A total of $107,779 in funds given to 34 students throughout California
More than $1 million donated to students over the last 31 years through the Howard T. Collins Memorial Scholarship program
Eden Housing announced its 2023 Howard T. Collins Memorial Scholarship recipients today, awarding $107,779 to 34 students throughout California. The program awards scholarships to individuals of all ages who are current residents of properties managed by Eden Housing. Students must be currently enrolled in a course of study and pursuing their advanced educational, academic and/or career advancement and vocational goals at California colleges and universities.
The program launched in 1993 and is named in honor of former Eden housing board member Howard T. Collins. Collins was known for his passion for justice and tireless work to expand opportunity and access to higher education. To date, the program has provided over $1 million in scholarship funds to more than 620 California residents.
“For many scholarship recipients, they are the first in their families to attend college,” said Eden Housing CEO Linda Mandolini. “By investing in their education dreams, we help improve their long-term career prospects, earning potential, personal development and financial security for their families. These students become actively engaged in their communities, contributing to society in ways that will benefit us all for years to come. We can’t wait to learn about their future accomplishments.”
This year’s scholarship recipients are from the following counties: Contra Costa, Alameda, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Sonoma.
Monica Chicas, a recipient who resides in Antioch and is attending CSU East Bay, said the scholarship is a life-changing gift. She shared that she “Feels blessed and honored to be able to have that help,” and that the scholarship will “allow her to focus on completing her assignments and attending classes, while also boosting her self-esteem.” (See Chicas’ video interview)
Three other Contra Costa County students received scholarships:
- Alicia Freeman pursuing an Associate Degree at Contra Costa College
- Devon Gordon pursuing an AA in Sociology at the College of San Mateo
- Ariel Brown pursuing a B.S. in Nursing at Arizona State University
Congratulating the scholarship recipients were members of Eden’s board of directors and scholarship committee; Eden’s president and CEO, Linda Mandolini; presenting sponsors US Bank and many of the elected officials that represent the recipients in their district. The latter include: Congressman Jimmy Panetta – CA 19, Assemblymember David Alvarez – CA 80, Assemblymember Damon Connolly – CA 12, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks – CA 14 and Mayor Juan Gonzalez – City San Leandro. The scholarship awards celebration video can be viewed here.
About Eden Housing
Eden Housing is a nonprofit organization with 55 years of experience providing safe and affordable housing that helps families stay secure, allows communities to thrive, and solves many of the most pressing housing challenges facing California cities. Since its inception, the Bay Area-based organization has developed more than 10,000 affordable homes and is a leader in making its residential communities environmentally sustainable and efficient through integrating energy conservation. Eden is also known as a champion of housing policy advocacy at the local, state, and national level, supporting practices that both create and preserve affordable housing for diverse communities. Learn more at www.edenhousing.org.
Read MoreBy Kelly Kalfsbeek, PIO, Contra Costa County Public Works Department
October is National Pedestrian Safety Month and it’s a reminder of the importance of safe streets for everyone. In 2021 there was a pedestrian fatality every 71 minutes and an injury every 9 minutes in traffic related crashes. That’s why the Contra Costa County Vision Zero team is working tirelessly to change these numbers. Our message is clear: “Slow Down for Our Families. Get there Safely!” You’ll find our banners on buses and at 11 local elementary schools, spreading the word throughout our county. Join us in making our roads safer for ALL. Learn more about our efforts at: www.contracosta.ca.gov/visionzero. For more pedestrian safety resources visit: bit.ly/3LFNYtw
About Contra Costa County Public Works Department:
Contra Costa County Public Works Department (CCCPWD) maintains over 660 miles of roads, 150 miles of streams, channels, and other drainage and over 150 County buildings throughout Contra Costa County. CCCPWD provides services such as Parks and Recreation, Sandbag Distribution and Flood Control throughout the unincorporated areas of Contra Costa County. CCCPWD operates two airports, Buchanan Field Airport in Concord, and Byron Airport in Byron. For more information about CCCPWD, please visit us at: www.cccpublicworks.org
Read MoreDue Oct. 23
Student and adult humanitarians to be recognized at 46th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ceremony in January
Contra Costa County seeks nominations for Humanitarians of the Year to be recognized during the 46th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ceremony.
The deadline to submit candidates for consideration is Monday, Oct. 23.
