Contra Costa Herald

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

Man found shot to death near Concord shopping center early Monday morning

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By Concord Police Department

Early this morning, just after midnight, CPD received a call reporting a male down in the roadway near a shopping center located in the 1100 block of Concord Ave. Officers found a 26-year-old male who appears to have been killed from several gunshot wounds. Witnesses described a dark colored SUV that may have been involved. Detectives are actively working the case and there is no further information for release at this time.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Detective Loercher at (925) 603-5922 or our anonymous tip-line at (925) 603-5836, referencing case #21-02004.

See crime scene video by CBS KPIX5.

Police seek help finding suspects in home invasion armed robbery in Orinda Sunday

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

Sunday afternoon, Feb. 28, 2021 at about 2:53 PM, Orinda police officers responded to Don Gabriel Way in Orinda for a report of an armed robbery at a residence.

The victim was confronted by two men, one of whom was armed. The suspects stole valuables and then fled. The victim called the police. He was not injured.

Police searched for the suspects using a helicopter, drone and police K-9 but were not able to locate them.

The investigation is ongoing.

The suspects are described as two African American males. One was wearing a green florescent construction vest, black colored hoodie jacket w/red stripe, black pants and white shoes. The other was dressed in a baby-blue colored hoodie jacket, black pants, and black and white shoes. The vehicle they were driving is a silver-colored Mercedes Benz.

Anyone with any information on this incident is asked to contact 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.

Plans for new Oakland A’s waterfront ballpark move forward

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Renderings of A’s proposed waterfront ballpark and area development. Source: Oakland A’s.

City of Oakland releases Draft EIR for project

The City of Oakland’s Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR), which the city released today, offers an incredibly thorough analysis showing the path forward for the Oakland A’s privately financed project at Howard Terminal that will be important to the environmental, transportation, and housing future of Oakland. The Draft EIR illustrates how current and future Port activity and a new neighborhood can not only coexist but also thrive.

“The release of the Draft EIR is another important step forward in the process of building a new privately financed ballpark at Oakland’s Howard Terminal,” said Oakland A’s President Dave Kaval.

The analysis shows, along with the plans the A’s have unveiled, how a once-in-a-generation project like this can contribute to the health and vitality of Oakland, including improved infrastructure and transportation solutions, measures to improve air quality, and supplying additional housing.

The DEIR outlines the following key areas:

Opening the Waterfront to the Community

  • Creates public waterfront access and more than 18 acres of new waterfront parks and open space areas
  • Improves Oakland’s resilience against sea-level rise
  • Transforms an underutilized industrial site into a sustainable community at no expense to taxpayers

Forward-looking Transportation Plan

  • A transit-first approach, the plan reduces car trips by 20 percent, expands public transportation options, and invests in bike safety and infrastructure, and pedestrian walkways and bridges
  • Separates ballpark and development transportation from Port of Oakland traffic to safeguard the Port and provide greater efficiency for trucks to access the Port

Caring for the Environment for Generations

  • Achieves net zero greenhouse gas emissions, and numerous other long-term health benefits for residents
  • Invests in electric vehicle chargers, solar options, public transportation

Creating Homes for Oaklanders

  • Proposes 3,000 homes, including affordable housing, in an area that the City of Oakland designated as a “Priority Development Area” by the Plan Bay Area 2040 vision for long-term growth

“The Athletics are the last professional sports team in Oakland,” said Kaval. “We employ thousands of Oakland and Alameda County residents, and local businesses, the City, and County derive significant economic benefits and revenue from our games. While the release of the draft environmental report is a great milestone, it is imperative that the City Council take a vote on the project this year. We look to the City for their support and partnership to keep the A’s in Oakland for generations to come.”

For more information on the A’s new ballpark plans and to watch the video, visit WeAreRooted.com. To see renderings of the ballpark and entire project site, click here.

Melissa Klawuhn promoted to Contra Costa County Assistant Sheriff

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New Contra Costa County Assistant Sheriff Melissa Klawuhn. Photo: CCCSheriff’s Office

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

Contra Costa County Sheriff David Livingston is pleased to announce the promotion of Captain Melissa Klawuhn to the rank of Assistant Sheriff effective February 27, 2021.

