Contra Costa Herald

Ana and Gary Bostick. Photo by www.nicolebartonphotography.com

Pittsburg residents face up to 20 year prison sentences; eight others including three more Contra Costa County residents also indicted in conspiracy

OAKLAND – The U.S. Justice Department’s Northern District of California announced, today, Thursday, June 15, 2017 that former Antioch police officer Gary Bostick and his wife, Ana Bostick, pleaded guilty to their respective roles in a scheme to illegally obtain money from the United States announced United States Attorney Brian J. Stretch and Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Special Agent in Charge Michael T. Batdorf.

Also indicted in the conspiracy were nine others, including three other residents of Contra Costa County. The indictment, unsealed on Dec. 9, 2015, charges the following additional defendants:

• Hugh Robinson, of Richmond
• Devonnie Davison, of San Pablo
• Brandon Robinson, of El Cerrito
• Ronald Blake, of Fort Worth, TX
• Kyadrian Dennis, of Fort Worth, TX
• William Odom, of Berkeley
• Jamia Lewis, of Fairfield
• Janel McDonald, of Los Angeles
• Everardo Laurian, of Daly City

According to the indictment, from at least August 21, 2013, through April 27, 2015, the defendants conspired with one another to commit offenses against the United States, including theft of government money.  The scheme involved obtaining the names of deceased individuals, filing false tax returns in the names of the individuals, obtaining false identifications, and illegally cashing U.S. Treasury checks.

(Related press release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/eleven-defendants-named-seventy-one-count-indictment-charging-conspiracy-commit-theft)

Gary Bostick, 39, and Ana Bostick, 37, both of Pittsburg, pleaded guilty to their respective roles the conspiracy.  The Honorable Jeffery S. White, United States District Judge, accepted Ana Bostick’s guilty plea on Tuesday, June 13, 2017, and accepted Gary Bostick’s guilty plea this morning. 6/16/17 UPDATE: Gary Bostick worked for the Antioch Police Department from July 30, 2007 to April 29, 2015 according to Nickie Mastay, Director of Human Resources for the City of Antioch. Ana Bostick is listed as a teacher at Black Diamond High School in the Pittsburg Unified School District. But there is no photo or information about her on the school’s webpage. On Friday morning, June 16, 2017, Nicole Mora, District Communications Public Relations Specialist said she had “learned about this, this morning”, was “looking into it” and waiting to speak with the principal and others before commenting. Please check back later for more details.

Then, in a later email received Friday afternoon, Mora released the following statement from the district: “Ana Bostick is employed by Pittsburg Unified School District as a teacher. Her current employment status for the 2017/2018 school year is a personnel matter and we have no other details to release at this time.”

According to the Bosticks’ plea agreements, between January and April of 2015, the conspiracy involved filing false federal income tax returns in order to obtain fraudulent federal income tax refunds and cashing stolen U.S. Treasury checks at Walmart stores throughout the United States.  Specifically, Gary Bostick admitted that in January 2015, he assisted in filing false tax returns with the IRS in the names of deceased individuals.  The defendants obtained names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers from websites such as www.rootsweb.ancestry.com and www.ssnvalidator.com.  In order to receive payment, the conspirators directed the IRS to mail the fraudulently obtained U.S. Treasury checks to addresses he and his co-conspirators could access.  The conspirators cashed the U.S. Treasury checks at various Walmart stores.

Ana Bostick admitted that she aided her co-conspirators by, among other things, cashing two U.S. Treasury checks.  Ana Bostick admitted she requested another co-conspirator to send her photos of the two U.S. Treasury checks so that she could use the information on the checks to obtain fake identification that matched the names.  After obtaining the fake identifications, Ana Bostick cashed the two checks and kept the corresponding funds.

Gary Bostick’s participation in the scheme included traveling with two co-conspirators to Los Angeles to obtain stolen U.S. Treasury checks and then to Walmart stores in various areas, including Kentucky, to cash the checks.  The former police officer acknowledged that he supervised other individuals in the scheme, including managers and runners, who were responsible for cashing the fraudulent or stolen U.S. Treasury checks.  In sum, the conspiracy involved $720,530.40 in stolen U.S. Treasury checks.

