Contra Costa Herald

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

Two former Antioch cops sentenced to time served, community service

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Former Antioch Police Officers Timothy Manly Williams (left) and Daniel Harris (right) were sentenced on Jan. 13, 2026, to time served. Herald file photos

No prison time; both testified against former colleagues

By Allen D. Payton

The final cases of Antioch Police Officers that were the focus of the Contra Costa DA and FBI investigations were settled last month with two former officers given sentences of time served. As a result, Daniel Harris and Timothy Manly Williams will not face any time in prison. Both testified against their former colleagues.

According to a previously published report by the U.S. Attorney’s Office Northern California District, Daniel Manly Williams pleaded guilty on Nov. 28, 2023, to destruction, alteration and falsification of records in federal investigations, obstruction of official proceedings and deprivation of rights under color of law. Manly Williams was sentenced to “six months’ custody, followed by three years of supervised release, and 100 hours of community service.

Harris pleaded guilty on Sept. 17, 2024 to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute anabolic steroids, and possession with intent to distribute anabolic steroids as well as bank fraud. Harris was sentenced to “twelve months and a day of custody, followed by three years of supervised release, and 100 hours of community service.”

Both men’s sentencing hearings were held on Jan. 13, 2026, but no statement was issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office Northern District of California, which prosecuted both cases.

Manly Williams’ Case Details

According to the Sentencing Memorandum for Manly Williams, “In May 2021, the Antioch Police Department (“APD”) discovered during a routine audit something surprising: their own police officer, Timothy Manly Williams, had called a subject of a wiretap he was monitoring. From all appearances, he had intentionally burned the wire and attempted to cover it up. A sprawling federal investigation would eventually result in various criminal charges against ten Antioch or Pittsburg Police Department (“PPD”) officers or employees, including Manly Williams.

“In August 2023, Manly Williams was indicted for his concealment of that call during the wiretap, which constituted criminal falsification of records and obstruction of justice, as well as for his unconstitutional destruction of a citizen’s cell phone following his then-roommate APD Officer Morteza Amiri’s release of a police canine to bite a suspect.

“By September 2023, Manly Williams had already met with the government a first time. By November 2023, he had promptly pleaded guilty to his crimes. In March 2025, he testified in the jury trial involving that same former roommate regarding another dog bite for which he was present, and Amiri’s concealment of facts surrounding that bite. He also admitted to additional criminal conduct not specifically referenced in the indictments.

“Manly Williams’ crimes were very serious, particularly given his role as a police officer sworn to uphold the law and protect his fellow citizens. However, his immediate acceptance of responsibility and cooperation with the government was also very significant, particularly given that same role, and the government accordingly moves for a downward variance pursuant to § 5K1.1 for his substantial assistance to authorities.

“Based on the nature and circumstances of the serious offenses, the defendant’s history and characteristics (including his role as a sworn police officer), the need for deterrence, and the need to avoid unwarranted sentence disparities given the sentences already imposed by this Court, as well as the government’s motion for the equivalent of a five-level downward departure pursuant to § 5K1.1, the government recommends that the Court impose a sentence of six months’ custody, followed by three years of supervised release, and 100 hours of community service. This proposed sentence is sufficient, but not greater than necessary, to achieve the goals set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)(2).

“The government’s investigation also revealed other relevant criminal conduct, which Manly Williams admitted carrying out, including:

  • While employed as a police officer with PPD and APD, Manly Williams illegally purchased anabolic steroids, Schedule III controlled substances, from PPD Officer Patrick Berhan and APD Officer Daniel Harris.
  • While employed as a police officer with PPD and APD, Manly Williams misused confidential law enforcement databases by performing searches for the benefit of himself or friends without a proper law enforcement purpose. For instance, in approximately December 2020 he searched for the criminal history of his friend for no legitimate law enforcement purpose; and in approximately February 2021 he searched or caused law enforcement databases to be searched for warrants for no legitimate law enforcement purpose.
  • While employed as APD police officers, Manly Williams and APD Officer Morteza Amiri illegally took marijuana and/or marijuana products seized from APD law enforcement activity, including in approximately December 2020 when Amiri stated to Manly Williams, “i got a basketball size bag of weed in my trunk.” Instead of filing reports with APD on the seizures of marijuana or submitting the marijuana into evidence, Amiri and Manly Williams personally consumed the marijuana in violation of APD policy and, in at least one instance in approximately November 2020, Manly Williams arranged for the sale of such marijuana and received proceeds from its sale.
  • While employed as an APD police officer, Manly Williams illegally facilitated the removal or dismissal of traffic tickets for the benefit of himself, friends, or colleagues without a proper law enforcement purpose, including in approximately October 2020 via other APD officers in which the recipient of a ticket provided tequila bottles in exchange for those officers not appearing in court for a traffic ticket, and in approximately April 2021 at the behest of a PPD, who requested that a particular traffic ticket be disregarded.
  • While employed as an APD police officer, Manly Williams wrongfully posted law enforcement-sensitive information to his Instagram account using the story feature to “close friends” who were outside the law enforcement community.”

The Memorandum also explained, Manly Williams had no previous arrests and did not have criminal convictions resulting in any Criminal History Points, placing him in Criminal History Category I and “the government agreed with the Sentencing Guidelines calculation of the United States Probation Office.

Read more details in Manly Williams’ Sentencing Memorandum.

Harris’ Case Details

According to his Sentencing Memorandum, “Defendant Daniel Harris, a police officer with the Antioch Police Department (“APD”), began purchasing illegal anabolic steroids for his own personal use around 2019. He then began selling and distributing these Schedule III controlled substances to numerous other law enforcement officers at APD and neighboring law enforcement agencies. Among others, Harris sold illegal anabolic steroids to fellow APD officer Devon Wenger, and also agreed with Wenger to distribute them to Wenger’s friend B.M. Harris’ prolific sale and distribution of illegal anabolic steroids continued through March 2022 as he was in the process of moving from California to Texas, only coming to a halt after the FBI executed search warrants that located and seized troves of illegal anabolic steroids from a postal package destined for Harris (including steroids for Wenger’s friend), from Harris’ California residence, and from Harris’ new residence in Weatherford, Texas.

“The government’s investigation also revealed that Harris’ criminal activity while employed as an APD officer was not limited to the purchase and distribution of illegal anabolic steroids: he further committed bank fraud by falsifying information in his application for a mortgage to purchase his Texas residence.