Captain Klawuhn joined the Office of the Sheriff in 2001 as a Laboratory Aide in the Forensic Services Division. In 2003, she was promoted to Deputy Sheriff Criminalist and attended the police basic academy. The next year she transferred to the classification of Deputy Sheriff and had assignments in custody service, patrol and investigation. During that time she served as a Bay Point resident deputy and homicide detective. Captain Klawuhn was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2013, to lieutenant in 2016 and captain in 2019. Captain Klawuhn previously served as a team leader of the Hostage Negotiation Team and the commander of the SWAT Team.

Before joining the Sheriff’s Office, Captain Klawuhn, who has a degree in animal science, was a high school chemistry teacher.

“The Office of the Sheriff values our community partnerships and diversity, and I am honored to transition into this new leadership role,” said Captain Klawuhn.

In her new role, Captain Klawuhn will be one of four Assistant Sheriffs in the organization. She will oversee the Administrative Services Bureau. This includes personnel, finance, professional standards, recruitment, and training.

“It is my privilege to promote Captain Klawuhn,” said Sheriff David Livingston. “She has handled numerous high profile and critical assignments as she climbed the ranks in the department. She has shown outstanding dedication and leadership and made many contributions to the department and community. I thank her for taking on new responsibilities as we serve the community and guide the department into the future. Congratulations to Captain Klawuhn.”

Sheriff’s Office investigates early Friday morning murder of Richmond man in El Sobrante

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Victim identified, shot multiple times in his car

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

Friday morning at about 1:10 AM, Bay Station Deputy Sheriffs were dispatched to the 300 block of Joan Vista Street in El Sobrante for a report of a person who had been shot in a vehicle.

Deputies arrived at the location and found a man in a car suffering from gunshot wounds. Deputies performed life-saving measures until responding medical personnel arrived. The victim was later pronounced deceased at the scene.

The man is identified as 30-year-old Jovanne Hollman of Richmond.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with any 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.

Contra Costa County issues $97.42 million in tax-exempt bonds to fund new county facilities

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For redevelopment of former administration building site, build fire stations and fund new airport terminal

Savings of $7.3 million also generated from refunding existing bonds

By Susan Shiu, Director, Office of Communications and Media, Contra Costa County

Thursday morning, Feb. 25, 2021, Contra Costa County sold $97,420,000 of lease revenue bonds with Barclay’s Capital Inc. serving as underwriter. Proceeds from the bond sale will fund infrastructure projects including redevelopment of the former County Administration Center complex in Martinez, a portion of a new Aircraft Terminal at the Buchanan Field Airport in Concord and construction of two fire stations in Pacheco and Bay Point.

In addition, the County refunded $48.4 million of outstanding bonds resulting in significant savings to the County.

The bonds funding the new construction projects have a true interest cost of 2.27% with a term of 20 years. The refunding bonds have a true interest cost of 1.80% and shortens the term of the previous bonds by two years, from 19 years to 17 years. The refunding bonds resulted in a net present value savings to the County of $7.3 million.

“The results from today’s bond sale are proof of the County’s reputation of strong financial management within the municipal market,” said Chair of the Board of Supervisors Diane Burgis. “This allows the County to secure financing for important public infrastructure projects at very attractive rates to better serve our residents.”

According to the California State Treasurer, lease revenue bonds (LRBs) are a type of revenue bond. Lease revenue bonds usually finance the construction of facilities, including government office buildings, correction facilities, courthouses, and fire facilities. However, unlike revenue bonds that use money generated by the project (a bridge toll) to repay investors, lease revenue bonds have a lessee (government agency) that pays rent to use the facility. The rent payments are used to pay back investors who purchased the bonds used to finance the construction of the facility. LRBs are secured by lease payments made by the party leasing the facility (school or office building) that was funded by the bond issue.

“Historically low interest rates and the County’s strong credit profile have allowed us to advance critical projects and refund existing debt for cost savings,” stated County Administrator Monica Nino.

