Contra Costa Herald

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

Contra Costa Commission for Women and Girls to host state Commissions Appointments Workshop

By Leave a Comment

July 29th in Brentwood

By Contra Costa County Office of Communications & Media

(Martinez, CA) – The Contra Costa Commission for Women and Girls is partnering with California Women Lead to host a State of California Commissions Appointments Workshop on July 29.

The workshop will provide information on state and local commissions, the application process, and tips for strong applications. The Commission encourages participation of active community members seeking to learn about public governance, preparing for elected office, or aiming to make more significant community impact. Learn about the value of serving on boards and commissions and why there needs to be more women at the table.

Date and Location:

Saturday, July 29 – 11 am to 1:30 pm

Brentwood Library – 104 Oak Street, Brentwood

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/669132712957

The Contra Costa Commission for Women and Girls was formed in 1984 as an advisory committee to the Board of Supervisors. The Commission provides information and advice to the Board relating to the health and welfare of women and girls in the County. The Commission strives to increase awareness of women’s and girls’ issues, celebrate achievements of local deserving women, champion opportunities for women and girls, and recommend legislative solutions at the city, county, state, and federal levels.

For further information about the California Commissions Appointments Workshop and the Contra Costa Commission for Women and Girls, please email cccwomenscommission@gmail.com.

San Ramon celebrates 40th Anniversary of cityhood with swim and movie night, concert, gala

By 1 Comment

The City of San Ramon is excited to be celebrating its 40th Anniversary!

In 1983, San Ramon voters decided overwhelmingly to incorporate as a city. Officially incorporated on July 1, 1983, the community assumed leadership over development, police, parks, and other services. A new library, community center, and parks were quickly in the planning stages.

The City will be celebrating throughout the year with commemorative giveaways, special events, and more!

For upcoming events and announcements, sign up for email updates here.

40th Anniversary Celebrations

Dive-In Movie: Top Gun: Maverick

Friday, August 4

San Ramon Olympic Pool (9900 Broadmoor Drive)
Rec Swim at 7 p.m.
Movie at 8:15 p.m.
Admission: $1/person
Act#18880

More Information

40th Anniversary Celebration Concert in the Park: Fast Times Dance Party

Sunday, August 6 at 5:30 p.m.

Central Park Amphitheater (12501 Alcosta Blvd)
FREE for All Ages!

40th Anniversary Gala

Friday, August 25

City Hall Rotunda (7000 Bollinger Canyon Road) and San Ramon Community Center (12501 Alcosta Blvd)

 

Annual Spring Block Party in Concord June 6

By 2 Comments

Contra Costa County and the City of Concord bring services to residents from 4-7 p.m.

Avoid having to make multiple stops to government offices or wait in long lines to take care of important tasks. Instead, stop by the County Services Spring Block Party.

Contra Costa County, the County’s Clerk-Recorder-Elections Department and the City of Concord are collaborating to provide a fun, festive event that offers a wide variety of on-the-spot government services at one single location.

The County’s annual Block Party will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday, June 6, at the Concord Library, 2900 Salvio Street, in Concord.

This is the fifth year that Contra Costa County has hosted the increasingly popular event. The “Block Party” rotates locations each year to provide opportunities to engage with different communities around the County.

“This event is designed to bring together multiple services in one location and make it easier for county residents to get things done,” said District IV Supervisor Ken Carlson. “We’re serving residents where they are.”

“Accessibility and outreach are key goals for me as a county elected official, and the County Block Party is a great way to offer county residents accessibility to services out in the community,” said Kristin B. Connelly, Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters. “Our department is excited to be an integral part of this annual event.”

Available services at the Block Party event will include, but are not limited to:

  • Apply for CalFresh & Medi-Cal,
  • Information about childcare and preschool options,
  • Record with Reach from Clerk-Recorder’s Office
  • Library Card Signups,
  • Weatherization information,
  • Voter Registration,
  • Clean Slate Program information,
  • Contra Costa Television (CCTV) — and many more programs.

