Multi-agency Operation Cross Country conducts three efforts, investigating four other cases

Under leadership of organization with office in Antioch

By Ted Asregadoo, PIO, Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office

Law enforcement partners with the Contra Costa Human Trafficking Task Force arrested two suspected human traffickers and recovered one juvenile victim in a nationwide effort to apprehend human traffickers and provide services to victims.

As part of Operation Cross Country, task force partners and local FBI personnel jointly conducted three separate anti-human trafficking operations throughout Contra Costa County from July 19th through 30th, 2023. These joint efforts led to the arrest of a 33-year-old male resident of Sacramento and a 24-year-old male resident of Oakland, and the identification of nine survivors of human trafficking – including one juvenile. Additionally, the FBI and task force partners are still investigating four other cases in Contra Costa County. All victims identified through these operations met with specialized human trafficking victim advocates immediately upon contact and were offered a range of services and support.

“These outcomes demonstrate the positive results that can be achieved from collaboration between law enforcement and community partners to address the harm caused by human trafficking and deliver justice to victims,” noted District Attorney Diana Becton.

The suspects were arrested or cited on one or more of the following human trafficking or human trafficking-related offenses: sex trafficking of a minor, supervising, aiding, or recruiting a prostitute, and violating a protective order [PC236.1(c), PC653.23, and PC166(a4]. The ongoing investigations in these cases center on these charges as well as pimping, pandering, and adult trafficking [PC266h, PC266i, and PC236.1(b)].

Task Force Co-chair and Executive Director of Community Violence Solutions, Cynthia Peterson, highlighted that “the partnership among Contra Costa’s task force members in combatting human trafficking ensures a coordinated, trauma-informed response focused on our shared goals of empowering and providing comprehensive services and support to victims.”

Participating agencies included, in alphabetical order:

• Community Violence Solutions

• Concord Police Department

• Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office (CCCDA)

• Contra Costa County Probation Department

• Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department

• Federal Bureau of Investigations

• Hercules Police Department

• Homeland Security Investigations

• International Rescue Committee

• Northern California Regional Intelligence Center

• Pittsburg Police Department

• Pleasant Hill Police Department

• Richmond Police Department

The Contra Costa Human Trafficking Task Force is co-led by the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office and Community Violence Solutions, a community-based 24-hour service provider for survivors of sexual assault and human trafficking.

Founded in 2018, the Task Force envisions a community free of human trafficking where survivors thrive. It aims to achieve this by encouraging self-sufficiency and empowerment through the provision of survivor-centered, culturally responsive advocacy and services; striving for exploiter accountability through prosecution, education, civil remedies, and restorative practices; educating task force members and the community; and harnessing data to guide these efforts.

Anyone with information on suspected human trafficking (sex or labor) or related crimes is encouraged to make a report to your local law enforcement agency or the District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Tip Line (925) 957-8658.

“The House on Galloway Street. A Ghost Story”

It is that time again and I am here to remind you that our auditions are on August 7 & 8 and WE WANT YOU !

“The House on Galloway Street. A Ghost Story” is an original work by local author and director John Ballesteros. We are searching for a couple of dozen cast and crew members, so we need everyone to come out and participate in this one.

It is a ghost story, yes, but it is a slice of life story that asks us about what exactly might cause a ghost to haunt a house? Or is the house even haunted? Join our actors as the group of teenagers who are trying to have these questions answered. It’s dark and it’s for Halloween.

The Drama Factory is a non-profit community theatre group that endeavours to provide no-fee access to quality arts programming in our community. We know it is the beginning of a new school year, and that is why we have chosen to run now. Come one, come all.

Visit our website for all updated information regarding auditions and crew sign-ups. Be a member of the Drama Factory.

The Drama Factory is a 501(c)3 non-profit company and all contributions are tax deductible.

By Candice Martin, DCRR Racing Media

Antioch, CA…July 29…Taking the lead from previous Antioch winner Jacob Tuttle of Oakley, Stockton’s DJ Johnson won the 25 lap Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. This was the second win on the tour for the two-time Antioch Speedway champion.

Tuttle has won three times in local Wingless Spec Sprint competition, and he had the outside front row for the feature race on this occasion. He bolted into the lead at the start ahead of Bradley Terrell of Sebastopol. Following a Lap 2 yellow flag, Terrell took the lead, but contact between he and Tuttle saw Terrell spin in the fourth turn for a yellow flag. Tuttle led Johnson and Blake Bower of Brentwood on the restart. There were multiple yellow flags on the challenging track. Johnson managed to slip past Tuttle for the lead on the ninth circuit, and Bower made an outside pass a lap later to take second from teammate Tuttle.

