Starting 6:01 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 31, 2021, through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 2

By Jaime Coffee, Information Officer II, California Highway Patrol

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The ushering in of a new year brings with it the anticipation of a fresh start, positive changes, and healthy resolutions.  What it should not bring are headlines of tragedies caused by drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

To encourage safe travel for those who are out on the road, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) will conduct a Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP) starting at 6:01 p.m. on Friday, December 31, 2021, through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, January 2, 2022.

“Ringing in the new year should be an exciting time filled with celebration and hope,” CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray said.  “To help keep the roadways safe through the holiday and beyond, our officers will be out in force to deter, detect, and remove impaired drivers.” 

During the previous New Year’s Day MEP, 56 people were killed in crashes in California.  Sadly, half of the vehicle occupants killed in the crashes were not wearing a seat belt.  During that same 78-hour MEP, CHP officers made 709 arrests for driving under the influence throughout the state.

To help bolster this year’s holiday traffic safety effort across state lines, the CHP will again partner with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and the Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota state patrols in a Western States Traffic Safety Coalition for the “Drive High, Get a DUI,” campaign.  With the focus of the New Year’s operation to identify and remove impaired drivers from the road, the CHP will have all available personnel on patrol, including Drug Recognition Evaluators to conduct evaluations of suspected impaired drivers.

With 362 arrests for DUI during the 54-hour Christmas Day Maximum Enforcement Period, California Highway Patrol officers averaged a DUI arrest nearly every nine minutes.

For daily MEP updates and other valuable traffic safety-related information, follow @CHP_HQ on Twitter.

The mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security.

 

2021 was the first full year we spent living in the midst of the pandemic. Despite the challenges, we accomplished many things to help serve the Bay Area.

Improvements to the Rider Experience:

• We returned to near pre-pandemic levels of service and hours Monday through Saturday in August, with a commitment to improve Sunday service in February 2022.
• We installed MERV-14 air filters on all trains to filter out virus particles like coronavirus.
• Train interior and station interior cleanliness metrics improved year over year based on rider surveys.
• We rolled out pay by phone options with Clipper now available in Apple Pay and Google Pay.
• We made it easier to reserve monthly, single day and airport/long term-reserved parking.
• We produced new BART & Caltrain transfer timetables to increase transparency about connection times at Millbrae.

Improvements to Personal Safety:

• We launched our groundbreaking Progressive Policing Bureau that includes deploying Ambassadors and Crisis Intervention Specialists.
• Our efforts to increase safety staff visibility is paying off with a 37% drop in violent crime in 2021 and 21% drop in crime overall- this comes as ridership has been increasing.
• We launched the Not One More Girl campaign and changed our code of conduct policy to send a clear message that sexual harassment and gender-based violence has no place on BART.

Investments in Infrastructure:

• We replaced 7.5 miles of track, 2 major interlockings, and 66 miles of power cables.

Improvements at Stations:

• At Antioch station we added full-time station agents during all service hours, and expanded parking while improving bike and pedestrian access.
• We finished our modernization of El Cerrito del Norte Station.
• We unveiled three new escalators in downtown San Francisco.
• 12 parking garages got brighter LED lights to improve safety and sustainability.
• We brought art and culture into our stations with free short story kiosks and an outdoor music series.

Leadership in the Region:

• We offered our stations and parking lots for COVID-19 vaccinations and testing sites, and we made it easy for residents to take transit to get vaccinated.
• We launched our Link21 Program to transform Northern California’s rail network with an eye on equity and how best to serve the mega-region.
• Our Transit-Oriented Development program advanced with new homes at Pleasant Hill and MacArthur leasing up. Construction at Millbrae and Walnut Creek stayed on track for 2022 completion.  Projects at Lake Merritt and West Dublin were entitled.
• Our electric power supply was certified as 100% greenhouse gas free.
• We contracted $73.2 million dollars to a diverse group of small, minority, and women owned businesses.
• We implemented a COVID vaccine mandate for all employees to help keep our workforce and riders healthy.

