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

Contra Costa County is preparing to respond to the impacts of a confirmed PG&E power shutoff event that will affect parts of the County. PG&E’s Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) is expected to start around 12 noon on Wednesday, October 9th, through Thursday, October 10th, at 12:00 pm. According to PG&E, complete power restoration may take one to five days.

PG&E estimates that 51,000 customers in Contra Costa County could lose power. We expect the shutoff to impact over 120,000 residents of the County. The PG&E power shutoff event will affect large areas of the County, including Bay Point, Canyon, El Sobrante, Kensington, Lafayette, Moraga, North Concord, Orinda, Pleasant Hill, Pinole, Pittsburg, Richmond, San Ramon and Walnut Creek. PG&E notice: Rossmoor and Danville will NOT be impacted by the PSPS. PG&E expects to start restoring power on Thursday, October 10^th with complete restoration possibly taking several days.

Shiu confirmed to the Herald that the list of cities and communities is not exhaustive and that a few customers in Antioch will be affected. She is checking with PG&E to get the details.

Contra Costa County is working to ensure that the public is aware of this PG&E power shutoff event.  The County’s Emergency Operation Center is now at a Level 2 partial activation.  Contra Costa County will be in business on Wednesday and Thursday. The Bay Point Health Center will be closed during the power shutoff.  Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) is contacting patients to reschedule appointments. Patients can also call the CCHS appointment line at 1 (800) 495-8885. Contra Costa Regional Medical and all other county health centers are not expected to be impacted by the outage. CCHS will continue to provide services during the outage.

PG&E Community Resource Center

2600 Camino Ramon, San Ramon

County Charging Stations (for mobile phones):

The County Employment & Human Services Department is setting up charging stations for community members during the PG&E power shutoff. These charging stations are available in the lobbies of the following locations starting Wednesday, October 9^th, from 8 am to 5 pm:

4545 Delta Fair Blvd., Antioch

151 Linus Pauling, Hercules

400 Ellinwood Way, Pleasant Hill

1305 Macdonald, Richmond

There are no scheduled public school closures in Contra Costa County for Wednesday, October 9.  For updates on school closures, go to www.cocoschools.org.

Go to Contra Costa County’s website at www.contracosta.ca.gov for updates, a PG&E map of impacted areas, and ways to prepare before, during and after a power outage. Check www.pge.com to register for wildfire alerts and for customer updates.

Please check back for any updates. Allen Payton contributed to this report.

 

Power Shutoff Preparedness-SO-5138

Power Shutoff Preparedness-SO-5138 (Español)

 

According to an email message from Tamar Sarkissian, media representative, for PG&E’s East Bay Public Affairs Team received at 5:55 p.m., Tuesday evening, there will be 40,219 customers affected by the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) in the following communities in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties: Antioch, Pittsburg, San Ramon, Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, Pinole, Richmond, Kensington, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, El Cerrito, El Sobrante, Canyon, San Pablo, Rodeo, Concord, Martinez, and Berkeley and Albany.

It won’t affect everyone in Antioch as there are approximately 118,000 residents in the city.

The PSPS will begin at Midnight tonight (Tuesday/Wednesday) and last until noon on Thursday. However, it could take up to five days for power to be restored.

Sarkissian also provided the following press release:

PG&E Will Proactively Turn Off Power for Safety to Nearly 800,000 Customers Across Northern and Central California

Portions of 34 Counties Will be Impacted by Widespread, Severe Wind Event Beginning Wednesday; New Counties Added Since Monday: Marin, Humboldt, Trinity and Kern

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – As a precautionary measure to reduce wildfire risk during the forecasted severe wind event, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) confirmed that it will implement a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) in portions of 34 northern, central and coastal counties, affecting electric service for nearly 800,000 customers.

PG&E expects to begin turning off power in some areas early Wednesday, just after midnight. The power will be turned off to communities in stages, depending on local timing of the severe wind conditions, beginning with counties in the northern part of the state.

