All seven state legislators representing portions of Contra Costa County voted for both bills

By Jonah McKeown | Catholic News Agency

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a pair of bills Sept. 22 that relate to privacy surrounding abortion, and a policy expert commented to CNA that the laws highlight the importance of parent-child communication regarding difficult topics such as abortion.

All seven state legislators representing portions of Contra Costa County voted for both bills, including Senators Steve Glazer, Nancy Skinner and Bill Dodd, and Assemblymembers Tim Grayson, Jim Frazier, Rebecca Bauer-Kahan and Buffy Wicks.

Kathleen Domingo, Executive Director of the California Catholic Conference, told CNA that the new laws, while “absurd” and harmful, are just the latest in a pattern of performative pro-abortion actions taken by California lawmakers over a period of decades.

“The reality is that this isn’t really anything new, and I think this is important for people to know…this has been the agenda of California for decades,” she said.

AB 1184 allows insured individuals, including minors, to keep “sensitive services” confidential from the insurance policyholder, generally their parents.

The law requires insurance companies to “accommodate requests for confidential communication of medical information” regardless of whether “disclosure would endanger the individual.” Set to take effect in July 2022, the law specifically mentions “sexual and reproductive health” and “gender affirming care” as potentially “sensitive services.”

California has a parental consent law for minors seeking abortions on the books, but the law is permanently enjoined by court order, meaning minors in California can seek abortions without their parents’ knowledge or permission. Planned Parenthood provides resources instructing teens how to hide abortions from their parents, Domingo noted.

Also signed Sept. 22 was AB 1356, which makes it illegal to film or photograph patients or employees within 100 feet of an abortion clinic “with the specific intent to intimidate a person from becoming or remaining a reproductive health services patient, provider, or assistant.” Domingo said this law could affect pro-life campaigners and sidewalk counselors, who may merely want to film or photograph themselves and their work outside abortion clinics.

Domingo said laws of this kind reinforce the importance of parents and guardians talking to and building trust with their children, and encouraging them to seek their parents’ advice in difficult situations.

“It really comes down to having conversations in your own families, and making sure that your children understand what your values are, and understand that they can come and talk to you if they have situations that are difficult,” Domingo said.

“If they know of someone who has a situation, if they themselves get into a situation where they need help, I think more than anything it’s just continuing that conversation and making sure are families are equipped to know what to do in those moments, that our parishes are equipped to know what to do, so that if you have a situation where a young woman finds herself in need, she knows who to talk to: our pregnancy resource centers and our pro-life pregnancy clinics up and down the state.”

Domingo said while performative pro-abortion laws will likely continue to be passed in California, supporting pro-life alternatives is the best way to combat them.

“That truly is the work that is needed. We can’t necessarily combat these laws that keep compounding abortion in California, but we can do the grassroots efforts that we have been doing for almost 50 years in California of helping people one at a time and saving families one at a time.”

A group of Republican lawmakers wrote to Newsom before he signed the bills into law, urging him to veto them instead.

“We should be encouraging parents and family to be involved in their children’s lives, not removing them further from it,” the letter reads, which was signed by nine state senators.

They also argued, in a more pragmatic vein, that AB 1184 would put policyholders in the “impossible position” of being financially responsible for bills incurred by their dependent children, but which they have no means of verifying because of the new confidentiality rules.

Newsom’s office heralded the laws as a strengthening of California’s status as a “haven” for women seeking abortions.

“This action comes in the wake of attacks on sexual health care and reproductive rights around the country, including the U.S. Supreme Court’s failure to block Texas’ ban on abortion after six weeks,” a statement from Newsom’s office reads, referring to a pro-life law in that state that took effect Sept. 1.

“California is a national leader on reproductive and sexual health protections and rights, and Governor Newsom’s actions today make clear that the state will remain a haven for all Californians, and for those coming from out-of-state seeking reproductive health services here.”

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Second incident between Torres-Walker and police in less than a year

“This is an embarrassment to the city, again. Enough is enough.” – Councilman Barbanica

By Allen Payton

According to reports, police were dispatched to District 1 Antioch Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker’s home shortly after midnight Saturday night, following calls to APD of noise complaints including dirt bikes riding in the street, loud music and gunshots. When officers arrived multiple shell casings were found in front of her home, she emerged from the house, appeared intoxicated, confronted and berated the officers, and interfered in their investigation, including taking the papers of a woman to whom they were speaking to at the scene, from one of the officer’s hand.

In response, Mayor Lamar Thorpe and Mayor Pro Tem Monica Wilson are calling for her resignation as chair of the Antioch Police Oversight Standing Committee, while District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica and Antioch Economic Development Commission Chair Tim McCall are calling for Torres-Walker to resign from the council. District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock is taking it further than Thorpe and Wilson, but not as far as Barbanica and McCall, by calling for Torres-Walker’s complete removal from all council appointed committees. She has also asked that the police body cam video “footage be released as soon as possible.”

