Contra Costa Herald

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

Oakley’s East County Diehards 12U baseball team raising funds for Cooperstown, NY All Star Tournament

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Oakley’s East County Diehards 12U team.

The East County Diehards 12 and Under travel baseball team is in the process of raising funds for a trip to compete in the July 2022 All Star tournament in Cooperstown, NY.

The East County Diehards organization was established in 2012 in Oakley, Calif.  The Diehards offer competitive travel softball and baseball for boys and girls. The East County Diehards are a 501c charitable organization, and donations are tax deductible.

The 12U Diehards are actively seeking corporate and individual sponsors and donations to help fund their dream of competing in Cooperstown, NY.

“We are extremely excited to compete in Cooperstown against some great teams from around the country,” said James Joachim, team manager, Diehards 12U.  “Our boys are super-pumped to play in Cooperstown, home of the baseball hall of fame.  We are incredibly appreciative of the very generous support we have already received.”

The Diehards 12U baseball team has its own Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/DieHards12U.  You can donate directly to the Diehards 12U @ https://infoblox.benevity.org/community/fundraiser/44373.  In addition, there will be several exciting events, including a Crab Feed on February 5, 2022, with the proceeds going to the Diehards Cooperstown fund.

To learn more about the Diehards organization, you can visit: https://eastcountydiehards.org.

All are invited to the Grand Community Chanukah Celebration in Brentwood Sunday, Dec. 5

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This year, Chanukah begins on the eve of Nov. 28, which is Nov. 29 according to the Jewish calendar and runs for eight days through the eve of Dec. 6. Chanukah celebrates the cleansing of the Temple following the revolt of the Maccabees against the Seleucid Greek Empire of Syria. Chanukah is known as the Festival of Lights, because it commemorates the traditional account of the miracle of finding one cruse of sacred oil—enough for one day—that lasted for eight days, the length of time it took to produce more sanctified oil for the N’er Tamid (Eternal Light) in the Temple. Chanukah is also known as the Festival of Dedication, as the Temple was sanctified again, and dedicated to true worship of the living God.

To remember that miracle, menorahs holding eight candles are lit, one per night, during the Chanukah celebration.

You’re invited to come, celebrate the Festival of Lights with Chabad of the Delta and our surrounding communities as we light the grand Menorah during the Community Celebration on Sunday December 5 at 4:30 pm at Brentwood City Park at 2nd and Oak Streets. Our local community leaders will participate in kindling the giant “Menorah of Freedom”. There will be fun activities for everyone including:

  • Chanukah crafts, glitter art and a photo op!
  • Delicious traditional latkes and donuts!
  • A Grand Raffle!
  • Saul Kaye Jewish Blues Musical entertainment!
  • Acrobatic performance by Red Panda Acrobats!

For many of us, Chanukah prompts warm, loving memories from our childhood. We light the Menorah every night of the 8-night holiday. These lights offer warmth, joy, strength, inspiration and renews our sense of identity.

Rabbi Peretz Goldshmid, director of the Chabad of the Delta Jewish Center, describes Chanukah as “a holiday that enriches our lives with the light of tradition. In ancient times our ancestors rededicated the Temple in Jersusalem with the Menorah. Today, we rededicate ourselves to making this world a better and brighter place.”

Menorahs placed by Chabad of the Delta (L to R, top row) in Antioch with city employees and Rabbi Goldschmid in the center, the grand Menorah in Brentwood City Park, in Discovery Bay, (bottom row) in Brentwood near Veterans Park and in Oakley. Herald file photo of Antioch Menorah, all others courtesy of Rabbi Peretz Goldschmid.

Chabad of the Delta has placed Menorahs in Antioch in Waldie Plaza, in Oakley at City Hall on Main Street, another one in Brentwood at Balfour Road near Veterans Park, and this year we’ve placed a new in Discovery Bay at the Holiday Square on Discovery Bay Blvd.

As we celebrate in East Contra Costa, we join millions the world over, promoting the universal message that good will prevail over evil, freedom over oppression and light over darkness.

Make sure not to miss this opportunity to celebrate with your family and friends!

For more information and free Menorah Kits, contact Chabad of the Delta at (925) 420-4999 or online @ JewishDelta.com/Chanukah.

CEO of East County’s Tri Delta Transit named Small Operators Transit Professional of the Year

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Jeanne Krieg shares a laugh with Rachel Ede, Chair of the CTA Small Operations Committee, while receiving the award on Nov. 3, 2021. Source: Tri Delta Transit

Jeanne Krieg honored by the California Transit Association

By Leeann Loroño, Manager of Customer Service and Marketing, Tri Delta Transit

ANTIOCH, CA, Tri Delta Transit’s CEO, Jeanne Krieg, was honored to receive California Transit Association’s (CTA) distinguished award Small Operators Committee Transit Professional of the Year 2021. She was honored on Nov. 3 during an awards breakfast at the CTA’s 56th Annual Fall Conference & Expo in Sacramento.

