Contra Costa Herald

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

Contra Costa election law attorney running for Secretary of State, Mark Meuser endorsed by CA Republican Party

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Mark Meuser

First pre-primary endorsement of non-incumbent candidate since Schwarzenegger in 2003

San Diego — Leading Republican Secretary of State candidate Mark Meuser is the first non-incumbent statewide candidate to earn the endorsement of the California Republican Party (CAGOP) at this past weekend’s convention in San Diego. Meuser is a Constitution and election law attorney from Clayton.

Meuser earned the endorsement with a vote of 803-51, something that has not been accomplished since former Governor Schwarzenegger received the party’s endorsement in 2003.

“The CAGOP recognized the importance of addressing increasingly-severe voter integrity issues throughout California,” said Meuser. “I take this endorsement very seriously and will take this critical message to the voters of California.”

He was the only Republican candidate who met the qualifications for consideration of an endorsement for Secretary of State by the CAGOP.

Meuser’s priority is to guide the Secretary of State’s office out of the antiquated 19th Century and into the 21st Century. The people of California deserve an open and accessible government that works for them, not against them.

California needs a Secretary of State who will fight to protect the rights of citizens to vote and petition their government. California needs a Secretary of State who will restore the people’s confidence in open, secure, and fair elections. California needs a Secretary of State who will utilize the knowledge and experience of Silicon Valley to modernize the way businesses register in the State.

To learn more about Meuser, please visit his website at www.MarkMeuser.com.

Workshop aims to empower interested candidates

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May 12th Candidate Workshop will demystify the process of campaigning

Have you ever considered running for local office? Have your friends or family told you that you would make a good school board member or city lawmaker?

Contra Costa County residents who may consider running for office are encouraged to attend a free workshop being held by the County Elections Division this month.

The Candidate Workshop will be held Saturday, May 12th from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm at the Pacheco Community Center, located at 5800 Pacheco Boulevard in Pacheco.

The workshop is designed to remove the mystery from running for office. Experts will cover what’s involved in running for office, including how to file and appear on the ballot, campaign finance disclosure requirements, strategies for spreading a message through the media and social media, and what happens when candidates are in the public eye.

“Being a public servant is a worthwhile endeavor, but there are many steps to get your name on the ballot. It can be confusing and daunting to those unfamiliar with the process,” said Joe Canciamilla, Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters. “Our goal is for anyone who attends the workshop to leave feeling confident and energized to take that next step to successfully run for office.”

The workshop includes a panel of former elected officials from a variety of local offices who will share their experiences as candidates, including what inspired them to run for office.

For more information, visit the Contra Costa Elections website at www.cocovote.us.

Gubernatorial candidate John Cox praises Contra Costa Sheriff for joining movement to uphold federal law

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John Cox.

Republican candidate for California governor John Cox praised the Contra Costa County Sheriff David Livingston for supporting the rule of law and opposing Governor Jerry Brown and Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom’s devastating Sanctuary State policy.

“I am thrilled to see a county, less than 12 miles from Gavin Newsom’s home turf reject these dangerous Sanctuary policies. San Francisco values are not our values,” said Cox. I applaud Contra Costa Sheriff Livingston for standing up to the reckless Sacramento lawmakers who have put the safety of crime-committing illegal immigrants over our communities.”

“The Sheriff made clear his intent to obey federal immigration law and uphold his oath to the Constitution,” he added.

As of February, the Sheriff’s Office has been posting the release dates of all inmates at the West County Detention Facility (WCDF) in Richmond. That is the only county jail in the Bay Area to have a contract with Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) to detain illegal immigrants.

According to the Sheriff’s Department website, “Under the Detention Services Intergovernmental Agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, United States Marshals Service, provisions were established in 2009 that outline procedures for the housing of and billing for federal detainees under the care of the Office of the Sheriff. The housing of detainees is part of a long-standing contract with the Marshals Service to house prisoners in available beds at WCDF. ICE is part of that contract and pays for the Sheriff’s Office to house an average of 200 ICE detainees each day, provided we have the space for them to use.

