Contra Costa Herald

News Of By and For The People of Contra Costa County, California

East Bay parks district adds 20 new trails for annual Trails Challenge program

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By Jen Vanya, Public Information Specialist, East Bay Regional Park District 

For the past 31 years, the East Bay Regional Park District has encouraged the public to explore their Regional Parks through its annual Trails Challenge program. The free program connects people with nature and healthy recreation by providing 20 designated trails for each year’s challenge.

The 2024 Guidebook includes 20 trails available for all levels of fitness, ranging from easy and moderate to challenging. There are trails open to hikers, bicyclists, dogs, and equestrians. Trails Challenge 2024 also offers increased accessibility with trails that have been evaluated and identified as usable by persons with mobility limitations.

To complete the challenge, hike five of the 20 trails, or 26.2 miles (the distance of a marathon) of trails within East Bay Regional Park District. You can submit your log, online or by mail, by December 1, 2024, and receive a commemorative pin, while supplies last.

Trails Challenge is made possible in partnership with the Regional Parks Foundation and Kaiser Permanente, who have both sponsored Trails Challenge since 2005.

Download the 2024 Trails Challenge and learn more at ebparks.org/TC.

Tips for the Trails

East Bay Regional Parks are popular with hikers, bikers, equestrians, and nature viewers, among others. Help keep trails enjoyable for all by following these tips for the trails:

  • Hikers:Stay to the right and stay alert
  • Bikers:Slow down around others and call out or ring your bell when passing
  • Equestrians:Keep to the right around other trail users and let them know how to pass your horse safely

More tips for trail safety can be found on our Trails are for Everyone webpage: www.ebparks.org/about-us/whats-new/news/trails-are-everyone.

The East Bay Regional Park District is the largest regional park system in the nation, comprising 73 parks, 55 miles of shoreline, and over 1,300 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and environmental education. The Park District receives an estimated 30 million visits annually throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.

California is not East Berlin. A wealth tax in the Golden State would expedite the exodus

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By Jon Coupal

Note: This column first appeared in The Press-Enterprise. Republished with permission.

Daily news reports on the great “California Exodus” are not just from conservative outlets. Left-leaning publications such as the Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle have recently reported on the outmigration of upper-income citizens who, even if not billionaires, still generate a lot of income tax revenue.

Earlier this month the California Legislature held a hearing on Assembly Bill 259 which would lay the foundation for the imposition of a wealth tax. The companion legislation to AB 259 is a proposed constitutional amendment that would, among other things, effectively sweep away Proposition 13’s limits on taxing property.

Fortunately, the idea that California would be the first in the nation to impose a highly unpopular wealth tax is so radical that the proposal was rejected by Democrats as well as Republicans on the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee. It didn’t take long for the Democrat chair of the committee to shuffle the bill to the “suspense” file where bad legislation goes to die.

Coincidentally, the wealth tax hearing occurred on the same day that Gov. Newsom released his proposed budget. Things got a little sparky during the presentation with Newsom pushing hard against the Legislative Analyst’s figure of a $68 billion deficit. Newsom contends that the deficit is “only” $38 billion. (But hey, what’s a $30 billion difference between friends).

Newsom saved his most animated criticism for those who highlight the state’s shortcomings, including the significant outmigration of California’s most productive citizens. He especially targeted the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal, which has never been reticent about commenting on the state’s well-deserved reputation for anti-business bias.

But to his credit, Newsom rejected the notion of a wealth tax – at least for now. For taxpayers, it matters little whether the governor’s stance is motivated by politics or a sincere policy position. Either way, we’ll take it.

The problems with the wealth tax proposal – even as half-baked as it is – are legion. But one issue should be especially troubling to anyone who believes both in fiscal restraint and basic constitutional freedoms. That is, could a wealth tax be applied to people who voluntarily leave the state for the specific purpose of avoiding California’s highest-in-the-nation income taxes? AB 259 contains a provision that applies the wealth tax to every “wealth-tax resident,” defined as someone who “is no longer a resident, and does not have the reasonable expectation to return to the state.”

