Ticket prices range from $6,059 to $56,448 each on resale sites

By Alma Galvan, Regional Communications Manager, Better Business Bureau

San Francisco, CA – With the San Francisco 49ers securing a spot at this years big game, many are traveling to Las Vegas, Nevada to experience this event in person. The National Association of Ticket Brokers (NATB) and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) are teaming up to ensure fans, including passionate supporters of the San Francisco 49ers, have a winning game day experience. With the rise of digital ticketing and the increasing risk of scams, consumers are urged to be extra careful when purchasing tickets for one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year. 

Securing tickets to popular sporting events and concerts has become more challenging, especially when many venues are only accepting digital tickets. This creates opportunities for scammers to take advantage of sporting fans. In the past year alone, the BBB received over 140 reports on BBB Scam Tracker related to ticket scams for various events.

To assist fans in making safe and informed decisions, the BBB and NATB offer the following tips for purchasing tickets to the big game:

1. Purchase from the Venue: Whenever possible, buy tickets directly from the official venue. 
2. Verify the Source: Understand the differences between professional ticket brokers, ticket scalpers, and scammers. 
3. Use Trusted Vendors: Buy only from trusted vendors you know and trust. Avoid clicking through from emails or online ads.
4. Understand the Refund Policy: Only purchase tickets from sellers that provide clear details about the transaction terms. Sellers should disclose seat locations and shipping details before purchase.
5. Payment Protection: Always use a credit card for ticket purchases to have recourse if the tickets are not as promised. Avoid using debit cards, wire transfers, or cash transactions, which can be risky.
6. Be Wary of Advertisements: Exercise caution when encountering online advertisements for cheap tickets. 
7. Verify Tickets if Unsure: If uncertain about the legitimacy of purchased tickets, visit the event venue’s customer service (“Will Call”) and verify the tickets’ authenticity.

As the countdown to the big game begins, the BBB is committed to raising awareness and educating fans, including loyal supporters of the San Francisco 49ers, on the smartest ways to buy tickets. 

For more information or to report potential scams, please visit BBB.org and VerifiedTicketSource.com. 

ABOUT BBB: The Better Business Bureau has empowered people to find businesses, brands, and charities they can trust for over 110 years. In 2022, people turned to BBB more than 250 million times for BBB Business Profiles on more than 5.3 million businesses and Charity Reports on about 12,000 charities, all available for free at BBB.org. The International Association of Better Business Bureaus is the umbrella organization for the local, independent BBBs in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. 

Applications for its Community Health Care Program are due by January 31, 2024.

There’s a new option for people struggling to find affordable health care coverage, and the deadline to apply for this Kaiser Permanente program this year is fast approaching. Kaiser Permanente’s Community Health Care Program provides comprehensive, affordable health care coverage for qualified low-income adults and children in California who don’t have access to other public or private health coverage.

If eligible, you’ll receive comprehensive health coverage from Kaiser Permanente including preventive services, without paying a monthly premium. You also won’t need to pay copays or out-of-pocket costs for most care at Kaiser Permanente facilities.

“Even with the expansion of Medi-Cal to all low-income residents regardless of immigration status this year, there are still people who don’t have access to health care coverage,” said Yvette Radford, vice president, External and Community Affairs, Kaiser Permanente Northern California. “The Community Health Care Program is part of Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to make health care more affordable for everyone.”

Who is eligible for the Community Health Care Program?

The program is designed for applicants who meet the following criteria:

• total household income of 138% to 300% of the federal poverty level (Example: $20,122 to$43,740 for an individual and $41,401 to$90,000 for family of 4 in 2023)
• not eligible for any other health coverage, including Medi-Cal, Medicare, a job-based health plan, or Covered California
• must live in a Kaiser Permanente California service area

Individuals do not have to be U.S. citizens to qualify. Applications must be submitted by January 31, 2024.

