Contra Costa Herald

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

Contra Costa voters can drop off mail-in ballots at Vote-N-Go boxes, including at county libraries, beginning this week

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Residents can save postage and time with this expanding vote-by-mail program

By Paul Burgarino, Community Education and Engagement Specialist, Contra Costa County Elections Division

Contra Costa residents will find it easier to vote in the upcoming November 8th Election, as the Contra Costa Elections Office once again partners with local agencies to provide convenient “CoCo Vote-N-Go” drop off locations, prior to and on Election Day.

There are six new drop-off locations in Contra Costa County for the November 2016 Election; the Discovery Bay Community Center, the Kensington Library, the El Sobrante Library, the Crockett Library, the Ygnacio Valley Library and the Dougherty Station Library.

Starting the week of October 10th, voters will find the drop-off boxes at these new locations, in addition to all Contra Costa city halls and the County Administration Building, located at 651 Pine St. in Martinez.

“We are excited to expand the CoCo Vote-N-Go program into some of Contra Costa’s local library branches for voters to safely drop off their vote-by-mail envelopes,” said Joe Canciamilla, Contra Costa Registrar of Voters.  “We urge voters to take advantage of this service.”

“The drop off locations at our libraries stretch into the deep parts of the county,” said County Librarian Melinda Cervantes. “We are thrilled to take part in this program and provide an additional service to our communities.”

Contra Costa voters can drop their ballots at any location, regardless of where they live. The distinguishable boxes will be available during the location’s normal business hours.

The postage for vote-by-mail envelopes this election is 68 cents; however, the drop-box service eliminates the need for those stamps. Staff members will have the popular “I Voted” stickers available for those who drop off their ballots.

For more information about voting by mail, call 925-335-7800 or visit the Elections Office website at www.cocovote.us.

New Orleans Coroner may not release cause of College Board Trustee Nejedly’s death for two to four months

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John. T. Nejedly

John. T. Nejedly

By Allen Payton

In an effort to determine the cause of death of Contra Costa Community College District Trustee John T. Nejedly, while he was in New Orleans over the weekend, following a conference, inquiries were made to both the New Orleans Police Department and New Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office, today.

“The New Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office releases the names of victims,” said Dawn Massey, Senior Public Information Officer in the New Orleans Police Public Affairs Division. “We’ve had a couple of unclassified deaths that came in over the weekend.”

Unclassified means there was no obvious signs of death.

When asked for information about Nejedly’s death, Gayell Johnson of the Coroner’s Office said, “Once the person is autopsied it takes awhile to determine the cause of death. That is not something we know at this time.”

The Nejedly case “came in as a UI which is ‘under investigation’,” she added.

When asked how many days that will take, Johnson replied, “You mean how many weeks. The usual time is eight to sixteen weeks” for the results of the autopsy to be released.

However, his body can be released once the autopsy is completed, which is within 24-48 hours, so a memorial service can be held, she added.

John T. Nejedly, Contra Costa Community College Board Member and scion of political family, has died

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John. T. Nejedly

John. T. Nejedly

The Contra Costa Community College District (District) sadly announces the passing of Governing Board (Board) member John T. Nejedly this past weekend.  Mr. Nejedly represented Ward 4 which includes Blackhawk, Byron, Danville, Diablo, Discovery Bay, San Ramon, and parts of Alamo, Antioch, Brentwood, Clayton, and Concord.

“Our prayers and sympathies are with the Nejedly family and friends,” says Board President Vicki Gordon.  “Mr. Nejedly’s long tenure on the Board demonstrated his support of the community college mission.  He will be missed.”

Mr. Nejedly was first elected to the Board in 1994, and was serving his sixth consecutive term of office.  He is only the fourth member to represent this area since the District was created in 1948.

“We are saddened and shocked by his passing and will miss his consistent, rational approach to issues facing the District.  The success of our students was his top priority,” Chancellor Helen Benjamin said.

