On Wednesday, Contra Costa County social workers and eligibility workers announced a one-day extension in their strike, protesting intimidation by County Executives. Workers announced last Friday that they had intended to strike for three days but are now preparing to enter an unprecedented five-day unfair labor practice (ULP) strike in Contra Costa.
Two of those picketing offered their concerns and reasons for participating in the strike.
“I am here today because we are fighting for the resources to serve the community and to have a safe working environment for employees,” said Vicky Dominguez, Medical Social Worker at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center. “We want to be able to continue serving the community. To be able to have enough medical social workers at the hospital to help people with issues like domestic violence, child abuse, elderly individuals that need placement in skilled nursing facilities or assistance with mental health challenges and homeless individuals that need help with transition back to the community. These are things we deal with on a daily basis.”
“I have been with the County for 11 years,” said Sharon Taylor, Eligibility Worker with CalWorks. “It is not just related to our ULP, but there was $21 million lost because the county has not provided enough workers. I know as a worker myself of being overloaded, stressed out and clients are not getting their services like they need to and deserve to and that is what we’re striking about. It’s about the community and the people we serve, and that’s why we are out here.”
Nearly 1,000 of social workers and eligibility workers and their community supports are expected to continue picketing in front of the county Administration building at 651 Pine Street in Martinez, beginning Thursday at 9:00 a.m.
Read MoreEditor:
My State Assembly campaign has discovered another breach of the public’s trust, as it relates to Jim Frazier’s stewardship of the 11th Assembly District. Last month, it was discovered that Mr. Frazier’s Chief of Staff, Jay Day, according to State Assembly publicly compiled State Employee salary records, received a $102,000 per year salary. In 2016, his salary went up to $120,000 per year, surpassing the base salary of his elected supervisor, Mr. Frazier.
Members of Assembly can appropriate Salary dollars any way they see fit, within their staff. Assembly Chief of Staff salary range, anywhere from $68,000 in Bakersfield, to $135,000 for Members of Assembly with leadership positions in the Chamber. A standard cost of living adjustment (COLA) for an employee earning a $102,000 wage would be about 3-4% or in Mr. Day’s case, around $3,500. This $18,000 raise Mr. Day received, that Mr. Frazier approved, is what some people in this district are lucky enough to earn working their fingers to the bone in a year’s time, thanks in large part to regulations placed on small businesses by Democrats.
This salary announcement comes conveniently two weeks after Mr. Frazier proposed the single largest per gallon fuel tax in the history of the Golden State. Mr. Frazier drew the criticism of voters from San Diego to Shasta with his proposed 17 cents per gallon fuel tax increase, which is 30 cents per gallon for diesel and also adds an additional $38 per year DMV Registration Fee. The criticism of his fuel tax has been loudest in AD-11, where voters not only drive literally hundreds of miles a day, to get to work, but also enjoy evening and weekend boating on the various waterways surrounding the San Francisco Bay Estuary.
I can’t answer as to what Jim was thinking when he approved this bump in salary. I can tell you that as your Assemblyman, I will fight to give my per diem back to the State Treasury, as Assemblywoman Baker, has done. I’m told per diems are optional to Members of the Assembly, and as such, I will get on the highways, and come home to my family just like many of you who work in Sacramento do every evening.
As someone who has worked in Government for nearly 30 years, and plans to once again, I will be available to take your call, respond to your emails, invite you to meetings on issues that are important to you, help refer you to the proper government agency to help solve your problems, inform you of my vote in the chamber, using social media almost instantly, hand out my personal cell number to those who ask for it.
Twenty-eight years of government service does that to a person. And I can assure you as I sit here, My Chief of Staff will not make more than I do. As a taxpayer, I’d like to know what I’m getting for my money right now. You should also.
Dave Miller
Candidate for Assembly, 11th District, California
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Editor:
I wanted to start off with saying that I believe his (Lou Davis’) article in this past herald about the treatment of Police Officers was great and to the point. My wife and I think it was very well put, no B.S. and with knowledge of the situation. We feel that this article should be offered out to all local Bay Area newspapers so they to can publish it and get it out to thousands more so they can read it as well. I would love to see it on the internet as well.
I hope that this can happen because we feel this should get out to many more readers.
