Violated state environmental protection laws

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

Martinez, Calif. – Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton announced Monday, a $1.43 million settlement against Kelly-Moore Paint Company (Kelly-Moore) to resolve allegations that the company violated California state laws governing hazardous waste by routinely and illegally disposing of paint colorants, paint, electronic devices, aerosol products, and other hazardous wastes into company waste bins destined for municipal landfills not authorized to accept hazardous waste. The lawsuit also resolves allegations that Kelly-Moore failed to shred customer records containing confidential information before disposal.

“My office will always strive to protect the environment and public health by holding companies accountable for violating our environmental laws. This settlement not only acts as a deterrent against other potential violators but more importantly contains injunctive provisions to ensure Kelly Moore will maintain environmental compliance into the foreseeable future.,” stated Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton.

Kelly-Moore is a retail paint company in North America. In California the company owns or operates approximately 106 retail stores, including nine stores in Contra Costa County as part of this settlement.

The investigation of Kelly-Moore was initiated by the California Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC). From March 2016 through December 2018, inspectors from the DTSC, and investigators from other district attorney offices statewide, conducted a series of undercover inspections of waste bins originating at 29 separate Kelly-Moore locations. These inspections found numerous instances of unlawful disposal of hazardous waste paint colorants, paint, electronic devices, aerosol products, and other hazardous wastes. Kelly-Moore also violated laws meant to protect vulnerable confidential consumer information by unlawfully disposing of customer records without having rendered personal information unreadable.

When Kelly-Moore officials were notified by the prosecutors of the unlawful disposals, they immediately agreed to cooperate with the People and promptly implemented measures and dedicated additional resources towards environmental compliance at its stores. Stores are required to properly manage hazardous waste and to retain their waste in segregated, labeled containers to minimize the risk of exposure to employees and customers and to ensure that incompatible wastes do not combine to cause dangerous chemical reactions. Hazardous waste produced by Kelly-Moore stores through damage, spills, and returns is being collected by state-registered haulers, taken to proper disposal facilities, and properly documented and accounted for.

The settlement requires a monetary payment of $1.43 million. This consists of $825,000 for civil penalties, $178,750 for supplemental environmental projects, and $425,000 for reimbursement of investigative and enforcement costs. Kelly-Moore gets a credit of $125,000 against the penalties if it undertakes at least $250,000 in environmental enhancement work not required by law. In addition, the settlement includes provisions requiring Kelly-Moore to employ a California-based compliance employee to oversee Kelly-Moore’s hazardous waste compliance program and to undergo a trash receptacle audit to ensure hazardous wastes and confidential consumer information is properly disposed of at all stores. The results of the audit must be shared with the public. The company must also comply with 28 injunctive requirements pertaining to environmental and confidential consumer information protection laws.

Joining District Attorney Becton in this lawsuit are the District Attorneys of Alameda, Monterey, Placer, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Sonoma and Yolo Counties.

WHAT: The Contra Costa County Hazardous Materials Commission seeks applicants for four open seats.

The commission is a voluntary body appointed by the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors that makes policy recommendations to the board and county staff regarding hazardous materials and hazardous waste.

WHO: The commission’s 14 members and alternates serve four-year terms and include representatives of industry, labor, civic groups, environmental organizations, environmental engineers, the public and the Contra Costa Mayors Conference.

The current openings are for a representative from an environmental organization and one alternate, and the Environmental Justice seat, for a member of a county community disproportionately impacted by hazardous materials releases, and one alternate.

All candidates must live or work in Contra Costa County, have a demonstrated interest in hazardous materials issues and an understanding and commitment to the principles of environmental justice as defined in county policy. Candidates must be able to commit to one to two meetings per month, or to fill in as needed for alternates.

Candidates for the Environmental seat must be nominated by an environmental organization.

WHEN: Mail completed applications to the Clerk of the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors, 651 Pine St., First Floor, Martinez, CA 94553. Applications must be received by September 30.

Interviews for qualified applicants will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on October 9, by Zoom or telephone.

HOW: For an application form or more information, contact Michael Kent, the executive assistant to the commission at 925-250-3227. Applications are also available online or from the Clerk of the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors, 651 Pine Street, First Floor, in Martinez.

 

WHO: El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation

WHAT: “Drew Harrison: Beatles & More”, part of “Live From El Campanil: A New Streaming Concert Series”

WHERE: Virtually from El Campanil Theatre, 604 W. 2nd Street, Antioch, via www.elcampaniltheatre.com

WHEN: October 3rd, 2020 @ 7PM

HOW MUCH: $10 per household

TICKETS: Available online at www.elcampaniltheatre.com or by calling Ticket Office at (925) 757-9500

ABOUT: When El Campanil Theatre decided to start streaming live events to support their ongoing fundraising efforts, the same question hovered over everyone’s heads: Who’s the first artist going to be?

“We wanted all of these artists to be friends of the organization,” says Theatre Manager Joel Roster, “so when we thought about all of the performers who have been close to us and to the community, the first name that popped in our heads was unanimous.”