Thorpe issued the following statement, posted on his official Facebook page, Monday afternoon:

“I have been briefed about a recent incident over the weekend involving the Antioch Police Department and Councilmember Torres-Walker. As the mayor of the city of Antioch, I am requesting that Councilmember Torres-Walker immediately step down from her role as the chair of the Antioch Police Oversight Committee.

As elected officials, we do not have to always agree on issues, but we must always agree on the fact that we must set an example for the rest of the city and treat our public employees with respect and dignity for their contributions to our community.”

In a post on her official Facebook page, Monday night, Wilson simply wrote, “Given recent events, it is in the best interest of our city that Councilwoman Torres-Walker step aside in her role as Chair of the Police Oversight Committee.”

Barbanica posted on his official Facebook page more extensive remarks on Monday night.

“This afternoon, I started receiving calls about this weekend’s incident with Council Member Torres-Walker. At 12:46 I began to reach out to Council Member Torres-Walker and asked her to meet in person. This was so I could ask her to immediately resign from the Antioch City Council. I did want her to hear it directly from me. She told me that she could meet me Wednesday, but I requested that it happen today, even if by phone. She told me that she would call and I didn’t hear from her, later stating that we could possibly meet after 5 PM. At 4:38 PM Council Member Torres-Walker did not respond to my request to again meet in person.

I requested to meet with Chief Morefield. He confirmed that there was an active investigation, but details were limited because the PD is investigating this as a shooting. I did confirm that multiple body cameras were active as officers were on scene.

I spoke with the press at 4:53 PM and told them that I am calling for her immediate resignation from the City Council. I also am calling for the APD to release the body cam footage as soon as possible. Total transparency was the reason many of us supported these cameras. We do not need the city dragged through another year of this.”

When reached later for additional comment, the councilman said, “this is an embarrassment to the city, again. Enough is enough. We’re coming up on a year of her previous incident.” Barbanica was referring to the incident, last December, between Antioch police officers, Torres-Walker and her two sons who were illegally riding off road vehicles on city streets. (See related articles here, here, here, here and here)

“This is not conduct becoming of a city council member. It is my belief she should not put the city through this, again. She should do the right thing and resign her position,” he reiterated.

McCall wrote Monday evening, “As chairman of the Antioch Economic Development Commission, I am calling for the resignation of City Council Member Torres-Walker.  Her multiple displays of poor judgement in the City of Antioch is negatively affecting the City’s ability to attract and retain businesses which supply jobs and goods to our residents and community. In addition, I am calling on Mayor Thorpe to remove Torres-Walker from the police oversight committee.”

10/05/21 UPDATE: When reached for comment Tuesday morning, District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock shared a statement she issued on Monday calling for Torres-Walker to step down completely from the Police Oversight Standing Committee, as well as all council-appointed committees.

“Due to recent events over the weekend at Councilmember Torres-Walker’s home, I believe it is in the best interest of the city that she immediately, step down from the Police Oversight Standing Committee and all council-appointed committees she has been appointed to. I would also ask that she be censured at this time until the on-going investigation is completed.

We as council have to hold ourselves to a higher standard and not degrade or be verbally abusive to our police officers. No city employee should be treated in such a manner.

This incident should not overshadow the good work by our Antioch Police Department, nor the progress being made throughout the City of Antioch.”

In addition, in a post on her official Facebook page on Tuesday, Ogorchock wrote, “For those of you who are asking the City Council to remove Councilmember Torres-Walker as a Councilmember, we cannot do that. She is an elected official, District 1 voted her into office, we do not have the power to remove her. We as council can have her released from the committees/commissions she’s part of and this should be on council’s upcoming agenda.

We all want to see the video footage from the body cams, but this is part of the APD’s investigation. I have asked that that footage be released as soon as possible.”

Efforts to reach Torres-Walker for comment, via text and email Monday evening, were unsuccessful prior to publication time, and no comment has been posted on either her official or personal Facebook pages about the incident.

A call was made to the APD Media line for more information Monday afternoon, and an email was sent to both Acting Chief Morefield and City Attorney Smith requesting more details, as well as a public records act request for copies of the police body and dash cam footage of the incident, after work hours.

In a Wednesday email, Captain Trevor Schnitzius responded, “This is an open and ongoing criminal investigation.  We do not have additional information to release at this time.  With respect to your PRA, that is being evaluated for any items that may be available for release pursuant PRA.  You should receive correspondence regarding your PRA request in accordance with established timelines as outlined in PRA legislation.”

10/12/21 UPDATE: In an email received on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021, Police Records Supervisor Lynn Dansie wrote, “The Antioch Police Department is in receipt of your recent Public Records Act request for body camera footage and dash camera footage of a recent incident that resulted in case #21-8418, involving a local Councilwoman.  Because this is an active investigation and still considered to be an open case, the records that may be responsive to your request are being denied for release under GC 6254(f), GC 6254(k) and GC 6255(a), at this time.”

