Bailey Road/State Route 4 Interchange Pedestrian/Bicycle Project contract approved 

By Daniel Borsuk

With threats streaming from several citizens hanging over Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors that they would be “voted out of office” unless the elected officials either rejected or further studied a request from Contra Costa County Recorder and Registrar of Voters Debbie Cooper to award a third contract extension to Barcelona, Spain-based Scytl at an additional price tag of $200,000, supervisors moved ahead and unanimously approved the contract extension at Tuesday’s meeting.

Moments earlier supervisors, who had elevated District 3 Supervisor Dianne Burgis of Brentwood to chairperson and District 5 Supervisor Federal Glover of Pittsburg to vice chairperson for 2021, were unmoved by the threats. Several unidentified speakers requested supervisors to either pull the consent item for further consideration or to disapprove Registrar of Voters Cooper’s request to extend the contract of Scytl, formerly called SOE Clarity Suite when it was acquired by Scytl in 2012.

The contract with Contra Costa County has been in effect since 2015. The supervisors’ action boosted the payment to Scytl by $200,00 to a new total contract payment of $590,000.

Scytle, whose SOE Software division was founded in 2002 in Tampa Bay, Florida, filed for bankruptcy, last May. According to an October 22, 2020 article on Scytle’s website, “Service Point Solutions, part of Paragon Group, announces the acquisition of Scytl, the Barcelona based company leader in digital voting and electoral modernization.” Service Point Solutions is also based in Barcelona.

The article further states, the “acquisition unveils Paragon’s group strategy to position Service Point Solutions as a pan-european platform for high-growth digital business.”

Scytle has been accused of being part of the effort to change votes in the November elections from President Trump to President-Elect Biden, in coordination with Dominion Voters Systems machines, which have also been used in Contra Costa County since 2018. (See related article)

“You are not providing proper oversight concerning this contractor,” said one disgruntled caller. “If you don’t improve, we’ll vote you out of office.”

Supervisors were not bullied by the threat or appeals from other anonymous speakers.  Supervisor John Gioia of Richmond said, “I will not let those promoting the election conspiracy line since 2015 to sway me.”

“We need to start to post these contracts,” said Supervisor Karen Mitchoff of Pleasant Hill, who is reportedly serving the last two years of her final term in office.  “The public needs to see these requests for proposals.”

Supervisor Mitchoff reacted to one unidentified speaker’s complaint that this contract lacked adequate public notice.

In response to questions about Scytle software, Supervisor Candace Andersen wrote that she had her staff research it and that “It appears to be a non-issue. We’re not purchasing equipment – it is renewing contract for website software. European company bought an American company that we have been doing business with them from 2007. Web hosting and election night reporting. Software where we upload our results and changes to pretty graphics seen on the website.  It does not have any impact on election integrity.”

Contra Costa County Clerk/Recorder and Registrar of Voters Debi Cooper also responded, “SOE (Scytl) does not provide any direct election services and is not connected to systems involved with tallying our election results. SOE provides our web hosting and election night reporting graphical support. Our election tally process is done separately on a system that is not connected to the internet. We take information from our tally system to upload information to the website. We originally contracted with SOE in 2007 after conducting an RFP process. SOE was the only respondent that met our needs for election night reporting. SOE was acquired by Scytl in 2014 while we were under contract with SOE. They continue to provide services to many state and local jurisdictions across this country.”

Some speakers charged the county is illegally doing business with a foreign-based company, allegedly operating out of Frankfurt, Germany, although according to Scytl’s website, “Scytl has no presence in Frankfurt, Germany.”

In response to the allegations against the company during the 2020 elections, Scytl posted information on their website stating the following: “The technologies implemented by Scytl in the US are both hosted and managed within the US, by a local subsidiary, SOE Software, based in Tampa, Florida.”

In addition, the Scytl website explains that the election data reporting company has “no political affiliations of any kind.”  The statement further rebukes statements that it provides any electronic voting machines in the U.S. and “does not tabulate, tally or count votes in U.S public elections.”

