Contra Costa Herald

Photo of suspect detained by a Hercules Police Officer on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2018. Photos by Hercules PD.

The SUV stolen in Clayton.

From Hercules Police Facebook Page

On Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 15, 2019, Hercules Officers responded to a shop lifting in progress at The Home Depot, four subjects being belligerent inside the store were seen taking some gloves.

In the grand scheme of things taking some gloves seems fairly minor, but upon contacting the four suspects the Officers determined they were in a car that had been stolen out of Clayton that morning, and being driven by a suspect, Joshua Leslie Vieth (44 years old from Pittsburg) who had three outstanding warrants for prior auto thefts.

When Officers respond to a call, even something that seems minor, they do not make assumptions. A stolen pair of gloves resulted in a car thief going to jail, but more importantly a theft victim getting their car back.

While Officers never assume a shoplifting call will end in a stolen car arrest, they always assume it could and treat each call as such.

This caper is another example of how out of town thieves are targeting our town, are being arrested over and over, and are being put back out on the streets to re-victimize our community. We will continue to proactively enforce our laws and send them to jail regardless of the outcome.

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

District Attorney Diana Becton announces today that the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office will launch a second Community Academy class this March. The goal of the academy will be to strengthen community relations and provide residents a better understanding of our criminal justice system.

The academy is free and is open to residents who live or work in Contra Costa County. Individuals must complete an application and background check when they apply. Residents can access an application on our website or residents may also apply in-person at one of our offices at the following locations:

• 900 Ward Street, Martinez, CA 94553
• 10 Douglas Drive Suite 130, Martinez, CA 94553
• 100 37th St. Rm 220, Richmond, CA 94805

Residents can submit the applications to the attention of Janet Era. Applicants may also email DA-CommunityAcademy@contracostada.org with their completed application. The application period ends on February 11, 2019.

The Community Academy will be made up of at least 20 residents of Contra Costa County for a 12-week course held at the DA’s Office in downtown Martinez, 900 Ward Street from 5:30-7:30 p.m. every Wednesday starting March 6, 2019. The Community Academy, which is similar to Citizens’ Academies hosted by many law enforcement agencies, is the only academy of its kind at a District Attorney’s Office in Northern California.

The academy helps underscore the office’s commitment to engaging and educating residents of Contra Costa County. Admitted applicants can expect to learn how cases are filed, the different types of crimes our office investigates and prosecutes, and the work we do not only prosecuting cases but also the community outreach efforts underway to prevent crime and to support children, parents and crime victims.

Presenters for the academy will include deputy district attorneys, investigators, victim advocates, support staff, community-based organizations and justice partners. The comprehensive overview by our office will allow residents to get an in-depth examination and review of the criminal justice system in our community.

BART is making major schedule changes beginning February 11th to accommodate Measure RR funded improvements to our infrastructure to keep BART safe and reliable. Projects to upgrade our electrical power system in downtown San Francisco and the Transbay Tube Seismic Retrofit require adjustments to our schedules. The Fleet of the Future roll out is also allowing us to expand some service and run longer trains.

Riders are encouraged to check before you go. Download the official BART app or check the Trip Planner to see how these changes impact your trip.

Weekday Changes

To retrofit the Transbay Tube, we need to open at 5am on weekdays- that’s one hour later. Visit www.bart.gov/earlybirdexpress for bus service alternatives during the 4am hour. We will also be single-tracking trains through the Tube on weeknights for this project. Impacts from this project include:

• Weekdays after 9pm, trains will run every 24 minutes instead of 20 because of single tracking.
• On Friday evenings, trains will be added to the schedule after 8pm to the Green, Red, and Yellow lines to reduce wait times and increase capacity.
• The first train from Daly City (5:03 am) to Antioch will skip from MacArthur directly to Pittsburg/Bay Point. The train will not pick up or drop off passengers between these stations. The next train from Daly City (5:11 am) will make all stops.

·         Weekday service improvements include:

• New direct Millbrae to SFO service on weekdays from 6:30 am to 9 pm every 30 minutes.
• Early morning/late-evening trains will now be longer.
• A Fleet of the Future train will run as part of the schedule on each transbay line and some trains will be lengthened thanks to the arrival of the new fleet.
• We are adding an additional Yellow Line train to the morning commute and we will extend one late afternoon train from Pleasant Hill to Pittsburg Bay Point.
• New Richmond-Daly City (Red) and Warm Springs-Daly City (Green) trains on Friday evenings at select times.

Sunday Changes

To upgrade the electrical power system in Downtown San Francisco from 8am-6pm, we need to single track trains in San Francisco on some Sundays. We will maintain 20-minute headways, but impacts include:

• For the most part, only one line (the Antioch/Yellow Line) will provide service through the Transbay Tube (some direct Red and Green line trains will be part of the schedule at select times).
• Sunday service changes vary week to week and riders are encouraged to check the Trip Planner or the official BART app before each trip to see the service plan.
• Dublin/Pleasanton/Blue Line service will operate between Dublin/Pleasanton and MacArthur.
• All Lake Merritt-Dublin/Warm Springs Transbay riders must transfer at 12^th Station—go downstairs one level.
• All Millbrae riders must transfer to/from a San Francisco/Antioch train at SFO.