Food Trucks will offer food for purchase, and parking is free.

For more information, please call the County’s Clerk-Recorder-Elections Department at 925-335-7805.

Contra Costa Supervisors to discuss proposed $5.5 billion Fiscal Year 2023-24 budget Monday

By Leave a Comment

Source: Contra Costa County

By Allen D. Payton

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors will discuss the $5.515 billion Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Recommended Budget at 9 a.m. on Monday, April 24.

New this year is an updated online version, which increases accessibility through easier navigation, interactive content, additional performance measures, and customizable PDF printing options.

“This structurally balanced budget continues to reflect years of careful, comprehensive, and continuing review and refinement of our operations to cope with economic challenges.” said County Administrator Monica Nino. “At every opportunity, we continue to make changes to deliver services that residents need and expect from County government in ways that are more efficient and less costly.”

According to Nino’s report to the Board, “It is anticipated this year will be one of status quo in the delivery of services besides those program enhancements that are in the startup phase from the benefit of the Board-allocated Measure X funds for specific purposes. The increase in salaries and benefits totals $126.3 million, largely due to the second year of a 5% cost of living increase for over 80% of the County workforce received as part of a four-year labor agreement.

The Recommended Budget includes funding for 11,127.6 full-time equivalent positions (FTE), of which 6,836.4 are in the General Fund. The recommendation includes 85.4 new (60.0 General Fund) positions to be added for the fiscal year 2023-2024 (FY23-24). To structurally balance the budget, a number of our General Fund departments continue to have vacancy factors built into their recommended budget allocations. A vacancy factor accounts for cost savings related to personnel vacancies occurring within departments during the fiscal year. During the development of the Recommended Budget, there were approximately 2,013 vacant FTE positions, totaling $305.0 million, of which 1,395 FTE totaling $204.9 million are General Fund supported. Due to difficulties in recruitments, retention, and normal turnover, the following nine departments are maintaining vacancy factors totaling $101.5 million: Health Services, Sheriff-Coroner, Employment and Human Services, District Attorney, County Clerk-Recorder, Probation, Public Defender, Animal Services, and Assessor. We have continued the process of eliminating vacant/unfunded positions with the goal of more easily identifying funded vacant positions requiring recruitment during the fiscal year.

Source: Contra Costa County

General Purpose Revenue for FY23-24 totals $725.1 million, an increase of 9.3% over the prior year budget of $663.6 million. Of the major revenue sources, property taxes are the largest category and total $496.9 million, based on an assumed 4% growth over current year projected collections. The next largest sources are Measure X sales tax at $118.2 million, interest income at $30 million, and sales and use taxes at $22.2 million. Interest income is projected to be received close to double in FY22-23 of what is budgeted for FY23-24; this is as a result of increases in interest rates. This economic benefit is projected not to last and actual interest earnings will be monitored during the new fiscal year in the event an adjustment is necessary.

The following items are potential pressures to the recommended spending plan.

  • Persistent high inflation and economic uncertainty;
  • Unanticipated impacts from the Governor’s May Revised Budget proposal and shortfalls in Federal allocations;
  • Decreasing County revenue growth;
  • Disallowed FEMA reimbursement related to COVID-19;
  • Labor contract negotiations for agreements expiring June 30, 2023; and
  • Limited qualified workforce to fill job vacancies

The majority of the budget ($2.876 billion) is funded from State and Federal revenues. This means that for the majority of the programs funded, a program cut would also result in a loss of the revenue associated with the program. Salary and Benefit costs are broken out to show the growth, which consumes 37% of the County budget.”

