Contra Costa Herald

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

Frazier to put hold on East Contra Costa Fire funding bill after audit finds $6.2 million in unused funds

By Leave a Comment

SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Discovery Bay) on Monday released the following statement after the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District revealed that an internal audit, overdue by three years, found $6.2 million in operating funds that Fire Board members apparently did not know existed.

“While East Contra Costa Fire Protection District’s discovery of an additional $6.2 million is positive news for residents, it also raises some very troubling questions.  I am pleased that my East County constituents will be better protected in the short term with unexpected new funds to improve fire service. But I ask the following: How did the District not know it had $6.2 million in surplus funds – especially when it had repeatedly asked residents to increase their taxes to pay for improved fire service?

The discovery of these funds, while it does represent a sizable percentage of the District’s yearly operating budget, does nothing to solve ECCFPD’s long-term funding problem.  All of us who call East County home have been and continue to be concerned about keeping families and property safe. As an East County resident and as your representative in the State Assembly, I authored AB 898 as one method of identifying funds to improve fire safety and emergency medical response – a solution that did not rely in any way on raising taxes. I can see that there is much more work to be done to get the District’s finances stabilized and on track.  Given this revelation, I am placing a hold at this time on moving AB 898 forward.

I will remain open to helping ECCFPD any way I am able once we know more about what this audit found, and what future mandated audits may find, in order to evaluate and reassess the district’s financial situation.”

Following audit East County fire district reveals $6.2 million in underreported funds

By Leave a Comment

The District has corrected financial mistakes

At a special meeting on Monday, August 28, the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District’s Finance Committee received a proposed final budget for Fiscal Year 2017-18 that includes an additional $6.2 million from the budget approved by the board on June 5.

The District identified the underreporting of the starting fund balance based on financial information contained in the recently completed external audit of the Fiscal Year 2014-15 budget. Ongoing discussions with Contra Costa County Auditor Robert Campbell and his staff further clarified the results, and the audit was accepted by the District Board of Directors on August 7, 2017.

Through further inquiry, the District has determined that the underreporting resulted from an incomplete transition of District funds and financial operations from Contra Costa County to the District, dating back to late 2014-early 2015. As a result, carry over funding was understated in each of the following years, compounding the problem.

“This is a frustrating situation for all involved, but it would be much worse if the District had lower-than-expected funds rather than higher,” said Board President and Brentwood Councilman Joel Bryant. “The Board and staff of the District have done the best they can to serve our community despite being dramatically underfunded and understaffed. I wish the newly discovered funds meant we could proceed with an expanded service model beyond the three stations we have now to protect nearly 249 square miles and 115,000 residents, but access to these ‘found’ monies is not a long-term solution for the District. I look forward to working with the Board and our constituents on a plan for how to put these one-time funds to their most worthy use in service to our community.”

Auditor Robert Campbell added, “My staff and I will continue to work with and assist the District to finalize its financial transition from the County.”

The East Contra Costa Fire Protection District is grateful for the assistance of its auditor at Maze & Associates, Contra Costa County Auditor-Controller Robert Campbell and his staff, and the finance staff from the City of Brentwood for their help in identifying, confirming, quantifying and correcting the error.

Brentwood man dies in motorcycle accident on Antioch freeway Saturday night

By Leave a Comment

Fellow motorcyclists leave scene before CHP arrives

Saturday night, August 26, 2017 at about 8:28 pm, Contra Costa CHP was advised of a traffic collision on the southbound lanes of SR-160 at the Wilbur Avenue on-ramp. Upon CHP and emergency personnel arrival, the male rider of the motorcycle had been ejected into the lanes of traffic on SR-160 and hit by another vehicle. The male rider was pronounced deceased at the scene. The southbound lanes of SR-160 were closed for approximately two hours for the collision investigation while traffic was diverted to the Wilbur Avenue off-ramp.

In the initial investigation and with the help of several witnesses, it appears that the solo male driver of the motorcycle (a 54-year-old male from Brentwood) was traveling on the Wilbur Avenue on-ramp and entering southbound SR-160 with several other motorcyclists. It appears the male rider drove over the gore point on the on-ramp to enter SR-160 and collided with the curb, subsequently ejecting him from his motorcycle. He was catapulted into the lanes of southbound traffic where he was struck by another vehicle, while his motorcycle continued into the lanes of traffic as well and was also struck by another vehicle. The rider was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The other vehicles that were involved in this collision stopped and remained at the scene. But the reported other motorcyclists riding with the 54-year-old man left the scene prior to CHP and emergency personnel arrival and have not been located.

At this time, it is unknown if alcohol or drugs were a factor in this collision but it’s still under investigation. If anyone witnessed this collision or the events leading up to it on Wilbur Avenue, please contact Contra Costa CHP in Martinez, (925) 646-4980, and Investigating Officer T. Johnson.