The CTA has 52 Small Operator members throughout the state which each operate fewer than 100 buses. The organization gives the award to an outstanding individual who has provided strong leadership and vision to a California transit agency or made a notable contribution that benefits public transit in general.

Krieg has done both of those. She has served as CEO of the agency for 26 of its 44-year history. Krieg has met every challenge the agency has faced, while continuing to grow the organization through innovation that focuses on meeting the transportation needs of Eastern Contra Costa County. Under her leadership, Tri Delta Transit is often first adaptors for programs such as “green business” certifications, Mobility on Demand, real time route applications, mobile ticketing apps, free Wi-Fi, Tri Delta Watch hazard reporting, electric buses, and (soon) hydrogen fueling stations and buses.

“What makes our CEO such a strong leader is not only her passion for the industry and vision for innovation, but also her focus on providing ultimate customer service for our riders,” says Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority Board of Directors Chair Ken Grey. “In addition, she takes as much care of the staff as she does the riders, with an open-door policy, benefits and morale programs, as well as providing training support and personal touches that result in very low turnover.”

Krieg encourages sharing of resources and information, which she does herself by serving on the CTA Executive Committee, for which she served as Chair from 2002 to 2004, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) executive committee, and the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Oversight and Project Selection Committee, not to mention being active on many sub-committees. Her many contributions to the transit industry over her 30-year career have benefitted many other agencies and the industry as a whole.

“I was surprised and honored to receive this award,” Krieg said. “The award really belongs to the board of directors and staff for making Tri Delta Transit such a great organization.”

The Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority, doing business as Tri Delta Transit, is a joint powers agency of the governments of Pittsburg, Antioch, Oakley, Brentwood, and Contra Costa County that provides over 2,500,000 trips each year to a population of over 315,000 residents in the 225 square miles of Eastern Contra Costa County. They currently operate 15 local bus routes Monday through Friday, four local bus routes on weekends, on-demand ride share service Tri MyRide, and door-to-door bus service for senior citizens and people with disabilities.

For additional information about Tri Delta Transit, please visit www.trideltatransit.com.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office searches for missing 87-year-old Bay Point woman

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Adela “Dela” Peña

The Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff has been searching for a missing woman in Bay Point since Wednesday morning, Nov. 17:

Adela “Dela” Peña

87-years-old, 5’1″, 90-100 pounds, with brown colored eyes and brown/gray hair. She was last seen wearing a light blue robe with snowmen on it, black or velvet colored sweat pants, and white sandals.

She is considered at-risk and family members said she is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

She was last seen yesterday at her home on the 600 block of Victoria Court in Bay Point at about 8:40 PM.

Family members searched for Pena but could not find her. They later notified the Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Sheriffs and the Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team are continuing the search for her.

Anyone who has seen Pena or has any information is asked to contact Sheriff’s Office dispatch at (925) 646-2441.

14 children in Antioch given wrong, high doses of COVID-19 vaccine at Sutter Delta clinic last weekend

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Source: CDC

At least two at “home sick Monday with bad stomachaches”

By Allen Payton

Fourteen children were given higher doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine than they should have received at Sutter Health’s Antioch Urgent Care clinic in the Blue Rock Center over the weekend.

A statement was issued by Dr. Jimmy Hu, a pediatrician and Chair of the Sutter Health COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force:

“This weekend 14 patients at our Antioch pediatric vaccine clinic received vaccines with an incorrect amount of diluent. As soon as we learned of this, we contacted the parents and advised them of CDC guidance in this situation. The safety of our patients is our top priority, and we immediately reviewed our processes to help make sure this doesn’t happen again. According to the CDC, patients who receive vaccine with an incorrect diluent volume may experience more arm soreness, fatigue, headache, or a fever in response to the dose given.”

According to Sutter Health spokesperson, Monique Binkley-Smith, the children received more than the 5- to 11-year-old dose of 10 micrograms, and approximately two-thirds the dose of what a 12-year-old or older would get of 30 micrograms.

The vaccine dilution/prep process is done on-site-at the clinics, the same day it’s administered.

According to an ABC news report, two of the children got sick after receiving the vaccine.

“I’m here tonight to report my story because it’s unacceptable; you expect your medical professionals to give you correct doses,” parent Denise Iserloth said.

Denise and her husband Shawn’s eight and 11-year-old children were among the kids given the wrong amount of coronavirus vaccine.

“The Iserloths, whose children were both home sick Monday with bad stomachaches, say their two children were given 20 micrograms of dosage instead of the recommended 10. They’re now very concerned about any long-term effects,” according to the ABC report.

The children are expected to be fine.

“According to the CDC, patients who receive vaccine with an incorrect diluent volume may experience more arm soreness, fatigue, headache, or a fever in response to the dose given,” Binkley-Smith shared.

Also according to the CDC, “Scientists have conducted clinical trials with about 3,000 children, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine has met the safety and efficacy standards for authorization in children ages 5 through 11 years old.  The safety of COVID-19 vaccines continues to be monitored.”

