Contra Costa Herald

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OPINION: Latest vile anti-Semite running for Congress is from Contra Costa County

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By Ron Nehring

Originally published on Flash Report. Republished with permission.

It’s happened before: Some vile racist or anti-Semite runs for an office they have no chance of winning in the hopes of drawing attention to themselves, or their cause. This is exactly what happened earlier this year when Holocaust denier Arthur Jones ran for Congress as a Republican in the heavily Democratic 3rd Congressional District of Illinois. He has been denounced by the Republican Party but will still appear on the November ballot as a result of winning the uncontested GOP primary in the district.

John Fitzgerald is using is campaign website to peddle anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and falsehoods. Image source: Facebook.

Well, now we have another one of these guys. This time it’s here in California. Today’s vile anti-Semite is John Fitzgerald, who is running for Congress in the heavily Democratic 11th Congressional District in Contra Costa County. The district, in which Hillary Clinton won 71.% of the vote in 2016, is currently represented by Democrat Mark DeSaulnier.

Fitzgerald has zero chance of winning this seat, yet he currently has the official endorsement of the California Republican Party by virtue of being the only Republican running for the office. Under rules adopted by the party following the passage of California’s deeply flawed top-two primary system, the party endorsement goes to any Republican running for state legislature or Congress when they are the only party member running. The Board of Directors may take an affirmative step to reverse the endorsement, which of course should happen immediately.

Screen shots above and below from John Fitzgerald’s campaign website, taken May 26, 2018 at 3:24 PM PT.

In a post on his campaign website that went up on May 23rd, Fitzgerald peddles numerous anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. He asserts as “truth” that Jews “played a prominent role in the African slave trade,” linking to an article that further peddles this conspiracy theory. He goes on at length peddling numerous other anti-Semitic claims and theories. I won’t link to his website or post because I have no interest in driving up his search results, but you can Google this guy yourself.

So, what should be done about this?

First and foremost, absolutely no one should vote for this guy. Unfortunately, the state party website lists Fitzgerald as the endorsed party candidate, and since many Republicans rely on the site for guidance when voting, combined with his being the only Republican candidate, he will get an unfortunate number of votes. But certainly all that should come to a screeching halt now.

Second, the state party Board of Directors, which is entirely composed of good people I know personally, needs to reverse Fitzgerald’s default endorsement.

And third, Republicans should speak out against Fitzgerald and candidacy for his blatant anti-Semitism. Let’s not wait and see if this gets traction and only then condemn this vile individual who has soiled the good name of our party – we should affirmatively reject both his candidacy and his ideas because they offend our principles.

The Republican Party was founded on the most noble of causes – the abolition of slavery. Just over 100 years later, people of both parties came together in support of the civil rights movement and the abolition of segregation. Racism and anti-Semitism have no place in our country, and good people of both parties have the responsibility to condemn it regardless of the source.

Nehring is the former Chairman of the California Republican Party.

Former County Supervisor Eric Hasseltine passes

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Celebration of Life tonight, Wed. May 30 in Alamo

From Legacy.com

     Eric H. Hasseltine

Sept 14, 1937 – Apr. 8, 2018

Walnut Creek, CA

Eric H. Hasseltine, former Contra Costa Supervisor and longtime East Bay resident passed away on April 8, 2018. Eric is survived by his daughter Sallie, of Occidental, CA and his son Eric, of Memphis, TN. He is also survived by his two grandchildren Kate and Austen Hasseltine, longtime partner Daneen Flynn, and his brother George Hasseltine, as well as many cousins and friends.

There will be a Celebration of Life, followed by a reception on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 at The Alamo Women’s Club 1401 Danville Blvd. Alamo, CA 94507 from 6pm-9pm.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Eric’s name to the ellendegenereswildlifefund.org.

Please email sallierenee@gmail.com for any further information.

Billionaire Soros backs plagiarist in Contra Costa DA’s race: candidate of ‘integrity’

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By Randy DeSoto, Western Journal – Republished with permission

Originally published May 24, 2018 at 12:20 pm

Soros. Photo from ff.org

Billionaire George Soros is backing an admitted plagiarist in a district attorney’s race in northern California, funding campaign literature that describes her as a candidate of “integrity.” Hers is just one of multiple DA races in which Soros is trying influence the election’s outcome.