“Harris’ crimes were particularly serious given Harris’ role as a law enforcement officer sworn to uphold the law. However, following his indictment and arrest, Harris took responsibility for his actions and pleaded guilty to all of these crimes, agreed to meet with the government and cooperate, and ultimately testified before the jury as to his and Wenger’s conduct involving the distribution of illegal anabolic steroids.

“Based on the nature and circumstances of the serious offenses, the defendant’s history and characteristics (including his role as a sworn police officer), the need for deterrence, and the need to avoid unwarranted sentence disparities given the sentences already imposed by this Court, as well as the government’s motion for the equivalent of a three-level downward departure pursuant to § 5K1.1, the government recommends that the Court impose a sentence of twelve months and a day of custody, followed by three years of supervised release, and 100 hours of community service. This proposed sentence is sufficient, but not greater than necessary, to achieve the goals set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)(2).”

In addition the Memorandum explains, “In February 2022, Harris knowingly supplied inaccurate information to a financial institution in connection with his application for a mortgage. During this time, Harris applied for, and subsequently received, a $494,000 loan from Mortgage Financial Services LLC with the intent to defraud the financial institution to purchase a residence…in Weatherford, Texas. Harris provided false information in and omitted material facts from his application.”

Read more details in Harris’ Sentencing Memorandum.

 

Steve Hilton’s CAL DOGE claims $370M for substance abuse education funneled to “Leftwing political activism”

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“Califraudia” estimated at $250 billion of fraud, waste and abuse

By Jenny Rae Le Roux, Director, CAL DOGE

SACRAMENTO, CA — Today, CAL DOGE, the unofficial California Department of Government Efficiency, launched on Jan. 26th by candidates for governor, Steve Hilton and for state controller, Herb Morgan, announced it has untangled a web of funding from the Prop 64 (state marijuana legalization law) authorized California Cannabis Tax Fund (CCTF) – supposed to be used for substance abuse prevention – that instead is building the Democrat political machine in California.

An investigation into Elevate Youth California, which is one of the financial intermediaries that received $370M from the CCTF, found that Elevate Youth distributed 517 micro-grants, with an average grant size of $700K, to multiple organizations that do nothing related to substance abuse and instead build the Democrat voter base. These organizations explicitly fund “social justice youth development”, “civic engagement”, and “power building.”

According to Prop 64 and the supposed oversight group for Elevate Youth, The Center at Sierra Health Foundation, the tax is designated to support “funding and technical assistance for organizations that are developing or increasing community substance use disorder prevention, outreach and education focused on youth.” Instead, Elevate Youth is distributing funds to organizations – such as $1M for “civic engagement” to Young Invincibles, which has stated values of “Young Adult Power, Equity, Community, Collaboration, and Bold Ideas” but says and does nothing related to substance abuse prevention.

“After collecting $1 billion annually from the Cannabis Tax, that money should be spent on substance abuse prevention as stated in the law, not political organizing to keep Democrats in charge of California’s decline,” said Jenny Rae Le Roux, Director of CAL DOGE. “Funneling money through financial intermediaries to hundreds of non-profits that spend those funds on partisan Democrat political organizing must stop, and the age of accountability must begin.”

Other grantee organizations, such as the Jakara Movement Grant, which was provided $1M for Sikh youth empowerment and voter registration, and Asian Refugees United, which was granted $800K for LGBTQ+ Asian Storytelling, have no connection to substance abuse prevention.

Estimates $250 Billion of Fraud, Waste and Abuse

Based on a preliminary review by Hilton, and his running mate Morgan, entitled “Califraudia”, California’s exposure to fraud, waste, and abuse across major state programs is estimated at $250 billion. This estimate, based on independent analysis, underscores the urgent need for formal audits, investigations, and enforcement as a matter of basic fiscal responsibility.

Hilton added, “In seven days of work, CAL DOGE has already uncovered more fraud than Gavin Newsom and his regime have done in their seven years in power. And we’re not even elected yet! This is exactly why I set up CAL DOGE in the first place, to expose fraud and corruption in the system so we can act to stop it on day one. Democrats and their shadow network of leftist front organizations are stealing taxpayers’ money for their own partisan ends. We pay the highest taxes in the country yet get the worst results – and now we are finding out why, and where our money is really going. There is much more to come from CAL DOGE and its work will play a huge part in ending 16 years of Democrat one party rule this November.”

Following are additional details on the investigation and the team that connected the dots:

Californians Voted For the $370 Million in Cannabis Tax Dollars to Fund “Drug Prevention.” Instead, the Tax Bankrolls Leftwing Political Activism.

When California voters approved Proposition 64 in 2016, they were told cannabis tax revenue would fund youth substance abuse prevention. Six years and $370.25 million later, Rhetor’s AI-powered forensic audit — conducted in partnership with CalDOGE — reveals where that money actually went: into a sprawling network of 517 grants funding political organizing, voter registration drives and “social justice youth development,” all administered by a single nonprofit intermediary operating as a shadow agency of the state.

How the Money Moves

The California Department of Health Care Services does not distribute Proposition 64 cannabis tax funds directly to community organizations. Instead, they issue a master contract to The Center at Sierra Health Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that has become the de facto bank for the state’s equity, prevention and youth funding.

The Center at Sierra Health Foundation retains 15 to 20 percent in administrative fees then sub-grants the remaining funds to community-based organizations through its own application process.

The state does not pick who gets the grants. The intermediary does, bypassing the rigorous procurement processes mandated for direct government contracts under the Department of General Services and State Controller oversight.

The result is a three-stage pipeline — master contract to fiscal intermediary to sub-grants — that creates layers of separation between taxpayer dollars and their ultimate use.

Lining the Governor’s Pockets

The pipeline starts with the governor’s office, and the relationship between The Center at Sierra Health Foundation and the governor extends well beyond a standard contract. According to the California Fair Political Practices Commission’s Behested Payment Transparency Report (pg.19-20), in 2020 alone, Sierra Health Foundation was the third-largest payor of behested payments statewide at $14,747,724 and the single largest payee of behested payments statewide at $30,869,901 — payments Newsom solicited from private companies.

Newsom himself was the top behesting official in the state that year at $226.8 million total (pg. 20), and Sierra Health Foundation ranked among his top three financial partners in the system.

