Women’s History Month Q&A with Safe Return Project’s civic engagement organizer
“if we don’t stand for something, we will not see the changes that we want to in our community.” – Chala Bonner
Chala Bonner. From LinkedIn
By Safe Return Project
In honor of Women’s History Month, we want to showcase the wisdom and accomplishments of the exceptional women of color leading Safe Return Project’s efforts to create a better world for formerly incarcerated people, their families, and their communities. Their personal strength, integrity, and character serve as an inspiration and beacon of light for everyone who crosses their paths.
The Richmond-based organization is invested in building a base of power at the political, social, and economic levels of formerly incarcerated persons across the state of California, addressing the root causes of poverty and the impact that the criminal legal system has had on black people and communities of color.
First up, we are featuring Civic Engagement Organizer, Chala Bonner! She works hard at Safe Return to level the playing field for formerly incarcerated people of color. Her passion for helping others in her community shines through her work.
Her goal is to build equity in the community by helping folks overcome the obstacles and challenges that come with incarceration and reentry and bring healing to those who have had traumatic and stressful experiences. Her personal motto is “Don’t let your past dictate your future.”
Where did you grow up? What was it like?
Richmond, CA. Growing up in Richmond had its ups and downs. However, for the most part, I loved growing up in Richmond. Most of my family and friends live in Richmond. I remember as a little girl always hanging out at the North Richmond Community Center when my grandmother worked there.
Who have been your mentors, and what did you learn from them?
I have mentors who don’t even realize that they are mentors to me. Some people truly lead by example, and I just admire their leadership and learn from them.
What does feminism mean to you?
To me, feminism is standing up for women to have the same rights, power, positions, and opportunities as men and be treated as equal and not less than.
Who are the women you admire most, both in your personal life and in the fight for social justice?
The two women I admire the most in my personal life are my late grandmother and my mother. I’ve learned a lot from them; how to walk in power, truth, love, and resilience. The women that I admire in the fight for social justice are too many to name but just to name a few Kim Carter, Jessica Nowlan, and of course Tamisha Walker. These ladies are paving the way for social justice.
What in particular led you to choose working to serve formerly incarcerated people?
My lived experience led me to choose this work. After going through what I have been through, I knew I wanted to make a change. I did not know much about grassroots organizing when I first got started with the Safe Return Project, but I knew that I wanted to make changes in my community and the injustice system.
What struggles do you see formerly incarcerated women and non-binary folks face that formerly incarcerated men do not? How can we best address them?
I see a lack of adequate resources for formerly incarcerated women and non-binary folks. Not just jobs and housing, but family reunification, education, rehabilitation, and mental and physical health services. The way that we have been addressing these issues is to bring them to light through our participatory action research, advocating for change at the local, county, and even state levels.
What piece of advice would you give to formerly incarcerated women and non-binary folks to overcome gender-related obstacles?
Never give up! Yes, you may get a thousand no’s before you get the yes, but if we don’t stand for something, we will not see the changes that we want to in our community.
What is an important piece of wisdom you learned from working directly with formerly incarcerated women and non-binary folks?
Rest is revolutionary! We carry trauma, we tell our stories over and over, we fight for change constantly, and we have to take the time to rest, restore, empower and heal daily to stay in the fight.
For more information visit www.safereturnprj.org.
TreVista in Antioch named Agemark Senior Living’s Rising Star Community
The TreVista Antioch Team. Pictured left to right: Ifrana Nisha, Erika Mendez, Teresa Glenn, Ali Haddadi, Alberto Maldonado, Jeanette Marquez, Ana Munoz, Elena Patchin, Connie Madrigal. (Not pictured: Tamsen Meierdierck). Photo by Agemark
The community’s first honor under Executive Director Alberto Maldonado
Antioch, CA – Agemark Senior Living recently recognized several of the company’s senior living communities as well as individuals from those communities in a company-wide virtual awards ceremony held February 10. TreVista Senior Living and Memory Care in Antioch was recognized as the company’s Rising Star Community of the Year. This award is given to the Agemark community that has shown tremendous improvement and future promise.
Agemark Founder and Managing Partner Richard Westin is impressed with the team at TreVista in Antioch.
“After undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation, the community has filled nearly all of its available apartments, thanks to the excellent efforts of the entire TreVista team,” he said. “We are so thankful for their commitment to providing excellent care, love and support to all residents of the community.”
TreVista Senior Living and Memory Care in Antioch is under the direction of Executive Director Alberto Maldonado. He began leading the community in August 2020 and says the team is honored to be recognized by Agemark.