Incident Details

In addition, Dansie wrote, “A press release is not planned to be released.  As described in GC 6254(f)(2), the following details regarding the call, are available.  Officers responded to the 500 block of Gary Ave on October 3, 2021 at 0027 hours, for a report of a loud party and shots heard, in the area.  There were no victims, no injuries, and no property loss determined at the time of officers’ arrival.  As mentioned, this is an open and continuing investigation at this time.”

Help draw your representatives’ districts the way you’d like to see them; provided by 2020 California Citizens Redistricting Commission and Statewide Database

SACRAMENTO, CA—On Saturday, Oct. 2, the 2020 California Citizens Redistricting Commission announced the Statewide Database’s release of two free-to-use tools to help Californians submit redistricting plans to the Commission. These are the only redistricting applications through which users can submit their input directly to the state of California’s official redistricting process.

“The Commission is excited to share these free resources to help people draw their own district maps,” stated Commission Chair Sara Sadhwani. “The success of this decennial process depends on the participation of all Californians. We want to hear from everyone and want to know if our line drawing is heading in the right direction.”

“The Statewide Database is proud to provide two map creation tools that are free of charge,” said Karin Mac Donald, Director of the Statewide Database. “The key to participation is access. These online tools aim to expand access to every Californian in hopes that they have the tools necessary to participate in the redistricting process.”

Tell the CRC about your community today!

The previously released Draw My CA Community allows users to draw a map of and respond to a few simple prompts about their Communities of Interest. When finished, users can submit community input directly to the California Citizens Redistricting Commission for consideration in the statewide redistricting process. (https://drawmycacommunity.org/)

Draw My CA Districts is a free-to-use online tool for creating district maps

Through the newly released Draw My CA Districts web application, users can create district maps throughout the state of California and submit those maps directly to the Commission. (https://drawmycadistricts.org/)

Draw My CA is a free-to-use plugin for the open-source GIS platform, QGIS

Today’s release of the Draw My CA QGIS plugin allows users to download a California redistricting application to their own computer.  With this plugin, users can create redistricting plans for the state of California and submit those maps directly to the Commission while having access to a full GIS platform. Draw My CA will be available 10/03/2021 at: https://www.redistrictinggroup.org/installer/.

To learn more about these tools, please visit https://drawmycalifornia.org/.

Both the online district mapping tools (Draw My CA Districts and Draw My CA) include functionality to assist users to comply with population deviation, contiguity and assignment checks.

• % Deviation check – tells the user to what extent any of their districts are above or below the ideal population of the distinct type they are working on
• Contiguity check – lets the user know if their districts are contiguous or not
• Assignment check – lets the user know if they have unassigned areas in their redistricting plan

The Commission must follow the following criteria, in this order, when drawing district maps:

1. Districts must be of equal population to comply with the US Constitution.
2. Districts must comply with the Voting Rights Act to ensure that minorities have an equal opportunity to elect representatives of their choice.
3. Districts must be drawn contiguously, so that all parts of the district are connected to each other.
4. Districts must minimize the division of cities, counties, neighborhoods and communities of interest to the extent possible.
5. Districts should be geographically compact: such that nearby areas of population are not bypassed for a more distant population. This requirement refers to density, not shape. Census blocks cannot be split.
6. Where practicable each Senate District should be comprised of two complete and adjacent Assembly Districts, and Board of Equalization districts should be comprised of 10 complete and adjacent State Senate Districts.

In addition, the place of residence of any incumbent or political candidate may not be considered in the creation of a map, and districts may not be drawn for the purpose of favoring or discriminating against an incumbent, political candidate, or political party.

Every 10 years, after the federal government publishes updated census information, California must redraw the boundaries of its electoral districts so that the state’s population is evenly allocated among the new districts.

In 2008, California voters passed the Voters First Act, authorizing the creation of the independent California Citizens Redistricting Commission to draw new State Senate, State Assembly, and State Board of Equalization district lines. In 2010, the Voters First Act for Congress gave the Commission the responsibility of drawing new Congressional districts following every census.

For more information, please visit WeDrawTheLinesCA.org.

 

Would allow creation of “Education Savings Account” for each K-12 student; organizers will need to gather signatures of one million voters

By Michael Alexander

Labor Day is the traditional end of the summer and the beginning of fall.  Before government created the perpetual school year, Labor Day also marked the beginning of the school year. This year, Labor Day marked the beginning of what will be a decisive and tumultuous year.  Californians will have the opportunity to establish true educational freedom in our wonderful Golden State.

School Choice Initiative Filed with Attorney General

In August, key leaders of the California School Choice Foundation joined other Californians to formally present a school choice initiative to the California Attorney General’s office for what is known as “Title and Summary.”  We expect to receive that summary no later than October 12, 2021.  Once that happens, we can then begin to gather the 1.0 million valid signatures necessary to place it on the November 2022 ballot.  Just to make sure, we plan to gather 1.5 million signatures.

