By Steven Spraitzar, Public Relations, White Pony Express

White Pony Express (WPE), the Pleasant Hill food rescue group, announces that its programs are continuing to operate under Contra Costa County’s stringent requirements to contain the spread of COVID-19.   Specifically, WPE wishes to let the public know that:

• White Pony Express remains OPEN for business. It continues to rescue nutritious fresh food from supermarkets and restaurants and deliver it free to those in need in our communities.
• WPE’s School Food Pantry Program is continuing to deliver food to free-lunch schools in the county. However, because the schools have closed, this food is now being taken to alternative distribution sites where the food is being made available to the school families.
• Volunteers are urgently needed as some volunteers wish to self-isolate.
• Those who wish to volunteer can sign up at https://www.whiteponyexpress.org/covid-19-response-volunteer
• Financial donations are also needed so WPE can continue providing nutritious food to hungry people. If you’d like to contribute, you can do so by visiting WPE’s website at https://www.whiteponyexpress.org/donate-funds.
• WPE will make limited deliveries of needed clothing for the foreseeable future.
• No donations of clothing will be accepted while the shelter-in-place order is in effect.
• WPE has implemented stringent health guidelines in place to protect its volunteers. These protocols (hand washing, use of hand sanitizers, gloves, social distancing, etc.) are now a part of all WPE’s food and clothing operations.

ABOUT WPE:  WPE is a volunteer-powered 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in Pleasant Hill, CA, which helps people move from the margins to the mainstream by providing free food and clothing in a loving and respectful manner.

Dr. Carol Weyland Conner founded WPE in September 2013 when she was troubled that in an area with such an abundance of food, many thousands were going hungry, while at the same time food retailers were throwing out huge quantities of healthy, fresh food. From this insight, the Food Rescue program was born. In a little over 6 years, WPE has rescued and delivered more than 10.5 million pounds of fresh, nutritious food, free of charge, that would otherwise go to waste. This is equivalent to 8,750,000 meals.

In 2014 the White Pony General Store was added to provide high quality clothing, toys, and books to the underserved in our communities—all free of charge. Since that time, the General Store has given away over 512,000 items to those in need.

For more on WPE, visit www.whiteponyexpress.org.

High Quality Data Essential for Combatting the Spread of COVID-19

Joint Press Release

Martinez, CA – Seven Bay Area jurisdictions are taking a unified, regional step to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). On March 24, the Public Health Officers of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara, with the City of Berkeley, announced an order with new reporting requirements for laboratories that test for the novel coronavirus. Laboratories must report results of tests for all residents of each jurisdiction to the ordering health care provider and the appropriate state and local health officials.

Currently, labs report only positive results, making it difficult for public health officials to know how many people are being tested overall. The new order requires laboratories to report all positive, negative, and inconclusive results, and information that allows health officials to better locate the person tested. The more comprehensive information will improve health officials’ understanding of the rates of infection and the location of possible infection clusters

Growing availability of testing through commercial and academic laboratories expands the overall testing capacity beyond small, specialized public health laboratories. The public health laboratory network offers only limited testing for emerging infections such as COVID-19 as other commercial and academic laboratory sectors come on-line. Because of the limited capacity of public health laboratories and the absence of further reporting requirements of private laboratories, the current percentage of cases that are detected through testing is important, but reflects only a small portion of the total number of people infected in our jurisdictions.

“This order will ensure public health officials regionally and across the state have access to the information we need to understand, predict, and combat the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Sara Cody, Santa Clara County Health Officer. “Commercial and academic laboratories are important partners in providing testing to our community. Receiving this critical information from those labs will help local health departments respond to COVID-19 during this unprecedented time.”

The laboratory reporting order follows new data of increasing local transmission of COVID-19, including 930 confirmed cases with 19 deaths shared by the seven jurisdictions. The Bay Area’s total count of 930 confirmed COVID-19 cases is more than half of California’s case count. This does not account for the rapidly increasing number of assumed cases of community transmission.

