Contra Costa Herald

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Following pursuit, man shot, killed by Danville Police Saturday morning

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

This morning at about 11:03, Danville Police Officers responded to a report from a citizen of a suspicious person near Cottage Place and Laurel Drive in Danville.

As officers arrived, the suspect fled, leading officers on a pursuit. At the intersection of Front Street and Diablo Road, the suspect attempted to run over an officer, who fired his weapon at the vehicle.

The suspect was shot and transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced deceased. The suspect is not being identified at this time. The officer sustained a minor injury.

The county officer-involved protocol has been invoked. This incident is being jointly investigated by the Danville Police Department, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff, and D.A.’s Office.

More details are pending

Clayton candidate for Secretary of State, Mark Meuser has best grassroots campaign in California

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By Ryan Hughes (@RyanHughesCA), DollarDollarBill.com (republished with permission)
Oct. 24, 2018

In American political campaigns, cash rules everything. Candidates and elected officials spend countless hours raising money to pay for their commercials, mailers, and door hangers. But candidates differ in how they raise enough money to be competitive.

Dollar Dollar Bill wanted to find out who 2018’s biggest—and smallest—grassroots fundraisers were. Our full methodology is explained below, but the short version is this: we calculated the percentage of each candidate’s donors who gave $200 or less, but excluded any candidate who had not raised at least $100,000.

So whose campaign is raising the most grassroots money in 2018?

Candidate District Total Raised Grassroots ($) Grassroots (%)
Mark Meuser (R) SOS $ 261,187.46 $ 128,800.74 49.31%
Jovanka Beckles (D) AD15 $ 350,499.34 $ 99,997.20 28.53%
William Ostrander (D) AD35 $ 109,049.90 $ 28,446.06 26.09%
Jacalyn Smith (D) AD06 $ 135,137.29 $ 31,991.51 23.67%
Joy Silver (D) SD28 $ 509,409.42 $ 71,888.03 14.11%
Steven Bailey (R) AG $ 501,228.98 $ 56,053.61 11.18%
Buffy Wicks (D) AD15 $ 1,134,729.48 $ 90,251.91 7.95%
John Cox (R) CAGOV $ 12,145,288.73 $ 878,300.09 7.23%
Cottie Petrie-Norris (D) AD74 $ 435,364.07 $ 31,213.18 7.17%
Alexandria Coronado (R) AD65 $ 199,364.08 $ 13,874.00 6.96%

At the top of the list is Mark Meuser, the Republican candidate for Secretary of State. He attributed his grassroots fundraising success to his campaign’s considerable travels throughout the state to speak to political and civic groups—and he has numbers: 825 events, 92,500 miles driven, a 58-county bike tour over 46 days, and air travel on top of all that. “We’ve been very good at handing out campaign contribution envelopes right there when I’m speaking,” said Meuser. During our interview, Meuser was southbound on I-5 to headline an event that night for a Republican congressional candidate.

Joy Silver, the Democratic candidate for Senate District 28, attributed her success in grassroots fundraising to her having been an organizer before she began running for office. “I am a grassroots candidate because I was working as a grassroots organizer,” explained Silver. Following the 2018 election, she helped organize a group to oppose Trump Administration policies. “They wanted me to run, so I became the voice of those people.”

Asked how much time she spends fundraising, Silver paused and joked, “I’m trying to think of what else I do.”
On the other end of the spectrum are candidates who raised almost no money from grassroots sources. California has ten candidates who raised less than one tenth of one percent of their campaign funds from grassroots donors:

Candidate District Total Raised Grassroots ($) Grassroots (%)
Miguel Santiago (D) AD53 $ 1,238,791.76 $ 1,125.00 0.09%
Wendy Carrillo (D) AD51 $ 448,769.86 $ 375.50 0.08%
Blanca Rubio (D) AD48 $ 1,074,290.57 $ 880.50 0.08%
Lorena Gonzalez (D) AD80 $ 1,724,427.89 $ 1,403.00 0.08%
Ken Cooley (D) AD08 $ 625,057.51 $ 450.00 0.07%
Ian Calderon (D) AD57 $ 1,145,958.17 $ 736.00 0.06%
Jim Cooper (D) AD09 $ 2,002,785.01 $ 1,210.00 0.06%
Joel Anderson (R) BOE04 $ 449,001.08 $ 235.00 0.05%
Marie Waldron (R) AD75 $ 544,437.22 $ 189.97 0.03%
Mike Gipson (D) AD64 $ 981,334.48 $ 102.20 0.01%

All of these candidates are incumbent members of the Legislature, and only one of them is seeking higher office: Joel Anderson for Board of Equalization.