“Our community and incredible team embody the values of Agemark proudly and I believe that they are the reason for our tremendous growth, particularly over the last year,” Maldonado stated. “Agemark empowers its leaders and team members to operate as a family, and that’s another reason for our success. We are so thankful for Agemark’s belief in what we do, and we are proud to be the Rising Star recipients.”
TreVista in Antioch offers both Assisted Living and Memory Care in one comfortable and homelike community. Located at 3950 Lone Tree Way in Antioch, the community was acquired by Agemark Senior Living in fall 2017, with management takeover shortly thereafter. In 2020, the community completed an extensive remodel, which improved all common areas and added a bistro, theatre room, in[1]house beauty salon and manicure station, among other improvements for residents to enjoy. The in-house memory care community, The Villa, was completely redone, and made into a more homelike and comfortable environment for those who live with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
A sister community, TreVista in Concord, is also managed by Agemark Senior Living. To learn more about TreVista, visit trevistaseniorliving.com.
Brentwood man enters special April 5 Assembly election race as write-in candidate to challenge Suisun mayor
Supports cutting gas taxes, opposes facemask mandates for school children, announces endorsements; district includes most of East County
Erik Elness. From his campaign.
Erik Elness, a 25-year Brentwood resident and business owner, filed paperwork with the Contra Costa County Elections Department on Friday, March 18, 2022, and was certified as an official ‘Write-In Candidate’ for the April 5, 2022 Assembly District 11 Special Election. The AD-11 seat was vacated when former Assemblyman Jim Frazier resigned on December 31st.
“I decided to run as a write-in candidate, because I wanted to give the hard-working voters of our Contra Costa and Solano district a choice of who they want to vote for in this special election,” Elness stated. “Government has grown bigger and more controlling, and individual liberty has been gradually taken from us.”
A Republican, he is challenging Democrat Suisun City Mayor Lori Wilson who is the only candidate to file in the race. While her name will appear on the ballot, voters must write in Elness’ name to vote for him. The winner will serve out the remainder of the term through the end of the year, in the current district which includes Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, Discovery Bay, Bethel Island, Byron, Knightsen and portions of Pittsburg in the Contra Costa County part of the district.
Within several days of announcing his candidacy, Elness was unanimously endorsed by the Solano County Republican Central Committee and endorsed by CD-8 Congressional Candidate, Major Rudy Recile (U.S. Army, retired), former CD-9 Congressional candidate Antonio Amador, and former AD-11 Assembly candidate Dave Miller. In addition, former AD-11 candidate Lisa Romero has endorsed him, as well.
Elness said he was shocked to learn the Assembly Democrats recently voted against temporarily suspending 50 cents per gallon off the state gasoline taxes. He agreed with the bill to cut state gas prices, adding, “the people of California need relief, now from increasing gas prices, impacting their budgets and our economy. That bill was one simple way to help accomplish that.”
Elness also stated, “I’m ‘pro-choice’ when it comes to COVID vaccines and masks. I don’t believe our children should be forced to wear masks at school.”
“Sacramento politicians are out of touch with the needs of the people who live and work in our neighborhoods. I worked corporate jobs for 23 years and I’ve been a small business owner for nearly 13 years, running a successful family business with my wife,” Elness shared. “We deserve a representative in Sacramento in tune with the issues, concerns, and challenges facing families in our community.”
“I support equal opportunity in education, with every child in every neighborhood receiving a quality education,” he stated. “I applaud successful public schools (my kids had a lot of great teachers in public schools.) But I believe families should have choices when it comes to home school, private or charter schools.’
“I strongly support the U.S. Constitution and I will strongly oppose any new State laws that infringe on our Civil Rights, including our Second Amendment right to bear arms,” Elness continued. “I support our firefighters, local law enforcement officers and deputy district attorneys who work tirelessly to protect our Constitutional liberty and keep our neighborhoods safe.”
To learn more follow his campaign on Facebook at Erik Elness for CA Assembly, District 11 and Instagram at erikelnessforassembly.
To vote for Elness in the April 5 Special Election, simply fill in the ‘bubble’ in the write in section and neatly print his name, “Erik Elness” on the write in line.
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
FBI, Contra Costa DA’s Office investigating possible “crimes of moral turpitude” in Pittsburg, Antioch Police Departments
“conduct that shocks the public conscience, or which does not fall within the moral standards held by the community” – LegalDictionary.com
Will evaluate if cases involving officers are now compromised
UPDATE: Pittsburg PD issues statement, 3 officers placed on paid leave
By Allen D. Payton
Late Friday afternoon, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office announced that on Wednesday, March 23, 2022, the FBI and the DA’s Office conducted court-authorized law enforcement activity at multiple locations. The criminal investigation pertains to sworn law enforcement officers from the Antioch Police Department and Pittsburg Police Department.
