Today, Thursday, December 10, 2020, the Contra Costa Health Officer, Dr. Chris Farnitano, shortened the time for quarantines from 14 days to 10.

Following is the updated Mass Quarantine Order:

Date of Order: 12/10/2020

This order supersedes HO-COVID19-32 (October 8), the order requiring the quarantine of persons exposed to a person diagnosed with COVID-19. Quarantine separates individuals who were exposed to COVID-19 from others until it is determined that they are not at risk for spreading the disease.

Based on updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this order shortens the quarantine period for most individuals from 14 to 10 days. This order also prohibits employees of detention facilities and long-term care facilities from returning to work for four days after completion of the 10-day quarantine requirement.

See the complete order, here.

 

Vaccine on the way to county; Mitchoff calls for tougher COVID fines

By Daniel Borsuk

Against protests from labor organization leaders, Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to appoint San Joaquin County Administrator Monica Nino to become the new county administrator, replacing David Twa, who is retiring after holding the powerful position since 2007.

Nino, who topped 47 other candidates for the post, will start her new position on Jan. 4.  She was given a five-year contract and will be paid $372,000 a year.

Before supervisors put their stamp of approval on an executive search firm’s selection, they got an earful of complaints from labor leaders that Ms. Nino’s labor track record in San Joaquin County, where she has overseen 7,500 employees in 26 departments and a $1.9 billion budget, since 2013 had them concerned.

When she takes over the reins in Contra Costa County, Nino will oversee a $3.6 billion operating budget for 7,500 employees and 28 departments and a regional hospital.

“Ms. Nino is a known union buster in San Joaquin County,” said labor representative John Rowe, who was one of more than 10 labor representatives blasting the supervisors for their selection of Nino.  “This person has opposed the union movement.”

“You’ll get inaccurate information from Ms. Nino,” warned Lisa Harlow of the Contra Costa County Service Employees International Union (SEIU) clerks union, whose members, she said, earn 20 percent less than most other Bay Area county unionized clerks.

Even with the poor reviews from labor representatives, Nino received favorable endorsements from the five Contra Costa County supervisors and San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathy Miller, who said, “She has really set a very high standard for bringing in folks with experience and new ideas and she worked “very hard alongside the Board injecting the 21st century into the county as an organization.  She is leaving the county in a very good position.”

County Administrator Twa recommended Nino based on his work with her on state association projects. “She is very professional and very engaged,” he said of Nino, who would be the first woman and Hispanic to hold the county’s post in its 177-year history.

“She’ll do an excellent job,” Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors Chair Candace Andersen said.  “We need to be held accountable.  You cannot compare us to San Joaquin County. There’s going to be some significant changes.”

“I am very dissatisfied in our labor partners.  Nothing was done in secrecy,” said Supervisor Karen Mitchoff of Pleasant Hill.  “There’s no rush to judgement.”

In a related matter, supervisors approved a three-month contract extension with Twa during the January through March transition period to assist Nino settle into her new job. The board approved a contract extension with him, as well as a Position Adjustment Resolution creating a second county administrator position, to provide for the transition during the three months, at a cost of $95,000.

“I always had a goal to be either in the Bay Area or Southern California with a bigger urban county,” said Nino after the supervisors’ vote.  “It was a goal from the time I was in Stanislaus, so I am very complimented that the Board considered me.”

Prior to her position in San Joaquin County, Nino was employed in Stanislaus County in various leadership positions from 1988 to 2013, and appointed to Chief Executive Officer in 2011. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and a Master’s degree in Public Administration. According to her bio, Nino values “making a difference in the community, offering greater transparency within and outside the organization by ensuring local government, community, and public services are delivered efficiently and effectively.”

“I thank the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors and look forward to working with them, the employees and the residents of the county,” Nino said. “I look forward to working to address the opportunities and challenges for the next, several years.”

“I’m very excited,” she added.

Mitchoff Wants Tougher COVID Fines

An adamant Supervisor Mitchoff proposed the county look into raising code enforcement fines because there are an increasing number of businesses defying the public health shut down orders over concerns that the orders will financially shutter their businesses.

“Code enforcement and the police will have to do something different If these business owners want to illegally stay open and spread COVID.  They will have to pay higher fines,” said Mitchoff.