Drew Harrison, frontman of the infamous Beatles tribute band The Sun Kings and a solo virtuoso in his own right, was the first choice for Roster, Executive Director Rick Carraher, and Programming Director Steven Shore.

“He’s performed here countless times,” says Carraher. “I can’t think of a more fitting way to break into this new medium than with such a respected and beloved artist.”

Harrison is honored to be the first person to be showcased in El Campanil’s new streaming series. “I am honored to be asked to be the debut performer at one of my favorite venues,” says an elated Harrison. “I enjoy the theatre and the folks that run it. The room sounds great and the experience is always top-notch for the performer and the patron. It’s always a highlight for me to return to the ECT stage.”

The concert itself, “Beatles & More”, is exactly what it sounds like—an hour-long solo concert featuring Harrison’s favorite Beatles songs, plus a few other favorites peppered within. Patrons who purchase tickets will be given a special link to watch the private concert on the company’s website.

Tickets are available right now for the “Live From El Campanil” series on the theatre’s website at www.elcampaniltheatre.com.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY:

Drew Harrison, as a solo artist, has performed in Europe, South America and the States having been invited to open for such artists as Richard Thompson, Lyle Lovett, and Steve Miller. Drew’s abilities as a multi-talented performer have earned him fans throughout the world and his critically acclaimed solo recording release, Go it Alone, has enjoyed robust success. Another of his passsion projects, The Plastic Fauxno Band, presented ‘Love Is the Answer – The Concert for John Lennon’. The two and a half hour Concert for John Lennon was presented in San Francisco on Lennon’s 70th birthday, October 9th, at Beatles Fest West. It featured songs from his entire solo career. Somewhere among all of these accomplishments, Drew has found time for stage, TV, film work, and completing a degree at UC Berkeley, adhering to a simple philosophy of living life fully, and giving back when one can.

Even card rooms can open, again – outdoors, but not piercing, tattooing or non-medical electrolysis (you’ll still have to keep plucking out those hairs, yourself!)

Contra Costa County today aligned its COVID-19 social distancing health order with California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, so the county no longer has different reopening rules for businesses and activities beyond what the state requires or allows.

The change, effective at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16, simplifies the plan for reducing the spread of COVID-19 in Contra Costa so that residents and local businesses can better understand and identify the steps we all need to take to keep ourselves, our families, workers and customers safer during the pandemic.

The update to Contra Costa’s health order does allow some additional businesses to reopen, following the state health guidelines for their industries:

• Personal care services that involve close contact with the face may begin operating outdoors, except for tattooing, piercing and nonmedical electrolysis
• Racetracks and cardrooms may operate outdoors
• Music, television and film production may resume
• Professional sports without live audiences may resume

These changes are consistent with Contra Costa’s placement in the purple tier of the state’s blueprint, indicating that COVID-19 is widespread in the county. When the data tracked by the state show sustained improvement for two weeks, the county will move into the red tier, allowing more businesses and activities to reopen.

Information about the state’s blueprint, including health guidelines for businesses and activities, which business sectors are not currently safe to operate in Contra Costa, and how the guidelines will change as the county makes progress against COVID-19, are all available at covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy.

Contra Costa’s current health orders retain health guidelines for social bubbles and structured contact between people from different households, face coverings and physical distancing. The FAQ and Safer Social Interactions pages at cchealth.org/coronavirus have information about keeping safer during the pandemic.

Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) continues to monitor data that show how the virus is spreading through our community, including hospitalizations and how the pandemic is impacting the county’s healthcare system. If there is a sudden surge in COVID-19 transmission in the future, the county may need to temporarily impose more restrictions to protect the public health.

One way Contra Costans can help keep our county’s healthcare system running smoothly is to get a flu vaccine – talk to your health provider about getting one. CCHS is also planning community vaccination clinics beginning in October.

Anyone who lives or works in Contra Costa can help make the county safer from COVID-19 and reopen more quickly is to get a fast, free COVID-19 test at a community testing site. The state has reduced the requirements for moving into less restrictive tiers for counties that test many people every day, and other Bay Area counties have already qualified for this benefit.

Make a COVID-19 testing appointment today by calling 1-844-421-0804 or booking online at cchealth.org/coronavirus – hit the “Get Tested” button. This site is also an official source for local information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

See 1:26 mark for shot of campaign sign with Klansmen and swastikas. Video from Shagoofa Khan’s Facebook page. 

“The hate and the outrageous attacks must stop” – Mayor Sean Wright says – calls on opponent, Councilman Thorpe to denounce his supporter’s actions, Thorpe declines

By Allen Payton

On Saturday, Antioch Mayor Sean Wright’s campaign for re-election issued a press release stating, “Referring to a sign making party Facebook video post in preparation for a protest in Antioch, today Mayor Sean Wright expressed outrage over a sign highlighted in the video which says ‘I’m Sean Wright I approve of this message’ and depicts people in Klan hoods wearing swastikas.

The post was made by Shagoofa Khan, one of the recent hunger strikers at the Antioch Police Facility, and supporter of Wright’s opponent, Antioch Councilman Lamar Thorpe. In the video (see link above), Khan pans to a sign being drawn by protester Lacey Brown which includes three characters Klan hoods and swastikas saying, “Hers is really nice.”