After graduating from Cal-Poly, San Luis Obispo, with a degree in Construction Management, Mr. Nejedly completed his education at John F. Kennedy University School of Law, where he received his law degree.  In addition to being a member of the California State Bar, he was a California licensed Real Estate Broker and licensed General Engineering Contractor.

The oldest son of the late State Senator John A. Nejedly, he was the brother of County Supervisor Mary Nejedly Piepho and Central Contra Costa Sanitary District Board Member James Nejedly.

He first ran for public office, in 1992, but unsuccessfully for the Danville Town Council. He also ran for County Assessor in 2010, losing to incumbent Gus Kramer.

“Trustee Nejedly was the only Board member who worked on the passage of all three District bond campaigns, Measures A 2002 and 2006, and Measure E 2014,” said Board member John Márquez who has served on the Board with Mr. Nejedly for six years.  “His construction knowledge and experience provided a sound and critical voice as we modernized our campus facilities to improve the learning environment for students.”

He grew up part of his life in Walnut Creek and was a resident of San Ramon. Mr. Nejedly and his wife have three children and enjoyed spending time in the mountains and playing golf.

Breast cancer community comes together at the Cow Palace during annual Grand National Rodeo

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Stacey Freitas of Galt, CA placed 2nd in the barrel racing competition during the 2016 Grand National Rodeo. photo by Allen Payton

Stacey Freitas of Galt, CA placed 2nd in the barrel racing competition during the 2015 Grand National Rodeo. photo by Allen Payton

‘Tough Enough To Wear Pink’ Day, Friday October 21st

Free tickets for breast cancer survivors and their families from the Contra Costa Herald!

Pink Plate founders, including co-founder Chere Rush (second from right) of Discovery Bay.

Pink Plate co-founders, Carla Kimball (center) and Survivor Sisters of Contra Costa County (L-R) Deborah Bordeau, Heather McCullough, Chere Rush and Heather Solari. photo courtesy of pinkplate.org.

For the first time ever the 70th Annual Grand National Livestock Expo, Horse Show, and Rodeo announces Friday, October 21, 2016 as “Tough Enough To Wear Pink” Day, and plans to bring together the Breast Cancer community in a day of solidarity and awareness. As a national campaign, Tough Enough to Wear Pink Programs in rodeos across the nation have raised almost $10 Million dollars. But the biggest asset of the program is that the money stays in local communities.

The Grand National Rodeo has partnered with Bay Area Cancer Connections, and California Pink Plate. To get involved attendees can stop by booths in the Western Marketplace to learn about early detection and other resources for cancer patients and survivors. Bay Area Cancer Connections is a nonprofit that provides free programs and services that address survivorship needs of all those facing breast and ovarian cancer in the Bay Area, including early breast cancer detection services for low-income uninsured young women and men.

By partnering with the California Pink Plate organization, the Grand National hopes to help the organization reach the DMV requirement of 7,500 paid orders which will then move the Pink Ribbon license plate into production. The Pink Plate is almost halfway to their goal, with nine months left until the deadline, the Grand National can play a big part in helping to make the plate a reality. All proceeds from the pink license plates goes to the ‘Every Woman Counts’ initiative, which provides underserved women all over California the opportunity to get free screenings, something that the founder of the pink plate feels is the key to beating the disease.

pinkplatecar“I am a nine-year stage IV breast cancer survivor and I ignored my lump for several months. I don’t want that to happen to another woman/man. What better way to remind people everyday about early detection than on the California roadways. Pink Plate can become a part of the solution. This is an opportunity to save countless lives and remind people daily about the importance of early detection. We are all in this together, and excited to partner up with Tough Enough to Wear Pink and the Grand National Rodeo this year! I don’t think about myself as a breast cancer SURVIVOR, I think of myself as a breast cancer FIGHTER! I know we’ll meet our goal and encourage Rodeo fans to purchase or gift a Pink Plate through our website www.pinkplate.org, so we can reach our goal of 7,500!” – Chere Rush, California Pink Plate Co-founder