These detainees are not persons who have been arrested by Office of the Sheriff personnel or are necessarily involved in criminal court proceedings in Contra Costa County, but instead are detainees ICE has brought to the facility in need of housing. This allows some ICE detainees to remain in the Bay Area, closer to their families, rather than at a remote jail somewhere out of the county or the state.

The program with ICE generates approximately $6 million in gross revenue each year and approximately $3 million in net revenue; this revenue reduces the local taxpayers’ burden for the overall operating costs of the Office of the Sheriff.”

The California County Sheriff’s Assocation opposes the sanctuary state policy and have asked the federal government to step in to stop it. The National Sheriff’s Association opposes it, as well.

About John Cox: Cox is a businessman and has been conservative leader for more than 35 years and served on Jack Kemp’s national steering committee. His campaign for Governor has been endorsed by Newt Gingrich. Cox serves as Chairman of Give Voters a Voice, the initiative campaign to repeal the gas tax increase.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Deputy DA’s endorse Graves for Contra Costa District Attorney

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

The Contra Costa County Deputy District Attorneys’ Association endorses Paul Graves for District Attorney.  Delivering the news, Association President Aron DeFerrari noted “Paul has the experience and integrity Contra Costa deserves in its next District Attorney.”

Stephanie Kang, a DAs’ Association Board Member, noted “Paul Graves is exactly the type of person who should be leading the change and reforms Contra Costa needs.  Paul Graves had the courage and leadership to stand up against Mark Peterson’s misconduct and run against him even though taking a stand risked Paul’s career.”  

Lauren Whalen, another Association Board Member, and lifelong Contra Costa County resident, said “Paul’s actions put Contra Costa first and we know he’ll continue to do so as District Attorney.”

Steve Bolen, an Association Board Member noted “Our prosecutors are eager for change. We embrace the idea of a fresh start and the possibilities it offers. Most importantly, we care about the safety of the residents and communities we serve.  We know Paul Graves puts public safety above politics, that’s what matters to us.” 

The people of Contra Costa deserve an experienced, trusted prosecutor who can provide the leadership needed to keep our communities safe.  Paul Graves alone offers both that experience and integrity. He should be Contra Costa’s next District Attorney.

Supervisors OK $6.75 million purchase of new county voting system

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Supervisors honor County Auditor-Controller Robert Campbell for his 30 years of service. Shown are from left: District 3 Supervisor Diane Burgis, District 5 Supervisor Federal Glover, Chairperson and District 4 Supervisor Karen Mitchoff, Campbell, District 2 Supervisor Candace Andersen and Vice Chairperson and District 1 Supervisor John Gioia. Photo by Daniel Borsuk

By Daniel Borsuk

With scant protest, Contra Costa County Supervisors unanimously approved Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder Joe Canciamilla’s request Tuesday to replace the county’s aging ES&S voting system with a system made by Dominion Democracy Voting Systems, Inc.

Courtesy of Dominion Democracy Voting Systems, Inc.

The new voting system, the Democracy Suite System made by Dominion will be delivered in time for the special March election for the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District and will be widely put into service for the June gubernatorial election, Canciamilla said.

The county has used the ES&S voting system since 2005.

Supervisors, particularly Chairperson Karen Mitchoff and District 4 Supervisor Candace Andersen, said they had received several emails from citizens questioning the fiscal validity of acquiring a new voting system in an era of election system security vulnerability.

Andersen wanted to know why the county did not put out a request for proposal (RFP), and Scott Konopasek, assistant county registrar, answered that the Secretary of State has to certify voting equipment suppliers.  There are few voting equipment suppliers that meet rigid state requirements.  It happens that both Dominion Democracy Voting Systems and ES&S are voting equipment suppliers the Secretary of State has certified and an RFP is unnecessary.

But in the county’s evaluation, Dominion Democracy took top honors, said Konopasek.

In evaluating the Dominion Democracy and ES&S systems, Dominion Democracy came out on top with a score of 39 points out of 60 possible points.  Dominion Democracy scored highest, especially in the areas of integrated software, ballot marking device, central count equipment and precinct count system.  ES&S did not prevail in any of the 11 evaluation categories.