At the very bottom of grassroots fundraising this cycle is Mike Gipson, a Democratic Assemblymember from South Los Angeles, who raised 0.01% of his campaign contributions from grassroots sources. Of the nearly $1 million he raised, only $102.20 came from grassroots sources.

How much have your local candidates raised in grassroots contributions? All candidates for the 2018 General Election who raised at least $100,000:

Candidate District Total Raised Grassroots ($) Grassroots (%)
Mark Meuser (R) SOS $ 261,187.46 $ 128,800.74 49.31%
Jovanka Beckles (D) AD15 $ 350,499.34 $ 99,997.20 28.53%
William Ostrander (D) AD35 $ 109,049.90 $ 28,446.06 26.09%
Jacalyn Smith (D) AD06 $ 135,137.29 $ 31,991.51 23.67%
Joy Silver (D) SD28 $ 509,409.42 $ 71,888.03 14.11%
Steven Bailey (R) AG $ 501,228.98 $ 56,053.61 11.18%
Buffy Wicks (D) AD15 $ 1,134,729.48 $ 90,251.91 7.95%
John Cox (R) CAGOV $ 12,145,288.73 $ 878,300.09 7.23%
Cottie Petrie-Norris (D) AD74 $ 435,364.07 $ 31,213.18 7.17%
Alexandria Coronado (R) AD65 $ 199,364.08 $ 13,874.00 6.96%
Mike Mc Guire (D) SD02 $ 1,541,581.86 $ 102,039.18 6.62%
Sunday Gover (D) AD77 $ 471,297.26 $ 30,756.22 6.53%
Tasha Boerner Horvath (D) AD76 $ 412,747.96 $ 24,435.96 5.92%
Tepring Michelle Piquado (D) AD54 $ 168,735.08 $ 9,959.58 5.90%
Alan Geraci (D) AD75 $ 142,171.37 $ 7,736.44 5.44%
Gavin Newsom (D) CAGOV $ 41,931,831.24 $ 2,160,446.32 5.15%
Janet Nguyen (R) SD34 $ 1,947,105.29 $ 96,779.01 4.97%
Mark Stone (D) AD29 $ 468,134.57 $ 20,875.94 4.46%
Konstantinos Roditis (R) CON $ 117,214.99 $ 5,114.99 4.36%
Michael Eng (D) SD22 $ 2,449,071.73 $ 101,798.46 4.16%
Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D) AD16 $ 958,349.83 $ 39,094.37 4.08%
Xavier Becerra (D) AG $ 6,798,507.78 $ 266,470.77 3.92%
Jesse Gabriel (D) AD45 $ 947,466.05 $ 36,115.36 3.81%
Frank Scotto (R) AD66 $ 725,034.58 $ 27,107.00 3.74%
Marshall Tuck (D) SPI $ 4,276,700.13 $ 126,421.19 2.96%
Brian Jones (R) SD38 $ 926,033.24 $ 24,481.00 2.64%
Richard Pan (D) SD06 $ 1,331,028.76 $ 33,510.67 2.52%
James Gallagher (R) AD03 $ 1,126,179.33 $ 28,326.88 2.52%
Malia Cohen (D) BOE02 $ 909,361.61 $ 22,467.00 2.47%
Kevin Kiley (R) AD06 $ 676,588.65 $ 16,004.98 2.37%
Maria Elena Durazo (D) SD24 $ 1,206,722.95 $ 28,406.00 2.35%
Fiona Ma (D) TREAS $ 3,454,286.07 $ 77,226.71 2.24%
Ash Kalra (D) AD27 $ 482,134.00 $ 10,114.00 2.10%
Robert Rivas (D) AD30 $ 702,549.27 $ 14,390.00 2.05%
Josh Lowenthal (D) AD72 $ 1,340,146.42 $ 26,857.17 2.00%
Catharine Baker (R) AD16 $ 2,043,507.26 $ 38,367.27 1.88%
Al Muratsuchi (D) AD66 $ 1,354,823.00 $ 25,039.53 1.85%
Melissa Hurtado (D) SD14 $ 653,284.33 $ 11,939.18 1.83%
S. Monique Limon (D) AD37 $ 876,953.00 $ 15,135.49 1.73%
