Contra Costa Herald

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

Rep. DeSaulnier to host town hall meeting in Pleasant Hill, Feb. 23

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Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (D, CA-11) will host a general town hall meeting on Thursday, February 23rd at 6:30 p.m. in Pleasant Hill. Since his election to Congress, Mark has hosted 33 town hall meetings and mobile district office hours throughout California’s Eleventh Congressional District.

Representative DeSaulnier invites residents of Contra Costa County to join him to listen to a presentation and legislative update. During the town hall constituents will have an opportunity to ask questions and share thoughts on key policy issues and actions taken under the new Administration.

Pleasant Hill Town Hall
Thursday, February 23, 2017
6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Diablo Valley College Cafeteria
321 Golf Club Rd
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
Details: Parking Available in Lot 8

For more information or to request ADA accommodations, please email CA11.RSVP@mail.house.gov or call (925) 933-2660.

Annual East Bay USA conference draws 330 business, civic leaders

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Hear from keynote speaker astronaut Captain Scott Kelly

NASA astronaut Captain Scott Kelly, USN. Ret., was the keynote speaker at the 2017 East Bay USA conference on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. photo courtesy of East Bay Leadership Council.

At this time last week the East Bay Leadership Council (EBLC) team was putting the finishing touches on what they had hoped would be a memorable night. They were not disappointed.

The 31st Annual East Bay USA event, at the Concord Hilton, drew 330 business and civic leaders, gave a chance to learn about how the major sponsors support innovative STEM programs, provided networking opportunities over local wine, and featured an inspiring keynote by astronaut Captain Scott Kelly, (USN, Ret.) who left the attendees feeling like the sky was not the limit.

“The evening was made possible by 27 companies and 26 community leaders whose commitment to the East Bay Leadership Council makes our work possible. Thank you again to all of our sponsors,” said Kristin Connelly, EBLC President and CEO. “I hope you will save the date and join us on January 18, 2018 for East Bay USA’s 32nd Annual celebration.”

See more photos from the event, here and learn more about the East Bay Leadership Council, here.

NASA astronaut, Captain Scott Kelly, USN, Ret.

About Captain Kelly

Kelly served a one-year mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in 2015, then served as the ISS Branch Chief within the Astronaut Office. He served as a backup crewmember for ISS Expedition 5 and as the Astronaut Office Space Station Branch Chief. Kelly also served as a Flight Engineer for ISS Expedition 25 and as the Commander of ISS Expedition 26.

Selected by NASA in April 1996, Kelly reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996. Following completion of training, he was assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office Spacecraft Systems/Operations branch. A veteran of three space flights, Kelly has logged more than 180 days in space. He served as pilot on STS-103 in 1999 and was the Mission Commander on STS-118 in 2007. Following STS-103, Kelly served as NASA’s Director of Operations in Star City, Russia.

Kelly is the recipient of two Defense Superior Service Medals, the Distinguished Flying Cross, Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, two Navy Unit Commendations, the National Defense Service Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, NASA Distinguished Service Medal, NASA Exceptional Service Medal, NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, two NASA Space Flight Medals, and the Russian Federation Medal for Merit in Space Exploration.

No one hurt when car shot by BB gun on 680, Thursday morning

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Walnut Creek, CA – On Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017, at about 11:50am, Contra Costa CHP received a call of possible shots fired at a vehicle in the area of I-680 southbound at Treat Blvd.  After the initial investigation, it’s been determined a BB gun was shot from a dark grey Dodge Charger with dark tinted windows and a red sticker reading “RL” in the rear window and the BB’s caused damage to a white Volkswagen. Although the party in the Volkswagen was shaken up, thankfully no injuries were reported.

The suspects from the Dodge Charger were reported as a white female adult (driver) in her 30’s with brown hair and the passenger (shooter) as a Hispanic male adult in his 30’s with a black hoodie. The whereabouts of the Dodge and suspects are unknown at this time.  If anyone witnessed this incident or has information regarding it, contact Contra Costa CHP in Martinez at 925-646-4890 and investigating Officer Miga.

Love is in the air at County Clerk’s office

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Appointments now available for couples to get married on Valentine’s Day

The Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder Division is taking appointments for couples who wish to exchange wedding vows on Valentine’s Day.  Because of the popularity of this day, the division is also extending ceremony hours and accommodating additional appointments.

