Contra Costa Herald

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

County Clerk’s Office to offer 22 wedding ceremonies tomorrow on “Twosday” Feb. 22, 2022

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“Palindrome days tend to be popular days for weddings at our office” – Acting Assistant Clerk-Recorder Wilson

By Dawn Kruger, Civic Outreach/Engagement Specialist, Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder-Elections Department

The Contra Costa County Clerk’s Office is gearing up for a very special day on “Twosday,” with additional ceremonies available for the public on Tuesday, February 22, 2022. The Clerk-Recorder’s office has officiated weddings for couples on special palindrome dates in the past and traditionally, these days are very popular.  A palindrome day has the same numbers in the date forward and backward.

22 ceremonies will be performed at the Contra Costa County Clerk’s office, located at 555 Escobar Street in Martinez between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm.

“Palindrome days tend to be popular days for weddings at our office, and our staff is getting into the spirit this year with a very special “Twosday” coming up,” Acting Assistant Clerk-Recorder Laura Wilson said. “Sticking with the theme, we opened up additional appointments for county residents so we can officiate 22 appointments and they filled up almost immediately!”

Palindrome days don’t come around very often – this one only happens once each century – and when they do, the County Clerk’s Office sees an increase in wedding ceremony appointments.  The office is officiating almost double the number of ceremonies usually offered in order to accommodate interest.

As with all ceremony appointments currently being offered onsite, the Clerk-Recorder’s Office takes precautions to keep constituents and staff safe.  COVID-19 protocols will be in place.  Up to 5 guests may join the couple in the ceremony room.

All appointments for the “Twosday” ceremonies have been filled, and the County Clerk’s Office does not accept walk-in appointments at this time.

A marriage license must be obtained before a ceremony can be performed. Couples may purchase a license the same day as their ceremony appointment at the County Clerk’s office in Martinez. The fee for a public marriage license is $86, while a confidential license is $90. The civil marriage ceremony fee is $60.

For information about marriage license and ceremony services, go to https://www.ccclerkrec.us/ or call the office at 925-335-7900.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Convicted felon arrested for not showing love but brandishing gun at another driver in Concord on Valentine’s Day

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Guns confiscated during arrest on Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. Photo: Concord PD

By Concord Police Department

On Monday, Feb. 14, 2022, at approximately 8:04 AM, a truck driver stopped at a red traffic signal. A Chevrolet Tahoe which was towing another vehicle pulled up beside the truck driver’s vehicle and the driver began yelling obscenities at the truck driver for stopping at the traffic signal. The driver of the Tahoe then produced a black semi-automatic handgun and yelled at the truck driver that people “get shot for driving like that” while waving the gun around in the air.

The truck driver was able to provide a description of the suspect vehicle which was located in the parking lot of nearby shopping center. As officers began arriving at that location, the suspect vehicle drove away from the parking lot and an attempt was made at conducting an enforcement stop. The driver of the suspect vehicle did not yield to police emergency equipment and continued driving onto Oak Grove Road. before eventually pulling over to the side of the roadway.

The suspect driver was detained, and a black handgun was located behind the rear seat of the vehicle. An additional .38 caliber revolver was located in the bed of the Chevrolet Tahoe. The suspect is a convicted felon and was positively identified by the victim. He was arrested, booked and later transported to the Martinez Detention Facility.

During traffic stop four from Stockton arrested in Brentwood for drugs, burglary tools

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Items confiscated during the arrest of four suspects from Stockton in Feb. Photos: Brentwood PD

By Brentwood Police Department

Meth confiscated during the arrest.

During the week of Feb. 6, 2022, while on patrol, an officer observed a vehicle driving without a rear window and expired registration. He conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle on Sand Creek Road near Highway 4, and found that the driver, Jose Garcia (Stockton) did not have a driver license. Three additional passengers in the car were without proper identification.

Garcia and two of the other passengers identified as; Alicia Saldana (Stockton) and Jasmine Fuentes (Stockton) were all found to be on active probation. The fourth occupant, Jesus Quintero-Zavala (Stockton) lied to police about his identity and was under the influence of drugs.

A search of the vehicle revealed a stun gun, burglary tools, several grams of methamphetamine and stolen property from a business in another city.

Garcia, Saldana, Fuentes, and Quintero-Zavala, were placed under arrest for several charges and transported to the Martinez Detention Facility. Garcia’s vehicle was also towed from the scene.

