A series of workshops will be conducted to gather public input to the redrawing of the districts represented by Contra Costa County’s five supervisors.

“Everywhere I go, people keep asking about how the district will look,” said Supervisor Federal Glover, who represents District V. “It is a topic that is generating a lot of interest.”

Every ten years, the county is mandated to realign the districts so that each supervisor represents about the same number of people.

The 2010 Census shows that Contra Costa has grown to 1.2 million people with most of the growth occurring in the eastern portion of the county represented by Districts V and III. Slower growth occurred in the other three districts.

The District V workshops will be:

• Bay Point/Pittsburg, 7 p.m., May 19 at the Ambrose Community Center, 3105 Willow Pass Road in Bay Point.

• Antioch, 7 p.m., May 23 at the Antioch Community Center, 4701 Lone Tree Way.

• Far East County, 7 p.m. May 25 at Oakley City Hall, 3231 Main Street, Oakley.

Takedown of Contra Costa Gangs Nets 35 Arrests and More Than 135 Pounds of Meth

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced the successful conclusion of Operation Red Reach, a coordinated law enforcement sweep that shut down a network of local and transnational gangs that dealt in narcotics and firearms, homicide and fraud in western Contra Costa County and nearby areas.

Search warrants were served in San Pablo, Richmond, El Sobrante, Pinole, Antioch, Pittsburg, San Rafael, Vallejo, Fairfield and Sacramento. Those arrested were booked into the San Pablo jail.

“We are fighting transnational gangs from one end of California to another,” Attorney General Harris said. “With the cooperation of local and federal law enforcement agencies, we’re going to outmuscle, outsmart and undo them.”

San Pablo Police Chief Walt Schuld added: “Exceptional collaboration among the California Department of Justice, local law enforcement, and the FBI has resulted in the successful dismantling of this violent street gang involved in high-level drug and gun trafficking. Our community is much safer due to the tireless efforts of the agents and officers.”

Operation Red Reach, which concluded today, resulted in 35 arrests and the seizure of more than 135 pounds of methamphetamine, 26 firearms – including two assault rifles – more than $86,500 in currency and six vehicles. Police are looking into two weapons that may be tied to a homicide.

Those arrested include Joseph Abbate, aka Sherman Fisher or Butch, an identified member of the criminal street gang known as the Nortenos, which has ties to the vicious prison gang Nuestra Familia.

Four of every 10 homicides that occur in California are gang-related, and more than 80 percent of the California cases in which relocation is required for the protection of witnesses involve gang violence.

Operation Red Reach began in February 2009 primarily to investigate the illegal activities of Abbate. As the probe developed, investigators identified his co-conspirators, who include other members of the Nortenos gang, members of local gangs, and members of a Mexican drug trafficking cartel.

The operation is the latest in a series of actions designed to attack gang violence. In February, agents arrested three associates of a Tijuana drug cartel in a murder-for-hire plot in Southern California. Last month, the Attorney General traveled to California’s border with Mexico with law enforcement leaders to underscore the problem of transnational gangs, and earlier this month, the Attorney General announced the creation of the first multi-agency gang task force in Tulare County.

The operation, as well as the arrests and searches over the last several weeks, were conducted, in co-operation with federal agents, by an inter-agency task force known as West-NET (for West Contra Costa County Narcotic Enforcement Team). Besides the Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, other members of West-NET include the Contra Costa County Sheriff; police in San Pablo, Richmond, El Cerrito, and Kensington; and the Contra Costa Probation Office.

Today, by a partisan 3-2 vote, the Senate Committee on Elections and Constitutional Amendments approved three Sen. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) measures that help address serious abuses of the initiative process and give the public critical information they need when casting their ballot.

“California’s initiative process is broken,” said DeSaulnier. “The measures approved today attempt to restore the initiative process to what Governor Hiram Johnson intended in 1911. “Governor Johnson never envisioned that his initiative process would be dominated as it is today by special interests that often mislead voters.

“Simply stated, voters need to be better informed when they cast their votes. Voters need to know who is behind the initiatives and who is opposed to them. Petition circulators need to disclose whether they are being paid to gather signatures or are volunteers. It also only makes sense to require that initiatives be fiscally responsible and include funding when they create public costs.”

