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“Regarding Cornelius Johnson’s retirement, the highest ranking was lieutenant.” – David Ng, SFPD Senior Clerk of Personnel

Further confirmed by SF Employees Retirement System

Mayor shares photo of Con Johnson’s captain’s badge and retirement card as proof

Thorpe, Johnson, city council members, staff refuse to provide resume; Johnson refuses to answer questions

By Allen Payton

On Monday, November 8, 2021 the San Francisco Police Department’s (SFPD) senior personnel clerk confirmed Cornelius “Con” Johnson, candidate for the position of Antioch interim city manager, did not retire as a captain, as Mayor Lamar Thorpe and city staff claim. He retired as a lieutenant, as has been reported by the Herald and other local media. (See related article)

The city staff report for the vote to appoint Johnson during Tuesday’s council meeting refers to Johnson as a retired captain. An announcement on his official Facebook page, Thorpe also referred to Johnson as a retired captain.

Questions were sent to the mayor on Saturday asking, if Johnson retired as a Lieutenant III how could he have been a captain over that department? Or was he the acting captain?

In response Thorpe wrote, “He’s a retired CAPTAIN, stop misinforming the public with information you have not verified.”

The mayor also shared a photo of an SFPD captain’s badge and Johnson’s retirement card as proof of his rank. The card appears to have been issued by SFPD and includes the chief’s name, title and signature.

Additional questions were then asked of Thorpe, including, when was Johnson promoted to the position of captain? What date and for how long? The mayor was also asked if Johnson went back to work after July 1, 2016 and get promoted to captain and to provide the documentation to back up his claim about Johnson retiring as a captain. This is the second time Thorpe has referred to Johnson as a retired police captain. The first time was when the mayor introduced Johnson as a member of Thorpe’s Transition Advisory Team, last December. (See related article)

The mayor was also asked why a press release wasn’t sent out and why Johnson’s resume wasn’t included for the public to have. Finally, he was asked for personal information about Johnson, including how long he’s lived in Antioch, his wife’s name and if they have any children, as part of the introduction to the community, or for Johnson to contact this reporter to provide it

Thorpe did not respond to any of the additional questions nor provide a copy of Johnson’s resume.

SFPD Personnel Staff Confirms Johnson Retired as Lieutenant

In a phone call with David Ng, Senior Clerk of Personnel for the SFPD Monday, he said, “regarding Cornelius Johnson’s retirement, the highest ranking was lieutenant. The system shows lieutenant. The job code is Q62 which is lieutenant.”

Asked about the 2016 retirement system report showing Johnson retired as Lieutenant III, Ng responded, “There are different levels, but my system doesn’t show which level he was at.”

Asked about the card showing he’s a retired captain, Ng said, “I don’t know anything about that.”

He then offered to have the head of the personnel department, Lt. Patrick McCormick, provide any additional details. An effort to reach McCormick on Monday was unsuccessful before publication time.

In addition, an email was sent to the San Francisco Employees Retirement System (SFERS) Monday morning asking for them to verify at what rank Mr. Johnson retired. They were also asked if he later returned to work for SFPD after July 1, 2016 and was subsequently promoted to captain, and if so, when did he retire, again. No response was received prior to publication time.

11/9/21 UPDATE 2: Stephen Worsfold, Administrative Analyst and media contact for the SFERS, responded on Tuesday, Nov. 9 further confirming the information from the SFPD senior personnel clerk.

“I did ask our records to check on the retirement of the person in question and we have it listed as a Q62 which is Lieutenant III,” he said.

Regarding the number three, Worsfold replied, “you’ll have to ask SFPD what the difference is in numerical numbers.” As for the Q62 he said, “it could could be a job code.”

Transparent California Confirms Johnson’s Pension is Paid as Lieutenant

11/9/21 UPDATE 3: A search of the online website TransparentCalifornia.com, which contains public compensation records of current and retired government employees, shows Johnson’s pension from the SFERS was paid in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 as a Lieutenant III.

Questions for SF Police Chief William Scott

Information and questions were also sent to SF Police Chief William Scott Monday afternoon, including the photo of Johnson’s badge and retirement card asking if he wasn’t ever promoted to captain, why would he have been issued the card showing he’s a retired captain and if that’s something the SFPD does for retired personnel, showing their highest rank, even if it was only in an acting capacity.

In addition, he was asked to confirm if either what the Antioch city staff report or Thorpe wrote about Johnson’s experience is correct or both.

