The Contra Costa County Superior Court is accepting applications for jurors to serve on our 2023-2024 Civil Grand Jury. The application deadline is March 24, 2023. Application for Grand Jury

Contra Costa County’s Grand Jury consists of 19 citizens. A new Grand Jury is impaneled each year. Grand Jurors are officers of the court, and function as an independent body under the guidance of a Superior Court judge.

Every year, in each of California’s 58 counties, a group of ordinary citizens takes an oath to serve as grand jurors. Its function is to investigate the operations of the various officers, departments and agencies of local government. Each Civil Grand Jury determines which officers, departments and agencies it will investigate during its term of office.

Apart from the investigations mandated by the California Penal Code, each county’s Grand Jury decides what it will investigate. Investigations may be initiated in response to letters from citizens, newspaper articles and personal knowledge.

For more information about the Contra Costa County Civil Grand Jury visit Civil Grand Jury: Contra Costa Superior Court (cc-courts.org) and Civil Grand Jury – jury_service (ca.gov).

The Antioch Chamber of Commerce will honor the 2022 Citizens of the Year at the annual Gala Friday night, March 24, 2023 as well as the Businesses, Non-Profit and Youth of the Year. Martha Goralka was named the Citizen of the Year for Most Impact and Mary and Bob Franchetto, were named the Citizens of the Year for Lifetime Achievement.

Rivertown Treasure Chest will be honored as the Small Business of the Year and TreVista Senior Living is the Large Corporate Business of the Year. Mateo Castro, a senior at Antioch High School was named the Youth of the Year and the Delta Learning Center was selected as Non-Profit of the Year.

2022 Veterans of the Year who were honored on Veterans Day last November are Pat Jeremy for Most Impact and Autrey James received the Lifetime Veteran of the Year award. They will also be honored Friday evening.

The Chamber will also install the new president and board of directors and announce the organization’s Ambassador of the Year.

Photos of and details about each of the winners will be published following the event to be held at the Lone Tree Golf and Event Center.

One-direction at a time, late night, early morning except Saturday night

Caltrans is scheduled to install the Mokelumne Trail Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing span over State Route 4 (“SR4”) in Brentwood beginning Friday night, March 24 through early Wednesday morning, March 29, 2023. Expect State Route 4 closures between Sand Creek Road and Lone Tree Way.

Weather permitting, Caltrans will be closing the highway one-direction at a time as described below:

March 24th:  Eastbound SR4 closure from midnight Friday until 6:00 a.m. Saturday.

March 25th:  No closure on Saturday night.

March 26th:  Westbound SR4 closure on Sunday from 1:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.

March 26th-27th:  Westbound SR4 closure on Sunday from 11:00 p.m. until 4:00 a.m. Monday.

March 27th:  Eastbound SR4 closure on Monday from 11:00 p.m. until 4:00 a.m. Tuesday.

March 28th:  Eastbound or westbound SR4 closure on Tuesday from 11:00 p.m. until 4:00 a.m. Wednesday, if needed to complete any remaining work.

Detour Route:

Westbound traffic will exit Sand Creek Road and proceed eastbound on Sand Creek Road to Shady Willow Lane, proceed northbound on Shady Willow Lane to Lone Tree Way, and proceed westbound on Lone Tree Way to the westbound SR4 on-ramp.

Eastbound traffic will exit Lone Tree Way, proceed eastbound on Lone Tree Way to Shady Willow Lane, proceed southbound on Shady Willow Lane to Sand Creek Road, and proceed westbound on Sand Creek Road to the eastbound SR4 on-ramp.

Funding for the $13 million project is provided through Measure J taxpayer dollars from the county’s half-cent sales tax for transportation, the State Route 4 Bypass Authority, and bridge toll funds. The overcrossing is expected to be completed early this year.

For updates and detailed information, please visit https://brentwood.info/SR4_Closure. To learn more about the project visit Mokelumne Trail Bicycle/Pedestrian Overcrossing.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

The Antioch Senior Center is looking for Front Desk Assistants and Facility Attendants! Visit: https://tinyurl.com/AntiochRecJobs for more information.

Source: APD

By Antioch Police Department

The Antioch Police Department released its annual Use of Force report for 2022 and it shows that it occurred in less than 1% of all incidents.

Quick Data:

– 79,781 Calls Handled in 2022

– 67 Use of Force Incidents

– Force used in 0.084% of Incidents

The Antioch Police Department has embarked on several initiatives to demonstrate a commitment toward best practice policing principles of transparency and accountability, while serving and protecting our community.

