Labor unions representing more than 4,000 Contra Costa County employees – including some of the county’s lowest paid employees – have targeted the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors to urge an “equal and fair” agreement for healthcare. The BOS meeting is Tuesday Nov. 8 at 9 a.m. at the County Administration Building, 651 Pine St.

It is the third action in a month by Contra Costa County employees represented by Public Employees Union, Local One, AFSCME Locals 2700 and 512, SEIU Local 1021 and the Western Council of Engineers. They held rallies at four worksites Oct. 11 and at the BOS meeting later last month.

A key issue in the current bargaining, which started in late April, is healthcare. The County, under a recently negotiated tentative agreement with the Deputy Sheriffs Association (“DSA”), will pay for most of the increase in health care for deputy sheriffs, but has refused to pay any of the increase for its employees represented by the five Coalition unions. The Tentative Agreement between the County and the DSA is in the ratification process.

The five unions represent a vast array of public servants including custodians, clerks, health care workers, social workers, eligibility workers, appraisers, skilled craft workers, engineers, animal services employees, child care workers and librarians.

“The County has not budged from its position that our members pay 100 percent of the increases in monthly health care premiums while at the same time it is still demanding that our members agree to significant wage cuts and that we pay more for pensions,” said Felix Huerta, AFSCME Business Agent and the Coalition Chair.

“The County continues to insist that it will not pay a penny more for health care for our members even though it has now agreed with the DSA to pay the lion’s share of the health care increases for employees it represents. Good for the DSA. ‘What about us?’ is the question our members are asking. Does the Board think we are second class citizens,” Huerta said.

The Unions’ contracts expired June 30, 2011. They and the County have been bargaining since late April. The County is seeking significant wage and benefit cuts. The recently expired union contracts gave the County labor savings including major changes in health care for both active and retired employees. Since these 5 unions signed their last contracts in 2009, the County has not obtained the same changes in health care from all County employees. The DSA tentative agreement does not include them.

Faith and community leaders from ten congregations to present vision and proposals to address foreclosure prevention, health care access, immigrant integration, quality education, and jobs.

On Monday, November 7th at 7:00 pm, hundreds of East County residents will be gathering at St. Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Church, 3351 Contra Loma Blvd., Antioch to call on public and elected officials to stand with them and work together to address the pressing issues most affecting East County.

Clergy and community leaders will be presenting their vision and agenda to bring equity and justice around a critical set of issues that impact the future of the region. This action is the result of relational meetings with many of the families in over ten congregations and dozens of research meetings to develop these proposals for change.

CCISCO leaders will be sharing their research and proposals around the following key issues:

* Keeping families in their homes and holding banks accountable for blighted properties;

* Expanding pathways to jobs for local residents and developing local hiring policies;

* Strengthening linked learning pathways at public schools;

* Trust, relationship, and cooperation building between recent immigrants & long term residents;

* Expanding access to health care for all residents in the region.

Afterwards, public and elected officials will be asked to respond to the proposals and commit to working together to address these vital issues.

Confirmed Guests: Office of Rep. John Garamendi; Senator Mark Desaulnier; Office of Assembly Woman Susan Bonilla; Office of Assembly Woman Joan Buchanan; Supervisor Federal Glover; AUSD Superintendent Donald Gill; AUSD Board Members Walter Ruehlig and Gary Hack; LUHSD Superintendent Eric Volta; LUHSD Board Members Ray Valverde and Holly Hartman; Oakley City Mayor Jim Frazier; La Clinica de La Raza Regional Director Viola Lujan; BART Board Director Joel Keller.

Participating Institutions: St. Ignatius Catholic Church, Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, St. Anthony Catholic Church, Antioch Christian Center, Community Presbyterian Church, Most Holy Rosary Catholic Church, St. John Lutheran Church, Antioch Church Family, Islamic Center of the East Bay, and International Christian Ministry.

CCISCO
202 G St., Suite 1 – Mailing: P. O. Box 883
Antioch, CA 94509
P: (925) 779-9302
F: (925) 779-9303
www.ccisco.org

The Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) is leading a critical project to remove abandoned commercial vessels and hazardous debris from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The work, which began last week, targets a variety of locations on the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and associated waterways between Sacramento and Rio Vista.

“Abandoned vessels pose significant safety and environmental threats to our waterways,” CalRecycle Director Caroll Mortensen said. “By removing these illegally dumped hazards with the help of state and local partners, we continue California’s tradition of environmental stewardship while at the same time discouraging additional illegal dumping.”

Each site was identified for cleanup by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit or the State Lands Commission, and contains abandoned vessels as defined in the California Harbors and Navigational Code. The project is expected to last several weeks, though the timeline and project area may shift as water currents cause debris to move.

The cleanup builds on a similar March 2010 effort that resulted in the removal of multiple derelict boats near Fishermans Cut in the Delta, the estuary that provides drinking water to two-thirds of all Californians, is home to 500 plant and animal species, and attracts 12 million visitors annually.