Mitchoff’s request should be calendared for public hearing at next week’s board meeting, the final meeting of 2020.

Currently, businesses violating county public health ordinances are subject to a first fine of $250.  A second fine costs $500 and a third fine costs $1,000.

“I’d like to see $10,000, $15,000 and $20,000 fines,” Mitchoff said. “We have to do something different.  If these businesses want to stay open and to spread COVID, they have to pay the price.”

No one from the business community spoke out either in favor or in opposition to Mitchoff’s proposal, but there are an increasing number of businesses, especially restaurants and personal care – gyms and hair salons and barbershops – that are defying health code orders willing to pay the low fines in order to stay in business.

COVID-19 Vaccine on the Way 

With more than 2,000 COVID-19 deaths a day nationwide, Contra Costa Health Director Dr. Chris Farnitano informed supervisors said that the countywide COVID-19 positivity rate will soon be at 11 percent to 12 percent, but hope is around the corner with the delivery of a vaccine as early as next week.

Dr. Farnitano said the county could receive less than 10,000 doses of the vaccine next week.  High risk health care workers will receive the vaccine, he said.  “Our health department has a vaccine branch working with local hospitals.”

It will be late winter or early spring before the vaccine will become widely available for the general public, he said.

“In the meantime, hunker down and get through this winter.  Stay home.  Stay safe.  Wear a mask,” Farnitano added.

Saranap Area General Plan Approved

Supervisors approved, with no public comment, the Saranap Area General Plan.  With the proposed Saranap Village mixed used project near downtown Walnut Creek that consists of 235 multifamily residential units, 30,000 square feet of street level restaurant, retail, and off space parking located in four buildings.  The plan also calls for revised, improved on-road bicycle lanes, trails, and signage along Boulevard Way.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

By Anthony Dorado

The Contra Costa County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s online payment system crashed on Wednesday, December 9 just a day before the first installment deadline for property tax bills tomorrow. A Tax Collector’s office staff member said that they had experienced an influx of payments that overloaded and subsequently crashed the system.

Many residents utilize the online system as a cheaper, more efficient way to pay their taxes and with the current COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. Due to the nature of the system, most users wait until just days before the deadline to submit those taxes and are now seemingly at risk for penalty. No announcement was issued on the matter regarding the crash nor what was being done about it.

However, the staff member said they were doing everything in their power to fix the system and that it should be back up and running soon. While they understand and empathize with those inconvenienced, Tax Collector’s office is asking that people be patient and flexible.

Anyone who has not yet filed their first installment taxes can do so by mailing them by tomorrow, Thursday, Dec. 10. Those who mail their taxes by or before the deadline will have their taxes received and filed promptly according with their postage date. As long as the filing is postmarked by Dec. 10, there will be no penalties.

Taxes, paid by check, only must be mailed to Contra Costa Tax Collector P.O. Box 631, Martinez, CA 94553 or they can be dropped off in the box at the Main Street door of the county Finance Building at 625 Court Street, Suite 100 in Martinez.

 

 

By Matt Lardner, Census Outreach Coordinator, Contra Costa County

Contra Costa County achieved the third highest Census 2020 self-response rate of all California counties with a rate of 77.4% for the once-a-decade count of all residents. The County’s self-response rate also surpassed its Census 2010 rate of 72.1% by more than five points or a 7.4% increase.

The County’s Census 2020 self-response rate outperformed the country’s 67% and the state’s 69.6% self-response rates. Nearly all of the cities in the County surpassed their 2010 rates, and those that did not were within 1% of doing so. See response rates by city in Contra Costa County in this Census 2020 report.

Contra Costa County’s Complete Count Steering Committee and 67 community based organizations collaborated on the Census 2020 count. The County’s high response rate is owed in large part to the work of cities, agency and community partners, and trusted messengers who helped reach Contra Costa residents, including hard-to-count populations.

“Our success in Contra Costa County could not have happened without the strong partnerships with our local non-profits and community based organizations,” said District 3 Supervisor Diane Burgis, Chair of the Complete Count Committee. “We have built lasting relationships and capacity that will be mutually beneficial as we collaborate on outreach in all aspects of our work.”