There are 47 appointment times available from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

“Valentine’s Day is the most popular day at our office for marriage ceremonies,” said Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder Joseph E. Canciamilla. “Additional appointments give more couples the opportunity to get married on what many consider is the most romantic day of the year.”

Interested couples are encouraged to make an appointment online at www.contracostacore.us  using our new appointment system.  Walk-in couples are welcome and will be accommodated based on availability of ceremony rooms.

One of two wedding rooms available at the County Clerk’s office.

A civil marriage ceremony is $60.  Couples can obtain a public marriage license for $86 or a confidential license for $90.  To save time, marriage license applications are available for completion online at  www.contracostacore.us prior to visiting the office and may also be purchased before the ceremony date.

The Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder Division features two beautifully appointed ceremony rooms adorned with handcrafted stained glass windows.  The largest ceremony room accommodates up to 24 guests. The smaller ceremony room seats 17 guests. Learn more at www.ccclerkrec.us/clerk/marriage/wedding-ceremonies.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Gutierrez, Clerk-Recorder Services Manager at (925) 335-7920.

 

GoMentum Station named National Proving Ground by U.S. Department of Transportation

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Contra Costa testing facility selected to be part of first-ever “Community of Practice” for automated vehicle technology

GoMentum Station was named one of ten federally designated automated vehicle proving grounds by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The announcement was made by U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx on Thursday, January 19, who noted that the pilot sites were selected to encourage testing and information sharing around automated vehicle technologies, foster innovations that can safely transform personal and commercial mobility, expand capacity, and open new doors to disadvantaged people and communities. GoMentum Station was selected from more than 60 applicants to help advance the safe deployment of automated technology.

“We are honored to have been selected as part of this elite group of test facilities,” said Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) Executive Director Randell Iwasaki. “When we established GoMentum Station a little over two years ago with our partners, our goal was to make it the country’s premier secure test facility of autonomous and connected vehicle technology. To be selected as a federally designated proving grounds is a confirmation of the significant value our facility adds to the field and its role in redefining the next generation of transportation.”

“The designated proving grounds will collectively form a Community of Practice around safe testing and deployment,” said Secretary Foxx. “This group will openly share best practices for the safe conduct of testing and operations as they are developed, enabling the participants and the general public to learn at a faster rate and accelerating the pace of safe deployment.”

Each of the ten sites have a unique testing environment. Among the qualities that set GoMentum Station apart is being one of the largest, secure proving grounds in the United States, which enables partners to safely push their technology to its limits while testing at GoMentum Station.  Founded in 2014, GoMentum Station is located at the former Concord Naval Weapons Station, making Contra Costa County a center of cutting-edge transportation research. The innovative technology being explored at GoMentum Station will reinvent the ways we will move through our communities over the next 25 years and beyond.

Contra Costa’s autonomous and connected vehicle testing facility is built on a public/private partnership model, allowing the private sector space to innovate and test while providing the public sector with access to new technologies as they are being developed. The work being carried out at GoMentum Station facilitates informed policy, regulation and planning decisions around the technology.

“We are excited that there may be opportunities to potentially collaborate with other test facilities around the nation.  If we can coordinate on testing, we can eliminate redundant and duplicative testing, learn from one another and accelerate our ability to bring this transformative technology to market,” noted Iwasaki. “We hope this designation will be valuable to our partners and the public in helping to further this life-saving technology. We’re looking forward to working with USDOT on advancing this technology for a public good.”

About GoMentum Station

GoMentum Station in Concord, California is where the Contra Costa Transportation Authority leads and facilitates a collaborative partnership among multiple automobile manufacturers; original equipment manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers; communications suppliers; technology companies; researchers and academia; public agencies and other partners. At GoMentum Station, technology, innovation and commercialization will converge to define the next generation of transportation network infrastructure. More information about GoMentum Station is available at gomentumstation.net.

About The Contra Costa Transportation Authority

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) is a public agency formed by Contra Costa voters in 1988 to manage the county’s transportation sales tax program and oversee countywide transportation planning efforts. CCTA is responsible for planning, funding and delivering critical transportation infrastructure projects and programs that connect our communities, foster a strong economy, increase sustainability, and safely and efficiently get people where they need to go. CCTA also serves as the county’s designated Congestion Management Agency, responsible for putting programs in place to keep traffic levels manageable. More information about CCTA is available at ccta.net.

