By Allen Payton

The City of Antioch’s budget includes funding for 115 sworn police officers and the Antioch Police Department currently has 112 sworn officers on the force. But, staffing does not always keep up with the amount budgeted due to So, the council was asked by Police Chief Tammany Brooks for an over-hire of six officers.

“I’m going to start by thanking you…for your unwavering support,” Brooks said. “I’ve seen that support in your words. I’ve seen your support in the form of actions. You’ve shown up to swearing in ceremonies. But you’ve also shown your support by, I will say, your support…financially and by policy to raise our staffing from an abysmal 78 officers back in 2013 to 115 officers.”

“I have three more jobs, to fill. We have one young man in the police academy who will be graduating in May,” he explained.

Brooks also said he has two more conditional job offers which are the 114th and 115th officers.

“We have between three and six officers separating from employment due to retirement or medical reasons,” he stated. “Every year we’ve had three or more separations that are unexpected. So, I am looking at ways to minimize the period at which we go below our staffing levels. To do that I’m here asking for an over-hire. It will allow us to make conditional job offers, so they can start the police academy…to maintain our staff level at 115.”

“The average application process…takes up to three months,” Brooks explained. “If it’s an entry level hire it could take another six months.”

He asked for an over-hire of six officers to address the attrition.

“Do we currently…have a policy to allow you to over-hire, and not just coming to us?” Councilwoman Monica Wilson asked.

“There are two cities that do have a policy of over-hiring to maintain their staffing level and that’s Brentwood and Walnut Creek,” Brooks said.

“That is a policy we could look at, so we didn’t have to come back to council,” City Manager Ron Bernal said.

“I agree with Councilwoman Wilson…I think it should apply to Code Enforcement, as well,” Councilman Lamar Thorpe added.

“I just want to thank the chief for all your efforts,” Mayor Pro Tem Motts said. “I think you’re making an incredible difference in our community.”

“I just want to give credit to Nickie Mastay and finance staff.

“We have been hiring at a breakneck pace, at no point lowering our standards,” Brooks said. “Since Measure C was approved in November 2013, we’ve hired 82 officers and we’ve had 52 that have left for some reason of separation. So, for us to be here today with 112 officers is a tremendous feat.”

“Thank you for bringing this forward so we keep moving forward,” Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock said. “I applaud the council of thinking of moving forward with a policy, so you don’t have to keep coming back to us to keep these numbers up.”

“Chief, thank you, this is necessary,” Mayor Sean Wright said. “This is the only way we get to the number allotted to you. Sometime soon we will get to the 115 number which is one officer per 1,000 (population). Then we can celebrate. Then we can get to 1.2.”

The motion to authorize the hiring of six additional officers passed unanimously.

BART adjusted train schedules, today February 10, 2020 to improve service. The new schedule impacts all lines to some degree, especially first and last trips of the day. Some lines will see service start earlier and some will start a little later. Most changes are small tweaks and will adjust departures and arrivals by only a few minutes, but there are some more significant changes.

Major improvements include the return of two-line service into San Francisco on Sunday, the addition of Fleet of the Future trains on Saturday, earlier weekday train service for many riders, increased peak service for Concord riders in the morning and evening, and later evening direct service from San Francisco into Warm Springs.

Many of our riders plan their arrival times around the specific train they want to catch. We want to make sure all of our riders know about these adjustments in advance, so they are not caught by surprise. Train times have shifted by a few minutes throughout the day.

The new schedule is now available on our Trip Planner  and on the BART (Official) App when you plan a trip on or after 2/10. Also, PDF’s of the current and new schedule timetables can also be found here.

Highlights of service changes:

