra Costa County Superior Court in Martinez. Sears in his pleading also admitted to using a firearm during the murder. He is expected to receive 25 years to life in state prison.

“The defendant pled guilty as charged to the first degree murder of Neil Akin, and further admitted that he personally used and fired the weapon that killed Mr. Akin. We hope that the defendant’s full admission of responsibility will help the victim’s family find closure after four long years,” Contra Costa County Deputy District Attorney Satish Jallepalli stated. DDA Jallepalli prosecuted the case and is assigned to our Office’s Homicide Unit. DDA Alison Chandler and DDA Colleen Gleason also prosecuted the case for our Office.

In September 2015, the victim’s body was found deceased in Oakland with a gunshot wound to the head.  Days earlier, the defendant shot Akin and left his body initially in the defendant’s apartment in Richmond. Sears wrapped the body in trash bags and used silver tape to bind the bags together to try to conceal the body. He rented a white van in El Cerrito and used the van to transport the body from his apartment to Oakland. Surveillance video in Oakland showed a similar white van in the vicinity of where the body was found.

Fortunately, a witness came forward to report that Sears had invited her over after the murder while the victim’s body was still in his apartment, and implored her to help him dispose of the body. She refused to help him cover up the crime and later met with the Richmond Police Department to describe what she had seen.

Case information: People v. Seth Rumi Sears, Docket Number 05-171844-4

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