GoMentum Station in Concord announces new partnership with BestMile to advance driverless car project

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BestMile’s cloud-based computing platform will support and enhance efforts to solve the first-and-last mile challenge

GoMentum Station and BestMile announced a new partnership today to further the shared autonomous vehicle (SAV) pilot project aimed at addressing the first-and-last mile challenge in Contra Costa. BestMile will offer its cloud-based computing platform to support the operation and optimization of SAV fleets, including the full testing of EasyMile shuttles. The EasyMile shuttles arrived at GoMentum Station in September of 2016, and the pilot demonstration project with the Contra Costa Transportation Authority marks the first time EasyMile shuttles will be utilized in the United States. BestMile’s computing platform will not only allow the EasyMile shuttles to work more effectively together, it will facilitate the ability of riders to interface with the shuttles.

“GoMentum Station is putting Contra Costa and the Bay Area squarely at the center of the transportation technology revolution with this innovative project to address first and last mile transit accessibility challenges, which we hope will allow people to use transit and commuter rail more effectively and efficiently,” said Randy Iwasaki, Executive Director of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA). “We are excited to leverage BestMile’s unique technology capabilities to incubate transportation solutions that will help further shared mobility.”

“We believe the future of mobility isn’t in autonomous vehicles themselves, but in what they can offer when they’re operated and managed collectively in an integrated ecosystem. It is an incredible opportunity for BestMile to be able to showcase its fleet optimization platform within the framework of this exciting project at GoMentum Station, Bishop Ranch and then hopefully expand to the Bay Area. It will allow passengers of SAVs to experience a truly optimized, sustainable and efficient SAV service. Ordering your own SAV will be only one click away thanks to the traveler app we are also providing as part of our platform” said Raphael Gindrat, CEO of BestMile.

BestMile has created the world’s first cloud platform for the operation and optimization of autonomous vehicle fleets, designed to support shared electric connected and automated mobility. Using cutting-edge algorithms, it sends optimized missions to vehicles and seamlessly handles planning, real-time automated dispatching, intelligent routing, and electrical energy management. Their first commercial project launched in June 2016 with Switzerland’s main transport operator, PostBus. The collaboration with GoMentum Station marks the first time BestMile’s technology will be incorporated into a project within the United States and aligns with BestMile’s mission to accelerate innovative autonomous transportation solutions for cities everywhere.

About GoMentum Station

GoMentum Station in Concord, California is where the Contra Costa Transportation Authority leads and facilitates a collaborative partnership among multiple automobile manufacturers; original equipment manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers; communications suppliers; technology companies; researchers and academia; public agencies and other partners. At GoMentum Station, technology, innovation and commercialization will converge to define the next generation of transportation network infrastructure. More information about GoMentum Station is available at gomentumstation.net.

About BestMile

BestMile is a Swiss company with offices in Lausanne (Switzerland), San Francisco (USA) and London (UK), developing distributed and highly scalable cloud technology leveraging the full potential of autonomous vehicles to tackle urban mobility challenges. By providing the first platform allowing for the intelligent operation and optimization of autonomous vehicle fleets, BestMile is revolutionizing mobility. It manages both scheduled trips and on-­demand service and is independent of any vehicle manufacturer, thus allowing customers to remotely manage heterogeneous fleets composed of autonomous vehicles of different types and brands. By using cutting-edge algorithms to handle planning, real-time automated dispatching, intelligent routing, and electrical energy management, BestMile is shaping “individual robots” into an intelligent, innovative and flexible mobility system. After launching its first commercial project with Switzerland’s main transport operator in June 2016, BestMile now has a foot in the US thanks to GoMentum Station, located in Contra Costa County. More information is available at www.bestmile.com.

About The Contra Costa Transportation Authority

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) is a public agency formed by Contra Costa voters in 1988 to manage the county’s transportation sales tax program and oversee countywide transportation planning efforts. CCTA is responsible for planning, funding and delivering critical transportation infrastructure projects and programs that connect our communities, foster a strong economy, increase sustainability, and safely and efficiently get people where they need to go. CCTA also serves as the county’s designated Congestion Management Agency, responsible for putting programs in place to keep traffic levels manageable. More information about CCTA is available at ccta.net.