Below are summaries of the three legislative measures:

Senate Constitutional Amendment 4 prohibits initiative measures that increase state and local government costs from taking effect, unless the measure provides for the funding required to cover its costs.

Senate Bill 334 requires the Secretary of State’s ballot pamphlet to include a list of the five highest contributors of $50,000 or more in support of or opposed to each ballot measure.

Senate Bill 448 requires individual who circulate an initiative, referendum, or recall petition to wear a badge identifying him or her as a “paid signature gatherer” or “volunteer signature gatherer” and identifies if and where he or she is registered to vote.

James Madison wrote, “A people who mean to be their own Governors must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives.”

Secretary of State Debra Bowen, California State PTA, Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, and California State Association of Counties support one or more of these measures. SB 448 will next be heard by the full Senate and the remaining two bills will be heard in Senate Appropriations Committee within the next few weeks.

DeSaulnier represents the Seventh Senate District, which includes Antioch and most of Contra Costa County.

BART riders will notice extra security today and in the future, as the transit system steps up police presence following the death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. While there has been no specific threat, BART is taking a number of steps to increase security out of an abundance of caution, Chief Communications Officer Linton Johnson said.

BART has postponed a training exercise that had been scheduled today for its Critical Asset Patrol Team — a special group of officers whose expertise includes a counterterrorism focus. Extra officers are being brought in to supplement that team. In addition, transportation supervisors from throughout the agency are out and about in the system, noticeable in their bright green vests, to provide even more scrutiny.

As always, BART encourages riders to speak up if they notice any unusual behavior, unattended packages or anything suspicious. On the train, they can use the intercom to contact the train operator, or they can call BART police or in an emergency, 911 (see safety page link for numbers and additional info).

“If you see anything suspicious, please let us know,” Johnson said. He noted that the entire workforce of BART employees — nearly 3,500 people — are watching throughout their individual areas. “But with 350,000 riders a day, that’s another 700,000 eyes on the system as well, that can really help us to know what’s going on,” Johnson said.

Johnson said there was no specific timetable yet for how long the extra security will stay in place, but it would be “as long as we need it to feel comfortable.”

To get the latest on BART news including any delay advisories, go to bart.gov; m.bart.gov on your mobile device; bart.gov/alerts to sign up for email or SMS messaging; or bart.gov/SMS for on-demand text messages.

From the Office of Supervisor Federal Glover

Want to help your community?

District V Supervisor Federal D. Glover announced several openings for District V representatives on the following commission: Alcohol and Other Drug Advisory Board, County Library Commission, Contra Costa Mental Health Commission (At Large), Economic Opportunity Council, and Fish & Wildlife Committee. The current openings were created by a member’s term expirations or resignations.

Commissioners are appointed by the Board of Supervisors based on the recommendations of the District V Supervisor.

Interested individuals should contact the supervisor’s office at (925) 427-8138 (634-5915 toll free from East County) to obtain an application form or additional information. Completed applications must be received in Supervisor Glover’s office at 315 East Leland Rd., Pittsburg by close of business Friday, May 20, 2011.

Additional information and staff contacts on each of the commissions are indicated below.

Alcohol and Other Drug Advisory Board: Applicants to this committee should have a professional interest in, or personal commitment to alleviating problems related to drug abuse and inappropriate alcohol use in their community. The board meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 3:45 to 6:15 p.m. in Martinez. The current opening has a term ending June 30, 2013. For additional information specific to this commission, please call Fatima Matal Sol at (925) 335-3307.

County Library Commission: Serve in an advisory capacity to the Board of Supervisors and the County Librarian, provide a community linkage to the County Library; establish a forum for the community to express its views regarding goals and operations of the County Library, assist the Board of Supervisors and the County Librarian in providing library services based on public needs, and to develop and recommend proposals to the Board of Supervisors. The commission meets on the fourth Thursday of every other month from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Pleasant Hill. The current opening has a term ending June 30, 2014. For additional information specific to this commission, please call Corinne Kelly at (925) 927-3206.

Economic Opportunity Council: Participate and advise the Board of Supervisors regarding the selection of the Director, exercise all powers delegated to it by the Board of Supervisors, hold public hearings to determine overall program goals for the council, review fiscal and programmatic reports submitted by staff and the performance of Community Services Block Grant contractors and the Weatherization program services. The council meets on the second Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. in Martinez. The current opening has a term ending June 30, 2013. For additional information specific to this commission, please call (925) 313-1631.