For more information visit BART.gov.

By Strategic Communications Officer Darryl Saffold, Antioch Police Investigations Bureau

On Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021, at approximately 9:13 PM, Antioch Police Department Dispatch began receiving numerous 911 calls of multiple gunshots being fired in the area of Vista Grande Drive and Catanzaro Way. When patrol officers arrived, they found multiple casings in the street and located blood on the sidewalk and on a vehicle that was parked in the area.

Moments later, a victim that had multiple gunshot wounds was dropped off at Kaiser Emergency Room and was immediately rushed into surgery. At the time of this release, the victim, a 27-year-old Black male was still in critical condition. No update on his condition was available as of Wednesday, Dec. 29.

Due to the ongoing and active nature of the investigation, no further information will be released at this time. This information is made available by the Support Services Division.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Detective Whitaker at (925) 779-6890 or at wwhitaker@Antiochca.gov.

Only 60 COVID cases hospitalized in county as of Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021

Three requirements to lift order, one met, one close; admits vaccines don’t last

“An exception remains for religious gatherings” – Will Harper, Health Services spokesman

With the highly contagious COVID-19 omicron variant circulating in Contra Costa County, Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) announced a health order today requiring masks in all public indoor places without exceptions for certain indoor settings. That’s in spite of the fact only 60 people infected with COVID are currently hospitalized in the county according to the health services’ dashboard. But that’s the only one of three requirements the county currently meets in order to lift the order.

It’s also in spite of reports from throughout the U.S. and internationally, symptoms have been described as mild, and “extremely mild” by Dr. Angelique Coetzee, the South African doctor who first discovered and announced the new strain, as has been reported by the Herald. (See related article)

Previously, fully vaccinated public speakers and performers, and fully vaccinated groups of 100 or fewer people were allowed to remove their face coverings under controlled conditions.

The order, which goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 29, 2021, now requires all people in Contra Costa, regardless of vaccination status, to mask in public indoor settings.

Dr. Ori Tzvieli, Contra Costa County deputy health officer, who issued the order, offered an explanation for it.  “Based on the increase in the number of people who are fully vaccinated becoming infected with the COVID-19 virus, exempting groups of people from the face covering requirement applicable to public indoor spaces based only on their fully vaccinated status can no longer be justified,” he wrote. “On the contrary, continuing to allow for these exceptions could lead to additional exposures, cases and hospitalizations.”

Many other Bay Area counties already require everyone to mask in all indoor public settings. But not all do.

According to the health order, “Since the issuance of the Prior Order, the protection offered by all three of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the United States has been found to wane after a period of time.”

“The omicron variant is very contagious, and we now know that anyone, regardless of vaccination status, can spread this variant to other people,” said Dr. Tzvieli. “We anticipate the case rate and hospitalization numbers to increase over the coming weeks. To reduce spread, cases and hospitalizations, we all need to wear masks anytime we are in an indoor public setting.”

The first case of the omicron variant was first identified in the county on Dec. 18, and since then case rates and hospitalizations have significantly increased. The average number of daily new COVID-19 cases has increased 149% over the last week and hospitalizations have risen 31%.

Because cases and hospitalizations involve both unvaccinated and fully vaccinated people, CCHS strongly urges everyone to get vaccinated and boosted as soon as they are able.

COVID-19 vaccines, including booster doses, continue to offer the most effective protection against hospitalization and death from all variants of COVID-19 circulating in the county.