The question here is not whether a resident of another state can be taxed when they have a “nexus” to California, for example income earned in California or owning property in the state. Rather, what about someone who no longer has any connection to California? The proposal to tax wealth on such people would likely be deemed to violate the U.S. Constitution’s Commerce Clause.

More fundamentally, an “exit tax” could be construed as an impairment to the right to travel. The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed in 1958 in Kent v. Dulles that citizens have a liberty interest in the right to travel: “[t]he right to travel is a part of the ‘liberty’ of which the citizen cannot be deprived without due process of law under the Fifth Amendment …”

Setting aside the practical and legal problems with this or any wealth tax proposal, a fundamental problem is the signal it sends to all productive California taxpayers as well as those in other states who might consider moving here.  California already has a horrible reputation for its treatment of taxpayers and businesses, why would we even consider another punishing tax?

The proponents of the wealth tax need to be reminded that, as much as they might want to prevent citizens from leaving, California is not East Berlin. The U.S. Constitution will not allow the state government to build a wall to keep citizens in, and then shoot tax bills at them when they try to escape.

Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

 

Want to serve on the Contra Costa Measure X sales tax Community Advisory Board?

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February 23 deadline to submit application

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors is seeking applicants for appointment to the Measure X sales tax Community Advisory Board. The Measure X Community Advisory Board (MXCAB) was established on February 2, 2021 following passage of the countywide sales tax measure providing general purpose revenue for County programs.

The Supervisors are seeking diverse representation from individuals with broad experience with programs that align with the Measure’s voter-approved purpose “to keep Contra Costa’s regional hospital open and staffed; fund community health centers, emergency response; support crucial safety-net services; invest in early childhood services; protect vulnerable populations; and for other essential county services.”

The main responsibilities of the Measure X Community Advisory Board are:

  • Providing input on the scope and methodology of the regular written assessment of community needs and priorities;
  • Using the assessment findings to develop general funding priorities to be recommended to the Board of Supervisors on Measure X net revenues available for allocation;
  • Receiving annual status reports on the implementation, milestones, impact, and outcomes of Measure X funded programs;

Appointments for seven (7) At-Large and five (5) At-Large Alternate seats will be considered at the Board of Supervisors Finance Committee, with public interviews scheduled March 4, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. To have your application considered at the March Finance Committee meeting, please submit an application online by February 23, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.

For further information, please call Emlyn Struthers, Deputy County Administrator, at (925) 655-2045 or Emlyn.Struthers@cao.cccounty.us.

Danville man arrested for assault on estranged father

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Being held on $147,000 bail

By Danville Police Department

On Saturday, January 20 at 2:18 pm, Danville Police Officers were dispatched to a disturbance on Glasgow Circle in the 200 block. Upon arrival, they found that Kevin Xu, a 24-year-old from Danville, had assaulted his father using a deadly weapon. Mr. Xu had already left the scene by the time the officers arrived. Consequently, a warrant was issued for his arrest that same day.

Throughout the night, officers conducted extensive searches in and around Glasgow Circle for Mr. Xu. The following morning, on January 21 at 6:38 am, officers located Mr. Xu on Grassland Court. They established a perimeter and successfully apprehended him. The Danville Police Department would like to thank community members within the search area for their help in reporting suspicious activity that greatly assisted in the apprehension of Mr. Xu.

Mr. Xu was booked and remains in custody at the Martinez Detention Facility on charges of Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Resisting Arrest. The case was forwarded to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office for review. According to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, the 5-foot, 10-inch, 150 lb. suspect is being held on $147,000 bail.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Garamendi introduces bill to address California affordable housing crisis

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HOME Investment Partnerships Reauthorization and Improvement Act would fund new units throughout state

Rep. John Garamendi. Official photo.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, U.S. Representatives John Garamendi (D-CA08) and Joyce Beatty (D-OH03) reintroduced updated legislation to help address the affordable housing crisis. Their HOME Investment Partnerships Reauthorization and Improvement Act would significantly increase the amount of federal funds available for affordable housing across the country. Companion legislation is being introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV).