The event will commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 16. In the spirit of Dr. King’s work, this year’s theme is “Beloved Community.”
The Board of Supervisors plans to recognize two individuals, (1) a community member and (2) a student leader, whose dedication to others embodies the spirit and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the January event.
Nominate a community member and/or student whose accomplishments and actions go above and beyond to positively impact Contra Costa County, its residents, and communities. Please nominate candidates who demonstrate leadership, commitment to the community, and personal integrity.
To submit online nominations and learn more about the County’s celebration, visit the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ceremony website.
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![](http://contracostaherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/JoelWin-1024x764.jpg)
Joel Hannagan #16 won his fourth-straight Chet Thomson Memorial Hardtop race as he gets closer to the championship. Photo by Candice Martin
Fuson, Learn, Rosa, Richardson also win
By Candice Martin, DCRR Racing Media
Antioch, CA…September 30…Making a late move around Mike Gillard of Atwater, San Jose’s Joel Hannagan won the 20 lap Hardtop Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. This was the 21st running of the Chet Thomson Memorial Hardtop race and the fourth-straight win for Hannagan in that event aboard the Doug Braudrick owned Junkyard Dog. This was also his sixth win of the season as he maintains the point lead.
Three-time Sportsman champion Rick Elliott of Merced started on the second row and bolted into the early lead ahead of Brad Coelho of Oakley and Gillard. Gillard made an inside pass on Coelho with Hannagan also getting by on the inside in Turn 4. A yellow flag waved on Lap 4. On the restart, Gillard charged past Elliott for the lead. Elliott took an infield excursion on Lap 5 with Hannagan now second ahead of Mike Friesen of Atwater. The battle soon found the leaders working through slower traffic, and those drivers were having side by side races of their own.
Gillard managed to thread the needle between slower cars a couple of times before a yellow flag waved for a Les Warkentin of Atwater spin in Turn 4 on the 10th lap. Gillard continued to lead Hannagan and Friesen on the restart. The pressure was on Gillard as they were soon in slower traffic once again. Hannagan made an inside pass in Turn 4 of the 15th lap to grab the lead from Gillard. Gillard kept it close, but Hannagan prevailed at the checkered flag. Friesen ended up third, followed by two-time Chet Thomson Memorial winner Jason Armstrong of El Dorado and Don Slaney of Martinez.
![](http://contracostaherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GillardDash-1024x798.jpg)
Mike Gillard #17 picked up a win in a rare Trophy Dash for the Hardtop division. Photo by Candice Martin
Brody Fuson of Bakersfield won the 30 lap USAC Western States Midgets Main Event. This was the fifth win of the season for Fuson as he nudges closer to the series championship with one more point event remaining.
Fuson started on the second row outside, but he managed to grab the lead at the start ahead of Michael Faccinto of Hanford and championship contender Cade Lewis of Bakersfield. They maintained that order throughout the first half of the race before Faccinto stalled on the back straightaway for a Lap 17 yellow flag. Fuson led Lewis and Caden Sarale of Stockton on the restart. Fuson maintained a good pace down the stretch and prevailed at the checkered flag ahead of Lewis, Sarale, previous Antioch winner TJ Smith of Fresno and Brandon Wiley of Santa Maria.
Point leader Mike Learn a Petaluma collected his fourth-straight Super Stock Main Event win as he closes in on the championship. Learn has already won the championship at Petaluma Speedway this season and was the inaugural Tri State Pro Stock title winner as well. A spin in the Trophy Dash saw Learn hand the victory in that race to Donnie Richardson of Antioch.
Learn bolted into the lead at the start ahead of Richardson and Steve Studebaker of Santa Rosa. Richardson slowed and headed for the pits on Lap 3 as multi time Petaluma champion Mitch Machado of Rohnert Park got around Studebaker for second. As Learn pulled away from the pack, Machado and Studebaker engaged in an intense, side by side battle for second.
Machado pushed in Turn 4 with Studebaker going by on the inside to grab second on Lap 14. The two continued a close battle with contact sending them both spinning in Turn 4 for a Lap 15 yellow flag. Learn led Machado and Studebaker on the restart. Studebaker went low in Turn 2 on Lap 17 to grab second as Machado pushed. Knightson’s Ryan Cherezian also got past Machado for third on Lap 19. Learn went on to win ahead of Studebaker, Cherezian, Machado and Richardson.