Burgis Becomes Chair, Glover Vice Chair

Earlier Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (D.- Concord) remotely administered the oath of office to District 3 Supervisor Burgis, who was sworn into office as Chair of the Board for 2021, and District 5 Supervisor Glover, who was re-elected to his sixth four-year term and will serve as vice chair.

Burgis and Glover, who commences his sixth four-year term of office, along with three other supervisors will oversee the disbursement of the county’s $3.98 billion budget in 2021.

Upon succeeding District 2 Supervisor Candace Andersen of Danville as Chair, Burgis said, “I want to bring the Northern Waterfront Plan home.

I want to see the benefits coming from it,” Burgis said as one of her key platform issues along with development of the Byron and Buchanan airports, fire department consolidation, and countywide economic recovery during the upcoming post COVID-19 era.

In a prepared statement, Burgis said:

“I appreciate Supervisor Andersen’s unwavering commitment to keeping our residents safe and keeping the county moving forward while addressing the impacts of COVID-19.  As chair, I intend to work with my colleagues to support our county health officer to get the coronavirus under control, move the county toward economic recovery for all residents and businesses, enhance mental health crisis response, reform our juvenile justice system, address racial injustice and inequality, protect the Delta, and proactively fight climate change, and, at long last, provide sustainable fire protection services to all areas of the county.  I’m excited about our year ahead and ready to get to work.”

Glover said, “Dianne, I appreciate being your wingman, even though my chief boss is Janice Glover (Glover’s wife).”  The veteran office holder said 2020 was a year where county workers, especially those in public health and first responders, had to learn on the go.  “None of this is written in a book,” said Glover.

Outgoing chair Andersen, who was given a photography book by the Mt. Diablo photographer Steven Joseph, said 2020 was “a year unlike any other” marked by citizens sickened or killed during COVID-19 pandemic, left homeless, having to shutter small businesses, and a host of economic medical and social issues fanned by COVID-19.

Bailey Road/State Route 4 Interchange Pedestrian/Bicycle Project Contract Approved 

In a consent action, Supervisors approved a $3.7 million contract with Bay Cities Paving and Grading Inc. to construct the Bailey Road/State Route 4 Interchange Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvement Project.  Bay Cities Paving and Grading submitted the lowest and most responsible bid from a field of six other construction companies competing for the federally funded project.

The Bay Cities Paving and Grading submission beat submissions from Granite Rock Co, $3,859,608; Ghilotti Construction Co., Inc., $3,930,295.50; Ghilotti Bros. Inc., $3,972,887; O.C. Jones & Sons Inc., $3,996,733; Gordon N. Ball, Inc., $4,123,732; and Granite Construction Co., $4,864,644.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

By Acting Sergeant Loren Bledsoe, Antioch Police Department

Today, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021 at approximately 6:30 AM, members of the Antioch Police SWAT team assisted the APD Gang Unit in executing a search warrant at a residence located in the 1600 Block of Cavallo Road in Antioch.

The search was part of an ongoing firearms manufacturing investigation that was initiated by the APD Gang Unit. As result of the search, detectives located several high-powered rifle parts and frames, high-capacity magazines as well as evidence of illegal firearms manufacturing and sales. This led to the arrest of two individuals at the scene, 18-year-old and 46-year-old Antioch residents, who will not be named at this time due to the ongoing investigation.

This preliminary information is made available by the Investigations Bureau. There will be no further information released regarding this case at this time. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Quamaine Murphy at (925) 779-6937 or 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.

By Jaime Coffee, Information Officer, California Highway Patrol

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) wants to highlight some new roadway safety laws that take effect in 2021.

License points for distracted driving (AB 47, Daly; 2019):  Using a cell phone in a handheld manner while driving is currently punishable by a fine.  Beginning July 1, 2021, violating the hands-free law for a second time within 36 months of a prior conviction for the same offense will result in a point being added to a driver’s record.  This applies to the violations of talking or texting while driving (except for hands-free use) and to any use of these devices while driving by a person under 18 years of age.

Unattended children in motor vehicles (AB 2717, Chau):  Exempts a person from civil or criminal liability for trespassing or damaging a vehicle when rescuing a child who is 6 years old or younger and who is in immediate danger from heat, cold, lack of ventilation, or other dangerous circumstances.  The law takes effect January 1, 2021.