“Hardworking Californians face a drastic shortage of affordable housing options,” said Congressman Garamendi. “Minimum wage workers have to work an 88-hour week on average to afford a modest one-bedroom rental at a fair market rate. This legislation reauthorizes the HOME Investment Partnership Program for the first time since 1994 to bring this crucial program into the 21st century and provide states and local governments with the funding to construct and rehabilitate affordable rental housing as well as provide homeownership opportunities for working families. I’m thankful to Senator Cortez Masto for introducing the companion legislation in the Senate, and we will work tirelessly until this legislation becomes law.”

“Families across Ohio and the United States are facing a daunting affordable housing crisis that demands creative, collaborative solutions,” said Rep. Beatty. “For more than three decades, the HOME program has provided essential gap funding for states and communities across the nation to address their most pressing housing challenges. I am proud to join Senator Cortez Masto and Congressman Garamendi in leading this legislation to authorize ample funding for HOME for the next five years and to make critical improvements to the program that will ensure more American families have access to safe, affordable housing.”

“We have to do more to address our affordable housing crisis and increase the supply of affordable homes for Nevada families,” said Senator Masto. “The HOME program delivers critical funding to help communities build new housing units, support rental assistance, and support new homebuyers – but it needs to be updated to meet today’s needs. My legislation reauthorizing, improving and expanding this vital program will ensure more Nevadans have a quality, affordable place to call home.”

The HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) is the largest federal affordable housing block grant and is HUD’s flagship affordable housing production program. Since 1990, HOME has helped state and local housing agencies support a wide variety of housing needs, from financing new construction and home repairs to funding down payment and rental assistance. It also provides additional funding to housing developments financed by the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, helping the program serve more extremely low-income people including seniors, veterans, those experiencing homelessness, and people with disabilities. Since 1992, the HOME program in California has:

  • Invested $5.27 billion into housing across the state;
  • Built or preserved 121,727 homes;
  • Given rental assistance to 43,840 families;
  • Supported 277,318 jobs; and
  • Generated $19.2 billion in local income.

The program was last re-authorized in 1994 and needs critical updates to better address today’s housing crisis. Garamendi’s HOME Investment Partnerships Reauthorization and Improvement Act would reauthorize the HOME program and make several much-needed improvements. Specifically, it would:

  • Authorize $5 billion in HOME funding for fiscal year 2024 and boost the funding for the program by five percent annually through 2028. Garamendi’s legislation would address chronic underfunding of the affordable housing investment program, which received only $1.5 billion in 2023;
  • Improve HOME’s ability to provide downpayment assistance to homebuyers and home repair assistance to homeowners;
  • Enable HOME funds to support Community Land Trusts and other shared equity homeownership programs; and
  • Increase access to HOME funds for nonprofits and provide state and local governments loan guarantee options that would allow them to leverage their future HOME funds for investments today.

The legislation is cosponsored by Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Shontel Brown (D-OH), André Carson (D-IN), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), Glenn Ivey (D-MD), Dan Kildee (D-MI), Annie Kuster (D-NH), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Andrea Salinas (D-OR), Emilia Sykes (D-OH), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Nikema Williams (D-GA), and Juan Vargas (D-CA) and Senators Tina Smith (D-MN), John Fetterman (D-PA), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV). It is also supported by the National Council of State Housing Agencies, Council of State Community Development Agencies, Enterprise Community Partners, Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM), Grounded Solutions Network, National Multifamily Housing Council, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, National Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies, National Community Development Association, National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP), National Association of Realtors (NAR), National CAPACD, Habitat for Humanity, National Apartment Association and National Association for Community Economic Development Associations.