For 70 years the iconic Cow Palace Arena & Event Center has been celebrating the old west and inspiring youth to take part in the agriculture industry through their annual Grand National Livestock Exposition, Horse Show and Rodeo event. From top to bottom, the Cow Palace is filled with the ultimate western experience including an agriculture exhibition, a professional Rodeo in partnership with the PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association), and a classic western marketplace – including mechanical bull rides, live music, BBQ, shopping, and more.

The family-friendly event takes place all day over two, action-packed weekends on Oct. 14-15 and Oct. 21-22, 2016. Although tickets must be purchased for the Grand National Rodeo in the main arena, the Livestock Exposition, Horse Show, Interactive Agricultural Area, and Marketplace are FREE to the public.

Use coupon code ‘PINK’ to receive $6.00 off reserve Dress Circle tickets or $11.00 off reserved Box Seat tickets to the Oct. 14-15 & 21-22 rodeo performances. Tickets can be purchased on the Cow Palace website (cowpalace.com). For more details contact info@cowpalace.com or call 415-414-4100.

Event Schedule, Friday Oct. 21 – ‘Tough Enough to Wear Pink Day’

NCA Dog Trials

PRCA Rodeo

About California Pink Plate:

Pink Plate’s mission is to educate, promote and raise funds for Breast Cancer Awareness in California. Early detection saves lives. We can think of no better way to spread this message than through the California Pink Ribbon License Plate. All funds generated from sales of the California Pink Ribbon License Plate will be deposited into the Breast Cancer Control Account, which funds the Every Woman Counts (EWC) program (click here). EWC is administered by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and provides free clinical breast exams and mammograms to California’s underserved women.

About Bay Area Cancer Connections

Bay Area Cancer Connections is a nonprofit organization that supports people touched by breast and ovarian cancer by providing comprehensive, personalized services in an atmosphere of warmth and compassion. The nonprofit provides free programs and services that address survivorship needs of all those facing breast and ovarian cancer in the Bay Area, including early breast cancer detection services for low-income uninsured young women and men. Learn more at www.bcconnections.org.

Free Tickets

If you know a breast cancer survivor who would like to attend the Grand National Rodeo with their family on Friday, September 21st for free, contact the Contra Costa Herald at info@contracostaherald.com and we’ll reserve a ticket good for them and four guests. Tickets are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

In addition, we also have a free General Admission ticket good for any of the four days, available to each of the first four readers who contact us.

See the full schedule of the 2016 Grand National Rodeo, by clicking here: www.cowpalace.com/p/grandnational

Special education teacher in Antioch strives to bring “Safety Town” to her students and campus

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Along with so many national politicians these days, special education teacher (and non-politician) Jordan Rice is looking for many votes. But as all political parties will agree, Rice’s campaign is certainly worthy of everyone’s votes, because her “platform” will empower the special-needs students at her Turner Elementary Special Education School, in Antioch.

Due to her creative vision and impressive application, Rice is now a finalist of the 2016 Farmer Insurance’s Dream Big Challenge, under the $100,000 grant category. Out of hundreds of applicants, her Safety Town project is now a finalist, along with 14 other nation-wide submissions. When all of the national votes are tabulated at the end of this month, six of the fifteen $100,000 projects will be funded.

About Safety Town:

“Safety Town is a different and creative way to motivate and engage students who have significant learning needs,” says Rice. Housed on the school’s campus, Safety Town will be a miniature town that will feature about eight small playhouses that the students and adults can enter inside. Each playhouse will be designed as a miniature bank, police station, fire station, school, grocery store, etc.  Safety Town reinforces concepts that begin in the classroom, by bringing them to life in a new relatable environment.  This setting closely resembles one that they will encounter in the real word and allows for easier generalization, or transition, of the skills learned in class. “For example, the grocery store will include learning objectives such as money concepts, answering wh- questions, sorting, colors, matching, and collaborative learning.”