The financial trajectory of The Center at Sierra Health Foundation tracks accordingly. IRS Form 990 filings show The Center’s revenue exploded from $11.8 million in 2018 to $197 million in 2024 — with 96.5 percent of that revenue coming from government contracts. The Center’s CEO Chet Hewitt’s total compensation rose from $407,726 to $612,730 over the same period, a 50 percent increase that mirrors the growth in state contract volume almost perfectly. Behested payments are legal in California with no dollar limits, but the California Fair Political Practices Commission itself flagged the scale as concerning enough to implement new transparency regulations.

The Grants Say the Quiet Part Out Loud

The pipeline flows from the governor’s office to the The Center at Sierra Health Foundation, the fiscal intermediary, who determines grant recipients. Rather than awarding grants to recipients that qualify for Proposition 64’s original purpose — fighting substance abuse — The Center uses Prop. 64’s taxpayer dollars to fund leftwing activist organizations.

Elevate Youth, for example, the most significant vertical managed by The Center, is funded exclusively by Prop. 64 taxpayer dollars. Yet Elevate Youth’s grant application form explicitly names “social justice youth development” and “civic engagement” as criteria for grantees, terms that appear nowhere in the statutory language of Prop. 64’s Youth Education, Prevention, Early Intervention, and Treatment Account.

Similarly, grant recipients, like United Way of Santa Cruz County, which was awarded $834,075.00 from Elevate Youth, focuses on “activism” and “BILPOC (Black, Indigenous, Latino, and People of Color) and LGBTQ+ youth and families.”

Voters approved cannabis tax revenue for substance abuse prevention. DHCS redefined “prevention” to include political organizing — then buried it inside the grant criteria of a nonprofit intermediary most Californians have never heard of.

Political Activism at Clinical Prices

The math exposes the disconnect.

According to the DHCS YEPEITA report, the Elevate Youth program reached 89,727 participants. Divide $370.25 million by that figure and the cost per participant is $4,126.

Actual clinical substance abuse treatment costs between $2,000 and $5,000 per patient. Elevate Youth California is charging clinical-grade prices for non-clinical projects, including “civic engagement” workshops, leadership development seminars and “community mobilizing” training. These are not treatment programs. They are organizing programs priced like treatment programs.

The Receipts

Elevate Youth’s specific grant awards make the mislabeling undeniable.

Since 2020, the Jakara Movement has received $1.8 million for “Sikh youth empowerment and prevention.” Grant activities include voter registration drives. Under the program’s framework, registering voters is classified as substance abuse prevention.

Pacific Clinics received $1 million for its “Youth IMPACT Project” — designed to “strengthen the leadership skills” of immigrant youth and “mobilize people to achieve change.”

The Center does not hide its ideological aims. They are codified in its program descriptions. The San Joaquin Valley Health Fund lists “power building” and “civic engagement” as core pillars of its health equity strategy. The Center has funded partners to conduct door-to-door canvassing for the Census and voter registration — explicitly linking political capital to health outcomes.

Hidden in a Sea of Grants.

The $370.25 million was not distributed through a handful of large, auditable contracts. It was dispersed across 517 individual grants, averaging $716,150 each.

This fragmentation makes traditional auditing nearly impossible. No single grant is large enough to trigger intensive audit scrutiny. The dispersal prevents consolidated oversight of outcomes. And because The Center — not the state — manages the sub-granting process, no single state auditor has a comprehensive view of where the money lands or what it produces.

How Rhetor Found It

This is the kind of fraud pattern that manual auditors miss by design. When grants are deliberately fragmented across hundreds of recipients, the mislabeling only becomes visible at scale.

Rhetor’s AI analysis — deployed as part of its CAL DOGE partnership — cross-referenced RFA language, grant award descriptions, cost-per-participant calculations and program outcome reporting across the full portfolio of 517 grants. The pattern detection surfaced what no individual audit could: a systematic reclassification of political organizing as public health spending, replicated across hundreds of awards.

What This Means

Californians voted for youth drug prevention. They got a taxpayer-funded political organizing infrastructure — administered by an unelected nonprofit, shielded from procurement oversight and priced at clinical treatment rates for activities that have nothing to do with substance abuse.

The receipts are public. The grant guidelines are public. The cost-per-participant math is public. None of this was hidden. It was just fragmented enough that no one was supposed to connect the dots.

Rhetor and CAL DOGE connected them. The question now is whether Californians will act or wait until Sacramento sends the next $370 million into the same pipeline.

Note: The original figure cited for Elevate Youth’s funding for the Jakara Movement was $350,000. Our updated data found that Elevate Youth has granted $1.8 million to the Jakara Movement since 2020.

See CAL DOGE Elevate Youth report.

About CAL DOGE

The CAL DOGE team includes investigators, tech advisors and citizen journalists. If you have a tip, send it to Califraud.com, a secure whistleblower platform, paid for by the Steve Hilton for Governor 2026 campaign, that allows current and former state employees and members of the public to report fraud, waste, abuse and systemic mismanagement without fear of retaliation.

CAL DOGE, named after Elon Musk’s DOGE which was formed and worked to find wasteful spending, fraud and abuse in the federal government and disbanded last November, is not the same as California DOGE, started in Nov. 2024. The new effort publishes findings, tracks spending at the program level, and advances reform proposals to restore trust, lower costs, and make California government work again for the people who pay for it. For more information see https://caldoge.rhetor.ai.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Get married on Valentine’s Day at the Contra Costa Clerk’s Office Saturday, Feb. 14

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Couples being married by Assistant Clerk Recorder and Deputy Commissioner of Marriages Elizabeth Gutierrez (left) and by a Deputy Commissioner of Marriages (right) at the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder’s Office with stained glass windows in the background. Photos: CCC Clerk-Recorder’s Office

By Dawn Kruger, Community and Media Relations Coordinator, Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder-Elections Department 

The Contra Costa County Clerk’s Office will be open to perform in-office wedding ceremonies on Valentine’s Day, Saturday, February 14, 2026.  All 47 ceremony appointments have been reserved at this time due to the popularity of our Valentine’s Day Event.

“We know there is high demand for weddings on Valentine’s Day and we are grateful to our employees for being willing to work on a Saturday to create this opportunity for dozens of couples,” said Kristin B. Connelly, Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder and Commissioner of Marriages. “Last year our team performed 52 Valentine’s Day ceremonies at our office on a Friday and this year we have already booked all 47 appointments for this special Saturday event.”

