Contra Costa Herald

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

BART to Antioch, former Lafayette city manager honored with first-ever Bay Area Metro Awards

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A two-car eBART train in the middle of Highway 4 between Hillcrest Avenue and A Street/Lone Tree Way. Herald file photo.

Among 13 winners named from across the nine-county region

Steven Falk. Photo by City of Lafayette.

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) joined forces to present the first Bay Area Metro Awards Thursday, at a ceremony in Oakland recognizing 13 people, projects, organizations and local governments advancing solutions to ease the Bay Area’s housing crisis, improve the transportation system or make the nine-county region more resilient.

Winners include:

BART to Antioch: For the 10-mile rail extension from the former Pittsburg terminus along the Highway 4 median to a pair of new stations at Pittsburg Center and Antioch.

Steven Falk: For his years of committed service to the city of Lafayette as city manager. He retired last September after 38 years working for the city.

UC Berkeley’s Y-PLAN Team: For the program that brought young people’s ideas into a regional challenge to develop community-based solutions to climate change.

Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART): For the successful start of rail service connecting Sonoma and Marin counties.

HayWired Earthquake Scenario: To the U.S. Geological Survey and partners for studying a hypothetical 7.0 magnitude quake in the East Bay to help shape public policy for earthquake safety and planning.

Pacific Beach Coalition: For organizing volunteers over the past 21 years to clean up beaches along the San Mateo Coast.

Acquisition of the 23rd Avenue Community Building in Oakland: To the Oakland Community Land Trust and others, permanently preserving it as an affordable, mixed-use building.

San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority: For work on the Clean Water, Pollution Prevention and Habitat Restoration Measure – Measure AA – which was approved by voters in 2016 to tax themselves to help restore Bay Area wetlands.

Joint Workforce Investment Apprenticeship Program: To a partnership between the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), its Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 265, and Mission College to support the professional development of VTA employees.

San Leandro Homeless Compact: For the efforts of three partner organizations to end homelessness in the city of San Leandro: the city, the Rental Housing Association of Southern Alameda County, and the non-profit Building Futures with Women and Children.

Carl Guardino, Gabriel Metcalf and Jim Wunderman: For their dedicated and tireless work advocating for Regional Measure 3, the voter-approved 2018 measure which raised bridge tolls to fund transportation improvements and congestion relief projects.

LEGISLATIVE AWARD: Hon. Jim Beall, California State Senator.

GRAND AWARD: Recognizes three public transit operators and a public energy program for their work to save lives, protect communities and aid in rebuilding in response to the October 2017 North Bay fires:

  • Santa Rosa CityBus
  • Sonoma Clean Power, Advanced Energy Rebuild Program
  • Sonoma County Transit
  • Vine Transit (Napa County)

Launched jointly by ABAG and MTC in September 2018 with a call for nominations, the new awards program honors positive impacts on the Bay Area’s mobility, affordability, resilience and community; and recognizes efforts that make the region a better place to live, work and play.

“We honor this year’s winners to say thank you for the work they are doing and we hope that the winners’ stories will inspire others to strive for excellence in their daily tasks,” said ABAG President and MTC Commissioner David Rabbitt.

Winners received a specially designed Bay Area Metro Award at the recognition ceremony.  A six-member jury that included members of ABAG’s and MTC’s governing boards, as well as staff and a community representative, met to consider some 80 nominations in early 2019. The list of winners, with more details, can be found here: https://mtc.ca.gov/whats-happening/news/special-features/2019-bay-area-metro-award-winners.

 

Attorney Ben Riley of Orinda ranked by Chambers in top 12 I.P. litigators in California

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Ben Riley. Photo from bzbm.com.

In their 2019 rankings of lawyers around the world, Chambers and Partners identified Ben Riley as one of the 12 top litigators in California in the category of Intellectual Property Litigation:  Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets. Riley is a resident of Orinda and a principal of the firm Bartko Zankel Bunzel & Miller, PLC in San Francisco.