Canciamilla told supervisors that the Office of the Clerk-Recorder has $4.7 million to pay Dominion Democracy Voting Systems.  Beginning in the second year of the contract, the office will pay $360,000 a year for six years to cover maintenance and licensing costs, Konopasek explained.

Canciamilla said the current ES&S system is rapidly deteriorating to the point that it needs to be replaced, especially now that elections will need to accommodate three languages: English, Spanish, and, starting this year, Chinese.  Furthermore, ballots are bulkier with more ballot measures.

In this era of national inquiry about Russian meddling in our elections, Konospasek said the Dominion Democracy Voting Systems passes the cyber security test.

Supervisor Diane Burgis of Brentwood questioned the vulnerability of the Dominion Democracy Voting System to cyber security threats.

“We have always had great security” Canciamilla said.  “We have designated a person to manage our security.”

Voters will see no difference.  They will continue to receive and fill-in-the-bubble ballots that will be tabulated by digital imaging.  Poll workers will also see no difference with the new voting machines.

Before supervisors voted on the request to acquire the Dominion Democracy system, Canciamilla informed supervisors that he plans to eventually present a request to the board for the county to spend about $14 million to restore 3 million historic documents and 20 million maps that are now housed in inadequate storage.  Canciamilla did not state when he will present this request or how he plans to fund the request.

“We are excited to be bringing in this new equipment that will make our operation more cost effective and reliable and ensure a secure, accessible and transparent process,” said Canciamilla.

Supervisors Authorize Agricultural Planning Hearings

At the request of District 3 Supervisor Diane Burgis of Brentwood, supervisors voted 5-0 to authorize the Conservation and Development Department to conduct meetings with farmers and residents with agricultural interests to assist the county in a policy review and the creation of new ideas to promote an “incentive” for agricultural sustainability and economic vitality in Contra Costa County.

The county has $150,000 to spend on agricultural planning, John Kopchick, chief of the Contra Costa County Department of Conservation and Development told supervisors.  He suggested that the department conduct a series of forums where 15 to 20 persons per forum can express ideas ranging from agricultural tourism to bed and breakfast establishments.

“How does cannabis get involved in this?” asked Board Chairperson Mitchoff.

“Cannabis is a background topic,” answered Kopchiick because the county does not yet have a marijuana ordinance on the books.

The department plans to conduct its first forum in April.

County Auditor-Controller Campbell Honored

The Supervisors also gave special recognition to the county’s elected Auditor-Controller Robert Campbell for his 30 years of service to the county on Tuesday.

Fire District, East County Voters, CoCoTax all encourage “yes” vote on Measure A

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The East County Voters for Equal Protection (ECV), led by Co-Chairs Hal Bray and Bryan Scott, are encouraging voters within the 249-square mile service area of the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD) to vote “Yes” on Measure A. 

A “Measure A” mail-in ballot has been distributed by mail to voters throughout the district by the Contra Costa County Clerk, Elections Division.  The measure was initiated by the ECCFPD Board of Directors.

A “Yes” will reduce the number of Directors of the oversight Board from nine to five.  All other fire districts in Contra Costa County have five-member boards, as do many cities, school districts and other special districts.

“An elected Board removes even the appearance of conflict between Board members, the agencies that appointed them, and the residents they represent,” said Bray.  “Reducing the size of the Board will make it easier to manage the operation of the District; the District and the residents of the District win on both counts.”

All seats on the Board of Directors will be filled by an election in November of this year as ECCFPD moves from an appointed Board to an elected Board.  The current nine-member board has been appointed since the creation of the fire district in 2002.

When the County’s Board of Supervisors consolidated three fire districts into a large regional district, ECCFPD, there was opposition from some East County residents who believed their community, such as the cities of Brentwood and Oakley, would lose influence.

Consequently, the largest concentration of residents, Brentwood, was given the most seats on the board, four, while the smaller city of Oakley got three seats.  The much less-populated unincorporated areas of the county received two seats.

Since all Board positions will be filled by popular vote, the assignment of Board seats by political jurisdiction is no longer necessary.

The Contra Costa Taxpayers Association (CoCoTax) also encourages East County residents to vote “Yes” on Measure A. 