“Expanding reporting beyond positive results to include timely reporting of negative and inconclusive results allows local health officials to better understand whether there are areas of the community that are experiencing more intense transmission and project future trends in in the spread of the virus,” said Dr. Tomás Aragón, Health Officer, City & County of San Francisco. “By sharing high quality test result data at scale, state and local health authorities can better track COVID-19, predict its spread, and better focus public resources to end this global pandemic.”

For more information about COVID-19 activities in these areas, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo, or Berkeley COVID-19 websites.

By Sergeant Rick Martin #3343, Antioch Police Traffic Division

On March 25,2020, at 9:45 pm, Antioch Police Officers responded to the intersection of Contra Loma Boulevard and the eastbound Highway 4 offramp on a report of a vehicle collision. Upon arrival officers located two vehicles involved in a collision. A 52-year-old male from Oakley was pronounced deceased at the scene. His two passengers were treated and released at the scene. The other driver, 18-year-old male from Antioch, was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

It was determined the male driver from Oakley had exited the eastbound Highway 4 offramp at Contra Loma Blvd., failed to stop at the red signal light and broadsided the male driver from Antioch who was travelling southbound on Contra Loma Blvd.

Names of the drivers are being withheld at this time until proper notifications are made to the next of kin.

No further information will be released at this time. This preliminary information is made available by the Traffic Division.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Antioch Police Department non- emergency line at (925) 778-2441. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

Earn on Average $21 an Hour; Service Features Include Instant Online Booking, Adjustable Schedules and Straightforward Pricing, for Both Local and National Moves

The Company is Also Providing Financial Assistance to Qualifying Bellhops Movers and Drivers Diagnosed with COVID-19 or Placed in Individual Quarantine by a Public Health Authority or Medical Professional

(Chattanooga, TN) – March 25, 2020 – Moving is something we all do and at times cannot be avoided, even when faced with a worldwide pandemic like COVID-19. Bellhops, an online service for moving, is committed to keep coordinating moves for those in need and is currently looking to add thousands of movers and drivers to their platform across the country. The company, which organizes moving services in over 65 markets, is also providing financial assistance to certain existing Bellhops movers and drivers that are diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed in individual quarantine by a public health authority or medical professional. A full list of Bellhops markets can be viewed at GetBellhops.com/locations/.

Moving is already stressful, but with our current health crisis, now more than ever customers need top-notch customer service and a quick and easy solution for obtaining on-demand movers. With its unique technology and booking experience and on-demand moving partners, Bellhops helps to create a moving experience that is more efficient, affordable and reliable than those found with traditional moving companies. Bellhops also provides a photo with star-rating of movers to each customer 24 hours prior to the move.

“Americans are still having to move. Whether it’s due to the end of a lease or they are renting or purchasing a new home, they need help,” said Luke Marklin, CEO of Bellhops. “As an essential service, Bellhops is working tirelessly to ensure those who need to move have the assistance they need. This also means we have work opportunities for those impacted by layoffs and pay cuts.”

Bellhops moving professionals earn on average $21 an hour, including tips and bonuses, and professional drivers can earn over $40 an hour per move. They get paid weekly and movers receive extra compensation for referrals. To find jobs, local movers simply enter their schedule in the Bellhops mobile app and get matched with customers who need help moving. Those interested in providing moving or driving services on the Bellhops platform can apply at: GetBellhops.com/being-a-bellhop/.

“At a time when companies coast to coast are making the difficult decision to lay off workers, we are proud to be adding more moving and driving partners in our markets,” continued Marklin. “As Bellhops continues its rapid growth, we foresee the need to bring on even more moving and driving partners to meet demand and offer work opportunities during this difficult crisis.”

For anyone that has already booked a move via Bellhops and is worried about how COVID-19 may impact their plans, they can get more information at GetBellhops.com/help/faq/.

For more info on the support Bellhops is offering movers and drivers on their platform visit: bit.ly/2wyyPqn.