The following automated response was received at 3:36 pm Monday: “Your email has been received by the general email account for the Chief’s Office of the San Francisco Police Department. This account is monitored during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm PST.”

Questions for Antioch City Staff

Questions were then emailed Monday afternoon to Antioch Administrative Services Director Nickie Mastay, City Attorney Thomas Lloyd Smith, City Manager Ron Bernal and Assistant City Manager Rosanna Bayon Moore asking for a copy of Johnson’s resume that was shared with city council members during their meeting, last week. They were also asked, why it wasn’t included in the staff report for the Interim City Manager item on tomorrow night’s meeting agenda for the public to read so they can provide more informed comments before the vote.

Also, they were asked about the discrepancy in what the city staff report included about Johnson’s experience with SFPD and what Thorpe shared in the announcement on his official Facebook page.

Regarding Mr. Johnson’s work experience, the staff report reads: “Collaborating with the Department of Health, Department of Youth Services and Juvenile Hall Center developing, planning, administering, overseeing the San Francisco Police Department city-wide Violence Intervention Program with a budget of $20 million and a staff of 60 mid managers and supervisor.” But in Mayor Thorpe’s announcement about tomorrow night’s vote, he wrote: “Having 17 years of managerial experience with the City and County of San Francisco, most recently as a captain in the San Francisco Police Department’s Field Operations Bureau, Johnson managed a $300 million budget and oversaw 600 staff members.”

They were asked if what the mayor shared is correct when he replied, “Both are correct” and if so, why what he shared wasn’t included in the staff report as it’s much more impressive with 10 times the staff members and 15 times the budget size.

Finally, the city staff members were asked who on city staff or the council did the vetting and a background check of Mr. Johnson and if any of them have the dates when he held either position of acting captain or captain.

11/9/21 UPDATE 1: A call was made and a formal Public Records Act was sent to Attorney Smith, Tuesday morning asking for a copy of Johnson’s resume that was presented to the council members during their meeting, last week. Another call was made at 2:55 p.m. to Smith’s office asking for it, again.

Questions for Johnson

Similar information and questions were sent via email to Johnson, Monday afternoon asking, “if you weren’t ever promoted to captain, why would you have been issued the card in the photo showing you’re a retired captain? Is that something the SFPD does for retired personnel, showing their highest rank, even if it was only in an acting capacity? Or did you go back to work for SFPD after you retired in July 2016 and were then promoted to captain, and retired again?”

Regarding the differences in his experience reported by Antioch city staff and the mayor, Johnson was asked which is correct or are both, and what dates they occurred. Finally, Johnson was asked to share personal information about his background, family and where he was born and grew up. He did not respond to multiple attempts to reach him for comment and to answer questions.

Questions for Council Members

Questions were also asked of all five Antioch council members late Saturday night. They included, “who did the vetting and background check of Mr. Johnson, including contacting the City of San Francisco Human Resources Department and SFPD to verify what he’s told you about his experience which includes the start and end dates of his various positions? Was it one of you or a city staff member?

“Did he provide you with his resume which shows you that information? If so, can you please provide a copy of it? If not, why wouldn’t you require that of an applicant for interim city manager, how was the information about his background shared in the staff report and the mayor’s announcement on his official Facebook page obtained and did you merely take Mr. Johnson at his word?

“Did you verify his education with the University of San Francisco and require him to provide a copy of his diplomas? What is the normal practice when the council hires the city manager and city attorney?”

None of the councilmembers responded by publication time.

Questions for University of San Francisco

11/9/21 UPDATE 4: An email was sent to the University of San Francisco Registrar’s Office on Tuesday afternoon, to verify information about Johnson’s higher education shared in the Antioch city staff report. They were also asked his GPA for both degrees and if he earned any honors, as well.

Personal Information from Independent Background Check

11/9/21 UPDATE 5: Information from a background check, shared with the Herald Thursday afternoon by an Antioch resident who chose to not be identified, shows Johnson is 61 years old and worked as a licensed, private security guard from Oct. 2016 to Oct. 2020. He is or was a part owner with his ex-wife of three businesses, including Siafu Enterprises, Inc. formed in Sept. 2017, Pyramid Security Services, LLC formed in 2008, and MJ Investment Group, LLC formed in Nevada in 2006. But information on the latter two show they are no longer active. Johnson has lived in Antioch and owned a home, here, since at least 2003 and possibly since 2001.