Thank you,
Mike de Luna
Antioch
Read MoreParticipation in White House Computer Science event
The Contra Costa County Office of Education is proud to announce that it has been selected as a Code.org Professional Learning Partner, and will be the designated provider of Code.org Professional Learning Programs in Contra Costa County. CCCOE will provide quality professional development to educators through local district partnerships with Code.org and act as a regional hub of the global computer science education movement.
CCCOE also participated in a regional partner convening for computer science education hosted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on September 26, 2016. CCCOE staff gathered at the White House with more than 40 other regional organizations from around the country dedicated to preparing computer science teachers for K-12 classrooms and promoting the adoption of high-quality computer science courses. The event was planned to coincide with the start of the academic year in the US.
Discussion topics at the event included: the current state of computer science K-12 education, the importance of establishing regional partners around the nation dedicated to building computer science communities, and why many organizations are dedicated to supporting, advocating for and funding work in this area.
As a Professional Learning Partner, CCCOE will expand on current computer science initiatives. CCCOE has facilitated workshops for over 100 elementary and middle school educators from local districts. In partnership with Code.org, CCCOE will offer additional workshops, develop educator networks, and increase students’ access to computer science.
Districts include:
Benicia Unified School District
Brentwood Union School District
John Swett Unified School District
Liberty Union High School District
Martinez Unified School District
Moraga School District
Mount Diablo Unified School District
Pittsburg Unified School District
To learn more about the Code.org Professional Learning Partner program, visit: https://code.org/educate/professional-learning-partner
Read MoreFor as many years as I can remember, I’ve always been a strong advocate of giving praise to groups of special people, and individuals in our society who help to keep us safe, and enable us to live in freedom..
Unlike too many people nowadays, who claim that police officers are searching for black men to kill, I see this as a two-sided dilemma. If fewer crimes are committed, fewer police officers would be needed to go into the hood to check out complaints. Also, if more parents, school teachers and college instructors are available to teach younger people how to stay out of trouble, and how to respect authorities there will not be as many arrests and shootings.
And why does Kaepernick and other multimillion dollar NFL players show outward disrespect for the Flag and National Anthem that our military forces have fought and died to preserve? Now this unhealthy movement is even taking hold in our high schools. You have to wonder if NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is proud of the fact that he’s allowing Colin Kaepernick to dictate policy for the League he should be running?
As for myself, I proudly served this country for 20 years, including wartime service in Vietnam, along with millions of other veterans. Now, we must stand by and personally be insulted by these young, wayward football-playing millionaires. They obviously did not learn enough in school, nor in college to understand like real adults, what national pride is all about.
These ill-advised protesters should also realize that every time they take to the streets and occupy public places to air their grievances, they also broaden the potential of a worsening race and class warfare in our country.
The enemy from outside our country; ISIS and other terrorists take advantage of a breaking down of forces inside America to launch more effective attacks on all of us. It should be enough that our so-called “leaders” in Washington are willfully diminishing our fighting forces, and inviting even more potential terrorists to unlawfully enter our country. And, Hillary Clinton is planning to invite 500 percent more “refugees” into the country than President Obama has done already.
I’m happy to congratulate law enforcement people in Antioch and other parts of Contra Costa County who, working together arrested two hate criminals who recently tried to burn down the home of a nonwhite family. These criminals could have been planning to commit this arson for a number of sick reasons, or they could have been incited to take revenge on people of another color, as part of their own undeclared race-hate war.
Whatever the reason, I say, to law enforcement who arrested those responsible people, and all other brave crime fighters – Thanks for your service!
In November, there are three dates which we should all be aware of: On November 8th, be sure to vote, for someone, who will help transform this country into one we can continue to be very proud of. On November 11th, lets remember to say thanks to our veterans for helping to keep our country free.
And, on Thanksgiving Day, whether you eat turkey or not, take time to thank God that we live in the greatest country in the world, and let’s ask our Creator to help us do all we can to keep it that way.
Read MoreYouth for Environment and Sustainability Conference to be held February 25 in San Francisco
The annual Youth for Environment and Sustainability, or YES, Conference, returns to the Bay Area at 10 a.m. on Saturday, February 25, 2017, at the new Bay Area Metro Center at 375 Beale Street in San Francisco.