With over 200,000 moves booked through Bellhops and an average star rating of 4.8, unheard of in the industry, Bellhops is bringing Americans a better way to move. In 2019, Bellhops service providers carried and transported over 4.6 million boxes, totaling 72 million pounds. Bellhops service providers also logged more than 375,000 miles, including one of the longest moves ever conducted by a Bellhops service provider from Hartford to Seattle. In total, Bellhops service providers spent more than 480,000 hours helping Americans get settled into their new lives.
About Bellhops

In 2011, Bellhops started as a simple solution for college students looking for help moving into dorms. Today, with the experience of having arranged hundreds of thousands of moves, Bellhops now helps to provide moving solutions for customers in more than 60 cities nationwide. By pairing AI technology with best-in-class customer service, Bellhops is transforming the dated $18B moving industry, creating flexible work opportunities and changing the way Americans move from place to place.

For more information, please visit GetBellhops.com/

To apply to be a mover: GetBellhops.com/being-a-bellhop/

To apply to be a driver: GetBellhops.com/drive-for-bellhops/

Hold online, virtual meeting; homeless population increases 43% in county

By Daniel Borsuk

Forced to meet remotely in an inaugural teleconference board meeting Tuesday, Contra Costal County Board of Supervisors learned the county is lean on supplies to combat the rising COVID-19 pandemic.

Circumstances are getting so dire, Contra Costa Health Services officials have put out the call for donations from the public for surgical protective equipment and supplies for healthcare providers as concerns emerge the county cannot deliver an adequate amount of medical gear and supplies for emergency workers to be adequately protected while treating those potentially affected by COVID-19.

As of Tuesday, Contra Costa Health Services Director Anna Roth told supervisors 71 county residents now have contracted COVID-19 and one person has died, an increase from 10 COVID-19 cases when Roth released her initial report to the Supervisors 21 days ago on March 3. Twenty-two persons are currently waiting for lab test results, reported Roth.

When Supervisors individually met via teleconference, Contra Costa Health Services along with six other Bay Area medical entities had earlier announced a unified, regional program designed to combat the spread of COVID-19 by ordering laboratories testing for COVID-19 to report comprehensive testing data to local and state authorities.

In addition, the county is stepping up the wide gap in procuring medical supplies and gear for health care workers. “We are making preparations for more people to become sick,” said Dr. Chris Farnitano, Contra Costa County Health Officer.

A call has gone out to the public from Contra Costa Health Services to donate protective medical supplies for health care workers. Those supplies include eye protection including goggles and face shields, antibacterial and disinfecting wipes, typically alcohol or bleach based, excluding baby wipes. The county also needs N-95 and surgical masks in unopened containers, and disposable medical gowns.

The county has designated three donation centers that will be open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The donation centers are at West County, 151 Linus Pauling Dr., Hercules; Central County, 1750 Oak Park Blvd., Pleasant Hill; and East County, 4545 Delta Fair Blvd., Antioch.

County Administrator David Twa said the County has started to buy motel rooms nearby medical work sites so tired and overworked emergency workers can get sleep and avoid having to travel home during the nationwide health emergency.

“Some people say this COVID-19 pandemic is going to dip into our reserves. Well, we have already seen COVID-19 dip into our reserves,” said Supervisor Karen Mitchoff of Pleasant Hill who was frustrated with the likely fiscal impact as well as the technical problems that flared up during the two-hour supervisors’ teleconference meeting. Mitchoff requested that a better teleconference program replace the current program.

Supervisors are expected to begin their review of the proposed 2020-2021 fiscal year budget via teleconference at next week’s board meeting.

Homeless Population Increases 43 Percent

In other business, Lavonna Martin, director of the Contra Costa County Health, Housing and Homeless Services, informed supervisors that the county’s homeless population in 2019 increased 43 percent in two years. Based on a department survey there were 2,295 homeless persons counted in 2019 in comparison to 1,607 in 2017. In 2018, there were 2,234 homeless persons.