“Move Over, Slow Down” amendments (AB 2285, Transportation Committee):  Extends the provisions of the “Move Over, Slow Down” law currently in place on freeways to also apply to local streets and roads so drivers approaching a stationary emergency vehicle displaying emergency lights, including tow trucks and Caltrans vehicles, must now move to another lane when possible, or slow to a reasonable speed on all highways, not just freeways.  The law is effective January 1, 2021.

Emergency vehicles (SB 909, Dodd):  Allows authorized emergency vehicles to use a “Hi-Lo” warning sound.  This distinctive sound, different than a siren, would be used to notify the public of an immediate need to evacuate an area in an emergency.  The CHP is currently developing regulations to standardize the Hi-Lo warning sound statewide.  Until the regulations are adopted, law enforcement agencies can use the Hi-Lo warning sound by obtaining a permit from the CHP.  The law went into effect September 29, 2020.

The mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security.

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) are pleased to announce the release of the Plan Bay Area 2050 Final Blueprint Outcomes – a major milestone in the development of Plan Bay Area 2050, the Bay Area’s long-range plan to guide the growth of our nine-county region for the next generation. The Plan Bay Area 2050 Final Blueprint, which is made up of the strategies, growth geographies, and regional growth forecast was approved by MTC and ABAG in September 2020.

Building on analyses of the Draft Blueprint, the Final Blueprint includes a set of 35 revised and expanded strategies to tackle the Bay Area’s transportation, housing, economic and environmental challenges while creating a more resilient and equitable future for the Bay Area. These strategies are either public policies or sets of investments that can be implemented in the Bay Area over the next 30 years.

Over the last several months, MTC and ABAG staff analyzed these strategies to determine how much more progress the Bay Area makes toward reaching Plan Bay Area 2050’s vision of ensuring by 2050 that the region is affordable, connected, diverse, healthy and vibrant for all. This analysis shows that continued progress has been made due to the new and expanded strategies featured in the Final Blueprint. The 35 strategies featured in the plan demonstrate how the region can:

• Achieve the Bay Area’s 19% greenhouse gas emissions reduction target, as set by the California Air Resources Board;
• Reduce overall housing and transportation costs for residents, especially for households with lower incomes;
• Increase the production and preservation of affordable housing;
• Create a more accessible and reliable transit network;
• Reduce the risk of displacement for people with lower incomes;
• Invest in parks and open spaces, particularly in historically disinvested communities;
• Increase resilience against wildfires and sea level rise; and
• Support a thriving economy with a more balanced regional pattern of jobs and housing.

Read more about the Final Blueprint strategies and their outcomes on planbayarea.org.

Staff will seek adoption of the Final Blueprint as the Preferred Alternative for environmental analysis purposes by the Commission and ABAG Executive Board in January 2021.

Related: Plan Bay Area, Plan Bay Area 2050, RHNA

Learn Film Acting, Voice-Overs, Stage Combat, Children’s Theatre, Technical Theatre, Improvisation

Since 2006, El Campanil Theatre has offered El Campanil Children’s Theatre – a tuition-free, performance-based program that has served as a first stepping stone for hundreds of young actors over the years, introduced by Sharon Redman.

As arts programs get slashed everywhere, we asked ourselves what our greater responsibility was: to our students, to their parents, and to the community.

We have expanded Sharon Redman’s original concept into El Campanil Theatre Academy — a tiered, multi-layered program meant to not only educate students in the performing arts, but give them tools for career placement in the performing arts. Classes ranging from acting to design, from directing to playwriting, and from voice to movement–all taught by industry professionals.

Tuition-free and low-tuition classes are available below. Limited scholarships are available by applying here.

These classes have been designed to be taught either virtually or in-person, depending on the COVID regulations at the time that classes begin.

For schedule and more information, click here.

At BART, we are firm believers that by thinking strategically, working hard, and engaging community, we can and will achieve remarkable things. With that, we chose to end 2020 with optimism.

Here is a list of 50 BART accomplishments in 2020.

Let’s start with improvements to the rider experience:

• We now have 17 Fleet of the Future trains in service
• We opened Berryessa and Milpitas Stations
• We began offering 20% fare discount for eligible low-income riders with Clipper Start

We launched some new features:

• Contactless parking payment via the official BART app
• Customized in-app notifications to make it easy to get the information you need
• Option to text BART police (510) 200-0992
• An online merchandise store so you can celebrate your love for BART

We took big steps forward on exciting multi-year projects:

• Awarded the contract to design and build a modern Communications Based Train Control System that will dramatically improve future BART service
• Awarded the contract for BART’s Digital Railway project to bring next-generation wireless connectivity to riders across the system
• Awarded contracts and began construction to build 22 canopies over entrances at BART stations along Market St. in downtown San Francisco
• Began construction to replace 41 escalators at downtown San Francisco stations
• Initiated Fare Coordination & Integration Study with MTC and regional transit agencies

We made changes within policing:

• Hired Ed Alvarez, a 23-year veteran of the BART Police Department, bringing a new vision for safety
• Created a train team of 12 police officers dedicated to riding trains and walking platforms on nights and weekends
• Launched the successful and award-winning unarmed Ambassador Pilot and formalized the program
• Hired 35 officers, bringing vacancies to a new low of 20
• Established the new Progressive Policing and Community Engagement Bureau within BPD

We advanced police reforms:

• Began Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics (ICAT) training to give officers the skills to safely defuse critical incidents with people experiencing a mental health crisis
• Banned the use of the Carotid Control Hold
• Expanded the officer-worn body camera activation buffer with new audio requirement
• Held 16 stakeholder outreach meetings to solicit feed-back on new public safety approaches with 1000 survey responses

We focused on infrastructure:

• Completed two major track rebuilding projects at Orinda and Hayward
• Accelerated 34.5kV power cable replacement, rail profiling, rail and third rail replacement, tunnel waterproofing, lighting projects and more

We continued efforts to modernize our stations:

• Began construction for 19th Street Oakland Station Modernization; advanced modernization construction at Powell Street and El Cerrito del Norte stations
• Designed and installed new swing style fare gates with a dramatic costs savings due to innovation while also uncoupling BART from a single vendor
• Started construction of energy-efficient lighting upgrades across 14 parking structures, saving the District approximately $22M in energy and maintenance costs over 20 years
• Awarded $3.5 million in Cycle 1 of Measure RR Safe Routes to BART Grant Program to four cities to improve last mile bike/ped access to BART stations

We supported local, small businesses:

• Hosted 44 outreach and matchmaking events between small businesses and Primes to increase opportunities available to small businesse, helping to continue essential construction projects
• Awarded a Progressive Design-Build contract for the new BART Headquarters in Oakland with 32% small business participation

We continued our Transit Oriented Development (TOD) efforts:

• Adopted AB 2923 development principles and released BART’s TOD Work Plan
• Amended policy to support the production of affordable housing by allowing for a discount of up to 60% from fair market value for land for projects with affordable housing
• Approved plans for development at West Oakland Station that includes 762 housing units, 30% affordable
• Selected development team to advance development at El Cerrito Plaza Station
• Our development partners completed over 600 new homes during the pandemic, and broke ground on 400 new homes, 150,000sf of office, & 164 room hotel

We focused on financial stability:

• Secured AAA bond rating
• Advocated for and secured emergency relief funds
• Secured dedicated funding for our long-term efforts to reduce crowding and increase service:
  • Full Funding Grant Agreement for FTA Capital Investment Grant ($1.169B)
  • California Transit and Intercity Rail Program ($107M)
  • California Solutions for Congested Corridors ($60M)

We invested in our employees:

• Developed an emergency budget plan to avoid lay-offs
• Approved new labor contracts more than 6 months early
• 16 employees from 10 departments completed the Government Alliance on Race and Equity training series and established a Race and Equity Action Plan
• Increased inventory and distribution of PPE and disinfecting products, deployed free COVID testing and contact tracing

We prioritized COVID-19 response:

• Was one of the first transit agencies in the U.S. to release a comprehensive pandemic response plan with the launch of the 15-Step Welcome Back Plan
• Made available free masks at all stations
• Offered free hand sanitizer stations systemwide
• Sharing crowding data 
• Testing disinfecting technologies and upgraded air filters
• Reprioritized cleaning schedules to ensure all train cars are sprayed with disinfecting mist every 24 hours
• Coordinated with the region’s transit systems to develop the Healthy Transit Plan, establishing a baseline set of COVID-19 response measures across all systems
• Accelerated efforts for a contactless experience with 100% Clipper only conversion systemwide
• Partnered with community organizations, county officials and medical groups to provide free COVID-19 testing in our parking lots and plazas

 

Note: The following letter was sent via email to the five members of the Antioch City Council on Thursday, Dec. 24.