Discover Diablo, new Free Public Hike Series offered by Save Mount Diablo, beginning this weekend

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Hikers enjoy the trails on Save Mount Diablo’s Four Days Diablo Group Camping Trip, a 30-mile trek along the Diablo Trail over 4 day leading you on an adventure through rarely seen Mount Diablo landscapes. Photos by Scott Hein, Save Mt. Diablo Board President

Discover Diablo is Save Mount Diablo’s new free public hike series, offering an annual schedule of guided walks, hikes and interpretive tours open to any and all trail blazers. Generously sponsored by the Shell Martinez Refinery, the Discover Diablo Free Public Hike Series will launch in early 2017. Discover Diablo will offer two events per month for the entire year (please see schedule, below) – one taking place and focusing on a Save Mount Diablo property and one designed for families on other public parks.

Hosted by Save Mount Diablo, the new Discover Diablo program seeks to build awareness of local land conservation efforts and to convey the importance of protecting open space for habitat and recreation. With the launch of Discover Diablo, we intend to reach new audiences, build our membership base of adventurers, explorers and outdoor enthusiasts, and spark a passion for the Diablo Range.

Four Days Diablo 2012

We invite you to join us in exploring the Bay Area’s beautiful wild lands and open spaces. We hope that with two events per month in various locations, there will be something for everyone to enjoy and learn from. Save Mount Diablo’s Family walks are for hikers of all skill levels and will take place on other portions of open space on and around the mountain. Save Mount Diablo’s Property tours will illustrate the importance of preserving wildlife habitat, building corridors between existing parks, and of course, all the beauty that the Diablo Range has to offer.

To honor Save Mount Diablo’s mission, we aim to display both our current property holdings as well as those we have helped protect over the years. Hosting monthly hikes is an effective way to engage and grow communities invested in the sustainability of local open space. SMD properties aren’t usually open to the public, so these are rare opportunities.

To complete the land conservation picture in the Diablo Range and pay homage to collaborating agencies, we also host monthly outings on Mount Diablo State Park, East Bay Regional Park District, and Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation lands. Save Mount Diablo’s new hike series, Discover Diablo, ties these outings together by offering an annual schedule of free public hikes to explore these diverse lands – with the added bonus of being guided by staff and experienced volunteer hike leaders.

According to Ted Clement, Executive Director of Save Mount Diablo, “It is the goal of the Discover Diablo program to build connections between people and land, helping communities develop a strong sense of place and a deepened appreciation for our collective backyard. Most importantly, we want to cultivate a love of the land in participants – so as to grow the land ethic and stewardship for our precious Mount Diablo area.”

We intend to reach audiences from all over the Bay Area to improve awareness of and advocacy efforts for the Diablo Range. There is something for us all to discover in the nooks and crannies surrounding Mount Diablo. Please join us on the trails to find your own individual inspiration!

Visit us on Eventbrite to our full schedule of upcoming hikes: Discover-Diablo.eventbrite.com. RSVP required.

What: Save Mount Diablo’s Discover Diablo Free Public Hike Series

When: Two monthly events throughout 2017. (See schedule below)

Where: CONTRA COSTA COUNTY – Walnut Creek, Clayton, Concord, Livermore, Pittsburg.

Save Mount Diablo is a nationally accredited, non-profit land trust founded in 1971 with a mission to preserve Mount Diablo’s peaks, surrounding foothills, and watersheds through land acquisition and preservation strategies designed to protect the mountain’s natural beauty, biological diversity, and historic and agricultural heritage; enhance our area’s quality of life; and provide recreational opportunities consistent with the protection of natural resources. To learn more and support Save Mount Diablo please visit www.savemountdiablo.org.

Glazer makes Martin Luther King Day appeal to President Obama asking he exonerate the Port Chicago 50

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State Senator Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, on Martin Luther King Day, Monday, called on President Barack Obama to exonerate the Port Chicago 50, the African American sailors wrongly convicted of mutiny in Concord, CA, during World War II.