In addition to abandoned vessels of varying sizes and stages of decay, marine debris ranging from simple litter to potentially hazardous pollutants—including oil, gas and diesel fuel, Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), asbestos, batteries, and paint—will also be removed as part of the project.

A private contractor, Pacific States Environmental, has been retained by CalRecycle to gather and separate waste materials using heavy equipment, marine salvage resources, commercial divers, and work crews. Once collected, trucks will haul materials to appropriate disposal or recycling facilities.

CalRecycle has committed $665,000 to the cleanup project through its Solid Waste Disposal Site Cleanup Program, and the State Water Resources Control Board has committed $100,000.

CalRecycle is responsible for investigation, cleanup, and enforcement of illegal solid waste disposal sites in California. The Solid Waste Disposal Site Cleanup Program supports CalRecycle’s mission to reduce the negative impacts of solid waste on public health and safety and helps local and regional entities reduce illegal dumping.

The program is funded through tipping fees collected when non-hazardous waste is deposited in landfills, currently $1.40/ton. About $5 million is allocated annually for a variety of program activities to clean up or prevent illegal dumping throughout California and encourage environmental preservation.

CalRecycle is the state’s leading authority on recycling, waste reduction, and product reuse. CalRecycle plays an important role in the stewardship of California’s vast resources and promotes innovation in technology to encourage economic and environmental sustainability. For more information, visit www.calrecycle.ca.gov.

Contra Costa County District III Supervisor Mary Nejedly Piepho Invites you to a Town Hall meeting for Antioch, Bethel Island and Oakley communities on Wednesday, November 2, 2011 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM, Prewett Park Community Center, 4701 Lone Tree Way, Antioch.

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors recently adjusted the Supervisorial District boundaries in compliance with the 2010 Census, and Antioch, Bethel Island and Oakley Communities are now in District III.

County Staff from the HWY 4 Bypass Authority, Veteran’s Services, Probation, Housing Authority, East County Transit Authority, Public Works, Sheriff’s Office, and Planning & Building Departments will be present at this meeting to provide information and to answer questions.

If you have questions please contact Jennifer Quallick, Field Representative at 925.820.8683 or at Jennifer.Quallick@BOS.CCCounty.us.

Anticipated heavy volume of riders

From BART:
We anticipate heavy volume of riders on Wednesday, Nov. 2. As always, BART’s primary mission is to ensure your safety and keep trains on-time. Listen for public address announcements and watch for electronic messages when inside stations.

To assist our disabled passengers, BART personnel will be available in stations to provide assistance as needed.

Keep informed
BART will use its website, mobile website, text alerts, email alerts and Customer Services phone line to update you on any changes we may make to BART service.

BART website news/advisories: www.bart.gov
BART mobile website news/advisories: m.bart.gov
BART email and SMS advisories: www.bart.gov/alerts
BART SMS on demand: Text ‘BART service’ to 878787 or see www.bart.gov/sms for more info
BART Phone Center: 510-465-BART (2278)
BART Twitter: @SFBART

A variety of churches in the Antioch area will host alternative, safe Halloween night events, this year. Golden Hills Community Church will host two events from 6 to 8 p.m. on October 31st. At their Antioch campus, located on East 18th Street at Woodland Drive, they’re hosting a Trunk or Treat candy give-away for kids.  One sealed bag of candy per child is the entrance price. At their Brentwood campus on Lone Tree Way, the church is hosting its 26th annual, free Harvest Carnival where kids play games to win candy.  For more information visit www.goldenhills.org.

Cornerstone Christian Center, located at 1745 East 18th Street in Antioch, will again host their Halloween alternative candy-giveaway called Hallelujah Night from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. One sealed bag of candy is the entrance price. For more information visit www.cornerstonechristian.net.

And the biggest event in East County on October 31st is the annual Holy Eve Carnival hosted by Grace Bible Fellowship with free food, free carnival rides, and of course free candy! The event will be held in the parking lot at Somersville Towne Center, 2556 Somersville Road from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information visit www.gbfofantioch.org.

Community support was key to withstanding false accusations; settlement terms validate city’s position, commitment to neighborhoods

Plaintiffs who accused Antioch’s residents and police department of engaging in a broad conspiracy of discrimination have agreed to dismiss their lawsuit in exchange for a settlement that is a fraction of what they originally sought.

This concession comes after more than three years of legal proceedings in which the City of Antioch consistently demonstrated the allegations to be false.

“This lawsuit was an attempt to take community policing — neighbors and police working together to build safer neighborhoods — and portray it as an elaborate and sinister conspiracy,” said City Attorney Lynn Tracy Nerland. “Eventually, the lawyers suing the city came to realize what Antioch residents have known all along – our city’s community policing programs have always been fair, unbiased and focused on addressing criminal, drug and nuisance activities in our neighborhoods.”

The settlement validates the city’s commitment to community policing and clears the way for future partnerships between neighborhood residents and police.