Fish & Wildlife Committee: Advise the Board of Supervisors on Fish and Wildlife issues in Contra Costa County, make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors for the expenditure of funds from the Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund, address issues surrounding the enforcement of fish and game laws and regulations in the County, and consider other issues which may from time to time be referred to the committee by the Board of Supervisors. The committee meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 3 p.m. in Martinez. The current opening is a two year term which expires Feb. 28, 2013. For additional information specific to this commission, please contact Michelle Luebke at (925) 335-1315.

Mental Health Commission: Review and evaluate the community’s mental health needs, services, facilities, and special problems, to review any County agreements entered into pursuant to Section 5650 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, advise governing body and local mental health director on any aspect of the local mental health program. The commission meets on the fourth Thursday of each month at 4:30 p.m. in Concord. The current opening has a term ending June 30, 2014. For additional information specific to this commission, please call Linda Cipolla at (925) 957-5140.

First of nine meetings is Sunday, May 1

By Melissa Jordan
BART Senior Web Producer

The public gets its first look this week at an interactive seat lab where riders can give feedback on what they’d like to see in new BART train cars. It’s part of the research for the Fleet of the Future — the long-range project to replace BART’s aging train cars, the oldest in the nation. (For more info visit www.bart.gov/cars).

“I see this as a fantastic opportunity to actually look at a number of different designs,” Janet Abelson, chair of BART’s Accessibility Task Force, said as she toured the seat lab on Tuesday.  “It’s been a really long time since BART has had an opportunity to update and upgrade the seating.”

The first round of public input was on Monday and Tuesday from elected officials and groups with special needs such as senior citizens and riders with disabilities. Now, a mobile version of the seat lab will hit the road for a series of nine meetings for the general public — one in every BART District. The first one is this Sunday, May 1, at Fruitvale BART Station in Oakland, from 11 am to 3 pm.

Courtland “Corky” Boozé, Richmond city councilmember, was among those touring the seat lab on Tuesday.  “I think that everybody should have the opportunity to come out, really sit in the seats, see the closeness of the legs, see the new design of the trains, see the customer-friendly train that you’re trying to put together,” he said. Boozé said some of the concerns he is hearing from constituents are about seat coverings, for cleanliness, and about features such as bars to hold on to, for senior citizens and others who may need added stability. “I’m really concerned about the seniors,” he said. “I want to make sure that they’re comfortable.”

Boozé’s chief of staff, Jackie Thompson, also toured the seat lab. She said that as a larger person, she hopes BART does not choose narrower seats. At 22 inches, BART’s seats are now among the widest of any transit agency in the world. Thompson tested out an example of a 17.5-inch-wide seat.  “I’m not comfortable” in this seat, she said. “I think the thing that would bother me here is if somebody else my size got on, we both would be uncomfortable even though we need to be seated.”

Linda Drattell, a support specialist with the Deaf Counseling Advocacy and Referral Agency, toured the lab, which seeks feedback not only on seats but also on other features of the new BART trains, such as passenger information. “I understand that there’s going to be electronic signage, and something like TV monitors that are going to offer information, and I would like very, very much if they would caption that and if they would also translate that to ASL (American Sign Language),” Drattell said.

Walter Gonzales, Alameda County representative for BART’s Government and Community Relations department, said it’s important to get public input. “We want to know what the public thinks, what do they want, what’s going to make the best ride for them on BART,” he said.

BART is collecting surveys from all the people going through the seat lab, and will use that feedback for guidance on designing the new fleet of train cars. The schedule for all nine of the upcoming meetings is not yet set, but when it is available it will be posted at www.bart.gov/cars. You can also access an email form there to send in your feedback, or sign up to receive news about the Fleet of the Future project.

For Sunday’s seat lab at Fruitvale BART Station, enter at the corner of East 12th Street and 33rd Avenue.