How to apply

You can apply online at www.kp.org/chcp. Click the “apply now” button at the top of the website for a link to the application. If you need assistance, click the “get help” button for a list of community agencies that can provide help, or call Kaiser Permanente Member Services at 1-800-464-4000 (TTY 711).

By Allen D. Payton

As previously reported, Lydia Stewart, a 12-year-old entrepreneur and 7th grader from Antioch, is the proud owner of Lydia’s Soap. She has successfully secured a spot as one of the 10 finalists in the upcoming Contra Costa Youth Shark Tank Competition. To gear up for the February 6, 2024, event, Lydia is seeking support from her community.

The public is invited to Lydia’s practice event, organized by Antioch resident Dominique King, this Saturday, Feb. 3 at 3:30 p.m. inside TnT Smoothie and Juice Bar, 208 G Street in historic, downtown Rivertown, where attendees can enjoy refreshments, snacks, and explore various youth-run businesses as vendors.

“Let’s come together on a Saturday to celebrate and uplift our young entrepreneurs!” King said.

Space is limited for the free event to not overwhelm Lydia with a large audience. So, those who want to attend as mock audience members must register at Lydia’s Soap Shark Tank Rally Tickets, Sat, Feb 3, 2024 at 3:30 PM | Eventbrite.

Registration deadline Feb. 26

Shoot for the stars and dribble into a world of excitement! Join our Junior Warriors Co-Ed Basketball League – where teamwork, skill-building, and fun collide! League open to youth in grades K-8th. Sign up now and let the balling adventure begin.

Registration deadline is Monday, February 26th. Visit antiochca.gov/register.

Include non-transit transportation, environment, housing and economy strategy refinements

Will impact Antioch’s BART Station and industrial areas

The Joint Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Planning Committee with the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Administrative Committee on Jan. 12, 2024 approved the revised Plan Bay Area 2050+ Draft Blueprint strategies and Growth Geographies.  This action enables staff to further study the strategies’ performance in meeting critical regional goals for an affordable, connected, diverse, healthy and vibrant Bay Area for all. Staff are aiming for adoption of the Plan Bay Area 2050+ Final Blueprint in summer 2024.

Given Plan Bay Area 2050’s solid foundation of 35 strategies, the Draft Blueprint phase for Plan Bay Area 2050+ is focusing on making targeted refinements to select plan strategies. These refinements reflect Plan Bay Area 2050’s implementation progress, the post-pandemic planning context and insights gathered during engagement with the public and partners in summer 2023.

What is the Plan Bay Area 2050+ Blueprint?

The Plan Bay Area 2050+ Blueprint will integrate strategies across the four elements of the plan — the economy, the environment, housing and transportation — to create a more equitable and resilient future for all.

Beginning in summer 2023 and wrapping up in late 2024, staff will develop the Blueprint over two phases: the Draft Blueprint and the Final Blueprint. Given Plan Bay Area 2050’s solid foundation of 35 strategies, the Draft Blueprint phase for Plan Bay Area 2050+ will focus on making targeted refinements to select plan strategies.

What are Growth Geographies?

Priority Development Areas — Places nominated by local governments served by transit and planned for new homes and jobs at densities necessary to support effective transit service.

Priority Production Areas — Industrial areas of importance to the regional economy and local communities that support middle-wage jobs.

Transit-Rich Areas — Places near rail, ferry or frequent bus service that were not already identified as Priority Development Areas.

High-Resource Areas — State-identified places with well-resourced schools and access to jobs and open space.

Staff previously shared proposed Draft Blueprint strategy refinements in October and November 2023, detailing which of Plan Bay Area 2050’s 35 strategies were likely to see major, minor or no changes in Plan Bay Area 2050+. This month, the MTC and ABAG committees approved moving forward with revisions for further study and analysis, including:

• Non-transit transportation strategy refinements focused on prioritizing equity considerations, adapting to tighter fiscal constraints, promoting active transportation and safety, and expanding pricing strategies;
• Environment strategy refinements focused on further reducing greenhouse gas emissions and proactively adapting to climate change; and
• Housing and economy strategy refinements focused on addressing pressing challenges of housing affordability, homelessness and access to opportunity.