For 30 years, the London-based firm of 200 researchers has conducted thousands of interviews to identify the top lawyers and law firms in the world.  Chambers requires that any applicant submit a detailed questionnaire about their practice and cases, and list 20 client and colleague references.  Then they conducted telephone and email interviews with each of the references.

From those interviews, Chambers published the following comments about him: “Benjamin Riley is ‘very organized, writes beautifully and is great in front of judges,’ report sources, further noting: ‘He’s very bright, quick to grasp technical and legal issues, and he’s very efficient.’ He is an experienced practitioner skilled in handling a broad range of contentious IP matters. He is particularly highlighted for his expertise in trade secret disputes.”

The full ranking may be found here.

Riley serves on the firm’s executive committee and has tried nearly 30 cases to verdict including jury trials, court trials, and complex arbitrations. His practice focuses on Intellectual Property Litigation, including patents, trade secrets, copyrights, trademarks and license disputes. He also has an active practice in Business Litigation, including class action defense, defense of “consumer claims” under the Lanham Act and unfair competition statutes, accounting issues, and real property litigation.

Riley also represents companies in connection with director and officer, securities, fiduciary duty, and internal investigation issues, and obtained a defense verdict in a six-week securities class action jury trial. Finally, Mr. Riley represents private clients and charities in Trust and Estate Litigation.

Riley has lectured and published extensively as to Intellectual Property, Business Litigation, Trust & Estate Litigation, and trial practice skills. He is an expert in commercial arbitration law and procedure and regularly handles important cases before the world’s leading arbitration forums. He also has an active practice as a Mediator for the Northern District of California and for private litigants.

Riley has been honored as a California Lawyer of the Year and as a “Super Lawyer” every year since 2004. He earned a degree in history from Dartmouth in 1979 and his J.D. from U.C. Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law in 1983.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Lafayette, Berkeley Police arrest two suspects from Oakland in laptop robbery at coffee shop

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By Lafayette Police Department

On April 30, 2019, at approximately 3:12 p.m., Lafayette Police Officers were dispatched to a report of a robbery that had just occurred at the Bank of America. Additional information was received that one of the suspects had stated he had a gun.

As Officers were responding, they received information that the suspects were fleeing the scene in a black, four-door sedan and a citizen had provided a license plate number for the vehicle.

When Officers arrived on scene, they determined that no crime had occurred at the Bank of America, but instead at Peet’s Coffee. Officers learned that four suspects drove into the Plaza Shopping Center on Mt. Diablo Blvd., where two of the suspects exited the vehicle, and entered Peet’s Coffee shop. The two suspects each stole a laptop from patrons that were sitting inside and ran to the waiting Saturn sedan.

Two local students were eating in a nearby business and observed the suspects running out of Peet’s with the laptops. They ran out to provide aid and saw the suspect vehicle driving away. Believing a robbery had just occurred, one of the students ran after the vehicle. While the suspect vehicle was stopped in traffic, the student began taking pictures with his cell phone. One of the suspects saw him and yelled out that he had a gun and would shoot him. The student safely backed away and called 911 to report his actions. Lafayette PD will not be releasing the student’s identity.

With the information provided, Officers were able to use city-owned cameras to locate the vehicle and obtain images of the occupants. Lafayette Detectives were able to identify of all the occupants with assistance from Oakland Police. Detectives learned that the registered owner of the vehicle, along with two of the passengers, had active arrest warrants for prior, similar crimes in the City of Berkeley.

By 8:00 p.m., Oakland Police were able to locate the vehicle and detain two of the suspects. Lafayette and Berkeley Police Detectives responded to Oakland and arrested the two suspects. Lafayette Detectives are working with Berkeley Detectives and the investigation is currently active; with two suspects still outstanding. The suspects are not being identified at this time.

Orinda Police arrest Oakland man suspected in two bank robberies Tuesday morning

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By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff.

The Orinda Police Department, assisted by the Oakland Police Department, arrested 49-year-old Duane Makela of Oakland Tuesday morning, April 23 in connection with two bank robberies that occurred in the city of Orinda last year.