“The best government is the most local government, with more direct access and accountability at the polling place,” said Jack Weir, CoCoTax President.    

While the change will have minimal fiscal impact on district finances, the change will improve the efficiency of district administration, according to the “Argument in Favor of Measure A” submitted by Fire Chief Brian Helmick.  His statement indicates it will be easier to build a consensus, he believes.

Ballots may be returned by mail, or dropped off at Oakley City Hall, Brentwood City Hall, or the Discovery Bay Community Center during regular business hours from Feb. 12 to March 6. Ballots may also be dropped off at County Elections Division, 555 Escobar Street in Martinez by 8 p.m., on or before March 6.

A County Elections Division Voter Services Center at the Brentwood Community Center will be open on Saturday, March 3, from 9 am – 3 pm, Monday, March 5, from 9 am to 6 pm, and on Tuesday, March 6, from 9 am to 8 pm, to receive ballots.

“East County Voters for Equal Protection” is a non-partisan, grass roots, citizens’ action committee formed to address the issue of unequal funding of fire and emergency medical services existing in 249 square miles of Eastern Contra Costa County.  About 120,000 residents, as well as those who work and play in Eastern Contra Costa, have services funded at a level one-fourth to one-third of those levels in other parts of Contra Costa County.  For more information contact committee Co-Chairs Hal Bray at hal.bray@pacbell.net or Bryan Scott scott.bryan@comcast.net.    The group’s Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/EastCountyVoters/

Writer challenges DVC Professor who lectured students to violate laws, abolish “white democracy”

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Professor Albert Ponce during his lecture. Screenshot from YouTube video.

Dear Editor:

Some time ago, I read an article about Diablo Valley College Professor, Albert Ponce. It was obvious from what I read—if the article was accurate—that the man is either a communist or an anarchist; I’m not sure which. I wanted to find out a little bit about the man and after a few minutes I happened unto a webpage in which some of his students expressed their feelings about the professor. Some were complimentary (sycophantic), but many described a man who is an abusive bully. A man who attacks those who do not agree with his beliefs and that intimidates students who simply want the opportunity to express their own opinions and worldviews. It seemed that Dr. Ponce doesn’t like to teach as much as he likes to indoctrinate. (See YouTube video of Ponce’s lecture). (See additional related article.)

After reading all of this information, I wrote Professor Ponce and challenged him to a debate. I simply wanted to see if his beliefs were founded on personal experience. Surely, a man like Dr. Ponce has lived in Cuba, China or at least one of the former Soviet Bloc nations. I’m sure that with all he has to say about the wonders of Socialism and Communism, he must have worked on collective farms and been able to compare socialist production models against those of the capitalist west. In order to support his socialist beliefs, he must have extensive experience as a concentration camp guard, abusing, torturing and perhaps even killing a few inmates. I’m also sure that his students would like to see personal photographs of him rubbing shoulders with Raul Castro, Vladimir Putin or China’s Xi Jinping. Surely, Dr. Ponce’s platitudes are not based on simple vitriolic rhetoric, talking points and baseless revulsion he feels for the United States. Please tell me that his experience abroad can’t be limited to Chiapas, Mexico in 1999 (I was in Cuba conducting research of my own that year) where he blamed the North American Free Trade Agreement for the problems of the indigenous tribes.

Surely, he must know what it’s like to observe grieving relatives being forced to dig the corpses of their rotting relatives from temporary graves, one piece at a time. He must have experience urinating and defecating on graves as the widows of his enemies looked on. He must surely have extensive experience in all of these things or he is just an empty wind bag.

The irony of Professor Albert Ponce is that all that he has gained and earned was achieved in a free society. I heartily congratulate Dr. Ponce for his academic success. Nobody can take that away from the man. He obviously recognizes the hard work it took, the sleepless nights, living without to make his tuition payments, sacrificing to realize his dreams, etc. I’m sure that along the way, he was allowed to express an opinion, a point of view or a long-held conviction. He must have expressed those ideals during some examination, either vocally or in writing. His doctoral dissertation must have expressed some of his personal doctrines and beliefs, and because of that liberty to express those beliefs, he didn’t suffer the indignity of having the dreaded Secret Police come to his door at night to frighten him into silence. And yet, with all of his rich experience, now he wants to shutter the hearts, minds and passions of students, parents or others who don’t agree with him. His weapon at present is intimidation, but by every insinuation of his hateful speech, it is clear to see that his weapon of choice may one day be a rifle or a gun.

