Contra Costa Herald

CCCOE to partner with county to expand community access television programming focused on local education

The Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE) announced Wednesday that the agency will begin to coordinate local education programming for the Contra Costa County Education Channel, EdTV. CCCOE, with support from Contra Costa Television (CCTV), will be providing more access of quality, local pre-K through College educational programming to residents, students, educators and stakeholders in Contra Costa County.

“We are extremely excited to begin promoting education in Contra Costa County through the power of community access television,” said Karen Sakata, Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools. “This partnership with the County will enable us to provide a voice and a forum to students, schools, school districts and higher education in our County so they can effectively tell their stories through video.”

EdTV, an Educational Access channel, is a basic cable TV service on Comcast Channel 32 and AT&T U-verse Channel 99, and is available throughout most of Contra Costa County. Currently, EdTV is unavailable to cable subscribers in San Ramon as well as WAVE subscribers. EdTV is one of a handful of PEG (Public, Education and Government) Access Channels that operate in Contra Costa County. All of these channels are carried in Standard Definition. Contra Costa Television (CCTV) currently manages five PEG channels. Online streaming of EdTV and availability of online video on demand will also be explored.

“Contra Costa County is home to nearly 400 K-12 public and private schools, 18 school districts, as well as several institutions of higher education, said Terry Koehne, Chief Communications Officer for the Contra Costa County Office of Education. “Each of these local education agencies would have the ability to publish unique, locally produced content and bulletin board material to EdTV, thus providing direct access to a majority of Contra Costa County residents and businesses; that is our goal.”

The role of the County Office of Education will be to work in collaboration with CCTV to direct the overall content and programming schedule for the channel, approve video and bulletin board content through the development of content submission guidelines, and promote EdTV using all communication tools available.

“It is a natural fit for the County Office of Education to take on this role,” said Chris Verdugo, Interim Director of Communications and Media for Contra Costa County. “We look forward to more quality content that promotes and impacts our local education communities.”

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over

The Contra Costa Area office of the California Highway Patrol will be conducting a “Sobriety Checkpoint” starting on Thursday, December 28 in an unincorporated area of Contra Costa County.  This safety event will be conducted from 9PM to 3AM.  Traffic volume permitting, all vehicles will be checked, and drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs can expect to be arrested.  In addition, officers will conduct driver’s license checks on motorists stopped at the checkpoint.

The event is part of the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign.  Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In addition to this press release, we will use our CHP-Contra Costa Facebook and CHP-Contra Costa Twitter pages to provide messaging to encourage the use of occupant restraints, adherence to the speed limit, and sober driving.

Daniel Gonzalez

By Sgt. Christine Magley, Concord Police Investigations Division / Special Victims Unit

On December 7, 2017, Concord Police received a report of a teacher at Loma Vista Adult Center who was allegedly having sex with a developmentally disabled adult student. The student was enrolled in the Bridge Program which aids students in the development of their independent living skills, academics and more. The suspect, identified as 55-year-old Daniel Gonzalez, was a teacher in the program offered through the Mt. Diablo Unified School District’s Adult Education Department.

The Concord Police Special Victims Unit led the investigation and determined the adult student had an intellectual development level of a young teenager and therefore, is considered a dependent adult. According to California Penal Code 261, it is illegal to have sex with a person who is incapable of consent due to a mental or developmental disability. Based on the facts discovered during the course of the investigation, the school district was notified and the teacher was immediately placed on an administrative leave of absence.

SVU detectives arrested Gonzalez and he was later transferred to the Martinez Detention Facility with a $2 million bail amount. The case is pending review by Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office.

Detectives are taking steps to identify other potential victims. Anyone with additional information regarding Gonzalez, please contact the Concord Police Department Special Victims Unit at 925-671-3020.

Saleem Jaser from his Facebook profile.

Fast action by homeowner leads to arrest; suspect also questioned in Lafayette burglary

By Public Information Coordinator Geoff Gillette, Danville Police Department

A 27-year-old Walnut Creek man is in custody, following an early morning residential burglary in Danville. At approximately 6:00 a.m. on December 27, 2017, Danville Police were called to a home on Savona Court on a report of a subject entering a home.