Three Requirements to Lift Order, One Met, One Close

The county currently meets only one of the three requirements for lifting the indoor masking order. They will remain the same, progress can be tracked on the county’s Indoor Mask Dashboard and include: Contra Costa County must be in the CDC’s Moderate (yellow) tier for at least three consecutive weeks. Currently the county is in the next highest orange tier. In addition, in order to lift the indoor masking order, there must be fewer than 75 COVID-19 hospitalizations in Contra Costa County. Currently there are 60, meeting that requirement. The final requirement offers two options, both of which are close to being met: 80% of the total Contra Costa County population must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Currently 78% of the total population in the county is. The other option is 8 weeks after FDA/CDC/Western States Emergency Use Authorization for COVID-19 vaccine of 5- to 11-year-olds. It has been 7 weeks since that occurred, so this third requirement will be met next week.

Questions were sent via email to county health services staff after work hours on Tuesday, asking if the order applied to those working out inside a gym or health club and to those attending worship services.

UPDATE: According to Health Services spokesman Will Harper, “An exception remains for religious gatherings, but pretty much all other indoor settings (including gyms and fitness centers) require masking. See our Health Orders page for details.”

That page provides more specifics of the mask order:

Requiring All People to Wear Masks in Indoor Public Settings

Date of Order: 8/2/2021, Amended: 8/6/2021, 9/1/2021, 10/14/2021, 12/28/2021

All people in Contra Costa, regardless of vaccination status, must wear face coverings in indoor public settings until further notice. Public settings include but are not limited to:

• Business offices
• Retail stores
• Restaurants
• Gyms and fitness centers
• Theaters
• Family entertainment centers
• Meeting rooms
• State and local government facilities where services are provided to the public

This order does not apply to people in the following circumstances:

• When alone in a room.
• When actively eating or drinking.
• When swimming or showering.
• When receiving care or other service that requires removal of the face covering, including by way of example and without limitation, medical care requiring exposure of the nose or mouth, cosmetic services involving the face, and dental procedures.
• When participating in a religious activity at a religious gathering, to the extent that removal of face coverings is necessary for participation.
• When exempt from wearing face coverings under the State Face Covering Guidance or other applicable California Department of Public Health (CDPH) guidance. The State Face Covering Guidance exempts the following individuals from wearing masks:
  • Persons younger than two years old. Very young children must not wear a mask because of the risk of suffocation.
  • Persons with a medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that prevents wearing a mask, including persons with a medical condition for whom wearing a mask could obstruct breathing or who are unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove a mask without assistance.
  • Persons who are hearing impaired, or communicating with a person who is hearing impaired, where the ability to see the mouth is essential for communication.
  • Persons for whom wearing a mask would create a risk to the person related to their work, as determined.

The text of the order is available at cchealth.org/coronavirus.

Copies of this Order shall promptly be: (1) made available at the Office of the Director of Contra Costa Health Services, 1220 Morello Avenue, Suite 200, Martinez, CA 94553; (2) posted on the Contra Costa Health Services website; and (3) provided to any member of the public requesting a copy of this Order. Questions or comments regarding this Order may be directed to Contra Costa Health Services at (844) 729-8410.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

 

Cases in which a jury has already been empaneled and the trial underway, will proceed as previously scheduled.

By Allen Payton

In response to concerns of juries being cancelled as of Monday, Dec. 27, a spokesperson for the Contra Costa Superior Court provided the following explanation:

“The Court remains open and fully operational with one exception. The Court has suspended jury selection/panels out of an abundance of caution with the increased infection rate in the County having risen 165%.  This will only impact any case in which voir dire is currently underway or in cases set to begin between now and January 14th. Cases in which a jury has already been empaneled and the trial underway, shall proceed as previously scheduled.

This is a very disappointing development as the Court was making good progress in addressing the backlog of cases.

That said, the risk of exposure and infection for court employees and court users (including defendants detained in county jail) is too great for the time being in light of the new COVID-19 variant and significant rise in infection rates in Contra Costa County.

All other services remain open to the public and are functioning.”