The broad range of offenses under investigation involve crimes of moral turpitude. A review of both active and closed cases involving these officers will be necessary to evaluate whether those cases are now compromised. Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, no additional details will be released at this time.
The involved police departments and cities have cooperated with the investigation to ensure minimal disruption to their respective communities. The District Attorney’s Office will continue to work in conjunction with federal authorities along with the cities of Antioch and Pittsburg to ensure public trust and public safety.
According to LegalDictionary.com moral turpitude means, “Conduct that is believed to be contrary to community standards of honesty, good morals, or justice.” In addition, that website reads, “Moral turpitude is a legal concept that refers to any conduct that is believed to be contrary to the community standards of honesty, justice, or good moral values. While there is no one exact definition of acts that are considered under moral turpitude, they are typically described as any acts of vileness or depravity, or of sexual immorality, whether in a private or social context. The word turpitude is defined as a shameful, vile, or corrupt character or acts. Moral turpitude refers to conduct that shocks the public conscience, or which does not fall within the moral standards held by the community. The law concerning moral turpitude is constantly changing and evolving, as the moral standards of society in general change.”
UPDATE: Pittsburg PD Places 3 Officers on Paid Leave
The Pittsburg PD issued the following statement on their social media accounts early Friday evening:
“The Pittsburg Police Department is aware of a joint criminal investigation being conducted by the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office along with the FBI. The investigation involves several local police officers, including three current Pittsburg Police Officers. Anytime there is any allegation of criminal misconduct, that is something our organization takes extremely seriously.
In September of 2021, the department received information that a Pittsburg Officer was involved in illegal activity. The tip also indicated that other law enforcement officers were involved, but did not go into further details. When we learned of the allegations, we immediately contacted the District Attorney’s Office and asked them to conduct an independent criminal investigation.
This past Wednesday, the FBI and the District Attorney’s Office met with three current Pittsburg Police Officers as part of this investigation. After the meetings, all three Pittsburg Police Officers were placed on paid administrative leave. This is still an active criminal investigation being conducted by two outside law enforcement agencies, so we do not have further details into the alleged misconduct. The Pittsburg Police Department will continue to cooperate with the DA’s Office and the FBI. We will also be conducting our own internal investigation that will be completed by an independent, outside investigator.
Please know that the women and men at our Department remain committed to serving our community. Any officer who has violated their oath of office by engaging in illegal or unethical conduct will be held accountable.”
No Response from City of Antioch, Yet
A copy of the DA’s release was sent, Friday at 4:36 p.m., to Interim Antioch Police Chief Tony Morefield, copying Captain Trevor Schnitzius asking if they can provide any information about the investigation. Morefield said any inquiries about the matter must be made to the City of Antioch public information officer (PIO).
An email was then sent to Antioch’s PIO Rolando Bonilla after business hours on Friday asking for the response from the city.
A question was also sent to Assistant DA Simon O’Connell after hours Friday asking for his office’s legal definition of “crimes of moral turpitude”.
Please check back later for any updates to this report.
KlaasKids Foundation asks for help in search for missing Oakley woman Alexis Gabe next two weekends
Organizers of the Alexis Gabe search effort and the KlaasKids Foundation are asking farmers, ranchers, real estate agents and other citizens with access to unoccupied out buildings, unoccupied residences, structures, or fields to check those locations for signs of missing Alexis Gabe this coming weekend, March 26-27. (See related articles here and here)
The search for a missing loved one is a long, arduous task that requires the help and assistance of countless people. Law Enforcement and our volunteers have done an incredible job at searching public locations and lands, but we need your help to cover accessible privately owned property. For this reason, we are asking individuals with access to out buildings, unoccupied residences, and other structures to please search for any signs of missing Alexis Gabe. This effort will go far toward eliminating possible locations where she may be kept against her will, or other evidence of her current whereabouts.
If any suspicious items are located or if you have any information related to the disappearance of Alexis Gabe, please contact the Oakley Police Department at (925) 625-8855
We want to take this opportunity to thank the Oakley Police Department, Contra Costa Sheriff’s Search & Rescue and the selfless volunteers who have searched for Alexis, or otherwise supported the search effort. Another volunteer search will be scheduled and conducted on Saturday, April 2, 2022
Contra Costa Sheriff identifies victim in Wednesday homicide as young Lafayette man
March 24, 2022 – The victim in Wednesday’s shooting death in an unincorporated area between Pleasant Hill and Lafayette has been identified as 20-year-old Basel Jilani of Lafayette. (See related article)
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600 or through Sheriff’s Office dispatch at (925) 646-2441. For any tips, email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call (866) 846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.