Contra Costa County has been rated “AAA” by Standard and Poor’s since 2012 and, most recently, was upgraded by Moody’s Investor Service to “Aa1” from “Aa2” on February 16, 2021. Both credit rating agencies have attributed their high ratings for Contra Costa County to strong financial management, with policies and practices well-embedded in County operations. They have also pointed to a strong local economy with a large, diverse tax base.

Contra Costa DA Becton supports California Supreme Court decision to prevent minors from being tried as adults

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By Allen Payton

Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton issued a statement regarding Thursday’s California Supreme Court decision to uphold the constitutionality of Senate Bill 1391 (Lara).

Proposition 57, passed in the November 2016 general election, requires prosecutors to commence all cases involving a minor in juvenile court. Senate Bill No. 1391 enacted in 2018, amended Proposition 57 to prohibit minors under the age of 16 from being transferred to adult criminal court.

In the case of O.G. v. The Superior Court of Ventura County, the Court of Appeal held that Senate Bill 1391 is inconsistent with Proposition 57 and thus invalid. The state Supreme Court overruled the lower court’s decision.

“We agree with the majority view that Senate Bill 1391 was a permissible amendment to Proposition 57 and we reverse the judgment in this case,” the decision reads.

“Today’s unanimous decision by the Supreme Court is an important moment for the criminal justice system to give children a chance at rehabilitation for crimes they committed during their youth,” said Becton. “I have always believed this law was constitutional and should be followed. Our local judges in Contra Costa County have also agreed with me.”

“The juvenile justice system currently is not working,” she continued. “I established a task force to examine how to reform our juvenile justice system. We must think differently on how we treat children and ensure we strategically allocate resources to focus on prevention and rehabilitation efforts.”

The full Supreme Court decision is available here.

Scott Alonso, PIO, CCCDA contributed to this report.

New report, agency chart course for tackling Bay Area’s chronic housing shortage and affordability problems

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Source: MTC & ABAG

MTC, ABAG launch Bay Area Housing Finance Authority and the Expanded Regional Housing Portfolio; possible future nine-county tax measure

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) today issued a detailed new report, entitled Momentum for Lasting Solutions, to serve as a roadmap for private investors as well as federal, state and local governments to combine forces in a comprehensive regional effort to deliver housing availability and affordability throughout the nine-county Bay Area.

Specific strategies identified in the report include securing billions of dollars in dedicated funding; fortifying cities’ and counties’ capacity to produce and preserve housing while also protecting residents from displacement; and launching new pilot programs to prevent homelessness, spur the preservation of existing housing, bolster rental and mortgage assistance, create a single regional platform for affordable housing applications, and establish a regional database to monitor the “pipeline” of new projects in the planning, permitting, financing and construction phases. Near-term actions proposed in the report are designed to lay a foundation for the Bay Area to efficiently and effectively deploy future capital resources, including funds from a potential nine-county ballot measure.

“The Bay Area’s housing crisis has been growing for decades,” noted Berkeley mayor and ABAG Executive Board president Jesse Arreguin, “The roots of the problem are deep and tangled, and they reach into every one of our communities. ABAG and MTC have been organizing a coordinated regional approach because the problem is too big for any one city or county to solve separately.”

One of the cornerstones of ABAG’s and MTC’s expanded regional housing portfolio is the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority. Established in 2019 by state Assembly Bill 1487, BAHFA is the first regional housing finance authority in California and gives the Bay Area a new set of tools that can be used in new ways in all nine Bay Area counties and in each of the region’s 101 cities. While BAHFA is comprised of the same membership as MTC, its procedures also are managed by the ABAG Executive Board; and both boards must approve any decision to put a regional housing finance measure on a future ballot.

Napa County Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza, who also serves as Chair of both MTC and BAHFA, acknowledges that meeting the Bay Area’s interrelated housing challenges will require the investment of dollars that are not currently available.

“As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic upheaval that followed, MTC and ABAG elected not to put a measure on the November 2020 ballot. But we have kept working on the ‘Three Ps’ to boost housing production, encourage the preservation of existing housing and protect vulnerable residents from displacement,” he said. “We’re building partnerships with Bay Area companies and foundations, and also working to secure state and federal dollars that can be used as seed money to kickstart the regional approach outlined by AB 1487 and the Momentum for Lasting Solutions report. And we will continue to evaluate the next viable opportunity to put a regional housing measure on the ballot. The bottom line is that the Bay Area has to deliver stable and affordable housing on a massive scale and with equitable outcomes — now more than ever.”