Weekdays

• Morning peak-period trains that previously originated or turned back at Pleasant Hill will now originate/turn back at Concord, allowing BART to better serve more riders on this busy line by returning extra service to Concord. In September 2015, BART changed its schedule and these trains went from starting at Concord to starting at Pleasant Hill. Over the years, morning riders looking to target these short run trains because they were less crowded, shifted their origin station to Pleasant Hill. These riders may now opt to begin their trip at Concord once again. Pleasant Hill will still be served by the same number of trains in the morning, but many of them will no longer originate at the station. 3 trains will originate at Pleasant Hill in the 6 am hour. Some PM commute trains will also end at Concord instead of Pleasant Hill. Riders will no longer see “Pleasant Hill” trains on the platform signs, instead they will be “Concord” trains.
• The first trip from Richmond to Warm Springs (Orange Line) will leave Richmond at 5:04 am—17 minutes earlier than before.
• The 5:00 am northbound train from South Hayward is now a Warm Springs/Richmond (Orange Line) train to Richmond instead of a Warm Springs/Daly City (Green Line) train to Daly City.
  • Passengers heading to San Francisco will need to use Dublin/Pleasanton to Daly City (Blue Line) or Antioch/SFO (Yellow Line) trains for the first San Francisco arrivals, arriving in San Francisco 8 minutes later.
• Service to San Francisco from Warm Springs will be earlier with the first Warm Springs/Daly City (Green Line) train departing at 5:01 am instead of 5:15 am.
• We are extending evening direct service on the Warm Springs/Daly City (Green Line) from Daly City to Warm Springs with an added train departing at 7:12 pm.
• We have eliminated the morning peak 9:12 am Antioch/SFO (Yellow Line) departure from MacArthur to Daly City to enable the Concord turnback trains to serve more riders.
• The evening schedule has been adjusted to better accommodate Transbay Tube single-tracking

• Saturday

• We’ve added more Fleet of the Future (FOTF) trains—two each on Antioch/SFO (Yellow Line), Dublin/Pleasanton (Blue Line), and Richmond/Millbrae (Red Line). The Warm Springs/Daly City (Green Line) will run four FOTF trains, or 50% of our existing FOTF trains.
• The first northbound Warm Springs/Richmond (Orange Line) train starts in service at Bay Fair at 5:52 am instead of Coliseum at 6:00 am
• The first westbound Dublin/Pleasanton to Daly City (Blue Line) train starts in service at Bay Fair at 5:58 am instead of Coliseum at 6:06 am.

• Sunday

• We will return to two-line service into San Francisco. The Dublin/Pleasanton (Blue Line) will serve San Francisco (see the map below). Blue line trains will terminate at Montgomery or Daly City depending on the time of day and if there is single tracking. Riders on the Blue Line who are travelling farther south will transfer to a Yellow Line train at Montgomery St.
  • Warm Springs/Daly City (Green Line) and Richmond/Millbrae (Red Line) trips were eliminated to make way for the return of Dublin/Pleasanton (Blue Line), service to San Francisco.
• Headways on Sundays will be every 24 minutes on all lines, four minutes longer than the current Sunday service plan. BART staff believes this service plan will provide greater predictability and resilience in the event of a service delay.
• Trips to Millbrae will no longer require a transfer at SFO on Sundays.  The Sunday map below still shows the “Purple line,” but with no transfer bubble. The Purple line was re-introduce as a unique line in Feb. 2019, and now all trips between SFO and Millbrae are considered the Purple line- regardless of what train is used to make the trip.  The Sunday trains will be labelled as “SFO/Millbrae” bound trains on platform signs and we will make on board announcements so Sunday riders know they don’t need to transfer at SFO to a Millbrae train.  The concept of showing two separate lines, but offering a one-seat trip with no transfer, is called “interlining.” The train switches from one route to another.  BART plans to use this concept moving forward for the Purple line to allow us to be flexible with how we operate this segment of service while keeping the map simple, without added annotations, and consistent.
• The first northbound train is Dublin/Pleasanton (Blue Line), leaves 24th St/Mission at 7:50 am, and Civic Center at 7:54 am (instead of 8:04 am)
• The first northbound train on Warm Springs/Richmond (Orange Line) will start at South Hayward at 7:54am and arrive at Coliseum at 8:10am. (Previously it started at Coliseum at 8:09 am)

 

It takes CDC five to seven days to confirm; protocols in place for dealing with patients and protecting medical staff

By Allen Payton

2-15-20 UPDATE: “We still have no confirmed cases in Contra Costa,” said Will Harper, Acting Communications Officer for Contra Costa Public Health.

In an announcement on the Contra Costa Health Services website, entitled Novel Coronavirus, Information for People Living in Contra Costa County, states: “Contra Costa residents are at low risk of becoming infected. Only people who recently traveled to China or have had close contact with someone who became ill with the novel coronavirus after recent travel in China could be exposed.”

The statement also includes, “As of Feb. 5, there have been 12 confirmed cases in the United States, including four in Northern California. There are currently no confirmed cases in Contra Costa County.”

