News | Contra Costa Herald

Stay up-to-date on local election results, Tuesday night

November 7, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

First numbers will be available shortly after 8:00 pm

You won’t have to wait long to get updated election results from Contra Costa County Elections Division on Tuesday night.

Results of vote-by-mail ballots for the Presidential General Election that have been returned through last Friday will be available shortly after the polls close at 8:00 pm on Election Night.

Meanwhile, with results being collected from precincts throughout the County, the first update can be expected at about 9:30 pm, with results updated about every 30 minutes until all precincts report.

The availability of updated reports will be communicated via Twitter and Facebook, using the hashtag #CoCoVote2016. Changes to the reporting schedule, if any, will also be communicated on these social media sites.

The Contra Costa Elections Division social media pages are:

https://www.Twitter.com/CoCoElections

https://www.facebook.com/EngageContraCosta/

https://www.facebook.com/ContraCostaElections/

Election results will be posted to the Elections website, www.cocovote.us, throughout the night and will be updated by 5:00 pm on Thursday November 10th and then every Friday until the election is certified.

The county has until December 6th to certify the Presidential Election and until December 8th to certify all other items on the ballot.

Local election results will also be available throughout Election Night on Contra Costa Television (CCTV) beginning at 9:00 pm on Comcast channel 27, Astound channel 32 and AT&T U-Verse channel 99.

Contra Costa Elections office hosts drive-thru for vote-by-mail drop off in Martinez

November 7, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Contra Costa voters will have one more quick and easy way to return their vote-by-mail ballots on Election Day.

The Contra Costa Elections Division is hosting a drive-thru ballot drop off site outside of its office, located at 555 Escobar Street in Martinez. The drive-thru will be located along northbound Alhambra Avenue, just north of Escobar.

The drive-thru will be open 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Monday, and 7:00 am to 8:00 pm on Tuesday.

The goal of the drive-thru is that drivers won’t have to get out of their car or find a parking spot.

Early Voting will continue to available in the Contra Costa Elections Office on Monday and Tuesday; 8:00 am to 5:00 pm on Monday and 7:00 am to 8:00 pm Tuesday.

Additionally, vote-by-mail voters can continue to drop off their ballots at “CoCo Vote-N-Go” drop-off boxes at all 19 city hall buildings, select branches of the Contra Costa Library and the County Administration building on 651 Pine Street, Martinez.

For more information, visit www.cocovote.us.

Frazier sends letter to California WaterFix to oppose Delta tunnels

November 5, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Assemblymember Jim Frazier, whose 11th Assembly District includes much of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, has called upon a state board to reject a change in water rights as proposed by proponents of the Delta twin tunnels project. frazier-waterfix-letter-nov-2016

“My constituents expect to be protected by the State of California,” Frazier said in a six-page letter to the State Water Resources Control Board, which is considering a petition to divert water from the Sacramento River into the tunnels that would be built by the California WaterFix Project.

The project requires a change in water rights. A petition for that change was filed this summer by the state Department of Water Resources and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which want to ship water to Central and Southern California by going around the Delta via twin tunnels.

With public hearings on the petition continuing this month and into the new year, Frazier denounced the proposed diversions, saying they would “devastate Delta communities that rely on a healthy Delta environment to ensure a thriving local economy.”

Frazier asserted that the WaterFix Project does not meet the requirements of the 2009 Delta Reform Act, which established the co-equal goals of providing a reliable water supply while protecting, restoring and enhancing the Delta – “in a manner that protects and enhances the unique cultural, recreational, natural resource and agricultural values of the Delta.”

“This language was not just provided as an idle consideration for the administration, but represents a high-level declaration of policy that must be satisfied,” he wrote.

Frazier criticized the WaterFix Project, stating that it does nothing to increase or ensure a reliable water supply, nor does it take into consideration that the water it proposes to take is needed by those who live and work in and around the Delta. The diversions, he said, will endanger the livelihoods of those who depend on Delta farming, fishing and tourism, as well as the millions of Californians who get their drinking water directly from the Delta.

And a proposal to backfill the diversion by taking water from farmers and communities in other parts of the state is also unacceptable, he said.