Three young Pittsburg men arrested, charged for armed robberies in five Contra Costa communities

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Source: APD

Robbed 25 businesses, their employees and customers

By Detective Thomas Smith, Antioch Police Department

In August of 2021, the cities of Antioch, Pittsburg, Concord, Brentwood, Bay Point, and Clayton began experiencing a rash of armed robberies. Over approximately 90 days, an estimated twenty-five robberies occurred throughout the county. The responsible subjects were described as Hispanic males in their late teens or early twenties, with masks covering their faces. It was determined by investigators from each agency that the robberies were related, and they were able to establish several viable leads to identify the responsible parties.

On November 3rd, 2021, an armed robbery occurred in the city of Concord. Investigators from the Concord Police Department notified the other involved agencies, and the suspect vehicle was located and stopped in the city of Bay Point. All three occupants were residents of Pittsburg, CA, and were suspected of being responsible for the series of robberies in Contra Costa County. Evidence of the robbery(ies) was located inside the vehicle, and all three suspects were taken into custody.

Following their apprehension, investigators from the Pittsburg, Antioch and Concord Police Departments served several residential search warrants in the city of Pittsburg. During the searches, evidence linking the suspects to the robberies was located. On Friday, November 5th the cases were presented to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office. The District Attorney’s Office reviewed the cases and filed felony charges with enhancements, on 18-year-old Samuel Banales-Melena, 20-year-old Jonathan Medina-Flores, and 18-year-old Rogelio Medina-Flores for their participation in the robberies.

This case was successful due to the collaboration of the law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation. This investigation weighed heavily on the implementation and use of technology, to include license plate reading cameras in the City of Antioch and other technological surveillance efforts. The Antioch Police Department would like to thank the Pittsburg Police Department for taking lead on the investigation, as well as the Concord Police Department for their diligent efforts in apprehending the suspects in these cases, bringing a violent crime spree to an end. As always, the investigation is on-going. If you have any information regarding these robberies, please contact the Antioch Police Department at your earliest convenience.

Anonymous tips or information about this – or any other incident – can be sent via text to 274637 (CRIMES) with the keyword ANTIOCH.

Delta Conveyance (tunnel) Project Case Study Workshop on community benefits programs Nov. 17

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Proposed Delta Conveyance Project Facility Corridor Options. From Scoping Summary Report.

Learn from other projects

Haga clic aquí para ver este aviso en español.

As part of ongoing development of the Community Benefits Program for the proposed Delta Conveyance (tunnel) Project, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) is holding a virtual workshop on Wednesday, November 17th from 6:00pm – 8:00pm to hear and learn from representatives of several different example community benefits programs around the country. (See related articles here and here)

Members of the local Delta community are encouraged to attend this event and hear firsthand experiences about the development and implementation of these programs, including different organizational structures, development timing, important milestones and lessons learned.

There will also be an opportunity to ask the panelists questions and engage in dialogue about their experiences and insights. Although these types of programs are not uncommon, there are various ways to go about setting them up. This workshop gives both DWR and the local community the chance to learn more about how it could be done for the proposed Delta Conveyance Project. (See details of the proposed system, here)

The workshop panelists represent a diverse set of projects and community benefits programs from different parts of the country:

  • Oakland, California, Partnership for Working Families 
    • Ben Beach, Legal Director
  • North Charleston, South Carolina, LowCountry Alliance for Model Communities Port Authority Redevelopment and Transfer Station
    • Omar Muhammed, Executive Director, LowCountry Alliance for Model Communities
  • Morro Bay, California, Castle Offshore Wind Project 
    • Scott Collins, City Manager, City of Morro Bay

While no other project or community benefits program exactly matches the specifics of the proposed Delta Conveyance Project and what might be most appropriate for the Community Benefits Program for this project, the example projects that will be discussed in this workshop offer different and valuable perspectives and examples with varying structures, locations and challenges. In preparing for this workshop, DWR researched community benefits programs for large infrastructure projects that had long-term construction impacts, where the benefits of the project were not local, but impacts of the project were, and where location and potential for environmental justice and economically disadvantaged community concerns were also involved.

Photo: CA Dep’t of Water Resources.

Workshop Details & Registration

  • Wednesday, November 17, 2021 | 6:00pm – 8:00pm | REGISTER HERE
  • Workshop will be conducted on Zoom with a call-in option available

Agenda

  • Welcome and Introductions
  • Presentations from the three project representatives
  • Focused panelist discussion:
    • How did the idea develop in your project?
    • How did the community come together to provide input?
    • When in the project lifecycle did people come together?
    • How did you solicit priorities?
    • How did you formalize the program?
    • How are community benefit funds distributed?
    • How are you measuring and monitoring community benefits?
  • Public questions/discussion

Participation Accommodations & Additional Information

  • Closed captioning will be provided
  • Workshop materials will be available in English and Spanish, and a simultaneous Spanish translation will be offered
  • Workshop access information and materials will be sent out prior to the workshop through Eventbrite
  • If you cannot participate in the workshop but have questions, please email us at DeltaConveyanceCBP@water.ca.gov
  • A recording of the workshop will be posted on the project website, along with the background material, when available

To register, click here.