Brentwood – military veterans in Brentwood are pushing a plan to construct a brand new fire station in the town center, and claims that the situation along with a veteran memorial hall was only intended for the veteran use “historical and legal”.

While the veterans support the necessity for a brand new station, they argue that Contra Costa County is exceeded by the land bought almost a century ago by a special tax that was bought in 1922 American Legion Posts and ex-soldiers. “

Donald Hester, secretary of the Brentwood Veterans Memorial Building, said that the supervisory board of Contra Costa approved the special tax on March 20, 1922. In 1923 the district acquired the land package for the Veterans Memorial Hall, which was completed in 1925.

Hester said that the property on which the memorial building and the proposed fire brigade 94 were bought for veterans to provide them with a committed space for the collection and services of their community. He said that every deviation from the original intention of ownership was a misuse of taxpayers.

“This should protect taxpayers. If you are a taxpayer and tax (district) to build a school and say that we now need a fire brigade, we will take part in the property that was for school and turns it into a fire station, ”said Hester. “Taxpayers would rightly be upset because now (the district) abuses these funds.”

He noticed that the property boundary of the property was changed to record the size of the new fire station.

“They want to take more land every time they expand and change the building. They took the veteran more land, ”said Hester.

Daniel Duran, President of the Brentwood Veterans Memorial Building Board and commander of the American Legion Post 202, said the market took place every Saturday. He said it also disturbs the alley and the charging zones for local companies.

“We haven’t any problems with a fireplace station, but not less than we explain why she needs to be on this place,” said Duran.

Aaron Mcalister, deputy fire chief of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, said that the new fire brigade with two bays will offer the residents urgently needed fire and medical services.

McAlister said you will also be partners with events in the city center and take part in the city center and make accommodation for all road closures. He said the fire brigade expected no effects of the loading zones in the alley because the previous fire station had to get access.

He found that the Fire District operates firefighters in many inner city areas with high -density communities in the county.

“We are used to dealing with tight rooms. Our drivers are used to dealing with these situations, ”said McAlister.

The Fire District has already spent around 1 million US dollars for the project.

“We have awarded a general contractor a contract for the development of this hearth station to bring services to downtown Brentwood,” said McAlister.

Members of the Brentwood Veterans Memorial Building Board hope that the Brentwood Planning Commission will refuse plans for the 94 fire station next month, which will be estimated at $ 12 million. After approval, construction could begin early in spring.

The legal advisor of contra Costa County Supervisorin Diane Burgis made it clear that the district is obliged to provide veterans in Brentwood with a building that gives state law veterans in the building that prevents the district on the lot Adjust the property.

“The district used the tax proceeds to purchase the true estate within the 757 First Street in 1923. When it bought ownership, the district became the owner,” said the legal advisor in an e -mail. “As long because the district provides a constructing for veterans, the district can take all legally approved measures in relation to property, including the variation of the lot line, because the district is the owner.”

The press reported in 1937 that the county had built a fire station on the part of the purchased package in which experienced volunteers had served. However, there are no records from which the fire brigade underpins the property from the American legion.

Hester said that there is only an old newspaper article in which the veterans gave subtle reduction to create the fire station.

Burgis announced last year Fire station 54which was previously used by East Contra Costa Fire.

Burgis said the fire station was an important project that benefits the residents of Brentwood and County because it will have the “highest level of skilled fire protection in our history”.

She explained that the requirements for larger garages, modern earthquake standards and other necessities would require a greater footprint for the fire station 94 than the existing fire station that had been there for decades.

“As a result, a small a part of the country within the district property is essential for the Brentwood Veterans Memorial Building for the development of this life -saving resource,” said Burgis in a statement on this news organization. “The district has the country and is legally authorized to transfer it for the brand new fire station by lots of adaptation to the hearth brigade.”

Burgis said that the transfer from Land to the Costa County Fire Protection District will not affect the veterans and the continued use of the Veterans Memorial Building, which is also owned by the district.

She said the district rented the Veterans Memorial Building to its board of trustees for $ 1 per year.

“The district has provided around 350,000 US dollars for improvements to the Veterans Memorial Building,” said Burgis.

Editor's Note: Below is the total text of a letter Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price sent to East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell in August. The letter was shared with the Bay Area News Group by Protect The Win, a campaign to support Price and block the recall effort.

August 7, 2024
Congressman Eric Swalwell
Dear Mr. Hon. Representative Swalwell:

I hope this message finds you well. I’m writing to personally invite you to fulfill with me and my leadership team as soon as possible. I fear that our relationship as allied representatives of a shared community has been marred by significant misunderstandings. I believe a private note to introduce us will reassure you that we’re working diligently to serve the individuals who live, work and play in Alameda County.

As a former Alameda County prosecutor, I imagine you share our concern for the protection of Alameda County and the necessity to construct trust within the rule of law. I also hope that, based in your previous work with our office, you’ve gotten a shared understanding of the challenges we face and our commitment to our community.

