Contra Costa Herald

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

Contra Costa County Teachers of the Year featured at education summit

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On Friday, July 29, Contra Costa County educators were well represented as presenters at CSU East Bay, for the second annual Better Together: California Teachers Summit. Opening the program was Contra Costa County Office of Education’s Deputy Superintendent Pamela Comfort, Ed.D. and the county’s current Teachers of the Year Kate Perry (Liberty Union High School District) and Maria McClain (Antioch Unified School District).

The California Teachers Summit is a free statewide day of learning and networking that is open to all California PreK-12 teachers, teacher candidates, school administrators, and other educators. One of 38 locations across the state, CSU East Bay welcomed hundreds of Bay Area teachers to share ideas, join a teacher network, and learn effective strategies for implementing the new California Standards in their classrooms. The Summit featured keynote addresses by education leaders, TED-style EdTalks presented by local teachers, and Edcamp discussions on timely topics such as the California Standards in English/Language Arts and Math, and the Next Generation Science Standards.

In the early afternoon, Perry and McClain, together, presented a stimulating EdTalk session to all the attending educators. The audience was in full attention as the two gave real-life stories on how they learned to reach some of their most challenging students through the years.

“As we celebrate this day of learning, we want to emphasize the essential lessons that our students can teach us, if we take the time to listen and learn,” McClain said. “Lisa and Lisbeth [student examples] made Kate and I better teachers. They taught us that we must meet students where they are, not where we expect them to be, and then work to support and guide them. We must broaden our focus beyond content acquisition and understand that achievement for all students can only occur once their primary needs are met. California’s new standards represent significant changes in educational content and practice. Successful implementation requires both students and teachers to stretch outside their comfort zones, take risks, and embrace new ideas. As we work to adjust our course content and teaching practices, we must also focus on building classroom environments that are safe, welcoming, and truly value all students.”

Perry also offered her comments.

“Now we know how complicated teaching is, and the many daily pressures that face us all,” she said. “And in the face of these we have both learned that the key to staying in the profession is our connection to our students and colleagues. So, if you take nothing else away from us, today, please remember, listen to your students, listen to your fellow teachers, and find mentors like Maria – people who will listen, support, and challenge you. We all – teachers, students, parents, and administrators – have so much to learn and share with one another and that only happens when we open ourselves to the people around us and really hear what they have to say.”

In addition to, CSU East Bay, Summit locations in the Bay Area include:

  • Brandman University, Walnut Creek
  • Mary’s College of California
  • CSU Monterey Bay
  • San Francisco State University
  • Sonoma State University

More information, a list of event locations, and online registration is available at CATeachersSummit.com. Follow #CATeachersSummit for up-to-date information.

 

Sheriff to hold inquest into death of woman during Antioch Police pursuit, last year

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In accordance with the Contra Costa County Chiefs’ of Police Association Officer Involved Fatal Incident Protocol, Sheriff Coroner David O. Livingston will hold an inquest into the death of Leona Rachael Moreno.

On October 22, 2015, Moreno was a passenger in a vehicle that was being pursued by Antioch police officers. The vehicle left the roadway and hit a PG&E pole before coming to rest, overturned on the roadway. Moreno was ejected from the vehicle. She was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The proceedings will convene on Thursday, August 4, 2016 at 9:00 AM at the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse, 725 Court Street, Department 34, Room 312, in Martinez, California.

The purpose of the inquest, which Sheriff-Coroner Livingston convenes in fatal incidents involving peace officers, is to present the facts of the incident to a jury for their deliberation and finding on the manner of death.

The inquest is open to the public and members of the media are invited to attend. However, no photographs or video may be taken during the proceedings.

Highway 4 cameras possible among $1.5 million in community benefits from Keller Canyon Landfill fund

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After a rigorous review of 117 applications, Supervisor Federal Glover announced the recipients of the $1.5 million in grants from the Keller Canyon Landfill Mitigation Fund. The Board of Supervisors approved the expenditures on Tuesday morning, July 19, 2016 at their meeting in Martinez.

Among the Keller grants this year was $100,000 for electronic surveillance of Highway 4 from Bay Point to Antioch where gang-related shootings have occurred the past year. It will be shared with the law enforcement agencies that line that roadway segment.

In all, the grants for the fiscal year 2016-2017 were awarded to 82 recipients providing a wide range of activities from a Christmas party for Bay Point’s children to a full-time resident deputy to crossing guards for Bay Point schools.

“The allocation set aside for to monitor Highway 4 – possibly including cameras and license plate readers – will be used by law enforcement to keep our residents safe,” says Glover.

The amount of available funding varies from year to year because the Keller fund is based on the tonnage delivered to the Keller Canyon Landfill located in the hills off of Bailey Road south of Pittsburg and Bay Point.

The county supervisors created the mitigation fund when voters in the early1990s approved the location of a landfill site in the hills south of Bay Point and Pittsburg. Since the landfill was located in District 5, the district 5 supervisor was given the responsibility of administering the fund. The fund helps alleviate some of the landfill’s impacts to the neighboring community.