Andreas Borgeas (R) SD08 $ 894,384.98 $ 15,412.19 1.72%
Edwin Chau (D) AD49 $ 596,739.75 $ 9,950.00 1.67%
Bob Archuleta (D) SD32 $ 518,724.83 $ 8,602.00 1.66%
Kevin Mullin (D) AD22 $ 844,571.10 $ 13,634.00 1.61%
Susan Rubio (D) SD22 $ 837,248.66 $ 13,356.00 1.60%
Betty Yee (D) CON $ 2,194,307.05 $ 34,581.43 1.58%
Melissa Melendez (R) AD67 $ 401,288.04 $ 6,075.00 1.51%
Jordan Cunningham (R) AD35 $ 1,020,896.61 $ 15,126.66 1.48%
Laura Friedman (D) AD43 $ 748,804.12 $ 11,013.08 1.47%
Bob Wieckowski (D) SD10 $ 946,622.22 $ 13,881.14 1.47%
Shannon Grove (R) SD16 $ 1,512,205.91 $ 21,661.76 1.43%
Kansen Chu (D) AD25 $ 449,819.16 $ 6,436.31 1.43%
Christy Smith (D) AD38 $ 1,275,279.76 $ 18,227.72 1.43%
James Wood (D) AD02 $ 1,103,126.85 $ 15,259.91 1.38%
Devon Mathis (R) AD26 $ 441,166.09 $ 6,049.92 1.37%
Connie Leyva (D) SD20 $ 1,301,747.12 $ 17,835.00 1.37%
Tyler Diep (R) AD72 $ 907,191.79 $ 12,187.00 1.34%
Henry Nickel (R) AD40 $ 282,813.12 $ 3,787.68 1.34%
Bill Quirk (D) AD20 $ 643,019.42 $ 8,534.00 1.33%
Steven Choi (R) AD68 $ 245,853.00 $ 3,203.00 1.30%
Ben Allen (D) SD26 $ 1,690,309.04 $ 21,782.00 1.29%
Thomas Umberg (D) SD34 $ 1,085,928.14 $ 13,193.17 1.21%
David Chiu (D) AD17 $ 1,395,785.39 $ 16,769.01 1.20%
Patrick O’Donnell (D) AD70 $ 1,030,713.79 $ 12,294.00 1.19%
Susan Eggman (D) AD13 $ 1,023,635.71 $ 12,056.19 1.18%
Evan Low (D) AD28 $ 2,040,144.24 $ 24,026.25 1.18%
Edward Hernandez (D) LG $ 3,672,188.78 $ 42,041.00 1.14%
Todd Gloria (D) AD78 $ 866,625.10 $ 9,730.00 1.12%
Sharon Quirk-Silva (D) AD65 $ 1,676,466.92 $ 18,797.97 1.12%
Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D) AD04 $ 788,054.20 $ 8,676.69 1.10%
Vincent Fong (R) AD34 $ 1,071,066.11 $ 11,237.98 1.05%
Marc Berman (D) AD24 $ 715,198.24 $ 7,456.20 1.04%
Sydney Kamlager (D) AD54 $ 571,669.75 $ 5,880.00 1.03%
Joaquin Arambula (D) AD31 $ 898,302.70 $ 8,899.31 0.99%
Justin Mendes (R) AD32 $ 653,832.91 $ 6,085.00 0.93%
Jacqui Irwin (D) AD44 $ 1,233,253.50 $ 11,356.00 0.92%
Cristina Garcia (D) AD58 $ 807,374.70 $ 7,318.69 0.91%
Mohammad-Ali Mazarei (R) AD61 $ 114,356.04 $ 1,035.54 0.91%
Eloise Gomez Reyes (D) AD47 $ 681,258.32 $ 6,144.70 0.90%
Bill Essayli (R) AD60 $ 629,253.31 $ 5,626.17 0.89%
Shirley Weber (D) AD79 $ 719,040.24 $ 6,394.00 0.89%
Randy Voepel (R) AD71 $ 162,010.00 $ 1,400.00 0.86%
Jim Frazier (D) AD11 $ 1,071,153.60 $ 9,248.99 0.86%
Adrin Nazarian (D) AD46 $ 827,127.82 $ 7,127.99 0.86%
Alex Padilla (D) SOS $ 1,769,469.14 $ 14,767.13 0.83%
Tim Grayson (D) AD14 $ 1,089,670.33 $ 8,911.04 0.82%
Eleni Kounalakis (D) LG $ 6,948,261.57 $ 54,581.58 0.79%
James Ramos (D) AD40 $ 1,561,945.06 $ 11,711.32 0.75%
Andy Vidak (R) SD14 $ 1,786,180.52 $ 12,895.00 0.72%
Ted Gaines (R) BOE01 $ 840,303.33 $ 6,015.00 0.72%