Typically, the County Clerk’s Office officiates Valentine’s Day ceremonies as part of the Destination Weddings program in a picturesque or historic location. Because Valentine’s Day is on a Saturday this year, the staff will open the office for wedding services only to provide a memorable experience for couples wanting to get married on this sentimental day.

A marriage license must be obtained before a ceremony can be performed. Couples may purchase a marriage license the same day, prior to their Valentine’s Day ceremony at the County Clerk-Recorder’s office at 555 Escobar Street in Martinez. The fee for a public marriage license is $95, while a confidential license is $100. The Marriage Ceremony fee is $75. Couples who only wish to purchase a marriage license are invited to come to the office as this is one of our wedding services.

For more information about this event or other Clerk’s Office services, please visit http://www.contracostavote.gov or call 925-335-7900.

Contra Costa Supervisors vote 5-0 to place 5-year 5/8-cent sales tax increase on June ballot

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To pay for healthcare costs, offsetting cuts in federal budget

If passed, sales tax rate in 10 of the 19 cities in the county would increase by 0.625% to over 10%

By Allen D. Payton

During their regular, weekly meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors decided to tell the taxpayers that they love our money by giving an early Valentine’s Day gift of a 5/8-cent sales tax increase measure on the June ballot. As a general tax, a simple majority of voters will have to give it their support in order to pass. If they do, it will generate an estimated $150 million per year for five years for a total of $750 million, intended to pay for healthcare for county residents impacted by federal budget cuts.

To adopt the sales tax ordinance a 4/5 vote of the Board was required but it passed unanimously. According to the proposed “2026 Retail Transactions (Sales) and Use Tax Ordinance”, all of the proceeds from the tax will be placed in the County’s general fund and used for purposes consistent with general fund expenditures of the County.

Screenshot of Board of Supervisors 5-0 vote on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, to adopt resolution placing sales tax increase on the June 2026 ballot.

Timeline to the Supes Vote

In the staff presentation for the proposed ordinance, the supervisors were provided with the timeline of events that led up to their vote: On November 18, 2025, the County Administrator’s Office offered a presentation on the State Budget and impacts of H.R.1, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump which cuts healthcare expenditures. Then, on December 16th, the Health, Employment and Human Services departments provided an in-depth presentation on federal and state financial impacts. That was followed on January 20th by Board direction for seeking legislation allowing for an additional 0.625% general sales tax and development of a related taxing ordinance for a period of five years. Finally, during last Tuesday, February 3rd’s Board Retreat, presentations from Beacon Economics, the County Finance Director, California Welfare Director’s Association (CWDA) and the California Association of Public Hospitals & Health Systems (CAPH) were made to the Board.

Projected Sales Tax Levels by City

If the measure passes, the amount of sales tax collected in each city in the county will increase by 0.625% or 62.5 cents for each $100 spent on taxable items. The presentation shows the sales tax increase would cause 15 of the 19 cities in the county to be above the local sales tax cap, including the tax cap changes from SB1349. That law, passed in 2020, allowed Contra Costa County to impose a sales tax of up to 0.5% for transportation projects, which is exempt from the state’s 2% cap. According to an April 2025 Issue Brief on Sales and Use Tax by the California State Association of Counties, “Today, the statewide sales tax rate on eligible taxable goods is 7.25%.”

According to the CA Department of Tax and Fee Administration, “The…7.25%…is made up of three parts:

  • 6.00% State
  • 1.00% Local Jurisdiction
  • 0.25% Local Transportation Fund

Some components of the state rate go to various local revenue funds.”

In addition, “Cities may impose a rate of up to one percent (1%).”

In California, the local sales tax cap is generally set at 3.5% above the 6% state sales tax rate for a total of 9.5%.

Following is the list of the new sales tax amounts by city if the county measure passes:

Source: Contra Costa County

The cities with the highest current sales tax rates in the state are Alameda and Albany at 10.75%. With the proposed Contra Costa sales tax increase, El Cerrito and Pinole would have the highest sales tax rate in both the county and state at 10.875%. Antioch would have the second highest in the county at 10.375%. That does not include other sales taxes that may be passed in 2026 including the regional transit tax slated for the November 2026 ballot, which would be an additional 0.5% Countywide. (See related article)

Gioia Offers Comments on Facebook, in TV Interview

In a post by John Gioia on his Facebook page, today, Feb. 11th, he shared a video of his comments during a KTVU FOX2 interview “about why a unanimous bi-partisan Board of Supervisors is placing a 5/8 cent temporary 5-year sales tax on this June’s ballot to protect our county’s hard working families from Trump’s devastating health, human services and food assistance cuts.”

“The average Contra Costan would pay about $10 per month to prevent over 50,000 people from losing healthcare and crowding emergency rooms that we all use and protecting emergency response times,” he added.

Resolution Details

The Resolution adopted by the Board includes the following clauses, “On July 4, 2025, the President signed H.R. 1, which enacted the deepest cuts in our country’s history to Medicaid and the federal food assistance programs;

“Medicaid and Medicare are the largest sources of revenue for the County’s public health and hospital/clinic system, which provide lifesaving and essential care to county residents, including Medi-Cal beneficiaries, Medicare recipients, and uninsured residents.

“H.R. 1 immediately freezes supplemental Medicaid funding and blocks the County from drawing down expected supplemental payments, producing escalating negative impacts on the County’s budget, while simultaneously making significant eligibility changes which will cause thousands of county residents to lose health coverage;

“Lack of health coverage often causes people to delay medical care resulting in sicker residents and will increase demand for emergency care sought by residents no longer able to access preventative healthcare after losing insurance coverage;

“More than 335,000 County residents rely on Medi-Cal for their health care, and the County is the primary health-care provider for this population;

“H.R. 1 also makes substantial reductions to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), limiting food assistance relied upon by approximately 110,000 county residents;

“As a result of the federal funding cuts and rising costs, the County projects annual revenue losses exceeding $300 million by 2029;

“The combination of decreased federal funding with the increased demands on the County’s healthcare and social services threatens ALL County services, from public safety to homeless services;

“An additional five-eighths of one cent countywide general transaction and use tax (sales tax) would generate an estimated $150 million annually for five years…”

Adopted Proposed Ballot Measure Language

The resolution also includes the proposed ballot measure language pending approval by the County Clerk’s Office:

“To help Contra Costa County address deep cuts in federal funding; support critical local services such as health care, supplemental food assistance, and other general county services; and reduce the risk of closures at Contra Costa’s regional hospital and health clinics, shall Contra Costa County adopt a five-eighths of one cent general sales tax for 5 years, providing an estimated $150,000,000 annually, not available to the federal government and subject to annual audits and independent citizens oversight?”