In 2011, at the recommendation of the Auditor, Supervisor Glover reformed the distribution of the funds by limiting its use to the impacted area and instituting a fully transparent system for determining who is granted the awards and to ensure that the money is used for what it is intended.

The grants will be awarded August 18 after the recipients sign their contracts with the county. The programs or events that will benefit from the grants include:

  • Bay Point holiday celebrations
  • Field trips from Bay Point teenagers
  • Antioch Rivertown Jamboree and Delta Thunder Boat Race
  • A full-time deputy as a school resource officer in Bay Point schools.
  • Bay Point Spring Derby Memorial Day Parade and Festival
  • World Music and Arts Festival for Bay Point and Pittsburg elementary school students
  • RotaCare Pittsburg Free Medical Clinic
  • Ambrose Park Aquatic Center Project.

This year’s fund of $1,507,000 is based on the anticipated tonnage that will be delivered to the landfill for the fiscal year 2016-2017.

This is the second year in a row that the Keller fund has shown an increase, which might be an indication of an improving economy, said Glover.

“The grant awards are always difficult decisions because there are so many good services being provided by local agencies,” he added.

Contra Costa DA determines over half of 2015 Pittsburg Police reports of “suspicious circumstances” incorrectly labeled

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Minimal impact on crime rate

By Allen Payton

In a letter to Pittsburg Police Chief Brian Addington, on Friday, July 15, 2016, Contra Costa District Attorney Mark Peterson informed him that of the 204 reports in 2015 listed by the Pittsburg Police Department as “suspicious circumstances” 103 should have been listed as crimes.

Following a request by Addington seeking an opinion by the District Attorney’s office, one deputy district attorney and one deputy sheriff performed an audit, reviewing each of the reports. They determined that 40 of those 103 reports should have been listed as Part I crimes and 63 as Part II crimes. Part I crimes include murder, non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.

Peterson’s letter states “Although the police reports listed the applicable crime, apparently your department did not the 103 incidents as crimes to the FBI.”

The reclassification of those crimes, will increase the total Part I crimes the Pittsburg Police Department will have to report to the FBI for 2015, changing the statistics to better reflect the true crime rate in the city.

The letter, however also states, “It should be noted that during the 2015 calendar year, the Pittsburg Police Department wrote 9,975 reports. Thus, the 103 police reports we have discussed are only 1% of all the police reports written that year.”

The result is an increase of 0.5% in reportable Part I crimes and 1% in Part II crimes.

Peterson concluded that “had the 103 Suspicious Circumstances cases been correctly classified as crimes reported to the FBI, there would have been minimal impact on city’s crime rate.”

To read the entire letter and audit, click here: Pittsburg PD 2015 Audit

Contra Costa Deputy District Attorneys endorse Barr for Supervisor

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Steve Barr

Steve Barr

Today, Thursday, July 14, 2016, the Contra Costa County District Attorneys’ Association announced their endorsement of Steve Barr for County Supervisor in District 3.

The District Attorneys’ Association represents more than 75 Deputy DA’s who serve our community as prosecutors in the District Attorney’s office.

Aron DeFerrari, the group’s president, said the decision came down to Steve’s direct and open style, as well as his financial skills.

“Steve is very honest and tells you exactly how it is,” said DeFerrari. “We don’t always agree on everything. But we think his direct and open style is going to make him a great partner as we work on a lot of tough public safety issues.”

“Having a small business owner who understands finances and has a track record of using public money responsibly, was also very attractive to us,” DeFerrari continued. “We don’t have unlimited resources and need leaders who can make sure our public safety officers and prosecutors have enough money to do their jobs effectively. Steve Barr has our full trust.”

Barr said the endorsement was great news.

“Their vote of confidence means a lot and the role of prosecutors play in the county is vital,” he said. “I really look forward to working with them throughout this campaign and beyond.”

Barr, who was the top vote getter in the primary, is currently in the runoff election that will be held November 8th. As a Brentwood City Councilman he has made public safety a top priority, and his campaign already has the support of the Brentwood Police Officers’ Association.

Please visit www.SteveBarrForSupervisor.com for more information about the campaign and www.ContraCostaProsecutors.com for more information about the District Attorneys’ Assocation.

Contra Costa Sheriff Detectives seize guns, drugs, cash at Antioch home, arrest two men Thursday

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Guns, drugs and cash seized from Antioch home on Thursday. photo courtesy Office of Contra Costa County Sheriff.

Guns, drugs and cash seized from Antioch home on Thursday. photo courtesy Office of Contra Costa County Sheriff.

On Thursday morning, July 7, 2016 at about 11:00 a.m., Detectives from the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff Special Investigation Unit, assisted by the Contra Costa County Anti-Violence Support Effort (CASE) team, served a search warrant at a home on the 4500 block of Elkhorn Way in Antioch.

During the search, detectives seized approximately one pound of heroin, methamphetamine, MDMA (ecstasy), and marijuana in sales quantities. The value of the drugs is estimated to be about $30,000.

There were also seven firearms seized, to include one shotgun, two assault rifles with hi-capacity magazines and four handguns, two of which were stolen. Detectives also recovered a stolen motorcycle. In all, over $76,000 in cash was seized.