Driver arrested with ghost gun parts during multi-agency task force effort Thursday night

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Ghost gun parts ammo and other items confiscated by police Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. Photos: SPPD

Walnut Creek PD assisted by San Pablo, Oakley and Antioch PD’s

Axe, knife and more confiscated items.

By San Pablo Police Department

Thursday night, Feb. 17, 2022, SPPD assisted Walnut Creek PD in a vehicle task force assignment formed to suppress crime in participating agencies in the Contra Costa County. Officer Howes and Officer Agredano performed a proactive traffic stop on a suspicious car and through the course of their investigation they found a loaded firearm inside of the car along other gun parts to make more unserialized firearms aka Ghost guns.

The driver was arrested and taken to jail. SPPD would like to give a shout out to Oakley Police Departments and Antioch PD for their assistance.

Pittsburg PD also joins statewide operation to combat human trafficking

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LA Sheriff Aex Villanueva commends Pittsburg Police Detectives during a press conference about the operation on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. Video screenshot

L.A. County Sheriff commends Pittsburg Detectives for their efforts during 7th Annual Operation Reclaim and Rebuild

By Pittsburg Police Department

During the second week of February, in conjunction with Human Trafficking Awareness Month, Pittsburg Police Department personnel took part in a statewide human trafficking operation. The 7th Annual Operation Reclaim and Rebuild is an annual multi-agency initiative that focuses on rescuing victims of human trafficking, providing victims with much-needed services, and identifying and arresting their captors. Police agencies and other trafficking task forces throughout the state, including Brentwood PD joined in the operation to continue a no tolerance focus on human trafficking and sex crimes. (See related article)

This year, the Pittsburg Police Department joined with the Contra Costa County Human Trafficking Task Force and over 100 other agencies throughout California to combat Human and Sex Trafficking. This statewide Task Force is an example of how individual law enforcement agencies can work together to be more effective when they join together.

As the operation took place throughout the state, Pittsburg Police Detectives were hard at work in our community, making several arrests related to human trafficking and other crimes. In addition, several other suspects in human trafficking cases were identified, and many victims were contacted and connected with resources. These arrests are part of the over 494 arrests and 82 rescues made throughout the statewide operation. During a recent media conference by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office, the great work by Pittsburg Detectives was highlighted.

We were proud to do our part in making Operation Reclaim and Rebuild a big success in Contra Costa County, and a special thank you to our law enforcement partners, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, and Community Violence Solutions for working with us.

 

Richmond PD asks help to ID suspect in Feb. 5 assault of woman, children

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Alleged suspect in Richmond assault of a woman and her young children on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022. Photos: Richmond PD

CAN YOU IDENTIFY THIS ASSAULT SUSPECT?

Rammed her car into victim’s vehicle dragging her across the parking lot more than 150 feet

By Richmond Police Department

Richmond PD detectives are requesting our community’s assistance to identify the suspect of a violent, unprovoked attack against a mother and her young children.

On Saturday, February 5th, 2022, at approximately 12:16 PM, the victim entered the McDonald’s drive-thru at 2301 MacDonald Avenue, with her children in the car. The suspect (pictured) accused the victim of cutting in line and rammed her car into the victim’s vehicle.

When the victim got out of her car, the suspect drove directly toward the victim, striking and dragging her across the parking lot for more than 150 feet before stopping. The suspect then got out of the car and punched the victim several times as she remained on the ground, before quickly fleeing the scene.

Investigators believe this incident was an unprovoked attack upon the victim and her children. We need your help to identify this violent and dangerous suspect! If you recognize the suspect (pictured), please contact Detective O. Guzman at OGuzman@RichmondPD.net or 510-672-2493.

Brentwood PD, Contra Costa task force arrest 28 for sex, human trafficking in February

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Suspects arrested, cash and firearms confiscated during the operation. Photos: Brentwood PD

Part of statewide 7th Annual Operation Reclaim and Rebuild which nabbed 494, rescued 82 victims

A victim is interviewed.

By Brentwood Police Department

Between February 6 and 12, 2022 our agency partnered with the Contra Costa County Human Trafficking Task Force (CCCHTTF) in a state-wide operation dubbed “Operation Reclaim and Rebuild.” The operation involved more than 80 federal, state, and local agencies across California who partnered with victim advocacy groups. The purpose of the operation was to safely rescue and identify sexually exploited victims; however, to also identify and apprehend suspected human traffickers. In total 494 criminal arrests were made statewide, while 74 adults and 8 juveniles were rescued from sexual exploitation. Of those 494 arrested, 201 were sex buyers and 34 were suspected traffickers.