The Los Angeles Times reported Soros has dropped over $2.7 million in California DA races this election cycle, and since 2014 has spent more than $16 million in 17 county races in other states. His chosen candidates have won 13 of them.

“Wealthy donors are spending millions of dollars to back would-be prosecutors who want to reduce incarceration, crack down on police misconduct and revamp a bail system they contend unfairly imprisons poor people before trial,” according to The Times.

Soros has waded into the Contra Costa County DA’s race to the tune of $275,000 backing interim Democrat DA Diana Becton.

In addition to supporting Becton, the self-described philanthropist has intervened in the DA contests in San Diego County spending $1.5 million, according to San Diego Tribune, and Sacramento County with another $375,000, The Sacramento Bee is reporting.

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Becton, 66, was chosen as Contra Costa County’s interim DA last September among five applicants to the position, in a narrow 3-2 vote by the county’s board of supervisors.

The choice by the board of supervisors came despite the revelation that the former judge plagiarized significant portions of her application and unlike other candidates, including Contra Costa County District Attorneys’ Association endorsed Paul Graves, has no prosecutorial experience.

Becton is the county’s first female and African American district attorney, which Soros made a top selling point in a recent mailer sent to voters throughout the county ahead of the June 5 election to decide who will take up the seat for a full term.

The piece describes Becton as someone with “experience, integrity, and progressive values.”

The East Bay Times reported in Becton’s plagiarized application to become interim DA that she “took more than 100 words from a widely publicized letter written by U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California, and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, regarding criminal justice reform.”

She also cut and pasted portions from neighboring Alameda County’s District Attorney’s website regarding the issue of community development.

Do you think Soros is seeking to undermine traditional American values?

Other text came word-for-word from a March 1994 issue of Harvard Business Review. Even a direct quote from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” Speech made it into her application, which read, “When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was an heir.”

In all, at least seven portions of her application were plagiarized from others’ words, which were chronicled in an anonymous letter sent to multiple media outlets.

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Last September, Becton described her actions to the board of supervisors as a “mistake,” the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

“I drew liberally from all kinds of sources because I wanted to lift certain issues up,” she said. “I recognize that I should have used quotation marks when I used words of other people, and I didn’t do that. I own the mistake.”

“That is the same kind of leadership and transparency and accountability that I will bring to the district attorney’s office,” Becton added.

The editorial board for the East Bay Times backed Graves over Becton earlier this month, citing her plagiarism, in part.

“It’s the sort of plagiarism that’s unacceptable from a high school student, much less the county’s most powerful law enforcement official. But, to this day, Becton still doesn’t fully comprehend what she did wrong,” the editors wrote.

Her “mistake” is surprising, given her experience as a judge, and being a law school and college gradate. The proper citation of sources is central to the legal craft.

Aron DeFerrari — president of Contra Costa County District Attorneys’ Association — told The Western Journal he thought Becton would no longer be under consideration for the position after admitting to plagiarism.

“There is no way they can appoint somebody who plagiarized her application,” he recalled thinking at the time.

His group had endorsed Graves for the appointment and is supporting his candidacy in the election.

Graves, a Republican, is a current Contra Costa County prosecutor, who oversaw the Homicide Unit and now oversees the Family Violence Unit.

“The biggest compliment you can pay a prosecutor is to call him a grinder,” said Deferrari, who serves with Graves in the DA’s office. “Paul is a straight up grinder. There is a reason for that. This job is important. This job takes a lot of time and effort. You don’t do this job well between 8:30 to five, four or five days a week.”

“Paul Graves has demonstrated that commitment to victims of crime and he’s done so for the last 22 years,” DeFerrari added. “He is the only candidate in this election that has done that. It’s how he has earned the respect and support of every law enforcement agency in this County.”

According to his website, Graves is endorsed by over a dozen police officers’ organizations, as well as a plethora of local officials, from city council members to multiple judges.

Paul Graves Speaks Out Against George Soros Trying to Buy Contra Costa District Attorney’s Race http://eastcountytoday.net/paul-graves-speaks-out-against-george-soros-trying-to-buy-contra-costa-district-attorneys-race/ …

— eastcountytoday.net (@eastcountytoday) 11:22 AM – May 9, 2018

Becton puts Sen. Harris at the top of her endorsements list followed by various Democratic members of Congress, mayors, government and non-government labor unions, and city council members, but support from the law enforcement community is all but absent.

DeFerrari told The Journal there is a reason law enforcement groups are backing Graves over Becton.

