By Allen Payton

Italian tenor and PBS star, Pasquale Esposito will perform operatic pop concert, From Italy With Love, with very special opening act, the Anthony “Nino” Lane Band on Saturday, March 21 at the historic El Campanil Theatre in Antioch. His performance will include a touch of opera, standards, Broadway and his originals.The concert begins at 3:00 p.m. and tickets for all reserved seating are $39.

Born in Naples, Italy, tenor Esposito grew up listening to the music of famous tenor Enrico Caruso, also from Naples and started singing when he was just six years old. By age seven Esposito began performing in church, the same church in which Caruso sang.

“I was born in his same neighborhood, which is why the inspiration,” Esposito said.

Following a visit to California in 1998, he decided to move to America where he studied music at San Jose State University. Esposito graduated with a degree in vocal performance in 2009.

“Don’t ask me to dance,” he said with a laugh.

He has gone on to perform during tours in both the U.S. and Italy, singing in multiple languages: Italian, English, Spanish and Neapolitan, the Italian dialect from Naples.

Esposito tours a couple times a year.

“We partner with PBS, then we follow with a concert in the area where the television show is aired,” he shared. “We do this a couple times a year,”

Enrico Caruso was born in the 1800’s and achieved amazing success in Italy, but mostly in the U.S. He was with the Metropolitan Opera and was one of the first to be recorded.

“We did another special on Italian Squares that we visited,” said Esposito. “The main concert was done in Rome.”

“What we will be doing in Antioch is a combination of these two shows,” he stated. “I think we are going to have an amazing video projection of media behind, to tell the story. It’s an interactive performance.”

He will have with him his “piano player, who has been with me for 12 years, a guitar player, a drummer, a percussionist and bass player,” Esposito added.

“We will also do some American standards and even some Spanish songs,” he shared.

About Neapolitan, he said “it is one of the most musical languages in the world. If you want to start in opera, you need to start with Neapolitan songs.”

Asked which one is his favorite, Esposito said, “I do have one, it’s one from an aria from an opera from Pucini. Turandot is the name of the opera. Nessun Dorma is the name of the aria.”

“I had the joy to collaborate in my first PBS special with Placido Domingo,” he said. “He has been my mentor and definitely a light in my life.”

About his career, Esposito said, “It was an amazing journey. If you ask me if it was something I chose, I would have to say no. I was lucky to win the green card lottery at age 22 and moved to the United States.”

“It’s the story of a new immigrant,” he stated. “The U.S. is still the land of opportunity, where if you work hard, your dreams can come true. I am able to support my family with this gift.”

Sorry, ladies, but Esposito is married and has three children, Vittorio, Roxanna and Valentina, named because she was born in February, and they live in the San Jose area.

“The last one was a beautiful surprise,” he shared. “She just turned one years old on Feb. 6.”

He finished a Christmas special for PBS that will air later this year.

Esposito said he travels between Italy and the U.S. but spends most of his time in California.

“It’s a joy to come to a new community,” he shared. “This show is not just made for Italians but music lovers. Even those who love rock ‘n roll will love this style of music.”

The concert is part of a series being brought to East County by Licata-Cardinale Productions, and partners Michael Licata and George Cardinale.

“This is a guy who has been a PBS star and never been on this side of the Bay,” Cardinale said. “He’s performed all over the world, in Vegas and Reno. We’re happy to bring his talent to historic downtown Antioch. You’ll enjoy the show very much. It’s really a treat for the people here who have never seen him, before.”

For tickets visit https://www.elcampaniltheatre.com/pasquale-esposito.html, call the Box Office at (925) 757-2500, or stop by Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or one hour before shows at 602 W. 2nd Street in Rivertown, Antioch.

For more information about Pasquale Esposito visit pasqualeesposito.com.

Two parent advocacy groups – the East County Regional Group and the Central County Regional Group, both sponsored by First 5 Contra Costa – are hosting Census Family Fair events focused on a complete count of all children to secure needed federal funding and accurate representation for children and families across Contra Costa.

