Contra Costa Herald

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

Concord Police seek suspect in Sunday armed robbery

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By Lt. Sam Staten, Martinez Police Department

On Sunday, January 20, 2019, at approximately 3:41 PM, Concord Police Officers responded to the 1800 block of Monument Blvd. regarding an armed robbery that had occurred at Cricket Wireless.  The suspect came into the business, brandished a handgun at the cashier and demanded the money from the register.  The suspect took an undetermined amount of cash and fled the area. 

An extensive search was conducted but the suspect was not located. There were no injuries as a result of this incident.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic male adult in his 20’s with a thin moustache.  He wore a dark grey sweatshirt with a red and white “Reebok” logo on the front, dark colored jeans and dark colored shoes or boots.  He was armed with a black handgun.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call Concord Police Department Detective Sergeant Mark Robison at (925) 671-5074.

Sheriff’s Deputies investigate shooting death of Richmond man in El Sobrante Saturday afternoon

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

At about 12:22 PM today, Deputy Sheriffs were dispatched to a report of shots fired with a man down in the intersection of Jasmine Court and Jasmine Way in El Sobrante.

The caller advised that they had heard gunshots and saw a man in the street.

Deputies arrived on scene and found a man deceased at that location. He appeared to have suffered from a gunshot wound. The victim is being identified as 52-year-old Michael Bagwell of Richmond.

The Homicide Unit of the Investigation Division responded to the scene. The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact the Investigation Division via Sheriff’s Office dispatch at (925) 646-2441 or (925) 313-2600 during business hours. You can also call the anonymous tip line at (866) 846-3592. Tips can also be emailed to: tips@so.cccounty.us.

First segment of 680/Hwy 4 Interchange Improvement Project breaks ground

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State and local elected officials join Contra Costa Transportation Authority Executive Director Randy Iwasaki (2nd from left) to break ground on improvements to the Interstate 680/State Route 4 Interchange Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. Photo by CCTA.

One of the largest SB-1- funded capital projects to break ground in the State of California  

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced the start of construction on the first phase of a multi-phased project to improve safety and help reduce congestion at the Interstate-680/State Route 4 Interchange in central Contra Costa County. The initial phase of construction involves widening a four-mile segment of State Route 4 in both directions between Morello Avenue in Martinez and State Route 242.  This phase of work also involves the replacement of the Grayson Creek Bridge to bring it up to current State bridge safety codes.

“Improving the I-680/SR4 Interchange has been a priority for the Contra Costa Transportation Authority for many years,” said CCTA Board Chair Federal Glover. “Thanks to an infusion of Senate Bill 1 funds from the State, we are able to take this first, important step in improving safety at this critical interchange.” The total cost for improving this segment is approximately $136 million.
“For too many years we have neglected our infrastructure, and as a result Californians spend too much time in traffic, too much money on car repairs, and far too little time with their friends and families,” said Assemblymember Grayson. “I have been working for over two years with the California Transportation Commission and Contra Costa Transportation Authority to fund and break ground on this long-awaited project so that our community can spend less time sitting in traffic and more time doing what they enjoy.”

“This project will reduce the travel time for the more than 100,000 people who drive this corridor each day, and is a key piece of an ambitious regional improvement plan,” said Caltrans District 4 Director Tony Tavares. “The funding from Senate Bill 1 is enabling Caltrans and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority to rebuild California’s highways.”

The Interstate 680/State Route 4 Interchange Improvement Project will widen approximately four miles of State Route 4 by adding a third lane in the eastbound and westbound directions to improve on-ramp and off-ramp merging.  The project also includes widening of five structures, extending eastbound State Route 4’s carpool lane approximately two miles, installation of safety lighting, and replacement of the Grayson Creek Bridge. Over 50 years old, the Grayson Creek Bridge has exceeded its serviceable life.

Breaking ground for this segment of work in this multi-phased project will lay the groundwork for future improvements to connector ramps, improve traffic safety and enhance traffic flow.

Interstate 680 serves as the main artery for motorists traveling through central Contra Costa County, connecting it with Solano County to the north and Alameda and Santa Clara counties to the south. State Route 4 serves as the only major east-west transportation link joining the communities of Antioch, Bay Point, Pittsburg and Brentwood with central and western Contra Costa County and the Bay Area. The I-680/SR 4 Interchange Improvement project will widen four miles of State Route 4 by adding a third lane in the eastbound and westbound directions and improve on-ramp and off-ramp merging actions. The project also includes widening of five structures, installation of safety lighting, and replacement of the Grayson Creek Bridge. This project will lay the groundwork for future improvements to connector ramps, improve traffic safety and enhance traffic flow.

New subsidy program fuels Bay Area vanpooling

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Photo courtesy of MTC.

Program usage surged 23 percent last month

For drivers frustrated with a long, grueling commute, it’s never been a better time to look into vanpooling, thanks to the new Bay Area Vanpool Program, which provides direct subsidies to both new and existing vanpools.  A $9.5 million commitment approved by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) in July 2018 allows qualifying vanpools that rent their vehicles through Commute With Enterprise, a service of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, to reduce the cost of their van rates by $350 a month, initially for the next five years.

More than 500 commute vanpools currently operate in the nine-county Bay Area, and MTC hopes the subsidy will grow the fleet to more than 800 vans over the next several years. The first Bay Area Vanpool Program subsidies were distributed in November 2018 to 71 separate vanpools, a number that rose last month to 88 vanpools.

“Vanpooling is a good option for commuters traveling 20 miles or more each way and who have pretty regular schedules,” said Megan Nangle, program manager for MTC’s Bay Area Vanpool Program. “More and more people are needing to commute farther given the Bay Area housing market, so vanpooling is becoming a good choice for more commuters.”

A vanpool typically consists of seven to 15 people commuting to and from home to work; often with two or three participants sharing the driving. If the vanpool includes seven people, the Bay Area Vanpool Program subsidy would average $50 per person per month. Participants can use pretax dollars to pay for the remainder of their vanpool expenses, further reducing the cost of their shared commute.

“Offering employees the ability to pay vanpool costs with pre-tax dollars is a way employers can comply with the Bay Area’s Commuter Benefits Program,” said Eric Pop, air quality specialist with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program requires employers with 50 or more employees in the Bay Area to provide some type of commuter benefit to their workforce — be it transit or vanpool subsidies, shuttles to transit, or the ability to pay transit and vanpool costs with pre-tax dollars.

“Before these subsidies, a person’s vanpool cost typically would be around $150 a month, with the price varying by how far they commute, the number of people in the vanpool and the rental cost of the vehicle,” said Nangle, MTC’s vanpool program coordinator. “Between these new subsidies and the longstanding tax benefits, vanpooling is going to be a really cost-effective option for commuters traveling long distances.”

Vanpool driver Beth Russel, who commutes daily between Vacaville and Richmond, praised the merits of vanpooling. “With the added vanpool subsidy, our folks are happier than ever and now saving more than 60 percent off their commute costs of driving alone. There are only a few simple requirements to qualify for the program. Tracking our ridership and fuel costs is something we did anyway, and Enterprise has made it easy to track that information online now. It’s that simple to save even more money now on our daily commute, help reduce road congestion, build relationships with fellow van members and know that we are doing our part in making our planet a little bit greener.”

Commuters who do not already have a group with which to vanpool can learn how to join a vanpool or start a new one by visiting https://511.org/carpool-vanpool/vanpool/overview.

Vanpools can apply for the Bay Area Vanpool Program subsidies on the Enterprise site at https://www.commutewithenterprise.com/en/partners/mtc.html. The program is funded by MTC with federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) transportation dollars and a grant from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The Commission selected Enterprise as the program vendor through a competitive process.

MTC is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.

Supervisors advance North Waterfront Strategic Action Plan, need MOU’s from 7 cities

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Approve funds for inoperable RV removal, Marsh Creek Corridor Trail study

By Daniel Borsuk

Five years in the making, Contra Costa County’s ambitious Northern Waterfront Strategic Action Plan might be nearing the end of the long, grueling planning road.  Or is it? NWEDI Strategic Action Plan BOS 1-22-19

Supervisors on Tuesday waved the green flag for planners to begin what can be a challenging negotiating process of collecting Memorandums of Understanding from seven cities – Antioch, Brentwood, Concord, Hercules, Martinez, Oakley, and Pittsburg – that stand to financially benefit from potential economic development along Contra Costa County’s northern waterfront stretching from Hercules to Brentwood.

County planners aim to present the MOU’s to the supervisors by this summer.

After conducting more than 200 community meetings on the action plan, consultant Gary Craft told supervisors while the “Northern Waterfront Strategic Action Plan is not cast in concrete,” he encouraged the supervisors to take action on the Strategic Action Plan, a piece of advice supervisors heeded and approved when they authorized county planning officials to begin talks with officials of the seven cities along the Sacramento River.

Should the cities and county sign off on the MOUs, over time the long dormant northern waterfront could potentially spawn an economic renaissance [n an area that once was a major region known for its ship building, steel, sugar. canning, and paper manufacturing heydays.  Thousands of new, clean tech-oriented jobs would emerge, creating a new and steady tax base for local and county government.

Five industries would be targeted under the Northern Waterfront Strategic Action Plan, according to Craft.  Those industries are biomedical, advanced transportation technology, advanced manufacturing, clean technologies, and food processing/agribusiness.

Most speakers were in favor of the waterfront plan’s findings, with the exception of Caltrans retiree Doug Sibley of Martinez who wondered about how the plan would fulfill the public transportation needs for new businesses coming to the waterfront. He queried if county planners were trying to use the existing Caltrain service that runs through the waterfront area from Martinez to Pittsburg for future public transportation development as the Northern Waterfront plan matures. No one from the county planning department answered his question.

“You must now get the MOUs from the cities of Pittsburg, Antioch, Oakley, Brentwood, Concord, Martinez, and Hercules, “urged Kristin Connelly, President and Chief Executive Officer of the East Bay Leadership Council, a nonprofit organization that endorses the waterfront plan.

District 5 Supervisor Federal Glover, who is credited for jump-starting the waterfront plan in 2014, said “I wanted this process to be totally transparent.  I wanted this process completed five years ago, but I realized it would require studies inclusive or our actions.”

“I appreciate the report you have done,” District 3 Supervisor Diane Burgis of Brentwood said.  “Now the cities have to come together.  Transportation is an issue.  Housing is important.  We will move forward with the plan. “

Approve $150,000 for Removal of Inoperable RVs

In other business, supervisors unanimously approved the expenditure of $150,000 of general funds to remove abandoned recreational vehicles that are a joint problem handled by the County Department of Conservation and Development and the Sheriff’s Department.  The DCD has authority to tow when an  RV is located on private property and the Sheriff has authority when it is in the right of way.

It is estimated that each abandoned RV that is removed will cost the county about $3,000 to remove from public streets.

Board Chair John Gioia of Richmond and District 5 Supervisor Federal Glover of Pittsburg requested the $150,000 expenditure.

District 4 Supervisor Karen Mitchoff of Pleasant Hill commented on the issue saying, “I am seeing more of these abandoned vehicles in my area.  I want a report to show how many have been removed in a year.”

It is assumed the 50,000 abandoned RV’s will have been removed and the $150,000 fund will have been exhausted in about a year’s time.

Approve $299,735 for Marsh Creek Corridor Trail Study

Supervisors also approved a Department of Conservation and Development request to grant a $299,735 contract with the planning firm of Fehr & Peers to develop a Marsh Creek Corridor Multi-Use Trail Study. The contract would study ways to develop a 13-mile long multi-use trail through the Marsh Creek corridor aligned with Marsh Creek Road between the cities of Clayton and Brentwood.

The contract’s funding is a collaborative effort of cities of Brentwood and Clayton, the East Bay Regional Park District, Contra Costa Transportation Authority, County Flood Control District, Contra Costa County Health Services Department, East Contra Costa Habitat Conservancy, and non-governmental organizations and advocacy groups including Save Mount Diablo, John Marsh Historic Trust, Delta Peddlers and Bike East Bay.

Pittsburg man steals car in Clayton arrested for shoplifting in Hercules

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Photo of suspect detained by a Hercules Police Officer on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2018. Photos by Hercules PD.

 

The SUV stolen in Clayton.

From Hercules Police Facebook Page

On Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 15, 2019, Hercules Officers responded to a shop lifting in progress at The Home Depot, four subjects being belligerent inside the store were seen taking some gloves.

In the grand scheme of things taking some gloves seems fairly minor, but upon contacting the four suspects the Officers determined they were in a car that had been stolen out of Clayton that morning, and being driven by a suspect, Joshua Leslie Vieth (44 years old from Pittsburg) who had three outstanding warrants for prior auto thefts.

When Officers respond to a call, even something that seems minor, they do not make assumptions. A stolen pair of gloves resulted in a car thief going to jail, but more importantly a theft victim getting their car back.

While Officers never assume a shoplifting call will end in a stolen car arrest, they always assume it could and treat each call as such.

This caper is another example of how out of town thieves are targeting our town, are being arrested over and over, and are being put back out on the streets to re-victimize our community. We will continue to proactively enforce our laws and send them to jail regardless of the outcome.

DA Becton announces second Community Academy Class for Spring 2019

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

District Attorney Diana Becton announces today that the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office will launch a second Community Academy class this March. The goal of the academy will be to strengthen community relations and provide residents a better understanding of our criminal justice system.

The academy is free and is open to residents who live or work in Contra Costa County. Individuals must complete an application and background check when they apply. Residents can access an application on our website or residents may also apply in-person at one of our offices at the following locations:

  • 900 Ward Street, Martinez, CA 94553
  • 10 Douglas Drive Suite 130, Martinez, CA 94553
  • 100 37th St. Rm 220, Richmond, CA 94805

Residents can submit the applications to the attention of Janet Era. Applicants may also email DA-CommunityAcademy@contracostada.org with their completed application. The application period ends on February 11, 2019.

The Community Academy will be made up of at least 20 residents of Contra Costa County for a 12-week course held at the DA’s Office in downtown Martinez, 900 Ward Street from 5:30-7:30 p.m. every Wednesday starting March 6, 2019. The Community Academy, which is similar to Citizens’ Academies hosted by many law enforcement agencies, is the only academy of its kind at a District Attorney’s Office in Northern California.

The academy helps underscore the office’s commitment to engaging and educating residents of Contra Costa County. Admitted applicants can expect to learn how cases are filed, the different types of crimes our office investigates and prosecutes, and the work we do not only prosecuting cases but also the community outreach efforts underway to prevent crime and to support children, parents and crime victims.

Presenters for the academy will include deputy district attorneys, investigators, victim advocates, support staff, community-based organizations and justice partners. The comprehensive overview by our office will allow residents to get an in-depth examination and review of the criminal justice system in our community.

BART’s February schedule change will impact weekdays and Sundays

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BART is making major schedule changes beginning February 11th to accommodate Measure RR funded improvements to our infrastructure to keep BART safe and reliable. Projects to upgrade our electrical power system in downtown San Francisco and the Transbay Tube Seismic Retrofit require adjustments to our schedules. The Fleet of the Future roll out is also allowing us to expand some service and run longer trains.

Riders are encouraged to check before you go. Download the official BART app or check the Trip Planner to see how these changes impact your trip.

Weekday Changes

To retrofit the Transbay Tube, we need to open at 5am on weekdays- that’s one hour later. Visit www.bart.gov/earlybirdexpress for bus service alternatives during the 4am hour. We will also be single-tracking trains through the Tube on weeknights for this project. Impacts from this project include:

  • Weekdays after 9pm, trains will run every 24 minutes instead of 20 because of single tracking.
  • On Friday evenings, trains will be added to the schedule after 8pm to the Green, Red, and Yellow lines to reduce wait times and increase capacity.
  • The first train from Daly City (5:03 am) to Antioch will skip from MacArthur directly to Pittsburg/Bay Point. The train will not pick up or drop off passengers between these stations. The next train from Daly City (5:11 am) will make all stops.

·         Weekday service improvements include:

  • New direct Millbrae to SFO service on weekdays from 6:30 am to 9 pm every 30 minutes.
  • Early morning/late-evening trains will now be longer.
  • A Fleet of the Future train will run as part of the schedule on each transbay line and some trains will be lengthened thanks to the arrival of the new fleet.
  • We are adding an additional Yellow Line train to the morning commute and we will extend one late afternoon train from Pleasant Hill to Pittsburg Bay Point.
  • New Richmond-Daly City (Red) and Warm Springs-Daly City (Green) trains on Friday evenings at select times.

Sunday Changes

To upgrade the electrical power system in Downtown San Francisco from 8am-6pm, we need to single track trains in San Francisco on some Sundays. We will maintain 20-minute headways, but impacts include:

  • For the most part, only one line (the Antioch/Yellow Line) will provide service through the Transbay Tube (some direct Red and Green line trains will be part of the schedule at select times).
  • Sunday service changes vary week to week and riders are encouraged to check the Trip Planner or the official BART app before each trip to see the service plan.
  • Dublin/Pleasanton/Blue Line service will operate between Dublin/Pleasanton and MacArthur.
  • All Lake Merritt-Dublin/Warm Springs Transbay riders must transfer at 12th Station—go downstairs one level.
  • All Millbrae riders must transfer to/from a San Francisco/Antioch train at SFO.

·         Sunday service improvements include:

  • Yellow Line passengers transferring to an East Bay line should transfer at MacArthur and will now have increased service with both a Blue and Orange Line train depending on destination.
  • Additional trains/train length will be added to the Orange/Richmond/Warm Springs service.
  • New direct Red and Green line trains added to the schedule on Sundays at select times.

There are no changes to Saturday service.

Check Before You Go

The new schedule has been loaded into the Trip Planner on bart.gov as well as the official BART app. Select a date Feb. 11th and beyond to see how these changes impact your trip. 

Sunday riders are encouraged to check the Trip Planner or the app before each trip as it varies week by week based on single tracking weekends.

The extra Friday service will be reflected in the Trip Planner and in Real Time Departures.  However, these extra trains are not listed in the Schedule by Station or Schedule by Line sections of bart.gov or the printed brochures. 

Sunday’s new Red and Green line trains will be reflected in the Trip Planner, and Schedules by Station, Schedules by Line and Real Time Departures. They are not listed in the printed brochures because they vary week by week.

Sunday Service Map:  Millbrae Shuttle Service weekdays and Saturday

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.

Gioia, Andersen sworn in as new Board of Supervisors Chair, Vice Chair

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Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Joni Hramoto swore into office Supervisors John Gioia as Chair and Candace Andersen as Vice Chair of the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, January 15, 2019 as Supervisor Federal Glover looks on. Photo by Daniel Borsuk.

By Daniel Borsuk

Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Joni Hramoto swore into office Contra Costa County Supervisors John Gioia of Richmond as Chair and Candace Andersen of Danville as Vice Chair of the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. Both were unanimously elected to their posts.

Gioia, who was reelected last November to his fifth four-year term, aims to reduce health care costs for county employees, reinstitute the children’s report card that before 2007 focused on children outcomes and development strategies, and to introduce an asthma medical program for disadvantaged youth.  Gioia, who last year was board vice chair, replaces District 4 Supervisor Karen Mitchoff of Pleasant Hill.

Mitchoff, who said she read 67 books during a busy  personally tragic year where she lost her 62-year-old brother Gerald Mitchoff in a South Lake Tahoe shooting incident in June, saw the county maintain its  AAA Moody’s bond rating, began construction of a new $100 million county administration building and new $30 million emergency communications building both in Martinez , and helped usher voter passage of the cannabis sales tax measure  in November.