Our local agencies focused on enforcement operations wherever the trafficking of human beings took place, from confronting the reality of sidewalk prostitution to challenging the virtual reality of the cyber world where traffickers believe they can operate anonymously using the internet. But don’t take our word for it – the results speak for themselves! CCCHTTF made a total of 28 arrests and recovered a total of 8 firearms while a total of 18 commercial sex workers were contacted and provided victim services.

While this was a great success, one of our agency’s ongoing goals is to continue our efforts to stop modern day slavery. Our partnership with CCCHTTF is an example of how individual agencies can be far more effective when they join together in a shared mission. If you or anyone you know is a victim of human trafficking, we are here for you.

For more information, you can go to humantraffickinghotline.org and contracostacoalition.org to find out more about the various forms of human trafficking and what you can do to help.

 

A’s another step closer to remaining in Oakland with new waterfront stadium

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A’s waterfront stadium rendering. Source: Oakland A’s

Oakland City Council votes to certify Final EIR

By Oakland Athletics

On Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, the Oakland City Council voted to certify the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for our waterfront ballpark project at Jack London Square. It follows las month’s unanimous vote by the Oakland Planning Commission recommending the council vote to certify the EIR.

This is a significant milestone for the project and comes after years of work with the City, local community members, and organizations to analyze and outline how our project will adhere to the highest of environmental standards. The project will clean up an industrial site with private dollars and return public access to the waterfront with more than 18 acres of public parks and open greenspace.

In addition, the council voted to approve a resolution requiring community benefits including local hire for jobs and to mitigate impacts to nearby neighborhoods, such as parking in Chinatown, and to West Oakland, following complaints by residents who spoke during the meeting from that neighborhood, as well as freight compatibility for the Port of Oakland.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf issued a statement praising the council action in which she said, “Tonight’s action is more than a milestone — it’s a giant leap forward in our shared mission to create a regional destination that gives back our waterfront to the public, connects a new vibrant neighborhood to our downtown, and provides tens of thousands of good union jobs for our residents — and it does it all while keeping our beloved A’s rooted in Oakland.

Now that the Final Environmental Impact Report has been certified, the floor is set for negotiating robust community benefits that our residents demand and deserve, as well as the final development agreement.

Tonight’s action is more than a milestone – it’s a giant leap forward in our shared mission to create a regional destination that gives back our waterfront to the public, connects a new vibrant neighborhood to our downtown, and provides tens of thousands good union jobs for our residents – and it does it all while keeping our beloved A’s rooted in Oakland.”

Oakland A’s waterfront stadium Entitlement Milestones. Source: Oakland A’s

Our waterfront ballpark is a once-in-a-generation project, creating transformative environmental and community benefits for Oakland, and setting the stage for more World Championships for our fans.

We thank our fans, community members, and civic leaders who shared their support during the EIR process and in public meetings. While this is the furthest we have come in securing a new ballpark in Oakland for the Athletics, we have more work to do. We now look forward to finalizing the development agreement and community benefits agreement before a vote later this year.

The city council will still have to approve a development agreement with the team which is expected to occur sometime this summer, plus approvals from the Port, the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, and State Lands Commission.

To learn more about our waterfront ballpark at Jack London Square and the progress we’ve made to date, visit WeAreRooted.com.

Go A’s!

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Raising stroke awareness during Black History Month

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Dr. Brian C. Richardson

By Anita Creamer, Sutter Health

For decades, February—Black History Month—has been a time to remember battles won and hurdles overcome. A crucial hurdle remains: Because of traditional disparities in delivery and access to healthcare, stroke continues to have a disproportionate effect on the African American community.

That’s why Brian C. Richardson, M.D., neurologist and medical director of Stroke Service at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, a Sutter Health affiliate, thinks February presents an opportunity to raise awareness of stroke and stroke prevention for Black Americans.

“Stroke can be prevented in Black Americans,” he says. “We need greater access to healthcare and treatment of underlying medical conditions. Getting better access to healthcare and managing risk factors for stroke can mitigate the risk of stroke dramatically for African Americans.”

Statistics are startling. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health, African Americans are 50 percent more likely to have a stroke—a “brain attack,” in which blood stops bringing oxygen to the brain—than white adults, and Black men are 70 percent more likely to die from stroke.

Along with the higher prevalence of stroke and highest death rate from stroke than any other group, says Dr. Richardson, African Americans are predisposed to a range of underlying conditions that can contribute to stroke, including hypertension, or high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia and diabetes.