Bower committed to the outside grove and started presenting a challenge to Johnson with a yellow flag waving on Lap 20 for Brent Steck of Roseville, who had been running in fifth. Johnson maintained his advantage over Bower on the restart, and an inside pass in Turn 1 on Lap 23 gained Series point leader Nick Robfogel of Petaluma the third position. Unfortunately, Robfogel and Tanner Boul of Auberry got together in Turn 1 for the final yellow flag on Lap 24. Johnson was undeterred as he led the final restart and brought it home to a satisfying win. An inside pass in the first turn gained Tuttle second with Terrell making a charge all the way back to third by the time the checkered flag flew. Bower settled for fourth, followed by Brentwood’s Bob Newberry.

Andrew Pearce of Oakley maintained championship contention with his third 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event win. Pearce also leads the IMCA Modified National rookie race and the State point battle.

Pearce charged into the lead following a complete restart. Point leader Troy Foulger of Oakley was an early second ahead of Buddy Kniss of Oakley. They ran that way until Camarillo’s Trevor Fitz slipped past Kniss for third on Lap 12. Pearce built a decent lead over Foulger by the time to checkered flag waved as Fitz settled for third ahead of Kniss and Jeffrey Faulkner of Rohnert Park.

Grayson Baca of Brentwood maintained the point lead with his fourth 20 lap Pacific Coast General Engineering Hobby Stock Main Event win. He was an early third as Ken John’s of Antioch led previous winner Jared Baugh of Pittsburgh at the start. Following a yellow flag for Corning’s William Fogle on Lap 3, Johns continued to lead Baugh on the restart. A high pass in Turn 4 of the fifth lap gained Baugh the lead as Baca went inside Johns in the same turn for second. An inside pass in the same turn a lap later gained Baca the lead from Baugh.

Johns and Baugh had a side-by-side battle for second until the yellow flag waved on Lap 7. Johns took second on the restart as Baca continued to lead the way. There was a four-car battle for the runner-up spot during the second half of the race with an inside pass in Turn 4 on Lap 12 putting Todd Gomez of Antioch into the position. Johns and Baugh both got past Gomez for second and third in Turn 4 of the 13th lap, but Gomez came back strong on the inside a lap later. This battle continued to be intense as they hit slower traffic, and Baugh got around Gomez on the front stretch on Lap 17 for second. They closed in on Baca, but he prevailed at the checkered flag. Baugh ended up second ahead of Gomez, Johns and Aidan Ponciano of Oakley.

DJ Keldsen of Newman picked up his third 15 lap Figure 8 win of the season. Dakota Kelson of Watsonville took the early lead ahead of Bob Brown of Elko, Nevada. Following a yellow flag on Lap 2, Dakota Keldsen continued to lead the way. Contact as they entered the X sent Brown spinning as DJ Keldsen assumed second ahead of Trevor Clymens of Brentwood. Another yellow flag waved for Dennis Keldsen of Newman at the Turn 3 exit.

On the restart, DJ Keldsen charged past his brother Dakota for the lead, and IMCA Stock Car racer Terry DeCarlo Jr of Martinez settled into third. Another yellow flag on Lap seven bunched the field, and Dakota Keldsen briefly regained the lead from DJ as Brown settled into third again. Brown was again sent spinning, and contact between Dakota Keldsen and Jimmy Robbins of Concord ended the race for Robbins. DeCarlo took the lead on a Lap 9 restart with DJ Keldsen in close pursuit. Brown had again regained third by that point. Keldsen made a Turn 1 pass on DeCarlo to take the lead on Lap 11. From there, DJ Keldsen brought it home to victory ahead of DeCarlo, Brown, Wayne Reeder of Watsonville and Michaela Taylor of Oakley.

Troy Foulger picked up his division leading seventh IMCA Stock Car 20 lap Main Event win in the Bowers Motorsports entry. Foulger currently leads both the track and State point battle.

Brentwood’s Fred Ryland returned and set the pace early on. A low pass in Turn 2 of the second lap gained Foulger second from Kenneth Robles of Rio Vista. Jarrod Mounce of Atwater moved into third. Following a yellow flag for Kenneth Robles on the fifth lap, Ryland continued to lead Foulger on the restart. They ran that way until Foulger found an opening on the outside on Lap 15 and slipped past Ryland to take command. Foulger went on to win the race with Ryland settling for second ahead of Mounce, previous winner Terry DeCarlo Jr of Martinez and Jason Robles of Rio Vista.

Drake Edwards of Surprise, Arizona won his fourth WMR Midgets 20 lap Main Event. Series point leader Logan Mitchell of Santa Cruz led the opening lap before an inside pass on the back stretch gained Mitchell the lead. Championship contender Bryant Bell of Oakley made a Turn 4 pass on Lap 5 to take second from Mitchell. Edwards drove a flawless race and brought it home to a satisfying win ahead of Bell, Mitchell, Jerry Kobza of Folsom and reigning Series champion Blake Bower of Brentwood.