Representative Garamendi has spent his entire career advocating for affordable housing, robust homeowner protections, and rental assistance programs. As California’s first-ever elected Insurance Commissioner, Garamendi successfully implemented Proposition 103, which reformed the homeowner insurance industry and lowered homeownership insurance rates. Last year, Garamendi and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) led members of California’s congressional delegation in sending a letter to California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara urging him to use his power under state law to protect homeowners in the face of an insurance crisis. During his congressional tenure, Garamendi worked with Habitat for Humanity to establish a financing mechanism that utilized existing funding to build new veteran housing units. Garamendi originally introduced the HOME Investment Partnership Reauthorization Act in 2020 and has continued to champion the legislation in Congress. He is also a cosponsor of the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act, which would support the financing of more affordable housing by expanding and strengthening the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.

 

Golden Hills Christian School in Brentwood to hold open house Jan. 29

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Golden Hills Christian School in Brentwood is a TK–8th Grade school, accredited through ACSI and WASC. We’re hosting our annual Open House on January 29, 2024 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. to welcome prospective families to check out the campus and meet the staff. Open enrollment will also begin that day.

This is a great opportunity to meet our teachers, look at the school curriculum, and learn more about the enrollment process. For more info about Golden Hills Christian School you can visit ghcs.org and RSVP below to let us know you’re coming!

The event will be held and the school is located in the Education Building at 2401 Shady Willow Lane in Brentwood.

Contra Costa County Fair Queen Scholarship Pageant seeks participants

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Information meeting Jan. 24; application deadline Feb. 2

Contra Costa County Fair Queen serves as a role model for young women in our community.

The pageant is seeking young women who are intelligent, articulate, charming, talented, sincere and healthy (in mind and body) with warm outgoing personalities.

The winner and her court will reign for one year.

Closing date for Application is Friday, February 2nd, 2024.

Contestants must be between the ages of 17 – 21 years old, on the day of the pageant (May 16th, 2024). Contestant must be female, single, have never been married nor is planning to be married until after her reign, and have never given birth to a child.

Pageant Information Meeting:

Wednesday, January 24th at 6pm, to assist and answer any questions regarding the pageant,

completing the application form and the required activities.

Location: Fair Administration Office

1201 West 10th Street, Antioch

For more information contact Devon Baldocchi, Pageant Director at office@ccfair.org or (925) 783-2275.

2024 Fair Queen Application

Visit www.contracostafair.com for Contra Costa County Fair updates on shows, exhibits, entertainers, fair-time sponsors, fair maps, promotions, ticket sales and more!

Raising awareness of abortion on Sanctity of Human Life Sunday

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January is Sanctity of Human Life Month

By Alliance for Life

January is Sanctity of Human Life Month, and this year Sanctity of Human Life Sunday (SOHLS) is celebrated on Sunday, January 21, 2024. SOHLS is a day for Americans to focus on the value of each and every human life. It is celebrated every year on the Sunday closest to the anniversary of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decisions Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, which legalized abortion in every state for any reason through all nine months of pregnancy.

In the past two years, the right to abortion has been one of the most heated discussions in our country.

We rejoice that the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade in 2022. But this hasn’t stopped abortion; it simply placed the decision back into the hands of each state. While many states have chosen to stop abortions, we still recognize the awful tragedy that, on average, the lives of approximately 98 precious babies are ended every hour!

In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, the abortion industry nationwide has stepped up its efforts of promoting a culture of death by offering abortion as the “smart answer” to an unplanned pregnancy during uncertain times.

One of the best ways to stand against this evil is to come together and openly state “We support and defend the Sanctity of Human Life.”

Pastors, churches and life organizations across the United States use this day to bring awareness to the attacks that are daily waged against human life through the abortion industry.

In 1984, President Ronal Reagan issued a presidential proclamation designating the third Sunday of January as National Sanctity of Human Life Day.

“We have been given the precious gift of human life, made more precious still by our births in or pilgrimages to a land of freedom. It is fitting, then, on the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade that struck down State anti-abortion laws, that we reflect anew on these blessings, and on our corresponding responsibility to guard with care the lives and freedoms of even the weakest of our fellow human beings.”

Ronald Reagan

President

We are continuing that tradition by setting this day aside – January 21, 2024 – as a day to pray for the end of the tragedy of abortion, ask for God’s mercy on our country for this heinous sin, and proclaim loudly that all lives are created in the image of God and should be treated as such.