The primary election will be held Tuesday, June 2, 2026.

For more details see Discussion Item D.2. on the Board Agenda for their meeting on Feb. 10, 2026, and watch the meeting video beginning at the 2:20:18-minute mark.

Nine Oakland-based “Ghost Town” gang members sentenced for 2022 armed robberies of Bay Area businesses

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Including stealing bags of jewelry valued at $300K to $500K from San Pablo jewelry store

Will serve combined 60 years in prison

One suspect arrested 30 times since 2013

By U.S. Attorney’s Office Northern District of California

OAKLAND – Nine associates of the Oakland-based “Ghost Town” gang have been sentenced to a combined total of nearly 60 years in prison for a series of armed robberies targeting small Bay Area businesses.  The sentences were handed down by U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín, with the final defendant sentenced today.

The nine defendants, Demarco Barnett, 36 of Oakland; Jakari Jenkins, 34 of Stockton; Danny Garcia, 41; Garland Devonte Rabon, 30 of Mountain House; Aramiya Burrell, 35 of Oakland; Lester Andre Garnett, 34 of Tracy; Darrin Andre Hutchinson, 39 of Cherryland, CA, located between San Leandro and Hayward; Ricky Joseph, 37 of Oakland; and Keanna Alloise Smith-Stewart, 33 of West Sacramento, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce.  Based on their involvement, eight of the defendants also pleaded guilty to a varying number of substantive counts of robbery affecting interstate commerce.

The robberies took place in 2022.  On March 18, 2022, the co-conspirators engaged in the armed robbery of a coin and stamp store located on the tenth floor of a building in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco.  The co-conspirators entered the store, brandished firearms, and demanded money from the business and the two individuals who happened to be present at the time – the owner and his son. The robbers struck the head and zip-tied the hands of the owner’s son, and absconded with cash, jewelry, and coins.  Defendants Jenkins, Barnett, and Joseph were charged with and pleaded guilty to this robbery count.

The co-conspirators then struck a San Pablo jewelry store on Nov. 12, 2022.  Five co-conspirators, at least three of whom were brandishing firearms, entered the store and pretended to be customers, while two others waited outside in the getaway cars.  The co-conspirators stole bags of jewelry valued at approximately $300,000 to $500,000.

As previously reported, the pretend customers left jewelry with the operators of the store. According to the indictment, Jenkins, Barnett, and Rabon arrived at the jewelry store with at least four other co-conspirators and robbed the store of jewelry, including the jewelry that members of the gang previously had left with the store. The robbers arrived in two getaway cars—both Dodge Chargers bearing stolen license plates. Five co-conspirators, at least three of whom were brandishing firearms, entered the store while two of the co-conspirators waited outside in the getaway cars. The co-conspirators stole bags of jewelry valued at approximately $300,000 to $500,000. The indictment describes how all four defendants in the superseding indictment later wore the stolen jewelry, shared the stolen jewelry with other members of Ghost Town gang members, or otherwise made use of the stolen jewelry for their personal purposes.

Defendants Jenkins, Barnett, Rabon, Garcia and Hutchinson were charged with and pleaded guilty to this robbery count.

A third robbery occurred on Dec. 24, 2022, of a marijuana business in Oakland.  The co-conspirators arrived at the business as an employee was leaving it.  The robbers brandished weapons, directed the employee back into the building at gunpoint, demanding “budded weed” and “money.”  One of the robbers struck the employee in the head with a firearm.  The robbers searched through the employee’s pockets and stole his bank debit card.  The robbers absconded with the victim’s debit card and a bag of marijuana plant trimmings.  Defendants Jenkins, Barnett, Rabon, Burrell, Garnett, and Garcia were charged with and pleaded guilty to this robbery count.

United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani made the announcement.

The following chart summarizes the number of counts each defendant pleaded guilty to and the sentence each defendant received:

 

Defendant Number of Counts in Guilty Plea Sentence (months)
Demarco Barnett Conspiracy + 3 substantive robberies 114
Jakari Jenkins Conspiracy + 3 substantive robberies 96
Danny Garcia Conspiracy + 2 substantive robberies 84
Garland Rabon Conspiracy + 2 substantive robberies 75
Aramiya Burrell Conspiracy + 1 substantive robbery 82
Lester Garnett Conspiracy + 1 substantive robbery 70
Darrin Hutchinson Conspiracy + 1 substantive robbery 70
Ricky Joseph Conspiracy + 1 substantive robbery 68
Keanna Smith-Stewart Conspiracy 50
Total 709

 

In addition to the custodial time, the Court also ordered restitution in the amount of $150,338.00.

The Violent Crime Strike Force is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Yenni Weinberg.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI and the Oakland Police Department.

Previous Arrests of Suspects

According to localcrimenews.com, the five-foot, 11-inch, 215-pound Demarco is Black and has a history of nine arrests dating back to 2014 including five times for burglary and once for hit-and-run; the five-foot, five-inch tall, 180-pound Jenkins is Black and has been arrested 30 times since 2013 including 14 times for burglary, plus, multiple times for domestic violence, drugs and gun charges; the six-foot tall, 190-pound Rabon is Black and has a history of 11 arrests since 2016 including multiple times for burglary and petty theft, as well as gun charges; the five-foot, seven-inch tall, 195-pound Burrell is Black and has been arrested nine times since 2014 including for carjacking, burglary and multiple gun and ammunition charges; the six-foot, one-inch tall, 190-pound Garnett is Black and has been arrested six times since 2015 including multiple times for burglary as well as for DUI, gun and drug charges; the five-foot, 10-inch tall, 260-pound Hutchinson is Black and has been arrested three times including once for being an addict in possession of a firearm; Joseph is Black and has three arrests including one for burglary; and the five-foot, five inch tall, 135-pound Smith-Stewart is Black and has been arrested once on April 29, 2024, but no details were available. Information about Garcia was requested. Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Further Information:

Case No. 23-cr-00191-AMO

Electronic court filings and further procedural and docket information are available at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  Judges’ calendars with schedules for upcoming court hearings can be viewed on the court’s website at www.cand.uscourts.gov.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Kit Jory promoted to role of Concord Public Works Director

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Kit Jory is the new Public Works Director for the City of Concord.