However, that could have changed as of Friday, Feb. 7.

A report of a possible, first coronavirus case at the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center in Martinez has raised concerns and questions for county staff.

According to sources who have chosen to remain anonymous, a Martinez resident who returned from China on Wednesday, Feb. 5 was brought to the hospital and admitted on Friday, Feb. 7 by her husband. He said she was very sick and concerned it might be from the Coronavirus. The woman is currently in the intensive care unit.

The case has medical staff concerned with what is being done with quarantining the husband, who could have been exposed for two to three days, and for the medical staff, to protect them from contracting the virus.

“All I can say is, at this point we have no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Contra Costa,” said Will Harper, Acting Communications Officer for Contra Costa Public Health.

When asked how long it takes to confirm, he responded, “It has been taking the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) about five to seven days.”

So, medical staff at the county’s public hospital may not know until sometime this week if the woman has the virus.

Harper was then asked if there are protocols in place for dealing with patients, their families and medical staff.

“We do have protocols in place about isolating for a suspect case, for both the patient and that staff has the proper protective gear,” he stated. “Our public health division, when there is a confirmed case, will do a contact investigation. They go and contact the person who has the contagious virus.”

“There are procedures in place to both protect hospital staff and for patients,” Harper reiterated. “But, as for dealing with the immediate family members, we can’t talk about specific patients, because of patient privacy. In terms of the public health role, when there is a suspected case that is not confirmed, public health contacts the person and the family and encourages them to stay at home as much as possible and monitor themselves for symptoms. It can go beyond the family, with a co-worker who has had contact. Anyone who has had contact with someone who possibly has the virus.”

When asked why the coronavirus is getting so much attention, he responded, “This is a new virus, we haven’t seen it before, and there is no human immunity or vaccine for. So, the public worries, understandably.”

“So, we’re taking it very seriously,” Harper added.

The CC Health Services statement continues with the following information:

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and public health agencies across the U.S. are monitoring this new disease. Contra Costa Health Services is working closely with its partners and other health systems to track the situation locally.

Hospitals in the county, including Contra Costa Regional Medical Center & Health Centers, are asking patients about symptoms of coronavirus and recent travel to China. People calling 911 will also be asked about their symptoms and recent travel to China. Contra Costa Health Services has sent information about coronavirus to local medical providers, ambulance paramedics and schools.

Symptoms of this illness include fever, cough and difficulty breathing.

If you have these symptoms AND have been in China within the past 14 days or have been in close contact with someone who has been in the area, seek medical care right away.

• Call ahead before going to see a doctor or emergency room – call Contra Costa Public Heath at 925-313-6740 for instructions about where to go if you do not have a healthcare provider.
• If you have a mask to wear over your mouth and nose, please wear it as you present to your health care provider or clinic. If not, please ask for one upon your arrival.
• Tell them your symptoms and that you were in China

As this is an unusual situation, information could change rapidly. This page will be updated as more information becomes available.”

Please check back later for updates to this report.

Driver from Antioch taken to hospital, arrested; Driver of other car from Oakley sustains minor injuries

By CHP-Contra Costa

UPDATE: the Volkswagen sedan driven by Moss was determined that it was traveling wrong way (westbound within the eastbound lanes) of Hwy-4 prior to the initial collision with the Toyota.

Early this morning, at approximately 2:09am, CHP Contra Costa responded to a collision involving three vehicles on Hwy-4 eastbound, just east of Bailey Road. Upon CHP & emergency personnel arrival, a 2002 Volkswagen sedan, a 2015 Toyota sedan, and a 2016 Harley Davidson motorcycle had been involved in a collision. Unfortunately, the solo male driver of the Harley (29 years old from Antioch) was killed in the crash. The solo male driver of the Toyota (20 years old from Oakley) sustained only minor complaint of pain injuries. And the solo male driver of the Volkswagen (59-year-old Tony Moss from Antioch) was transported to John Muir hospital in Walnut Creek for his injuries and suspicion of DUI driving.

The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Office will be handling the release of identity of the deceased male rider from the Harley Davidson.

This incident is still under investigation and requires follow up investigation as well. But our preliminary report indicates the Volkswagen and Toyota may have been involved in a collision on eastbound Hwy 4 at Bailey Road and then the Harley Davidson became involved as well, subsequently ejecting the rider of the Harley Davidson and killing him. The driver of the Toyota suffered only minor injuries, remained on scene, and cooperated with the investigation.