For additional information about Rice’s project, please view this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn7ppxWNYDc

About the Election:

As of October 1, 2016, those who would like to vote for Safety Town coming to Turner School can now do so. Everyone who is 18-years or older can cast their vote once a day, from the same email address. The online votes can be made, through October 31, at https://www.farmers.com/thank-americas-teachers/vote-for-a-teacher/vote-100k-proposal.

Remember, there are no district precincts in this national vote.

“Please vote for our Safety Town proposal. It will give our students the resources and skills they need to become meaningful and engaged active participants in our community,” Rice added.

D.A. Peterson announces arrest of Orinda child psychologist for possession of child pornography

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Kenneth Breslin

Kenneth Breslin

On Wednesday, October 5th, 2016, investigators arrested 68 year old Lafayette resident Kenneth Allen Breslin for Possession of Child Pornography. The arrest stems from an investigation conducted by members of the Contra Costa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The task force consists of detectives from the Martinez, Walnut Creek, Moraga, Concord, Pleasant Hill and San Ramon police departments; along with investigators from the Sheriff’s Office, Probation Department, and the District Attorney’s Office.

Investigators served a search warrant in the 3400 block of Moraga Blvd in Lafayette.  During a search of the residence, a significant quantity of child pornography was located on Dr. Breslin’s computers and other storage devices.  A subsequent search of his office in Orinda yielded additional files of child pornography.

Dr. Breslin was arrested and booked at the Martinez Detention Facility. His bail was initially set at $200,000.   The case is being reviewed by the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office.

Dr. Breslin has been a psychologist for over 30 years and maintains a practice in Orinda called “A Child’s Point of View.”

Anyone with information should contact Contra Costa District Attorney Senior Inspector Darryl Holcombe at 925-957-8789.

County Social workers, eligibility workers extend unfair labor practice strike to fifth day

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On Wednesday, Contra Costa County social workers and eligibility workers announced a one-day extension in their strike, protesting intimidation by County Executives. Workers announced last Friday that they had intended to strike for three days but are now preparing to enter an unprecedented five-day unfair labor practice (ULP) strike in Contra Costa.

Two of those picketing offered their concerns and reasons for participating in the strike.

“I am here today because we are fighting for the resources to serve the community and to have a safe working environment for employees,” said Vicky Dominguez, Medical Social Worker at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center. “We want to be able to continue serving the community. To be able to have enough medical social workers at the hospital to help people with issues like domestic violence, child abuse, elderly individuals that need placement in skilled nursing facilities or assistance with mental health challenges and homeless individuals that need help with transition back to the community. These are things we deal with on a daily basis.”

“I have been with the County for 11 years,” said Sharon Taylor, Eligibility Worker with CalWorks. “It is not just related to our ULP, but there was $21 million lost because the county has not provided enough workers. I know as a worker myself of being overloaded, stressed out and clients are not getting their services like they need to and deserve to and that is what we’re striking about. It’s about the community and the people we serve, and that’s why we are out here.”

Nearly 1,000 of social workers and eligibility workers and their community supports are expected to continue picketing in front of the county Administration building at 651 Pine Street in Martinez, beginning Thursday at 9:00 a.m.

County Office of Education to partner with Code.org to expand K-12 computer science instruction

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Participation in White House Computer Science event  

The Contra Costa County Office of Education is proud to announce that it has been selected as a Code.org Professional Learning Partner, and will be the designated provider of Code.org Professional Learning Programs in Contra Costa County. CCCOE will provide quality professional development to educators through local district partnerships with Code.org and act as a regional hub of the global computer science education movement.