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Watching Meeting and Making Public Comments

The meeting begins at 7:00 pm and can be viewed at https://www.antiochca.gov/live_stream, on Comcast Channel 24, or AT&T U-Verse Channel 99. Members of the public wishing to provide public comment may do so one of the following ways (#2 pertains to the Zoom Webinar):

1. Fill out an online speaker card by 3:00 p.m. the day of the Council Meeting located at: https://www.antiochca.gov/speaker_card.
2. Provide oral public comments during the meeting by clicking the following link to register in advance to access the meeting via Zoom Webinar: https://www.antiochca.gov/speakers

– You will be asked to enter an email address and a name. Your email address will not be disclosed to the public. After registering, you will receive an email with instructions on how to connect to the meeting.

– When the Mayor announces public comments, click the “raise hand” feature in Zoom. For instructions on using the “raise hand” feature in Zoom, visit: https://www.antiochca.gov/raise_hand. When calling into the meeting using the Zoom Webinar telephone number, press *9 on your telephone keypad to “raise your hand”. Please ensure your Zoom client is updated so staff can enable your microphone when it is your turn to speak.

3. Email comments to cityclerk@ci.antioch.ca.us by 3:00 p.m. the day of the Council Meeting. The comment will be read into the record at the meeting (350 words maximum, up to 3 minutes, at the discretion of the Mayor). IMPORTANT: Identify the agenda item in the subject line of your email if the comment is for Announcement of Community Events, Public Comment, or a specific Agenda Item number. No one may speak more than once on an agenda item or during “Public Comments”.

All emails received by 3:00 p.m. the day of the Council Meeting will be entered into the record for the meeting.

Speakers will be notified shortly before they are called to speak. When called to speak, please limit your comments to the time allotted (350 words, up to 3 minutes, at the discretion of the Mayor).

Will review during special meeting/study session Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.; challenges with and complaints about mapping tool

“I also understand that there has been NO one on the site, nor has anyone giving their ideas as to the drawing of the maps.” – Councilwoman Ogorchock

By Allen Payton

The Antioch City Council will hold a special meeting/study session on redrawing their district boundaries at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday night. They will be reviewing, discussing and receiving public comments on two draft maps even before the promised online mapping tool, on the city’s redistricting webpage, available to the public was announced. It can be accessed here: www.redrawmyantioch.publicredistricting.com.

The draft maps on tomorrow night’s agenda offer two options and show slight changes to Districts 3 and 4, but no apparent changes to Districts 1 and 2. Districts must be within 5% of the average population of 115,580. The current district maps are based on the 2010 Census when Antioch had a population of 102,372. With more residential growth occurring in District 3 over the past 10 years and a population that is 6.08% greater than average of 28,895 population per district, some of the population had to be shifted to other districts. Since the population in District 4 is 4.63% less than the average some of the population from District 3 was shifted to District 4 for both Draft Maps A and B. Antioch City Council Redistricting Meeting Agenda 110921

Antioch-Redistricting-Draft-Map-A      Antioch-Redistricting-Draft-Map-B      Antioch-Draft-Map-Demographics 110921

Questions for City Council, Staff, Consultant

The following questions were sent via email Monday afternoon to all five council members, City Attorney Thomas Lloyd Smith and other city staff asking, “when did the online mapping tool become available? How was the public informed of it being available? Has any member of the public used it or submitted a proposed map? If not, isn’t it premature to be discussing draft maps before the public has had the opportunity to submit their own proposed maps?”

In addition, they were asked, “why are you holding these meetings at 5:30 p.m. when many residents are still commuting home from work, instead of having a special meeting next Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. or on a Saturday and in person for people to attend and see the maps large and up close? Will you be holding more meetings on redistricting and in person?”

In addition, similar questions were asked of the consultant, Karin Mac Donald of Q2 Data and Research after work hours on Monday.

District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock was the only one to respond Monday evening.

“I don’t know who created these maps, I was told staff,” she wrote. “The interactive part came out on Tuesday. Not enough time for individuals to be able to start working on their thoughts. I also understand that there has been NO one on the site, nor has anyone giving their ideas as to the drawing of the maps.”

“I’ve asked for another meeting, in person, to get feedback. So far that’s been a no go. We’ll have to see,” Ogorchock added.

Challenges With Online Mapping Tool

After a third attempt using three different email addresses to sign up for the online mapping tool, this reporter was able to establish an account to create a map and save it for submission to the city council.