Jim Nielsen (R) SD04 $ 997,447.79 $ 7,115.00 0.71%
Tony Vazquez (D) BOE03 $ 358,674.35 $ 2,501.11 0.70%
Pat Bates (R) SD36 $ 1,540,644.65 $ 10,658.45 0.69%
Dante Acosta (R) AD38 $ 914,428.76 $ 6,162.00 0.67%
Luz Rivas (D) AD39 $ 334,456.14 $ 2,108.03 0.63%
Chad Mayes (R) AD42 $ 1,213,756.31 $ 7,576.30 0.62%
Rob Bonta (D) AD18 $ 2,628,260.37 $ 15,647.88 0.60%
Brian Dahle (R) AD01 $ 1,437,744.65 $ 8,493.84 0.59%
Eduardo Garcia (D) AD56 $ 747,383.28 $ 4,298.00 0.58%
Heath Flora (R) AD12 $ 490,837.33 $ 2,772.25 0.56%
Ricardo Lara (D) IC $ 2,065,769.09 $ 11,560.35 0.56%
Sabrina Cervantes (D) AD60 $ 1,748,736.69 $ 9,754.70 0.56%
Jose Medina (D) AD61 $ 615,600.64 $ 3,386.32 0.55%
Marc Levine (D) AD10 $ 1,755,336.86 $ 9,509.85 0.54%
Jeffrey Stone (R) SD28 $ 537,258.00 $ 2,769.00 0.52%
Holly Mitchell (D) SD30 $ 1,279,003.18 $ 6,305.96 0.49%
Jim Patterson (R) AD23 $ 784,863.17 $ 3,800.00 0.48%
Robert Poythress (R) SD12 $ 1,812,471.53 $ 8,620.00 0.48%
Frank Bigelow (R) AD05 $ 1,413,518.61 $ 6,460.00 0.46%
Bill Brough (R) AD73 $ 623,975.43 $ 2,823.00 0.45%
Tony Thurmond (D) SPI $ 702,140.37 $ 3,097.22 0.44%
Anna Caballero (D) SD12 $ 2,114,695.50 $ 9,109.16 0.43%
Phillip Chen (R) AD55 $ 669,264.64 $ 2,697.24 0.40%
Kevin Mc Carty (D) AD07 $ 737,720.29 $ 2,896.98 0.39%
Jay Obernolte (R) AD33 $ 503,331.01 $ 1,962.72 0.39%
Phil Ting (D) AD19 $ 1,753,400.32 $ 6,723.66 0.38%
Matthew Harper (R) AD74 $ 264,870.98 $ 999.00 0.38%
Richard Bloom (D) AD50 $ 579,022.28 $ 2,130.00 0.37%
Thomas Lackey (R) AD36 $ 629,275.51 $ 2,225.59 0.35%
Adam Gray (D) AD21 $ 1,352,561.49 $ 4,321.34 0.32%
Brian Maienschein (R) AD77 $ 1,768,749.36 $ 4,794.00 0.27%
Steve Poizner (N) IC $ 2,051,395.50 $ 5,052.18 0.25%
Robert Hertzberg (D) SD18 $ 2,023,911.11 $ 4,933.66 0.24%
Freddie Rodriguez (D) AD52 $ 890,116.53 $ 1,668.81 0.19%
Reggie Jones-Sawyer Sr. (D) AD59 $ 486,944.48 $ 800.00 0.16%
Autumn Burke (D) AD62 $ 1,218,879.76 $ 1,726.19 0.14%
Chris Holden (D) AD41 $ 931,964.47 $ 1,295.36 0.14%
Rudy Salas Jr. (D) AD32 $ 1,390,765.38 $ 1,897.00 0.14%
Tom Daly (D) AD69 $ 1,513,510.53 $ 1,993.00 0.13%
Ben Hueso (D) SD40 $ 1,114,985.56 $ 1,350.00 0.12%
Anthony Rendon (D) AD63 $ 2,901,621.03 $ 3,230.41 0.11%
Miguel Santiago (D) AD53 $ 1,238,791.76 $ 1,125.00 0.09%
Wendy Carrillo (D) AD51 $ 448,769.86 $ 375.50 0.08%
Blanca Rubio (D) AD48 $ 1,074,290.57 $ 880.50 0.08%
Lorena Gonzalez (D) AD80 $ 1,724,427.89 $ 1,403.00 0.08%
Ken Cooley (D) AD08 $ 625,057.51 $ 450.00 0.07%
Ian Calderon (D) AD57 $ 1,145,958.17 $ 736.00 0.06%
Jim Cooper (D) AD09 $ 2,002,785.01 $ 1,210.00 0.06%
Joel Anderson (R) BOE04 $ 449,001.08 $ 235.00 0.05%
Marie Waldron (R) AD75 $ 544,437.22 $ 189.97 0.03%
Mike Gipson (D) AD64 $ 981,334.48 $ 102.20 0.01%