During a noon press conference with the Social Justice Alliance of the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County & Mt. Diablo Peace & Justice Center at the Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church, Glazer made the following statement:

“As we celebrate and honor Dr. Martin Luther King today, we are witnessing the end of President Barack Obama’s historic term in the White House as the first African-American president of the United States.

“In his final days, President Obama has taken important steps to ensure environmental protections, such as protecting the California coastline and environmental standards for fuels. President Obama also announced the designation of three civil rights sites as national monuments.

“While these are significant acts that will have great national impact, I am asking President Obama to take one final small but important step before he leaves the presidency: To take executive action to exonerate the 50 African American sailors – members of the group known as the “Port Chicago 50” – who were wrongfully convicted of mutiny following the tragic accident at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in Concord, CA, in 1944.

“Exonerating these men would restore honor to these 50 sailors, acknowledge the racism that led to their unjust convictions and correct a wrong. It would reflect the just and equal society that President Obama has strived to achieve in the spirit of Dr. King, and would be one final act of grace for the families of these United States sailors.”

Glazer also asked the congregation to tweet President Obama at @POTUS encouraging him to take action with #PortChicago50.

Background:

∙After an explosion at Port Chicago in Concord, CA that killed 320 men – most of whom were African-Americans naval seamen – other African-American seamen were ordered back to work loading munitions at the same location.

∙Two-hundred and fifty eight of these sailors refused the orders because working conditions remained unsafe and they had not been trained to handle munitions.

∙After being threatened with the death penalty, 208 of these men reluctantly returned to work. However, the remaining 50 were court-martialed and sentenced to 17 years in prison.

∙They were later discharged with honor, which shows that the U.S. Navy acknowledged the convictions were unjust.

∙Their convictions, however, were never rescinded and the “Port Chicago 50” would carry the mutiny charges until they died.

Antioch man shoots, kills himself following Hwy 4 CHP chase for DUI, Thursday night

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Pursuit began in Pittsburg, ended in Concord

Thursday night, January 12, 2017 at about 11 pm, CHP began a DUI investigation of a driver suspected of driving impaired at Harbor Court and Harbor Street in the city of Pittsburg. The driver showed signs of impairment and CHP requested him to exit his vehicle for a DUI investigation. The driver refused to exit and fled the scene prompting CHP to pursue him on westbound Highway 4.

CHP pursued the Honda sedan as he exited Port Chicago Highway, drove to and parked in a driveway located on Gratton Way in Concord. At that point, two CHP units and a CHP supervisor were parked behind the suspect vehicle. While still in his Honda, the suspect (a 45-year-old white male from Antioch) brandished a semi automatic pistol, turned it on himself, discharged it and suffered a self-inflicted wound and subsequently killed himself.

No CHP Officers were injured nor did any CHP officers fire their weapons. CHP’s Golden Gate Divisions Special Investigative Unit (SIU) is conducting a full investigation. This is still an open investigation. A call into the CHP Contra Costa office for the suspect’s name and any other details was not returned before press time and that is all the information the CHP has released as of now.

Man dies from three-car collision in Pleasant Hill on I-680, Tuesday morning

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On Tuesday, January 10, 2017 at about 8:58 am, Contra Costa CHP was advised of a three vehicle traffic collision at southbound I-680 at Contra Costa Blvd. Upon CHP and emergency personnel arrival, the driver (77 yr old male from Danville) was unconscious and unresponsive within his vehicle, a white Ford F-250.

In the initial investigation, it appears that the driver was traveling on southbound I-680 just south of Monument Blvd. For unknown reasons, the driver veered to the right across the lanes and struck two vehicles, a Ford Edge and a Hyundai Sonata. (Both of those drivers were uninjured and vehicles sustained minor damage) The white Ford truck continued to veer right and drove off the roadway and through a cyclone fence. The driver continued across Contra Costa Blvd and collided into an unoccupied house.

Emergency personnel on scene immediately began life-saving procedures and CPR and he was quickly transported to John Muir hospital in Walnut Creek for his life threatening condition.

While at the hospital, the maledriver was pronounced deceased. At this time it is unclear if the driver died from his injuries from the collision or a medical condition.

Alcohol or drugs do not appear to be a factor in this collision. This collision is still under investigation and if anyone witnessed this collision or the events leading up to it, please contact Contra Costa CHP at (925) 646-4980.