Empowers Parents and Revolutionizes Education in California

The key four points of the initiative are these:

Educational Freedom Act

1. An Education Savings Account (“ESA”) will be established for each K-12 child in California on request.
2. Each year, that account will be credited with the student’s share of what are known as Prop 98 funds. That share will begin at $14,000 per year per student.
3. The parent will be able to direct the ESA trust funds to a participating, accredited private or parochial school. The money will follow the student not the politicians.
4. Any unspent funds will accumulate and can be spent on college, vocational training or other qualified educational expense.

This plan is both simple and revolutionary.  Once passed, California will become the first state to enact universal school choice.  More important, it will be the first state to recognize that It’s Your Kids, Your Money and Your Choice!

Get Ready and Get Involved NOW!

I need not tell you that school choice is the hottest issue in the country.  It was the linchpin of at least two candidates in the recall election:  Larry Elder and Kevin Kiley.  Each endorsed our school choice initiative. You can understand why this is initiative is already driving bureaucrats and social engineers insane.  No matter what happened in the recall election, school choice is not going anywhere.  Thousands of supporters are now mobilizing to get it on the ballot and pass it.  Scores of candidates for statewide and local offices will make school choice the focal point of their campaigns.

This is why you need to get involved right now.  We don’t have a moment to lose.

Super Sunday – Happy Halloween!  Trick or Treat? 

As I mentioned above, we are not standing still for a moment.  We know we will be able to start gathering signatures a month from now.  We have been organizing and advocating for the last three years.

We want to hit the ground running.  That’s why we are pre-planning a major event for October 30-31.  Whether you call it Super Sunday or Halloween, you need to let us know what church or other venue you will be covering on that weekend.  Our goal is to calendar at least 1,000 events statewide.  Nothing will send a more powerful message than this.  Friends and foes alike will know we are serious about our freedom and the future of our children.

This campaign will run for the next 13 months, ending in victory on Tuesday, November 8, 2022.

The following was provided by Stephen Smith.

Q1.  What about California’s public education system led to this grassroots effort for the initiative?

The reasons are legion.

1. California schools can hardly be called an “education” system. Despite spending $20,000 per student per year – – that’s an average of $500,000 per classroom of 25 – – California schools rank near the bottom of the nation at 48th place. This has happened even though per pupil spending has almost doubled in the last decade.
2. Increasingly, California schools preferred to indoctrinate rather than educate. In the face of vigorous parental opposition, social engineers (*1) disguised as “educators” continue their efforts to implement critical race theory. They also have frustrated efforts of parents to opt out of equally controversial “sex-ed” programs. (*2)
3. Parents are outraged by the closure of the schools and mask mandates. Eighteen months after the start of the Covid panic, schools are still not fully reopened.
4. Parents are frustrated by being ignored by school boards, teachers’ unions and politicians. They feel strongly – – and correctly – – that they are the parents and should be making basic decisions about the health, education and formation of their children. This is a basic human right that is frustrated daily by a leviathan system that cares little for them for their children. (*3)

(*1) https://freebeacon.com/coronavirus/la-teachers-union-president-there-is-no-such-thing-as-learning-loss/  “There is no such thing as learning loss,” the union president told Los Angeles Magazine. “Our kids didn’t lose anything. It’s OK that our babies may not have learned all their times tables. They learned resilience. They learned survival. They learned critical thinking skills. They know the difference between a riot and a protest. They know the words insurrection and coup.” Cecily Myart-Cruz, president of the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA)

(*2) https://capitolresource.org/ca-sex-education/

(*3) CPC report and polling data https://californiapolicycenter.org/new-polling-shows-covid-19-shifted-california-voters-opinions-on-schools-2/

Q2. How will the state provide the $14K per student?

1. The principal source will be Proposition 98 tax revenues which, in the coming school year, will average approximately $14,000 per student. In fact, as noted above, the State spends approximately $20,000 per student per year.
2. Ultimately, of course, parents, like every other taxpayer in California, will pay dearly for their own K-12 education as well as that of their children. Politicians and other advocates of centralized, inefficient, and incompetent government schools, never let on that under proposition 98, 40% of California state tax revenues are earmarked for what they are pleased to call “education.” As a practical matter, therefore, everyone in California will pay for K-12 education their entire lives. The only question is whether they get the education they pay for. Therefore, we say: It’s Your Kids, Your Money, and Your Choice.

Q3. Why do students and families need school choice?