An undercount in the 2020 Census could cost Contra Costa County between $500 million and $1.1 billion over 10 years in federal programs, including programs for kids such as education, childcare, medical care, food assistance, housing, and public transportation.

“It is critical that everyone in underrepresented neighborhoods are counted for the 2020 Census. Being counted means more money into our communities for needed programs, as well as more equitable political representation for low-income families and families of color”, said Rhea Elina Laughlin, Program Officer with First 5 Contra Costa.

The well-being of all families in Contra Costa County is dependent upon a complete count. These fun, family-friendly events will raise awareness on the impact of an accurate count and address misinformation, fearmongering, and actions targeting underrepresented communities, especially immigrant families and families of color⁠.

With a focus on undercounted communities and to address some of the challenges in responding to the Census (including internet access and privacy concerns), there will be census experts, community resources, and trusted community partners available to answer any questions and to assist with the process.

“A lot of people don’t know about the census or worry how their information will be used. We’re holding this event to help our community understand how important it is we are all counted”, said Chipo Washington, Chair of the East County Regional Group.

There will be two events in Contra Costa County and all services are available at no cost—kids activities will include face painting, arts and crafts, as well as music and dance.

Saturday, March 14, 2020 (11am – 1pm) Anuta Park, 2485 Willow Pass Rd., Bay Point

Saturday, March 28, 2020 (11am – 1pm) Ellis Lake Park, 1760 Clayton Rd., Concord

Regional Groups are parent advocacy groups of residents working to make communities healthier, safer, and more equitable for young children and families. Three groups exist in Contra Costa County and work in partnership with the First 5 Contra Costa Community Engagement and Advocacy Program: East County Regional Group (ECRG), West County Regional Group (WCRG), and Central County Regional Group (CCRG).

First 5 Contra Costa helps young children start school healthy, nurtured and ready to learn by investing in programs and activities focused on children during their first five years—the most important time in children’s development.

Learn more: http://www.first5coco.org/funded-programs/regional-groupsparent-advocacy/

Board of Supervisors to consider calling for state of emergency in the county at Tuesday meeting

Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) confirmed five new cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in residents of the county.

Four are being treated at hospitals in Contra Costa. They had no travel history outside the U.S. or known contact with a confirmed case. The fifth patient, who had close contact with another person who previously tested positive for COVID-19, is isolating at home under the guidance of CCHS.

As of Sunday morning, Contra Costa has nine confirmed cases of novel coronavirus. One patient who tested positive last week remains in a local hospital, while three other previously identified patients who tested positive are also isolating at home. CCHS will not release further details about the patients to protect their medical privacy, including the names of the hospitals where they are being treated.

“The coronavirus is here in our community. As we ramp up our testing, we expect to identify more cases. But there is still a lot we can do to slow down the spread and protect our most vulnerable,” said Dr. Ori Tzvieli, acting Contra Costa Health Officer.

Last week, CCHS released recommendations for people who are at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19. Practicing good public health hygiene remains the best way of avoiding any respiratory disease, including novel coronavirus:

• People who are sick should stay home from work or school until they are well
• Older adults and people with chronic conditions should avoid large gatherings, as they are at higher risk of becoming infected
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water is not available
• People who are sick should cover their coughs and sneezes using a tissue or their elbow
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with your unwashed hands
• Masks are for sick people. There is no evidence that wearing masks in public prevents healthy people from getting sick with novel coronavirus

Calls have been placed to Anna Roth, Director and Dr. Chris Farnitano, Health Officer for Contra Costa Health Services and Dr. Samir Shah, Chief Medical Officer for the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center seeking additional information. Dr. Shah was specifically asked in a voicemail when Contra Costa County will become more transparent and share the names of the hospitals where the patients are located as that doesn’t violate HIPAA law, according to other medical professionals.