In addition to innovative training that emphasizes de-escalation and use of alternative resources for individuals in crisis, we are currently building an online dashboard, which will provide interested individuals with data on how often our officers use force, the different categories of police force (baton, firearm, taser, pepper spray, etc.), and showing the number of calls we respond to.

We have compiled statistics from 2022, which show our officers handled 79,781 calls for service and used force a total of 67 times. This means our officers used force on less than 1% of incidents (actual number 0.084%).

In the coming weeks, look for an additional breakdown of that data, which will categorize how our officers used force, and comparing that data to previous years. Please continue to follow our social media for more updates once the dashboard is up on our website. As always, thank you for your inquiries and thoughtful suggestions as we work to serve you better.

For more information on our use of force policy (or any other APD policy), please visit: https://www.antiochca.gov/fc/police/apd-policy-manual.pdf

Jered E. Clark of Black Diamond Middle School to be honored by Supervisors during 29th annual César E. Chávez Commemorative Celebration April 4

By Kristi Jourdan, PIO, Contra Costa County Office of Communications & Media

Ballet Folklórico Netzahualcoyotl dancers will perform accompanied by Mariachi Monumental. Photo: Contra Costa County

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors will honor César E. Chávez in a celebration recognizing his commitment to social justice and respect for human dignity. The 29th Annual César E. Chávez Commemorative Celebration will be 11 a.m., Tuesday, April 4, in Board Chambers at 1025 Escobar Street in Martinez. Community members can also join the event live on Contra Costa Television channels and the County’s website.

“We honor César E. Chávez and recognize his legacy of fighting injustice and improving the lives of farmworkers, their families, and their communities. We are inspired to commit ourselves to service to others,” said Board Chair Supervisor John Gioia. “We also recognize our 2023 Youth Hall of Fame awardees whose commitment to service and community are to be applauded and are the force moving forward Cesar Chavez’s legacy.”

The theme for this year’s celebration is Hope and Healing – Esperanza y Bienestar. The festival will feature keynote speaker Genoveva Garcia Calloway, community leader and former City of San Pablo Mayor and behavioral health professional, who will share her perspective on César E. Chávez’s legacy.

Jered E. Clark. Photo: CoCoCounty

Antioch 8th grade student Jered E. Clark, was named a Rising Star for Perseverance. Jered Clark currently attends Black Diamond Middle School in Antioch where he holds a 4.0 GPA and will be graduating with his 8th grade class at the end of this school year. He is a self-motivated person who is determined, outgoing, intelligent, and a stand-up scholar. He takes initiative to work on his assignments as well as his extracurricular activities which include volunteering with local nonprofits and playing volleyball.

At two years of age, Jered was a victim of child neglect and diagnosed with behavioral challenges. After tragically losing his parents to domestic violence, he entered the foster care system. Today he faces obstacles head on, remains focused and determined to overcome barriers. His perseverance at just 14 years old clearly shows he has a bright future ahead of him.

The event will include presentation of the 2023 Youth Hall of Fame Awards to students who make outstanding community contributions, live performances by Mariachi Monumental and Ballet Folklórico Netzahualcoyotl, and celebratory remarks from members of the Board of Supervisors.

Following are the County’s 2023 Youth Hall of Fame Awards winners:
High School Awardees:

Volunteerism: Frances Kellman-Lima, El Cerrito High School, 12th grade

Teamwork: Prisha Purohit, San Ramon Valley High School, 11th grade

Perseverance: Anayely Arreola Caldera, Liberty High School, 12th grade

Leadership & Civic Engagement: Anay Pant, Athenian School, 11th grade

Good Samaritan: Aria Capelli, Athenian School, 11th grade

Middle School Rising Stars:

Perseverance: Jered E. Clark, Black Diamond Middle School, 8th grade

Volunteerism Rising Star: Makenzie Lee-Foster, Visions in Education, 6th grade

Teamwork: Zihan Cherry Chou, Adams Middle School, 8th grade

Leadership & Civic Engagement Rising Star: Carter Considine, Head Royce, 9th grade

Good Samaritan: Gianna Baglieri, Rio Vista Elementary School, 3rd grade

The annual celebration honors the diversity and richness of our community. To learn more about the César E. Chávez Ceremony, visit https://www.contracosta.ca.gov/6039 on the Contra Costa County website. The community can also watch the event live online at www.contracosta.ca.gov/6086 or www.contracostatv.org. The celebration will broadcast live on Contra Costa Television channels: Comcast Cable 27, ATT/U-Verse 99, and Astound 32 & 1027.