On November 15, 2015, a federal grand jury indicted Gary Bostick, Ana Bostick, and their co-conspirators.  For her part in the scheme, Ana Bostick was charged with conspiracy to commit theft of public money, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371; two counts of theft of public money, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 641; and two counts of aggravated identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A.  She pleaded guilty to all charges.  For his part in the scheme, Gary Bostick was charged with conspiracy to commit theft of public money, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371; four counts of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343; and four counts of aggravated identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A.  He pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge and to the wire fraud charges.  Pursuant to the plea agreement, the identity theft charges were dismissed.

Judge White scheduled Gary Bostick’s sentencing for September 19, 2017, and Ana Bostick’s sentencing for November 14, 2017.  The maximum sentence for conspiracy to commit theft of public money is five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.  The maximum sentence for theft of public money is ten years in prison and a fine of $250,000.  The maximum sentence for wire fraud is 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.  The maximum sentence for aggravated identity theft is a mandatory minimum of two years in prison and a fine of $250,000.  However, any sentence will 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.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Newman and Jose A. Olivera and Trial Attorney Gregory Bernstein are prosecuting this case with assistance from Jonathan Deville of the Tax Division.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.

Warriors Victory Parade route for Thursday, June 15th.

The Warriors have taken care of business by bringing home another NBA championship and now it’s BART’s turn. We’re gearing up for an epic day Thursday when Oakland hosts a victory celebration starting at 10 a.m. We’ve put together some tips to help make your championship parade day safe and enjoyable.

Ten tips for riding BART to the victory celebration in Oakland

1. Be patient, it’s going to get crowded; our busiest hours in 2015 were 8am-10am
2. Use 19th Street Station, avoid the much smaller Lake Merritt Station
3. Buy a Clipper card (clippercard.com) in advance to avoid extremely long lines at ticket machines
4. Look for tables with cash only $15 Clipper card sales at 10 of our busiest stations
5. Parking will be packed; think about taking the bus or walking to BART or getting dropped off
6. “Permit” spaces in parking lots are for permit holders only, a citation will ruin the fun day
7. When boarding trains, move to the center of the car so more can fit, remove backpacks
8. Don’t jam a train door- it will take the whole train out of service and everyone will boo you
9. Some trains may not stop at Lake Merritt if the Rally Zone has reached capacity or crowding
10. Our service will not match the published schedule so listen and pay attention

The Details

First, know that BART is going to be crowded like you’ve never seen it before. On the day of the 2015 Warriors parade, BART carried 548,076 people – second only to the 568,061 people who rode BART when the Giants held a victory parade on Halloween 2012. If you’re not going to the celebration and will be taking BART to work or elsewhere, we suggest leaving home early – maybe even before 7 a.m.

Getting to the Station

If you must drive and park at a BART station, consider getting there very early. Parking will be packed so instead, if you can, we suggest taking the bus or walking to BART or getting someone to drop you off at your station. 

If you do drive and park, remember that “Permit” spaces are for passengers who have paid for monthly and single day permits in advance.  Those without a Permit may only park in the “Fee” areas, which are First-Come/First-Serve.  If you park in the “Permit” area without a permit, you are subject to citation.

The Lake Merritt Station permit parking lot (located near Laney College) will be CLOSED all day.

Overflow Parking (NEW!)

BART staff is working to gain permission from parking lots located near BART stations that can be used as overflow parking. We will continue to update this information.

Fremont Station- Riders can use the upper lot of the City of Fremont parking garage located at 39701 Civic Center Drive in Fremont at no cost. Please use upper lot only; not library or police parking. Map: https://tinyurl.com/y8zp8qnj

San Francisco Stations- SFMTA has several public parking garages in San Francisco that are located within walking distance to BART stations.

From Antioch Park and Ride to Pittsburg/Bay Point BART Station- Lots A & C (lot B is still under construction) of the Antioch Park and Ride have 400 spaces available for use. Address: 1474 Slatten Ranch Road, Antioch, CA (this address drops the pin on the road that gives access to the lots for map apps) Enter the lot at Sunset Drive & Hillcrest OR take SR-4 Map: https://tinyurl.com/y9uckvqv  

From there, take a Tri-Delta Transit bus to Pittsburg/Bay Point station. Routes that will take you to the Pittsburg/Bay Point Station: 300 (express), 380, 388, 390, 391, 392, 393, 394

Tri-Delta Transit System Map

Map of bus stops at Pittsburg/Bay Point (for return trip)

Tri-Delta Bus Schedules 

Purchasing Fares

Don’t be the person stuck in a line for the ticket vending machine while Steph and KD are waving to the crowd. We suggest you buy a Clipper card or ticket at least a day or two in advance.