By Colleen Awad, City of Concord Community Relations Manager

Concord, CA (February 10, 2026) – City Manager Valerie Barone announced today that Public Works Division Manager Kit Jory has been promoted to Public Works Director for the City of Concord, effective February 16, 2026. He replaces Director William Tarbox who served in the position since December 2021 according to his LinkedIn profile.

“Over the past several years, Kit Jory has demonstrated strong leadership and a deep understanding of the needs of our city’s residents. He has led numerous initiatives to effectively and efficiently deliver public works services to our community and to beautify our City; and I look forward to seeing the lasting impact of his leadership,” said Barone.

In this new role, Jory will be responsible for the City’s infrastructure maintenance (roads, trees, buildings, medians, sewer, stormwater, and parks) and will oversee a team of 94 skilled and dedicated public employees.

Since 2022, he has served as the Public Works Division Manager. In this role, he has led the City’s successful overhaul of maintenance operations across parks and made substantial advances in the City’s Urban Forestry Program.

Prior to joining the City of Concord, Jory served as Community Services Superintendent and City Arborist for the City of Fremont, and as an Operations and Management Crew Leader in Public Works for the City of Modesto. He brings over 20 years of experience in both private industry and public agencies. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Management and Leadership and a Master of Public Administration with an emphasis on organizational change.

On accepting the position, Jory said, “I am extremely grateful and excited for the opportunity to continue to serve such a diverse community, professional and collaborative City staff, and a forward-thinking City Council in this leadership role.”

For more information about the City of Concord Public Works Department visit Public Works | Concord, CA.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

 

 

Save Mount Diablo expands free Discover Diablo hikes, outings program for 2026

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Discover Diablo Exploratory hike in Del Puerto Canyon. Photo: Kendra Smith. Inset – People enjoying our Discover Diablo hike looking for newts at Briones Regional Park. Photo: Emily Sherwood.

By Laura Kindsvater, Senior Communications Manager, Save Mount Diablo

CONTRA COSTA, ALAMEDA, STANISLAUS AND SAN BENITO COUNTIES—Explore some of the East Bay’s premiere hiking and natural areas with Save Mount Diablo in 2026, including places normally closed to the public.

The Discover Diablo outings series offers guided hikes, themed walks, and other outdoor activities: mountain biking; rock climbing; meditation in nature; plein air painting events; and property tours.

New this year are a Green Ranch rove, and a Spanish language hike at Pine Canyon.

We’ll also be continuing much-loved events in 2026 including rock climbing at Mount Diablo State Park and Pinnacles National Park, stargazing with the Mount Diablo Astronomical Society, our Mitchell Canyon medicinal herb walk, Pinnacles condor hikes and our tarantula treks!

Save Mount Diablo is offering a total of 36 more excursions in 2026 in Contra Costa County (Walnut Creek, Clayton, Concord, Pittsburg, Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, Danville, and San Ramon), Alameda County (Dublin, Livermore, and Pleasanton), Stanislaus County (Patterson), and San Benito County (Hollister and San Juan Bautista). All events are free to the public. Trailblazers of all ages and skill levels are welcome to choose appropriate outings from our extensive offerings.

The Discover Diablo program began in 2017 to connect local communities to the spectacular natural world of the Mount Diablo area and to build awareness about land conservation.

Hikes and outings take place at Save Mount Diablo’s conserved properties or on park lands in the Diablo Range. These include Mount Diablo State Park, East Bay Regional Park District, Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation, Contra Costa Water District, Stanislaus County Parks, and National Park Service lands.

Discover Diablo hikes are guided by experts steeped in the natural history and lore of the region, who both educate and entertain while emphasizing the breathtaking beauty that the Diablo Range has to offer.

Save Mount Diablo hopes the Discover Diablo series will spark a passion for the Diablo Range and deepen people’s connections to the land and nature.

Ted Clement, Executive Director of Save Mount Diablo, stated, “It is the goal of the Discover Diablo program to build connections between people, Save Mount Diablo, and the land, helping our communities develop a strong sense of place and a deepened appreciation for our collective backyard. Most importantly, we want to cultivate a love of the land in participants, as that is what it will take to ensure the precious Diablo natural areas are taken care of for generations to come.”

There is something right for anyone to discover in the nooks and crannies surrounding Mount Diablo and within its sustaining Diablo Range, so be sure to hit the trails in 2026 and find your own individual inspiration!

RSVPs required. To ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to attend, registration for hikes and outings will open one month prior to each hike’s date. See our schedule of upcoming hikes and outings; view and RSVP online here: https://savemountdiablo.org/what-we-do/educating-and-inspiring-people/discover-diablo-hikes-outings/

FACE FOUNDRIÉ opens new location at The Streets of Brentwood

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Free gifts at Grand Opening Saturday, February 14th

Second San Francisco East Bay location by co-owner Julie Husic marks the brand’s 68th location nationwide

By Anna Gasiorowski, Senior Account Executive, Segal Communications

BRENTWOOD, CA — FACE FOUNDRIÉ, an efficient and effective focused facial bar providing affordable, approachable, and accessible skincare in a modern and inclusive environment, has announced the opening of its newest franchise location at The Streets of Brentwood. The Grand Opening celebration will be held on Saturday, February 14th, at 10 a.m. 

This opening marks the brand’s fifth location in California and the second franchise for Husic Beauty, a family-operated franchise group, following the successful debut of their first facial bar in Emeryville less than six months ago.

“We are thrilled to bring FACE FOUNDRIÉ to another wonderful East Bay community,” said Julie Husic, franchise co-owner. “Our experience in Emeryville reaffirmed the strong demand for quality skincare at an affordable price, and opening in Brentwood is an important step toward our goal of bringing this incredible brand to more communities throughout the region.”

Julie Husic oversees operations for the franchise group she co-owns with her two sons, FJ and Paris Husic, who lead marketing efforts. The expansion into Brentwood reflects FACE FOUNDRIÉ’s continued franchise growth and momentum in Northern California and represents a key milestone as the brand joins the re-envisioning of Streets of Brentwood by CenterCal Properties, LLC. The Husic family views this location as an opportunity to further serve the diverse needs of East Bay residents by offering an elevated yet affordable alternative to traditional spa services, while reinforcing FACE FOUNDRIÉ’s commitment to delivering consistent, high-quality experiences supported by strong local ownership.