![](http://contracostaherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DMRosa-1024x783.jpg)
David Michael Rosa #7 won his second-straight Delta Dwarf Car Main Event in the Roberto Monroy owned #7 car. Photo by Candice Martin
David Michael Rosa picked up his third win of the season in Delta Dwarf Car 20 lap Main Event action. This was also the second-straight win for Rosa aboard the Roberto Monroy owned entry.
2020 champion Travis Day of Concord set the early pace ahead of Rosa, and a yellow flag waved as Rosa got around Day for the lead on Lap 3. David Michael Rosa led Day and David Rosa of Antioch on the restart. Day did his best, but Rosa seemed to have it hooked up well once he got the lead. There were a few spins for yellow flags, but David Michael Rosa would lead Day on each ensuing restart as they scored the 1-2 finish. David Rosa ended up third ahead of Joe LeDuc of Tracy.
Up next will be the Third Annual Pacific Coast General Engineering Hobby Stock Nationals this Friday and Saturday night. The Saturday program sees the Hobby Stocks racing for a $3,000 first prize. Joining them that night will be a Figure 8 and 600 Micro Sprints. For further information, go to www.raceantiochspeedway.com.
Antioch Speedway Race Results
Hardtops
Heat Winners (8 laps)-Jason Armstrong, Joel Hannagan, Mike Gillard. Trophy Dash (4 laps)-Mike Gillard. Main Event (20 laps)-Joel Hannagan, Mike Gillard, Mike Friesen, Jason Armstrong, Don Slaney, Rick Elliott, Gary Hildebrand, Joe Shenefield, Mario Romano, Les Warkentin.
USAC Western States Midgets
FT Brandon Wiley 13.963. Heat Winners (10 laps)-Cade Lewis, Ben Worth. Main Event (20 laps)-Brody Fuson, Cade Lewis, Caden Sarale, TJ Smith, Brandon Wiley, CJ Sarna, Nikko Panella, Samuel May, Ben Covich, Ron Hazleton.
Super Stocks
Heat Winners (8 laps)-Mike Learn, Steve Studebaker. Trophy Dash (4 laps)-Donnie Richardson. Main Event (20 laps)-Mike Learn, Steve Studebaker, Ryan Cherezian, Mitch Machado, Donnie Richardson, Richard Vander Ploeg, Joey Ridgeway DNS, John Evans DNS.
Delta Dwarf Cars
Heat Winner (8 laps)-David Michael Rosa. Main Event (20 laps)-David Michael Rosa, Travis Day, David Rosa, Joe LeDuc.
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At American Ambulance Association (AAA) Stars of Life Awards Ceremony in D.C.
By Amy Link, Global Medical Response
Danny Workman, flight paramedic with REACH Air Medical Services (REACH) in Concord, was named one of 32 Global Medical Response (GMR) Stars of Life. The Stars of Life program honors EMS first responders who have completed extraordinary acts of service for their patients, colleagues, communities or the EMS profession. Honorees from across the country will be recognized at the American Ambulance Association (AAA) Stars of Life Awards Ceremony, in Washington, D.C. November 5-8.
“This award is among the highest honors an EMS professional can receive,” said Joe Drago, program director for REACH. “In one of the deadliest hurricanes to strike the coast of Florida in recent years, Danny was an integral part of a neonatal team who helped evacuate neonates out of the danger zone.”
Workman said he is honored to be recognized as one of the 2023 Stars of Life. “Serving on a mission to save fragile newborns was a privilege and something I won’t soon forget.”
Each GMR Star of Life represents an incredible story of service and dedication in every area of the EMS industry and is selected by their peers in an extensive nomination process.
Nick Loporcaro, President and CEO of GMR said, “Our Stars are all exceptional EMS professionals who are very deserving of this important recognition. They represent the thousands of GMR first responders who have committed to a profession of service to others. On behalf of all GMR team members, we send our sincerest congratulations and appreciation to all our 2023 Stars.”