“I urge the administration not to take water from farmers and communities around the state to give it to the Delta just so that the administration can turn around and justify shipping approximately the same volume of water to Southern California,” Frazier added.

To contact Assemblymember Frazier please visit his website at www.asmdc.org/frazier or call his District Offices at 707-399-3011 or 925-513-0411. Follow Frazier on Facebook and “Like” him for updates on events and happenings in the 11th AD.

Glover announces expansion of anti-gang program across Contra Costa, seeks coordinator

November 5, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Operation Ceasefire is a problem-oriented policing intervention aimed at reducing youth homicide and youth firearms violence. Began in Boston, it has been adopted by Chicago, Cincinnati and Indianapolis, and these cities achieved reductions in gun homicide of 25 to over 60 percent. In California, Stockton reduced gun homicide by more than 43 percent between 1998 and 2001. The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office has been operating a pilot program in Richmond for several years.

“We have been monitoring the success of Ceasefire in Richmond since I chaired the Public Protection Committee,” of the county, said Supervisor Federal Glover. “There has been a significant drop in violent crime in Richmond and we want to spread the program countywide.”

This strategy, based upon extensive research and experience, has evolved from a primary focus on deterring serious gang and youth gun violence, to a comprehensive approach that combines deterrence with workforce training, employment, and other services.

According to the Northern District of California U.S. Attorney’s Office, “The Operation Ceasefire model is being used in California under the program name Safe Community Partnership (SCP). The SCP is a partnership among the Governor’s Office, private funders (including the California Wellness Foundation, the California Endowment, and Kaiser Permanente, Community Benefits, Northern California Region), the Public Health Institute, and six California cities (Modesto, Stockton, Oakland, Salinas, Oxnard and Union City). These partners are working together to implement an evidence-based, data-driven approach designed to reduce serious gang violence in the near term and on a community-wide level. In addition to Oakland and Salinas in the Northern District, East Palo Alto, Richmond and Union City have been added to the Safe Community Partnership/Operation Ceasefire program.”

Contra Costa County is searching for a coordinator for the Ceasefire program, which will be run out of the County Administrator’s Office and work across the various county departments, including the District Attorney’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office, Probation and Health Services. A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) has been issued for individuals interested in the position of coordinator.

Interested individuals can view the RFQ at: http://www.cccounty.us/2366/Services-Programs

Final responses will be due at 651 Pine Street, 10th floor, Martinez, CA 94553 by noon, Nov. 17, 2016. Questions about the RFQ can be submitted to lara.delaney@cao.cccounty.us by 12 p.m. on Nov. 7, 2016.

“Reaching out to these gang members, or people who are thinking about joining a gang, might make them think twice before they break the law or commit an act of violence,” said Glover. “Ceasefire will help reduce incarceration and, in the end, reduce the social and financial costs for our society.”

For more information about Operation Ceasefire, click here.

Community College Board hires DVC alum, Dr. Fred Wood as new chancellor for the district, Friday

November 4, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Dr. Fred Wood

The Contra Costa Community College District (District) Governing Board held a special public meeting on Friday, November 4, 2016, to announce they reached a unanimous decision to select Dr. Fred E. Wood as the next chancellor.

“All three finalists demonstrated strong leadership skills,” said Governing Board President Vicki Gordon. “In the end, Dr. Wood was chosen because of his focus on student success, building programs and services to help community college students successfully transfer to a four-year institution, experience working collaboratively with business on career technical education, and successful fundraising abilities.”

The announcement was made following a nationwide search, that began in May 2016. Potential candidates were reviewed and three finalists were selected to participate in public forums and final interviews this week.

Governing Board President Vicki Gordon recognized the dedication and work conducted by the Search Committee. “In addition, we were also very pleased and want to thank the faculty, staff, managers, and community leaders who attended the public forums and provided input on the candidates. Their feedback was important in making our decision.”

The District will begin negotiating the contract with Dr. Wood with the goal of placing the item on the December 14, 2016, Governing Board meeting agenda for review and approval.