“The safety of our customers and the communities we serve is our most important responsibility, which is why PG&E has decided to turn power off to customers during this widespread, severe wind event. We understand the effects this event will have on our customers and appreciate the public’s patience as we do what is necessary to keep our communities safe and reduce the risk of wildfire,” said Michael Lewis, PG&E’s senior vice president of Electric Operations.

Customer notifications and impact

The company has been notifying potentially impacted customers and will continue to do so, via automated calls, texts and emails. However, customers not impacted by the PSPS may experience power outages due to PG&E equipment damaged during this major wind event; those customers will not be notified in advance.

It is very possible that customers may be affected by a power shutoff even though they are not experiencing extreme weather conditions in their specific location. This is because the electric system relies on power lines working together to provide electricity across cities, counties and regions.

Portions of Kern, Humboldt, Trinity and Marin counties have been added to the potential scope of this PSPS, in addition to the 30 counties identified Monday. Customers can find the full list of impacted counties, cities and communities at www.pge.com/pspsupdates.

Estimated time of restoration 2

 

Overall, based on the latest weather forecasts and models, PG&E anticipates that this weather event will last through midday Thursday, with peak winds forecasted from Wednesday morning through Thursday morning and reaching 40 to 55 mph, with isolated gusts up to 60 to 70 mph.

Before restoring power, PG&E must inspect its equipment for damage and make any necessary repairs. That process cannot begin until the severe weather event has subsided.

Given the prolonged period during which the wind event will unfold, and the large number of power line miles that will need to be inspected before restoration, customers are being asked to prepare for an extended outage.

PG&E will work with state and local agencies to provide updated restoration timelines following the conclusion of the severe weather event.

Community Resource Centers

To support customers in the affected areas, PG&E will open Community Resource Centers in several locations beginning on Wednesday, October 9, at 8 a.m. The centers will remain open during daylight hours only. Restrooms, bottled water, electronic-device charging and air-conditioned seating for up to 100 will be available at these facilities.

Centers will be opened at the locations below:

Contra Costa

San Ramon

Bishop Ranch Parking Lot – 2600 Camino Ramon, San Ramon 94583

How customers can prepare

As part of PSPS preparedness efforts, PG&E is asking customers to:

• Update their contact information at pge.com/mywildfirealerts or by calling 1-866-743- 6589 during normal business hours. PG&E will use this information to alert customers through automated calls, texts, and emails, when possible, prior to, and during, a PSPS.
• Plan for medical needs like medications that require refrigeration or devices that need power.
• Identify backup charging methods for phones and keep hard copies of emergency numbers.
• Build or restock your emergency kit with flashlights, fresh batteries, first aid supplies and cash.
• Keep in mind elderly family members, younger children and pets. Information and tips including a safety plan checklist are available at pge.com/psps.
• Continue to monitor PG&E’s new weather forecasting web page at pge.com/weather which is a dedicated page with weather forecasting information and a daily 7-day PSPS lookahead.

Generator safety

• Backup electric generators can be a part of any preparedness plan, but they can also pose unique safety hazards.
• It’s important to understand how to safely operate your generator before an emergency occurs. This means doing regular safety checks and being sure you have enough fuel to last a few days. If you don’t understand how to use your generator, you risk damaging your property, endangering your life and endangering the lives of others.
• Position your generator where its exhaust can vent safely to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, which can be fatal. Never run a portable generator in the garage or in the rain, and never store generator fuel in the house.
• Additional tips on the safe use of generators can be found at PG&E’s Safety Action Center at www.safetyactioncenter.pge.com.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

 

By Antioch Police Department

Yesterday morning, Saturday, Oct. 5, the APD dispatch center received a call about a commercial burglary in progress. Officers quickly responded to the scene and were able to surround the business. Officers made numerous announcements for the suspects to surrender, but they failed to do so.

K9 Purcy was on scene and assisted Officers with a building search. K9 Purcy was able to locate two suspects hiding in a crawl space and was able to assist in apprehending one of the suspects. Both suspects were ultimately arrested and booked into county jail for burglary.

This is a prime example where our K9 teams are invaluable in locating criminals during incidents such as these. We think Purcy deserves a puppuccino.