The free day-long regional conference will bring together middle and high school students from the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties to discuss topics ranging from climate change and public health to transportation and air pollution. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission sponsor the annual conference.
“The YES Conference is an awesome regional gathering that jumpstarts student-led climate action in our schools and local communities,” said Noah Preute, a student from St. Vincent de Paul High School in Santa Rosa and a member of the student planning committee for the YES Conference. “I’m excited to help plan the conference and inform my generation on the serious consequences climate change and air pollution have on our lives and the planet.”
Registration for the event is now open at http://bit.ly/2cEYWkh. Teachers or youth development coordinators who register their studentsbefore October 30, 2016, will be entered into a drawing for a $250 grant for classroom youth leadership activities involving science, technology, engineering, art and math curriculum and sustainability.
A call for presentation proposals invites pioneering students, youth-leaders, teachers or youth advisors to present at the annual YES Conference. The deadline to submit a proposal is Wednesday, January 3, 2017. The online proposal submittal form is available now at http://bit.ly/2dhuevv.
Attending students will have the opportunity to learn directly from their peers’ efforts by discussing advocacy, communication, leadership development and skill building. The program will include interactive presentations led by students and youth leaders from various schools and cities in the region. The 2017YES conference will be the fourth year of bringing youth together to share information to address climate change. The conference was awarded the 2014 Breathe California Award in the public awareness category.
There is no cost to attend the conference and breakfast and lunch will be provided for participants. Parents and teachers are also welcome. Students are required to have their parents’ permission to attend. For complete conference details, visit www.sparetheairyouth.org/2017-yes-conference/.
The goal of the Spare the Air Youth program is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and driving by increasing walking and biking as a transportation mode among youths and their familiesthereby improving air quality in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Air District is the regional agency responsible for protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area.MTC is the transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency for the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties.
Read MoreWashington, D.C. – Today, Representatives Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), members of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, introduced legislation in response to the Mylan hearing at which the CEO acknowledged that salary for the position increased 600 percent in less than a decade, and other reports that companies like Wells Fargo pay its CEO nearly 500 times the rate of its average employee. The CEO Accountability and Responsibility Act (H.R. 6242) would increase corporate tax rates on publicly traded companies that exploit workers and pay CEOs astronomically high salaries
“America has a problem, as we see company after company come before Congress to apologize for bad behavior. One would ask, what has happened to our business culture?” asked DeSaulnier. “Too many executives at the top are incentivized to put profits before people by catering to shareholders and padding pockets on the back of consumers. Corporations should have a moral and social responsibility to workers, consumers, and American democracy. This bill sets the stage to stop fueling excessive income inequality.”
“It seems like every day we see a new story about another company taking outrageous steps to maximize their profits – insane increases on lifesaving drugs to fund flights on private jets, sky-high salaries for CEOs who oversee severe and possibly criminal mishandling of consumer information,” said Watson Coleman. “If we’re serious about bringing back a thriving middle class, we need to lift up the companies who are investing in their workers at every level, not just lifting their leadership higher into the 1-percent. The companies responsible for recent CEO pay trends are wreaking havoc. It’s time we hold them accountable.”
On average, CEOs of the largest companies in the U.S. earn three times more than they did 20 years ago and at least 10 times more than 30 years ago. In fact, between 1978 and 2014, inflation-adjusted CEO pay increased by almost 1,000 percent, while the typical U.S. worker saw their pay increase by only 11 percent during that same period. Today, we see the pay disparity between the average American CEO and average worker is 303-to-1.
“Corporations that pay their top executives vast multiples of the typical worker’s wage should face higher taxes than corporations whose top pay is closer to the typical worker’s. The CEO Accountability and Responsibility Act is an important, and necessary step,” said Robert Reich, Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy, University of California at Berkeley and former U.S. Secretary of Labor.
The CEO Accountability and Responsibility Act would increase corporate tax rates on companies with larger than a 100-to-1 ratio of pay between CEOs and their average workers. At the same time the bill would reward companies whose CEO to worker ratio fell below that threshold, demonstrating that corporate social responsibility is an essential practice in American business.
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More than 1,000 people picket against county executives, Board of Supervisors on Tuesday
Nearly 1,000 workers from across Contra Costa County voted to extend their three-day unfair labor practice strike to a fourth day, after more than 1,000 people picketed against county Executives and the Board on Tuesday.