When Alameda County voters elected me to function district attorney starting in 2023, the county was already facing an alarming, pandemic-related spike in violent crime. The root causes of the rise in violence are complex and include the flooding of our community with guns throughout the COVID shutdown; dual housing and mental health crises; and Oakland's status as a hub within the billion-dollar international human slave trade, also generally known as human trafficking.

The district attorney's office also found itself in a crisis in its dealings with the broader public. The backlog in providing compensation and services to crime victims in Alameda County had develop into staggering, with too many victims having to attend a couple of yr to receive help. Many different communities felt disrespected by the office's perceived bias and failure to carry government actors accountable to the population. There was a persistent lack of trust among the many population within the administration of justice within the district.

I walked into an office in shambles. My successes were considerable.

RELATED: Rep. Eric Swalwell supports the recall of Alameda County Prosecutor Pamela Price

With the assistance of my talented leadership team, we now have hired committed, diverse talent at an unprecedented pace; expanded timely and culturally appropriate services for crime victims; We have expanded our collaborative courts to deal with the foundation causes of harm. including mental health crises and systems built to carry government actors – including my very own lawyers – accountable to the general public. But most significantly, I protected the community. I actually have proven that I’ll confront serious criminals. I’m committed to making sure that nobody is above the law and that the law is run fairly.

Recent comments in your personal social media suggest that it’s possible you’ll be unaware or misinformed concerning the progress of my administration. To assist you, I offer the next resources.

1. Annual Report 2023 – The report documents our work to revive the functionality of the Office with an eye fixed on law enforcement, accountability, transparency and justice.

2. Newsroom – We encounter serious crimes with serious consequences. My newsroom presents a weekly choice of probably the most serious crimes prosecuted by my government. Just last week, for instance, I announced the indictment of a person for the attempted murder of an Alameda County sheriff's deputy. This defendant was charged with multiple felonies for allegedly attempting to run over an Alameda County sheriff's deputy, including aggravated assault charges and for being out on bail on the time the alleged crime was committed.

To reassure you that the office is “in good hands,” I invite you to fulfill with me and my leadership team. We meet weekly on Fridays from 1 to three p.m. on the Oakland District Attorney's Office Oakport Branch. In the interest of furthering our shared mission to advance justice for all residents of Alameda County, I encourage you to simply accept our invitation. We value the open exchange of ideas and methods to make sure public safety, and I imagine our interests are higher served through collaboration than through public sparring.

Please contact me directly at pamela.price@acgov.org or ask your staff to contact our DAO Chief of Staff, LaTonia Peoples-Stokes, to rearrange a mutually convenient appointment.

In the meantime, my administration will proceed to approach the administration of justice in Alameda County with the utmost seriousness and determination to realize concrete and lasting ends in the interest of constructing public safety and confidence within the rule of law.

Sincerely,
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price

Originally published: October 2, 2024 at 6:15 p.m

San Mateo County, home of tech giant Meta, called on Congress to pass a law requiring social media corporations so as to add notices to their platforms warning people of potential harm to users' mental health.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution on Tuesday, the identical day 42 state attorneys general, including Rob Bonta of California, called on Congress to handle the mental health risks related to social media, echoing a call to motion from the U.S. Surgeon General, who said that teens who spend greater than three hours a day on social media are twice as more likely to Development of hysteria and depression Symptoms like those that aren’t on social media.

“Evidence from tobacco studies shows that warning labels can be effective in raising awareness and influencing behavior and health risks,” the resolution states. “San Mateo County is committed to protecting the health and well-being of its residents, especially young people, and recognizes the need for measures to mitigate the mental health risks associated with social media use.”

A Meta spokesman declined to comment on the county's solution.

In a June New York Times op-ed, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy sharply criticized social media platforms, comparing them to cancer-causing cigarettes.

“These harms are not the result of a lack of willpower or education; they are the consequence of introducing powerful technologies without adequate safeguards, transparency or accountability,” Murthy wrote in an essay.

The resolution, introduced by Supervisor David Canepa, emphasized the necessity for laws to guard the mental health of county residents.

In July, Canepa wrote to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, urging him to teach people in regards to the risks of using Meta platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp.

“I urge you, as the CEO and founder of a $1 trillion company based in San Mateo County, to voluntarily and immediately post warning labels on all of Meta's social media platforms,” ​​Canepa wrote.

In a separate phone interview with Bay Area News Group, Canepa acknowledged that regulating technology could also be a state or federal responsibility, but stressed that the county must take a stand since it is home to several major technology corporations. He is especially concerned about young people being exposed to toxic content.

“Politics is always local,” said Canepa. “For example, if there is something racist or anti-Semitic, it must be labeled accordingly. As a district administration, we call on them to address this problem.”