That information and the following additional questions were sent to council members and staff: “Can someone please get that fixed? If I can’t sign up and another person who told me they tried, how can you expect the public to submit proposed maps to provide you their input? What if others don’t have multiple email addresses? Might they just give up and not use the mapping tool? Did someone on city staff test it, first?”

“I totally agree with you,” Ogorchock responded. “I’ve gotten several complaints already. Plus, there is hardly any Spanish documents. Not good.”

Watching Meeting and Public Comments

The special meeting/study session can be viewed at https://www.antiochca.gov/live_stream, on Comcast Channel 24, or AT&T U-Verse Channel 99.

Members of the public wishing to provide public comment may do so one of the following ways (#2 pertains to the Zoom Webinar):

1. Fill out an online speaker card by 3:00 p.m. the day of the Council Meeting located at: https://www.antiochca.gov/speaker_card.
2. Provide oral public comments during the meeting by clicking the following link to register in advance to access the meeting via Zoom Webinar: https://www.antiochca.gov/speakers

– You will be asked to enter an email address and a name. Your email address will not be disclosed to the public. After registering, you will receive an email with instructions on how to connect to the meeting.

– When the Mayor announces public comments, click the “raise hand” feature in Zoom. For instructions on using the “raise hand” feature in Zoom, visit: https://www.antiochca.gov/raise_hand. When calling into the meeting using the Zoom Webinar telephone number, press *9 on your telephone keypad to “raise your hand”. Please ensure your Zoom client is updated so staff can enable your microphone when it is your turn to speak.

3. Email comments to cityclerk@ci.antioch.ca.us by 3:00 p.m. the day of the Council Meeting. The comment will be read into the record at the meeting (350 words maximum, up to 3 minutes, at the discretion of the Mayor). IMPORTANT: Identify the agenda item in the subject line of your email if the comment is for Announcement of Community Events, Public Comment, or a specific Agenda Item number. No one may speak more than once on an agenda item or during “Public Comments”.

All emails received by 3:00 p.m. the day of the Council Meeting will be entered into the record for the meeting.

Speakers will be notified shortly before they are called to speak. When called to speak, please limit your comments to the time allotted (350 words, up to 3 minutes, at the discretion of the Mayor).

Says mayor, council members should recuse themselves from vote

“This looks just like an old time Chicago political payback.”

The following was sent as an email to Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe and council members regarding the appointment of Cornelious Johnson as interim city manager.

Mayor and Council Members,

I do not know Mr. Cornelius Johnson and believe that we have never met. From what I have read, he appears to be a fine person and a retired public servant from San Francisco.  It is often stated he is a retired captain, however it appears that is a misrepresentation of fact.

In whole, it is probable that he would make a solid section as an interim city manager were it not for the obvious fact that his appointment smacks of QUID PRO QUO.

This appointment by certain members of the Council appears as pay back for campaign donations and event sponsorship. Are you really going to give this for that?

Mr. Thorpe and Ms. Wilson should recuse themselves from the vote. And they know very well, why.  And then there is Ms. Walker.  Based on her statements concerning police services and member of the force, she also
should recuse herself.

That leaves the quandary. Should a minority of two member make the decision? No majority? The answer is a simple; no.

Therefore, irrespective as to whether Mr. Johnson is qualified for the job he should not be considered or approved. Find another qualified individual. This looks just like an old time Chicago political payback.

Mark Jordan

Antioch

Robbed 25 businesses, their employees and customers

By Detective Thomas Smith, Antioch Police Department

In August of 2021, the cities of Antioch, Pittsburg, Concord, Brentwood, Bay Point, and Clayton began experiencing a rash of armed robberies. Over approximately 90 days, an estimated twenty-five robberies occurred throughout the county. The responsible subjects were described as Hispanic males in their late teens or early twenties, with masks covering their faces. It was determined by investigators from each agency that the robberies were related, and they were able to establish several viable leads to identify the responsible parties.

On November 3, 2021, an armed robbery occurred in the city of Concord. Investigators from the Concord Police Department notified the other involved agencies, and the suspect vehicle was located and stopped in Bay Point. All three occupants were residents of Pittsburg, CA, and were suspected of being responsible for the series of robberies in Contra Costa County. Evidence of the robbery(ies) was located inside the vehicle, and all three suspects were taken into custody.