During the joint investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Makela was identified as the suspect. Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Makela and a search warrant for his home. Makela was arrested at about 6:55 AM on the 3600 block of Broadway in Oakland without incident.

Makela’s vehicle was also searched. A possible explosive device was located in his car; the device was rendered safe.

Makela was later booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on robbery and drug possession charges. He is being held in lieu of $150,000 bail.

Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact the Orinda Police Department at (925) 254-6820. For any tips, call 866-846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message or email: tips@so.cccounty.us.

 

Coroner’s Inquest jury finds 2018 death of Oakland man in in Orinda following police pursuit to be an accident

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The suspect’s burned car on Hwy 24 near Orinda following police pursuit and crash on July 21, 2018. Herald file photo.

By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff

Sheriff-Coroner David O. Livingston announces that a Coroner’s jury has reached a finding in the July 21, 2018 death of 20-year-old Lawrence Leo Martin IV of Oakland from a crash following a police pursuit in Orinda. The finding of the jury is that the death was an accident.

The Coroner’s jury today reached a unanimous verdict after hearing the testimony of witnesses called by hearing officer Matthew Guichard.

A Coroner’s inquest, which Sheriff-Coroner Livingston convenes in fatal incidents involving peace officers, is a public hearing during which a jury rules on the manner of a person’s death. Jury members can choose from the following four options when making their finding: accident, suicide, natural causes, or at the hands of another person, other than by accident.

Rep. DeSaulnier to host Emergency Town Hall on partial government shutdown Saturday, Jan. 19

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Event will provide local federal workers and residents with resources and information

Rep. Mark DeSaulnier

Today, Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11) announced that he will host an emergency town hall on the partial federal government shutdown this Saturday, January 19th at 2:00 p.m. in Lafayette.

The shutdown has left 37,000 hardworking California families without a paycheck, increased wait times at airports and jeopardized air safety, closed our national parks, put tax returns at risk, and put millions of families at risk of losing or seeing reduced food assistance.

This emergency town hall will serve as an opportunity to provide residents and federal workers with the latest on the Trump Shutdown. Additionally, local organizations will be on hand to assist federal workers or those who may be impacted by the shutdown. This will be Congressman DeSaulnier’s 75th town hall and mobile district office hour since coming to Congress four years ago.


Lafayette Town Hall
Special Topic: Trump Shutdown
Saturday, January 19, 2019
2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Stanley Middle School
3455 School Street
Lafayette, CA 94549
Doors Open at 1:30 p.m.

Note: This town hall was previously scheduled for Wednesday, January 23rd, but was moved to accommodate a change in the House voting schedule caused by the shutdown.

This event is open to the public, press, and photographers. Please RSVP by visiting https://desaulnier.house.gov/town-hall-rsvp or calling (925) 933-2660. To request ADA accommodations, translation services, or for more information, contact Congressman DeSaulnier’s office in either Richmond or Walnut Creek.

Bay Point man arrested near Lafayette school for indecent exposure Tuesday

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By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff

On Tuesday, October 23, 2018, at approximately 12:17 p.m., the Lafayette Police Department received a call of a suspicious subject in the area of School Street and 1st Street, near Lafayette Elementary School. The citizen reported a male adult sitting in a vehicle touching his genitals while staring at children.

The citizen provided a description of the subject and the vehicle as the subject drove away. Officers were able to locate the vehicle on eastbound Highway 24 prior to Pleasant Hill and conducted an enforcement stop. The driver was positively identified as the reported subject and was detained.

Currently, there have been no reports of children seeing the subject and the citizen caller was an adult.

The suspect is identified as 33-year-old Franklin Rivera of Bay Point. He was later booked into the Martinez Detention Facility for indecent exposure. He is being held in lieu of $5,000 bail.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to call Lafayette Police Detective Sergeant Rossberg at (925) 299-3234 or send an email to 94549tip@gmail.com.

Pittsburg teen arrested in Lafayette battery, attempted kidnapping case

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Jordan Wilson in a photo posted on his Facebook page Aug. 4, 2018.

By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff

Lafayette Police have arrested a suspect involved in a battery and kidnapping case that occurred early yesterday morning.