At this time the Draft Blueprint only includes a handful of modified transportation strategies, pending the development of a fiscally constrained Transportation Project List, which will integrate recommendations from the ongoing parallel Transit 2050+ effort. The complete suite of revised transportation strategies will be integrated as part of the Final Blueprint in summer 2024.

The Joint ABAG and MTC Committee also approved targeted updates to the Growth Geographies that were adopted as part of Plan Bay Area 2050. Growth Geographies are places that Plan Bay Area prioritizes for future homes, jobs, services and amenities and serve as a component of the plan’s housing and economy elements. Specifically, draft Growth Geographies for Plan Bay Area 2050+ will include five new Priority Development Areas (PDAs) and 16 modified existing PDAs nominated by local Bay Area jurisdictions; reflect up-to-date information on transit service, natural hazards and demographics; and integrate areas subject to MTC’s revised Transit Oriented Communities Policy.

The Draft Blueprint approval comes six months after MTC and ABAG kicked off the limited and focused update to Plan Bay Area 2050. In November 2023, staff shared progress-to-date with policymakers, including findings from the first round of engagement, core planning assumptions, the draft Regional Growth Forecast, a financial needs and revenue analyses and proposed strategy refinements.

The next round of public and partner organization engagement activities, which will inform the development of the Plan Bay Area 2050+ Final Blueprint, is planned to begin in spring 2024. MTC and the ABAG Executive Board are expected to approve Final Blueprint strategies in summer 2024.

Learn more about the Plan Bay Area 2050+ Draft Blueprint strategies and Growth Geographies. For additional technical resources, please visit the Plan Bay Area 2050+ Draft Blueprint Documents page on our website.

“We’re an open book” – Registrar of Voters Kristin Connelly

By Dawn Kruger, Civic Outreach and Engagement Specialist, Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder-Elections Department

Making good on its commitment to accountability and transparency, the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder-Elections Department today welcomes members of the public into its fourth class of the Contra Costa County Certified Election Observer (CEO) Program. The program is open to applicants from the public—anyone can apply to future cohorts. During this election cycle, ten CEOs will participate in a rigorous series of classes and tours at Elections Division headquarters.

“Our county is home to one of the safest, most secure and transparent election systems in the nation,” says Kristin Connelly, Contra Costa Registrar of Voters. “We’re not just saying that—we’ve been recognized by our peers. We ensure all residents can see how we work. That’s why the Certified Election Observer Program is so important—it offers an in-depth look at democracy from start to finish.”

Launched in 2022 and held in advance of every election, Contra Costa County’s CEO program won an Honorable Mention Award from the United States Election Assistance Commission. The program aims to open the elections process up to more county residents and help the community become well-versed in the many steps the county takes to ensure transparency and integrity.

This election cycle’s cohort will start with a comprehensive review of the voter registration process and an introduction to the Department’s leadership. Next, CEOs will participate in poll worker training classes. They will also get a facility tour featuring a detailed review of the public logic and accuracy testing process, where staff confirms that all voting equipment is functioning properly. On the day before the March 5 Presidential Primary Election, they will review the mail-in voting and ballot scanning process. This process consists of collecting ballot envelopes from official drop boxes and the postal service, verifying voters’ signatures against registration records, extracting and scanning ballots, and tabulating the vote.

On March 18, midway through the counting process, CEOs will witness Provisional Ballot processing and ballot review, including resolving damaged or ambiguous ballots. Then, they will watch the 1% manual tally, where officials conduct an audit by hand-counting a random sample of ballots to ensure that the tabulators have counted the votes correctly. Upon completion of the program, CEOs will receive a certificate of achievement at a Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors meeting in April.

