Contra Costa Herald

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

The Salvation Army deploying Antioch officers to Hurricane Harvey scene, offers where to donate

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Today, Wednesday, August 30, 2017, The Salvation Army will send Hayward Corps officer Capt. John Kelley and Antioch Corps officers Capt. Randy and Major Sheryl Clarke to assist the Hurricane Harvey scene in Texas.  The officers will provide emotional and spiritual care in areas where Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services teams are located.  They are scheduled to be in Texas through September 12.

The Salvation Army has had more than 50 canteens (mobile kitchens) deployed to the affected areas in Texas.  As of Monday evening, 6,288 meals, 7,162 snacks, and 5,664 drinks have been provided to evacuees and first responders.

Both Kelley and the Clarkes are familiar working in emergency disaster scenes.  The officers worked together at the Clayton Fire (2016) and Valley Fire (2015) in Lake County.  They handled meal services, along with emotional and spiritual care.

Donation Information

Monetary donations are only needed at this time.  The Salvation Army uses 100% of disaster donations in support of local disaster relief operations.

To give, visit www.helpsalvationarmy.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769).  Donations by mail may be designated “Hurricane Harvey” and sent to:

The Salvation Army

P.O. BOX 1959

Atlanta, GA 30301

In-kind donations are not currently being accepted outside the disaster area.  However, these gifts are vitally important to your local Salvation Army. To give items locally, visit www.SATruck.com or call 1-800-SA-TRUCK.

Brentwood Vice Mayor Steve Barr announces resignation from city council

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Steve Barr – from his 2016 campaign for County Supervisor.

Moving to his ranch in Northern California; council expected to appoint replacement through 2018

By Allen Payton

The City of Brentwood announced on Monday that Vice Mayor Steve Barr will resign from the City Council effective September 8, 2017. Vice Mayor Barr submitted his letter of resignation dated August 28, 2017 to the City Clerk, identifying September 8th as his last day as Vice Mayor.

With this announcement, the City Council will begin discussion on how to fill this vacancy at the September 12, 2017 City Council meeting.

VBarr was elected as a City Council Member on November 2, 2010 and served as the Vice Mayor 2010-2012 and 2016-current. Additionally, he has most recently served on City Council Committees such as the Agriculture Enterprise, Land Use and Development, Fire and Medical Services ad hoc, Budget and Finance, and the Police Activities League.

His term expires November 2018 requiring the City Council to address filling the vacancy until the next regular election in November 2018.

In a letter to Mayor Bob Taylor and the other council members on Monday, Barr wrote the following:

“My wife and I have called Brentwood home for the last 37 years and as you may know we have recently sold our home and have been living with friends while we search for a new residence. Since the sale of our home we have taken a vacation for some much-needed time off and used that time to explore all our options moving into retirement, after careful consideration we have made the difficult decision to relocated to far northern California.”

“In the coming weeks, I will be permanently relocating and it is with heavy heart that I must resign my position as Vice Mayor,” he continued. “I take comfort in knowing that the leadership team of Mayor Taylor, Council Member Joel Bryant, Councilmember Claudette Staton and Councilmember Karen Rarey with the support by an incredible city staff will keep Brentwood moving forward with the best yet to come for our residents.”

When reached for comment Mayor Bob Taylor said, “I was a little taken aback. I wasn’t prepared for it.”

“There was no explanation other than to sell their home and move up north,” he continued. “It was kind of a jolt to me. But I wish him well.”

Asked if he expected to appoint someone to fill the council vacancy, Taylor responded, “We’ll do an appointment. Here’s what I’d like the process to be. Instead of spending $100,000 on an election see whoever is going to be appointed go through an appointment process.”

Barr served as a Trustee on the Liberty Union High School District first as an appointed member from 2005-06 and then was elected in 2006. He served on the school board until 2010 when he was elected to the City Council. Barr ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2012 against Taylor. He was re-elected to the council in 2014 and then jumped into the race for County Supervisor for District 3, last year. Barr made it into the run-off besting four other opponents in the June Primary, but lost in the November election to Diane Burgis.

Barr mentioned some of the changes during his time living in the community.

“We came to Brentwood following our dream to raise our family in a small town that’s [sic] residents committed to making their community a great place to live and valued the local heritage that makes Brentwood so special,” he wrote. “Much has changed from when we first moved to Brentwood, there are signalized intersections where there were only stop signs, Highway 4 is now on the west side of town and we have more than one grocery store to choose from to name a few. The one thing that has remain unchanged is the small town feel and the commitment to the community by our residents and leaders.”

Rarey offered her thoughts on Barr’s resignation, “He’s got a ranch. He’s been doing lots of work up there. Every time I see him he’s been coming back into town. I think they thought their home was going to take longer to sell.”

“It will go to the council on Sept 12 and the council will have to make a decision to go for a special election in June or appoint,” she stated regarding the council vacancy. “Hopefully, we’ll make a decision that night and be able to move forward.”

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.