Go to www.clippercard.com and find a retail location closest to you. 

If for some reason you don’t, BART will be selling $15 Clipper cards at special cash-only ticket tables at the stations listed below.  We picked these stations because they had long lines in 2015.  Be sure to keep these Clipper cards and register them. They work on other Bay Area transit.  

Stations with $15 cash only Clipper card table sales

 4am-10am

·         Fremont

·         Warm Springs

·         Dublin/Pleasanton

·         El Cerrito del Norte

·         Coliseum

·         Bay Fair

·         Millbrae

10:30am-2:30pm

·         12th Street

·         19th street

·         Lake Merritt

Heading to Downtown Oakland

We are doing extra maintenance now so we can put every available train out to carry passengers, but you’ll be joining a half million or more fellow riders. 

The Lake Merritt BART Station will be in the epicenter of the celebration so it’s best to avoid it. We strongly suggest taking BART to either 12th Street or 19th Street stations in Oakland. They are bigger and they’re right along the parade route so you’ll have more elbow room. They will also be your best options for starting your trip home.

Trains coming from Dublin/Pleasanton and Fremont Warm Springs towards Oakland may skip Lake Merritt after 8:30am if the rally zone has reached capacity and has closed or if the station becomes too crowded.  Listen to announcements and use 12th or 19th street instead. 

Service changes to be aware of

The Pittsburg/Bay Point morning service WILL NOT match the regular published schedule. Some trains will be rerouted to other crowded areas in the system.

Specifically:

The following trains that originate at North Concord in the morning will be redistributed to other areas and will not run on the Pittsburg/Bay Point line: 6:59 a.m., 7:14 a.m., 7:29 a.m

The following trains that originate at Pleasant Hill in the morning will be redistributed to other areas and will not run on the Pittsburg/Bay Point line: 8:12 a.m., 8:27 a.m., 8:42 a.m. 

After 8 am every other train from the Warm Springs to Daly City line will not go to San Francisco and instead go to Downtown Oakland to serve the parade route. These trains will terminate at MacArthur Station.

At any time, we may need to skip a station due to crowding, or hold riders outside the fare gates and wait until the platform clears to allow riders to enter the paid area.  Listen to instructions from BART workers- we’re here to help.

What we’re doing to prepare

Besides getting all the train cars ready, we are staffing up to make sure we can quickly respond to any issues that pop up. We will have extra paramedics on standby and extra police officers on patrol including the Transportation Security Administration’s Vipr team.

We’ll have extra escalator and elevator technicians in our stations, and train technicians ready to respond to an equipment problem on a train. 

Code of Conduct

Finally, it probably goes without saying but we’ll say it anyway: smile and have fun. We at BART enjoy serving you on what should be a joyous and memorable day. We only ask that you show common courtesy to your fellow riders, follow our simple rules and -if you start to get a little impatient- think about the folks in Cleveland who wish they had a parade.  

USS-POSCO workers. Photo courtesy of the company website.

By Dave Roberts

Six hundred and thirty-five employees at USS-POSCO Industries in Pittsburg may be laid off July 10, according to a warning notice the company filed with the California Employment Development Department. The potential, temporary layoffs, which were filed under the state’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification system, comprise the largest chunk of more than 3,000 layoffs filed by 42 California companies in May.

USS-POSCO filed the layoff notice on May 9 and it remains to be seen whether it goes through with the layoffs.

However, Kevin Romick, a manager at the Pittsburg plant said “It is my understanding that there are no layoffs that are imminent. The business conditions dictate we are required by law to post this type of letter if we anticipate laying off more than 50 people.”

“We’re hoping and expecting business to pick up,” he added.

The plant filed a similar notice 3½ years ago. At that time, George Kunst, general manager of employee relations for USS-POSCO, told the San Francisco Business Times, “We have issued a WARN notice on a periodic basis due to economic uncertainty. We have no immediate plans to lay off anybody. We have had periodic layoffs for the last several years.”

The company processes hot-rolled steel so that it can be used for items such as office furniture, building materials, containers, conduit and automotive parts, according to the article.