Antioch City Councilmembers,

When you placed a discriminatory and costly Project Labor Agreement (PLA) on the Brackish Desal Plant in 2018 we warned you not only what it would do to discriminate against local construction workers but what it would do to your costs. Judging by the manner in which you snuck the approval for the contract to build it through on a Friday night before Christmas with no public notice, you obviously did not want us to remind you.

But here we are.

A reminder of the bigotry you approved: Your welfare for local union bosses in the form of a PLA forces all workers to pay union dues, pay into union pensions they’ll never vest in (that’s wage theft) and explicitly discriminates against young men and women in state approved non-union apprentice programs by banning them from working at all. Any union-free contractor who worked on the job would only be allowed a few of their own employees period with all others coming from union hiring halls. The result? Reduced bidders and increased costs. 85% of the local workforce is union-free, as is the state’s construction workforce. That number holds true for your contractor base as well. These companies simply don’t bid work with PLAs on it so the results are higher bids from those who do, as every major study conducted proves and as you just learned firsthand.

So, a project that you had estimated would cost $60 million before the PLA has now been awarded for $86,689,000. BUT THAT OF COURSE IS NOT ALL. There is a 5% contingency of $4,334,450 in case of “unforeseen costs” (count on it) for a total of $91,023,450. BUT THAT IS NOT ALL EITHER. In addition, you authorized city staff to increase the total budget for the desalination project to $110 million.

In 21 years of fighting PLAs we have never seen a PLA come in this far over budget. Ever. Congrats.

Of course, a body who took their fiduciary responsibility to ratepayers seriously would have rebid this with no PLA and compared costs but your canine affection for big labor special interests wouldn’t allow for this. So here we are.

We will continue to monitor this debacle and make sure citizens are kept updated. The story that recently ran in the East Bay Times about this last-minute cram down before Christmas did not mention the PLA. We will make sure the next one does.

Merry Christmas.

Eric Christen

Executive Director

Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction

 

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

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors held a swearing-in ceremony for Supervisor Diane Burgis as Board Chair and Supervisor Federal Glover as Vice Chair at its January 5, 2021 Board meeting.

District 3 Supervisor Diane Burgis, who has served Contra Costa County since she was first elected in 2016, including serving the prior year as Vice Chair, takes the leadership role from outgoing Chair, Supervisor Candace Andersen of District 2.

Supervisor Burgis expressed her thanks to Supervisor Andersen as well as her readiness to tackle our County’s issues. “I appreciate Supervisor Andersen’s unwavering commitment to keeping our residents safe and keeping the County moving forward while addressing the impacts of COVID-19. As Chair, I intend to work with my colleagues to support our county health officer to get the coronavirus under control, move the County toward economic recovery for all residents and businesses, enhance mental health crisis response, reform our juvenile justice system, address racial justice and inequality, protect the Delta and proactively fight climate change, and at long last, provide sustainable fire protection services to all areas of the County.  I’m excited about the year ahead and ready to get to work,” said Supervisor Burgis.

District 5 Supervisor Federal Glover will serve as Vice Chair in 2021. He has served on the Board of Supervisors since 2000, representing a district that includes the County’s northern waterfront.

Supervisor Burgis is in her second term, and Supervisor Glover is serving his sixth term. They will lead the five-member elected body that sets the direction of county government and oversees its $3.98 billion budget to serve this large and diverse East Bay County.

For more information about Contra Costa County and its Board of Supervisors, visit the County’s website at www.contracosta.ca.gov or the webpage: www.contracosta.ca.gov/7283/Board-of-Supervisors.