Among the recommended budget highlights provided by Supervisor Diane Burgis’ office are:

  • Adds 26 positions in the Employment and Human Services Department to improve children and family services; youth programming and workforce development; In-Home Supportive Services case management; senior nutrition programs; CalAIM implementation; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and associated programs.
  • Adds three full-time Animal Services Officers to increase beat coverage and improve response times to dangerous animal cases and an additional two full-time positions focused on transfer partner and adoption programs and lost and found programs.
  • A $10 million allocation toward developing a new Bay Point Library branch. The branch is a new 10,000-20,000 square-foot space constructed in partnership with an affordable housing project.
  • $10 million in capital funding to provide a local match for grants that would allow the County to leverage state and federal funds for large infrastructure projects, such as roads and bridges, as part of the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The Board discussion is tentatively scheduled to continue at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, April 25, if additional time is needed. The Board is scheduled to adopt the final budget on Tuesday, May 23.

 

Supervisor Glover announces Grant Cycle for Keller Canyon Mitigation Fund now open

By Leave a Comment

Offering grants from $500 to $10,000 in East County; Mandatory Virtual Bidder’s Conference May 2

The Office of Supervisor Federal Glover is pleased to announce that the 2022–23 grant cycle for the Keller Canyon Mitigation Fund is now open. Grant applications ranging from $500 to $10,000 will be accepted via the online application portal beginning May 2, 2023, following a mandatory bidder’s conference. The link for the application portal will be accessible and publicly announced on May 2.  Applications for services must fall within one of the broad categories previously approved by the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors:

  • Code Enforcement
  • Community Beautification
  • Community Services
  • Public Safety (Including Public Health)
  • Youth Services

Additionally, services funded by the Keller Canyon Mitigation Fund must be offered in the mitigation area, which includes the unincorporated community of Bay Point, the City of Pittsburg, and the City of Antioch. The target area is divided into a primary area (Bay Point and Pittsburg from its western border to Harbor Street) and a secondary area (Pittsburg from Harbor Street east to the entire City of Antioch). Services may also be provided to organizations outside the mitigation area only when the beneficiaries reside within the mitigation area.

To apply for Keller Canyon Mitigation grant funds, organizations must be designated either a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6) corporation under the Internal Revenue Code or be a public agency (city, special district, county department, etc.).

MANDATORY VIRTUAL BIDDER’S CONFERENCE—TUESDAY, MAY 2, 202

To be eligible to apply for Keller Canyon Mitigation funds, public agencies and eligible nonprofit organizations must have at least one representative attend and remain for its duration a mandatory virtual bidder’s conference on Tuesday, May 2 at 9:00 a.m. The bidder’s conference is expected to last for approximately 90 minutes and will include detailed presentations on the grant process as well as allow for questions and answers. To have a record of attendees, registration for the bidder’s conference is required.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE MANDATORY BIDDER’S CONFERENCE

Should you have any questions, please call the District 5 office at 925-608-4200 or send an email to district5@bos.cccounty.us.

 

City of San Pablo to celebrate 75th Anniversary of cityhood April 27

By Leave a Comment

Incorporated on April 27, 1948

By Allen D. Payton

Save The Date!

Don’t miss the City of San Pablo’s 75th Anniversary of Incorporation/Cityhood! Join us on Thursday, April 27th from 4 PM – 7 PM at the New City Hall for live music, food and family fun. We hope to see you there!

San Pablo History

According to the City’s Wikipedia page, San Pablo traces its history to Rancho San Pablo, a Mexican-era rancho granted to Francisco María Castro in 1823 and reconfirmed to his son Don Víctor Castro, a noted Californio ranchero and politician, in 1834.

According to the City’s website, “the Castro Family received almost 20,000 acres in a Spanish land grant. It was the home of Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado, the first native-born governor of the State of California who had married one of the Castro daughters. The city was incorporated on April 27, 1948.

By the 1900s, a small town of San Pablo was firmly established, and a big school was built there to accommodate children from nearby ranches. The principal of this school was Walter Helms, for whom Helms Junior High is named. In 1914 San Pablo’s first library opened with about 100 books. A number of property owners near downtown San Pablo subdivided their farmland for housing tracts during the first decade of the 20th century. Most of the streets laid out at that time are still in use today.

World War II changed the town of San Pablo forever into a suburban city. The last dairy ranchers sold out to giant corporations, and the last farmers divided and sold their land for housing tracts.