The first Pittsburg steel facility opened in 1910 as a 60-man foundry under the name of Columbia Steel. In the 1920’s, the plant expanded to include the West’s first nail mill, and later, the first hot dip tin mill west of the Mississippi, according to the company’s website. Today it’s a joint venture company of U.S. Steel Corporation and POSCO of the Republic of South Korea.

The company receives mixed reviews from employees on the Glass Door employment review site. Positive comments include good pay, benefits and interesting work environment. Negative comments include lack of work, unmotivated employees and unfair management. Under the “advice to management” category, one worker wrote, “Treat everybody the same. Quit trying to police everyone and pay attention to Quality and Preventive Maintenance. There’s a reason we went from number one to the bottom of the totem pole.”

Proposed Northgate Unified District territory map.

As part of the ongoing review of a petition by Northgate Community Advocacy for our Public Schools (Northgate CAPS) and its proposed transfer of territory carving out five schools to form a new school district, the Mt. Diablo School District (MDUSD) is reiterating concerns that the territory for the proposed Northgate district includes two additional schools that are physically located within the proposed district’s boundary but have separate MDUSD attendance boundaries.

“The campuses of Oak Grove Middle School and Ygnacio Valley High School are clearly situated within the proposed territory for a Northgate Unified School District (NUSD) and this raises a number of issues which the Northgate CAPS organization has not addressed,” said Dr. Nellie Meyer, Superintendent of Mt. Diablo Unified.

“Last month, we mentioned in our preliminary response our concerns that the proposal, which would include Northgate High School, Foothill Middle School, and Bancroft, Valle Verde, and Walnut Acres elementary schools, creates an “island effect” by including the Oak Grove and Ygnacio Valley school facilities but not their attendance boundaries,” said Meyer. “The state’s education code is very clear on this: a school district shall not be formed or reorganized to include territory which is separated from other portions of one or more other school districts.  This proposed secession prompts a number of questions.”  (Reference: CA Education Code 35543)

“If CAPS’ intention is to include Oak Grove Middle and Ygnacio Valley High School in their territory, is it also their intention to retain those students? Or will these students – approximately 2,000 students – be displaced?” questioned Meyer. “What happens to Oak Grove and YV’s feeder schools?  If the CAPS proposal was constructed knowing about these profound school facility and displacement issues, why were there no meetings held with the Oak Grove Middle School and Ygnacio Valley High School communities?” 

At the previous public hearings conducted by the Contra Costa County Board of Education in its capacity as the County Committee on School District Reorganization, public testimony was provided to make clear the proposed NUSD boundaries would also include attendance areas for Highlands Elementary, impacting 53% of that school’s current student body and prompting associated staff reductions and program changes or losses.

According to MDUSD, the petition fails to substantially meet many of the legal requirements by which such petitions may be considered for approval. The District unequivocally opposes the petition for several key reasons, including the following:

• The proposed division results in a new school district that is far more racially and socioeconomically segregated, depriving students in both districts of an integrated educational experience.
• The proposed division results in an inequitable distribution of assets and assessed property values.
• The proposed division separates communities and would result in increased negative traffic impacts community-wide.
• The proposed division would reduce the size of both districts, resulting in the disruptive shuffling of teaching and staff assignments, including likely necessitating layoffs and the elimination of key District programs.
• The proposed division has a negative impact on both potential districts’ financial health and educational programs.
• The District has made great strides over the last few years that are now paying dividends in student achievement, teacher recruitment and retention, and the provision of innovative educational programs and opportunities for every student throughout the District.  This petition would derail this progress and negatively impact the District’s students, families, teachers and staff.

The County Committee will have the remainder of the summer to review the Northgate CAPS petition to determine whether it meets the state’s required criteria.  Additional hearings – potential leading to a recommendation to approve or disapprove the petition – are expected to take place in early fall.

For more information please see the following:

RESOURCES:

• Mt. Diablo Unified School District Preliminary Response in Opposition to Northgate CAPS Petition
• Video – MDUSD Presentation to the Contra Costa County Committee on School District Reorganization (May 2)
• Mt. Diablo Unified Board Resolution in Opposition of the District Reorganization of the Northgate Area  (Jan 23) 

California Education Code

Education Code sec. 35511. 