On Sunday, January 21, we declare the sanctity of all human lives and stand together to protect the lives of each and every unborn baby.

“The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name.” – Isaiah 49:1

“For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139;13-16

We would also like to encourage you to focus on the value of human life all month — and all year — long. Watch the video below to find out four ways that you can make a difference for life this January.

A Message for Sanctity of Human Life Month (youtube.com)

Additional information included from Heartbeat International and LifePlan.

CSU to provide faculty with 5% pay increase effective January 31, 2024

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But faculty union wants 12% pay raise

By CSU Strategic Communications and Public Affairs

​The California State University (CSU) announced on January 9, 2024, that it will be providing all instructional faculty, librarians, counselors and coaches with a general salary increase of 5% effective January 31, 2024, concluding contract negotiations and exhausting the state’s impasse process. This decision was made after the latest round of negotiations with the California Faculty Association (CFA) failed to yield an agreement that would provide faculty salary increases while still allowing the CSU to best serve students within the limits of its resources.

However, according to the CFA, they’re demanding a 12% pay increase. (See related article)

Throughout the bargaining process, the CFA never veered from its initial salary demand, which was not financially viable and would have resulted in massive cuts to campuses — including layoffs — that would have jeopardized the CSU’s educational mission. In addition to the general salary increase, the CSU will be increasing department chairperson pay and allowing for modest parking fee increases.

“With this action, we will ensure that well-deserved raises get to our faculty members as soon as possible,” said Leora Freedman, vice chancellor for human resources. “We have been in the bargaining process for eight months and the CFA has shown no movement, leaving us no other option.”

The 5% salary increase is consistent with agreements the CSU has already reached with five of its labor unions.

“Our overriding responsibility is to manage a systemwide budget in a fiscally sustainable manner,” said Freedman. “We are committed to paying fair, competitive salaries and benefits for our hard-working faculty members, who are delivering instruction to our students every day and are the cornerstone of our university system. But we must also operate within our means to protect the long-term success and stability of the university, our students and our faculty.”

Without a change in bargaining position by CFA, this concludes bargaining on their contract reopener. The CSU and CFA can now begin successor bargaining on the full contract. The CSU remains committed to the collective bargaining process.

CSU Agrees with Majority of Neutral Factfinder Recommendations in Labor Negotiations with Faculty Union

On Dec. 1, 2023, the CSU announced that it is prepared to agree to the vast majority of the recommendations contained in a neutral factfinder report addressing negotiations between the CSU and the California Faculty Association (CFA). The report was made public today following a state-mandated 10-day “quiet” period.

“We believe that the factfinder’s report offers many thoughtful recommendations and a pathway to resolving all of the open issues,” said Leora Freedman, vice chancellor for human resources. “CSU is prepared to get back to the bargaining table with CFA at any time to reach a fiscally sustainable agreement that provides salary increases for our valued faculty.”

The independent factfinder provided recommendations on all open issues, which fall into 15 categories. On 13 of the 15 categories, CSU indicated in its response that it is prepared to agree to the factfinder’s recommendations, subject to bargaining with the CFA. These recommendations include increasing paid parental leave from six to eight weeks and improving the alternative paid workload reduction program for faculty with new children by increasing the workload reduction from 40% to 60%. Recommendations also address issues such as minimum pay ranges for lecturers, additional pay for department chairs, workload, personal leave, counselor ratios, gender-inclusive bathrooms and lactations spaces, parking and other issues.

On salary, the factfinder recommended using changes in the Consumer Price Index for goods and services (CPI-U) to propose a 7% general salary increase plus other adjustments. CSU has proposed 15% in general salary increases for faculty over three years, plus additional increases that would make some faculty eligible for up to 20.3% in salary increases. CSU’s proposal would provide general salary increases for all faculty that exceed the anticipated increase in the CPI-U over the next three years.

CFA has demanded a 12% general salary increase for one year, which would cost $380 million in new recurring spending. For context, CFA’s salary demand would cost $150 million more than the funding increase that the CSU received from the State of California for all operations in 2023-24.