New County Sustainability Commission to help Supervisors make Contra Costa cleaner, healthier

By Leave a Comment

Next meeting Monday, August 28

The Contra Costa County Sustainability Commission will hold its second meeting on Monday, August 28, 2017, 5-7 p.m., at 30 Muir Road, Martinez. The Board of Supervisors created the Sustainability Commission earlier this year to advise the Board and County staff on how to make Contra Costa County healthier and reduce pollution, important goals of the County’s Climate Action Plan.  The agenda for the meeting can be found here.

Thirty-five people applied for the 10 seats on the Sustainability Commission. Given the high level of interest and the opportunity to include more voices, the Board of Supervisors created an additional At-Large seat and allowed each Supervisor to appoint an alternate from his or her district. The 15 members and alternates of the Sustainability Commission appointed to date come from across the County and represent a range of interests and professional experience.  The members include:

Nick Despota, Member, District 1. Nick Despota, a longtime resident of Richmond, has served on numerous commissions and non-profit boards. His professional career has included video production, writing for educational media, and web design. After retiring in 2016, he began volunteering with an environmental organization to develop its online media presence. Nick currently leads the communication team for the Alameda Chapter of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby. 

Victoria Smith, Member, District 2. Victoria Smith is the former Mayor of Orinda and longtime City Council Member. Victoria served as Chair of the Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority, RecycleSmart, which provides recycling, reuse and garbage services to the cities of Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, Walnut Creek, Danville, and central Contra Costa County.  Victoria is a graduate of UC Berkeley and UC Hastings College of the Law, and practices real estate law.

Reid Edwards, Alternate, District 2. Reid Edwards is a retired senior public affairs executive who worked for many years on all aspects of energy and environmental issues, both locally and in Washington, D.C. He resides in Lafayette and has lived in Contra Costa County, with short interruptions, since 1963. He currently volunteers with a number of local institutions including White Pony Express and the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. 

John Sierra, Member, District 3. John Sierra teaches AP Environmental Science and was the Freedom High School teacher of the year in 2013.  He is actively involved with multiple community organizations and frequently takes his students on adventures near and far including Yosemite and Nicaragua.  John is dedicated to protecting natural resources while creating a healthy living environment for all.

Gretchen Logue, Alternate, District 3. Gretchen Logue is dedicated to community civic engagement, and has a lifelong passion for environmental sustainability.  She is the co-founder of the Tassajara Valley Preservation Association, an organization dedicated to the sustainability of Contra Costa County.  In addition to serving as a board member on the Tassajara Hills Foundation, fundraising for educational programs, this mother of three is also a California Naturalist.

Wes Sullens, Member, District 4. Wes Sullens, LEED Fellow, is the Director of Codes Technical Development at the US Green Building Council.  Prior to joining USGBC, Mr. Sullens worked for a local government agency in Alameda County, California (StopWaste), where he provided green codes advocacy, building and product standards development, and green building policy support. Previous to StopWaste, he was an energy and sustainability consultant at a prominent firm in the US.

Travis Curran, Alternate, District 4. A lifelong environmentalist, Travis Curran has spent the past 11 years working in adult mental health.  The Administrator at Crestwood Healing Center in Pleasant Hill, Travis led a sustainability project that transformed facility practices, saving over 2 million gallons of water, and earning a green certification and multiple green awards in the process.  Travis is passionate about waste reduction, and the preservation and protection of our state and national parks.

Charles Davidson, Member, District 5. Charles was the lead community organizer for MoveOn East Bay during the housing crisis. He then became involved with 350BayArea and helped found the Sunflower Alliance, organizing for climate and environmental justice issues, opposing multiple planned large-scale toxic tar sands refinery expansion projects, and lobbying for Community Choice Energy and a fossil-free and inexpensive clean energy future.  Charles has studied cancer biology and medical physics at the graduate school level and holds a US patent in advanced medical imaging. 

Mark Thomson, Alternate, District 5.  Long-time Martinez resident Mark Thomson is Co-President of the John Muir Association, which works closely with the National Park Service to share the legacy of John Muir.  Mark is also Co-Facilitator of Thousand Friends of Martinez, an organization dedicated to defending parks, creeks, wetlands, open space and historic elements in the Martinez area. Mark has previously volunteered with the Boy Scouts, Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center, and other organizations. His professional background is in Information Technology.

Howdy Goudey, At-Large, Community Group.  Howdy Goudey has an Engineering Physics degree from UC Berkeley and has worked for 24 years in the research and development of energy efficient buildings, particularly windows, at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He has also been a member of the City of El Cerrito Environmental Quality Committee for 9 years, as well as a volunteer with community gardens and native habitat restoration.