Point leader Tom Davis of Los Molinos picked up his sixth Print Club Mini Stock win of the season aboard the Delbert Rios owned car. Reigning champion Tom Brown of Santa Rosa put the Bob Davis owned Pinto into the lead at the start ahead of Tom Davis. Tony Quinonez of Corning spun in Turn 2 for the only yellow flag on Lap 2. Brown led Davis and Merced point leader Daniel Bond of Oakdale on the restart. They ran that way until Brown slipped up a bit in Turn 1 on Lap 10, allowing Davis to get by on the inside for the lead. Davis went on to victory from there with Brown settling for second ahead of Bond, Quinonez and Rick Barry of Modesto.

Racing continues this Saturday night with a special $5 Fan Appreciation Night. The IMCA Modifieds, Sport Modifieds and Stock Cars will be competing along with the Wingless Spec Sprints, USAC Western States Midgets and Print Club Mini Stocks. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Antioch Speedway Race Results – July 29, 2023

Hunt Wingless Spec Sprints

FT-Jacob Tuttle 14.104. Heat Winners (8 laps)–Tanner Boul, Bradley Terrell, DJ Johnson, Blake Bower. B Main (12 laps)-Bruno Bianchi, Jeff Scotto, James East. Main Event (25 laps)-DJ Johnson, Jacob Tuttle, Bradley Terrell, Blake Bower, Bob Newberry, Shawn Arriaga, Evan Goularte, Shawn Jones, Jarrett Soares, Dylan Newberry.

IMCA Modifieds 

Heat Winners (8 laps)-Troy Foulger, Andrew Pearce. Main Event (25 laps)-Andrew Pearce, Troy Foulger, Trevor Fitz, Buddy Kniss, Jeffrey Faulkner, Marcus Frazier, Ryan DeForest, Paul Guglielmoni, Mickey Hill, Brian Lewis.

Hobby Stocks 

Heat Winners (8 laps)-Grayson Baca, Misty Welborn, Ken Johns. Main Event (20 laps)-Grayson Baca, Jared Baugh, Todd Gomez, Ken Johns, Aidan Ponciano, Mike Walko, Misty Welborn, Jason Ryan Jr, Ken Winland, Trent Golden.

IMCA Stock Cars 

Heat Winner (8 laps)-Jason Robles. Main Event (20 laps)-Troy Foulger, Fred Ryland, Jarrod Mounce, Terry DeCarlo Jr, Jason Robles, Kenneth Robles, Steve Stone DNS. 

WMR Midgets 

Heat Winners (8 laps)-Bryant Bell, Blake Bower. Main Event (20 laps)-Drake Edwards, Bryant Bell, Logan Mitchell, Jerry Kobza, Blake Bower, Anthony Bruno, Darin Horton, Adriana DeMartini, Rick Faeth, Adam Weisberg.

Print Club Mini Stocks 

Heat Winner (8 laps)-Tom Davis. Main Event (20 laps)-Tom Davis, Tom Brown, Daniel Bond, Tony Quinonez, Ryder Greene, Rick Berry, Charles McElroy.

Figure 8 (unofficial)

Main Event (15 laps)-DJ Keldsen, Terry DeCarlo Jr, Bob Brown, Wayne Reeder, Michaela Taylor, David Rosa, Jimmy Robbins, Dakota Keldsen, Trevor Clymens, Dennis Keldsen.

By Wolfgang Croskey, Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce

Sierra Pacific Properties extends a cordial invitation to you for the groundbreaking of Sprouts Farmers Market, Pittsburg’s latest grocery store.

This is Sprouts’ second location in East County with the first one at The Streets of Brentwood. Started in 2002 to make natural, fresh, organic food choices accessible to everyone, the Arizona-based Sprouts has since expanded to 380 stores. The new store will be part of a 3.69-acre development called the San Marco Commercial Center, at San Marco Boulevard and West Leland Road. 

We are excited to have you join us in celebrating the growth of the Pittsburg business community. The event will be held at 2311 W. Leland Road and parking will be at Ray Giacomelli Park. We hope to see you there.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Payment plan for low-income customers, penalty waivers for all bridges, Express Lanes

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)’s Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) today launched a public information campaign to raise travelers’ awareness of two new programs available through the Bay Area FasTrak® customer service center to help people with overdue tolls, penalties and fees get out of debt.

Bay Area FasTrak® now offers a payment plan program for individuals with outstanding toll debt whose household income is no more than 200 percent of the federal poverty level (about $60,000 for a family of four). The Bay Area Toll Payment Plan is open to all who have received toll violations on Bay Area bridges or express lanes. For those who qualify, violation penalties will be waived and any remaining balance of at least $100 can be paid off over time in the payment plan.

This program is intended to provide a way for people with overdue tolls, fees and penalties to get out of debt, and it is not limited to Bay Area residents.