Methodology
All data for this analysis comes from campaign reports filed through the last Form 460 reporting date, September 22, 2018.

We summed each candidate’s contributions less than $100 (reported as a lump sum on Form 460, Schedule A, Line 2). Then we added to that total each candidate’s contributions this cycle that were $200 or less, but excluded any contributor who donated multiple times for a sum exceeding $200. That figure is “Grassroots ($)”, above.
Then we summed up the total number of contributions and the net of loans made to a campaign (loans received less loans repaid). That figure is “Total Raised”, above.

We removed any candidate who had not raised at least $100,000 as a means to control for data skewing by candidates who are not viable. We then calculated the portion of a candidate’s funds that are grassroots, i.e., from contributors giving $200 or less. We used a percentage in our rankings instead of total grassroots dollars in order to compare districts that are geographically and economically diverse.

To note, it is not possible to calculate the average contribution for California candidates from publicly available information. As noted above, all contributions less than $100 are reported as a lump sum without reporting the number of people contributing under $100. For example, if a candidate reports $1,000 worth of contributions under $100, that may have come from 11 people contributing $90.91 or 1,000 people contributing $1. Without knowing how many people actually contributed, calculating an average contribution amount is not possible.

NOTE: The publisher of the Herald is the campaign manager for Mark Meuser for Secretary of State.

Man found guilty of animal cruelty for dog attack on calves in Contra Loma Regional Park

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By Scott Alonso, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa County Office of the District Attorney

On October 31, a Contra Costa County jury found defendant Vinicio Santos of Antioch guilty of three misdemeanors, including animal cruelty. On December 1, 2017, Santos’ dog attacked the three calves owned by grazer Paul Daysh. The brutal attack left the three calves permanently injured.

Santos now faces a sentence of up to three years in county jail. Sentencing for Santos will occur on November 30 by the Honorable Leonard Marquez in Department 34 at the Contra Costa County Superior Court in Pittsburg. Restitution for Daysh will also be decided on November 30. Contra Costa County Deputy District Attorney Whitnee Goins prosecuted the case on behalf of the People for this misdemeanor jury trial.