The picket line is being held, today, Wednesday, October 5, 2016 in front of the County Administration Building at 651 Pine Street in Martinez.
Read MoreFinishing out the last year of the 2015-16 legislative session, Assemblywoman Catharine Baker (R-San Ramon) announced that all of the nine bills she authored, were passed and sent to the Governor have been signed.
“Having nine bills pass with strong, bipartisan support and the Governor’s signature affirms my belief that bipartisanship can and does work,” said Baker.
The following bills were introduced by Assemblywoman Baker, received broad bipartisan support in the Legislature, and were signed by Governor Brown:
AB 1058 – Child abuse prevention training
Preventing child abuse by requiring the State Department of Education to establish guidelines and best practices for child abuse prevention in schools and school programs for the first time in California history.
AB 1284 – Bringing transparency to the Bay Bridge
Promoting much-needed transparency over the Bay Bridge Project by requiring the Toll Bridge Program Oversight Committee (TBPOC)—which oversees the Bay Bridge construction—to be subject to the Bagley-Keene Open Meetings Act for the first time in the Committee’s history.
AB 773 – Addressing shortage of mental health professionals
Addressing the red tape and lack of consistency for obtaining psychology licenses by replacing the outdated system of licensing with a new system in which psychology licenses will expire two years from the date of issuance.
AB 1401 – Supporting veterans in higher education
Providing veterans of the California National Guard, the State Military Reserve, and the Naval Militia with greater access to student financial aid services as they pursue higher education after active duty.
AB 1399 – Supporting local domestic violence support programs
Increases available resources for programs serving victims of domestic violence by adding a donation option on California tax returns to the California Domestic Violence Victims Fund.
AB 2295 – Ensuring victims are allowed full restitution
Dissolving any ambiguity in California law to ensure convicted criminals are required to provide full restitution to their victims.
AB 2346 – Streamlining government hearings
Modernizes and streamlines the hearing process at the Department of Social Services (DSS) and the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) by making position statements available to Californians electronically, in person, or by mail, at least two working days before a hearing.
AB 2486 – Fighting underground economy and scams
Making it easier for consumers to find and check for a licensed contractor for construction projects by requiring the Contractors State License Board to update its website to allow consumers to search for licensed contractors by zip code, not just by license number or exact name.
AB 2263 – Protecting victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and reproductive health care service providers
Closing a loophole in the state’s “Safe At Home Program” to better protect victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking from their abusers.
Baker added, “During the past two years, the greatest successes in the Legislature were the direct result of bipartisan efforts, championed by those who were willing to work across the aisle to put the needs of our State ahead of party politics. I remain committed to fostering strong bipartisan relationships and inspiring greater cooperation between Democrat and Republican members, and I’m hopeful that our state will make even larger strides in this area in the coming years. It is what our constituents deserve.”
Baker represents the 16th Assembly District, which includes the communities of Alamo, Danville, Dublin, Lafayette, Livermore, Moraga, Orinda, Pleasanton, San Ramon, and Walnut Creek.
Read MoreThe Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff is pleased to announce that it has received a $324,000 California Office of Traffic Safety grant to purchase new breath alcohol analyzers, which are routinely used to test the breath alcohol content of drivers suspected by police to be under the influence.
The Sheriff’s Office Crime Laboratory is responsible for ensuring breath alcohol analyzers are working properly and providing accurate test results. The “DUI Breath Alcohol Instrumentation” grant will fund the purchase of 24 new breath alcohol analyzers replacing the ones that are currently in use by law enforcement agencies throughout the county.
“The replacement of the older breath alcohol analyzers ensures that the Sheriff’s Crime Laboratory continues to maintain the highest quality analyses in driving under the influence of alcohol cases,” said Chief Pam Hofsass of the Sheriff’s Office Forensic Services Division. “This is part of our effort at making our streets, roads, and freeways safer by reducing the numbers of people killed or injured in alcohol related traffic collisions.”
The grant includes training for approximately 4,000 law enforcement personnel on the theory and operation of the new breath alcohol analyzers. The roll-out of the new analyzers, including training of law enforcement personnel and validation of the breath alcohol analyzers, is anticipated to take approximately one year.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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