CCCOE also participated in a regional partner convening for computer science education hosted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on September 26, 2016. CCCOE staff gathered at the White House with more than 40 other regional organizations from around the country dedicated to preparing computer science teachers for K-12 classrooms and promoting the adoption of high-quality computer science courses. The event was planned to coincide with the start of the academic year in the US.

Discussion topics at the event included: the current state of computer science K-12 education, the importance of establishing regional partners around the nation dedicated to building computer science communities, and why many organizations are dedicated to supporting, advocating for and funding work in this area.

As a Professional Learning Partner, CCCOE will expand on current computer science initiatives. CCCOE has facilitated workshops for over 100 elementary and middle school educators from local districts. In partnership with Code.org, CCCOE will offer additional workshops, develop educator networks, and increase students’ access to computer science.

Districts include:

Benicia Unified School District

Brentwood Union School District

John Swett Unified School District

Liberty Union High School District

Martinez Unified School District

Moraga School District

Mount Diablo Unified School District

Pittsburg Unified School District

To learn more about the Code.org Professional Learning Partner program, visit: https://code.org/educate/professional-learning-partner

Rep. DeSaulnier introduces bill to increase taxes on companies for excessive CEO pay

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Washington, D.C. – Today, Representatives Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), members of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, introduced legislation in response to the Mylan hearing at which the CEO acknowledged that salary for the position increased 600 percent in less than a decade, and other reports that companies like Wells Fargo pay its CEO nearly 500 times the rate of its average employee. The CEO Accountability and Responsibility Act (H.R. 6242) would increase corporate tax rates on publicly traded companies that exploit workers and pay CEOs astronomically high salaries

“America has a problem, as we see company after company come before Congress to apologize for bad behavior. One would ask, what has happened to our business culture?” asked DeSaulnier. “Too many executives at the top are incentivized to put profits before people by catering to shareholders and padding pockets on the back of consumers. Corporations should have a moral and social responsibility to workers, consumers, and American democracy. This bill sets the stage to stop fueling excessive income inequality.”

“It seems like every day we see a new story about another company taking outrageous steps to maximize their profits ­­– insane increases on lifesaving drugs to fund flights on private jets, sky-high salaries for CEOs who oversee severe and possibly criminal mishandling of consumer information,” said Watson Coleman. “If we’re serious about bringing back a thriving middle class, we need to lift up the companies who are investing in their workers at every level, not just lifting their leadership higher into the 1-percent. The companies responsible for recent CEO pay trends are wreaking havoc. It’s time we hold them accountable.”

On average, CEOs of the largest companies in the U.S. earn three times more than they did 20 years ago and at least 10 times more than 30 years ago. In fact, between 1978 and 2014, inflation-adjusted CEO pay increased by almost 1,000 percent, while the typical U.S. worker saw their pay increase by only 11 percent during that same period. Today, we see the pay disparity between the average American CEO and average worker is 303-to-1.

“Corporations that pay their top executives vast multiples of the typical worker’s wage should face higher taxes than corporations whose top pay is closer to the typical worker’s. The CEO Accountability and Responsibility Act is an important, and necessary step,” said Robert Reich, Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy, University of California at Berkeley and former U.S. Secretary of Labor.

The CEO Accountability and Responsibility Act would increase corporate tax rates on companies with larger than a 100-to-1 ratio of pay between CEOs and their average workers. At the same time the bill would reward companies whose CEO to worker ratio fell below that threshold, demonstrating that corporate social responsibility is an essential practice in American business.

 

 

Contra Costa Social Workers and Eligibility Workers vote to extend strike over unfair labor practices

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More than 1,000 people picket against county executives, Board of Supervisors on Tuesday

Nearly 1,000 workers from across Contra Costa County voted to extend their three-day unfair labor practice strike to a fourth day, after more than 1,000 people picketed against county Executives and the Board on Tuesday.

The picket line is being held, today, Wednesday, October 5, 2016 in front of the County Administration Building at 651 Pine Street in Martinez.