“Her actions and her lack of commitment to this job, from the moment she submitted her application to the place we are standing today, have not earned our respect as criminal prosecutors,” said DeFarrari. “This job requires absolute commitment to fighting for victims of crime each and every day and not just Monday through Friday.”

A review of Becton’s calendar obtained by a public records request by a Graves supporter shows the interim DA spent a substantial amount of time away from the office during her first six months in office, particularly for someone with no prosecutorial experience.

Just weeks after being sworn in as DA in late September, Becton traveled to Atlanta for a National Association of Women Judges convention, missing three work days.

She then traveled from there to Virginia for the Women in Power and Politics event the following week. In late October, the former judge went to an event at Stanford University. In November, Becton was out of the office for two days to participate in a “Fair and Just Prosecution” event focused on rolling back the “tough on crime” approach to law enforcement.

In a statement endorsing Becton, the Soros aligned Real Justice PAC indicated this will be top priority of the candidate.

“If elected she will make history as the prosecutor who took on mass incarceration by pushing through much needed bail reform, restorative justice programs, and an end to racial disparities in charging and sentencing,” said the group’s co-founder Shaun King.

The DA took vacation from Nov. 23 – 30, as well as Dec. 26 and Dec. 29 to Jan. 2, 2018, missing another six work days.

A review of the key card access to the Contra Costa Country DA office, also obtained through a public records request, showed that Becton did not come to her office a single weekend during her first six months in office from Oct. 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018.

However, Graves was in the office over a dozen weekend days. Paul Thompson, a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles County, noted it is common for prosecutors to work weekends in the lead up to a trial.

“If we’re in trial, which happens for the typical trial attorney 6-15 weeks out of the year…weekly work hours double, meaning that we’re working nights and weekends,” he said.

Scott Alonso, the Public Information Officer for the Contra Costa County DA’s office told The Western Journal just because Becton is not physically in the office, it does not mean she is not working.

“She works long hours inside the office and outside the office,” he said. “With this type of work, she’s on call 24-7. She’s in constant daily communication with her attorneys and with members of her leadership team.”

DeFerrari fears Becton is more interested in the position than the work it entails.

“You want somebody who wants to do the job,” he said, “not just somebody who wants to have the job.”

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County Supervisors, Martinez Council Members, officials break ground on new administration building

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Contra Costa County and Martinez officials broke ground Tuesday, May 22 for the construction of the $60 million energy efficient Contra Costa County Administration Building at Escobar and Pine streets in Martinez. The county has attempted to replace the antiquated 11-story constructed in 1965 for the past 25 years but due mainly to national financial crisis those plans  were  scrapped.  The new administration building is expected to be completed in May 2020. The county is also building a new $40 ‘million emergency operations center near its existing EOC in Martinez.  Photo by Daniel Borsuk.

Pittsburg Law Library closed, Richmond Law Library could be next to be shuttered

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Pittsburg Superior Courthouse where the law library was housed. Photo by cc-courts.org

Supervisors reject anti-sanctuary state petition, distribute $500,000 in Keller Canyon funds

By Daniel Borsuk

With a lack of adequate funding from civil lawsuit filing fees, the Pittsburg Superior Court Law Library has been shuttered since September, and now there is the possibility the Richmond Superior Court Law Library could follow suit, Law Library Director Carey Rowan told the Contra Costa Herald.

In her annual report to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, Rowan informed supervisors the law library at the Pittsburg Superior Court was closed in September due to a lack of funding.

“For several years I have been warning supervisors and state legislators that the law libraries need new funding legislation or they will face closure. No one stepped forward and that day arrived last September when the Pittsburg library was closed,” Rowan said.

Rowan’s 2016-2017 report was approved without comment by supervisors as a consent item on Tuesday.

Ninety-three percent of the law library’s revenue comes from civil case filing fees, but since 2007, passage of Senate Bill 1407 has slapped a moratorium on increasing civil filing fees.  With the moratorium on increasing civil filing fees still in place, law library administrators have been unable to raise enough funds to acquire new legal materials that have risen in cost on average 10 to 15 percent per year, said Rowan.

While acknowledging there will be a hardship, especially for the disabled and senior citizens in East County to travel farther to the main law library in Martinez, Rowan said the Pittsburg courthouse library was chosen for closure based on the fewer number of gate count visits during the 2016-2017 fiscal year than the gate count visits at the Richmond court house library.  During that period, the Pittsburg library drew 2,136 visits, the Richmond library attracted 3,713 visits, and the main library in Martinez had 32,790 visits.

