A copy of the Declaration of Independence.
Following is the text of the Declaration of Independence in celebration of Independence Day, July 4th, 2016:
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:
Column 1
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton
Column 2
North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton
Column 3
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton
Column 4
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean
Column 5
New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark
Column 6
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Massachusetts:
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton
From the website: www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration.html
Happy Independence Day from the Contra Costa Herald!
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A two-car eBART train undergoes testing in the middle of Highway 4 between Hillcrest Avenue and A Street/Lone Tree Way on Friday evening, July 1st. photo by Allen Payton
First of many tests over the next two years
The BART to Antioch Extension Project marked another important milestone Thursday morning, June 30th, with BART unveiling its sleek new diesel-powered trains, soon to be seen linking Pittsburg/Bay Point and Antioch down Highway 4’s median.
“We’ve been working on the arrival of BART to this part of the Bay Area for years, so it’s both thrilling and a bit surreal to finally be here aboard these amazing new vehicles,” said BART Director Joel Keller. “We couldn’t have made BART to Antioch happen without the long-term dedication of East County residents, and the commitment of the many leaders at the local, regional, state, and federal levels who came alongside us to help turn this visionary project into reality.”
The new train cars will run on separate tracks extending past the existing Pittsburg/Bay Point Station, and are a different type than those arriving in BART’s new Fleet of the Future. This Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) was chosen to bring rail service to East County residents while remaining cost-effective; the $525 million, 10-mile extension to Antioch is 60% less expensive than conventional BART. Stations for the new service will be located along Highway 4 near the Railroad Ave. intersection in Pittsburg and the Hillcrest Ave. intersection in Antioch, with all eight new vehicles set to arrive by this December prior to a year of state-mandated testing for safety and functionality.
A two-car eBART train could be seen undergoing testing in the middle of Highway 4 heading westbound from Hillcrest Avenue, about 6:15 p.m. Friday evening, July 1st.
“This is an exciting milestone with the first testing of the train on the tracks,” Keller added in a brief interview. “We’re still shooting for a May, 2018 opening, once we get the state approvals. This is the first of many tests.”
The new train cars, rated the most environmentally friendly out of all diesel-powered trains, will be able to move an estimated 2,400 people per hour during commute times, and boast a variety of amenities including six digital signs per vehicle (with multiple language support), automated audio announcements, clear station arrival / destination signage, and modern climate control systems. Daily ridership of the BART extension to Antioch is expected to exceed 10,100 by 2030 through the Highway 4 corridor, with an initial expected daily ridership of 5,600.
BART to Antioch is part of the nearly-complete Highway 4 Widening Project, which expands Highway 4 from four to eight lanes between Loveridge Road in Pittsburg to just west of State Route 160 in Antioch, and from two to four lanes from Lone Tree Way in Oakley to Balfour Road in Brentwood. The project provides greater mobility and access to multi-modal transportation, not only expanding lanes and building missing connector ramps at the State Route 160 interchange, but also providing funds for BART to Antioch.
The project has been carefully staged to keep the daily traffic of 130,000 cars moving, even as major construction and demolition work continue.
“The arrival of these new BART vehicles and the beginning of testing is a visible reminder of the progress being made to further economic growth and improve access to jobs and vital services for East County’s 250,000 residents,” said Dave Hudson, Chair of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority. “The Highway 4 Widening and BART to Antioch projects would not have been possible without either the backing of Contra Costa voters in 2004, or the help of partner agencies. We look forward to continued public support for additional innovations and improvements on the Highway 4 corridor in the future.”
Average travel time between stations is expected to be seven minutes between Antioch and Pittsburg Stations, and three minutes between Pittsburg and Pittsburg/Bay Point Stations. The new stations will use the same BART fare collection machines and gates used elsewhere in the BART system, with full service set to begin winter 2017/2018.
For more information visit the project page.
Allen Payton contributed to this report.
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A California-legal bullet button on a semiautomatic rifle. (www.gunsamerica.com)
Key part of a historic gun reform package
Sacramento – On Friday, July 1st, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Senator Steve Glazer’s legislation to ban the so-called bullet button, a key element of a historic gun reform package approved by the Legislature a day earlier.
Glazer, D-Orinda, is joint author with Sen. Isadore Hall, D-Los Angeles, on the bullet button ban, SB 880.
A bullet button assault-style rifle was used by the shooters who killed 14 people and wounded 21 in the San Bernardino terrorist attack last year.
“This isn’t about hunting or home protection,” said Sen. Glazer. “This isn’t about taking people’s guns away. I believe everyone has a right to hunt and to protect their families from harm in their home. It’s about a mechanism on assault-style rifles whose sole purpose is to allow someone to kill a lot of people quickly.
“We need to make it more difficult for a deranged person to enter a schoolyard, movie theater, or workplace with a rapid fire weapon. This measure is another small but important step in making our communities safer.”
Existing law prohibits the possession or sale of assault weapons and limits magazines to 10 rounds. But a loophole in the law – allowing guns with fixed magazines to be modified with a simple “tool”– had led to the manufacture of assault-style guns with magazines that can be easily detached – contrary to the spirit of the assault-weapon ban. The magazines are equipped with a button that can be pressed by a bullet or other tool to quickly detach the magazine. Since the magazine requires a tool, it was considered “fixed” and therefore legal.
To see the full text of the bill, visit the California Legislative Information website.
Opponents argued that the language in the bill was vague, among other things. According to the Firearms Policy Coalition website:
Senate Bill 880 (authored by Senators Hall and Glazer) attempts to subvert long-standing law regarding the definition of “detachable magazine”and “fixed magazine”. It relies on unclear, undefined language such as “without disassembly of the action” or “does not have a fixed magazine”and seeks to prohibit the purchase, inheritance, sale, transfer, transport, importation and manufacture of the most common and popular protected weapons of the modern era.