“We have a presentation to the Board of Supervisors, tomorrow,” said Will Harper, Acting Communications Director for Contra Costa Public Health when reached for comment. “We’ve been asked to give an update with the latest guidance for the community. The board will consider declaring an emergency in the county.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website, “the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law that required the creation of national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient’s consent or knowledge. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued the HIPAA Privacy Rule to implement the requirements of HIPAA.”

Furthermore, “A major goal of the Privacy Rule is to ensure that individuals’ health information is properly protected while allowing the flow of health information needed to provide and promote high quality health care and to protect the public’s health and well-being. The Privacy Rule strikes a balance that permits important uses of information while protecting the privacy of people who seek care and healing.”

However, according to the CDC, “the Privacy Rule permits use and disclosure of protected health information, without an individual’s authorization or permission, for 12 national priority purposes.” One of those is labeled, “Serious Threat to Health or Safety. Covered entities may disclose protected health information that they believe is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to a person or the public, when such disclosure is made to someone they believe can prevent or lessen the threat (including the target of the threat).”

The question is whether or not the HIPAA privacy rule prevents the release of the names of which hospitals patients are being treated so the public can decide whether or not to go to that hospital for treatment.

“We have not announced any hospitals to protect the patient privacy and the operations of the hospital,” said Scott Pauley, Public Information Officer for the CDC. “There’s a very thin line there. That’s policy level and the decisions made are by the hospitals and county health officials.”

Visit cchealth.org/coronavirus for local information about COVID-19.

Allen Payton contributed to this report. Please check back later for updates.

By Allen Payton

As of the update posted Friday, March 6, 2020 at 4:33 p.m., the results of the election for Contra Costa County Supervisor in the District 5 race between incumbent Federal Glover and two challengers is still too close to call. District 5 includes portions of Antioch north of Hwy 4 and west of Hwy 160.

Glover, seeking his sixth term on the board, is just 0.3% away from winning the race outright. If not, in the November General Election he will face either County Assessor Gus Kramer, who has 25.82% of the vote and leading Martinez Planning Commissioner Sean Trambley with 24.48% of the vote, by just 516 votes.

However, there are approximately 40,000 ballots remaining to be counted in the county. According to the Contra Costa County Elections website:

Below are the estimated number of ballots that remain to be counted as of March 6

7,500  Vote by Mail

29,200  Provisional

800  Conditional Voter Registration

2,500  Other

40,000  Total Estimate

Before the latest update was provided, Trambley commented on Thursday, “We will see what happens. Although this wasn’t the outcome I expected, I’m proud of the campaign I ran.”

“Hard to say how many of those (the remaining ballots) are in District 5,” he added.

Elkins Park, PA – When Antioch, California native, 2011 Deer Valley High and 2016 Penn State grad, Payton Burke decided to go into the United States Army, it wasn’t a big surprise to her mother, Joanie Burke. Payton’s grandfather, Leonard Horn, was in the Army and stationed at Redstone Arsenal Army base in Huntsville, AL In fact, Payton’s mother was born at that Army base in Alabama.

The family generational pull toward the Army took another step in providing service to the country recently when Burke, ’21AUD received her commission to the Army from Salus University president Michael Mittelman, OD ‘80, MPH, MBA, FAAO, FACHE, at a ceremony attended by family, friends, faculty, administrators and an Army recruiter Feb. 29, 2020, on the University’s Elkins Park, PA campus.

“My gosh, it’s amazing. I’m emotional, excited and proud,” said Joanie Burke, who had flown in from Antioch, with Payton’s brother, Ethan Burke, the day before the ceremony honoring her daughter. “She called a few years back and said this was what she was thinking of doing and asked how I would feel about it. I was a little nervous at the beginning and I told her, this is your life. You’ve made the right decisions all along your journey so far and I was confident she would make the right decision now.”

Payton asked Dr. Mittelman, a retired Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, to administer the oath. Although it’s somewhat unusual for a Navy officer to commission an Army recruit, Dr. Mittelman was honored to oblige a Salus student.