“I support all peaceful protest against all forms of racism, but blasting me with drawings of hooded Klan members and swastikas is absolutely uncalled for,” said Wright, who is in the middle of his campaign for re-election as Antioch Mayor.

“This has gone way too far,” he added.

Khan is prominently featured in Thorpe’s campaign brochure entitled “Leadership that Listens” as one of the women leaders supporting his campaign.

Wright called on Thorpe to immediately denounce Khan’s actions. “If my opponent is listening and promoting individuals who condone the use of Klan garb and swastikas, that says a lot about his character.” Wright stated. “I am extremely concerned for the future of Antioch.”

Khan said her sign will read, “Brooks hires crooks,” referring to Antioch Police Chief T Brooks. Another sign that can be seen in the video reads ACAB which is an acronym for all cops are bastards.

When asked about her sign and if the characters are Klansmen wearing white hoods, Brown admitted, “That’s what those are.” Asked why and if she really thinks Wright is a Klansman or White Supremacist she responded, “I think he knew exactly what he was doing with that email and who he was targeting. (She was referring to a previous email sent out Wednesday by Wright’s campaign about the protest at his chiropractic offices on Tuesday night. See related article) You do realize that was not only a political call to action but also a call to action for violence that he could blame on his mayoral opponent with plausible deniability? I don’t have reason to believe Sean is in the KKK himself, but he certainly condones white supremacy to run rampant in his town and harnesses their fears to benefit politically. You and I may disagree on that, but he is an enabler and even a catalyst to racism in this City.”

When reached for comment Thorpe refused to denounce Khan’s comments or the message on Brown’s poster.

He responded, “These things have nothing to do with me or my campaign. What I am happy to see is that my opponent finally has a point of view. He hasn’t had a point of view on homelessness, he hasn’t had a point of view on growing jobs, and he hasn’t had a point of view on police reform. It’s not that I’m running against him, it’s he hasn’t come to work in four years.”

Wright was given the opportunity to respond but chose not to before publication time. Please check back later for any response or update to this report.

Today’s protest march entitled, “White Supremacy Out of Antioch” is supported by a coalition of mainly out of town organizations including Richmond-based Together We Stand (see their website http://www.twsrevolution.org/), East Bay Resistance based in southern Alameda County (see their Facebook page) which, according to their webpage, supports both defunding and abolishing the police, Empact based in the Sacramento area, Bay Area Grassroots, whose founder and executive director is Antioch resident Michael James,

also one of the six former hunger strikers, and Brown’s Antioch-based group Justice Advocates & Resources of East County of which Khan is a member. She is not part of Together We Stand as was stated in Wright’s campaign press release.

On the Together We Stand Facebook page announcing today’s protest it reads, “Antioch has a long history of racism and white supremacy. With a long history of racist incidents, the Antioch PD’s hiring of Michael Mallone (sic) a former SFPD cop who quit while facing disciplinary action after the shooting death of Luis-Gongora Pat, and the recent decision by the school board to put cops in schools for the first time, it is CLEAR that now more than ever we need to take a stand! Join us as we work with local organizers from Justice Advocacy and Resources of east county and local residents who need our help to affect change in this community.”

The protest is scheduled to begin at 4 PM at City Park in Antioch at the corner of A and W. 10th Streets with a march to the Antioch Police Facility at 300 L Street to meet up with the protesters who were on a hunger strike but are claiming to occupy the area until their demands are met that Officer Mellone be fired, Corporal Steve Aiello, president of the Antioch Police Officers Association step down from his position for a controversial comment on Facebook, and that the mayor hold another community forum on police reform and race relations. (See related article)

By Antioch Police Department

Today, Friday, September 11, 2020, members of the APD Special Operations Unit, POP Team, and Gang Unit served a search warrant at a residence in the 700-block of Putnam Street related to a narcotics investigation involving criminal street gang members. During the search, they located approximately 1,000 counterfeit Xanax pills, half-ounce of cocaine, and an illegally possessed handgun. A 22-year-old male and a 17-year-old male were placed under arrest for possession for sales of controlled substances, firearms offenses, and gang charges.

Counterfeit Xanax is sometimes laced with the deadly opiate fentanyl, which is responsible for a significant number of drug overdose deaths across the nation. If you or someone you know is struggling with an addiction to drugs or alcohol, there is help available. If you are a resident of Contra Costa County, you can call the Behavioral Health Access Line toll-free at (800) 846-1652 or by visiting their website at https://cchealth.org/aod If you are not a resident of Contra Costa County, you can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) hotline at (800) 662-4357 or by visiting their website at www.findtreatment.gov.

APD is committed to keeping our community safe, but we cannot do this alone. There are multiple ways you can help, including calling our Dispatch at (925) 778-2441 (or 9-1-1 if you think it’s an emergency), emailing the POP (Problem Oriented Policing) Team at popteam@antiochca.gov or sending an anonymous text to 274637 (CRIMES) with the keyword ANTIOCH in the body of your text. All text tips are encrypted so your number cannot be traced.

Thanks for helping us keep Antioch safe! #AntiochPDCA  #APDPOPTeam