About REACH Air Medical Services
REACH Air Medical Services, headquartered in Sacramento, CA, provides critical care air and ground emergency medical services to communities throughout California, Oregon, Nevada, Alaska, Texas, Colorado and Hawaii. REACH employs hundreds of highly trained nurses, paramedics, pilots and aircraft maintenance technicians to provide service to patients using their fleet of medically equipped helicopters, airplanes and ground ambulances. REACH is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS), which is the gold standard for patient care and safety in the medical transport industry. For more information, visit www.REACHAir.com.
REACH is part of Global Medical Response. With nearly 38,000 team members, Global Medical Response delivers compassionate, quality medical care, primarily in the areas of emergency medical and patient relocation services in the United States and around the world. GMR was formed by combining the industry leaders in air, ground, mobile healthcare services, and community, industrial/specialty and wildland fire services. For additional information, visit us on LinkedIn or at www.GlobalMedicalResponse.com.
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![](http://contracostaherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/BART-intern-Erik-Huizar-1.jpg)
BART intern Erik Huizar poses for a portrait at Union City Station on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. Photos: BART
“We need to be able to move freely and independently” – Erik Huizar
By BART Public Affairs
Erik Huizar has a large task ahead of him. Over the coming months, the 19-year-old college student is visiting – well, not just visiting, but walking, memorizing, sensing, pondering – twenty stations around the BART system to build descriptive reports of their tactile guideways. Some of these reports have been uploaded to the BART Low Vision or Blind Accessible Services webpage and more will be uploaded in the coming months.
You might spot Huizar on one of his station visits, slowly and thoughtfully walking along one of these accessibility pathways with his white and red cane, tracing a pathway’s twists and turns, feeling its bumps and indentations, listening to the sound it makes when he taps its ridges, and noting down where it leads.
“I must look like such a weirdo,” he quipped on a recent information-gathering visit to Union City Station, as he walked back and forth over the pathways.
For blind and low-vision people like Huizar, tactile guideways are guide maps to station geography that enable them to independently travel from the bus intermodal area, into the station, through the accessible fare gates, then to the foot of the stairway to the platform. On the platform*, colored tactile strips denote the edge between the platforms and the trackway and mark where to board a train.
Tactile guideways often use a variety of cues for blind or low-vision riders to distinguish the pathways from the flooring around them. There is no national code or standard for these pathways, Huizar said, but typically, they are composed of materials and textures distinct from the station’s floor. Sometimes the pathways are yellow with truncated domes; other times, they may be gray and ridged; and sometimes, they are black with cones and bars.
![](http://contracostaherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/BART-fare-gates-2.jpg)
The tactile guideway passing through the accessible fare gate at Union City Station on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023.
“Basically, the architect who designs the station decides what the pathways’ patterns will be, and that’s why we have stations where either there’s no detectable path or the detectable path is more decorative than useful,” Huizar said. “Many of these stations were built a long time ago, and no one really knows how to build these pathways correctly, or at least how to standardize the way to do it.”
Bob Franklin, BART’s Director of Customer Access and Accessibility, noted that in a national accessibility working group, the forty-plus public transit agencies involved “all do something different for their pathways.”
Huizar hopes his reports contribute to this still-budding body of knowledge and motivate decisionmakers to fund and improve them.
“These pathways are not as good as they can be,” said Huizar. “And this is a national issue.”
Huizar’s tactile guideway reports are highly detailed and descriptive. A typical report reads something like this: “All the paths are made of yellow six-inch-wide plastic tiles. When there is an intersection or direction change in the path, there is a block of truncated domes to indicate this. In multiple places, there are spurs, which split from a path, this indicates a direction change, or the end of a section of path.” (This excerpt comes from Huizar’s Milpitas Station report.)
He expects this information to be valuable to blind and low-vision BART riders, enabling them to get around a station without having to ask for help – a sometimes necessary annoyance when you’re just trying to get somewhere, Huizar said.
Tactile guideways support riders’ independence and right to affordable mobility, he added. BART riders rely on the system to travel from place to place – to appointments, to work, to social engagements. Seven percent of BART riders report having a disability, a percentage of which who are not able to operate automobiles.
![](http://contracostaherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/BART-intern-Erik-Huizar-2.jpg)
BART intern Erik Huizar studies the tactile guideway at Union City Station on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023.
“BART is my way to get out and be independent and self-reliant,” said Sheri Albers, the Community Outreach Coordinator for The Lighthouse for the Blind, during a a Fleet of the Future safety orientation BART held this past winter for the blind and low-vision community. The orientation was followed by an online townhall BART hosted to gather input on upcoming projects and to hear directly from riders who are blind and low-vision about how it can improve accessibility services. BART plans to provide similar engagements for the deaf and hard-of-hearing and mobility-impaired communities.
“Information is powerful, and we want to ally the fear in our community of taking BART,” Albers said. “Once you eliminate the fear, the world is in your hands.”
To capture the necessary information for his reports, Huizar often spends hours in a station, tracing its pathways and scribbling detailed notes. He then takes his findings and drafts his report, describing things like how many sections compose the station’s pathway system, where those sections lead, and what color and material they are made of.
BART offers additional station resources for members of the blind and low-vision community, including Braille/tactile signs at station entrances and exits, at public restrooms, at the start of stairways, and at emergency exits, elevators, and escalators. Every fare machine in BART stations has earphone jacks, so you can listen to its message privately – “You have $200 on your Clipper card,” it might say. For every visual announcement in a station, there is a corresponding audio announcement. On fare gates, riders can activate a series of beeps that provide an audio code, denoting information such as whether they have enough balance on their Clipper card or if they need to tap again. You can read about additional accessibility services for blind and low-vision riders here.
“It’s a public transportation system, and it’s a federal law that we’re accessible to everyone,” Franklin said. “When we design it that way, it benefits everyone. The more universally we design something, the better it will be.”
![](http://contracostaherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/BART-intern-Erik-Huizar-3.jpg)
BART intern Erik Huizar’s cane studying the metal ridge of the tactile guideway at Union City Station on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023.
Huizar is passionate about public transportation because he uses it to get most places. He’s working on a sociology degree and hopes to continue his studies to earn a master’s degree in orientation and mobility.
“I definitely want to focus on public transportation because that’s my favorite thing,” he said.
Huizar regularly rides BART to explore new spots – mostly in search of hidden gems and great food – or to hike with his girlfriend or friends. On days he doesn’t have schoolwork or anything important to do, “I’ll just ride the train and be absolutely entertained that whole day.”
“There’s a little boy inside me screaming for joy every time I get on a train because it’s just a lot of fun,” he said.
Huizar also acknowledged how essential public transportation is to the fabric of a well-functioning, equitable society.
“People rely on these trains, and not just people like me who can’t get around without them, but sighted people, too, who use them to visit friends and family or to get to work,” he said. “Without buses, without trains, many people wouldn’t be able to do that.”
Huizar secured his BART internship in a somewhat unusual fashion – he emailed General Manager Bob Powers directly after watching him and fellow transit leaders speak during a press conference for the April Transit CEO Ride-a-Long (Huizar said he watched the video scrolling YouTube while procrastinating on homework.)
“A bunch of the CEOs went up and talked about accessibility, and providing quality transportation is something I’m passionate about,” he said. “I thought, you know, I’d really like to be involved in that.”
So, he decided to email Powers and ask for a conversation, “because, like, who else?” Huizar figured he wouldn’t respond, so he hit send on the message before “chickening out.”
Two weeks later, he received an email from Alaric Degrafinried, Assistant General Manager of Administration at BART. The gist of Degrafinried’s reply was: “When can you meet?”
After an initial phone call, Degrafinried invited Huizar to BART Headquarters. “I was really excited; it was crazy to go to the place where everything happens,” he said. From there, Degrafinried connected Huizar with Franklin for a possible internship.
“And now, I’m here,” Huizar said, tying a bow on his road-to-BART story. “And I’m uniquely suited for this because I’m someone who uses, who needs, these pathways to navigate these stations, which can sometimes be very daunting and confusing for people.”
“It would be great,” he concluded, “if people would put the effort in so people like me can find things on our own – without having to ask for help.”
* BART is currently in the process of updating station platform-edge warning strips, which will soon be all bright yellow tiles with truncated domes, eliminating the black tiles, which had denoted car boarding areas. To mark platform waiting areas for door openings for the 3-door train cars, BART will be installing stickers adjacent to the warning strip. The train car’s middle door will be a blue-edged sticker, to denote the dedicated space for those who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices. Additionally, at the center of the platform, there will be 3’ x 4’ yellow directional bar tiles extending from the platform edge tiles, to let blind and low vision riders know of the guaranteed boarding area, regardless of the length of the train. There is an exception to this rule, when the train is in “manual mode” and stops at the end of the platform.