1. It should be recognized that what we call “school choice” is another way of describing parental choice. As discussed above, California schools, dominated by corrupt teachers’ unions and politicians have utterly failed to educate our children. This system particularly affects poor and minority communities who have no ability to escape the system. Therefore, they have no opportunity to escape the cycle of poverty and ignorance that so often characterizes our inner cities.
2. It is not only that they need school choice. It benefits all of us. In California, indeed in America itself, real progress depends upon economic, social, and political mobility. The foundation of this mobility is a decent education without which our poorest citizens cannot hope to participate fully in our complex economy and our form of government. The current government school monopoly both creates and sustains a permanent underclass. This system is not only immoral, but also dangerous.  Therefore, our school choice initiative must first be understood as a preferential option for the poor.
3. School choice is wildly popular among parents and citizens at large. There are several polls showing that approximately 70% of black and Latino Democrat parents desire some form of school choice.
4. Another example is homeschooling. It is estimated that there were only 73,000 homeschooled children in 1973.  In the wake of school closures and the rapid decline in education, that number has swollen to as much as 5 million.  These parents are tired of arguing with the teacher unions and politicians.

Q4. Is this the first ballot initiative of its kind in the U.S.?

1. This is not the first time that Californians have tried to get some form of school choice. There was an initiative on the ballot in the early 90’s and again in 2000.  Both failed.  That said, there are several states that have various forms of school choice that often include the ability of parents to choose a public school to attend but only within the system.  Other state programs do allow limited funds to attend a private school or provide funds for certain educational expenses procured outside the system.  Arizona and Florida are examples of each.  Some states have put Education Savings Accounts into place to implement parental choice.
2. The Educational Freedom Act initiative goes further than any other proposal of which we are aware. It grants the right of any parent to request the creation and funding of an Education Savings Account that they can use to enroll their child in any accredited school of their choice and save anything left over for college or vocational training.  It is both simple and revolutionary.

Q5. Why does it need to happen through a voter referendum instead of the state legislature?

1. This is simple. The politicians, special interests and the teachers’ unions have a monopoly on what millions of Californians say, think and do.  They also control for their own benefit 40% — over $100 billion – of the California budget.  They will not give up this power willingly.  We anticipate that the enemies of educational freedom will spend $100 – 200 million to defeat parents’ rights.

Q6. What is most important for people to know?

1. The most important thing for people to know is that help is on the way. For the first time:
2. Parents, not politicians, bureaucrats or zip codes, will determine how and where their children will be education.
3. Because all schools, both public and private, will have to compete for students, ALL schools will get better.
4. Because of competition, all schools will have to deal respectfully with parents who will be customers with a choice.
5. Parents, including homeschoolers, will be able to shape their children’s education in a way best suited to their needs and talents, not the government’s.
6. Because educational funding will now follow the student and empower parents, California will experience unprecedented innovation in education. California will once again lead the nation in educational innovation and excellence.

For more information visit www.CaliforniaSchoolChoice.org or our Facebook page.

Michael Alexander is President and Chairman of the Board and Stephen Smith is Vice President of Californians for School Choice.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Beginning early Monday morning; “We’re drowning. There’s just not enough staff…” – Sutter Delta ER technician; “We stand by our offer, and SEIU should too: they negotiated this contract” – Sutter Health spokesperson

ANTIOCH, Calif. – Citing massive understaffing, difficult working conditions, and a series of unfair labor practices, more than 350 healthcare workers at Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch will strike next week. Workers will walk off the job and onto the strike picket line at 5 a.m. on Monday, October 4th.

Employees at Sutter Delta Medical Center say conditions are dire for caregivers and patients inside their facility as management ignores concerns about understaffing and working conditions. Workers are worried about patient and staff safety and say they’ve been pushed to the limit by their employer.

“We’re drowning. There’s just not enough staff,” said Jennifer Stone, an emergency room technician at Sutter Delta Medical Center. “We’re wearing too many hats – we’re talking down angry COVID patients, then we’re rushing to a code, then we’re talking to family members who just lost a loved one. We can’t give adequate care. We feel like management is ignoring our concerns and is leaving us to fend for ourselves. We can’t do it all anymore.”

Workers at Sutter Delta Medical Center say staffing shortages predate the COVID-19 pandemic and, as a result of years of poor staffing and management decisions by Sutter, the hospital already didn’t meet adequate staffing for average patient levels. Frontline caregivers say COVID exacerbated this already strained infrastructure, and their employer’s response to the pandemic has only worsened the preexisting crisis.

WHAT:          Caregivers in their uniforms will walk off the job joined by their coworkers and supporters, including SEIU-UHW President Dave Regan. Later, caregivers in their uniforms and scrubs will form picket lines, hold signs, chant, and give speeches.

WHEN:          MONDAY, October 4     5 a.m. Walkout    11 a.m. Speaking program

WHERE:       Sutter Delta Medical Center, 3901 Lone Tree Way (main entrance), Antioch

SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) is a healthcare justice union of more than 100,000 healthcare workers, patients, and healthcare activists united to ensure affordable, accessible, high-quality care for all Californians, provided by valued and respected healthcare workers. Learn more at www.seiu-uhw.org.

Sutter Health Responds

Sutter Delta Medical Center received a strike notice from SEIU in late September. In response a Sutter spokesperson issued the following statement.