“Without any support from the supervisors or state legislators, the future of law libraries is bleak.  I’d have to say the Richmond library might be the next library we might have to close,” Rowan said.

Supervisors Reject Alamo Couple’s Anti-Sanctuary State Petition

Even though Contra Costa supervisors rejected on Tuesday an appeal from Ray and Tamara Bryant to sign their petition opposing the Sanctuary State bill, Senate Bill 54, and advocate for its repeal, the Alamo couple plan to press on with their petition drive in the county.

As of Wednesday, 26 persons had signed their petition.  The Bryant’s petition is similar to other anti-SB 54 petition drives that have been successfully passed by county supervisors in San Diego and Orange Counties.

In criticizing SB 54, that was passed by the state legislature and signed by Gov. Edmund G. Brown last year, the petition to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors states:

“We, THE UNDERSIGNED, HEREBY PETITION the Contra Costa County to the growing number of California Counties and cities who oppose Senate Bill 54 (the “Sanctuary State “) and who advocate its repeal.

1) That U.S. citizens residing in Contra Costa County need protection against the flood of undocumented felons overwhelming the borders of our state and county.

2) That the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, by the authority granted to them must guard our state and federal resources allocated for law enforcement, fire services, educational, medical and social services for U.S. citizens resident in Contra Costa County.  Currently, the foreign nationals and illegal aliens are being pushed to the head of the line for priority, for example, in receiving acceptance into the courses offered by our county’s three Community Colleges, with the result that our children as citizens are turned away.

3) That our police departments and incarceration facilities are being overwhelmed by the large number of illegal immigrants.  They line the streets of cities and counties shooting up in plain sight on the sidewalks and in public and private bathrooms, threatening our youth, and making it very difficult to keep a small restaurant business, for example, profitable.  Many restaurant owners and workers are afraid to deny access to non-customers for fear of being cited, fined or shut down for ‘racial discrimination.’

That our Law Enforcement agencies hands are tied with regard to prosecuting the law against the many thousands of illegal immigrants.  These individuals, consequently, have great disdain for our government and no respect for our legal system.  This in turn encourages both newly arrived immigrants as well as our own citizens to illegal acts because they see their own government afraid to do its job and make arrests.

That the Contra Costa County Law Enforcement agencies should operate in compliance with federal immigration laws to hold criminals until they can be turned over to Federal Immigration authorities to be deported.  We further petition our county agencies to publicize the names of all undocumented immigrants a minimum of 3 days before their release so that ICE can pick them up and process them for deportation.

That the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors should join the Federal lawsuits against the unconstitutional Senate Bill 54.

Supervisors mostly withheld comment except for board chair Karen Mitchoff who informed the petition authors that the Sheriff-Coroner Office posts on its website on a daily basis the names of persons who have been released from county jails.  This warns ICE officers who they can arrest when persons are released from county jails.

Supervisor John Gioia of Richmond ripped the petition calling it as part of “a lot of scare tactics.”

Supervisors Accept 2017 Kindergarten Readiness Report

Despite criticism from District 5 Supervisor Federal Glover over a finding in the 2017 Kindergarten Readiness Assessment, supervisors accepted the report 5-0.

The Supervisor from Pittsburg took exception from the report’s finding that 40 percent of pre-school children in the Pittsburg Unified School District are not school ready as compared to a high wealth community like San Ramon where 8 percent of 5-year-old children are not school ready.

Supervisor Glover told assessment author First 5 Executive Director Sean Casey “What are we doing to close the gap?  This information is no good.  It is not acceptable. It is not a good report.”

Casey informed supervisors First 5 acquired a building on Leland Avenue in Pittsburg last month where it will replace its Bay Point site and will offer an expanded array of pre-kindergarten educational services to children in the Pittsburg and Bay Point communities.

Casey said First 5 has also trained more than 200 providers to expand its Help Me Grow campaign throughout the county.

$578,934 Keller Canyon Mitigation Trust Fund Grants Approved

Supervisors approved five Keller Canyon Mitigation Trust Fund grants worth $578,934 to be spent by the Sheriff-Coroner in the Bay Point community for the upcoming 2018-2019 fiscal year.  Grants approved include:

*$278,217 to fund one Deputy Sheriff position for the Bay Point Resident Deputy program with a focus on crime prevention enforcement, participation in the National Crime Free Housing Program, acts as a liaison to local businesses and works with the school resource officer to implement and participate in youth crime prevention programs.