In Governor Brown’s signing message, he noted that the bullet button bill and certain others in the package “enhance public safety by tightening our existing laws in a responsible and focused manner, while protecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners.”
“Gun makers have exploited a loophole in the law that expressly prohibits assault weapons in California,” Glazer said. “We’ve seen the horror of these weapons with mass murders. We should not allow weapons that are designed specifically for modern warfare to proliferate on our streets.”
Senator Glazer worked as a senior staffer for Sen. President Pro Tem David Roberti in enacting a ban, in 1989, on assault weapons in California, the first state in the U.S. to do so. As mayor of Orinda, he was a charter member of the national organization, “Mayors Against Illegal Guns.”
For more information about the “bullet button” see the article on The Trace website.
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Noor Zahi Salman and Omar Saddiqui Mateen from a Facebook photo.
By Allen Payton
According to an ABC News report on Sunday, June 19, 2016 and an L.A. Times article posted today, Noor Zahi Salman, the widow of Orlando terrorist Omar Saddiqui Mateen, was born in San Pablo, grew up in Rodeo, graduated from high school in Crocket and married Mateen in Hercules in Western Contra Costa County, California.
The ABC News report states:
The wife of the Orlando nightclub shooter had learning difficulties when she was in middle school and was enrolled in special education classes, according to her now retired teacher in California.
Susan was Noor Zahi Salman’s teacher at her middle school in Crockett, California. ABC News is not using Susan’s full name or showing her face at her request.
“Noor had difficulty with retention. She had difficulty with conceptualizing, understanding — all challenges to her,” Susan said. “She tried hard. She was very sweet.”
Her family confirmed that Susan was Salman’s special education teacher and that she was enrolled in special education classes.
Susan said Salman was considered a “special day class student” – meaning she had to take all her classes with special education teachers.
The L.A. Times article provided more information about Salman’s background and local ties.
The child of Palestinian immigrants, Salman was born in San Pablo, in the Bay Area, and grew up in Northern California in a hilly neighborhood of tract homes in Rodeo, about 25 miles northeast of San Francisco. She graduated from John Swett High School in 2004.
They were married in Hercules, in Contra Costa County, Calif., on Sept. 29, 2011.
Although Salman accompanied Mateen on at least one trip to the Pulse nightclub before the attack for what is being considered reconnaissance, she has not been charged with any crimes, yet, nor is she currently listed as a suspect.
“With respect to the wife, I can tell you that that is only one of many interviews we have done and will continue to do,” said Ronald Harper, FBI assistant special agent in charge in Orlando, said during a news conference on Wednesday, June 15.
“I am not going to speculate today if any charges have or will be brought in this case,” added Lee Bentley, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida.
In spite of her special education classes in middle school, Salman graduated from both high school and college, according to other news reports.
The FBI investigation continues.
Read MoreOn Thursday, Contra Costa County District Attorney Mark A. Peterson and the West Contra Costa County Police Chiefs Association met to discuss strategies to prevent, investigate, and prosecute freeway shootings in the West County area, and also to review the current efforts to address the shootings.
The West Contra Costa County Police Chiefs and their respective City Managers and City Council members believe that approaching this issue in a collaborative manner is essential. Prior to yesterday’s meeting, West County Chiefs met regarding the freeway shootings; all six chiefs agreed that with collaboration comes a better understanding of diverse perspectives and that the coordinated efforts of many can accomplish more than the efforts of one or a few separately.
Attending the meeting were chiefs from the El Cerrito, Richmond, San Pablo, Pinole, Hercules, and Kensington police departments, as well as members of the county’s Probation Department, and the Offices of the Sheriff and District Attorney.
Since November 2nd, 2015, there have been 13 shootings on Interstate 80, and one on Interstate 580, for a total of 14 shootings in the western portion of Contra Costa County. Of the 14 shootings, two resulted in the deaths of the occupants of the vehicles. On several other occasions, no one was injured as the shots struck only the vehicles, or missed the intended vehicle occupants and their cars entirely.
To date, the great majority of these freeway shootings are gang related. Many of the victimsand witnesses in these cases have been uncooperative with investigators. The lack of cooperation coupled with the random nature of the shootings makes solving such crimes extremely problematic. Additionally, since the crimes occur at very high speeds, there are very few, if any, percipient witnesses.
Chief Paul Fontana, commander of the California Highway Patrol’s (CHP) Golden Gate Division, has convened several recent meetings of law enforcement executives from throughout Contra Costa and Alameda counties regarding the shootings. In the county, an ad-hoc task force of teams of investigators from the CHP and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Contra Costa Safe Streets Task Force respond to all freeway shootings in the county.
The Task Force includes members of the California Highway Patrol, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Richmond Police Department, Pittsburg Police Department, Antioch Police Department, Concord Police Department, El Cerrito Police Department, Sheriff’s Office, Probation Department, District Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms,and Explosives.
In addition, Deputy District Attorney Barry Grove who has over a decade of experience prosecuting murder cases has been assigned to assist on all freeway shooting investigations; he routinely responds to the shooting sites to provide legal advice and investigative guidance.
In addition to the investigative efforts, law enforcement is working with representatives of the Governor’s Office, the California Department of Transportation, and local mayors and other elected officials to explore the use of other technologies to assist in the effort to stop the shootings. These include the installation of high resolution cameras, gunshot detection technology, and other technologies, on the freeways and the entry/exit ramps.
Preventing freeway shootings, and prosecuting those responsible for them, is one of the top priorities for government at all levels in the county.Nearly a quarter million people travel daily on Interstate 80 in Contra Costa County, and we will do everything possible to ensure their safety.
We are seeking the public’s help on this critical public safety matter. Anyone with information concerning the shootings is encouraged to contactthe California Highway Patrol Investigative Services Unit at (510) 622-4609 or 1-800-TELL-CHP, or your local law enforcement agency.
West County Police Chiefs Association
Hercules Chief of Police Bill Goswick (Chairperson, West County Police Chiefs)
El Cerrito Interim Chief of Police Paul Keith
Kensington Chief of Police Kevin Hart
Pinole Chief of Police Neil Gang
San Pablo Chief of Police Lisa Rosales
Richmond Chief of Police Allwyn Brown
Office of the Sheriff Captain Dan Hoffman, Patrol Division Commander
Read MoreWHAT: The first East County Men’s Health & Wellness Fair will offer free screenings, health education, promote re-entry work and link men from the area and their families to medical services. Attendees will be able to get shingles and pneumonia immunizations, Tdap booster shots, glucose testing, blood pressure checks, rapid onsite testing for HIV and hepatitis C, health education on substance abuse and addiction, prostate awareness, benefits of cardiovascular exercises, CPR education and even haircuts. The men’s health fair is being held in conjunction with the 7th annual Juneteenth Celebration in Pittsburg.
WHEN: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 18
WHERE: Pittsburg City Park, 17th & Railroad Avenue
WHO: The health fair is being sponsored by Contra Costa Health Services in partnership with Souljahs, the American Heart Association, Walgreens and 1st Nor Cal Credit Union. Contra Costa Regional Health Foundation, Los Medanos Community Healthcare District and Supervisor Federal Glover provided funding support for the event.
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Ted Wieden
Contra Costa Community College District (CCCCD) Chancellor Helen Benjamin announced the appointment of Ted Wieden, Diablo Valley College (DVC) interim executive dean, to serve a one-year term as the interim president effective Friday, July 1, 2016. Formal approval of the appointment will take place at the Governing Board’s June 22, 2016, meeting. The opportunity became available following current DVC president Peter Garcia’s June 30, 2016, retirement announcement.
“We are fortunate to have Ted Wieden accept this one-year assignment”, said Governing Board President Vicki Gordon. “Ted knows the college very well, is a respected faculty member and manager, and will ensure there is leadership stability at DVC while we search for a permanent president.”
“Ted has been with our District for over 24 years, taking on a number of leadership roles both at the college and the District Office”, said Chancellor Benjamin. “DVC will be in good hands.”
Wieden is a first generation college student and graduated from Reedley College. After receiving his B.A. and M.A. from California State University at Fresno, he began teaching as an adjunct faculty and later joined DVC as a full-time instructor of Geography/Meteorology. At DVC, he served in many leadership roles including chair of the Physical Science and Engineering Division, interim Senior Dean of Curriculum and Instruction, and interim Executive Dean of Effectiveness/Accreditation Liaison Officer. Wieden also served in management positions at the District Office as interim Special Assistant to the Chancellor, and interim Senior Dean.
DVC has distinguished itself as one of the nation’s most successful community colleges by offering incomparable transfer opportunities and exceptional career-technical programs and degrees to a diverse student body, while responding to an evolving need for robust adult basic skills and English as a Second Language programs. At both the Pleasant Hill and San Ramon locations, local and international students engage with high-quality instruction and support services designed for student learning and success. Faculty from DVC’s various career-technical programs are in continuous dialog with the surrounding community to keep pace with emerging technologies and skill requirements students need to be successful in any job market. The college’s unparalleled transfer programs prepare students in large numbers to be successful in four-year colleges and universities all over the state and the country. DVC continuously ranks among the top transfer pathways to UC Berkeley.
The Contra Costa Community College District (CCCCD) is one of the largest multi-college community college districts in California. The CCCCD serves a population of 1,019,640 people, and its boundaries encompass all but 48 of the 734-square-mile land area of Contra Costa County. The District is home to Contra Costa College in San Pablo, Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, as well as educational centers in Brentwood and San Ramon. The District headquarters is located in downtown Martinez.
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Suspect in nine sexual assaults in Contra Costa County
Although four decades have passed since a prolific serial rapist and murderer terrorized California communities from Sacramento to Contra Costa County to Orange County, the FBI and local law enforcement announced a national publicity campaign on Wednesday – and a significant reward – in the hopes of locating the suspect and finally bringing him to justice.
Between 1976 and 1986, the violent and elusive individual known as the East Area Rapist, and later as the Original Night Stalker and the Golden State Killer, committed 12 homicides, 45 rapes, and more than 120 residential burglaries in multiple California communities. His victims ranged in age from 13 to 41 and included women home alone, women at home with their children, and husbands and wives.
At a press conference in Sacramento, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, and Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department held a press conference to announce the launch of a reward and national campaign to help identify the East Area Rapist/Golden State Killer, a violent serial burglar, rapist, and murderer who terrorized multiple communities in California throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
The digital media campaign includes the launch of a webpage, www.fbi.gov/EastAreaRapist digital billboards throughout the country; social media outreach on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube; and audio broadcasts via podcasts and radio PSAs. The public can play an active role in helping law enforcement find the subject by sharing links to the website and official social media content.
Law enforcement asks the public to consider the following information when reviewing information about the case:
- Did they live in one of the areas of criminal activity and remember someone in the area who matches the physical description of the subject or may have been known to spend a considerable amount of time in the areas?
- Have they discovered a hidden collection of items among the belongings of a friend or family member—notably coins and jewelry—as described on the FBI webpage about the crimes?
The subject, who may be 60-75 years old now, was described as a White male standing approximately five feet, ten inches tall, with blond or light brown hair and an athletic build. He may have had an interest or training in military or law enforcement techniques as he was familiar and proficient with firearms.
People who know the subject may not believe him capable of such crimes. He may not have exhibited violent tendencies or have a criminal history.
Detectives have DNA evidence from some of the crime scenes which can either positively link or exclude a suspect. This enables investigators to quickly exclude innocent parties and the public should not hesitate to provide information—even if it is the name or address of an individual who resided in the areas of the crimes—as many parties will be quickly excluded by a simple, non-invasive test.
Between 1976 and 1986, this single subject committed 12 homicides, approximately 45 rapes, and multiple residential burglaries in the state of California. All of the crimes have been linked by DNA and/or details of the crimes. His victims ranged in age from 13 to 41 and included women home alone, woman at home with their children, and couples.
The subject was active in the greater Sacramento area from June 1976 to February 1978.
Burglaries and rapes began occurring in the Sacramento area during the summer of 1976. During these crimes, the subject would ransack the homes of his victims and take small items such as coins, jewelry, and identification. These cases include the homes of families, couples, and single women; burglaries in a neighborhood tended to precede clusters of sexual assaults. On February 2, 1978, Rancho Cordova couple Sergeant Brian Maggiore and his wife, Katie, were on an evening walk with their dog, chased by the subject who overcame the couple, and shot at close range.
His activity continued primarily in the East Bay Area of Northern California in 1979 and, by October 1979, his activity escalated into rapes and homicides/attempted homicides along the California Coast with homicides in Goleta (October 10, 1979, December 3, 1979, and July 27, 1981), Ventura (March 16, 1980), Laguna Niguel (August 19, 1980), and Irvine (February 6, 1981 and May 5, 1986). During the commission of the homicides, the subject tied up both victims, raped the female victim, and then murdered the couple.
After July of 1981, no associated incidents are known to have been reported for five years. In 1986, an 18-year-old woman was raped and murdered in Irvine. No additional crimes have been connected to the subject after this incident.
A graphic illustrating the general location of these crimes is available on the FBI’s webpage.
The following is a listing of local law enforcement agencies who have investigated a crime believed to have been committed by the subject and the number of crimes in their jurisdictions:
| Agency | Sex Assaults | Homicides |
| Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department | 24 | 2 |
| Sacramento Police Department | 4 | 1 assault w/ deadly weapon |
| Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department | 5 | 0 |
| Concord Police Department | 2 | 0 |
| Davis Police Department | 3 | 0 |
| Fremont Police Department | 1 | 0 |
| Modesto Police Department | 2 | 0 |
| San Jose Police Department | 2 | 0 |
| Stockton Police Department | 2 | 0 |
| Walnut Creek Police Department | 2 | 0 |
| Irvine Police Department | 0 | 2 |
| Orange County Sheriff’s Department | 0 | 2 |
| Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department | 0 | 4 +2 attempted |
| Ventura Police Department | 0 | 2 |
“Regardless of the amount of time that has passed,” said Sgt. Paul Belli, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department detective assigned to the case, “the sheriff’s department never gave up on the investigation. This person ruined a great number of lives, and he should be held accountable.”
Law enforcement is seeking any information that may help identify the subject, dubbed the “East Area Rapist” in Sacramento. He has also been called the “Original Night Stalker,” “Diamond Knot Killer,” and, more recently, the “Golden State Killer.” Individuals with information about the subject may call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). Additionally, information may be submitted to the FBI’s online tip line, tips.fbi.gov.
For more information visit www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2016/june/help-us-catch-the-east-area-rapist/help-us-catch-the-east-area-rapist
Read MoreBy Allen Payton
In a rematch of the 2014 election for Congress in District 9, Democrat Representative Jerry McNerney will face retired U.S. Marshall Tony Amador in the November election.
After entering the race on the last day possible, Amador edged out fellow Republican candidate, Stockton Police Sergeant Kathryn Nance, who had been campaigning for over a year, by 2.9% of the vote.
“I want to thank those who supported me,” Amador said. “We’re going to need the help of independent and Democrat voters, and Kathryn’s supporters, as well.”
“I want to congratulate her for fighting the fight,” he added.
The latest vote count, as of Friday, June 10th at 6:47 p.m., McNerney had 50,144 votes or 55.7%, Amador had 19,644 votes or 21.8%, Nance had 16,975 votes or 18.9% and Libertarian Alex Appleby had 3,218 votes or 3.6% of the vote.
District 9 includes most of Eastern Contra Costa County, as well as most of San Joaquin County, plus Galt in Sacramento County.
Amador is leading Nance by only 435 votes in San Joaquin County where they both live, but in the Contra Costa portion of the district he’s leading her by 1,907 votes and by 327 votes in Galt.
To see the the election results as they’re updated, visit the California Secretary of State’s website at: http://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/us-rep/district/9/
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FULL FREEWAY CLOSURES:
There are no full freeway closures of State Route 4 planned for this week.
HIGHWAY LANE CLOSURES:
There will be highway lane closures in the westbound direction of State Route 4 between Hillcrest Avenue and Bailey Road on Monday through Friday from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.
There will be highway lane closures in the eastbound direction of State Route 4 between Bailey Road and Hillcrest Avenue on Monday through Friday from 4:30 am to 12:00 pm.
RAMP CLOSURES:
There are no ramp closures of State Route 4 planned for this week.
LOCAL STREET CLOSURES:
There will be lane closures in the eastbound and westbound directions of Larkspur Drive between Hillcrest Avenue and Wildflower Drive on Saturday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm to 6:00 am.
There will be lane closures in the eastbound and westbound directions of Sunset Drive between Hillcrest Avenue and Devpar Court on Saturday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm to 6:00 am.
There will be lane closures in the northbound and southbound directions of Hillcrest Avenue between Larkspur Drive and Sunset Drive on Saturday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm to 6:00 am.
There will be lane closures in the northbound and southbound directions of A Street / Lone Tree Way between Rossi Avenue and E. Tregallas Road on Saturday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm to 6:00 am.
For questions or comments please send e-mail to info@4eastcounty.org.
Read More
A copy of the Declaration of Independence.
Following is the text of the Declaration of Independence in celebration of Independence Day, July 4th, 2016:
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:
Column 1
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton
Column 2
North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton
Column 3
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton
Column 4
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean
Column 5
New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark
Column 6
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Massachusetts:
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton
From the website: www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration.html
Happy Independence Day from the Contra Costa Herald!
Read MoreA two-car eBART train undergoes testing in the middle of Highway 4 between Hillcrest Avenue and A Street/Lone Tree Way on Friday evening, July 1st. photo by Allen Payton
First of many tests over the next two years
The BART to Antioch Extension Project marked another important milestone Thursday morning, June 30th, with BART unveiling its sleek new diesel-powered trains, soon to be seen linking Pittsburg/Bay Point and Antioch down Highway 4’s median.
“We’ve been working on the arrival of BART to this part of the Bay Area for years, so it’s both thrilling and a bit surreal to finally be here aboard these amazing new vehicles,” said BART Director Joel Keller. “We couldn’t have made BART to Antioch happen without the long-term dedication of East County residents, and the commitment of the many leaders at the local, regional, state, and federal levels who came alongside us to help turn this visionary project into reality.”
The new train cars will run on separate tracks extending past the existing Pittsburg/Bay Point Station, and are a different type than those arriving in BART’s new Fleet of the Future. This Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) was chosen to bring rail service to East County residents while remaining cost-effective; the $525 million, 10-mile extension to Antioch is 60% less expensive than conventional BART. Stations for the new service will be located along Highway 4 near the Railroad Ave. intersection in Pittsburg and the Hillcrest Ave. intersection in Antioch, with all eight new vehicles set to arrive by this December prior to a year of state-mandated testing for safety and functionality.
A two-car eBART train could be seen undergoing testing in the middle of Highway 4 heading westbound from Hillcrest Avenue, about 6:15 p.m. Friday evening, July 1st.
“This is an exciting milestone with the first testing of the train on the tracks,” Keller added in a brief interview. “We’re still shooting for a May, 2018 opening, once we get the state approvals. This is the first of many tests.”
The new train cars, rated the most environmentally friendly out of all diesel-powered trains, will be able to move an estimated 2,400 people per hour during commute times, and boast a variety of amenities including six digital signs per vehicle (with multiple language support), automated audio announcements, clear station arrival / destination signage, and modern climate control systems. Daily ridership of the BART extension to Antioch is expected to exceed 10,100 by 2030 through the Highway 4 corridor, with an initial expected daily ridership of 5,600.
BART to Antioch is part of the nearly-complete Highway 4 Widening Project, which expands Highway 4 from four to eight lanes between Loveridge Road in Pittsburg to just west of State Route 160 in Antioch, and from two to four lanes from Lone Tree Way in Oakley to Balfour Road in Brentwood. The project provides greater mobility and access to multi-modal transportation, not only expanding lanes and building missing connector ramps at the State Route 160 interchange, but also providing funds for BART to Antioch.
The project has been carefully staged to keep the daily traffic of 130,000 cars moving, even as major construction and demolition work continue.
“The arrival of these new BART vehicles and the beginning of testing is a visible reminder of the progress being made to further economic growth and improve access to jobs and vital services for East County’s 250,000 residents,” said Dave Hudson, Chair of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority. “The Highway 4 Widening and BART to Antioch projects would not have been possible without either the backing of Contra Costa voters in 2004, or the help of partner agencies. We look forward to continued public support for additional innovations and improvements on the Highway 4 corridor in the future.”
Average travel time between stations is expected to be seven minutes between Antioch and Pittsburg Stations, and three minutes between Pittsburg and Pittsburg/Bay Point Stations. The new stations will use the same BART fare collection machines and gates used elsewhere in the BART system, with full service set to begin winter 2017/2018.
For more information visit the project page.
Allen Payton contributed to this report.
Read MoreA California-legal bullet button on a semiautomatic rifle. (www.gunsamerica.com)
Key part of a historic gun reform package
Sacramento – On Friday, July 1st, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Senator Steve Glazer’s legislation to ban the so-called bullet button, a key element of a historic gun reform package approved by the Legislature a day earlier.
Glazer, D-Orinda, is joint author with Sen. Isadore Hall, D-Los Angeles, on the bullet button ban, SB 880.
A bullet button assault-style rifle was used by the shooters who killed 14 people and wounded 21 in the San Bernardino terrorist attack last year.
“This isn’t about hunting or home protection,” said Sen. Glazer. “This isn’t about taking people’s guns away. I believe everyone has a right to hunt and to protect their families from harm in their home. It’s about a mechanism on assault-style rifles whose sole purpose is to allow someone to kill a lot of people quickly.
“We need to make it more difficult for a deranged person to enter a schoolyard, movie theater, or workplace with a rapid fire weapon. This measure is another small but important step in making our communities safer.”
Existing law prohibits the possession or sale of assault weapons and limits magazines to 10 rounds. But a loophole in the law – allowing guns with fixed magazines to be modified with a simple “tool”– had led to the manufacture of assault-style guns with magazines that can be easily detached – contrary to the spirit of the assault-weapon ban. The magazines are equipped with a button that can be pressed by a bullet or other tool to quickly detach the magazine. Since the magazine requires a tool, it was considered “fixed” and therefore legal.
To see the full text of the bill, visit the California Legislative Information website.
Opponents argued that the language in the bill was vague, among other things. According to the Firearms Policy Coalition website:
Senate Bill 880 (authored by Senators Hall and Glazer) attempts to subvert long-standing law regarding the definition of “detachable magazine”and “fixed magazine”. It relies on unclear, undefined language such as “without disassembly of the action” or “does not have a fixed magazine”and seeks to prohibit the purchase, inheritance, sale, transfer, transport, importation and manufacture of the most common and popular protected weapons of the modern era.