From Caltrans & CCTA

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY – The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) are widening State Route 4 (SR-4) through Pittsburg and Antioch. As part of this construction work, the contractor for the Loveridge Road project will close all lanes on eastbound State Route 4 at Loveridge Road for several hours in the early morning for approximately three weeks beginning Monday, May 2, 2011 and continuing through May 20, 2011. This work is to ensure public and crew safety while crews are working to install rebar cages for the bridge structure at Loveridge Road.

The highway closure will take place on Monday through Friday mornings beginning at 12:30 a.m. and continuing to 5:30 a.m. Eastbound SR-4 at the Loveridge Road undercrossing will be closed to all traffic. The detour will be as follows: motorists will be directed off the highway at Loveridge Road and immediately back on the highway at the east bound on ramp from Loveridge Road. Work may be rescheduled if there is inclement weather. During the same time, the loop on ramp to east bound SR-4 from south bound Loveridge Road will be closed as well.

The detour for this closure will be as follows: motorists will drive south on Loveridge Road, turn left on Leland Road, continue on to Delta Fair Boulevard, turn left on Somersville Road, then right on to SR-4 east. Motorists are advised to expect delays and allow extra time for their commute. Please drive cautiously through the detour and leave a safe traveling distance between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you. Caltrans and CCTA appreciate your patience as we work to improve the highways.

Issue on Board Agenda for Tuesday’s Meeting

By Allen Payton, Publisher

A team of county staff, led by Catherine Kutsuris, Director of the county’s Department of Conservation & Development  and Patrick Roche, Principal Planner for the county, has produced four alternative maps and a citizens group (led by yours truly) has officially submitted two alternative maps for the new district lines for the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors.

The first three of the staff’s maps, labeled Concepts 1 through 4, are similar to the current districts. Concept 4 is significantly different and is very much like the citizens’ group, labeled Plan B, which was given to staff at a meeting with them, last month. The group, known as the Contra Costa Redistricting Task Force, also submitted what is labeled as Plan A. The task force drew a total of eight different maps based on a list of principles (see below), which we developed from Supreme Court rulings, state Proposition 11, which was passed by voters in 2008 and created the California Citizens Redistricting Commission in charge of redrawing the state legislative and congressional district maps, as well as on common sense, such as geographic boundaries and common issues, and input from all five Supervisors.

The staff was given the following Principles/Criteria in their Adopted Work Program by the Board, in a unanimous vote on February 8, 2011 for creating the new district maps, which will go into effect next year:

♦ To the extent possible, achieve near equal population for each district according to census data. Total population for each district should be within 5% of each other.

♦ Use easily identifiable geographic features and topography to draw compact and contiguous adjusted boundaries.

♦ Maintain communities of interest in a single district and avoid splitting communities when adjusting boundaries. Communities of interest may be defined by existing boundaries for cities, school districts, special districts, and unincorporated communities.

The task force drew their lines based on the following principles, first and foremost being “Let the people choose their representatives and not the representatives choose their people;”

– Neutral, Non-Partisan Procedures

– Districts be Reasonably Equal in Population Size (within 1%)

– Contiguity of Districts

– Compactness of Districts – with the smallest perimeters, as possible

– Geographic Commonality

– Respect for Political Subdivisions (city and community boundaries)

– Common Issues – such as transportation, economic development, growth

While all of the staff’s plans meet their 5% population deviation goal, Concepts 1 through 3 violate their criteria of compactness as well as splitting cities and communities of interest.

The task force’s Plan A is the plan that splits only one community, Concord,  since it’s the largest city in the county. All the other 18 cities remain whole, as do all the unincorporated communities, such as Alamo, Bay Point, Bethel Island and El Sobrante, plus the remaining “Census Designated Places” of which there are 53 in the county.

County staff have developed some webpages on the County’s website, which can be viewed at www.ccredistricting.org. They have uploaded the four maps and supporting information that they have created. But, as of the posting of this article, the task force’s maps aren’t on the website. However, they can be found in the Board’s May 3, 2011 agenda packet online by clicking here under item D3, “Public Comment-Contra Costa Redistricting Task Force.”

The task force’s two maps are also posted here for the public to review. Below are the population and community information for each plan.

Following Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, county staff will be holding public meetings in each of the five districts to seek public input on all the maps that have been submitted for the process.  The dates, times and locations will be posted on their redistricting website.