“Thanks to all of the residents who responded to the Census. You have guaranteed that Contra Costa County will receive its fair share of representation and much-needed funding for critical programs and infrastructure for the next decade,” said District 2 Supervisor and Board Chair Candace Andersen, Vice-Chair of the Complete Count Committee.

Now the U.S. Census Bureau will prepare the data to present to the President on December 31, 2020. The redistricting process will begin in Spring 2021.

Information about Contra Costa County’s Census 2020 outreach and impact are available at www.cococensus.org.

By Matt Malone, Public Information Officer, Superior Court of California, Contra Costa County

COVID-19 cases have spiked, resulting in a new stay-at-home order for the county effective this weekend. To limit the risk of COVID-19 transmission, the Court will enact a LIMITED COURT CLOSURE effective Monday, December 7, 2020, and until further notice.

THE COURT WILL BE CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC. Exceptions are criminal preliminary hearing witnesses, attorneys, and defendants in matters with time not waived. Masks are required for entry.

JURY TRIALS ARE SUSPENDED. Criminal preliminary hearings with time not waived will proceed.

JURY SERVICE. Jurors summonsed to report on or before January 11, 2021: Your service has been completed. You do not need to call or report for jury duty.

THE COURT WILL NOTIFY YOU OF RESET HEARINGS. If your matter is to be reset, the Court will notify you of the new date, with hearings to be by Zoom or CourtCall. Instructions and links for Zoom/CourtCall, public access to audio streaming where available, and court calendars may be found on our Court Calendar webpage.

ALL CLERK’S OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC. FILINGS WILL BE ACCEPTED BY MAIL OR DROP BOX ONLY. The limited closure is NOT a Court holiday for filing deadlines. Drop boxes will be available from 8 A.M. – 4 P.M at the following locations:

Civil: Main Street entrance of the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse in Martinez. o Criminal: Main Street entrance of the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse in Martinez.

• Family: Main entrance of Family Law building in Martinez.
• Juvenile: Main entrance of the Walnut Creek Courthouse.
• Probate: Main Street entrance of the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse in Martinez.
• Pittsburg and Richmond courthouses: These drop boxes are available only for filings in case types heard at those locations.

ALL COURT RECORDS OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED. See the Criminal Records and Civil Records webpages for the process for records requests by mail.

This public health situation is urgent and constantly changing. Accordingly, the Court anticipates further press releases providing more details on Court operations over the next 30-60 days. Please visit the Court website for updated information.

Not waiting until local hospitals are near crisis to act

By Contra Costa Health Services

Yesterday, Governor Newsom announced that all sectors other than retail and essential operations would be closed in regions of the State where less than 15 percent of ICU beds are available under a new Regional Stay-At-Home Order. Although health officials throughout the Bay Area are glad to see the State take action in light of the rapidly escalating surge in hospitalizations statewide, many believe even more aggressive action is necessary in the Bay Area to slow the surge and prevent our local hospitals from being overwhelmed. (See related article)

Rather than waiting until Intensive Care Unit (ICU) bed availability reaches critical levels and delaying closures that are inevitable, the Health Officers for the Counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and Santa Clara as well as the City of Berkeley are jointly announcing that they will implement the State’s Regional Stay Home Order now.

“It takes several weeks for new restrictions to slow rising hospitalizations and waiting until only 15 percent of a region’s ICU beds are available is just too late,” said San Francisco Health Officer Dr. Tomás Aragon. “Many heavily impacted parts of our region already have less than 15 percent of ICU beds available, and the time to act is now.”

“We are seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations here in Contra Costa County and across our region,” said Contra Costa County Health Officer Dr. Christopher Farnitano. “The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in our county has doubled in just the past couple of weeks, and we are at risk of exceeding our hospital capacity later this month if current trends continue.”

“We cannot wait until after we have driven off the cliff to pull the emergency break,” said Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody. “We understand that the closures under the State order will have a profound impact on our local businesses. However, if we act quickly, we can both save lives and reduce the amount of time these restrictions have to stay in place, allowing businesses and activities to reopen much sooner.”

“Rising hospitalization rates across the region threaten not only our community members with severe COVID-19, but anyone who may need care because of a heart attack, stroke, accident, or other critical health need,” said Alameda County Health Officer Dr. Nicholas Moss. “By acting together now we will have the greatest impact on the surge and save more lives.”