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![](http://contracostaherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/US-Attorney-NorCalDist-logo-Gina-Lonestar.png)
Gina Lonestar in happier times. Source: Her Facebook page posted May 27, 2022.
Former VP of Construction, Maintenance and Facilities at parent company Tailored Brands invented fake vendor and submitted false invoices over eight-year period
By U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of California
OAKLAND – Gina Suzanne Lonestar was sentenced to 22 months in federal prison in connection with a wire fraud scheme pursuant to which she embezzled over $1.7 million from her former employer, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp. The sentence was handed down by the Hon. Jon S. Tigar, United States District Judge.
Lonestar, 52, of Danville, Calif., pleaded guilty to the charge on May 19, 2023. According to her plea agreement, Lonestar admitted that, in December 2010, she devised a scheme to create a fake vendor to defraud Men’s Wearhouse and later Tailored Brands (Men’s Wearhouse’s parent company) of money by submitting and approving false invoices for the fake vendor to the accounts payable department. Lonestar created a document stating the vendor was a sole proprietorship associated with a family member and then began submitting and approving invoices falsely claiming the vendor was performing work at Men’s Wearhouse stores throughout California, such as inspections and handyman work. Lonestar admitted that she submitted and approved false invoices in the name of the fake vendor for approximately eight years, defrauding her employer of over $1.7 million, which was paid to her joint checking account. Lonestar admitted that the vendor did not exist and the family member with whom she co-owed the company performed none of the work for which she provided invoices.
At the time Lonestar devised the scheme, she was a Director in the Facilities Department of Men’s Wearhouse. During the relevant time period she was promoted to Senior Director of Facilities and Corporate Services and then to Vice President of Construction, Maintenance, and Facilities. In all of her roles, she had the authority to approve invoices for work done by vendors. Lonestar’s scheme ended in 2019 when the company discovered the conduct during an internal audit.
On September 8, 2022, a federal grand jury indicted Lonestar charging her with six counts of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343. Pursuant to her plea agreement, Lonestar pleaded guilty to one count and the court dismissed the remaining counts during her sentencing hearing.
In addition to the 22-month sentence, Judge Tigar ordered Lonestar to pay a $1,736,216 forfeiture money judgment and to serve three years of supervised release which will begin after she leaves prison. Judge Tigar ordered that Lonestar begin serving her sentence on January 5, 2024. In addition, Judge Tigar scheduled a hearing for December 1, 2023, to determine issues regarding restitution.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Noah Stern with assistance from Elizabeth Kim and Kathleen Turner. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI.
Read More70-year-old faces 20-25 years in prison, as much as $1.25 million in fines
By U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of California
OAKLAND – The U.S. Attorney’s Office today announced charges against and guilty pleas by Farhad Nafeiy for violating sanctions by exporting software upgrades for commercial-grade telecommunications servers to the Islamic Republic of Iran (“Iran”), and for tax evasion. The plea was accepted by the Honorable Araceli Martínez-Olguín, United States District Judge. The announcement was made by United States Attorney for the Northern District of California Ismail J. Ramsey, Assistant Attorney General Mathew G. Olsen, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Tatum King, and Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation’s Oakland Field Office Darren Lian.
Nafeiy, 70, of Alamo, Calif., was charged with and pleaded guilty to a violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”). Under IEEPA, the President of the United States is granted authority to address unusual and extraordinary threats to the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States. Under that law, the President has issued orders prohibiting certain activities and transactions with Iran and the Government of Iran. The Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued regulations, referred to as the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR), implementing those orders. These sanctions on Iran generally prohibit, among other things, exporting or facilitating the export of U.S.-origin products to Iran and providing services to Iran.
Nafeiy obtained licenses—or approvals—from OFAC for advising non-Iranian telecommunications companies on doing business with Iran. However, those licenses did not authorize Nafeiy to provide any hardware, software, or technology directly to Iran. Nafeiy exceeded his OFAC licenses, thereby violating the ITSR and IEEPA, by directly providing software upgrades to telecommunications equipment in Iran. Nafeiy admitted in his plea agreement that he knew he exceeded these licenses when he did so. In his plea agreement, Nafeiy further admitted that the total amount of sales of such software upgrades to Iran was approximately $400,000. Nafeiy separately was charged with, and admitted to, evading his federal income taxes, and specifically not paying income tax on some of the proceeds of these sales.