Petition approved by deputy city clerk on Monday; second recall Householder faces including possible removal as school board trustee, third in city with Thorpe also facing possible removal as mayor

By Allen Payton

Ellie Householder made local history, last year by becoming the first person to be elected as both an Antioch School Board trustee and a City of Antioch official, when she was elected city clerk. This year, she’s made history, again – as the first person in Antioch to face recall from both positions. On Monday, Deputy City Clerk Christina Garcia, a Certified Municipal Clerk, informed recall proponent, and former Antioch School Board Trustee Diane Gibson-Gray that the petition submitted 10 days ago was approved – on the last legal day required, because Garcia was on vacation, last week. Householder City Clerk Recall Petition Certification Letter -122721 – redacted

The organizers can now begin gathering the necessary 9,521 valid signatures of registered voters in the city to place Householder’s second recall on the ballot. They have 160 days collect them, which gives them until June 6, 2022. However, if enough signatures are gathered sooner, the recall election could be placed on the June Primary Election ballot.

This is the third recall being faced by an Antioch elected official, with signatures already being gathered to remove and replace Mayor Lamar Thorpe, who is Householder’s political ally. The organizers for his recall must have the same 9,521 signatures to place his name on the ballot.

In their message to Householder, the recall proponents included their reasons for the recall on the petition. SUBMITTED-PETITION FOR HOUSEHOLDER CITY CLERK RECALL

It reads, “The grounds for the recall are as follows: You violated the California Public Records Act (Government Code 6253) by failing to provide a copy of a public document to the records department at Antioch City Hall and thus hindered a constituent from their right to inspect a public record. You rejected the first drafted petition to recall the Antioch mayor without including a statement of what alterations to the petition were necessary (Elections Code 11042(c)). You then rejected a second petition citing election code 107(b), which is not applicable to the recall effort. You ignored the proponents request to send your findings via email, instead choosing to send them via certified mail at a cost to the city and cited elections code 11224 as your reason to not email them. Election code 11224 refers to the certification process of approved petitions that have already been signed by registered voters and was erroneously cited. You omitted emails from a Public Records Request, once again violating the California Public Records Act. This misuse and misapplication of Election Codes and continued violations of Government Code 6253 illustrates your inability to do the job in which you were elected and warrants your removal.”

In addition, the recall supporters provided a timeline of the process for obtaining approval for Thorpe’s recall petition. It took Householder almost two months, from October 11 until Dec. 2nd to approve the petition, on the organizer’s fourth attempt. (See related article).

Householder was served with the notice to recall her on Nov. 30 while awaiting Thorpe to arrive for one of his press conferences. She had the opportunity, within 10 days, to provide a written answer in response to the allegations against her on the petition, but like the mayor, she chose not to. (See related article)

Some supporters of the mayor’s recall have speculated that the California Secretary of State’s Office communicated with and directed Householder, in response to the third submittal of the petition by the organizers of the mayor’s recall, to provide more details of what the city clerk’s office was requiring them to do in order to comply.

Householder and Garcia were asked via email Monday night, if that is true and, if so, to provide a copy of the communication between the Secretary of State’s Office and their office. Householder was specifically asked, if not, why did she finally decide to provide those details that she didn’t provide in her first two response letters.

In addition, Householder was asked via email and phone message, Monday night, “now that the petition for your recall as City Clerk has been approved for signature gathering, since you didn’t provide a written ‘Answer’ in response to the recall notice that would have been printed on the petition, as you were allowed, would you like to respond now? What do you want to say to the voters about the multiple allegations against you, written in the petition?”

As of Tuesday morning, at 10:50 a.m., neither of them had responded. An additional attempt to reach Garcia Tuesday morning was also unsuccessful.

A Public Records Act request was made by the Herald to Deputy City Clerk Garcia, for copies of any and all communication between Householder and the California Secretary of State’s Office regarding the recall of Mayor Lamar Thorpe. Garcia has 10 days to provide any document(s) or a reason why they can’t be provided.

Organizers have set up a Facebook page to support their efforts to recall Householder as city clerk.