*$276,217 to fund the Bay Point School Resource Officer Program and to assist resident deputies in organizing and planning the yearly Christmas and Holiday Heroes programs and annual Bike Rodeo and bicycle giveaway.

*$9,000 to host a free community Christmas party and toy giveaway for the residents of Bay Point.

*$8,000 for a gang intervention program involving movie nights at the local schools, an after-school sports program, fishing trips in the Delta and trips to Oakland A’s baseball games and other activities during the year.

*$5,000 for the removal of litter dumps and removal of graffiti in the Bay Point area.

*$4,500 for the Bay Points Bicycle Safety Rodeo in partnership with the Street Smarts Program to provide bicycle helmets, bicycle repairs, an instructional class on safety and bicycle raffles.

 

Contra Costa District Attorney Candidates Forum May 29 in Pittsburg

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Candidates for the Contra Costa County District Attorney will speak from 6:00-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 29 at Los Medanos College.  The Candidates Forum, sponsored by the Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce and the League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley, will be held in the college’s Recital Hall, 2700 East Leland Road in Pittsburg.

Candidates Diana Becton, Paul Graves and Lawrence Strauss will give a brief opening statement followed by prepared questions from the Chamber and screened questions from the audience. Questions will focus on current issues, such as the management of the District Attorney’s Office, public safety, and concerns of the business community. Gail Murray, longtime League member and former Walnut Creek mayor and BART Board member, will be the moderator.

The meeting is open to the public, but reservations are requested at mypittsburgchamber.org.

The League of Women Voters and the Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce are jointly sponsoring the event to inform and educate voters. Neither the nonpartisan League nor the Pittsburg Chamber is endorsing any candidate. 

Monday is deadline to register to vote in June Primary Election

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The Contra Costa Elections Division reminds all residents that the deadline to register or re-register to vote in the June 5th Statewide Direct Primary Election is this Monday, May 21st.

To be eligible to register, a person must be a United States citizen, be at least 18 years old by Election Day, and not be in prison or on parole for a felony conviction.

You must re-register if you have moved or changed your name (married, divorced, etc.).

To register, go online to http://registertovote.ca.gov, or pick up a paper card at any City Hall, post office, library or the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder-Elections Office located at 555 Escobar Street in Martinez.

You can check your voter registration status online at www.cocovote.us by clicking on the “My Voting Information” button.

Assemblymember Grayson announces state funding for I-680/SR 4 Interchange improvements

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Interstate 680 / Highway 4 Interchange. From CCTA.net

Assemblymember Tim Grayson (D-Concord) announced that the California Transportation Commission (CTC) has approved $34 million in funding for improvements of the Interstate 680 / State Route 4 highway interchange in Concord, one of the most congested freeway interchanges in the Bay Area.

“Anyone who has driven in the East Bay knows this interchange is notorious for gridlock, which is why I have been working for more than a year with the CTC, Department of Transportation, and Contra Costa Transportation Authority to secure the funding needed to get this project started,” Grayson said. “As a critical artery for the region, it is incumbent on us to ensure the conditions of this interchange are improved so commuters are able to navigate this interchange without the additional stress caused by standstill traffic and bottlenecks. I applaud the CTC for funding this project so that the people of my district, and the East Bay Area, will be able to spend less time sitting in traffic and more time at home with their families.”

The I-680/SR4 Interchange connects a major north-south thoroughfare for Solano, Contra Costa, and Alameda Counties with the main east-west artery for Contra Costa County. In its review, the Commission concluded the existing I-680/SR 4 interchange has deficiencies that contribute to heavy traffic congestion and inefficient traffic operations. This project, one of several phases of improvements planned by the Contra Costa Transportation Authority for Highway 4, will construct almost 10 miles of new traffic lanes to ease congestion and will retrofit bridges to meet seismic standards as well as extend on-ramps to improve traffic safety. CCTA was awarded the funding through the CTC’s competitive Local Partnership Program.

Grayson represents the 14th Assembly District that includes the communities of Benicia, Concord, Clayton, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, Vallejo, Pittsburg and Walnut Creek. For more information please visit the Assemblymember’s website, www.assembly.ca.gov/a14.