On August 10, 2023, Nafeiy was charged by information with one count of violating IEEPA, in violation of 50 U.S.C. § 1705, and one count of tax evasion, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7201. Pursuant to the plea agreement, he pleaded guilty to both charges.
Judge Martínez-Olguín scheduled Nafeiy’s sentencing hearing for January 29, 2024. For the 50 U.S.C. § 1705 violation, Nafeiy faces a maximum statutory prison term of 20 years, a maximum fine of $1,000,000, and restitution, if appropriate. For the tax evasion charge, Nafeiy faces a maximum prison term of five years, a maximum fine of $250,000, and restitution of at least $79,124 to the IRS. As part of any sentence, the court may also order Nafaiy to serve a period of supervised release and to pay additional assessments, however, the court will impose a sentence only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Kingsley and Trial Attorney David Ryan of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, with the assistance of Kathleen Turner of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Former Trial Attorney Elizabeth Abraham provided valuable assistance in prior phases of the prosecution. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.
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SEE 10/4/23 3:30 PM UPDATE: While bargaining ended without a contract settlement 5 tentative agreements reached
“Operations continue as normal”
Kaiser Permanente Statement on National Bargaining with the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions
Kaiser Permanente and leaders and members of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions were bargaining through the weekend to reach an agreement.
We continue to make progress on key issues such as a redesigned performance sharing plan with updated payout opportunities. Last week we reached tentative agreements in four key areas:, travel for continuing education, the use of temporary workers such as traveling nurses, tracking of staffing vacancies, and dispute resolution.
It is important to know that while the current national agreement expired at midnight PDT on September 30, operations continue as normal, and we will continue to honor all current contract provisions. Contract expirations do not mean a strike will happen. We remain optimistic that we will reach an agreement and avoid an unnecessary strike, which the Coalition unions have called for starting on Wednesday morning, Oct 4.
Wages
We lead total compensation in every market where we operate, and our proposals in bargaining would ensure we keep that position. In some places, a Kaiser Permanente employee leaving for a similar job at another organization would face a 20-plus percent pay cut, and lower benefits.
Included in our current offer are guaranteed across-the-board wage increases and a proposed $21 minimum wage in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, the Mid-Atlantic States (Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia), and Hawaii starting in 2024; and a $23 minimum wage starting in 2024 in California.
Hiring and Staffing
Despite the acute shortage of health care workers nationally, we have been able to hire more than 50,000 frontline employees in the last two years: 29,000 people in 2022, and another 22,000 so far this year. Included in this year’s new hires are more than 9,800 people hired into jobs represented by the Coalition. Kaiser Permanente and the Coalition agreed in April to a goal of hiring 10,000 new people for Coalition-represented jobs by the end of 2023. We expect to reach the 10,000 new hire goal by the end of October, if not sooner, and we won’t stop there. We are committed to addressing every area of staffing that is still challenging. Additionally, our attrition rate of 7% is roughly a third of the industry average and continues to fall. These achievements underscore the value of a Kaiser Permanente job and reinforce our position as a leading health care employer.
Potential Strike Starting Wednesday
In the case that a strike does begin on Oct. 4, we have contingency plans in place to ensure members continue to receive safe, high-quality care for the duration of the strike. Our hospitals and emergency departments will remain open. Kaiser Permanente members can get updates on appointments, pharmacy guidance and where to get care on kp.org.
We’ll continue to bargain in good faith until we reach a fair and equitable agreement to ensure Kaiser Permanente continues to attract and retain the best people in health care — and remains a best place to work and get care. And that includes meeting our responsibility to continue to balance taking care of our employees and being more affordable to our members.
October 4, 2023 3:30 pm UPDATE:
After 6 months of bargaining with the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, including a marathon effort that went through last night and into today, our bargaining sessions unfortunately ended without a settlement, and the Coalition strikes began.
While we have not reached a contract settlement, we have been able to reach a number of tentative agreements in bargaining, and our offers to date address the unions’ priorities, including:
- Across-the-board wage increases in all markets over the next four years.
