By Allen Payton

Campaigns are required to file reports of contributions received by their campaigns of $2,000 or more, within 24 hours of receiving them, between March 9 and June 7, 2016. The rules changed in the county, this year, increasing from $1,000 to $2,000. However, the form provided by the County Elections Office had the old information on it and some candidates weren’t informed of the change. So, some of their reports reflect contributions of less than $2,000.

Some of the contributions that can be seen in the reports, known as 497 forms, below have been reported previously, on the regularly scheduled financial reports – 460 forms – for the period January 1 through April 23, 2016.

Martinez Vice Mayor Anamarie Avila Farias and Supervisor Federal Glover were the only candidates to submitted the 497 forms.

However, the specifically formed Contra Costa Families for Responsible Leadership Supporting Anamarie Avila Farias for Supervisor committee submitted a 497 report showing it had received $35,000 from the Contra Costa County DSA (Deputy Sheriffs Association) Independent Expenditure PAC. Of those funds $12,908.60 was spent for the design, printing and postage for a mailer in support of Avila Farias and another $15,000 on research, which could be for polling, as reported on the newly formed committee’s 496 Independent Expenditure Report.

The Deputy Sheriffs also contributed the maximum of $5,000 directly to Avila Farias’ campaign committee which she reported on a 497 report.

So far those are the largest contribution and independent expenditures of anyone or organization in reported in the District 5 Supervisor’s race.

When asked if she had any comment on the large amount of money spent on her behalf, Avila Farias  replied “I can’t control outside spending for me or against me. So, I don’t pay attention to it.”

“I’m concentrating on my efforts to meet voters by going door-to-door, through phone calls and the mailbox and it’s going very well,” she added.

Her 497 reports also show new contributions, since the last reporting period, of $1,675 from Service Employees International Union Local 1021 Candidate PAC, $1,675 each from DeNova Homes in Concord and Lori Sanson of Walnut Creek, $1,600 each from General Contractor James Busby and Scott Busby Construction, $1,000 from International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Local 21 TJ Anthony PAC Fund. Her reports also show previously reported contributions of $5,000 from the United Professional Fire Fighters of Contra Costa County and $1,675 from Antioch Councilman Tony Tiscareno.

Glover’s reports

Glover also submitted 497’s showing new contributions of $5,000 from the California Nurses Association PAC, $4,000 from the Building Industry Association’s BUILD JOBS PAC, $1,675 from the Teamsters’ DRIVE Committee in Washington DC, $1,675 from the Contra Costa Coalition for Business and Jobs, $1,650 from the Pittsburg Police Benefit Association, $1,000 from the Northern California District Council of Laborers PAC, and $1,675 each from a variety of individuals and businesses including, County Clerk Joe Canciamilla’s campaign committee, Dr. Laura Canciamilla’s school board campaign committee, and an accounting firm in Carson City, Nevada that specializes in the solid waste industry.

Glover’s reports also show previously reported large contributions of $5,000 from the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) Local Union 302 PAC, $2,000 from the Operating Engineers Local 3, $1,675 from U.A. (United Association) Local 342 P.A.C. Fund, $1,500 from the Northern California Carpenters Regional Council, $1,000 from the Laborers International Union of North America Local No. 324, $2,000 from Bisio and Dunivan, a property management company in Martinez, and another $1,000 from Joanne Dunivan-Bisio at the same address as Bisio and Dunivan.

The latest reporting period ended this last Saturday, May 21 and 460 reports are due this Thursday, May 26. Contributions of $100 or more will appear on those forms.

District 5 includes most of the section of Antioch north of Highway 4.

Avila Farias 497’s

Glover 497’s

IE supporting Avila Farias 497 & 496

Editor:

I think Susan Morgan, who didn’t bother to mention that she is the Vice President of the Iron House Sanitary District Board in her recent letter to the editor should probably work on her facts and simply communicate with her fellow board members regarding who they are supporting for County Supervisor. The majority of them have endorsed Doug Hardcastle for County Supervisor, they are Chris Lauritzen, Dr. Michael Painter, and Doug Scheer. Morgan is an attorney, and should do a better job of fact gathering prior to distributing her opinion.

Ms. Morgan doesn’t mention any accomplishments by Diane. Let me mention some of Doug Hardcastle’s , he served on the Iron House Board for 12 years, also as president of the board, Oakley City Council and Mayor for four years, and small business owner for 40+ years. Doug is the person most prepared to represent our district for Contra Costa County. I not only trust him with our County funds, I would trust him with my own checkbook. How many politicians can get that endorsement? Join me in voting for Doug Hardcastle for County Supervisor.