“Each of us can fight the spread,” said Dr. Lisa B. Hernandez, the City of Berkeley Health Officer. “Keep your family safe by avoiding even small gatherings outside of your household and not traveling. We don’t want holiday gatherings and travel to create a spike of cases on top of the surge we’re already seeing.”

“Although Marin has fared better than some other counties in our region over the last few weeks, we know it is only a matter of time before rising case and hospitalization put pressure on our hospitals too,” said Marin County Health Officer Dr. Matthew Willis. “We must act now, and must act together to ensure all hospitals in the Bay Area have the capacity they need to care for our residents.”

Consistent with the State framework, the six jurisdictions are working to ensure that all sectors have at least 48-hour notice of these closures. Most of the Bay Area Health Officers will implement the State’s Regional Stay At Home Order as of Sunday December 6, 2020. In Alameda County, it is scheduled to take effect on Monday, December 7, 2020, and Marin County’s order will take effect Tuesday, December 8. The new restrictions will remain in place until January 4, 2021.

The sector closures and restrictions on activity under the State’s Regional Stay Home Order are described here.

 

Do you live in Contra Costa County Supervisorial District 3? It includes Bethel Island, Blackhawk, Byron, Diablo, Discovery Bay, Knightsen, Antioch, Brentwood, and Oakley. If so, we have an opening on the Arts and Cultural Commission of Contra Costa County for which you can apply!

APPLY HERE

The Arts and Culture Commission of Contra Costa County is dedicated to advancing the arts in a way that promotes communication, education, appreciation and collaboration throughout Contra Costa County so that we may grow creatively as a community that preserves and celebrates our diverse cultural expression.

The commission has 10 seats; five from each of the County’s Supervisorial Districts, four at-large and one alternate.

District Specific Seats:

Are recommended by the applicable District Supervisor and then approved by the Board of Supervisors.

What does a Commissioner do?

• Support the functions of the Commission.
• Give all meetings and other Commission activities a priority on his/her calendar.
• Serve on and chair Commission committees and events.
• Keep current with all facts and information upon which the Commission must base its collective opinions and decisions.
• Participate in strategic planning and implementation of arts programming.
• Be an ambassador and proponent of the arts and the Commission in Contra Costa County and engage people from all cultural and ethnic groups in the arts and in the work of the Commission.

Please apply today! Learn more at www.ac5.org

 

By Susan Shiu, Director, Office of Communications and Media, Contra Costa County

On Tuesday, December 8, 2020, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors will vote on a meeting agenda item for approval to select San Joaquin County Administrator Monica Nino as the new county administrator, making her the first female and first Hispanic County Administrator in the County’s 171-year history.  Ms. Nino, who was chosen out of a pool of three finalists, is replacing retiring County Administrator David Twa.

Ms. Nino’s appointment follows an extensive recruitment process, where her long and distinguished career as a public administrator, experience in pandemic response, work with County hospitals and finance background resulted in her selection as the successful candidate.

Ms. Nino assumed the San Joaquin County Administrator position in June of 2013 after serving as the Chief Executive Officer for Stanislaus County, where she began her career in local government in 1988.  As San Joaquin County Administrator, serving under the direction of the County Board of Supervisors, Nino oversaw 26 county departments, an annual operating budget of $1.9 billion, and over 7,500 county employees serving 765,000 residents.

In addition to her County Administrator duties, Ms. Nino served on the San Joaquin Health Commission, Sex Offender Management Board (appointed by Governor Brown), the Council of Governments Management & Finance Committee, and iHub San Joaquin.

“We’re fortunate to appoint someone with Monica’s professional expertise to help us lead this organization into the future,” said Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors Chair Candace Andersen.  “Her knowledge of County operations, command of county budgets, experience with county hospitals and her local leadership during the COVID-19 health crisis are exceptional.  We know that Monica is committed to continuing to build a community that is forward-thinking and inclusive of all its residents.  We look forward to having her on board.”

When reached for comment, Nino said, “I’m very excited that the board is considering me for the next county administrator of Contra Costa.”

Ms. Nino’s start date will be January 4, 2021.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.