Between 1940 and 1945, San Pablo’s population boomed, increasing more than tenfold from just 2,000 residents to 25,000, due to the jobs at the Richmond Shipyard. People came from all over the United States to get jobs as welders. Many African Americans came from the South and established the first sizable black community. Housing was put up as quickly as possible to accommodate these new workers. Many of these tiny homes on small lots that characterize San Pablo were built during the war. Not all of them were intended to be permanent buildings and had shoddy construction.

The post-war community settled down to raise families. In the 1950s public works projects paved the streets, added sidewalks and installed streetlights. Playgrounds were opened, a hospital was built, Contra Costa College opened, shopping centers replaced wartime housing. Gambling was outlawed.”

The 2.62 square mile city currently has an estimated population of 31,226. Learn more about San Pablo’s history on the San Pablo Museums website.

Would you like to serve on Contra Costa County’s Retirement Board?

By Leave a Comment

Applications for three-year term due April 21

By Julie DiMaggio Enea, Contra Costa County Office of Communications & Media

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors is seeking individuals with a sound business background, experience in pension fund investment or administration, or in equity investments or banking to serve on the Contra Costa County Employees’ Retirement Association Board of Trustees.  To be considered, candidates must be County residents, must not be Retirement System members or retirees, and may not market any investment, consulting, or related service to the Contra Costa County Retirement Board or any other 1937 Act Retirement Board.

Regular meetings of the Retirement Board are held on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, beginning at 9:00 a.m. and sometimes extending into the afternoon.  There may also be additional meetings on special topics that arise from time to time.

Members of the Retirement Board receive $100 per meeting up to a monthly maximum of $500, plus reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses.  The appointment will be for a full three-year term beginning July 1, 2023, and ending June 30, 2026.

Application forms can be obtained from the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors by calling (925) 655-2000 or by visiting the County webpage.  Applications should be returned to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, County Administration Building, 1025 Escobar St., Martinez, CA  94553, no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, April 21, 2023.  Applicants should plan to be available for public interviews in Martinez on Monday, May 9, 2023.

Further information about the Retirement Board can be obtained by calling CCCERA CEO Gail Strohl at (925) 521-3960 or by visiting the website www.cccera.org.

Contra Costa County surveys community for Arts & Culture Strategic Plan

By Leave a Comment

El Condado de Contra Costa Examina a la Comunidad para Planificación de las Artes y la Cultura

By Kristi Jourdan, Office of Communications & Media

What is the future of Contra Costa County’s arts and cultural landscape? As part of the County’s efforts to develop an Arts and Culture Strategic Plan, a survey will be available to residents during the month of April to gather community feedback.

The County has contracted with Arts Orange County as Project Manager to lead the arts and culture planning process. The goal is to guide an arts and cultural planning effort through an inclusive community engagement process that recognizes and respects the geographic and demographic diversity of the County. The process also includes an inventory of the County’s arts and cultural assets, including organizations, venues, and public art.

The survey will be open until April 30, 2023. To participate, visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/NSMSL2B

A Spanish language version of the survey is available at www.surveymonkey.com/r/YJHCQDH

¿Cuál es el futuro del panorama artístico y cultural del Condado de Contra Costa? Como parte de los esfuerzos del Condado para desarrollar un Plan Estratégico de Arte y Cultura, una encuesta estará disponible para los residentes durante el mes de Abril para recopilar comentarios de la comunidad.

El Condado ha contratado a Arts Orange County como Gerente de Proyecto para dirigir el proceso de planificación de las artes y la cultura. El objetivo es guiar un esfuerzo de planificación artística y cultural a través de un proceso inclusivo de participación comunitaria que reconozca y respete la diversidad geográfica y demográfica del Condado. El proceso también incluyeun inventario de los bienes artísticos y culturales del Condado, incluidas organizaciones, lugares y arte público.