The 2019 report indicates 1,398 persons are in the 25 to 54-year-old age bracket. The survey found that 165 persons were 62 years old or older.

Sixty-three percent of the families that are homeless can be served by available shelters with 201 beds, but only 28 percent of the single adults can be served by shelters, according to the study.

Psychiatric Emergency Service Project

Supervisors gave the go ahead for the Public Health Commission to conduct public hearings on the proposed remodel project for the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center’s over-used Psychiatric Emergency Services – PES – located in the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center in Martinez.

Current conditions at the PES are deemed to be a danger to patients, to the general public.

The objectives of the PES project are to separate children, ages 7 through 12, and adolescents, ages 13 through 17 years, from adult patients, and provide a larger dedicated space more conducive to a therapeutic environment to better support youth and their families, the addition of a confidential triage space at the entrance of the PES, and expansion of treatment space for adults.

Supervisors were shown three project options. Option 1 would cost $3.7 million and add 2,101 square feet to the existing 5,370 square foot facility. Option 2, the recommended option, would cost $4,920,968 and would add 2,265 square feet to the current facility, and Option 3 would cost $8,332.471 to add 3,499 square feet to the existing facility.

By Susan Shiu, Director, Office of Communications and Media, Contra Costa County

The Contra Costa County Tax Collector’s Office understands and shares the public’s concern about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our residents and businesses, and we are committed to helping in any way we can. While we have no legal authority to extend the April 10 property tax delinquent deadline, we can cancel late-payment charges.

• Existing law R&T 4985.2 authorizes us to cancel penalties and interest on a delinquent payment due to circumstances, such as the pandemic that impacts a taxpayer’s ability to make timely payment. Note the penalty cancellation process will require documentation.
• Nevertheless, those able to pay should do so online, over the phone, through bill pay at one’s own bank, or by mail.  We will honor the U.S. Postal Services’ cancellation postmark as the receiving day for mail-in payments.  The Office cannot accept walk-in payments.
• For receipt of payment, a copy of your tax bill with the installment’s payment date is available online in View Bill under Account Lookup. We can mail you a copy as well.

For additional information, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions, visit our website at www.cctax.us, or email our office at taxinfo@tax.cccounty.us.

For the latest updates on the impacts of the COVID-19 on property tax deadlines, please refer to the Statement from Russell V. Watts, Treasurer-Tax Collector.

(STOCKTON, Calif.) – March 23, 2020 – The San Joaquins Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA) and Amtrak are working closely with local, state, and federal public health agencies to monitor the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation closely. Following severe travel restrictions along the corridor, Amtrak San Joaquins is reducing service due to the drop in ridership and revenue, while also maintaining appropriate social distancing abilities aboard the trains.

As of March 23, Amtrak San Joaquins ridership is down approximately 70%. To help contain costs and continue to operate essential transportation services for our riders, SJJPA and Amtrak will be making the following operational adjustments, beginning Thursday, March 26, 2020:

• Train Service Suspensions: Due to reduced demand, Amtrak San Joaquins trains 701, 702, 703, 704, 714, and 717 will be suspended. We’ve reduced trains with lowest ridership to mitigate the effects on riders still needing to utilize service for essential travel. The suspensions eliminate all direct train service to Lodi and Sacramento. Lodi and Sacramento will continue to be served by Thruway Busses to/from all operating trains.
• Suspension of Café Car Service: To eliminate risks from food handling and reduce unnecessary onboard passenger movement, Café Car Service will be suspended. Emergency snack packs and water will be distributed to riders free of charge. SJJPA and Amtrak encourage passengers to prepare ahead of time to bring their own food and drinks.
• Closure of Stations: To focus resources on essential transportation functions, the following station lobbies will be closed: Hanford (HNF), Fresno (FNO), Merced (MCD), Modesto (MOD), and Martinez (MTZ). Note: Trains will stop at all closed stations. Bakersfield (BFD), Stockton (SKN), Sacramento (SAC), Emeryville (EMY), and Oakland (OKJ) will operate with reduced staff and hours. Tickets can still be purchased via amtraksanjoaquins.com, Amtrak Mobile App, 1-800-USA-RAIL, and onboard from the conductor with cash.
• Reduction in Thruway Bus Service: Amtrak San Joaquins will be suspending all connecting Thruway Bus services to trains that are being suspended. Additionally, Thruway routes with multiple round-trips that are currently underutilized due to the reduction in ridership will be reduced. A summary of continuing bus services can be found below.