“I am grateful the jury held the defendant accountable for his crimes. He ignored repeated orders from East Bay Regional Parks Rangers to control his dog. Consequently, these calves needlessly suffered serious injuries. We will continue to prosecute animal cruelty cases to ensure the public is protected and animals are cared for in a humane manner,” DDA Goins stated.

Santos and his dog were at the Contra Loma Regional Park in Antioch on December 1, 2017. Santos’ dog was not on leash when spotted by park rangers. After rangers saw Santos, they heard animals in distress. When the rangers connected again with Santos they saw the white Husky mix dog viciously attacking one calf, then moving to attack two more calves. Santos was told repeatedly to leash his dog and bring the dog under control. Santos ignored the rangers’ commands.

Santos was found guilty of the following misdemeanor offenses:

·         Animal Cruelty

·         Vandalism Over $400 Damage

·         Resist, Obstruct, Delay of Peace Officer

Case information: People v. Vinicio Arturo Santos, Docket Number 04-193968-5.

Contra Costa secures voting on Election Day

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By Paul Burgarino, Community Education and Engagement Specialist, Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder-Elections Department

Current law allows voters who are issued a Vote-By-Mail ballot to turn it in and vote at the polls on Election Day. Besides being a waste of taxpayer dollars, it has resulted in the possibility of a voter casting more than one ballot without immediate detection.

With many recent reports of voters across the state receiving multiple ballots, the Contra Costa Elections Division has reviewed and updated its processes at polling places to ensure election integrity and prevent double voting.

“We encourage all voters who have been sent a Vote-By-Mail ballot to vote and return that ballot either through the mail, using one of our 23 drop boxes, or at any polling place on Election Day,” said Joe Canciamilla, Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters. “Requesting a second ballot on Election Day contributes to lines, delays, unnecessary costs as well as security concerns.”

Here how it works: Vote-By-Mail voters who show up at their home polling place to vote need to bring the ballot return envelope addressed to them as well as all six cards that comprise the ballot. Upon confirmation that the voter is in the right location and verification of the envelope and ballot cards, the voter signs a declaration and is offered a non-provisional ballot.

If a Vote-By-Mail voter is in the wrong location or cannot provide all of those items, the voter is issued a provisional ballot. A provisional ballot is the same as a “regular” ballot. The difference is that the Elections Division verifies that the voter has not already voted before the ballot is counted. In June 2018, 90 percent of the provisional ballots were counted after this review.

If a voter who previously requested to be mailed a ballot prefers to vote at the polls on Election Day in the future, we encourage them to cancel their permanent vote by mail status by calling our office or re-registering.

For more information, contact the Elections Division at 925-335-7800 or go to www.cocovote.us.

Suspect arrested for attempted murder in unincorporated Oakley dies

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

The suspect in an attempted murder/domestic violence incident in unincorporated Oakley early Tuesday morning, October 30, 2018, was pronounced deceased at the hospital yesterday. The 34-year-old Oakley resident is not being identified. An autopsy is scheduled for today.

On Tuesday, at about 3:26 AM, Delta Station Deputy Sheriffs responded to a report of a female screaming for help on the 3500 block of Wells Road in unincorporated Oakley. One person reported seeing a naked man holding an infant. The man was struggling with a female for control of the infant. Additional callers reported the female had passed the infant over to them and they had secured the infant in a nearby condominium.

The female continued to struggle with the male, who was attempting to throw her off of the balcony. Four neighbors arrived and were able to control the male after a struggle. The female fled to safety.

Deputies arrived on scene seeing a person on the ground who was being held down by others. After securing the person in handcuffs, Deputies found that he was unresponsive. Deputies unhandcuffed the person and began CPR. AMR arrived on scene and performed life-saving measures for approximately 10 minutes. The man was transported to a local hospital. The infant was also taken to the hospital as a precaution.

The investigation is ongoing. This case is being investigated as an officer-involved incident. Per the officer-involved protocol, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Sheriff are jointly investigating this incident.

Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact the 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.

Registration opportunity remains at early voting sites in Contra Costa County beginning today

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Antioch, Richmond and Walnut Creek locations

The voter registration deadline has passed, but you can still register and vote in one transaction. Several convenient locations will be available leading up to and during Election Day for you to register to vote and cast your ballot.