Following their apprehension, investigators from the Antioch, Pittsburg and Concord Police Departments served several residential search warrants in the city of Pittsburg. During the searches, evidence linking the suspects to the robberies was located. On Friday, November 5th the cases were presented to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office. The District Attorney’s Office reviewed the cases and filed felony charges with enhancements, on 18-year-old Samuel Banales-Melena, 20-year-old Jonathan Medina-Flores, and 18-year-old Rogelio Medina-Flores for their participation in the robberies.

This case was successful due to the collaboration of the law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation. This investigation weighed heavily on the implementation and use of technology, to include license plate reading cameras in the City of Antioch and other technological surveillance efforts. The Antioch Police Department would like to thank the Pittsburg Police Department for taking lead on the investigation, as well as the Concord Police Department for their diligent efforts in apprehending the suspects in these cases, bringing a violent crime spree to an end. As always, the investigation is on-going. If you have any information regarding these robberies, please contact the Antioch Police Department at your earliest convenience.

Anonymous tips or information about this – or any other incident – can be sent via text to 274637 (CRIMES) with the keyword ANTIOCH.

Starting today, Monday, November 8, 2021; Congressmen DeSaulnier and McNerney urge Sutter to come to an agreement with workers over safe staffing

Sutter Delta will remain staffed and open

“they negotiated the contract…and it was approved by more than 3,000 employees at seven other SEIU-represented hospitals across our system weeks ago… the union at Sutter Delta continues to be the one outlier” – Sutter Health spokesperson

By Renée Saldaña, Media Relations, SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West

After Sutter Health refused to bargain in good faith and canceled mediation, more than 350 healthcare workers at Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch will strike for a second time starting Monday, November 8th. Workers at Sutter Delta Medical Center say massive understaffing, difficult working conditions, and a series of unfair labor practices prompted the vote to strike for a second time.

On November 7, after management at Sutter Delta canceled the bargaining session which had been scheduled with federal mediation, U.S. Reps. Mark DeSaulnier and Jerry McNerney sent a letter to Sutter Health CEO Sarah Krevans, urging the healthcare company to reach an agreement with workers in writing on unsafe staffing.

“We understand that finding trained and qualified health care workers is a challenge right now, not just for Sutter Delta, but across the country,” wrote U.S. Reps. DeSaulnier and McNerney. “It is our understanding that this hospital has not seen a significant drop in patients over the last few years, but dozens of workers have resigned their positions during this time and have not been replaced, which has greatly increased the workload on those who remain… For the health and safety of the people of Antioch and surrounding communities, this issue must be resolved.”

The letter is available to view here: SEIU-UHW-Sutter-Delta-Letter

Employees at Sutter Delta Medical Center say conditions are dire for caregivers and patients inside their facility as management ignores concerns about understaffing and working conditions. Workers are worried about patient and staff safety and say they’ve been pushed to the limit by their employer.

“We voted to strike because we want to put a stop to Sutter’s unfair labor practices and because we care about patient safety, and we want safe staffing levels. We are exhausted and overwhelmed, and we feel like Sutter management is ignoring our concerns,” said Stefanye Sartain, a respiratory therapist at Sutter Delta Medical Center. “Our hospital has multiple job openings that haven’t been posted because management feels they don’t need the positions filled. But we are so short-staffed, it’s hard to provide adequate care. Sutter is eroding the staff and it’s not safe for patients or workers.”

Workers at Sutter Delta Medical Center say staffing shortages predate the COVID-19 pandemic and, as a result of years of poor staffing and management decisions by Sutter, the hospital already didn’t meet adequate staffing for average patient levels. Frontline caregivers say COVID exacerbated this already strained infrastructure, and their employer’s response to the pandemic has only worsened the preexisting crisis.

The strike consists of a variety of job classes at the hospital in Antioch, including emergency room technicians, respiratory therapists, phlebotomists, transporters, and licensed vocational nurses.

Today, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021, caregivers in their uniforms will walk off the job at  Sutter Delta Medical Center, 3901 Lone Tree Way in Antioch, and will be joined by their coworkers and supporters. Later, caregivers in their uniforms and scrubs will form picket lines, hold signs, chant, and give speeches.

Sutter Health Claims Contract Approved By All Others, Sutter Delta Union Only Holdout

In response, a Sutter Health spokesperson wrote, “We are disappointed that minutes after our second mediated negotiation session, the union decided to give notice of another strike and walk away from patients who need them. After that, we had no choice but to turn our focus to our top priority – meeting the needs of our patients by securing qualified workers to replace the staff who decide to walk off the job instead of caring for patients. Because of this focus, Sutter Delta Medical Center will remain open, continuing to provide, safe, high-quality care for the people of Antioch and surrounding communities – just as it did during last month’s strike.