“Payton has been a wonderful student leader. Everything that she’s touched has been successful. She’s mature, she’s intelligent and she really understands what serving in leadership is all about. That’s why I’m thrilled to be able to do this. The Army is really getting a winner here,” said Dr. Mittelman, who also provided a brief history lesson before the ceremony of the oath, its meaning and the subtle differences on what the oath means to each branch of the military.

James Caldwell, OD ‘89, FAAO, EdM, dean of Student Affairs and assistant professor at Salus, has worked with Burke in a number of capacities as a student leader and is not surprised that she’s going to serve the country.

“When she hit campus as an enrolled student here, she raised her hand, she was curious about opportunities for leadership, and she rose into those positions. She represents her profession of audiology in an outstanding way. But most importantly, she really embraces our ‘One Salus’ mindset. Everything she did as a student leader, not only took care of her fellow audiology students, but she was really interested in creating a broad Salus community,” said Dr. Caldwell, who attended the ceremony. “It’s not at all surprising now that she’s going to serve our country. In my mind, it just fits into who she is as an individual, as a person and soon, as a healthcare provider. We’re so proud of her.”

Those words are echoed by Radhika Aravamudhan, PhD, dean of the University’s Osborne College of Audiology (OCA), who also attended the ceremony to see one of her own students advance her career path.

“This is our second audiology student to go through this ceremony, so this is pretty exciting,” said Dr. Aravamudhan. “The discipline and core values (in the military) are something that they learn a lot about. “I’m confident that Payton will enjoy everything, learn a lot and go on from there.”

For her part, Burke said she’s ready for the next step. She’ll have a four-week officer’s training commitment in Oklahoma this summer after which she’ll complete her fourth-year rotation at Walter Reed Military Hospital in Bethesda, Md. After that, she’s committed for three years as a military audiologist wherever the Army decides to send her.

“I feel like I’m ready. This ceremony meant so much to me and warmed my heart. I was just so happy to see everybody that came here today to share this with me,” she said.

About Salus University

Salus University, founded as the Pennsylvania College of Optometry in 1919, today is a diversified, globally recognized professional academic center of learning that offers a wide range of degree programs in the professions of Optometry, Audiology, Physician Assistant, Public Health, Blindness and Low Vision Studies, Biomedicine, Occupational Therapy and Speech-Language Pathology. Salus operates four clinical facilities in Philadelphia and Montgomery counties that provide highly specialized vision, hearing and balance, and speech-language pathology services. The University has more than 1,200 students, and more than 14,000 alumni worldwide. For more information, please visit www.salus.edu. Salus is currently celebrating a century of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, its founding school. For more information about the legacy, please visit www.salus.edu/centennial.

Stolen car out of Pittsburg, dog detains donut driver in Antioch

By Antioch Police Department

Score two for the good hounds.

Last night (Friday, March 6, 2020) our good friends over at Pittsburg PD called ahead on the horn to tell us they were chasing a stolen vehicle into Antioch on West 10th Street. Our officers, whose sole duty is to protect our city, said “Heck yeah, we won’t tolerate that here!” As we were scrambling a team of our finest night watch officers to help-out, the suspect must’ve sensed we were coming, and decided to test out his cardio skills against Pittsburg PD before we could get there. He soon found out not only does Pittsburg employ a bunch of track star officers, but they also had their loyal canine companion along with them (AKA “Man’s Best Friend”).

While all this was going on over on H Street, one of our officers was patrolling the businesses near Contra Loma and Buchanan when he saw an old school Camaro driving around in circles with the rear plate folded up so nobody could see it. The officer flipped on the red and blues to figure out what was going on, but the driver didn’t wanna chat, and instead drove the wrong way down L Street in an attempt to get away. Our coppers are way too smart for that kinda nonsense, and instead of engaging in a dangerous chase on the wrong side of the road, used the Motorola to alert other officers of what was going on.

A wave of blue uniforms flooded the area and found the Camaro crashed against some parked cars on West 5th Street a block away from our headquarters. The driver decided he wasn’t gonna wait around, and obviously knew what was coming, so he opted to hop, skip, and jump over fences into our neighbors’ backyards.