Major Bay protection and restoration efforts in S.F. Estuary Blueprint get federal boost
San Rafael Bay. Photo by Mark Prado
$24 million for clean water program
Money to restore San Francisco Bay and address impacts from climate change received a $24 million boost via the federal omnibus spending bill signed into law this week by President Biden.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 provides funds to implement the priority actions identified in the San Francisco Estuary Partnership’s Blueprint. Specifically, the money will go toward the U.S. EPA’s San Francisco Bay Area Water Quality Improvement Fund, which has focused work on removing pollutants, improving wetlands and reducing runoff.
The $24 million annual earmark is the biggest increase to the fund since it began in 2008, with a push from Sen. Dianne Feinstein. The Water Quality Improvement Fund currently receives about $5 million annually to advance wetland restoration, water quality improvement and green urban development projects.
“Thanks to the efforts of Rep. Jackie Speier and our members of Congress, the new law provides funds to implement the priority actions identified in the Estuary Blueprint,” said Caitlin Sweeney, Director of the Estuary Partnership. “This is a huge development and is critical for the long-term health of San Francisco Bay.”
With the support from the Appropriations Act, federal funding for San Francisco Bay will be on par with regional funding from sources like the Bay Area’s Measure AA, which passed in 2016 and dedicates $25 million annually to fund multi-benefit shoreline projects that protect and restore the bay.
The new law also provides a bump in funding for the National Estuary Program, bringing the San Francisco’s Estuary Partnership appropriation this year to $750,000, a $50,000 increase.
Enactment of the omnibus spending bill augments the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress in November 2021, which allocates approximately $5 million annually over the next five years to the Water Quality Improvement Fund and dedicates about $4.5 million over the same period to the Estuary Partnership for implementation of the Estuary Blueprint.
The San Francisco Estuary Blueprint — being updated for 2022-2027 and due out later this year — is a five-year roadmap for restoring the estuary’s chemical, physical, biological, and social-ecological processes to health. The Blueprint identifies the top actions needed for thriving habitats and wildlife, improved water quality for animals and people, increased scale and pace of climate change adaptation and planning, and healthier human and wildlife communities.
Hosted by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), the San Francisco Estuary Partnership is a collaboration of local, state and federal agencies; non-governmental organizations; and academic and business leaders working to protect and restore the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary. The Estuary Partnership was established in 1988 by the state of California and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Clean Water Act’s National Estuary Program when the San Francisco Estuary was designated as an estuary of national significance.
Contra Costa Elections office to test Dominion Voting Systems equipment for accuracy Friday, March 25
Dominion’s Image Cast X equipment. From company brochure.
Public test of Vote-by-Mail counting equipment
The April 5, 2022 Special Election for the California Assembly District 11 office is underway in California. The Contra Costa County Elections Division will perform the county’s official logic and accuracy testing on central ballot counting and processing equipment at 10:00 am Friday, March 25, 2022 at the Elections Office, located at 555 Escobar Street in Martinez and the public is invited to observe.
According to Helen Nolan, Assistant Registrar, “Contra Costa County purchased its ballot counting and processing equipment from Dominion Voting Systems. We originally purchased this ballot tabulation system in March 2018 and will be conducting our 11th election with the system in April using the Dominion Democracy Suite 5.10a. Brand names used in the system include Dell, Canon, InoTec, OKI, AValue, and HP.” (See related article)
Logic and accuracy testing is a standard pre-election procedure. The test will confirm that all central count equipment is in working order and functioning properly. A set of test ballots will be run through each scanner to ensure they are properly programmed and operating as expected.
Visitors are asked to check-in at the Elections lobby. For more information, call 925-335-7800.
Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office investigates shooting death in area between Pleasant Hill and Lafayette
By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County
At about 1:06 PM, Wednesday, March 23, 2022, Muir Station Deputy Sheriffs were dispatched to a report of a shooting in the unincorporated area of Taylor Blvd. and Gloria Terrace between Pleasant Hill and Lafayette.
Deputies arrived on scene to find bystanders providing lifesaving measures to a person on the ground near a vehicle. The victim, who appeared to have been shot, was pronounced deceased at the scene. He is not being identified at this time.
The investigation by Sheriff’s Office Homicide Detectives and the crime lab is ongoing. The suspect is outstanding at this time.
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600 or through Sheriff’s Office dispatch at (925) 646-2441. For any tips, email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call (866) 846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.
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