An “action to reorganize districts” means either of the following:

·          An action to form a new school district, which is accomplished through any of, or any combination of, the following:

o   Dissolving two or more existing school districts of the same kind and forming one or more new school districts of that same kind from the entire territory of the original districts.

o   Forming one or more new school districts of the same kind from all or parts of one or more existing school districts of that same kind.

o   Unifying school districts, including the consolidation of all or part of one or more high school districts with all or part of one or more component school districts into one or more new unified school districts.

o   Deunifying a school district, including the conversion of all or part of a unified school district into one or more new high school districts, each with two or more new component districts.

·          An action to transfer territory, including the transfer of all or part of an existing school district to another existing school district.

Education Code sec. 35706. 

(a) Within 120 days of the commencement of the first public hearing on the petition, the county committee shall recommend approval or disapproval of a petition to form one or more new districts or for the division of the entire territory of a school district into two or more new or acquiring districts, as the petition may be augmented, or shall approve or disapprove a petition for the transfer of territory, as the petition may be augmented.

Education Code sec. 35543. 

On or after January 1, 1981, a school district shall not be formed or reorganized to include territory which is separated from other portions of the territory of the district by the territory of one or more other school districts.

Contra Costa County Public Works Director awarded a contract to Flatiron West, Inc. to repair the section of Alhambra Valley Road near Castro Ranch Road and Pinole Valley Road intersection that was washed out during the 2017 winter storms. The work will start on June 12 and is anticipated to be completed by the end of September. The work includes installation of a 60-foot long bridge that will have shoulders for bicycles and pedestrians.

The new bridge over Pinole Creek replaces the 1930’s era 9-foot steel pipe culvert and will allow for unimpeded fish passage, specifically steelhead, in consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service.

For project updates visit the Public Works website at: http://www.cccounty.us/pwdmap.

Culvert work on Morgan Territory Road is scheduled for June 14th through June 16th between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The work will occur approximately 8 miles south of the Morgan Territory Road temporary signal. Drivers can expect 30 minute delays and are encouraged to use an alternate route during this time. Signage will be placed in advance of the culvert work to alert drivers of the work and anticipated delays.

Fail to sway Supervisors

By Daniel Borsuk

One-by-one, 64 speakers paraded up to the podium’s microphone, during the board meeting on Tuesday, June 6^th, calling on the Contra Costa County Supervisors to overturn their February decision to build the controversial $95 million expansion to the West County Detention Facility in Richmond.

Did the speakers, mostly voicing the need to spend public funds on mental health services outside of jail facilities, convince supervisors to reconsider their action of four months ago?

The answer is most likely not, even though District 1 Supervisor John Gioia of El Cerrito, who was absent at Tuesday’s meeting, had cast the one negative vote in February.  At that time, supervisors had voted 4-1, with Gioia in dissent, to spend $25 million in county funds for the application for the state prison grant.

Supervisors have yet to approve the $70 million grant from the Board of State and Community Corrections.  They could accept the state grant at their meeting later this month, provided the state funding is approved by then.

“Yes, you’ve made up your mind a long time ago,” said Judy Weatherly, a Courageous Resistance of Richmond organization leader.  “I am committed to speak out against you for the rest of my life. You haven’t seen anything yet.”

“A jail is not an appropriate place for providing mental health services,” protested Gordy McCoy of RUBICON of Contra Costa County.  He said mental health services need to be provided outside a jail environment where 90 percent of a jail’s population is of color.

A number of other speakers said the county would be better off spending public funds on desperately needed mental health services in the community instead of in a jail facility.

Board Chair Federal Glover of Pittsburg was the only supervisor to speak at the end of the two-hour public comment session.  “The Sheriff is an independently elected office. We only have control over the budget,” he briefly said.

District 2 Supervisor Candace Andersen of Danville did release to the Contra Costa Herald a copy of an email she has sent to critics about why she supports the jail expansion.

“The unfortunate truth is that when individuals commit crimes they sometimes need to be incarcerated for either their protection or society’s,” she wrote, “and we do not currently have the facilities to treat them and provide the services needed to help them get well and successfully reenter society.  It is impossible to provide these same services in our current jail facilities.”

Supervisor Andersen also cited how the new West County re-entry treatment facility will improve mental health services for inmates by providing comprehensive mental health services to inmates, including for serious offenders requires a higher security setting.

The supervisor also stated the new facility will have a dedicated visitation center separate from the rest of the West County facility and that no “new beds” or new jails are being created.  She wrote 416 beds for West County are replacing 420 beds in the Martinez Detention Center that are being eliminated because of overcrowding.