- Updating the Performance Sharing Plan to include a minimum payout opportunity and potential for up to a $3,750 payout.
- Offering minimum wages of $23/hour in California and $21/hour in markets outside of California.
- Continuing and enhancing our existing excellent health benefits and retirement income plans.
- Renewing our strong tuition assistance and training programs, and increasing funding of the education trusts.
We remain committed to reaching a new agreement that continues to provide our employees with market-leading wages, excellent benefits, generous retirement income plans, and valuable professional development opportunities.
Together, we have faced the toughest challenges over the past three years. Kaiser Permanente, our industry, and our employees are now operating in a new cultural, labor, and post-pandemic environment that we are all working hard to understand. We are committed to finding workable solutions for this new environment that meet our responsibility to balance taking care of our employees and being affordable to our members.
We will coordinate with Coalition leaders to reconvene bargaining as soon as possible. We will work hard to reach an agreement so that together, we can all return to delivering on the mission of Kaiser Permanente for the benefit of our members, patients, employees, physicians, customers, and communities.
Meeting our shared staffing goal
On the same day that the Coalition strikes began, we’re pleased to confirm that we’ve met our goal of hiring 10,000 new Coalition-represented employees by year-end – and it is only October 4th. We’re not done yet. We are committed to addressing every area of staffing that is still challenging.
As a reminder: In April we agreed with the Coalition to a joint goal of hiring 10,000 people by the end of this year into jobs the Coalition cares about. We agreed this would be a great success if we could hire that many people into Coalition roles by the end of this year. We hit the goal three months early.
In total over the past two years, Kaiser Permanente has hired more than 50,000 people to join our teams.
Meeting our members’ needs
The health and wellbeing of our members and patients is our top priority. Because we are such a large organization, with multiple ways that members can access care, the impact of the strike is different at various locations.
We have robust plans in place to ensure members continue to receive safe, high-quality care during the strike.
All our hospitals and emergency departments remain open. Our facilities will continue to be staffed by our physicians, trained and experienced managers, and our great staff. Thousands of qualified and trained contract staff are joining our Kaiser Permanente teams this week as well, to help meet our members’ and patients’ needs. We thank those Coalition-represented employees who have chosen to come to work and care for our patients, members, and communities.
Members who need urgent or timely medical care should continue to seek it at our hospitals and medical facilities. A strike should not dissuade anyone from seeking necessary care.
We will contact members affected by any necessary changes in our services. We may need to reschedule non-emergency and elective services in some locations out of an abundance of caution. Our members can follow any important updates to our care delivery on kp.org.
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By Renée Saldaña, SEIU, Press Secretary, SEUI – United Healthcare Workers West
OAKLAND, Calif. – Bay Area unions IFPTE Local 20 and OPEIU Local 29 have approved a sympathy strike in support of the unfair labor practices strike at Kaiser Permanente hospitals and medical offices in California being called for by SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West between October 4-6.
A “sympathy strike” occurs when one union supports another union that is directly involved in a labor dispute.
“Kaiser’s unfair labor practices against SEIU-UHW in our local bargaining have not been remedied,” said Erica Chinchilla, a respiratory therapist at Kaiser Antioch. “A sympathy strike is a powerful act of solidarity where workers strike to support or aid another group of workers. We appreciate our Coalition partners’ willingness to stand with us as we protest these unfair labor practices committed by Kaiser in local bargaining against SEIU-UHW and its members.”
SEIU-UHW members include frontline workers such as respiratory care practitioners, dietary, environmental services, and nursing staff. OPEIU Local 29 represents office, technical and professional employees at Kaiser Permanente. IFPTE Local 20 represents clinical lab scientists, home health therapists, optometrists, genetic counselors, and other technical and professional employees at Kaiser.
Laboratory scientists provide information medical doctors need to properly diagnose and treat patients, as well as ensure correct blood products are given to patients during surgery or an emergency. Kaiser has not informed IFPTE Local 20 of coverage plans of this important work.
Unions in Oregon, Southwest Washington, Colorado, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., which are part of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, are also planning unfair labor practices strikes at the same time.
SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) is a healthcare justice union of more than 100,000 healthcare workers, patients, and healthcare activists united to ensure affordable, accessible, high-quality care for all Californians, provided by valued and respected healthcare workers. Learn more at www.seiu-uhw.org.
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