Join us for the FACE FOUNDRIÉ Brentwood Grand Opening celebration on Saturday, February 14th from 10–11:30am at The Streets of Brentwood, 2455 Sand Creek Road, Suite 132, Brentwood, next to Chico’s on the east end of The Streets.

The first 50 guests in line will receive a free Focused Facial coupon and a goodie bag from local businesses, plus, enjoy mini FACE FOUNDRIÉ consultations, demos, and a photo/selfie station.

Hint: come early to secure your spot!

This wonderful team couldn’t be more excited to join the Brentwood community and to celebrate with all of you. We hope to see you there!

“We are excited to welcome FACE FOUNDRIÉ to The Streets of Brentwood,” said Charles Martinez, Senior General Manager. “Their innovative approach and commitment to exceptional guest experiences will be a strong addition to our growing mix of retail partners. We look forward to the value they will bring to the community.”

FACE FOUNDRIÉ continues to differentiate itself from its competitors through a broad selection of services and commitment to affordability, approachability and accessibility. The brands’ two different monthly membership options offer clients discounted services and products, enabling them to maintain a consistent skincare routine at a lower cost while experiencing the convenience of a focused facial bar.

For more information about FACE FOUNDRIÉ’s services or to book an appointment at the new Brentwood location, visit www.facefoundrie.com/brentwood and follow @husicfam.facefoundrie on Instagram.

ABOUT FACE FOUNDRIÉ

FACE FOUNDRIÉ is an all-inclusive focused facial bar. We empower our customers to look and feel their best by providing cutting-edge services, accessible pricing, and an extensively trained staff of experts that deeply care. Our goal is to provide efficient and effective services for all things face: facials, lashes, brows, and skincare. We pride ourselves on offering an impeccable service experience and strive for 100% consumer satisfaction! We aim to be affordable, approachable and accessible to all.

ABOUT THE STREETS OF BRENTWOOD

The Streets of Brentwood, a top-tier shopping destination located in Brentwood, Calif., features a dynamic and convenient mix of retail, dining, and entertainment. It is the premier shopping, dining, and entertainment lifestyle destination within the hub of four major California regions — Bay Area, Tri-Valley, Sacramento Delta, and the Central Valley. Featuring more than 40 stores and restaurants and a 14-screen AMC Theatre with IMAX. For more information, visit: ShopStreetsOfBrentwood.com.

ABOUT CENTERCAL PROPERTIES, LLC

CenterCal, a premier full-service commercial real estate company founded in 2004, is redefining the landscape of the western U.S. With a focus on community-building, the company creates spaces that foster connection, enjoyment, and a sense of belonging. Under the visionary leadership of founder Jean Paul Wardy, CenterCal has become synonymous with excellence and innovation, boasting a portfolio of iconic destinations across California, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Rooted in core values that include creative persistence, uplifting communities, and creating magical places, CenterCal specializes in the investment, development, leasing, and management of high-quality retail and mixed-use developments from its headquarters in Costa Mesa, Calif. More information, including a full property portfolio, is available at www.centercal.com.

Female athletes, lawmakers confront CIF over Title IX as political tensions flare at state meeting

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Female athletes and others listen as speakers share their opinions during the California Family Council press conference before the CIF’s Federated Council meeting last Friday morning, Feb. 6, 2026. Source: Screenshot of video by CA Family Council.

By Greg Burt, Vice President, California Family Council

LONG BEACH, CA — Outside a Long Beach hotel where the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) convened its Federated Council meeting last Friday morning, Feb. 6, 2026, female athletes stood shoulder to shoulder with parents, advocates, and state lawmakers to deliver a clear and urgent message: girls’ sports are for girls.

The 111-year-old CIF, according to Wikipedia, is the governing body for public and private high school sports in California.

The February 6 press conference, organized by California Family Council’s Outreach Director Sophia Lorey, ahead of the CIF meeting, marked a significant moment in California’s ongoing debate over fairness and safety in women’s athletics. For the first time, two members of the California State Assembly publicly joined female athletes to confront CIF leadership over policies that allow males who identify as transgender to compete in girls’ sports and access female locker rooms, policies critics argue violate the original intent of Title IX. (Watch the press conference here…)

But the peaceful gathering also revealed the deep political divide surrounding the issue, as a prominent Democrat legislator representing the Long Beach area publicly criticized the presence of Republican lawmakers and dismissed concerns raised by female athletes.

Athletes Speak: “This Isn’t Fair. This Isn’t Safe.”

At the heart of the press conference were the voices of young women whose athletic careers have been directly impacted by CIF policies.

Reese Hogan, a varsity tri-sport athlete in track and field at Crean Lutheran High School, described the toll of repeatedly competing, and losing, against a male athlete in girls’ events.

“Track is not just something I do. It’s who I am,” Hogan said. “I train to push my limits, to compete fairly, and to earn every achievement through hard work. But over the past two years, that fairness has been taken away from me.”

Hogan detailed five separate competitions, spanning from May 2024 to January 2026, in which she lost to a male athlete competing in the girls’ division. One moment, she said, still stands out.

“At CIF finals, I broke my school record in the triple jump,” Hogan explained. “I jumped 37.2, earning a new personal record and breaking my school record. It was one of the proudest moments of my athletic career. That jump should have earned me first place.” Instead, a male athlete who jumped 4 feet farther placed first.

Hogan said the experience was devastating.

“CIF, why won’t you do anything?” she asked. “You are protecting males competing in women’s sports more than you are protecting the women the sport was created for.”

Hogan warned that allowing males into girls’ sports is not merely unfair, but dangerous.

“There is a reason sports are divided by sex,” she said. “It is not a matter of opinion; it’s a matter of fact.”

Locker Rooms and Lost Privacy

Another athlete, Audrey Vanherweg, a senior and four-year varsity athlete at Arroyo Grande High School, spoke about the consequences of CIF policies beyond the field of play.

Two years ago, Vanherweg said, she began hearing rumors that a boy was using the girls’ locker room. At first, she tried to ignore it. But when she learned that the same male student would also compete in girls’ track and field, the issue became unavoidable.

“I wasn’t going to go into a locker room and change in front of a boy,” Vanherweg said. Especially since he “wasn’t changing himself, but simply just watching all of us girls undress.”

Rather than risk her privacy, Vanherweg made a painful decision.