The First Amendment doesn’t have to protect the beautiful utterances of historic poetry, classical music or our favorite and profound Bible passages. The First Amendment was fashioned to protect the stupid, the hateful and the obtuse declarations of the vilest among us. That is free speech. That is living in an open and free society. When I first came to this country, the Klu Klux Klan was still allowed to march down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. People who stood on the sidewalk witnessing this, yelled at the klansmen and expressed their verbal rejection of them, but they knew that this hate group had as much right to protest in our nation’s capital as any other citizen’s group. To be honest, I felt freer and safer back in those days than I do right now.

The most profound statement that I have found on free speech I heard in a movie called, “The America President.” It says,

“America isn’t easy. America is advanced citizenship. You’ve gotta want it bad, ’cause it’s gonna put up a fight. It’s gonna say, “You want free speech? Let’s see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who’s standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.” You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then you can stand up and sing about the land of the free.”

If Professor Ponce can just get past the visions of his own grandeur, maybe he can stop long enough to listen to what his students want to tell him. Maybe he can actually be a teacher and learn something himself.

Maximo A. Gomez

Los Banos, CA

Gomez is the author of “Beyond This Vale of Tears One Cuban Family’s Story,” a guest writer for the Salinas Californian newspaper, a former senior intelligence analyst with the United States Army, a former associate pastor at First Baptist Church in Los Banos, an evangelist, and recently started his own ministry.

League of Women Voters to show “Equal Means Equal” documentary in Lafayette, Feb. 17

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Did you know that women don’t have equal rights under federal law?  That’s the subject of the documentary “Equal Means Equal” which will be shown on February 17 at 3 p.m. by the League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley.  Phyllis Gordon, member of the Contra Costa Commission for Women, will moderate the meeting, which will take place in the Cedar Room of the Lafayette Community Center, 500 St. Marys Road. 

Filmmaker Kamala Lopez explores the impact of inequality on women by interviewing the famous, such as Gloria Steinem and Patricia Arquette, and as well as ordinary women, such as hotel workers, pregnant employees, and gang members.  She hopes to revive interest in the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution, which although approved in 1972 by the US House and Senate, fell short of ratification by three states. Without equal rights, the film shows how the current situation of half-measures and loopholes has negatively affected the lives many women.

Moderator Phyllis Gordon will show the 93-minute film, followed by discussion.  Besides serving as a current member and past Chair of the Contra Costa Commission for Women, Gordon is the northern California representative on the California Commissions for Women and on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Commissions for Women.  She also is a founding member of the Contra Costa Women’s Hall of Fame.

There is no charge for the showing of “Equal Means Equal.” Parking is available on site and light refreshments will be served.

Contra Costa election materials will now be in three languages

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Contra Costa County voters will see an additional language on their voting materials starting this year, as the Contra Costa Elections Division adds Chinese to the current English and Spanish. This means that the official ballot and Voter Information Guide will appear in all three languages.

Voters in the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District and the Diablo Community Services District have a special vote-by-mail election on March 6 and will be the first to see the trilingual materials when they receive their ballots in the mail next week. incorporation of Chinese will appear on all voting materials beginning in June.

Written material will be in traditional Chinese and the Elections Division will provide audio language assistance in Cantonese and Mandarin.

The addition of Chinese comes as a result of the county’s population growth and corresponding shift in demographics. As the population changes, so do the language needs of local voters. When 10,000 voters or 5 percent of the county’s voting age citizens speak a specific language, the Federal Voting Rights Act requires that language be included on all election materials. At the end of 2016, the Department of Justice informed us that we crossed that threshold for Chinese.

“We look forward to meeting the needs of all of our voters,” said Joe Canciamilla, Contra Costa County Registrar of Voters.

The Contra Costa Elections Division continues to engage with local community groups to ensure language access for all voters. For more information, visit our website at www.cocovote.us.