“Absolutely NO beds are being added for ICE holds,” she wrote

Noisy Animal Ordinance Passes

Supervisors demonstrated they are searching for new streams of revenue in unusual ways by passing a Noise Animal Ordinance at Tuesday’s meeting.  The ordinance was adopted as a consent item.

It’s estimated the new ordinance will draw less than $100,000 in revenue during its initial year of enforcement.

The new ordinance, that goes into effect July 6, means the Contra Costa County Animal Services can cite the owner of a dog in unincorporated Contra Costa County that incessantly barks for more than 30 minutes or intermittently more than 60 minutes day or night.

The fine will be $100 for the first violation, $250 for the second violation, $500 for each violation of the same ordinance within one year.

The ordinance will also apply to owners of roosters and “other noisy animals.”

The ordinance calls for the development of an appeal process.

The BART Board of Directors, at their May 11^th meeting, approved a resolution of support for the proposed Brentwood Transit Center and Mokelumne Trail Bridge.  If built, the transit center could initially be served by Tri Delta Transit buses and could eventually become a station for a future eBART extension.

“This resolution from the BART Board is an important step in showing the strong regional support for building the Brentwood Transit Center,” said BART Director Joel Keller.  “The transit center would remove approximately 1,000 cars from Highway 4 for more than four miles past the Antioch eBART Station by providing parking for customers taking Tri Delta Transit to BART.”

The resolution calls on BART to work with the city of Brentwood, Tri Delta Transit and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority to explore the idea of the Brentwood Transit Center.  This would include working with Brentwood on the Specific Plan being initiated now.

The decision by the BART Board comes after the Brentwood City Council in March voted unanimously to explore building a transit center near the intersection of the Mokelumne Multi-use Trail and State Highway 4.  The Brentwood City Council is also supporting the construction of a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over Highway 4 to improve access to the site.

In 2014, BART conducted a next segment study to look at possible stops for a future eBART extension.  Six locations were studied and it was determined that the site near Highway 4 and the Mokelumne Trail was the preferred terminus of a future eBART extension beyond Antioch.  The transit center proposal is also on the list of projects for Plan Bay Area 2040 with partial funding.

The BART Board’s support for the transit center comes as construction is underway on the eBART line into eastern Contra Costa County.  That 10-mile extension will run from the Pittsburg/Bay Point Station in the median of Highway 4 and includes stops at the new Pittsburg Center Station and the Antioch Station near Hillcrest Avenue.  The eBART project will use independently propelled railcars known as Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) that will operate on standard gauge rail.

It is anticipated that eBART service will launch in May of 2018.

Sacramento, CA – Assemblyman Jim Frazier (D – Discovery Bay) passed his remaining bills from the Assembly Floor leading up to today’s (Friday, June 2, 2017) House of Origin deadline. Eleven of his bills were brought up for a vote this week, passed and now head to the Senate. 

“These bills reflect the very best for my district. They protect farm land and open space, make our streets safer, improve recycling rates and deter illegal dumping, and encourage healthy relationships,” Frazier stated. “I’ve been working my tail off to make sure they pass and will continue to put in a tremendous effort as they move through the Senate.”

The Assemblyman took up the following bills:

AB 63 extends California provisional driver’s licenses to be required for all first time drivers under the age of 21. This measure will reduce the numbers of older teen deaths and accidents which, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the CDC, are the leading cause of emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and deaths for California children ages 1 to 19 years old. AB 63 passed on the Assembly Floor on a 47 to 21 vote.

AB 377 establishes a pilot program to maximize on unused funding to create a childcare subsidy plan for local families and child care providers in high-cost counties of Solano and San Diego. In Solano County, it’s estimated that over 100 more children would be eligible for child care at no additional cost. AB 377 passed on the Assembly Floor on a 77 to 0 vote.

AB 472 will facilitate waterfowl conservation and other environmental benefits on private lands in a voluntary, incentive-based manner and allow non-irrigated crop to remain on lands for the benefit of waterfowl. AB 472 passed on the Assembly Floor on a 76 to 0 vote.

AB 509 creates the Tire Recycling Incentive Program (TRIP) to meet state’s mandated tire recycling rate of 75% by 2020. Californians generate over 44 million waste passenger tires every single year but only recycles 37%, largely due to illegal dumping. AB 509 passed on the Assembly Floor on a 45 to 30 vote.

AB 521 lowers the cost for an elk tag for hunting from $450 to $100 for adults and $20 for apprenticeship tags for children. This brings the cost of an elk tag in California more in line with other states. AB 521 passed on the assembly floor on a 67 to 4 vote.

AB 643 requires schools to teach age-appropriate lessons about the early warning signs of domestic abuse and unhealthy relationships. AB 643 passed on the assembly floor on a 77 to 0 vote.

AB 718 allows private wetland owners to initiate the opportunity to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with their local Mosquito Vector District regarding mosquito pesticide abatement.  This measure will implement a more uniform approach between public and private land to mosquito abatement and associated costs. AB 718 passed on the assembly floor on a 76 to 0 vote.

AB 732 ensure that levees throughout the Delta are properly maintained, protecting farmland and communities. This will extend the sunset for a 75% – 25% funding formula that shares maintenance costs of Delta levees between the state and the local agency. AB 732 passed on the assembly floor on a 71 to 1 vote .

AB 1607 is an effort to create career and employment opportunities for persons with developmental disabilities. This bill seeks to build self-sufficiency through job discovery and readiness training. AB 1607 passed on the assembly floor on a 75 to 0 vote.

AB 1633 creates regulations for private establishment of highway exit signs with information for electric vehicle charging facilities. AB 1633 passed on the assembly floor on a 76 to 0 vote.

By Daniel Borsuk

The push to build affordable housing in Contra Costa County took a detour when supervisors took two separate actions Tuesday to shore up the county’s housing stock for those with lofty incomes and capable of living in the leafy environs of Lafayette and Kensington.

It was only last month, supervisors had approved a 193-unit, $60 million affordable income apartment development in unincorporated Bay Point at the intersection of Port Chicago Highway and Willow Pass Road.

Lafayette In-Fill Project

Supervisors brushed aside the appeal of Lafayette residents Bruce Last, Hanna Cervenka and Prem Cervenka over the proposed development of nine split level houses on lots in a hilly part of unincorporated Lafayette that would require the removal of 16 trees and 18,000 cubic yards of soil.  Each residential development is projected to sell in excess of $1 million.

The 7.5 – acre site is located at Taylor Boulevard and Gloria Terrace Court.

With lots measuring from 22,600 square feet to 73,301 square feet each, Last, who lives nearby the proposed Gloria Terrace Estates, a joint development of co-owners Gloria Terrace and H. F. Layton, said the hill’s steep slopes presented fire safety access problems for Cal Fire.

“This development presents a fire safety issue with Cal Fire regulations because of the steep slopes where these homes will be constructed,” Last said.

Last also said the split-level design of the proposed new houses are out of character with the area’s single level houses.

Supervisors were informed each house will include sprinklers to minimize fire hazards in the area.  In addition, the hill top will be lowered so that it won’t present privacy problems for those living down the hill.

County Senior Planner Francisco Avila told supervisors since February when the Gloria Terrace Estates was presented to the county planning commission, the developers have agreed to plant 24 new trees because 16 trees will have to be removed for the development.

In addition, the developers, Avila said, agreed to provide six on street parking spaces to help resolve parking problems.  The developers had already agreed to provide three to four guest parking spaces per lot.

New Law Gets Test in Kensington

Some residents in the tony unincorporated community of Kensington are not pleased county supervisors adopted the state’s new law that replaces the term second unit with accessory dwelling unit.

Signed into law, earlier this year, to spark the construction of more housing throughout the Golden State by lowering or eliminating altogether parking requirements while boosting the accessory dwelling unit floor space 30 percent to 50 percent of the attached dwelling unit, the new ordinance is getting its first Contra Costa County test in Kensington, and some residents don’t like what they see coming down the road.

Concerned about potential parking impacts, visual impacts and overcrowding impacts, Kensington resident Joseph Holsom said, “I think this is a step backwards.”

Barbara Holsom predicted there will be other single-family houses like the one she lives across from that will become an Airbnb rental once the county adopts the ADU ordinance that provides more incentives than the old ordinance.  “The owners don’t live there anymore.  The house is used as a motel, “she complained.

Supervisors approved a bulk of the ADU ordinance with the understanding some technical points will be brought back for board action at a later date.