By Walnut Creek Police Department

A grab and run of $7,600 in merchandise occurred at Lululemon in Broadway Plaza on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019. A vigilant citizen contacted Walnut Creek Police Department and gave a description of the vehicle that fled the scene. This same vehicle had been involved in a theft the week prior from Lululemon where $4,000 in merchandise was also stolen.

The Walnut Creek Special Enforcement Team located the vehicle and the five suspects at a gas station in Antioch.

All subjects were taken into custody and charged for grand theft, burglary, and conspiracy. The suspects are Unique Evans, Samir Gray, Dewayne Harris, Erynn Chavis and a juvenile out of Antioch.

Shared with Peru woman photos and videos of her daughters

By U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of California, Department of Justice

SAN FRANCISCO – Freddy Jorge Horna was sentenced Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019 to 102 months in prison for distribution of child pornography, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Special Agent in Charge Tatum King, Homeland Security Investigations.  The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Jeffrey S. White, U.S. District Judge.

Horna, 39, of Antioch, pleaded guilty to the charge on April 9, 2019.

During 2018, Horna distributed child pornography using a social media platform to an adult woman in Peru.  The images depicted the woman’s two daughters, who were approximately 7 and 14 years old who resided in Peru, engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  Horna and the woman in Peru transmitted over 900 sexually explicit images and over 60 sexually explicit videos of the minor victims.

On August 1, 2018, a Criminal Complaint was filed charging Horna with distribution of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(2).  On August 16, 2018, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Horna with one count of distribution of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(2).  The woman in Peru was charged by the Peruvian government.  Following Horna’s arrest in 2018, she absconded. Peruvian authorities continue to search for her.  At that same time, Peruvian authorities took the minor victims into protective custody.

In addition to the prison term, Judge White sentenced Horna to a 5-year term of supervised release and ordered Horna to pay a special assessment of $5,100.

Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan U. Lee is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Jessica Rodriguez Gonzalez.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (San Francisco and Northern California); the Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force; and the Peruvian National Police.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

By Sergeant James Stenger #3604, Antioch Police Violent Crimes Unit (Investigations Bureau)

On Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019 at 1:55 PM, a large group of juveniles and adults became involved in an argument in the 4800 block of Knollcrest Drive, near Black Diamond Middle School. An unknown male produced a gun and fired several rounds at the crowd and at least two times into an occupied vehicle.

The 49-year-old, female driver of the vehicle suffered a graze wound to her leg, that did not require hospitalization. The Antioch Police Investigations Bureau are currently investigating the case in an attempt to identify and locate the suspect in this case.

No further information will be released regarding this case at this time. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Evans at (925) 779-6937, or the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925) 778-2441. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

By Antioch Police Department

On Monday, Sept. 30th, the Antioch Police Department welcomed lateral Officer Kody Odom. Kody was born in Antioch and raised in Nampa, Idaho. After graduating high school, Kody attended Boise State University where he received his bachelor’s degree in Social Science. After graduating from BSU, Kody moved to California to focus on getting hired as a Police Officer.

Kody was ultimately hired by the Brentwood Police Department and attended the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Academy in Pittsburg. Kody worked for the City of Brentwood for two years before accepting a job with the City of Antioch, where he had always aspired to be a Police Officer.
In his free time, Kody enjoys spending time with family and friends, in the outdoors, and playing music. He is the son of Kent and Nina Odom, the nephew of Katrina Odom-Culbreath, and Jimmy Odom, Jr. who lives in Antioch, and the grandson of the late Jimmy Odom, Sr.

“We’re excited he’s in Antioch,” said Jimmy Odom, Jr.

Fun Fact: While on probation at Brentwood PD, one night as Kody was doing foot patrol, his beat partners pranked him by staging a break in of his patrol vehicle. They hid his patrol rifle and other equipment and called for the supervisor to respond. Kody thought he was going to be let go from the department as a result, just before being let in on the prank.

That brings the total number of sworn officers on the Antioch police force to 106, according to Chief Tammany Brooks.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.