“Identifying and treating high blood pressure would have a significant effect in decreasing the prevalence of stroke in Black Americans,” he says. “If we can treat hypertension, we can reduce stroke in the African American community.”

Lowering the diastolic blood pressure (the lower number on the reading) by 5 mmHg can reduce the risk of stroke by up to 35%, he says.

And in general, living a healthy lifestyle—eating fresh foods, exercising, consuming less salt, not smoking and drinking less—can help prevent up to 80 percent of strokes.

“If people can consume five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, they’ll reduce their stroke risk by 30%,” Dr. Richardson says. “For Black Americans, that means we need to be able to find healthy, fresh food in our neighborhoods. Fast food isn’t the means to good health.”

To learn more about stroke prevention, risk factors and types of stroke, visit the American Stroke Association.

Assemblywoman Bauer-Kahan, Supervisor Burgis introduce bill targeting illegal dumping

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Supervisor Diane Burgis stand in front of a truck with nine yards of garbage illegally dumped on roads in the county during press conference in Antioch on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. Photo by Allen D. Payton

AB 2374 increases fines, adds teeth to state law on illegal dumping 

At a press conference on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Antioch, Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (AD16-D-Orinda), District 3 Supervisor Diane Burgis, the bill’s sponsor, and local county leaders announced the introduction of AB 2374. Entitled “Crimes against public health and safety: illegal dumping”, the bill was introduced in response to the rampant illegal dumping plaguing communities across California.

“The illegal dumping of trash, furniture, mattresses, appliances, and toxic materials is out of control in both our rural and urban areas – it isn’t just unsightly, it is putting the health of our communities and environment at risk,” said Bauer-Kahan. “Every Californian deserves the right to live in clean, garbage-free neighborhoods.”

“We started this out when we were trying to figure out how to handle it. That’s when we learned of the multiple agencies each responding,” said Burgis. “We formed a Think Tank of agencies in the county, plus East Bay Regional Park and our garbage haulers. And it’s expensive.”

“What people were doing was instead of taking it to the landfill or transfer station, they were just dumping it on the side of the road,” she stated. Pointing to the truck filled with items picked up along East County roads that was at the press conference Burgis said, “That’s nine yards, but they usually pick up 15 yards of large and small items in East County, each week.”

This bill builds upon previous legislative efforts of Bauer-Kahan and Contra Costa and Alameda Counties in 2019. These efforts provided funding to the counties of Alameda and Contra Costa to establish a pilot program for additional enforcement of illegal dumping laws in both counties. This program has been successful, but more tools in the arsenal to fight illegal dumping are necessary. Policies like increased enforcement, street lighting, and cameras throughout the East Bay region have also helped, however, California still lacks sufficient penalties to deter people from this harmful behavior.

AB 2374 raises fines on illegal dumping of commercial quantities up to $5,000 upon first conviction, up to $10,000 on a second conviction, and up to $20,000 on third or subsequent conviction. Additionally, this bill will give judges discretion to require the convicted to pay for the removal of their illegal dumping, suspend the business license of any individual convicted of dumping waste connected to their business, and allow for that person’s name and name of the business to be publicly displayed as convicted of illegal dumping.

“We want everyone to be doing the right thing, but there’s a limit to what we can do to educate and incentivize good behavior,” said Burgis. “It’s important for the public to understand that dumping has an impact on the quality of our drinking water, and that it disproportionately impacts marginalized communities. I applaud Bauer-Kahan for her efforts to empower us with the tools we need at the local level to start getting greater control of this problem.”

Contra Costa County District 5 Supervisor Federal Glover, who also serves on the County’s Illegal Dumping Ad Hoc Committee, added, “Residents deserve beautiful land and clean neighborhoods to live and work in. We want to be sure that everyone, including commercial businesses, hear loud and clear that they cannot illegally dump in our community without hefty fines, hence the need for this legislation.”

“Illegal dumping is a plague on our entire state – impacting our most urban, suburban, and rural communities. In a pilot project in my Supervisorial District alone we’ve removed nearly 1,200 tons of trash from our streets. This legislation provides needed enforcement authority to combat illegal dumping and blight in our neighborhoods, while alleviating the unfair burden of clean up from residents and local businesses,” said Alameda County Supervisor and Board Vice President Nate Miley.

“By upping the fines and providing tools for the courts to publicly hold violators accountable for committing these acts, we disincentivize actors and create public knowledge on who not to work with,” Bauer-Kahan added. “I want to thank Contra Costa County for bringing this bill idea to my attention and look forward to getting it implemented statewide.”

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.