Sincerely,

Gary Arfsten

Oakley

By Dave Roberts

County Supervisor Federal Glover did not show up for a recent District 5 candidates’ forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters and televised on Contra Costa TV. His absence proved to be a metaphor for the most common refrain among the other four candidates: Glover’s lack of leadership in his district on a variety of issues, including warnings of “horrendous” gridlock when the Concord Naval Weapons Station property is developed.

Glover has served on the Board of Supervisors for 16 years and is seeking a fifth term. He has missed numerous governmental meetings in recent years due to health problems, including a heart and kidney transplant last year. He did not respond by press time to an attempt to learn why he was not in attendance at the forum. (Please check back for an update, should he provide a response.)

None of the other candidates mentioned Glover by name. But they all criticized the lack of leadership in his district, which snakes along the northern county waterfront from Antioch to Hercules.

“The reason why I’m running for public office is because there is a lack of leadership,” Hercules Mayor Dan Romero. “We have an absent supervisor right now. He tends to stay in two different areas, Pittsburg and Bay Point. And, unfortunately, there’s several other cities inside there. The number one [thing] I keep on hearing is that the supervisor never shows up. You go to Crockett, Rodeo, Port Costa, and it’s the same thing that keeps on coming up.”

Department of Homeland Security analyst Conrad Dandridge cited the district’s lack of leadership three times when asked why he decided to run for office. “Some areas of this district have not seen their member of the board ever – that includes me,” he said. “I promise if elected that I will meet with you the residents at least once a month in every region of our district from Pinole to Antioch to Clyde to Port Costa.”

Martinez Vice-Mayor Anamarie Avila Farias and former Martinez Mayor Mike Menesini also criticized the district’s leadership vacuum. “I will bring leadership that has been absent,” said Farias. Menesini said, “What I’m seeing is a real problem with leadership.”

One of Menesini’s top concerns is lack of county input into the planned development of the Concord Naval Weapons Station property at Highway 4 and Willow Pass Road.

“We do have a huge problem that is about to unfold with respect to the Highway 4 corridor, which goes from Hercules out to Antioch,” said Menesini. “The city of Concord is proposing to build a city on top of Willow Pass Road: 12,000 homes, 6 million square feet of commercial space – and not one provision for how transportation is going to be mitigated.

“The fact is, if you live in Antioch, Pittsburg and anywhere along the Highway 4 corridor, you are going to be severely impacted by this development. And the county has sat on its hands. It has not offered one bit of mitigation advice to the city of Concord.”

Romero agreed. “Transportation gridlock in the Concord area is absolutely going to be horrendous as the Concord Naval Weapons Station comes on board,” he said. “I feel that the Concord Naval Weapons Station is a failed project right now because of all of the influx on the city council in Concord. I think that the board should be taking a leadership step and being a part of that process.

“We have to represent all. That means there should be some sort of statement coming from the supervisors’ office about what’s going to happen. Absolutely traffic is going to be horrendous once that project gets going. We have 15 to 20 years before the project starts, but that leadership starts today.”

Farias advocated moving jobs to where the homes are.

“I think [the solution] is passing good policy to create livable communities,” she said. “Live and work in your communities. We have become a community of commuters, which has contributed to a lot of our freeway congestion. I think if we would have had a lot better regional planning within our communities in addition to really creating the job centers. We burden a system that is inadequately funded.

“So I would bring leadership to bring policy that creates more livable communities to reduce that impact on freeway congestion. And also seek increased funding for transportation needs that are in the spirit of sustainability and livable communities.”

Dandridge said the focus should be on transportation improvements.

“Gridlock is already here,” he said. “I live two minutes from probably the worst freeway interchange in the county or northern California: 680 and Highway 4. In 1988 the voters of Contra Costa County passed Measure C, increasing our sales tax, to fix that. That project is well overdue. And it just got pushed off the table again. And not one member of the board said, ‘Whoa, this has to be fixed.’

“But gridlock is more than just improving freeways. It’s improving public transportation systems. Our public transportation system in this county is non-existent. We can’t move people from west to east. Better planning needs to be accomplished. But most importantly, we need to accomplish those things that the voters have already approved doing. And that at the top of my list would be the Highway 4 interchange.”