“We received notice that SEIU intends to strike for five days at Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch beginning October 4. We are disappointed union leaders have chosen to distract from patient care by taking this action, especially at a time when we should be focusing our attention on caring for our community.

The union has proved its disregard for our patients and communities by engaging in a strike while refusing to make a good faith effort to reach a deal. In fact, Sutter Delta negotiators twice offered to work with a neutral federal mediator and the union refused –twice. It’s a clear statement that the union is more interested in flexing its political power than reaching a fair agreement on behalf of its members.

We stand by our offer, and SEIU should too: they negotiated this contract, were confident enough to place it on a ballot, and it was recently approved by more than 3,000 employees at seven other SEIU-represented hospitals across our system.

We value our caregivers and their continued commitment to compassionate patient care in the face of an unprecedented health crisis, which is why our proposed contract guaranteed pay and benefits that are as good or better than others in the area:

o   13% salary increase over four years: 3% yearly salary increases each year for 3 years and a 4% increase in year 4

o   100% employer paid health coverage for employees and their families.

o   Funding to support access for our employees to education, credentialing and growth opportunities and creates a pipeline for new hires.

We will continue to focus on our patients, as always, despite the union’s strike. Regardless of the union’s actions, our commitment to providing our patients with high-quality, safe patient care remains unchanged.”

Of December incident with her sons and her; no details offered on the recent evidence or any impropriety in first investigation; “I have reviewed the information in question and I’m in full support of this” – Councilman Barbanica, calls for full refund from first investigation

By Allen Payton

The City of Antioch announced that a second independent attorney will be hired to investigate the complaint by District 1 Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker against two Antioch Police officers for the incident involving her two sons riding dirt bikes illegally on city streets, due to “recent evidence” and to avoid “impropriety”. (See related articles here, here and here)

The first investigation conducted by attorney and company partner, Vida Thomas of the law firm Oppenheimer Investigations Group at a cost of almost $45,000 to the city, resulted in all of Torres-Walker’s claims in her complaint to be unfounded or not sustained. (See related articles here and here)

The councilwoman was not part of the decision for a second investigation, according to the city’s Public Information Officer, Rolando Bonilla.

In a press release issued Friday evening, he wrote, “Due to recent evidence brought to the City’s attention concerning an ongoing administrative investigation of a complaint brought by Tamisha Torres-Walker, and for the purpose of ensuring the City’s investigation into this matter is independent and free of even the appearance of impropriety, the City has decided to retain an alternative independent counsel to conduct further review of this matter.  In the interest of fairness to all involved parties, the City appreciates the patience of the parties and the public as the investigative process continues.  Due to the sensitive nature of the investigation and the privacy rights of those involved, the City cannot comment or provide additional information relating to this matter.  The City is taking these necessary steps to ensure that this matter is properly handled through a truly independent and thorough review of the circumstances.”

Asked “who will be the one to decide which outside investigator will be hired? The councilwoman?” Bonilla responded, “Councilmember Torres- Walker was not in the room when decision made, and she learned of decision the same way you did today.”

When asked what is the “recent evidence, was the investigator from Oppenheimer compromised, was there a conflict of interest between her or the company and either Chief Brooks or members of the APD, and what was the “impropriety” referred to in the press release, Bonilla did not respond.

Torres-Walker was asked, “do you have any comment you would like to add to this that you want the public to know? When were you informed of this?” and “were you part of the decision to hire a separate independent counsel to investigate your complaint?”

In addition, questions were sent to former Police Chief Tammany Brooks, whose last day was Thursday, Sept. 23, asking for comment and, “have you seen this press release and are you aware of the recent evidence and the accusation of impropriety with the outside investigation of Councilwoman Torres-Walker’s complaint?”

Acting Chief Tony Morefield was asked the same questions, Saturday morning.

The councilwoman, two police chiefs and Bonilla did not respond before publication time.

UPDATE: District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica weighed in on the matter, Saturday afternoon.

“This is a personnel matter so, there are a lot of things I can’t comment on. But what I can say is I have reviewed the information in question and I’m in full support of this. I will tell you Councilwoman Torres-Walker had absolutely nothing to do with. I’ve dealt with several outside investigations during my time as a police administrator, and I’ve sent a message to city staff asking them to demand all of our money refunded from the previous investigation.”

“I do not in any way support her video rant, the way she spoke against the police department shown in her video. I’m not excusing anything she did it. I feel it was not becoming of a council member,” he added. “But I believe in due process, and this is the course of action for anyone.”

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), on Wednesday, introduced the U.S. Air Travel Public Safety Act, a bill that would require all passengers on domestic airline flights to either be fully vaccinated, have recently tested negative for COVID-19 or have fully recovered from COVID-19.

The bill would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Federal Aviation Administration, to develop national vaccination standards and procedures related to COVID-19 and domestic air travel in order to prevent future outbreaks of the disease.

The bill would also require the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to make recommendations for COVID-19 vaccine use in health care settings and among health care personnel in other settings.