Danville Police Chief Allan Shields said the homeowner called 911 immediately, then gathered her family and fled the premises. When police arrived on scene, they spotted a suspect identified as Saleem Jaser, 27, of Walnut Creek exiting the home with stolen items in hand. Jaser was taken into custody and booked in the Martinez Detention Facility on charges of burglary, robbery, trespassing, child endangerment, grand theft, possession of stolen property, and prowling. He’s being held on $485,000 bail.

Chief Shields said Jaser is also being questioned in connection with another residential burglary in Lafayette.

Shields praised the quick thinking and fast actions of the homeowner, which led to the arrest.

“This was a great result,” Shields said, “The homeowner kept their cool, acted swiftly, and as a result a criminal is now off the streets.”

For more information, contact Lt. Doug Muse at (925) 314-3700 or dmuse@danville.ca.gov

Sheriff David O. Livingston. From CCCSheriff website.

By Daniel Borsuk

Contra Costa County Sheriff-Coroner David Livingston has provided at the request of the Contra Costa Herald a copy of his Dec. 1 letter to answer questions whether the department is out of compliance with federal immigration laws that entitled the Coroner-Sheriff Office to nearly $25 million in federal grants in 2016. CCSheriff ltr to DOJ re 8 USC 1373 Compliance 12-1-17

The sheriff’s letter was due Dec, 8, and he essentially informed U. S. Acting Assistant Attorney General Alan Hanson that the Office of the Contra Costa County Sheriff-Coroner is in compliance with federal immigration policy. That is in spite of the fact that beginning Jan. 1, 2018 California law enforcement agencies must begin to enforce Senate Bill 54, the California Values Act or what is better known as the sanctuary state law.

Livingston included with the letter his department’s draft policy on how it will and won’t cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) which was issued Dec. 3, 2013 and updated on Nov. 16, 2017.

In his letter to Hanson, Livingston wrote:

“The California Values Act, with we must comply. That Act provides specifically that it does not authorize information regarding the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful of an individual, or from requesting from federal immigration authority’s immigration status information lawful or unlawful of an individual, or maintaining or exchanging that information with any other federal, state, or local government entity.”

Sheriff Livingston missed attending the Dec. 7 meeting of the Board of Supervisors’ Public Safety Committee meeting, disappointing a number of committee members who wanted to hear him comment and answer questions about the draft policy on ICE-undocumented jail inmates, but obviously were unable to do so.

“I am surprised and disappointed that the sheriff is not here,” said District 1 Supervisor John Gioia of Richmond at the committee meeting. “I don’t know if this has ever happened before where the sheriff has not appeared at a Public Protection Committee meeting.”

Please see related article.

“Glory to the Newborn King!”

Here are the words to the song that memorializes the most important herald that has ever been – the announcement by the angels of the birth of the Savior of the world, Jesus the Christ, the long-prophesied messiah, born in Bethlehem some 2000 years ago.  He was born to bridge the gap between humans and God, due to the sin in their lives, which breaks our fellowship and relationship with Him. This year, you can know the true meaning of Christmas by opening your heart to the message and reason for the season, the birth, perfect life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Learn more by clicking here.  Enjoy the lyrics and song of “Hark the herald angels sing.”

Merry Christmas!

Allen Payton, Publisher

Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

To hear it sung, click here. 

"Hark the herald angels sing” Christmas Carol was written by Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley founder of the Methodist church, in 1739. A somber man, he requested slow and solemn music for his lyrics and thus “Hark the herald angels sing” was sung to a different tune initially. Over a hundred years later Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) composed a cantata in 1840 to commemorate Johann Gutenberg's invention of the printing press. English musician William H. Cummings adapted Mendelssohn’s music to fit the lyrics of “Hark the herald angels sing” already written by Wesley.

Sheriff David Livingston, center, speaks with Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (to his left) and staff during a tour of the West County Detention Facility in Richmond on Monday, Nov. 27, 2017. Herald file photo.