San Francisco Assembly Member David Chiu, who authored AB 1487, explained in 2020 that, “BAHFA is more than just a vehicle for voters to support affordable housing. It’s also a vehicle for collectively addressing our housing crisis, embracing bold ideas, testing innovative approaches, strengthening the partnership between ABAG and MTC through shared decision-making, and fostering new funding partnerships with foundations and the private sector.”

View the complete Momentum for Lasting Solutions report on the ABAG website.

MTC is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. ABAG is the council of governments and the regional planning agency for the 101 cities and towns, and nine counties of the Bay Area.

Formal charges of murder, other crimes filed against suspect in Discovery Bay homicide and Antioch drive-by shooting

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Also tied to Brentwood store robbery; bail lowered from $11 million to $9.8 million

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

This morning detectives from the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff, Antioch Police

Department and Brentwood Police Department jointly filed their cases against 26-year-old Darryon Williams of Stockton. He is the suspect in Saturday’s multiple shooting of first responders in Antioch, a murder in Discovery Bay and robbery in Brentwood. The Contra Costa D.A.’s Office has filed the following charges against Williams: Complaint filed vs. Williams February 24 2021

  • Murder
  • Second degree robbery
  • Shooting from a vehicle
  • Assault on peace officer/firefighter with semiautomatic firearm (6 counts)
  • Assault with a semiautomatic firearm (3 counts)
  • Fleeing a pursuing peace officer’s motor vehicle while driving recklessly

Williams remains in custody at the Martinez Detention Facility. He is being held in lieu of $9,790,270 bail. According to Scott Alonso, PIO for the Contra Costa DA’s Office, Williams’ arraignment will be held Thursday, Feb. 25 at 1:30 p.m. in Department 1 of the Contra Costa County Superior Court building in Martinez.

The Office of the Sheriff would like to thank the Antioch and Brentwood Police Departments for their assistance during our homicide investigation. The three agencies worked together closely and collaboratively. The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information on the Discovery Bay homicide is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office Investigation Division through Sheriff’s Office dispatch at (925) 646-2441 or at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call (866) 846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.

The Antioch Police Department can be reached at (925) 778-2441. Anonymous text tips can be sent to 274637 with the keyword ANTIOCH. The Brentwood Police Department can be reached at (925) 809-7911.

Rep. McNerney to host “Conversation on COVID-19 and Health Disparities in the Black Community” with Dr. Bennet Omalu, Friday

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Rep. Jerry McNerney (official photo) and Dr. Bennnet Omalu (from Wikipedia).

Famous football brain injury neuropathologist featured in Will Smith movie “Concussion”

As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout moves forward, it is important that we continue to reach out to our diverse communities and make sure everyone has the information and access to protect themselves and their families. Congressman Jerry McNerney (D, CA-09) will hold a conversation on Friday, February 26th from 4:00-5:00 PM to discuss COVID-19 and health disparities in the Black community and how we as a community at large can engage and support one another in the fight against this pandemic. The Congressman will be joined by special guests Dr. Bennet Omalu, Dr. Kim Rhoads, Dr. Otashe Golden, and Stockton Branch NAACP President Bobby Bivens.

Dr. Omalu is the forensic pathologist and neuropathologist who was first to discover and publish findings on brain damage caused by repeat head injuries in American football players, labeled chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). He was later appointed chief medical examiner for San Joaquin County, CA, and is a professor at U.C. Davis, department of medical pathology and laboratory medicine. Omalu was the subject of the 2015 movie Concussion, in which actor Will Smith played the role of the doctor.

To join online:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88176937313?pwd=Qy95Y0dPODBVZlJzQzRtQ0lhZFZoUT09 

Passcode: 875675

To join by phone:

(669) 900-6833 

Webinar ID: 881 7693 7313

Passcode: 875675

Participants can join via phone or by using the webinar link above. If you would like to submit a question in advance of the event or share your story, please submit it here.