“As a Diablo Valley College (DVC) alumni, I am humbled and extremely honored to be selected to serve as the next chancellor of the Contra Costa Community College District,” says Dr. Wood. “My DVC experience changed my life, and I am living proof of the power and impact community colleges can make. I am excited to work with my colleagues throughout the District to transform the lives of all our students who strive to achieve their higher educational goals with us.”

Wood presently serves as Chancellor at the University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC). UMC, which was a two-year technical college beginning in 1966 and transitioned to a baccalaureate granting institution in 1993, is a work-force focused campus of the U of M system of which half of the degree seeking students are on-campus students and the other half are on-line. UMC offers an experiential learning based curriculum where on-campus students are required to complete an internship and currently offers 14 degrees fully on-line.

Chancellor Wood joined UMC after a 26-year career at the University of California, Davis, where he served as vice chancellor of student affairs from 2007 to 2012, leading one of the largest student affairs portfolios in the nation. His career at UC Davis included other leadership positions, as well, such as interim vice provost for undergraduate studies and associate dean of the College of Letters and Science, while concurrently serving as a faculty member in chemistry.

He began both his college education and professional career at the community college. Prior to UC Davis, Dr. Wood was a faculty member at North Idaho College and his first teaching assignment during graduate school was at Diablo Valley College.

A first-generation college graduate, Chancellor Wood earned an A.A from Diablo Valley College, and B.S. and Ph.D. in chemistry from UC Davis. He is married and has three grown children. He enjoys hiking, biking and skiing with his family.

Wood will oversee the Contra Costa Community College District (CCCCD), which is one of the largest multi-college community college districts in California. The CCCCD serves a population of 1,019,640 people, and its boundaries encompass all but 48 of the 734-square-mile land area of Contra Costa County. The District is home to Contra Costa College in San Pablo, Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, as well as educational centers in Brentwood and San Ramon. The District headquarters is located in downtown Martinez.

County Board of Education recognizes November as National Homeless Youth Awareness Month

November 4, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

At the October 19^th Board Meeting, the board approved a resolution to recognize and raise awareness of the issue of youth homelessness. The goal of the resolution is to highlight the issue of youth homelessness within the county and our schools. Currently, Contra Costa County has over 3,000 children and youth living in homeless situations, as reported by the county school districts, charter schools and the Contra Costa Council on Homelessness. This includes children ages 0-5 and students in grades Kindergarten through 12.

In California, more than 298,000 youth up to the age of 18 experience homelessness each year. During November all students, schools and community members are encouraged to engage in discussions on this topic to raise awareness.

Below are some suggested activities for school sites:

Send a flyer home with students or create a display to inform students and families of homeless education rights and resources available at your school and in Contra Costa County.
Make a presentation to school teachers, staff and board members to raise awareness of homelessness in your community or school district.
Organize a food drive and donate to the local food bank or pantry.
Make a donation or volunteer at a local shelter.
Participate in Contra Costa Community Donation Day on November 19^th.

The Contra Costa County Office of Education (Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program) coordinates the following:

Provides technical assistance regarding the proper identification, enrollment, and service needs of homeless students and their families.
Conducts professional development trainings for school personnel and community agencies regarding the rights and responsibilities of homeless students.
Educates students, parents and guardians on their educational rights, and promotes their participation in school-related activities.
Facilitates the school enrollment process to ensure equal access to educational services, free-or-reduced price meals, tutoring or other programs.
Assists unaccompanied youth with enrollment procedures, school placement options, and retrieval of records.
Provides assistance with transportation, backpacks, school supplies and clothing.
Provides medical, dental, and mental health referrals, in addition to other school/community services.
Provides assistance to specialized populations of homeless students, including pre-schoolers, homeless teen parents, children with special needs, and unaccompanied youth.

For more information, contact CCCOE’s Education for Homeless Children and Youth program at (925) 942-3300.

Sheriff’s Office opens Bayo Vista Community Policing Substation in Rodeo

November 4, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Kids and Sheriff’s Deputies, with McGruff the Crime Dog help celebrate the grand opening of the new sub-station in Rodeo on Wednesday, October 26, 2016. Photo courtesy of CCCSheriff.

The Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff recently received a two-year “Strengthening Law Enforcement and Community Relations Grant” to fund collaborative law enforcement-community partnerships that aim to improve or establish relationships with communities we serve.