“Throughout the long process of litigation, city residents of every race and background consistently voiced their support for community policing and the Antioch Police Department,” said City Manager Jim Jakel. “Policing experts and academics examined our programs and deemed them examples of how to do things the right way. If anything, this process has deepened our commitment to working in partnership with the community to build stronger, safer neighborhoods.”

The city’s agreement to settle this case represents an economic decision. When faced with an offer from plaintiffs’ lawyers that was actually lower than the cost of proceeding to trial, Antioch’s joint risk insurance pool suggested that the city agree to the settlement. The Antioch City Council voted late Tuesday to approve the settlement agreement once the joint risk insurance pool has officially acted.

Under the agreement, the five named plaintiffs in the case will drop their lawsuit and abandon all claims against the city for a shared payment of $180,000. The plaintiffs’ lawyers negotiated the same amount for themselves, making the total payout $360,000.

“The plaintiffs’ lawyers will do their best to declare victory, but that will be hard work for them,” said James Fitzgerald, the lead attorney representing Antioch on the case. “This case was a reminder of the fact that while you can make headlines with ugly accusations, you need actual evidence to win a case. If plaintiffs’ lawyers believed there was one shred of evidence to support their clients’ claims, they wouldn’t have even looked at a settlement of this nature.”

The settlement also includes non-monetary agreements. In essence, the city agreed to follow the law, as it always has. Agreements include assurances the city will not retaliate against the plaintiffs or use Section 8 housing status as a basis for policing actions.

The city also agreed to provide the plaintiffs’ lawyers with copies of letters to the Contra Costa Housing Authority that they already were receiving under the litigation process.

The agreement specifically does not include court oversight or federal supervision. Both parties agreed to take any future disputes back to the same court – a provision that will protect the city from additional false accusations.

For Antioch, the settlement brings an opportunity to refocus valuable resources and attention on community issues and solutions.

“We could not have arrived at this beneficial settlement had it not been for the staunch support we received from city residents throughout these three years,” said Antioch Police Chief Allan Cantando. “We are grateful to our community partners for standing alongside us as we stood up to these false allegations, and we are ready to move forward with them to make Antioch a better place to live, work and raise a family.”

Congressman Jerry McNerney speaks to East County residents at his town hall meeting in August.

By Allen Payton, Publisher

NOTE: This article appeared in the print edition of the Antioch Herald in September but was not posted to our website, until now. We apologize for the oversight.

East County residents let their concerns be known to Congressman Jerry McNerney (D – Livermore) at a little publicized town hall meeting in Brentwood, recently.

McNerney, who will soon be moving into and running to represent the new 9th congressional district, in which most of Antioch is now located, was grilled by those in attendance on issues including taxes, the national budget deficit, the Debt Ceiling and No Child Left Behind education policy.

He held his “Congress on Your Corner” in the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce board room which can only accommodate about 20 people at a time, so he had to have two sessions, to include those waiting in the reception area during the first session.

“Radical elements of the Republican Party have taken over the House,” McNerney said. Then stated “I’m not trying to be overly partisan.”

He advocated for another stimulus as a way to create more jobs.

“I think a stimulus would be a good idea, but it’s not going to happen in this Congress,” he stated. “Wall Street is important, but it’s more important to see jobs in Brentwood.”

When challenged by a resident, who identified himself as a Democrat, about his vote against the Debt Ceiling increase, McNerney responded “Making those cuts are going to throw a lot of people out on the street.” He then stated “It needs to include revenue and cuts.”

The resident shot back, speaking of President Obama’s first two years in office, “The House and Senate and Obama were all controlled by the Democrats and you didn’t raise taxes on the rich, then.”

“The economy was fragile so I didn’t think we should raise taxes,” McNerney responded, to which someone asked “and it’s not fragile, now?” He then said “They’ve slashed spending so people are out of work.”

The reality is the spending cuts approved in the recent Debt Ceiling agreement haven’t yet gone into effect and most of them won’t until 2017.

One resident made commented “Our infrastructure is falling apart. That’s one way to put people back to work, like the WPA (Works Progress Administration) of the 1930’s”

The Congressman responded “I supported the Stimulus. It put $200 billion into infrastructure. It also gave a $250 billion in tax refund – people didn’t notice it.”

“The House is proposing $200 billion for the next five years. That’s way underfunded,” he added. “I’m going to advocate for more.”

When asked about spending cuts he responded, “One of the waste in government is how campaigns are funded. That’s the first place we should start. It encourages members of Congress to spend money we don’t need.”

He was then asked about protecting MediCal by a resident who was identified as a John Muir Medical Center employee.

“MediCal isn’t being accepted by doctors. Will the federal government bridge the gap?”

McNerney responded “That’s a tough question. Medicare will be okay and we’ll be able to lower the cost. I really believe that.”

“I don’t have an easy answer,” he added.

When asked how he would cut $4 trillion from the budget as the ratings agencies are requiring, he offered incentives for small business, reducing inefficienes in healthcare and government, and said he voted for across the board cuts in the Departments of Health and Human Services and Transportation.