·         Sunday service improvements include:

• Yellow Line passengers transferring to an East Bay line should transfer at MacArthur and will now have increased service with both a Blue and Orange Line train depending on destination.
• Additional trains/train length will be added to the Orange/Richmond/Warm Springs service.
• New direct Red and Green line trains added to the schedule on Sundays at select times.

There are no changes to Saturday service.

Check Before You Go

The new schedule has been loaded into the Trip Planner on bart.gov as well as the official BART app. Select a date Feb. 11th and beyond to see how these changes impact your trip. 

Sunday riders are encouraged to check the Trip Planner or the app before each trip as it varies week by week based on single tracking weekends.

The extra Friday service will be reflected in the Trip Planner and in Real Time Departures.  However, these extra trains are not listed in the Schedule by Station or Schedule by Line sections of bart.gov or the printed brochures. 

Sunday’s new Red and Green line trains will be reflected in the Trip Planner, and Schedules by Station, Schedules by Line and Real Time Departures. They are not listed in the printed brochures because they vary week by week.

Sunday Service Map:  Millbrae Shuttle Service weekdays and Saturday

Event will provide local federal workers and residents with resources and information

Rep. Mark DeSaulnier

Today, Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11) announced that he will host an emergency town hall on the partial federal government shutdown this Saturday, January 19th at 2:00 p.m. in Lafayette.

The shutdown has left 37,000 hardworking California families without a paycheck, increased wait times at airports and jeopardized air safety, closed our national parks, put tax returns at risk, and put millions of families at risk of losing or seeing reduced food assistance.

This emergency town hall will serve as an opportunity to provide residents and federal workers with the latest on the Trump Shutdown. Additionally, local organizations will be on hand to assist federal workers or those who may be impacted by the shutdown. This will be Congressman DeSaulnier’s 75th town hall and mobile district office hour since coming to Congress four years ago.

Lafayette Town Hall
Special Topic: Trump Shutdown
Saturday, January 19, 2019
2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Stanley Middle School
3455 School Street
Lafayette, CA 94549
Doors Open at 1:30 p.m.

Note: This town hall was previously scheduled for Wednesday, January 23rd, but was moved to accommodate a change in the House voting schedule caused by the shutdown.

This event is open to the public, press, and photographers. Please RSVP by visiting https://desaulnier.house.gov/town-hall-rsvp or calling (925) 933-2660. To request ADA accommodations, translation services, or for more information, contact Congressman DeSaulnier’s office in either Richmond or Walnut Creek.

Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Joni Hramoto swore into office Supervisors John Gioia as Chair and Candace Andersen as Vice Chair of the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, January 15, 2019 as Supervisor Federal Glover looks on. Photo by Daniel Borsuk.

By Daniel Borsuk

Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Joni Hramoto swore into office Contra Costa County Supervisors John Gioia of Richmond as Chair and Candace Andersen of Danville as Vice Chair of the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. Both were unanimously elected to their posts.

Gioia, who was reelected last November to his fifth four-year term, aims to reduce health care costs for county employees, reinstitute the children’s report card that before 2007 focused on children outcomes and development strategies, and to introduce an asthma medical program for disadvantaged youth.  Gioia, who last year was board vice chair, replaces District 4 Supervisor Karen Mitchoff of Pleasant Hill.

Mitchoff, who said she read 67 books during a busy  personally tragic year where she lost her 62-year-old brother Gerald Mitchoff in a South Lake Tahoe shooting incident in June, saw the county maintain its  AAA Moody’s bond rating, began construction of a new $100 million county administration building and new $30 million emergency communications building both in Martinez , and helped usher voter passage of the cannabis sales tax measure  in November.

Richard P. Stephenson

Due to the investigation by the Martinez Police Department, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office charged 50-year-old Martinez resident Richard P. Stephenson with two felonies for embezzlement and two misdemeanor charges of possessing a controlled substance. 

The embezzlement charges relate to

Stephenson stealing controlled substances belonging to the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District in order to support his personal drug addiction. 

An arrest warrant in the amount of $50,000 was issued on January 9, 2019.  Stephenson was arraigned at the Contra Costa County Superior Courthouse on January 10, 2019, the next court date is February 26th.

The charges filed against Richard Stephenson include:

• Count 1, Embezzlement by Public or Private Officer – Felony
• Count 2, Embezzlement by Clerk, Agent or Servant – Felony
• Count 3, Possession of Fentanyl – Misdemeanor
• Count 4, Possession of Midazolam – Misdemeanor

Case information: People v. Richard Paul Stephenson, Docket Number 01-188454-3

Rep. Mark DeSaulnier

Hopes other financial institutions will follow suit during government shutdown

Washington, DC – Today, Thursday, January 10, 2019, on the eve of over 800,000 federal workers missing their regularly scheduled paychecks due to the government shutdown, Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11) sent a letter to the Consumer Bankers Association, the Credit Union National Association, and the Mortgage Bankers Association recognizing credit unions for offering interest-free loans to federal workers. The letter also highlights DeSaulnier’s hope that other financial institutions will follow suit.