In Governor Brown’s signing message, he noted that the bullet button bill and certain others in the package “enhance public safety by tightening our existing laws in a responsible and focused manner, while protecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners.”
“Gun makers have exploited a loophole in the law that expressly prohibits assault weapons in California,” Glazer said. “We’ve seen the horror of these weapons with mass murders. We should not allow weapons that are designed specifically for modern warfare to proliferate on our streets.”
Senator Glazer worked as a senior staffer for Sen. President Pro Tem David Roberti in enacting a ban, in 1989, on assault weapons in California, the first state in the U.S. to do so. As mayor of Orinda, he was a charter member of the national organization, “Mayors Against Illegal Guns.”
For more information about the “bullet button” see the article on The Trace website.
Read MoreNoor Zahi Salman and Omar Saddiqui Mateen from a Facebook photo.
By Allen Payton
According to an ABC News report on Sunday, June 19, 2016 and an L.A. Times article posted today, Noor Zahi Salman, the widow of Orlando terrorist Omar Saddiqui Mateen, was born in San Pablo, grew up in Rodeo, graduated from high school in Crocket and married Mateen in Hercules in Western Contra Costa County, California.
The ABC News report states:
The wife of the Orlando nightclub shooter had learning difficulties when she was in middle school and was enrolled in special education classes, according to her now retired teacher in California.
Susan was Noor Zahi Salman’s teacher at her middle school in Crockett, California. ABC News is not using Susan’s full name or showing her face at her request.
“Noor had difficulty with retention. She had difficulty with conceptualizing, understanding — all challenges to her,” Susan said. “She tried hard. She was very sweet.”
Her family confirmed that Susan was Salman’s special education teacher and that she was enrolled in special education classes.
Susan said Salman was considered a “special day class student” – meaning she had to take all her classes with special education teachers.
The L.A. Times article provided more information about Salman’s background and local ties.
The child of Palestinian immigrants, Salman was born in San Pablo, in the Bay Area, and grew up in Northern California in a hilly neighborhood of tract homes in Rodeo, about 25 miles northeast of San Francisco. She graduated from John Swett High School in 2004.
They were married in Hercules, in Contra Costa County, Calif., on Sept. 29, 2011.
Although Salman accompanied Mateen on at least one trip to the Pulse nightclub before the attack for what is being considered reconnaissance, she has not been charged with any crimes, yet, nor is she currently listed as a suspect.
“With respect to the wife, I can tell you that that is only one of many interviews we have done and will continue to do,” said Ronald Harper, FBI assistant special agent in charge in Orlando, said during a news conference on Wednesday, June 15.
“I am not going to speculate today if any charges have or will be brought in this case,” added Lee Bentley, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida.
In spite of her special education classes in middle school, Salman graduated from both high school and college, according to other news reports.
The FBI investigation continues.
Read MoreOn Thursday, Contra Costa County District Attorney Mark A. Peterson and the West Contra Costa County Police Chiefs Association met to discuss strategies to prevent, investigate, and prosecute freeway shootings in the West County area, and also to review the current efforts to address the shootings.
The West Contra Costa County Police Chiefs and their respective City Managers and City Council members believe that approaching this issue in a collaborative manner is essential. Prior to yesterday’s meeting, West County Chiefs met regarding the freeway shootings; all six chiefs agreed that with collaboration comes a better understanding of diverse perspectives and that the coordinated efforts of many can accomplish more than the efforts of one or a few separately.
Attending the meeting were chiefs from the El Cerrito, Richmond, San Pablo, Pinole, Hercules, and Kensington police departments, as well as members of the county’s Probation Department, and the Offices of the Sheriff and District Attorney.
Since November 2nd, 2015, there have been 13 shootings on Interstate 80, and one on Interstate 580, for a total of 14 shootings in the western portion of Contra Costa County. Of the 14 shootings, two resulted in the deaths of the occupants of the vehicles. On several other occasions, no one was injured as the shots struck only the vehicles, or missed the intended vehicle occupants and their cars entirely.
To date, the great majority of these freeway shootings are gang related. Many of the victimsand witnesses in these cases have been uncooperative with investigators. The lack of cooperation coupled with the random nature of the shootings makes solving such crimes extremely problematic. Additionally, since the crimes occur at very high speeds, there are very few, if any, percipient witnesses.
Chief Paul Fontana, commander of the California Highway Patrol’s (CHP) Golden Gate Division, has convened several recent meetings of law enforcement executives from throughout Contra Costa and Alameda counties regarding the shootings. In the county, an ad-hoc task force of teams of investigators from the CHP and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Contra Costa Safe Streets Task Force respond to all freeway shootings in the county.
The Task Force includes members of the California Highway Patrol, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Richmond Police Department, Pittsburg Police Department, Antioch Police Department, Concord Police Department, El Cerrito Police Department, Sheriff’s Office, Probation Department, District Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms,and Explosives.
In addition, Deputy District Attorney Barry Grove who has over a decade of experience prosecuting murder cases has been assigned to assist on all freeway shooting investigations; he routinely responds to the shooting sites to provide legal advice and investigative guidance.
In addition to the investigative efforts, law enforcement is working with representatives of the Governor’s Office, the California Department of Transportation, and local mayors and other elected officials to explore the use of other technologies to assist in the effort to stop the shootings. These include the installation of high resolution cameras, gunshot detection technology, and other technologies, on the freeways and the entry/exit ramps.
Preventing freeway shootings, and prosecuting those responsible for them, is one of the top priorities for government at all levels in the county.Nearly a quarter million people travel daily on Interstate 80 in Contra Costa County, and we will do everything possible to ensure their safety.