——————————————————–

Contra Costa Redistricting Task Force

Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors Districts 2011

Plan A – Information

Changes from Plan B in Bold Blue

Census Designated Place Population District Total Deviation % Deviation

District 1

Richmond 103,701

North Richmond 3,717

East Richmond Heights 3,280

Kensington 5,077

El Cerrito 23,549

San Pablo 29,139

El Sobrante 12,669

Montalvin Manor 2,876

Tara Hills 5,126

Bayview 1,754

Rollingwood 2,969

Pinole 18,390

Other Non-CDP Areas 1,071

TOTAL District 1 213,318 +3,513 +1.67%

District 2

Lafayette 23,893

Orinda 17,643

Moraga 16,016

Acalanes Ridge 1,137

Reliez Valley 3,101

Alamo 14,570

Danville 42,039

San Ramon 72,148

Camino Tassajara 2,197

Blackhawk 9,354

Diablo 1,158

Norris Canyon 957

Non-CDP Areas 2,919

TOTAL District 2 207,132 -2,673 -1.27%

District 3

Discovery Bay 13,352

Brentwood 51,481

Antioch 102,372

Oakley 35,432

Bethel Island 2,137

Knightsen 1,568

Byron 1,277

Non-CDP Areas 4,097

TOTAL District 3 211,716 +1,911 +0.91%

District 4

Pleasant Hill 33,152

Pacheco 3,685

Walnut Creek 64,173

Clayton 10,897

Contra Costa Centre 5,364

North Gate 679

Shell Ridge 959

San Miguel 3,392

Castle Hill 1,299

Saranap 5,202

Concord 79,886

Non-CDP Areas 1,411

TOTAL District 4 210,099 +294 -0.14%

District 5

Pittsburg 63,246

Bay Point 21,349

Clyde 678

Martinez 35,824

Vine Hill 3,761

Mountain View 2,372

Alhambra Valley 924

Port Costa 190

Rodeo 8,679

Crockett 3,094

Hercules 24,060

Concord 42,181

Non-CDP Areas 3,496

TOTAL District 5 206,760 -3,045 -1.45%

TOTAL County 1,049,025

Average Population Per District 209,805

Plan B – Information

Changes from Plan A in Bold Red

Census Designated Place Population District TTL Deviation % Deviation

District 1

Richmond 103,701

North Richmond 3,717

East Richmond Heights 3,280

Kensington 5,077

El Cerrito 23,549

San Pablo 29,139

El Sobrante 12,669

Montalvin Manor 2,876

Tara Hills 5,126

Bayview 1,754

Rollingwood 2,969

Pinole 18,390

Non-CDP Areas 1,071

TOTAL District 1 213,318 +3,513 +1.674%

District 2

Lafayette 23,893

Orinda 17,643

Moraga 16,016

Acalanes Ridge 1,137

Reliez Valley 3,101

Danville 42,039

San Ramon 72,148

Camino Tassajara 2,197

Blackhawk 9,354

Diablo 1,158

Norris Canyon 957

Castle Hill 1,299

Saranap 5,202

Walnut Creek (Rossmoor) 10,150

Non-CDP Areas 1,341

TOTAL District 2 207,635 -2,170 -1.034%

District 3

Discovery Bay 13,352

Brentwood 51,481

Antioch 102,372

Oakley 35,432

Bethel Island 2,137

Knightsen 1,568

Byron 1,277

Non-CDP Areas 3,198

TOTAL District 3 211,713 +1,908 +0.909%

District 4

Pleasant Hill 33,152

Walnut Creek 54,023

Clayton 10,897

Contra Costa Centre 5,364

North Gate 679

Shell Ridge 959

San Miguel 3,392

Alamo 14,570

Concord 83,389

Non-CDP Areas 2,594

TOTAL District 4 209,019 –786 -0.375%

District 5

Pittsburg 63,246

Bay Point 21,349

Clyde 678

Martinez 35,824

Vine Hill 3,761

Mountain View 2,372

Alhambra Valley 924

Port Costa 190

Rodeo 8,679

Crockett 3,094

Hercules 24,060

Pacheco 3,685

Concord 38,678

Non-CDP Areas 2,166

TOTAL District 5 207,340 -2,465 -1.175%

TOTAL County 1,049,025

Average Population Per District 209,805