Swing watch officers, who were about to head home, poured out of the police station and joined our night watch on a containment perimeter. Officer Shipilov and his loyal canine sidekick Tzak arrived at the scene and began sniffing around. While doing so, the suspect thought it would be a good idea to go onto the roof of one of our fine resident’s houses, which in turn announced his location, and helped us locate him. He decided he wasn’t gonna go down easy, and Tzak (pictured below sticking his tongue out at the cameraman shortly afterwards) helped bring an end to his night of recklessness. Both bad guys were united at the County Jail, where they got to tell everyone not to mess around in Antioch or Pittsburg!

Our officers receive ongoing training and have strict policies when it comes to chasing vehicles. Our first priority is your safety, and we always weigh the risks versus rewards of chasing, against whether we can catch ‘em another way. We are thankful no innocent people were hurt in these incidents and the bad guys went to jail. We also appreciate the assistance of our awesome residents, both on H Street and West 5th/6th, while we looked for both suspects.

If you see Tzak on the streets, can you give him a “Good boooooy?”

By Scott Alonso, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa County District Attorney

Martinez, Calif. – A Contra Costa County jury found defendant Garry Reynolds (39-years-old) guilty of four felonies – all counts of animal cruelty. Reynolds is the owner of a dog training company, NorCal K9. The jury found Reynolds was criminally negligent in the care of four animals under his company’s care. Additionally, the jury found Reynolds not guilty on three counts of animal cruelty. (See related CBS13 TV news report) (See videos of dog training on Garry Reynolds’ YouTube channel)

In 2018, at a house in Antioch rented by the defendant, Reynolds and his former co-defendant Devon Ashby were responsible for the care of various dogs. Unfortunately, these dogs were neglected and not cared for in a proper way. Ashby pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of animal cruelty and testified during the trial for the People.

Reynolds faces up to 10 years in state prison due to his prior strike offenses. Judge Patricia Scanlon will sentence Reynolds later this spring. Deputy District Attorney Arsh Singh prosecuted the case on behalf of the People. DDA Singh is assigned to the Felony Trial Team.

“Animal cruelty cases are heartbreaking as these animals are innocent and deserve excellent care. Garry Reynolds took advantage of his customers and his ownership style contributed to the maltreatment of these dogs and the horrible death of Gunner,” DDA Singh stated. “The defendant claims to be a premier dog trainer yet showed no remorse and did not accept responsibility for the dogs under his care. I want to thank the jury for the important verdict in this case and the message sent to any dog trainer in our community that our Office will not tolerate the mistreatment of animals.”

The City of Antioch started an investigation into the house where the dogs were located at 5200 Lone Tree Way. The investigation started as a code enforcement matter but progressed to a criminal investigation led by the Antioch Police Department due to a dog’s death. In June 2018, Antioch police officers showed up at the house and found unsuitable and dangerous living conditions that jeopardized the health of the dogs staying at the property. In total nine dogs were removed from the property.

The conditions at 5200 Lone Tree Way were unsuitable for any animal. Antioch officials testified at the trial and reviewed with the jury that rotten raw chicken meat was found in various dogs’ kennels, urine and feces were not picked up or disposed of in a sanitary manner, and the house’s ventilation system was not properly used. When officers arrived on June 25 to the property, the weather in Antioch was extremely warm and the ventilation system in the house was not being used. Dogs under the care of Reynolds were placed in small rooms or the kitchen in stacked kennels all close together. Further, there was an immense amount of trash and debris inside and outside the house.

The following dogs were associated with the jury’s guilty verdict:

• Gunner, Doberman (Count 5)
• Favor, Cane Corso (Count 6)
• Zeus, German Shepherd (Count 7)
• Rambo (Bo), Labro-Poodle (Count 8)

Case information: People v. Garry Reynolds, Docket Number 05-191200-5

Publisher’s Note: A photo posted with this report, earlier was not of Garry Reynolds. Apologies for the mistake.