We are seeking the public’s help on this critical public safety matter. Anyone with information concerning the shootings is encouraged to contactthe California Highway Patrol Investigative Services Unit at (510) 622-4609 or 1-800-TELL-CHP, or your local law enforcement agency.
West County Police Chiefs Association
Hercules Chief of Police Bill Goswick (Chairperson, West County Police Chiefs)
El Cerrito Interim Chief of Police Paul Keith
Kensington Chief of Police Kevin Hart
Pinole Chief of Police Neil Gang
San Pablo Chief of Police Lisa Rosales
Richmond Chief of Police Allwyn Brown
Office of the Sheriff Captain Dan Hoffman, Patrol Division Commander
Read MoreWHAT: The first East County Men’s Health & Wellness Fair will offer free screenings, health education, promote re-entry work and link men from the area and their families to medical services. Attendees will be able to get shingles and pneumonia immunizations, Tdap booster shots, glucose testing, blood pressure checks, rapid onsite testing for HIV and hepatitis C, health education on substance abuse and addiction, prostate awareness, benefits of cardiovascular exercises, CPR education and even haircuts. The men’s health fair is being held in conjunction with the 7th annual Juneteenth Celebration in Pittsburg.
WHEN: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 18
WHERE: Pittsburg City Park, 17th & Railroad Avenue
WHO: The health fair is being sponsored by Contra Costa Health Services in partnership with Souljahs, the American Heart Association, Walgreens and 1st Nor Cal Credit Union. Contra Costa Regional Health Foundation, Los Medanos Community Healthcare District and Supervisor Federal Glover provided funding support for the event.
Read MoreTed Wieden
Contra Costa Community College District (CCCCD) Chancellor Helen Benjamin announced the appointment of Ted Wieden, Diablo Valley College (DVC) interim executive dean, to serve a one-year term as the interim president effective Friday, July 1, 2016. Formal approval of the appointment will take place at the Governing Board’s June 22, 2016, meeting. The opportunity became available following current DVC president Peter Garcia’s June 30, 2016, retirement announcement.
“We are fortunate to have Ted Wieden accept this one-year assignment”, said Governing Board President Vicki Gordon. “Ted knows the college very well, is a respected faculty member and manager, and will ensure there is leadership stability at DVC while we search for a permanent president.”
“Ted has been with our District for over 24 years, taking on a number of leadership roles both at the college and the District Office”, said Chancellor Benjamin. “DVC will be in good hands.”
Wieden is a first generation college student and graduated from Reedley College. After receiving his B.A. and M.A. from California State University at Fresno, he began teaching as an adjunct faculty and later joined DVC as a full-time instructor of Geography/Meteorology. At DVC, he served in many leadership roles including chair of the Physical Science and Engineering Division, interim Senior Dean of Curriculum and Instruction, and interim Executive Dean of Effectiveness/Accreditation Liaison Officer. Wieden also served in management positions at the District Office as interim Special Assistant to the Chancellor, and interim Senior Dean.
DVC has distinguished itself as one of the nation’s most successful community colleges by offering incomparable transfer opportunities and exceptional career-technical programs and degrees to a diverse student body, while responding to an evolving need for robust adult basic skills and English as a Second Language programs. At both the Pleasant Hill and San Ramon locations, local and international students engage with high-quality instruction and support services designed for student learning and success. Faculty from DVC’s various career-technical programs are in continuous dialog with the surrounding community to keep pace with emerging technologies and skill requirements students need to be successful in any job market. The college’s unparalleled transfer programs prepare students in large numbers to be successful in four-year colleges and universities all over the state and the country. DVC continuously ranks among the top transfer pathways to UC Berkeley.
The Contra Costa Community College District (CCCCD) is one of the largest multi-college community college districts in California. The CCCCD serves a population of 1,019,640 people, and its boundaries encompass all but 48 of the 734-square-mile land area of Contra Costa County. The District is home to Contra Costa College in San Pablo, Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, as well as educational centers in Brentwood and San Ramon. The District headquarters is located in downtown Martinez.
Read More
Suspect in nine sexual assaults in Contra Costa County
Although four decades have passed since a prolific serial rapist and murderer terrorized California communities from Sacramento to Contra Costa County to Orange County, the FBI and local law enforcement announced a national publicity campaign on Wednesday – and a significant reward – in the hopes of locating the suspect and finally bringing him to justice.
Between 1976 and 1986, the violent and elusive individual known as the East Area Rapist, and later as the Original Night Stalker and the Golden State Killer, committed 12 homicides, 45 rapes, and more than 120 residential burglaries in multiple California communities. His victims ranged in age from 13 to 41 and included women home alone, women at home with their children, and husbands and wives.
At a press conference in Sacramento, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, and Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department held a press conference to announce the launch of a reward and national campaign to help identify the East Area Rapist/Golden State Killer, a violent serial burglar, rapist, and murderer who terrorized multiple communities in California throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
The digital media campaign includes the launch of a webpage, www.fbi.gov/EastAreaRapist digital billboards throughout the country; social media outreach on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube; and audio broadcasts via podcasts and radio PSAs. The public can play an active role in helping law enforcement find the subject by sharing links to the website and official social media content.
Law enforcement asks the public to consider the following information when reviewing information about the case:
- Did they live in one of the areas of criminal activity and remember someone in the area who matches the physical description of the subject or may have been known to spend a considerable amount of time in the areas?
- Have they discovered a hidden collection of items among the belongings of a friend or family member—notably coins and jewelry—as described on the FBI webpage about the crimes?
The subject, who may be 60-75 years old now, was described as a White male standing approximately five feet, ten inches tall, with blond or light brown hair and an athletic build. He may have had an interest or training in military or law enforcement techniques as he was familiar and proficient with firearms.
People who know the subject may not believe him capable of such crimes. He may not have exhibited violent tendencies or have a criminal history.