Eligible participants may apply at the program website at bayareatollpaymentplan.org or by mailing or faxing a paper application. Both the website and the paper application are available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese.

To ensure those who are income eligible are aware of and have assistance applying for Bay Area Toll Payment Plan, BATA is conducting extensive outreach to social services and housing agencies, as well as to dozens of community-based organizations and other human services programs.

BATA and partner toll agencies last month also began offering full or partial one-time violation penalty waivers that are available to all customers, regardless of income. BATA, the Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transportation District and MTC’s Bay Area Infrastructure Financing Authority unit will waive all penalties associated with toll violations on their facilities on a one-time basis. The Alameda County Transportation Commission, the San Mateo County Express Lanes Joint Power Authority and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) each will waive one penalty per customer for toll violations on their Express Lane facilities.

The one-time penalty waivers will be available to customers through September 2024. To obtain a waiver or to find out if you have overdue toll violations, customers must call the Bay Area FasTrak® Customer Service center at 877-BAY-TOLL (877-229-8655) and pay all outstanding tolls and any DMV fees owed. Eligible customers who choose to enter into a payment plan must make their first payment to receive the penalty waiver.

MTC is the regional transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. BATA manages the Bay Area’s FasTrak electronic toll payment system and administers all toll revenue from the Bay Area’s seven state-owned toll bridges.

To all bus stop pairs along Route 7

Riders traveling on Amtrak’s San Joaquins Route 7, the Thruway Bus route extending from the Martinez Amtrak Station to Arcata (Cal Poly Humboldt) and encompassing a total of 18 stops, can now purchase bus-only tickets for all city pairs along the route. This recent expansion of service significantly broadens the scope and connectivity of the bus top pairs previously available on Route 7.

This expansion along Route 7, which was approved by the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA) Board of Directors at the July 21 meeting, represents the latest step in Amtrak San Joaquins’ efforts to provide a comprehensive transportation alternative to travelers in communities throughout the state, beyond where the train can service.

Historically, travelers on all Thruway Bus routes were required to have a segment of train travel as part of their overall trip to travel on the Thruway Bus. However, state legislation, SB 742 authored by Senator Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), was passed in 2019 to remove the requirement for intercity passenger rail/thruway bus services to sell companion rail tickets as a condition of the sale. As such, following extensive planning coordination, in 2021 after the impacts of the pandemic had eased, SJJPA opened parts of the Amtrak San Joaquins Route 7 as well as Routes 1c, 10, 18, and 19 for bus-only sales.

“We are pleased to now be at the point where we can expand connectivity along Route 7 to its fullest extent,” said Pat Hume, Chair for the SJJPA. “Fully opening Route 7 is a result of extensive collaboration with local stakeholders and regional transit providers and is a part of our ongoing effort to make Amtrak San Joaquins a comprehensive transportation solution for communities statewide.”

Making Amtrak’s Thruway bus routes available to non-rail riders brings several benefits including:

• Improved access to transit for priority and underserved communities.
• Reduction in greenhouse gas and air pollution emissions by diverting trips that would have previously been taken by an automobile.
• Reduced car trips on some of the state’s most congested freeways.
• Better utilization of current transit infrastructure.
  Increased revenues for the state at virtually no additional cost.

The bus-only ticketing options and fares are now available in the following locations:

Route 7: Martinez – Napa – Santa Rosa – Humboldt State University – Arcata
Route 1C: Bakersfield – Van Nuys – West Los Angeles/UCLA – Santa Monica
Route 10: Santa Barbara – Bakersfield – Barstow – Las Vegas
Route 15: Merced – Yosemite & Fresno – Yosemite (seasonal)
Route 18: Hanford – Lemoore – San Luis Obispo – Santa Maria
Route 19: Bakersfield – Pasadena – Riverside – San Bernadino

Santa Rosa Bus Stop Relocation

Effective August 1, the Santa Rosa, CA, Thruway Bus stop currently located at 917 Edwards Avenue next to Dick’s Sporting Goods will move to:

Coddington Transit-Across from JC Penney – Santa Rosa, CA, 95401

About the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA)

Since July 2015, SJJPA has been responsible for the management and administration of Amtrak San Joaquins. SJJPA is governed by Board Members representing each of the ten (10) Member Agencies along the 365-mile San Joaquins Corridor. For more information on SJJPA see www.sjjpa.com. Amtrak San Joaquins is Amtrak’s 6th busiest route with about 1 million annual riders and 18 stations providing a safe, comfortable and reliable way to travel throughout California. Prior to service modifications due to the COVID-19 crisis, Amtrak San Joaquins operated 7 daily train roundtrips and its Thruway buses provided connecting service to over 100 destinations in California and Nevada including Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Napa Valley, Las Vegas and Reno. To book your next trip, visit www.AmtrakSanJoaquins.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL.