District 15 includes Antioch; joins Councilwoman Wilson in the race

By Allen D. Payton

On October 30, Contra Costa County Board of Education Trustee and former Martinez Vice Mayor and Councilwoman Anamarie Avila Farias announced on social media her campaign for State Assembly for the seat currently held by Tim Grayson, who is running for State Senate.

She wrote: “I’m incredibly honored to share that I’m running for California State Assembly District 15. My lifelong commitment to public service has been a true privilege, and now, upon reflecting on my journey during Hispanic Heritage Month and celebrating another trip around the sun, I’m eager to give back even more.

I’m passionate about fighting for policies that uplift those who need it most, ensuring equal opportunity for all. Our community deserves strong leadership ready to tackle the biggest challenges our district has, and I’m ready to be that voice.

But I can’t do it alone.

I understand that the challenges you face are real, and they are urgent. I know that your dreams and aspirations for your families are just as important as anyone else’s. That’s why I’m asking you to join me to make sure I get to Sacramento, where I can fight for the changes our communities desperately need. I’m excited to announce that I’ve already gained the endorsement of the California Teachers Association, a testament to my commitment to education. CTA represents 300K teachers that stand with me! But to keep this momentum going, I need your support to make this vision a reality. Together, we can bring positive and necessary change to Assembly District 15.

Join me in this journey towards a brighter, more equitable future. Let’s work hand in hand to make our community even better. Every donation and every supporter brings us one step closer to our goals. Together, we can make a difference.

Donate today and let’s build a brighter tomorrow –> https://secure.actblue.com/…/avila-farias-for-state…

!Adelante con Anamarie!”

According to Avila Farias’ campaign website, “In 2012, she was the first Latina to be elected to the Martinez City Council, and in 2020 she was elected to the Contra Costa County Board of Education where she serves as one of only two Latinas elected to a state or county position in Contra Costa. She also chaired and served on the Martinez Planning Commission for nearly a decade and served on the Parks & Recreation and Marina Commission for 5-years.

In 2015, Anamarie was appointed by former Governor Brown to the Board of Directors of the California Housing Finance Agency” and re-appointed by Governor Newsom in 2021.

According to a Feb. 2021 press release by CalHFA, Avila Farias “has been Operations Director at Juvenile Hall Auxiliary of Contra Costa County since 2019. She held multiple positions at the Housing Authority of Contra Costa County from 1989 to 2018, including Housing Policy and Program Analyst and Central Waiting List Housing Manager. She was a City Councilmember for the City of Martinez from 2012 to 2016. Avila Farias was Program Manager of the Community Development Block Grant at the City of Concord from 2013 to 2014. She was Senior Management Analyst at Oakland Housing Authority in 2007. Avila Farias was Senior Community Development Specialist for the City and County of San Francisco at the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development from 1998 to 2007. She was Housing Program and Healthcare Policy Facilitator at the Contra Costa County Public Health Services Department from 1997 to 1998. Avila Farias earned a Master of Science degree in Information Systems Management from the University of San Francisco.”

In 2016, she ran unsuccessfully for District 5 County Supervisor against incumbent Federal Glover.

The married mother of two currently represents Area 3 on the county Board of Education which includes Bay Point, Clyde, Crockett, Hercules, Martinez, Pacheco, Pleasant Hill, Pittsburg, Port Costa, Rodeo and parts of El Sobrante.

District 15 includes the cities of Antioch, Brentwood, Clayton, Concord, Martinez, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, a portion of Walnut Creek and the unincorporated communities of Bay Point and Pacheco.

Avila Farias will face Antioch Councilwoman Monica Wilson and possibly former Supervisor Karen Mitchoff who has yet to formally announce her campaign, in the March primary election. Filing closes Dec. 13.

For more information visit www.anamarie4assembly.com.

California’s Office of the Patient Advocate gives health plan 5 stars for “quality of medical care,” behavioral and mental health care, and other specialty areas

By Antonia Ehlers, PR and Media Relations, Kaiser Permanente Northern California

Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s health plan received the highest rating in the state for providing patients with high-quality clinical care and behavioral and mental health care in the annual Health Care Quality Report Card from California’s Office of the Patient Advocate (OPA).

Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California and Southern California health plans are the only two in the state to receive OPA’s highest rating – 5 stars – for “quality of medical care.”

For the fifth year in a row, Kaiser Permanente Northern and Southern California health plans are the only plans in the state to achieve 5 stars for overall clinical effectiveness in behavioral and mental health care.

“Kaiser Permanente is consistently recognized as a leader in the state for providing our patients and members with exceptional clinical and specialty care, which positively impacts their overall well-being,” Carrie Owen Plietz, FACHE, president of Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California region. “Our clinicians are dedicated to delivering the highest quality care to improve the health of our members, patients, and the communities we serve.”

Kaiser Permanente Northern California also received 5 stars in other specialty care areas including diabetes, cardiac, maternity, and pediatric care. The organization  was also rated 5 stars for appropriateness of tests, treatments, and procedures and preventive screenings.

“Our physicians, nurses, and staff work diligently to help ensure that our patients receive the personalized, coordinated care they need to live longer and healthier lives,” said Maria Ansari, MD, FACC, CEO and executive director of The Permanente Medical Group. “These ratings reflect our ongoing commitment to providing our patients and members with comprehensive high-quality care across many specialty areas, which is having a positive and often life-changing impact on their mental, physical, and emotional health.”

The 2023-24 report card provides California consumers with side-by-side comparisons of the 16 largest HMOs and PPOs in the state. It rates health plans on national standard-of-care measures that involve treatment and prevention of a range of conditions that have significant implications for personal health.

The results from OPA concur with the recent Covered California ratings, which recognized Kaiser Permanente as the only health plan in the state to receive a 5-star “Overall Quality Rating”.

Covered California — the state’s marketplace for the Affordable Care Act — also gave Kaiser Permanente 5 stars for  “Members’ Care Experience,”  which is based on patient surveys asking about their recent experiences when visiting the doctor and getting medical care; “Getting the Right Care,” a measure of care that is given, comparing with the national standards for care and treatments proven to help patients; and “Plan Services for Members,” which analyzes a health plan’s efficiency, affordability, and management.

In addition, Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s health plans were also  the highest rated in California — and among the highest in the nation — for overall treatment, prevention and equity, and patient experience by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) 2023 Health Plan Ratings.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.6 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. http://about.kaiserpermanente.org

For more information visit www.deltarc.com.

By Timothy Leong, Director of Communications & Community Relations, 4CD

The Contra Costa Community College District (4CD) Governing Board announces their selection of Mojdeh Mehdizadeh as the 10th permanent Chancellor, pending contract negotiations and approval.  The 4CD Governing Board will vote to approve Ms. Mehdizadeh’s contract at their Wednesday, December 13, 2023, meeting.

“On behalf of the Governing Board, we are delighted that Ms. Mehdizadeh will continue leading 4CD as permanent Chancellor,” said Governing Board President Fernando Sandoval. “Her commitment to our mission of transforming the lives of all our students is unwavering, and she ensures that students are at the forefront of every discussion and decision. Her 36 years of leadership at 4CD has helped us maintain our legacy of higher education excellence.”

Ms. Mehdizadeh has been serving as Interim Chancellor for the Contra Costa Community College District since February 2022. Prior to this leadership role, she served as the Executive Vice Chancellor of Education and Technology.

“It is truly an honor to be selected as the next permanent Chancellor of the Contra Costa Community College District,” Mehdizadeh said. “I am grateful to the members of the Governing Board, our community, and employees for their trust in me to lead 4CD in transforming the lives of our students and the community. I will continue to focus on creating environments where every student feels a sense of belonging on our campuses, and that will allow us to contribute to their educational journey.”

Ms. Mehdizadeh holds an M.A. in Organizational and Intercultural Communications from California State University, East Bay, and a B.S. in Computer Information Systems from San Francisco State University, after having completed her general education requirements at Diablo Valley College.