With the funds, the Office of the Sheriff, in partnership with the YMCA, Housing Authority of Contra Costa County, and other community partners, will develop a program that will effectively engage residents at the Bayo Vista Housing Development in the community of Rodeo. This program will enhance safety, well being, health, education and public trust. Available resources and partnerships will be used to develop a plan that unifies services to meet the needs of the Bayo Vista community. A special focus will be on youths.

The grand opening of the substation took place on October 26, 2016. Please click this link to see a KRON 4 story on the opening.

Community College Board sets special meeting on chancellor appointment for Friday morning

November 3, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

The Contra Costa Community College District (District) Governing Board has scheduled a special public meeting on Friday, November 4, 2016, at 9:00 a.m., to make an announcement regarding the search for a new chancellor. The meeting will take place at 500 Court Street, Martinez, California, in the 6^th floor Board Room.

The nationwide search for a new chancellor began in May 2016 following the retirement announcement of current Chancellor Helen Benjamin. To review the agenda of this special meeting visit:

http://www.4cd.edu/gb/agendas_minutes/agendas/2016-11-04-spec.pdf.

State Senate candidate Rubay scolds Glazer for breaking tax hike pledge, opposes Measure X

November 2, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

East Bay State Senate candidate Joseph A. Rubay (7th District, R-Alamo) rebuked incumbent Steve Glazer, on Wednesday for endorsing a new county tax on the November ballot after promising to “hold the line on taxes.”

“Steve Glazer pledged in his official candidate statement to ‘hold the line on taxes.’ By endorsing Measure X, a new $2.9 billion county tax, Mr. Glazer has broken his promise,” Rubay stated. “He can’t have it both ways.”

Measure X would double the Contra Costa transportation sales tax rate and last for 30 years. It would increase the county’s transportation sales tax to a whole percent, making Contra Costa’s tax rates among the highest in the state, according to the website www.saynotox.com.

“The current county transportation sales tax began in 2009 and was supposed to satisfy needs for 25 years,” Rubay said. “Doubling the tax is outrageous, coming only seven years into a 25-year tax.”

Rubay is a real estate appraiser, former certified public accountant and auditor.

“I oppose Measure X because it would cost a family of four an average of $268 annually until the year 2047,” he said. “Mr. Glazer was wrong to champion AB 1665, the special legislation that busted the county sales tax cap to allow this new tax to be placed on the ballot.”

“There’s no shortage of money for transportation projects,” Rubay continued. “East Bay residents already pay fuel taxes at the pump, a county sales tax, a BART sales tax, a state Transportation Development Act sales tax, and a regional transportation sales tax, in addition to property taxes for BART and local roads, vehicle license and registration fees, and bridge tolls. We don’t need a new tax.”

“Senate District 7 taxpayers have contributed more than a half billion dollars of the existing AB 1107 sales tax to San Francisco’s Muni system,” he continued. “Why doesn’t Mr. Glazer stop this massive diversion of our local transportation funds to San Francisco instead of forcing a tax increase on us?”

“Mr. Glazer has flip-flopped on his promise – one of his ‘Ten Governing Principles’ – to ‘hold the line on taxes.’ He has betrayed voters, especially fiscal conservatives,” Rubay added. “He’s proven he can’t be trusted to represent us in Sacramento.”

The 7th District covers all of the 925 area code (except Martinez and Pleasant Hill), including the communities of Alamo, Antioch, Bay Point, Blackhawk, Brentwood, Clayton, Concord, Danville, Discovery Bay, Dublin, Lafayette, Livermore, Moraga, Oakley, Orinda, Pittsburg, Pleasanton, San Ramon and Walnut Creek.

To learn more about the Rubay for Senate campaign visit his website at http://rubayforstatesenate2016.com/home.

The election is next Tuesday, November 8^th.

Complaint filed against BART claims Warriors’ Draymond Green ad supports Measure RR

November 2, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Screenshot of an ad featuring the Warriors’ Draymond Green supporting BART submitted as evidence for the complaint.

BART says ad was paid for by the Warriors

By Allen Payton

Another campaign trick was played on Halloween, when Lafayette attorney Jason Bezis filed a complaint against BART for using public funds, on Monday, October 31st. He claims the government agency is using public funds to promote the bond Measure RR on the November ballot. fppc-complaint-against-bart-re-measure-rr-first-supplement-oct-31-2016

In an email about his complaint, Bezis wrote, “I just filed a complaint with the FPPC about BART’s video using Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors to promote Measure RR ($3.5 billion BART bond measure). I argue that BART is illegally using public resources to influence voters to vote yes on Measure RR.”

Bezis’ complaint states, “complaint concerns BART public resources used illegally to plan, produce and publicize a video featuring basketball player Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors to promote Measure RR. On Friday, October 28, 2016, BART released a 31-second video titled ‘Draymond Says’ and an accompanying ‘news article,’ YouTube post, Facebook post, and Twitter post to promote the video. The BART video, BART World Web (sic) [Wide] Web homepage, BART ‘news article,’ BART YouTube post, BART Facebook post and BART Twitter post all contain the message ‘BART needs to stay safe and reliable.’

These communications paid for with public moneys by BART, a local governmental agency, unambiguously urge a particular result in the November 2016 election: they urge ‘yes’ votes for Measure RR, referred to on the ballot as ‘BART Safety, Reliability and Traffic Relief.’ These BART communications constitute ‘contributions’ or ‘independent expenditures’ benefiting the Yes on RR campaign (FPPC ID#1381218), officially named the ‘Committee to Keep BART Safe and Reliable,’ which uses the phrase ‘Keep BART Safe and Reliable’ in its campaign logo.”

Bezis then offered what he wants BART to basically admit they’re using public money to campaign for the ballot measure and to file the necessary finance reports for the expenditures.

His complaint concludes with the following:

“As BART has engaged in campaign activity, pursuant to Regulation 18420.1(f), the FPPC should require BART to file the necessary campaign finance reports for the direct and indirect costs of its campaign activities relating to promotion of Measure RR on the November 2016 ballot in Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties. BART needs to publicly disclose the value of public resources that it expended for campaign activities supporting passage of Measure RR as either a contribution to Yes on RR campaign or as an independent expenditure supporting Measure RR. For the “Draymond Says” video, BART needs to report as campaign activity the costs of planning the video, production of the video, and promotion of the video via YouTube, Twitter, its internet homepage, its BART “news article,” and by other means of publicity. If Draymond Green is a “paid spokesperson” for BART, then a Form 511 report must be filed.”

Bezis also provided evidence to support his complaint, which can be seen below.

When reached for comment BART Board Director Joel Keller responded “The complainant believes the District used public funds to promote a ballot measure and has filed a complaint with the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC). There is a fine line between education and advocacy and it is appropriate to wait for the FPPC’s response before discussing the merits of the complaint. However, as a supporter of the Dub Nation and admirer of the heart and intensity of Draymond Green’s play, it’s too bad that the motivation for the video about the Warriors and BART has become controversial because it is a slam dunk.”

Kerry Hamill, BART’s Assistant General Manager for External Affairs said “We have had an ongoing relationship with the Golden State Warriors for years at BART.”

“We provide extra service to their games,” she continued. “They promote BART in a variety of ways, like this video, which they showed at one of their last pre-season games.”

“We did not pay for it. The District absolutely did not pay for it,” Hamill reiterated. “It’s the Warriors’ video and they used it to show during their pre-season game. They let us use it for BARTable, which is a website and a newsletter that promotes off-peak ridership to various games, activities, shows and festivals.”

“I really want the Warriors to be applauded for encouraging people to take BART to the game and get cars off the road,” she said. “It’s a lot safer and smarter to take public transit to a game, when you’re going to drink and party.”

“The Warriors and BART shouldn’t be attacked for promoting taking transit,” Hamill added. “People should take BART to the game.”

A source within the Yes on RR campaign said that “Bezis has a pattern of filing these complaints. He did this several times against the Measure BB campaign in 2014. The FPPC declined to even investigate them.”

The FPPC has 14 days to decide if they intend to investigate the complaint, refer the complaint to another agency, take no action either because the Commission doesn’t have the authority or the allegations do not warrant any further action.

The election is Tuesday, November 8th.

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