“Our office has many opportunities for community participation,” says Dawn Kruger, Civic Outreach and Engagement Specialist. “You can become a poll worker, host a voter registration event, invite us to your organization for a presentation, learn more about how elections work by visiting our website, or engage with us on Social Media.”

Contra Costa County will host another cohort of CEOs for the fall Presidential General Election. Residents interested in receiving a presentation or observing the election process can email outreach@vote.cccounty.us. Those who wish to become a poll worker can visit contracostavote.gov. Voters can track the processing of their own ballot by signing up for California Ballottrax at california.ballottrax.net.

By Walter Ruehlig

During the January 23, 2024, Antioch City Council meeting at City Hall the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Antioch Library (FOAL) presented a $60,000 donation for furniture and technology upgrades for the Antioch Library.

Since inception, FOAL has raised some $700K for library improvements through Amazon rare book offerings, used book sales, lobby magazine purchases, estate gifts and membership dues.

To learn more visit Antioch Friends | Contra Costa County Library (ccclib.org).

Unified mapping and wayfinding features Golden Yellow, Sky Blue, Dark Blue

By John Goodwin & Gordon Hansen, Metropolitan Transportation Commission

Bay Area transit’s ongoing transformation into a more connected, more efficient and more customer-focused mobility network today took another big step forward as transit agency and MTC staff at the January meeting of the Bay Area’s newly formed Regional Network Management Council unveiled design protoypes for a common set of signs to be used by all agencies at all locations — from individual bus stops to major hubs where multiple systems connect. These prototypes will be installed later this year at the El Cerrito del Norte BART station, the Santa Rosa Transit Mall and the nearby Santa Rosa SMART station. 

To establish and reinforce a common identity for all Bay Area transit services, the new signage employs a three-color palette of golden yellow, sky blue and dark blue; as well as simple icons to identify service by trains, buses or ferries. These icons are larger and more visually prominent than the logos of the individual agencies providing the services at each location. The modal icons and the three-color palette will be extended to a new mobile-friendly website to which passengers can connect via QR codes at each bus stop, train station or ferry terminal, providing real-time information along with accessibility features such as audio descriptions and language translation. 

“The Mapping and Wayfinding initiative is a brilliant example of regional cooperation,” said MTC Chair and Napa County Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza. “Putting customers’ interests first is the cornerstone of our Transit Transformation Action Plan to increase ridership by making transit faster, cleaner, more comfortable, more convenient and easier to navigate.” 

More than 90 percent of Bay Area residents polled by MTC in 2021 identified uniform and easy-to-use transit maps and signage as an important priority for improving the region’s transit network. MTC’s Operations Committee in 2022 approved a contract with Applied Wayfinding Inc. to develop a single mapping and wayfinding system for use by all Bay Area transit agencies. Applied has completed similar projects in London; Toronto; Seattle; Cleveland; Vancouver, B.C.; and elsewhere. The design concepts presented today incorporate comments and recommendations from more than 1,000 Bay Area residents — including transit riders and nonriders, people with limited English proficiency and people with disabilities — who participated in MTC-sponsored surveys, workshops and focus groups. New transit signage will include tactile and Braille elements.

The golden yellow in the three-color palette developed by transit agencies, MTC and the design contractor was chosen to represent the Bay Area’s sunshine and golden hills, with the light blue representing clear skies and the dark blue representing San Francisco Bay, lakes, rivers and other bodies of water. MTC and its partners will invite Bay Area residents and visitors alike to share their thoughts about the newly designed transit signs and digital wayfinding tools once the prototypes — which have not yet been fabricated — are installed at the Santa Rosa and El Cerrito locations. 

Design prototypes for a consistent set of transit maps will be presented to the Regional Network Management Council later this year. The Council includes top executives from MTC, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, BART, AC Transit, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), Caltrain, SamTrans and the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District as well as three general managers representing all other transit agencies serving Bay Area communities. 

MTC is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.