“We stand by our most recent offer, and the union should too: they negotiated the contract, were confident enough to place it on a ballot, and it was approved by more than 3,000 employees at seven other SEIU-represented hospitals across our system weeks ago. Yet, the union at Sutter Delta continues to be the one outlier, distracting from patient care instead of focusing on reaching a fair agreement on behalf of their members.

“The union talks freely about the staffing and patient care needs of the hospital, but when push comes to shove, it’s the union that is asking employees to walk out on their patients. We’ll deal with the strike, and when it’s over, we’ll be able to return our attention to resolving this.

Our proposed contract guarantees pay and benefits that are as good or better than others in the area. The current offer includes 13% salary increase over four years (3% yearly salary increases each year for three years and a 4% increase in year four) and 100% employer paid health coverage for employees and their families.”

Questions About Cancelled Mediation

Asked about their claim that Sutter Health canceled mediation, Saldaña of said, “Over the weekend there was a bargaining session with federal mediation. But that was cancelled by Sutter Delta management staff.”

Asked why Sutter Delta workers were the lone holdouts on the contract she replied, “For the workers at Sutter Delta it’s more about patient care and the workers’ safety. They’re feeling severely understaffed.”

Asked if Sutter Delta management staff canceled mediation as the union is claiming and why, a Sutter Health spokesperson responded, “both parties agreed to mediation but then the union immediately issued a strike notice. Which meant, as mentioned in our (previous) statement, we had to turn our attention from negotiating to securing qualified replacement workers to keep the hospital open and able to provide, safe, high-quality care for the community.”

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

 

Blame placed on unvaccinated, including children ages 5-11

“We need 92,000 more people to get vaccinated,” Contra Costa Health Services Director Anna Roth

Next redistricting hearing Nov. 9

By Daniel Borsuk

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors will not meet in their gleaming new state-of-the-art hearing room for the first time in the new $95 million Contra Costa County Administration Building until January, if then.

It all depends on how the county’s fight against COVID-19 goes. At least for now, Contra Costans will have to continue to remotely view and participate in supervisors’ meetings.

While the new three-story Contra Costa County Administration building at 1025 Escobar St. in Martinez is open for administrative services, the public hearing room goes unused by the public. (See related article)

Only county administrative and county counsel use the hearing room during board of supervisors’ meetings.

On a 4-0 vote, supervisors approved, during their meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 2, its second consecutive order recommended from County Counsel Mary Ann Mason to extend for at least through December, the teleconference public meeting order that applies to all county governmental entities.

The edict also applies to the board of supervisors’ advisory commissions.  Meetings conducted for the planning commission, airports commission, library commission, merit board, and Proposition X advisory commission among other advisory panels must continue to be conducted via Zoom or other teleconference media.

The supervisors’ action to extend the COVID-19 public meeting teleconference order arose from the fact that 92,000 five- to 11-year-old children in the county are now eligible to get vaccinated, Contra Costa Health Services Director Anna Roth announced.

This announcement will add more burden to county health officials to vaccinate residents. She informed supervisors the county’s total vaccination rate is 73.2 percent.

“We need 92,000 more people to get vaccinated,” Roth informed supervisors.

Mason recommended supervisors adopt the resolution because “the COVID-19 case rate in Contra Costa County is in the ‘substantial’ community transmission tier, the second-highest tier of the CDC’s four community transmission tiers and the County Health Officer’s recommendations for safely holding public meetings, which recommend virtual meetings and other measures to promote social distancing, are still in effect.”

In October, supervisors had adopted a similar resolution authored by County Counsel Mason to continue teleconference meetings for public health reasons at least until November, but obviously the public health landscape had not improved sufficiently for state health officials to lift all the burdensome public meeting restrictions.

While county health officials reported the county is making progress in getting Contra Costa residents vaccinated, “A Statewide state of emergency and the Countywide local emergency continue to directly impact the ability of the Board of Supervisors, in all of its capacities, and its subcommittees and advisory bodies.”

Another COVID-19 oriented state of emergency edict ordering Contra Costa County governmental agencies to conduct meetings remotely means the board of supervisors won’t conduct its inaugural meeting until January, if then, in the new $95 million administration building in downtown Martinez.