Contra Costa Elections Division offers Conditional Voter Registration as a safety net for those who were unable to complete or update their voter registration before the deadline.

“We want to make sure that everybody who is eligible to register to vote has ample opportunity to cast their ballot,” said Joe Canciamilla, Contra Costa Registrar of Voters.

The Conditional Registration steps include going to an eligible county location, filling out a form that includes your name, address, date of birth and either the last four digits of your Social Security Number or your driver’s license number, and casting your ballot.

Conditionally voted ballots are processed once our office completes the verification of the voter registrations and confirms no ballot has already been voted.

This service will be available starting today at the Elections Office during normal business hours and on Election Day from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm.

Conditional Voter Registration will also be available at the following Regional Early Voting locations on November 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th:

Regional Early Voting will be available from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm on the weekdays and 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Saturday, November 3rd. These locations are available to all Contra Costa voters looking to cast their ballot ahead of time and avoid the Election Day rush. Any Contra Costa voter can vote at any one of the Regional Early Voting locations.

For more information, call 925-335-7800.

Attempted murder of woman during domestic dispute in unincorporated Oakley early Tuesday morning

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

Tuesday morning at about 3:26 a.m., Delta Station Deputy Sheriffs responded to a report of a female screaming for help on the 3500 block of Wells Road in unincorporated Oakley.

One person reported seeing a naked man holding an infant. The man was struggling with a female for control of the infant.  Additional callers reported the female had passed the infant over to them and they had secured the infant in a nearby condominium.

The female continued to struggle with the male, who was attempting to throw her off of the balcony. Four neighbors arrived and were able to control the male after a struggle. The female fled to safety.

Deputies arrived on scene seeing a person on the ground who was being held down by others. After securing the person in handcuffs, Deputies found that he was unresponsive. Deputies unhandcuffed the subject and began CPR.  AMR arrived on scene and performed life-saving measures for approximately 10 minutes. The subject was transported to a local hospital.  The infant was also transported to the hospital as a precaution.

The investigation is ongoing. The subject is not being identified at this time. Additional details are pending.

Martinez man charged with child molestation and production, distribution and selling child pornography

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On Thursday October 25, 2018, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office charged 21-year-old Martinez resident Aaron Kurtis Mikkelsen with multiple felony violations including committing lewd acts with a minor under 13, producing child pornography, as well as selling and distributing child sexual abuse material online.

On October 23, 2018, the Contra Costa County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force executed a search warrant in Martinez related to Mikkelsen selling child pornography on social media. During the search, investigators located evidence that Mikkelsen had sexually abused a child under 13 years old. Investigators located a significant amount of child sexual abuse material on his cell phone and in various social media accounts.

Mikkelsen will be arraigned in Martinez at the Contra Costa County Superior Courthouse this morning. Mikkelsen remains in the custody of the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office on $500,000 bail. Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Kolko is prosecuting the case on behalf of the People.

The investigation was conducted by a multi-agency Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which is managed by the San Jose Police Department. In Contra Costa County, detectives and investigators from the Walnut Creek, Martinez, San Ramon, Concord and Moraga Police Departments, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, United States Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the Contra Costa County Probation Department, and Inspectors from the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office participate in the task force.

Parents are encouraged to discuss online safety with their children, and can visit the website www.kidsmartz.org or our website for further information.

Case information: People v. Mikkelsen, Dockett Number 01-187610-1

National Prescription Drug TAKE BACK DAY Saturday

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On Saturday, October 27, 2018, from 10 AM to 2 PM, the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

Bring your pills for disposal at the following sites du ring the National Prescription Drug TAKE BACK DAY. The DEA cannot accept needles or sharps, only pills, patches, and liquids sealed in their original container. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

DROP OFF LOCATIONS:

-Office of the Sheriff Muir Station, 1980 Muir Road, Martinez. (Field Operations Building)

-Office of the Sheriff Bay Station, 5555 Giant Highway, Richmond. (West County Detention Facility)

-Danville Police Department, 510 La Gonda Way, Danville.

-Lafayette Police Department, 3471 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette.

-Orinda Police Department, 22 Orinda Way, Orinda.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish at home are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the Take Back event, go to the DEA Office of Diversion Control website at: www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov.

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.