“Several credit unions across the country have begun offering interest-free loans to impacted federal workers. I applaud these organizations for prioritizing customer well-being and am certain that this will be of great assistance to countless workers and families,” wrote DeSaulnier.

If the government shutdown continues into tomorrow, January 11th, over 800,000 federal workers will miss their scheduled paychecks, and the impact will be felt across the country. Eighty-five percent of the federal workforce resides outside of the District of Columbia. For instance, in California over 37,000 federal workers and their families will miss a paycheck.

“There are opportunities to prevent potentially catastrophic consequences for millions of Americans through cooperation and compassion. I will continue to work in Congress to re-open the government and ensure public employees and contractors are paid, and I appreciate those companies that are stepping up to help during this difficult time,” DeSaulnier continued.

Full text of the letters can be found here.

Contra Costa residents with unwanted prescription medicines can safely dispose of them at 27 CVS Pharmacy locations in the county thanks to new, secure drop boxes added through the county’s Safe Drug Disposal Ordinance.

The ordinance, passed in 2016, requires pharmaceutical drug manufacturers to provide collection services for unused drugs, to protect the environment and prevent accidental poisonings or intentional misuse of drugs such as prescription opioids.

“Safe storage and disposal of medications is one of the easiest and most important ways that each of us can help turn our county’s opioid abuse epidemic around,” said April Rovero, founder of the National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse and Chair of the Contra Costa County MEDS Coalition.
The drop-box service is free, secure and confidential. The medications can be disposed of at the sites even if they weren’t purchased at CVS. Most medications are accepted in their original containers or in sealed bags. Drugs and packaging placed in drop boxes will be safely destroyed. In addition to CVS Pharmacy locations, 10 Kaiser facilities in Contra Costa also have the drop boxes.

“This new medication disposal program will help save both lives and our environment by making appropriate disposal as easy as stopping by a nearby CVS Pharmacy or Kaiser Permanente,” said Contra Costa County Supervisor Diane Burgis.

“We are pleased to work with the County to help provide access to safe medication disposal sites in Contra Costa County as part of our company’s commitment to helping prevent and address prescription opioid abuse and misuse,” said Tom Davis, R.Ph., Vice President, Professional Services, CVS Pharmacy.

Visit cchealth.org/safe-drug-disposal for more information about the ordinance and a link to a searchable database of Contra Costa locations with drop boxes.

The late John Sparacino in his younger years. 

The City of Martinez is pleased to announce it will be holding a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday, January 28, 2018 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., to commemorate the official renaming of Alhambra Park to John Sparacino Park.  The ceremony will be held at the corner of Marina Vista and Alhambra Avenue.

The park is named after former City of Martinez Mayor John Sparacino, who passed away on April 3, 2018.  The park’s name change was approved by the City Council on September 11, 2018, honoring Mayor Sparacino for his outstanding commitment and service to the Martinez community.

Sparacino was the City’s first publicly-elected Mayor and was admired and respected by all who knew him.  He graduated from Alhambra High School and lived only a few blocks away from the park.  He was a proud member of various groups including (among others) the Martinez Historical Society, Aahmes Shriners, Martinez Masonic Lodge No. 41, Knights of Columbus, the Elks, Druids and Sons of Italy, and also a longstanding supporter of the Martinez Police Department.

WHAT: Contra Costa Behavioral Health Services, a division of Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS), invites anyone interested in discussing local public mental health services in relation to Serving Immigrant Communities to participate in a public forum on Wednesday, January 16, in Richmond.

The forum offers the opportunity to express the needs of the community and meet with service providers to discuss current issues relevant to supporting mental health in Serving Immigrant Communities. These discussions will help inform future use of local Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) funding.

WHO: All members of the public are welcome, including Immigrants, their families, people working with Immigrants and interested members of the community.  RSVP to attend a forum by emailing mhsa@cchealth.org – please include “MHSA Forum” in the subject line – or by telephoning (925) 957-2617.  Attendees may also mail RSVPs to MHSA, 1220 Morello Avenue, Suite 100, Martinez, CA 94553.

WHEN: Wednesday, January 16th at 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium, 403 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond, Ca 94804. The first 30 minutes will allow for registration and networking with community-based organizations at the event.

WHY: Contra Costa County’s current MHSA budget provides $51.6 million to more than 80 mental health programs and services. Forum goals include identifying service needs, priorities and strategies to inform the county’s MHSA Three-Year Program and Expenditure Plan for fiscal years 2020-2023.
The forum will include an overview of how MHSA works and how funding is currently used in Contra Costa.

Visit  www.cchealth.org/mentalhealth/mhsa to read the plan and other information about the MHSA in Contra Costa.