In the meantime, the gleaming new public hearing hall remains closed to the public.

Redistricting Public Hearing on Nov. 9

The county’s fourth public hearing on supervisorial redistricting will be held starting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 9. The hearing will start at 9 a.m. during the Board of Supervisors meeting. The hearing will be held via Zoom and can be viewed online. (See related article)

“The County Board of Supervisors welcomes your community input in this important, decennial process,” said Board Chair Dianne Burgis of Brentwood. “We are committed to a robust Redistricting and public outreach process with public hearings, a dedicated website at CoCoRedistricting.org. public workshops, and multiple ways to share your input.”

Redistricting is based on the U.S. Census data, which was released in legacy format on August 12, 2021. The actual drawing of Supervisorial District Maps requires the official California State Adjusted Redistricting data, which was released Sept. 20, 2021 and includes updated data to ensure that individuals in the prison population are counted by each jurisdiction.

Acknowledge Black Maternal and Infant Health Day

Supervisors proclaimed Nov. 3, 2021 as Black Family Health Day to acknowledge the disparities in adverse birth outcomes among Black birthing patients and ways to turnaround those negative outcomes using pioneering technologies such as the early warning system, Partners in Pregnancy Fatherhood Program, Black Infant Health Program, and other programs.

From 2018 to 2020, 9.5 percent of Black mothers had preterm births compared to 5.8 percent of White mothers. Black babies are twice as likely to die within the first year of life as White babies (6.3/1,000 v. 3.2/1,000 from 2016 to 2020) and Black mothers experienced health-impacting, life-threatening events during childbirth at more than double the rate of White mothers from 2016 to 2018.

 

Learn from other projects

Haga clic aquí para ver este aviso en español.

As part of ongoing development of the Community Benefits Program for the proposed Delta Conveyance (tunnel) Project, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) is holding a virtual workshop on Wednesday, November 17th from 6:00pm – 8:00pm to hear and learn from representatives of several different example community benefits programs around the country. (See related articles here and here)

Members of the local Delta community are encouraged to attend this event and hear firsthand experiences about the development and implementation of these programs, including different organizational structures, development timing, important milestones and lessons learned.

There will also be an opportunity to ask the panelists questions and engage in dialogue about their experiences and insights. Although these types of programs are not uncommon, there are various ways to go about setting them up. This workshop gives both DWR and the local community the chance to learn more about how it could be done for the proposed Delta Conveyance Project. (See details of the proposed system, here)

The workshop panelists represent a diverse set of projects and community benefits programs from different parts of the country:

• Oakland, California, Partnership for Working Families 
  • Ben Beach, Legal Director
• North Charleston, South Carolina, LowCountry Alliance for Model Communities Port Authority Redevelopment and Transfer Station
  • Omar Muhammed, Executive Director, LowCountry Alliance for Model Communities
• Morro Bay, California, Castle Offshore Wind Project 
  • Scott Collins, City Manager, City of Morro Bay

While no other project or community benefits program exactly matches the specifics of the proposed Delta Conveyance Project and what might be most appropriate for the Community Benefits Program for this project, the example projects that will be discussed in this workshop offer different and valuable perspectives and examples with varying structures, locations and challenges. In preparing for this workshop, DWR researched community benefits programs for large infrastructure projects that had long-term construction impacts, where the benefits of the project were not local, but impacts of the project were, and where location and potential for environmental justice and economically disadvantaged community concerns were also involved.

Workshop Details & Registration

• Wednesday, November 17, 2021 | 6:00pm – 8:00pm | REGISTER HERE
• Workshop will be conducted on Zoom with a call-in option available

Agenda

• Welcome and Introductions
• Presentations from the three project representatives
• Focused panelist discussion:
  • How did the idea develop in your project?
  • How did the community come together to provide input?
  • When in the project lifecycle did people come together?
  • How did you solicit priorities?
  • How did you formalize the program?
  • How are community benefit funds distributed?
  • How are you measuring and monitoring community benefits?
• Public questions/discussion

Participation Accommodations & Additional Information

• Closed captioning will be provided
• Workshop materials will be available in English and Spanish, and a simultaneous Spanish translation will be offered
• Workshop access information and materials will be sent out prior to the workshop through Eventbrite
• If you cannot participate in the workshop but have questions, please email us at DeltaConveyanceCBP@water.ca.gov
• A recording of the workshop will be posted on the project website, along with the background material, when available

To register, click here.