“I decided to go change in my car,” she said. “I’m more comfortable changing in my own car than in my own school locker room, where boys are welcomed to watch girls undress.”

As a thrower, she explained, competing against males also undermines fairness.

“Boys have a strength advantage,” she said, explaining that boys compete with the heavier implements in track and field competitions. “So, if a boy decides to throw as a girl, he not only has the strength advantage, but also a lighter implement.”

Vanherweg said she is speaking out not just for herself, but for future generations of girls.

“I’m speaking out against CIF policy, not only for myself, but for all other girls, girls who are too afraid to speak out, girls who don’t know what’s going on, and girls who haven’t been born yet,” she said.

Lawmakers Step In

Standing with the athletes were Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez (R–Murrieta) and Assemblyman David Tangipa (R–Fresno), the first time multiple Republican legislators have publicly joined female CIF athletes at such an event.

Assemblywoman Sanchez, author of AB 89, the Protect Girls’ Sports Act, said the rejection of her bill in committee last year did not end the fight.

“Politicians killed the bill, but they didn’t kill this movement,” Sanchez said. “And they didn’t silence these athletes.”

Sanchez emphasized that Title IX was designed to guarantee fairness and opportunity for women.

It was “never meant to be controversial,” she said. “It was meant to guarantee girls a fair shot, a fair race, a fair roster, and a fair opportunity to win.”

She warned that those protections are being eroded across California.

Girls “are losing podium spots, losing championships, losing scholarships… and some are even losing the basic right to privacy and safety in their own locker rooms.” Sanchez said. “That is not equality. That is not progress, and we will not pretend it is.”

Assemblyman Tangipa, a former Division I football player at Fresno State, challenged fellow lawmakers to stop referring to those who want female-only sports as Nazis. He also urged fathers to confront the reality facing young women.

“Why or how is it somehow believed [that it’s] Nazi ideology when you just wanna place to dress freely, and why and how is it Nazi ideology when you want to play in your sport freely?” Tangipa asked. “Why do we ignore safeguards and disregard biology and reality, which is insanity?

He urged fathers to step up.

“There are boys in your daughter’s locker room. There are boys in your daughter’s sports,” he said. “Where are you?”

Tangipa pledged continued action, including potential ballot initiatives, to restore protections for female athletes.

A Democrat Arrives—Then Attacks

In an unexpected development, Assemblyman Josh Lowenthal (D–Long Beach), the Speaker pro Tempore and representative of the district where the CIF meeting was held, appeared near the protestors, but not to support their cause.

Instead, Lowenthal criticized the presence of Republican legislators in his district, accusing them of staging a press conference “about trans kids in sports” without notifying him.

“We all know they don’t actually care about women,” Lowenthal said, adding that an upcoming budget vote funding $90 million for “women’s reproductive health, [abortion]” specifically for Planned Parenthood, would prove his point.

Assemblywoman Sanchez later responded by posting a video of Lowenthal’s remarks on X. (Watch this post here…)

“Respectfully,” Sanchez wrote, “I will stand up to protect girls’ sports in any city, and I’ll always stand with these brave women… No man, especially not you, will ever tell me otherwise.”

Sophia Lorey Challenges CIF

After the press conference, Sophia Lorey, Outreach Director for California Family Council and a former four-year CIF varsity athlete herself, addressed the CIF Federated Council directly, issuing a pointed challenge to its leadership. Lorey rejected the claim that CIF’s hands are tied by state law, arguing that the federation has the authority to act now if it chooses to do so.

“You have a policy in place,” Lorey told the board. “Until you remove the policy that allows males to be in female locker rooms and sports, you can’t say your hands are tied by the state. Remove that policy and stand up for these girls.” Lorey emphasized that female athletes should never have to resort to lawsuits to secure basic protections, adding that CIF leaders have a limited window to act. “Silence is no longer neutrality,” she warned, calling on CIF officials to work with advocates and restore fairness and safety in girls’ sports.

Many of the female athletes also went inside to address CIF leadership directly during the public comment period.

For them, the issue is not partisan.

“This isn’t about politics,” Sanchez said. “It’s about principle.” And as the athletes made clear, they are no longer willing to be silent.

“When you sideline girls,” Sanchez warned CIF leaders, “we will stand up. When you ignore them, we will amplify them. And we will not stop fighting.”

About California Family Council

California Family Council works to advance God’s design for life, family, and liberty through California’s Church, Capitol, and Culture. By advocating for policies that reinforce the sanctity of life, the strength of traditional marriages, and the essential freedoms of religion, CFC is dedicated to preserving California’s moral and social foundation.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Kaiser Permanente names new president of Northern California Region

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Mike Bowers has been named president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals in Northern California. Photo: Kaiser Nor Cal

Mike Bowers served as interim leader since February 2025

By Elissa Harrington, Sr. Media Relations & PR Rep., Kaiser Permanente Northern California

OAKLAND, Calif.— Kaiser Permanente has named Mike Bowers as president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals in Northern California.

Bowers has served as the region’s interim president since February 2025, overseeing operations for 21 hospitals and 203 medical offices, as well as the health care and coverage of 4.6 million Kaiser Permanente members.

Bowers joined Kaiser Permanente in 2022 as senior vice president for health plan and hospital operations in Northern California. Under his leadership, Northern California achieved significant improvements in care quality, patient safety, and affordability through an innovative care delivery redesign process. The region also earned national recognition, receiving seven prestigious Beacon Awards from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses recognizing exceptional patient care and a supportive work environment.

“Mike’s leadership has strengthened our operational performance, expanded our joint efforts with The Permanente Medical Group, and elevated the experience we provide to our members,” said Craig T. Albanese, MD, president, Integrated Care and Coverage, Kaiser Permanente. “His proven ability to deliver meaningful results positions our Northern California region for continued growth and long-term success.”

Bowers brings nearly three decades of health care leadership experience to this role. Before joining Kaiser Permanente, he served as regional chief operating officer for SSM Health’s St. Louis and Southern Illinois regions, following four years as president of SSM Health St. Joseph Hospitals in St. Louis. His career has included leadership roles at Dignity Health in California’s Central Valley, Community Hospital Corporation in Dallas, and Memorial Hermann in Houston.

Bowers is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves on multiple community boards. He holds both a Master of Health Administration and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston–Clear Lake, and a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.6 million members in 9 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. For more information, go to about.kp.org.