The candidates were mostly in agreement on other issues discussed at the forum. They:

• Oppose the proposed twin tunnels project transferring water from north of the Delta to southern California.
• Oppose moving the urban limit line to allow more development on agricultural and open space lands.
• Support providing more affordable housing.
• Agree that the county has addressed its pension funding issue for now, but more compensation adjustments may be needed down the road.
• Agree that the county supervisor’s job requires more than 40 hours a week.

The entire candidates’ forum can be viewed on Contra Costa TV. CCTV is available to subscribers of AT&T U-verse on Channel 99. Comcast subscribers can watch CCTV on Channel 27. Following is the schedule for the remainder of May: Sundays – 9:00 AM; Mondays – 8:00 PM; Wednesdays – 12:00 PM; Fridays – 3:00 PM.

The election is June 7th. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, then the top two face off in the General Election in November.

By Allen Payton

In the race for Contra Costa County Supervisor in District 5, the incumbent, Federal Glover has an overwhelming lead in campaign funding in his bid for a fifth term. Reports were due on Thursday, April 28 covering the period of January 1 through April 23, 2016 and only three of the five candidates submitted one.

He reported raising $26,894 during the period, but started with a beginning cash balance of $37,372.32 in his campaign account. Glover carried over $23,616.51 from his 2012 re-election campaign account and didn’t start raising funds for his 2016 re-election campaign until 2014, for a total of $5,025 for that year. Then, last year he raised another $13,055 for a total of $45,469 raised for this year’s re-election effort,

Glover also has an Officeholder Account which had $68,918.40 in the bank at the beginning of the year. However, he stated today, Thursday, May 12, 2016, that (correcting the record from previous misinformation provided to this reporter) those funds can not be spent on his re-election campaign.

“I wish I had that money for my campaign,” Glover said with a laugh.

The other two who submitted reports were Martinez Vice Mayor AnaMarie Avila Farias, who was in a distant second, having raised $7,000 and Hercules Mayor Dan Romero, who reported raising $5,655.

Neither former Martinez Mayor Mike Menesini nor Martinez resident Conrad Dandridge submitted financial reports.

A supervisor candidate’s campaign committee is required to file a Form 460 financial report to the County Clerk’s Office, if they have raised or spent $2,000 or more in an election. However, the filing and ballot statement fees are not counted against that amount.

“It just got turned in. There was a mix up,” Dandridge said. “I turned it into the state.”

“I have just started raising money after the 23^rd but, I turned one in anyhow for transparency,” he added. “I hadn’t raised $2,000 but I am at that threshold, now. I got donations, last week.

Asked if he was a serious candidate since he hadn’t raised at least $2,000 by April 23rd, Dandridge responded, “I am a serious candidate.”

“My learning curve, based on my first, and only race, when I first ran in 2006, I learned some serious lessons that I am applying, now,” Dandridge continued. “Last time I was a self-funded candidate. Had the option to do that, now but don’t plan to do that this time. We have a Go-Fund me page. Folks wanted to fund me early on, but I told them to wait. But, the funds are coming in.”

Glover’s largest contribution during the reporting period was $5,000 from I.B.E.W. Local Union No. 302 PAC. Glover spent a total of $41,915.74 from both accounts, with almost half of that, $20,245.67 paid to Rossi Communications, for his campaign consultant Mary Jo Rossi. He ended the period with $25,388.35 in the bank.

Avila Farias’s largest contribution was $5,000 from the Professional Firefighters in the county. She showed no expenses, although she has large campaign signs up in the District.

When asked why the expense was not reported, Avila Farias replied “We hadn’t been invoiced for them, yet.”

She also stated she had received another $5,000 contribution from the Deputy Sheriffs Association, since the reporting period ended.

Romero’s largest contributions were $1,675 received from Republic Services, one of the garbage companies in the county, and $1,500 from Sonnikson Stordahl Construction in Martinez.

Menesini did not respond to efforts to contact him for this story.

Please see the reports, below. Additional reports for Glover have been added for the periods he raised funds for his 2016 re-election campaign committee. All of his reports prior to that period can be seen on the County Elections Office website.

Glover campaign Fin Rpt 010116-042316

Glover campaign Fin Rpt 0701-123115

Glover campaign Fin Rpt 0701-123114

Avila Farias 010116-042316

Romero Fin Rpt 0101-042316

Tonight, Thursday, May 12, 2016 at 7:00 pm at St. Ignatius of Antioch 3351 Contra Loma Blvd in Antioch, a coalition of Contra Costa county community-based organizations, faith leaders and residents will hold a Candidate Forum with candidates running for Contra Costa County Board of Supervisor District 3 and 5. Candidates will be asked questions on how they plan to make and impact on racial justice, the criminal justice system, affordable housing, education, health care, job creation, poverty and inequality, and the environment specifically for East Contra Costa County. This historical 2016 Board of supervisor race presents an opportunity for community leaders to know the candidates. In the past, candidates running in these Districts have ran unopposed.