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Four of the Six Distinct Population Segments of the Frog Warrant Protection; comment period Dec. 27, 2021 – February 28, 2022

In response to a Center for Biological Diversity petition and lawsuit, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for four geographically and genetically distinct population segments (DPS) of the Foothill yellow-legged frog.

“At last, these little lemon-legged frogs, who are such an integral part of our natural stream ecosystems, have gotten the protection they need to survive,” said Jeff Miller, a senior conservation advocate at the Center. “Protecting these precious creatures will also help safeguard the coastal and Sierra foothill rivers and creeks we all rely on for clean drinking water and recreation.”

The Foothill yellow-legged frog, named for its yellow belly and underside of its rear legs, is found from the Willamette Valley in Oregon to the Santa Lucia mountain range in southern California and from the Pacific coast to the western slopes of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountains. The amphibian faces several threats, including altered waterflows related to water infrastructure; competition with and predation by non-native species; disease; precipitation and temperature changes related to climate change; high-severity wildfires; water-related recreation; and habitat conversion and degradation.

“We closely examined the condition of each DPS and the threats they face. Using the best available science, we determined which populations warranted protections under the ESA and where future recovery efforts should be focused,” said Michael Fris, field supervisor of the Service’s Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office.

To assess the condition of each DPS, the Service evaluated data collected on the frog’s occupancy of streams in its historical range. The Service is proposing to list the South Coast DPS and South Sierra DPS as endangered due to a strong pattern of declining stream occupancy, as well as rapid reductions in occupied range. The North Feather DPS and Central Coast DPS are proposed to be listed as threatened due to decreasing levels of stream occupancy and the potential for a variety of threats to cause additional declines. The North Coast DPS and North Sierra DPS are not warranted for listing after the data showed high levels of occupancy in streams located throughout their ranges, making them more resilient to environmental changes and catastrophic events.

“Our goal is to help the foothill yellow-legged frog recover across its range,” said Fris. “Ongoing collaboration with a number of partners will result in positive conservation gains and put this frog on the road to recovery.”

The Service is working closely with partners at the Oakland Zoo, U.S. Forest Service, Garcia and Associates, Pacific Gas and Electric and California Department of Fish and Wildlife to raise foothill yellow-legged frogs in captivity and release them into Plumas National Forest. The first group of captive-reared frogs, 115 in total, was released in July 2020. A second group of 36 was released in April 2021.

A copy of the finding will publish in the Federal Register on December 28, 2021, and is available for public inspection now. The Service plans to develop and propose critical habitat at a later date. The public can submit comments on the proposed listing and read supporting information at www.regulations.gov by searching Docket Number FWS–R8–ES–2021–0108. Comments should be submitted by February 28, 2022.

About USFWS

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more information about our work and the people who make it happen, visit the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office website. Connect with us via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals, and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit http://www.fws.gov/. Connect with our Facebook page, follow our tweets, watch our YouTube Channel and download photos from our Flickr page.

Meghan Snow, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office and Herald Publisher Allen Payton contributed to this report.

 

By Antioch Police Department

While you were enjoying your holiday, thought you’d like to know that a team of dedicated officers were patrolling the town day and night stopping Grinches in their tracks.

Earlier Christmas day, one such Grinch pulled out a knife while shoplifting alcohol and snacks from the 7-Eleven at Hillcrest and East Tregallas. The introduction of the knife turned this petty theft misdemeanor into a felony armed robbery. The employee got on the phone right away with 9-1-1 and spoke to one of our highly skilled dispatchers, who put the call out immediately. The employee obtained a great description, which allowed Officer Amiri and his faithful companion Canine Purcy to sniff him out quickly.

When officers contacted said Grinch, he did not want to give up right away, so they used de-escalation skills, and the presence of Canine Purcy to get him safely into handcuffs without any further malfeasance. It was off to the County Jail and our Blue Day Shift team handed the reins to our evening shift to watch over our fair city.

Merry Christmas Antioch! Call us if you need us.