Two people were arrested at the scene: 40-year-old Michael Green and 30-year-old Joseph Lowery. Both lived at the residence. They were both booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on various charges that include possession of a narcotic controlled substance for sales, maintaining a place for the purpose of selling drugs, possession of drugs while armed with a loaded firearm, possession of stolen property, and child endangerment.

Green is being held in lieu of $430,000 bail; Lowery’s bail is set at $340,000.

Contra Costa DA files grand theft charges against Antioch couple for four-year Ponzi scheme

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The Contra Costa District Attorney has filed eight felony counts of grand theft by fraud and embezzlement against Quyen Tran, age 60, and his wife, Mai Han Tran, age, 56, both of Antioch, for conducting a Ponzi scheme that lasted over four years. The total loss to eight victims was $256,000.

Quyen “Tony” Tran and Mai “Lisa” Tran, made friends with the victims in the Vietnamese church and social community. Mai Tran invited the victims over to her house in Antioch for a social event, but once there, Quyen invited the victims up to his office and told them of his 25 years of investment experience, his investment savvy,  and how he could make a lot of money for them through his investments skill.

He told one victim that he had an inside line on a Pharmaceutical company IPO, that was later found to be non-existent. The victims were impressed by Quyen’s lavish lifestyle and expensive jewelry and cars and his perceived financial acumen and appearance of wealth. Victims believed him when he told them he never lost any money. The investments, primarily in cash, ranged from $4,000 to $156,000 and the agreements were all verbal.

In this classic Ponzi scheme, instead of investing their money, Tran used the victim’s money for personal expenses, and to maintain his lavish lifestyle, and to pay dividends to early investors, in order to keep the illusion that he was making money in order to attract new investors. When some of the victims demanded their money back after receiving nothing after several months, he told them it was a loan, or that the money was generating returns and was locked up and if he returned money it would be taxed at 45% tax rate. He told other victims that he had lost their money and his bank accounts were frozen. When the victims demanded proof that he had purchased stock, he never provided any. Tran did engage in some minor day-trading, but lost money in 4 of 6 years. In the two years that he made a small profit, he never returned any money to the investors. But Tran continued to tell new investors that he never lost any money.

A forensic accountant and an investigator found that there were several victims from years beyond the four year statute of limitations who lost money to Tran, but these victims never went to the police, because of the cultural shame and distrust of the police.

In addition to the eight counts of fraud, both Trans are charged with money laundering, conspiracy, sale of unlicensed securities and a white collar enhancement of stealing over $100,000. The District Attorney also filed a Temporary Restraining Order and a Lis Pendens on the Tran’s residence which has some equity that could be used to pay restitution.

An arrest warrant has been issued for the Tran’s arrest. If you have been a victim of the Trans in the past ten years, please contact Inspector Al Cofer at the District Attorney’s office at 925-957-8761.

Health & Wellness Fair in Pittsburg today, to help men in East County

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WHAT:  The first East County Men’s Health & Wellness Fair will offer free screenings, health education, promote re-entry work and link men from the area and their families to medical services. Attendees will be able to get shingles and pneumonia immunizations, Tdap booster shots, glucose testing, blood pressure checks, rapid onsite testing for HIV and hepatitis C, health education on substance abuse and addiction, prostate awareness, benefits of cardiovascular exercises, CPR education and even haircuts. The men’s health fair is being held in conjunction with the 7th annual Juneteenth Celebration in Pittsburg.

WHEN: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 18

WHERE: Pittsburg City Park, 17th & Railroad Avenue

WHO: The health fair is being sponsored by Contra Costa Health Services in partnership with Souljahs, the American Heart Association, Walgreens and 1st Nor Cal Credit Union. Contra Costa Regional Health Foundation, Los Medanos Community Healthcare District and Supervisor Federal Glover provided funding support for the event.

McNerney to face Amador for Congress, again in November General Election

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By Allen Payton

In a rematch of the 2014 election for Congress in District 9, Democrat Representative Jerry McNerney will face retired U.S. Marshall Tony Amador in the November election.

After entering the race on the last day possible, Amador edged out fellow Republican candidate, Stockton Police Sergeant Kathryn Nance, who had been campaigning for over a year, by 2.9% of the vote.

“I want to thank those who supported me,” Amador said. “We’re going to need the help of independent and Democrat voters, and Kathryn’s supporters, as well.”

“I want to congratulate her for fighting the fight,” he added.

The latest vote count, as of Friday, June 10th at 6:47 p.m., McNerney had 50,144 votes or 55.7%, Amador had 19,644 votes or 21.8%, Nance had 16,975 votes or 18.9% and Libertarian Alex Appleby had 3,218 votes or 3.6% of the vote.

District 9 includes most of Eastern Contra Costa County, as well as most of San Joaquin County, plus Galt in Sacramento County.

Amador is leading Nance by only 435 votes in San Joaquin County where they both live, but in the Contra Costa portion of the district he’s leading her by 1,907 votes and by 327 votes in Galt.

To see the the election results as they’re updated, visit the California Secretary of State’s website at: http://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/us-rep/district/9/