La encuesta estará abierta hasta el 30 de Abril de 2023. Para participar, visite www.surveymonkey.com/r/NSMSL2B Una versión en Español de la encuesta está disponible en www.surveymonkey.com/r/YJHCQDH

 

Contra Costa Health Order to require staff in skilled nursing facilities to continue wearing masks

By Leave a Comment

 

After April 3 state order expires

Staff in local skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) will be required to continue wearing masks under a new Contra Costa County health order.

The order, which requires masks to be well-fitted and cover the nose and mouth, will also apply to paramedics, emergency medical technicians, contractors and vendors when they enter these facilities in Contra Costa. The masking order will not apply to SNF patients or visitors seeing their loved ones.

The County’s health order will go into effect on Monday, April 3, immediately after the state’s COVID masking order for healthcare settings expires.

“Requiring staff at SNFs to wear well-fitting masks will help protect their vulnerable elderly patients from being infected with COVID,” said Dr. Ori Tzvieli, the County’s health officer, who is issuing the order. “We know from our experience during the pandemic that the people SNFs serve – seniors with serious underlying health problems – are the ones who are most susceptible to severe outcomes from a COVID infection.”

Since the pandemic began in 2020, 57% of the deaths from COVID in Contra Costa have been among people ages 75 and older.  

There are 30 SNFs in Contra Costa. Skilled nursing facilities provide a higher level of medical care than other long-term care facilities. The order will not apply to assisted living facilities, residential-care facilities or board-and-care homes, although masking is still highly recommended in those settings.  

Hospitals and outpatient healthcare clinics in Contra Costa County will not be subject to the new County order, although local health systems can choose to enforce their own masking policies. Dr. Tzvieli said hospitals have robust infection-control policies and personnel and can determine if and when masking is required.

California’s pandemic-related health emergency ended on Feb. 28. While the state is lifting its masking requirements for healthcare settings on April 3, local health officials can still issue their own masking orders.

Under the County health order, a well-fitted mask is defined as covering the nose and mouth and it’s strongly recommended that SNF personnel use higher-quality masks, such as an N95 or KN95/94, to provide the maximum protection.

County health staff were asked why the order is still necessary when there has been less than a 1% infection rate in the county in the past 60 days and according to a physician at John Muir Medical Center Concord, the latest COVID strain is treated like a bad cold and they no longer hospitalize for it.

UPDATE: According to Contra Costa Health spokesman Will Harper, “The new local order is narrowly focused on skilled nursing facilities and not any other settings. We are focusing on SNFs in this order because they are where we have seen some of the worst impacts of COVID in Contra Costa County, and we are being cautious with removing one of the last major layers of protection in this setting. As we said in the press release, requiring staff in skilled nursing facilities to wear masks will help protect the vulnerable elderly patients they serve.

From March 2020 to August 2022, deaths of residents of skilled nursing facilities accounted for approximately 27% of all deaths from COVID in the County and, looking more broadly, since the start of the pandemic, 57% of the deaths from COVID in Contra Costa have been among people ages 75 and older.”

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

 

Contra Costa County physicians union reaches contract agreement with management

By Leave a Comment

The Physicians’ and Dentists’ Organization of Contra Costa (PDOCC), a labor union representing more than 240 doctors in Contra Costa County’s public health system, announced a contract agreement with county management. 

The agreement was supported by 90 percent of voting PDOCC members and approved by the County Board Supervisors on Tuesday, May 21. It avoids a historic strike which would have impacted operations throughout the county health system. 

The contract enhances the time doctors have to manage their panels of patients and also makes the compensation package more competitive in the Bay Area market. 

The contract addresses many issues PDOCC members raised in their negotiations. During the negotiations county doctors and dentists pointed to high patient caseloads, insufficient time for administrative tasks, long waits for primary care appointments and specialty referrals, chronic short staffing and high turnover – all of which combine to negatively impact patient care and health impacts. 

“Our new contract advances our goal of improving the ability of Contra Costa County to recruit and retain top medical and dental talent to best serve our communities,” said Dr. David MacDonald, PDOCC President. “We will continue advocating for the patient care issues we called attention to in our negotiations, but we are optimistic about our progress and path forward.”