On Tuesday morning at about 4:25 A.M., Lafayette Police Officers were dispatched to a battery incident on the 3500 block of Mt. Diablo Boulevard.

As a resident was walking towards the Lafayette BART Station, two individuals pulled up next to her in a dark colored sedan. Both of them were wearing masks. One subject got out of the vehicle and grabbed the woman, attempting to pull her towards the vehicle. She was able to break free and yell for help. The subjects then fled the area.

The suspect is identified as 19-year-old Jordan Andrew Wilson of Pittsburg. Wednesday morning at about 4:20 A.M., Wilson was in a vehicle that was stopped by Pittsburg Police in the city of Pittsburg. He was arrested and transported to Lafayette PD for an interview. Following his interview he was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on kidnapping and conspiracy charges. Wilson is being held in lieu of $200,000 bail.

Two suspects remain outstanding. Lafayette Police Detectives are actively investigating the case and are asking anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious dur-ing that time to contact Detective Sergeant T. Rossberg at (925) 299-3234. You can also call police dispatch at (925) 646-2441 or send a tip to the Lafayette Police Department at: 94549TIP@gmail.com.

Update on investigation into Saturday’s fatal Hwy 24 collision after suspects flee from officer

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The burned suspect’s vehicle following CHP chase and collision on Highway 24 in Orinda, Saturday, July 21, 2018. Photo by KTVU Fox2 News.

By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the District Attorney

The investigation into a fatal single vehicle collision after two suspects fled from an Orinda Police Officer on Saturday is ongoing. The investigation is being conducted by the District Attorney’s Office, Office of the Sheriff and CHP per the county fatal incident protocol.

On Saturday, July 21, 2018, at about 9:02 AM, an Orinda Police Officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a Nissan Altima for vehicle code violations in the area of St. Stephens Drive and Tahos Road in Orinda. As the officer approached the vehicle, it fled at a high rate of speed leading the officer on a pursuit. The suspect vehicle entered westbound Highway 24. The officer lost sight of the suspect vehicle and later came upon a single vehicle collision involving the car on Highway 24 near the BART station.

First aid was rendered to the two occupants of the vehicle. They were taken to a local hospital, where one was pronounced deceased. He is identified as 20-year-old Lawrence Mar-tin of Oakland.

The other occupant of the vehicle, 20-year-old Danny Lockett of San Francisco, was arrested for felony evading causing death and a probation violation. He is being held without bail at the Martinez Detention Facility.

Anyone with any information on this incident is asked to contact the Office of the Sheriff Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, please email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call 866-846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.

Sheriff’s Office investigates fatal single vehicle collision on Hwy 24 in Orinda after suspects flee from officer

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Photo from the CHP-Contra Costa Twitter feed.

Car catches fire, closes all westbound lanes

By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff

This morning (7/21/18) at about 9:02, an Orinda Police Officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop for vehicle code violations in the area of St. Stephens Drive and Tahos Road in Orinda. As the officer approached the vehicle, it fled at a high rate of speed leading the officer on a pursuit.

Suspects’ burned car from CHP chase and crash on Highway 24 in Orinda, Saturday morning, July 21, 2018. Photo by KTVU Fox2 News.

The suspect vehicle entered westbound Highway 24. The officer lost sight of the suspect vehicle and later came upon a single vehicle collision involving the vehicle on Highway 24 near the BART station.

First aid was rendered to the two occupants of the vehicle. They were taken to a local hospital, where one was pronounced deceased. They are not being identified at this time. The officer involved fatal incident protocol has been invoked. This incident is being investigated by the District Attorney’s Office, Office of the Sheriff and CHP.

According to an ABC7 News report the collision resulted in the shutdown of the westbound lanes of Highway 24 and “the CHP reported the overturned car was engulfed in flames and that an ambulance was called to the scene.” According to a tweet on the CHP-Contra Costa Twitter feed, all vehicles were being diverted to the Orinda Road offramp.

Anyone who has any information on this incident is asked to contact the Office of the Sheriff Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, please email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call 866-846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.