Detectives have DNA evidence from some of the crime scenes which can either positively link or exclude a suspect. This enables investigators to quickly exclude innocent parties and the public should not hesitate to provide information—even if it is the name or address of an individual who resided in the areas of the crimes—as many parties will be quickly excluded by a simple, non-invasive test.
Between 1976 and 1986, this single subject committed 12 homicides, approximately 45 rapes, and multiple residential burglaries in the state of California. All of the crimes have been linked by DNA and/or details of the crimes. His victims ranged in age from 13 to 41 and included women home alone, woman at home with their children, and couples.
The subject was active in the greater Sacramento area from June 1976 to February 1978.
Burglaries and rapes began occurring in the Sacramento area during the summer of 1976. During these crimes, the subject would ransack the homes of his victims and take small items such as coins, jewelry, and identification. These cases include the homes of families, couples, and single women; burglaries in a neighborhood tended to precede clusters of sexual assaults. On February 2, 1978, Rancho Cordova couple Sergeant Brian Maggiore and his wife, Katie, were on an evening walk with their dog, chased by the subject who overcame the couple, and shot at close range.
His activity continued primarily in the East Bay Area of Northern California in 1979 and, by October 1979, his activity escalated into rapes and homicides/attempted homicides along the California Coast with homicides in Goleta (October 10, 1979, December 3, 1979, and July 27, 1981), Ventura (March 16, 1980), Laguna Niguel (August 19, 1980), and Irvine (February 6, 1981 and May 5, 1986). During the commission of the homicides, the subject tied up both victims, raped the female victim, and then murdered the couple.
After July of 1981, no associated incidents are known to have been reported for five years. In 1986, an 18-year-old woman was raped and murdered in Irvine. No additional crimes have been connected to the subject after this incident.
A graphic illustrating the general location of these crimes is available on the FBI’s webpage.
The following is a listing of local law enforcement agencies who have investigated a crime believed to have been committed by the subject and the number of crimes in their jurisdictions:
| Agency | Sex Assaults | Homicides |
| Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department | 24 | 2 |
| Sacramento Police Department | 4 | 1 assault w/ deadly weapon |
| Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department | 5 | 0 |
| Concord Police Department | 2 | 0 |
| Davis Police Department | 3 | 0 |
| Fremont Police Department | 1 | 0 |
| Modesto Police Department | 2 | 0 |
| San Jose Police Department | 2 | 0 |
| Stockton Police Department | 2 | 0 |
| Walnut Creek Police Department | 2 | 0 |
| Irvine Police Department | 0 | 2 |
| Orange County Sheriff’s Department | 0 | 2 |
| Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department | 0 | 4 +2 attempted |
| Ventura Police Department | 0 | 2 |
“Regardless of the amount of time that has passed,” said Sgt. Paul Belli, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department detective assigned to the case, “the sheriff’s department never gave up on the investigation. This person ruined a great number of lives, and he should be held accountable.”
Law enforcement is seeking any information that may help identify the subject, dubbed the “East Area Rapist” in Sacramento. He has also been called the “Original Night Stalker,” “Diamond Knot Killer,” and, more recently, the “Golden State Killer.” Individuals with information about the subject may call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). Additionally, information may be submitted to the FBI’s online tip line, tips.fbi.gov.
For more information visit www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2016/june/help-us-catch-the-east-area-rapist/help-us-catch-the-east-area-rapist
Read MoreBy Allen Payton
In a rematch of the 2014 election for Congress in District 9, Democrat Representative Jerry McNerney will face retired U.S. Marshall Tony Amador in the November election.
After entering the race on the last day possible, Amador edged out fellow Republican candidate, Stockton Police Sergeant Kathryn Nance, who had been campaigning for over a year, by 2.9% of the vote.
“I want to thank those who supported me,” Amador said. “We’re going to need the help of independent and Democrat voters, and Kathryn’s supporters, as well.”
“I want to congratulate her for fighting the fight,” he added.
The latest vote count, as of Friday, June 10th at 6:47 p.m., McNerney had 50,144 votes or 55.7%, Amador had 19,644 votes or 21.8%, Nance had 16,975 votes or 18.9% and Libertarian Alex Appleby had 3,218 votes or 3.6% of the vote.
District 9 includes most of Eastern Contra Costa County, as well as most of San Joaquin County, plus Galt in Sacramento County.
Amador is leading Nance by only 435 votes in San Joaquin County where they both live, but in the Contra Costa portion of the district he’s leading her by 1,907 votes and by 327 votes in Galt.
To see the the election results as they’re updated, visit the California Secretary of State’s website at: http://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/us-rep/district/9/
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FULL FREEWAY CLOSURES:
There are no full freeway closures of State Route 4 planned for this week.
HIGHWAY LANE CLOSURES:
There will be highway lane closures in the westbound direction of State Route 4 between Hillcrest Avenue and Bailey Road on Monday through Friday from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.
There will be highway lane closures in the eastbound direction of State Route 4 between Bailey Road and Hillcrest Avenue on Monday through Friday from 4:30 am to 12:00 pm.
RAMP CLOSURES:
There are no ramp closures of State Route 4 planned for this week.
LOCAL STREET CLOSURES:
There will be lane closures in the eastbound and westbound directions of Larkspur Drive between Hillcrest Avenue and Wildflower Drive on Saturday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm to 6:00 am.
There will be lane closures in the eastbound and westbound directions of Sunset Drive between Hillcrest Avenue and Devpar Court on Saturday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm to 6:00 am.
There will be lane closures in the northbound and southbound directions of Hillcrest Avenue between Larkspur Drive and Sunset Drive on Saturday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm to 6:00 am.
There will be lane closures in the northbound and southbound directions of A Street / Lone Tree Way between Rossi Avenue and E. Tregallas Road on Saturday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm to 6:00 am.
For questions or comments please send e-mail to info@4eastcounty.org.
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