Harry Thurston, At-Large, Community Group.   Antioch resident Harry Thurston is committed to furthering sustainable resource usage by Contra Costa County and the municipalities within. He received formal training in sustainable resource usage from Humboldt State University, receiving a BS in Forestry. He put this knowledge into practice as a Peace Corps volunteer, followed by 10 years of Commercial Forestry practice, receiving California certification as a Registered Professional Forester.  Most recently, over the last several years, he has been leading the East Contra Costa effort to implement a Community Choice Energy program for the County’s unincorporated area and for the incorporated municipalities within the County. Harry is a member of the Contra Costa Clean Energy Alliance.

Kathy Cutting, At-Large, Business.  Kathy Cutting is a Bay Area native, settling in Oakley in 1989, where she raised her family.  Over the last 20 years she has enjoyed working as a residential landscape designer promoting sustainable land options for homeowners.  As an alumna of Cal State East Bay, Kathy now works at the University’s Concord Campus, where she is a liaison for all sustainability programs within the Concord campus community. 

Nicholas Snyder, At-Large, Business. Nicholas Snyder is a Senior Analyst at Tierra Resource Consultants, an energy and natural resource consulting firm in Walnut Creek.  Most recently, he has served as a lead on the funding and financing of energy efficiency, renewables, and energy storage.  Before joining Tierra, he interned at Contra Costa County Climate Leaders and the Energy Division of the California Public Utilities Commission, where he supported regulatory oversight of the Energy Watch, Regional Energy Network, and Community Choice Energy programs.

Doria Robinson, At-Large, Environmental Justice.  Doria is third generation resident of Richmond, California and the Executive Director of Urban Tilth, a community based organization rooted in Richmond dedicated to cultivating urban agriculture to help the community build a more sustainable, healthy, and just food system. Doria is trained as a Watershed Restoration Ecologist, and is a Certified Permaculture Designer, Certified Bay Friendly Gardener, a Certified Nutrition Educator, and a Certified Yoga Instructor and the founder of Sanctuary Yoga. She was recognized as Environmental Advocate of the Year for Contra Costa County and as Woman of the Year for Contra Costa County in 2010. In 2011, she was presented with a Community Resiliency Leadership Award from Bay Localize.

Scott Warfe, At-Large, Education.  Scott Warfe is an Assistant Professor of English and Developmental Education Lead at Los Medanos College. In addition to work in the English Department, Scott is also one of the founders of the LMC Food Pantry and volunteers with The Trinity Center, which serves homeless and working poor people in East Contra Costa County. 

 

Wildcat-San Pablo Creeks Levee Project celebration in Richmond Tues. Aug. 29

By 1 Comment

Kickoff event involves local youth in North Richmond

September marks the beginning of a significant flood control and water conservation project in North Richmond.  Last winter’s storms heightened the entire bay area’s awareness of the need for creek improvements and level projects, as we saw flooding in places we wouldn’t ordinarily expect it.  The Wildcat-San Pablo Creeks Levee Project will raise and improve the existing levee system in the area, reducing the risk of flooding and recertifying flood protection capability for the community.   Contra Costa County is leveraging grant funding to make these improvements.

On August 29th, County and community leaders and volunteers will be on hand at the Urban Tilth Farm near the project site preparing for the work.  The County Flood Control District is partnering with Urban Tilth, a local non-profit organization, to employ local youths to work on vegetation management for this project.  Additional benefits will include protecting and preserving natural creek resources with litter cleanup, the removal of nonnative invasive species, and job training for the local youth.

WHO: Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia, Office of Assemblymember Tony Thurmond, Deputy Public Works Director Mike Carlson, community partners and local youth

WHAT: Community Kickoff for the Wildcat-San Pablo Creeks Levee Project

WHEN: Tuesday, August 29, 2017 12:00 p.m. (staff onsite until 2:00 p.m.)

WHERE: Urban Tilth Farm, 323 Brookside Drive, Richmond

Results of inquest in Clayton Police Officer involved death of Pittsburg woman in May announced

By Leave a Comment

Sheriff-Coroner David O. Livingston announces that a Coroner’s inquest jury has reached a finding in the May 13, 2017 death of 24-year-old Marie Cherie Gaglione of Pittsburg. The finding of the jury is that the death is at the hands of another, other than by accident. (See related article).

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

The Clayton Police Department was dispatched to a local shopping center for a suspicious vehicle call. Gaglione and another person were seen leaving the shopping center in a stolen vehicle. A Clayton police officer pursued the vehicle for approximately a half-mile until it collided into a wall on the 4900 block of Myrtle Drive in Concord. The driver was transported to a local hospital. Gaglione was pronounced deceased at the scene.  