“CSU strives to provide fair, competitive pay and benefits for all of our employees.  We recognize the need to increase compensation and are committed to doing so, but our financial commitments must be fiscally sustainable,” said Freedman.

The CSU has reached agreement with four employee unions representing about 26,000 employees. The CSU has yet to reach agreement with the CFA and Teamsters Local 2010 who represent skilled trade employees including electricians, plumbers and facilities maintenance workers. The CSU is at impasse with the Teamsters and will begin the statutory factfinding process with the union in the next few weeks.

The CFA has announced that it will conduct one-day strikes the following week at four CSU campuses.

“We respect the right of our labor unions to engage in strike activities, and we are prepared to minimize any disruptions to our campuses,” said Freedman. “Our hope is that the planned strike activities pose no hardships on our students and that we can get back to the bargaining table as soon as possible with the CFA to come to an agreement.”

For more information, view the factfinder’s​ report on the CSU Labor and Employee Relations website.

About the California State University 

The California State University is the nation’s largest four-year public university system, providing transformational opportunities for upward mobility to more than 450,000 students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. More than half of CSU students are people of color, and nearly one-third of them are first-generation college students. Because the CSU’s 23 universities provide a high-quality education at an incredible value, they are rated among the best in the nation for promoting social mobility in national college rankings from U.S. News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal and Washington Monthly. The CSU powers California and the nation, sending nearly 127,000 career-ready graduates into the workforce each year. In fact, one in every 20 Americans holding a college degree earned it at the CSU. Connect with and learn more about the CSU in the CSU newsroom.​​

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

 

California Faculty Association to picket CSU East Bay in Hayward during system-wide strike

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California Faculty Association protest. Source: Facebook posted on June 1, 2023.

Jan. 22-26 calling for “Equity and fair labor conditions to meet the needs of our students.”

Teamsters support effort announce settlement; Associated Students also support strike

By Kevin Pina, calfac.org

In a decisive move for educational equity and fair labor conditions, the California Faculty Association (CFA) has announced a strike set to take place from January 22-26, 2024. CFA is a union of 29,000 professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors, and coaches who teach and provide services to the California State University system’s 485,000 students.  During the strike, members of CFA will be picketing the entrances of California State University, East Bay (CSUEB) in Hayward California (Carlos Bee Blvd. & Harder Rd). This decision comes after extensive negotiations and discussions with the California State University (CSU) Chancellor’s office have broken down. 

To kick off the first day of the strike at the CSUEB Hayward campus on Monday, January 22, Assemblymember Liz Ortega, California 20th Assembly District and Keith Brown, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Alameda Labor Council, AFL-CIO, will join the rally at Carlos Bee Blvd. in support of CFA’s bargaining positions.  

The primary focus of the strike is to draw attention to how poor working conditions and remuneration for CFA members negatively impacts the education offered to California State University (CSU) students. The CFA is advocating for a 12% wage increase for all faculty, reasonable workload requirements, longer parental leave, and broader access to campus facilities. The goal is to create an environment that fosters academic excellence, while ensuring the well-being of those who dedicate their careers to shaping the minds of the next generation. 

A Dec. 20, 2023, post on the CFA Facebook page claimed the strike is also for “more mental health counselors…and safe campuses.”

The decision to strike was not taken lightly, and the CFA has exhaustively engaged with the CSU leadership to seek alternative solutions. Unfortunately, the inability to reach a mutually beneficial agreement has led to the inevitable decision to strike. 

The strike garnered the support of the Teamsters of CSU which announced a settlement with CSU in a post on the CFA Facebook page on Saturday, Jan. 20th.

Source: CFA Facebook page

The strike is also supported by the Associated Students, Incorporated of Cal State East Bay. The following “Solidarity Statement” was posted on the CFA Facebook page on Friday.

The CFA remains committed to open dialogue with university administrators and encourages them to prioritize the needs of faculty members and our students. CFA believes that through collective efforts, a resolution can be achieved that benefits both faculty and the institutions they serve. 

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.