The legislation builds on a current CDC requirement that all air passengers traveling to the United States from a foreign country must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19. Last week, the Biden administration announced it will work with airlines to implement additional protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on international flights.

“We know that air travel during the 2020 holiday season contributed to last winter’s devastating COVID-19 surge. We simply cannot allow that to happen again,” Feinstein said.

“Ensuring that air travelers protect themselves and their destination communities from this disease is critical to prevent the next surge, particularly if we confront new, more virulent variants of COVID-19. This bill complements similar travel requirements already in place for all air passengers – including Americans – who fly to the United States from foreign countries. This includes flights from foreign countries with lower COVID-19 rates than many U.S. states.

“It only makes sense that we also ensure the millions of airline passengers that crisscross our country aren’t contributing to further transmission, especially as young children remain ineligible to be vaccinated.”

The bill is supported by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the American Public Health Association.

Dr. Barbara D. Alexander, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and professor of medicine and pathology at Duke University School of Medicine said: “Vaccination is a critical strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic, and vaccination requirements in multiple settings are an important mechanism to boost vaccination rates, prevent infections and hospitalizations and save lives. The Infectious Diseases Society of America supports Senator Feinstein’s legislation to require vaccination for domestic air travel as part of our nation’s broader COVID-19 vaccination strategy.”

Background

• According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 vaccines continued to offer strong protection after the Delta variant became predominant over the summer. People who were fully vaccinated were five times less likely to be infected and more than 10 times less likely to be admitted to the hospital or die compared to those who were unvaccinated.

• According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the United States is seeing its highest weekly totals of pediatric COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began. The CDC also found that in August, emergency department visits and hospital admissions among children were higher in states with lower vaccine rates and lower in states with higher vaccine rates.

• According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, people traveling to other counties or states last year contributed to higher COVID-19 case numbers in their destination communities. Authors of the study later observed that this was especially true during the 2020 summer and winter holidays.

• According to a Mayo Clinic Proceedings study, COVID-19 testing requirements for airline passengers could have a meaningful effect on detecting active infections either immediately before or after a flight.

• According to a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, about three in 10 people surveyed who were waiting to be vaccinated said they would be more likely to get vaccinated if airlines required passengers to be vaccinated. This number increased to about four in 10 among unvaccinated individuals who said they would only get the vaccine if required.

To contact the senator’s office, visit Contact – United States Senator for California (senate.gov).

“Case Rates for unvaccinated people in the county…peaked on Sept. 13, one day before the new health orders were issued.”

“…we are a long way from the levels of community transmission we experienced in spring…” – Contra Costa Health Services spokesman

By Allen Payton

The statistics on the Contra Costa Health Services Coronavirus Dashboard show COVID hospitalizations and cases in the county were already declining before the new health orders by county health officer, Dr. Chris Farnitano, issued them on Sept. 14. While the data trails the report by seven days, as the dashboard states, “data from the last 7 days is still being reported”, all the COVID-related stats continued to decline before the orders went into effect last Wednesday, Sept. 22.

The press release from CCHS on Sept. 15 read, “While the peak of the surge seems to have passed.” But the statistics showed it had passed. (See related article)

Hospital Bed Utilization

The 7-Day Average COVID-19 Inpatient Bed Utilization in the county decreased from 11.5% on Sept. 8 to 9.9% by the time the orders were issued on the Sept. 15. That continued to decrease to 8.1% on Sept. 22. They have continued to decrease through Sunday to 7.3% and were on the decrease since Aug. 28 when the percentages were first included in the stats, from 13.6%.

The statistics also show the percentage of COVID inpatient beds to Contra Costa Total Hospitalizations has decreased from a high of 19.4% on Sept. 6 to 10.7% on Sunday, Sept. 26.

In addition, of all the inpatient ICU beds in the county, about one-third have been filled by COVID patients has decreased from a high of 46% to 29% between Aug. 28 and Sept. 26.

New Cases

The Seven Day Rolling Average number of new COVID cases in the county peaked on Sept. 10 at 217.3, almost two weeks before the new health orders went into effect on Wed., Sept. 22.

Case Rates

The Case Rates for unvaccinated people in the county at 40 per 100,000 population and fully vaccinated people at 8.7 peaked on Sept. 13, one day before the new health orders were issued. Both continued to decline through Sept. 19 to 29.6 and 7.4 respectively, three days before the orders went into effect.

Questions for Farnitano & CCHS Staff

In light of that information, Farnitano and health services staff were asked the following questions via email Monday evening: “Why are the latest orders still in place? Are you willing to lift them, now? If not, what else must occur for that to happen?”

Response From CCHS Staff

Karl Fischer, Contra Costa Health Services spokesman responded, “For the past few weeks Contra Costa County’s COVID-19 transmission data have been trending in the right direction after a severe, sudden spike in new cases, hospitalizations and deaths earlier this summer.  