The Contra Costa Community College District (4CD) is one of the largest multi-college community college districts in California. The 4CD serves 1.2 million residents, and its boundaries encompass all but 48 of the 734-square-mile land area of Contra Costa County. 4CD is home to Contra Costa College in San Pablo, Diablo Valley College with campuses in Pleasant Hill and San Ramon, and Los Medanos College with campuses in Pittsburg and Brentwood. The District headquarters is located in downtown Martinez. Each college is individually accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. For more information visit www.4cd.edu.

“Rolling Reader” to visit underserved communities

By Brooke Converse, PIO, Contra Costa County Library

The Contra Costa County Library is introducing the Rolling Reader, the Library’s brand-new, all-electric, early literacy outreach van. The Rolling Reader will visit underserved communities across the county where library staff will present storytimes, hand out free books and crafts, and provide activities focused on early literacy, small motor skills, and STEM. 

The Contra Costa County Library has 26 branches across the county, yet many residents still are not able to easily access a library. Some may live too far from a branch, or don’t have access to reliable transportation, or have to work during library open hours. The Rolling Reader will allow the library to prioritize providing literacy services to children 0-5 years old in vulnerable communities impacted by poverty. Research shows that early and positive experiences with books set the stage for a child’s success in learning to read. Additionally, literacy skills are a strong predictor of health, employment status, and overall success in life. Providing storytimes and crafts for young children will encourage regular exposure to reading and books, thus improving the potential for life success for many children and families. 

“We recognized that to reach all our communities, we needed to get out of our buildings and take our services to the residents who need them most,” said County Librarian Alison McKee. “The goal of the Rolling Reader is to instill a lifelong habit of reading and love for libraries.” 

Funding for the outreach van was provided by the Bella Vista Foundation and MCE. Staffing for the outreach van is provided by Measure X. Measure X is a half-cent sales tax passed by voters in 2020. 

“Early childhood services are one of our County’s top priorities,” said Supervisor John Gioia, Chair of the Board of Supervisors. “The new library outreach van and early literacy program will improve the lives of many children by making these opportunities easily accessible.”

The Rolling Reader will make its debut on Wednesday, November 15 at the Monument Crisis Center (rain or shine). The event will include a Spanish/English bilingual storytime, free books, crafts and activities for children, and an opportunity to see the Rolling Reader and the new van mascot, Roxy the fox. 

Visit ccclib.org to sign up for a library card and get connected to books and resources. For questions about Library services and programming or account information, contact the Library via online Chat, email ask@library.cccounty.us or text questions to (925) 290-7627. 

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

A jury in Martinez returned guilty verdicts on November 9th for a double murder that took place in Antioch in 2018. (See related articles here and here)

Dontay Javon Williams, a 40-year-old resident of Oakland, has been found guilty of the murders of Milan Ardoin, 28, and her mother, Valinda Scott, 55. At the time, Milan Ardoin was in a relationship with Williams but had communicated her intention to end the relationship over email exchanges. In the early morning hours of July 5, 2018, Williams traveled from Oakland to Antioch, where he fatally shot both Ardoin and Scott outside their residence before fleeing on foot.

While Antioch Police officers were investigating the shooting and canvassing the neighborhood to speak with witnesses, Williams’ wallet — a key piece of evidence – was found on a sidewalk near where the murders occurred.

Williams was convicted of two counts of murder and enhancements for intentionally discharging a handgun, lying in wait, and multiple murders. Moreover, Williams was convicted of possession of a firearm with a prior violent conviction for robbery in Oakland in 2005.

Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Tompkins, who prosecuted the case, said, “For the loved ones who lost two family members in one tragic morning, and who waited years for their day in court, this verdict is a chance to move forward in their long healing process.”

When Williams is sentenced, he faces life without the possibility of parole.

According to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department, his next court appearance is scheduled for January 19, 2024.

Case No. 05001922558 | The People of the State of California vs. Williams, Dontay Javon

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report