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

Camino Diablo Road closure from Main Street to Byron Highway in Byron

By Leave a Comment

Construction of the Byron Highway and Camino Diablo Intersection Improvement Project is underway. The project will widen roadway pavement, install a traffic signal, sidewalk and upgrade the Union Pacific Railroad crossing on Camino Diablo.  Camino Diablo, from Main Street to Byron Highway, will be closed for the construction of the upgrades to the railroad crossing effective 3:00pm August 29th until 7:00 am September 28th.

Traffic will be detoured to Holway Drive for access to Camino Diablo and Byron Highway.  Drivers can expect delays. The project is funded by Federal Highway Safety Improvement Funds, Traffic Mitigation Funds, and Local Road Funds. Project completion is expected by the end of November. For project updates, visit the Public Works website at: http://www.cccounty.us/pwdmap.

Sheriff’s Detectives investigate Tuesday afternoon homicide of woman in Byron

By Leave a Comment

On Tuesday, August 22, 2017, at about 3:50 PM, Deputy Sheriffs responded to a report of a dead body on the 500 block of Camino Diablo in Byron. Deputies arrived on scene and found a deceased adult female. Homicide Detectives and the crime lab responded to the location.

The victim, who is believed to be a San Francisco resident, is not being identified at this time as next of kin have not been notified. The investigation is ongoing. The motive in this homicide is unknown at this time. The autopsy is taking place later this morning.

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

Sheriff’s Deputies, Antioch Police arrest two after Highway 4 pursuit, Tuesday afternoon

By Leave a Comment

Sheriff’s Deputies pursue two suspects in a blue pickup truck eastbound on Highway 4, on Tuesday. photo by KTVU Fox 2 News.

From Concord to Martinez then ends in Antioch

At about 1:51 PM Tuesday afternoon, August 22, 2017 a Contra Costa County Deputy Sheriff pulled-up behind a stolen truck on westbound Highway 4 near Willow Pass Road in Bay Point. The Deputy initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle. The driver did not yield and led Deputies on a pursuit, which went to Alhambra Avenue in Martinez and then back eastbound on Highway 4 to Antioch.

The CHP and Antioch Police Department assisted the Office of the Sheriff during the pursuit.

The suspects were in a blue pickup truck with a white-topped shell, exited at the Hillcrest Avenue offramp and drove north into a residential neighborhood. The stolen truck collided with a fence on the 900 block of 13th Street in Antioch. The driver and the passenger fled on foot and ran to the back of homes along Lake Alhambra.

A police K-9 from the Sheriff’s Office apprehended the passenger, while Antioch Police Officers arrested the driver.

The driver is identified as 22-year-old Terry Nichols. He was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on numerous charges – possession of a stolen vehicle, felony evading, possession of stolen property, and resisting arrest. Nichols is being held in lieu of $90,000 bail.

The passenger is identified as 19-year-old Mason Leonard. He was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on possession of stolen property, vandalism, and resisting charges. Leonard is being held in lieu of $40,000 bail.

To watch video of the pursuit and arrest of at least one of the suspects on KTVU Channel 2, click here.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Contra Costa prosecutors endorse their colleague Paul Graves for Interim DA

By 2 Comments

Contra Costa Senior Deputy District Attorney Paul Graves. photo courtesy of Paul Graves for DA

The Contra Costa County Deputy District Attorney’s Association has endorsed Senior Deputy District Attorney Paul Graves for the position of Interim District Attorney of Contra Costa County. 

On Friday, August 18th, 2017, the Contra Costa County District Attorneys’ Association, made up of over 80 criminal prosecutors, voted for the endorsement.

“Paul Graves distinguished himself as a leader when he stepped forward to run for election against Mr. Peterson, a sitting incumbent at the time, despite the great professional risk he was taking, because it was the right thing to do,” said Aron DeFerrari, President of the DA’s Association.

“Our prosecutors are currently working on hundreds of cases and the interim DA will immediately have immense responsibilities to manage these cases,” added Simon O’Connell, a member of the District Attorneys’ Association Board. “Paul Graves’ experience managing and leading prosecutors gives us full confidence in his ability to keep those cases on track until voters choose the next District Attorney.”

Amongst a field of five candidates seeking the appointment, Paul Graves has distinguished himself in both public forums, his written applications and, perhaps most importantly, his actions and proven integrity as a veteran prosecutor for the last 22 years.

With the support of almost every police association, nonprofit and community based organizations Graves has worked with throughout the years, and the endorsement of the East Bay Times, “We are tremendously proud to endorse Paul Graves, he is a truly talented prosecutor, a proven leader in the law enforcement community and, perhaps most importantly, a person of genuine character and integrity – what we need most right now in our office” said Lauren Whalen, a DA’s Association Board Member and young prosecutor in the District Attorney’s Office.