It’s also true that county data remain elevated since that spike, far above where they were when California relaxed its health orders in mid-June. As the press release you quoted correctly points out, our average daily case rate is similar to what we were recording in February, on the downslope of another severe spike. That information is also available on the dashboard.  

It is no accident that our county is now trending in the right direction.  

COVID-related public health measures, including recent health orders requiring people to wear masks when visiting indoor public spaces and show proof of vaccination or a recent, negative test result to enter the indoor parts of some high-risk public establishments, are helping to reduce transmission of the virus in our county.  

For example, on Aug. 3, the day our indoor masking health order took effect, the 7-day average number of daily new COVID-19 cases reported in our county was 412. One month later, on Sept. 3, that number had dropped to 245.9.

We hope to see similar improvement in coming weeks from the most recent health order, which took effect just last week. But, as I mentioned, we are a long way from the levels of community transmission we experienced in spring, when the state briefly seemed to be emerging from the pandemic.  

With winter approaching, a season where the spread of respiratory viruses such as COVID-19 is common, we are doing everything we can to prevent another severe surge, most importantly working to increase vaccination rates across our community – to save lives, keep our schools and businesses open, and our hospitals functioning.”

However, as the Dashboard shows, Contra Costa County was already trending in the right direction” two weeks before the new health orders went into effect.

Additional Questions

An additional question was sent late Wednesday afternoon, asking, “since Contra Costa was already significantly trending in the right direction through not just Sept. 3 but it continued through Sept. 22, with just the indoor mask-wearing order, why the need for the additional proof of vaccination or testing mandate? Is it an effort to pressure the unvaccinated to get vaccinated by taking away more of their freedoms?”

09/30/21 UPDATE: CCHS spokesman, Karl Fischer responded, “Contra Costa has made significant progress in lowering the number of new reported cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks. But, as I mentioned in my last response, our transmission data are still substantially far above the levels considered safe by the State of California when it lifted its health order on June 15.

I know you are aware of this information, as it is available on our public dashboard, but our 7-day rolling average number of daily new COVID-19 cases was 152.9 on Sept. 22, compared to 45.3 on June 15. Per capita, on June 15 we averaged 1.5 daily new hospital admissions due to COVID-19 for unvaccinated people, compared to 5.5 on Sept. 22. Contra Costa has a long way to go before it reaches the transmission levels the state considered just safe enough to reopen, just three months ago.

Contra Costa is committed to doing everything in its power to reduce COVID-19 transmission as quickly and effectively as possible – lives depend on it. That is why the county this month added a new, temporary requirement for patrons using the indoor areas of certain establishments where the virus is at high risk of spreading to show proof of vaccination at the door, or a recent, negative test result.

We believe this health order will help our community continue its progress reducing COVID-19 transmission, perhaps even accelerate it, and it may also help to head off another massive holiday surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths, like the one we experienced last winter.

We encourage anyone who is eligible to get vaccinated. Our transmission data are now slowing down thanks to the 80%+ of county residents who have already chosen to get vaccinated, and the willingness of the majority to temporarily endure inconvenience so we all may eventually enjoy living in a community where there is no elevated risk of contracting a deadly but highly preventable disease.

Why No Recovery Documentation Option in Contra Costa?

On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) on Wednesday, introduced the U.S. Air Travel Public Safety Act, a bill that would require all passengers on domestic airline flights to either be fully vaccinated, have recently tested negative for COVID-19 or have fully recovered from COVID-19. According to her office’s press release, “the legislation builds on a current CDC requirement that all air passengers traveling to the United States from a foreign country must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19.”

In response, the additional questions were sent to CCHS staff: “Why isn’t that last option, recovery documentation, being offered to people in Contra Costa to comply with the latest health orders if it’s allowed to be used for people traveling into our country? They aren’t even required to provide proof of vaccination. But we Americans do to participate in something that takes much less time than an international flight. Their plane trips are much longer than an hour which is usually the length of time it takes to have an indoor, sitdown meal. If that’s the science the federal government is following, why isn’t the CCHS also following it?”

Fischer replied, “Contra Costa Health Services did not include a provision for proof of prior infection in the Sept. 14 health order because, in our analysis of available research, we determined that the science remains unsettled around the efficacy or duration of natural immunity following a COVID-19 infection. We do have a better understanding of immunity provided by the available COVID-19 vaccines, thanks to the extensive clinical trials performed to ensure their safety and efficacy before they were made available to the public, and their performance in protecting millions of people worldwide this year.

While it’s true that someone who has COVID-19 must wait 90 days after their infection ends before testing again, they can receive COVID-19 vaccine as soon as their isolation period ends. So, in no case are patrons left without options for using the indoor portions of establishments affected by this order.”

Those who choose not to get the vaccine for one reason, or another will have to take a test and prove negative within three days each time they want to dine indoors at a restaurant, go to the gym, a bar, to the movies or another entertainment venue, such as a bowling alley.