The safety of Amtrak San Joaquins’ passengers and employees is our top priority. We continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely, and we are taking action based on guidance from public health experts; that includes restoring service to trains and routes once demand returns. To reduce risk during this operational period, we are:

• Enhancing cleaning protocols: We have increased the frequency of cleaning services on our trains and at our stations.
• Increasing disinfectant supplies: We have increased the quantity of sanitizers and disinfectant wipes available for riders and employees on our trains and at our stations.
• Reinforcing good hygiene practices: We are regularly sharing best practices with employees and customers on ways to protect against communicable diseases.

Get accurate information about Coronavirus and prevention at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/index.html

Summary of Thruway Bus Service:

• RT 1 – Bakersfield – Los Angeles – Long Beach/San Pedro – West Los Angeles – Summary as Follows:
  • 1 Round-Trip between Bakersfield and San-Diego via Los Angeles
  • 3 Round-Trips between Bakersfield and Los Angeles
  • 1 Round-Trip between Fresno and Los Angeles with Connection to Pacific Surfliner
  • 1 Northbound One-Way Trip and 2 Southbound One-Way Trips Between Bakersfield and Long Beach/San Pedro
  • 2 Northbound One-Way Trips Between West Los Angeles and Bakersfield and 3 Southbound One-Way Trips Between Bakersfield and Torrance
  • Bus Numbers Still Operating: 5822, 5710, 5810, 5910, 5712, 5812, 5912, 5716, 5816, 5916, 5818, 5811, 5713, 5813, 5715, 5815, 5915, 5719, 5819, 5919, 5885
• RT 3 – Stockton – Sacramento – Chico – Redding – 2 Round-Trips Between Stockton-Sacramento-Chico-Redding and 1 Round-Trip Between Stockton-Sacramento-Chico**
  • Bus Numbers Still Operating: 3710, 3810, 3712, 3812, 3716, 3816, 3718, 3711, 3811, 3713, 3813, 3865, 3715, 3815, 3646, 3819
  • *All Oakland/Bakersfield trains include connections to/from Sacramento
• RT 7 – Martinez – Napa – Santa Rosa – Ukiah – Arcata – 1 Round-Trip
  • Bus Numbers Still Operating: 6313 and 6318
• RT 9 – Bakersfield – Barstow – Las Vegas – All Service Suspended
• RT 10 – Bakersfield – Oxnard – Ventura – Santa Barbara – 2 Round-Trips
  • Bus Numbers Still Operating: 5612, 5615, 5616, and 5619
• RT 12 – Bakersfield – Palmdale – Victorville – 1 Round-Trip
  • Bus Numbers Still Operating: 3410 and 3415
• RT 18 – Visalia – Hanford (Train Transfer) – Paso Robles – San Luis Obispo – 1 Round-Trip
  • Bus Numbers Still Operating: 6710/4010 and 6715/4015
• RT 19 – Bakersfield – San Bernardino – Palm Springs – Indio – Hemet – 1 Round-Trip Bakersfield to San Bernardino, 1 Round-Trip Bakersfield to Hemet, and 1 Round-Trip Bakersfield to Indio
  • Bus Numbers Still Operating: 5410, 5412, 5416, 5413, 5415, 5419
• RT 34 – Stockton – Oakland – San Francisco – All Service Suspended
• RT 99 – Emeryville – San Francisco – All Service Suspended*
  • *Passengers traveling to/from San Francisco are encouraged to use BART via Richmond Station. BART will be honoring Amtrak Tickets to/from the Richmond Station through April 4, 2020.