Refutes claims made by illegal alien female inmates against West County Detention Facility

The West County Detention Facility in Richmond. Herald file photo

The Office of the Sheriff has completed its investigation into complaints raised by several Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) female detainees at the West County Detention Facility (WCDF) in Richmond, California. The complaints were first reported in a local newspaper. The Sheriff’s Office immediately launched an investigation. Investigators interviewed 110 witnesses, with audio recordings and translators where necessary, and viewed hundreds of hours of video surveillance recordings. They also examined log books, computer entries and other evidence. (See related article)

The investigation found that nearly all of the complaints were unfounded and unsubstantiated. Claims of being “locked down” for 23 hours a day were false. The most time any ICE detainee was confined to their dormitory room was one hour and 24 minutes. These “lock downs” are commonly done for facility counts or for administrative reasons. At WCDF the detainees have keys to their rooms and free use of common bathroom facilities.

In one example, the person who complained in the article of being confined to her room for 23 hours was in fact confined for several days in a room with a full toilet and sink. She was confined in such a manner for disciplinary purposes after she assaulted another detainee.

Sheriff David O. Livingston. From CCCSheriff website.

Regarding the use of “red” biohazard bags for toilet needs, there was no evidence that any detainee was forced to use the bags in that manner. In very few cases detainees did use the bags for that purpose in violation of policy. Biohazard bag distribution is now limited to those detainees who are ill or have other medical needs. All inmates are free to use the bathrooms at any time, and even during “lock down” periods of approximately one hour, by notifying a Deputy Sheriff by using the call button in their rooms.

There were two complaints alleging limited access to healthcare that also appear to be unfounded based on detainee interviews. However, Contra Costa Health Services will be reviewing those specific complaints.

“Consistent with independent ICE inspections, we found that the alleged policy violations were largely unfounded,” said Sheriff David Livingston. “In fact, many detainees told us they are well treated at the West County Detention Facility.”

Sheriff Livingston added, “Some issues were identified, such as the use of profanity by a staff member or the quicker replacement of detainees’ room keys when they are lost or damaged. We will use this opportunity to improve wherever we can.”

The investigation will now be provided to the California Attorney General as Sheriff Livingston promised he would do.

Christmas gifts for foster children in Antioch schools from the Delta Realtors Community Service Foundation surround the tree at the Delta Association of Realtors Christmas lunch on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2017.

Joann Mass of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Oakley thanks DRCS Foundation Chairman Dan Barnes for the donation, as other foundation board members look on.

By Allen Payton

During the annual Delta Association of Realtors Christmas party, the organization’s Delta Realtors Community Service Foundation presented checks to East County charities and gifts for local, foster children in Antioch schools.

A check for $1,000 was donated to St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Oakley for their food pantry

“It all goes to some really nice, nice families,” said Joann Mass of St. Anthony’s. “All we can do is say thank you.”

Donations were also provided to the Antioch Senior Center, An Elderly Wish Foundation, Don Brown Shelter, Brentwood Community Chest, and the Golden Hills Community Church Community Outreach Center in Antioch.

The Christmas gifts were provided to Antioch Unified School District’s Student Support Services for “27 foster children who are Antioch school students living in five group homes, four in Antioch and one in Pittsburg,” said Mayra Preciado, Counselor and Foster Liaison. “They’re now receiving a Christmas.”

She was joined by Director Bob Sanchez, Homeless Liaison Trina Tuel and Intervention Services Coordinator Dineen Burdick.

“We keep the money local. That’s what we’ve been focusing on” said Realtors foundation chairman Dan Barnes, of the Berkshire Hathaway real estate office in Brentwood.

The other foundation board members are Leonard Briones, Laura Agdanowski, Anthony Silva, Cathleen Griebling, Patti Shaner and Margaret Hurtado.

For more information about the Delta Association of Realtors visit their website at www.deltaaor.com.

Enjoy a Living Nativity on Christmas Eve, December 24, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 11 White Horse Court in Walnut Creek. Presented by Sufism Reoriented and Francis in the Schools.

In addition to seasonal holiday music and refreshments, we will have a delightful host of animals, including a baby camel and alpaca, a cow, donkey, as well as sheep, goats and piglets.

Please extend this invitation to family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. There is no charge for admission.