Thursday’s Town Hall is an organized community response to organizing efforts where residents have been advocating at the county level for justice reinvestment where more county funds would and could be reallocated to support service for community and not for mass incarceration practices.

The Outcome of Town Hall

During Thursday night’s meeting, more than 100 county residents will ask several questions to the candidates to know where they stand on important issues such as racial justice, the criminal justice system, affordable housing, education, health care, job creation, poverty and inequality, and the environment.

About CCISCO

CCISCO is a member of the PICO National Network and PICO California. The organization believes that all faith communities are called to seek justice and peace for all people. CCISCO answers this call by empowering people to transform their communities. CCISCO is a unique community organization in the region that is successfully building bridges across boundaries of faith, race, geography, generation and economic class. We believe in building unity through diversity. Since 1996, CCISCO has been an organizing voice for justice and equity in Contra Costa County. The organization is a multi-ethnic, multi-generational, interfaith federation of 25 congregations and youth institutions representing over 35,000 families. CCISCO provides leadership training through our member institutions that help channel their power and ability to effect change in their local communities and put their faith into action.

About Contra Costa County Racial Justice Coalition (CCCRJC)

CCCRJC is a coalition of organizations and individuals committed to eliminating racial inequalities in Contra Costa. We are people who live and work here. We know from current research and our own experience that racism is very much a part of the problem. Systemic bias against people of color is a reality we see every day, and we will not stand for more of the same.

Dear Editor:

Doug Hardcastle is the best candidate for the job of Contra Costa County Supervisor. He is an all-around upstanding citizen and servant to his country and community. Doug served his country in the military; public office in his community, and owns a business in the county.

Doug is a proven leader and is not afraid to take on the tough issues. His combination of experience, knowledge and commitment to serve the people of Contra Costa is unsurpassed by any other candidate.

Doug Hardcastle has been the first candidate to take immediate action on the incumbent by speaking out against the 33% pay increase that she voted to give herself. This was one example of continued wasteful spending by the county. Fortunately, the incumbent backed out before the increase could be put in place.

We need to elect Doug Hardcastle June 7th, and provide new, strong, proven leadership on the Board of Supervisors. Please join me in voting for Doug Hardcastle on June 7th. To get involved in his campaign, please visit www.doughardcastle.com.

Sincerely,

Carma Dutra

Oakley

Stockton – Kathryn Nance, current President of the Stockton Police Officers Association and a 19-year member of the Stockton Police Department, today received the endorsement of the Northern California Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors in her campaign for Congress against incumbent Congressman Jerry McNerney in California’s 9th District.

“Taxpayers deserve the best quality at the best price,” said Michele Daugherty, President and CEO of ABC NorCal. “Kathryn Nance is a strong supporter of fair and open competition.   The Associated Builders and Contractors and its close to 500 Northern California contractor members look forward to working with Kathryn Nance to promote new jobs and get our local economy moving again,”

Today ABC NorCal represents close to 500 companies across Northern California and trains over 300 apprentices per year in its five state and federally approved apprenticeship programs.  Members and their employees are also offered Construction Craft Training, Green and Renewable Energy Training, Management and Supervisory Education, Safety, and Labor Compliance.

Born and raised in the Stockton area, Kathryn Nance is a 19 year veteran of the Stockton Police Department, currently serving as a Sergeant with the Department’s AB109 Task Force and as President of the Stockton Police Officers Association.  She has previously served as a Field Training Officer and as a member of the Department’s Gang and Homicide units.

She is married to her husband of 10 years, James Nance, who also serves as an officer with the Stockton Police Department.  Together, they have a blended family of four children, ranging in ages of 15 to 23.  Kathryn is an avid outdoors enthusiast and enjoys activities such as hiking, cycling, kayaking and CrossFit.  Kathryn also serves as the Chairwoman of Stockton’s annual “Strides Against Cancer” relay.

The 9^th Congressional District includes parts of Eastern Contra Costa County, including most of Antioch, plus most of San Joaquin County and a small portion of Sacramento County.

To learn more about Kathryn Nance for Congress, visit us online at www.Nance2016.com, like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KathrynNanceForCongress and follow us on Twitter @Nance2016.