While at the hospital, Officers placed Moss under arrest for felony DUI. Upon his release from the hospital early this morning, he was transported to the Martinez detention facility where he was booked into the county jail for two counts of FELONY DUI: 23153(a)VC & 23153(b)VC.

As this incident is still under investigation, if anyone has information regarding this collision or events leading up to it, call CHP in Martinez at 925-646-4980. Thank you.

Los Medanos College (LMC) is preparing to host its annual César Chávez Celebration on Friday, March 27, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. A reception will begin at 6:00 p.m., followed by the awards and recognition ceremony at 7:00 p.m. LMC is located at 2700 East Leland Road in Pittsburg.  The public is welcome to attend, and the event is free.

Los Medanos College hosts this event each year to honor the life of César Chávez and to recognize East Contra Costa County community leaders who continue his great tradition of service and social activism. A true American hero, César Chávez exemplifies service to community and non-violent social change.

The college is now seeking nominations for three recognition awards, which will be presented at the event.  The LMC César Chávez Award for Exemplary Community Service, established in 1995, is awarded to local residents who have demonstrated a long-standing commitment to service and who represent the core values established by César Chávez: Service to Others, Sacrifice, Help the Most Needy, Determination, Non-Violence, Acceptance of All People, Respect for Life and the Environment, Celebrating Community, Knowledge, and Innovation.  The East County Educator Award honors members of the educational community who demonstrate the above values and a commitment to student success and equity, particularly for low-income students and students of color.  The Chávez Spirit Award recognizes student/emerging leaders who are making an impact on East Contra Costa County in the areas of advocacy and social justice.

To submit nominations for the César Chávez awards, visit: www.losmedanos.edu/chavez/nominate/.  The deadline for nominations is February 29, 2020.

Details about other LMC activities celebrating the life and legacy of César Chávez can be viewed at: www.losmedanos.edu/chavez/event.

Dear Editor:

The chief selling point to Measure J on the March 3 ballot is to “reduce congestion”, a laughably empty promise. The 75 words on the ballot create a smokescreen for a 1/2% sales tax increase.

Measure J allots $148 million to BART, who has their own mega-budget and a long history of wastefulness. Only Contra Costa would shoulder the additional tax to be handed over to BART with no assurance that Contra Costa would benefit.

This measure contains hiring restrictions that will drive up costs of taxpayer-funded projects. It requires that all apprenticeship labor must come from certain politically favored sources, rather than the largest qualified pool of applicants. Construction labor short supply due to recent wildfire rebuilding efforts. As a result, projects everywhere are currently facing massive cost overruns. This is the wrong time to impose even further hiring restrictions.

Residents may see signs on the highway referencing Measure J for current projects. This refers to a Measure J generously passed by voters in 2004. The suspicious letter designation is confusing, but clearly this is not the same. This is an additional increase for 35 years.

We encourage a no vote on Measure J.

Susan L Pricco

President, Contra Costa Taxpayers Association

Identified as Mark Anthony Thomas. Second suspect still at large.

By Pittsburg Police Department

On December 14, 2019, the Pittsburg Police Department was notified of a person who was shot inside of a residence in the 200 block of Havenwood Circle in Pittsburg. At the time of the incident, the victim, along with his wife and children, were present when two armed and masked gunmen entered the residence and shot the victim following a brief struggle. Upon arrival, officers located a 34-year-old male resident (later identified by his fiancé as Rafael Lopez) suffering from a gunshot wound to the torso.

From initial information, officers learned that two masked gunmen entered the residence and engaged in an altercation with the man and other people inside the residence. Officers provided aid to the man until medical personnel arrived. The man later died from his injuries. (See related article).

Detectives began working the case immediately and painstakingly poured over many leads and pieces of evidence until they were able to identify one of the shooters involved in the homicide. That shooter has been identified a 35-year-old Mark Anthony Thomas from Antioch.

According to his Facebook page, Thomas is a rapper whose stage name is M80.

On February 4, 2020, Thomas was located at a residence in the 5000 block of Ranch Hallow Way in Antioch and arrested by our agency. He is currently in custody in Martinez on murder charges.

This is an ongoing investigation and if anyone has any information please contact Detective Ruff at 925-252-4089.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.