“Social media companies have shown time and time again that they are unwilling to address the youth mental health crisis, instead putting profits first,” said Bonta, a former state Assembly member from Alameda County. “Social media warnings are a clear and direct way to communicate the risks to young users.”

Earlier this 12 months, San Mateo became the primary county within the country to declare loneliness a public health emergency, also based on Murthy's recommendations.

Originally published: September 10, 2024 at 3:44 pm

It's challenging to capture the spirit of a business district so diverse it's hard to define, but San Jose graphic designer Theo Mendoza has done it with a daring latest logo for East Village, the redesign of San Jose's East Santa Clara Street business district.

The latest logo was unveiled Tuesday morning during a small celebration in front of the mural outside the Vegan Bistro and Deli on the corner of North tenth and Santa Clara Streets. The East Village logo has a nostalgic vibe to it—to me, it seems like something from the early '70s—and that's more fun than you'd expect from a industrial district.

At first, Mendoza thought the emblem needed to be more structured because it represented a industrial district, but after speaking with the merchants within the neighborhood, he realized they didn't want something sleek and one-size-fits-all.

“I took a step back and realized we were building a corporate association as a brand that catered to this community that wanted to feel safe and connect with each other,” said Mendoza, who was born and raised in San Jose. “We wanted them to buy into it, be proud of it and then feel comfortable being who they are and what they contribute.”

The letters of the emblem are a mishmash of fonts, uppercase and lowercase. Sixteen green leaves within the upper corner represent the 16 blocks that the district encompasses along East Santa Clara Street from Seventh to twenty second Street. The letters “SJ” encased in a red brick in the other corner represent the retail stores that line the district.

During his month-long design process, Mendoza spoke with the neighborhood's merchants—many East Village restaurants and shops are owned by Vietnamese, black, Latino, Cambodian, Korean or Chinese entrepreneurs—and what he heard from them led him away from the stylized and toward something family-friendly and light-weight that also authentically represented the companies.

“Because I gathered all this information and addressed it in a way that we both understood what the goal was, it was no surprise when I showed it to them,” he said.

Caleb Orozco, owner of the Last Round Tavern and vp of the business association, said he appreciated Mendoza's collaborative process and questions that helped discover the interests of the merchants.

“He did a fantastic job. It's fun, it's whimsical, it's colorful – but at the same time it's serious,” Orozco said. “It represents the growth and prosperity that can happen here in the East Village.”

POETRY SPEAKS: The mighty Mike McGee says this 12 months's tenth annual San Jose Poetry Festival, which begins Thursday and runs through the weekend, has a program that focuses on spoken word poetry.

The opening event at First Unitarian Church (160 N. Third St.) begins at 7 p.m. and can feature Jason Bayani, Jamie DeWolf, Wonder Dave and Lorenz Dumuk. There might be special performances each evening, in addition to workshops and a number of other daytime events, each in person and streamed online, with additional presenters including Bao Phi, Rachel McKibbens, Arlene Biala, Sally Ashton and Tshaka Campbell.

Saturday night's event on the San Jose Jazz Break Room on South First Street will feature a performance by Santa Clara County Poet Laureate Yosimar Reyes, in addition to a chance to satisfy the county's newly named Youth Poet Laureate and Youth Ambassadors.

Speaking of youth, a convention coming back from last 12 months's festival is that each one performances are free for anyone under 19. Everyone else should buy a festival pass for $50 or pay for individual events on the door. For more information and the complete schedule, visit the Poetry Center San Jose website. www.pcsj.org.

STANFORD GOES NOIR: The Stanford Theater in downtown Palo Alto opens a two-month film noir festival on Friday with two classics of the dark and atmospheric genre starring Humphrey Bogart: “The Dead Sleep Tight” and “The Maltese Falcon.”

This double bill runs through Sunday, and other upcoming classics you won't need to miss include The Woman Without a Conscience (September 14-15), Sunset Boulevard and the unique Nightmare Alley (September 28-29), The Third Man and Key Largo (October 5-6), The Sign of Evil (November 2-3) and 1946's The Postman Always Rings Twice (November 9-10).

The full schedule will be found at www.stanfordtheatre.org.

Originally published: September 4, 2024 at 16:00

OAKLAND – Four people were shot and injured during a violent sideshow within the Dimond District early Sunday morning, police said.

The shooting occurred around 4 a.m. on the intersection of Fruitvale Avenue and McArthur Boulevard, where a big crowd of vehicles and bystanders had gathered.

Two women, ages 24 and 26, from Hayward and San Bernardino, and two men, ages 21 and 22, from Oakland and San Pablo were shot. The 4 victims, presumably bystanders, were capable of be taken to a hospital on their very own, where they were treated and reported to be in stable condition.

A close-by store was also hit by gunfire, but no further details were released.

Oakland police are still investigating the incident and haven’t yet made any arrests. The motive for the shooting stays unclear.

Authorities are currently trying to find out what triggered the violence.

In June, 14 people were shot at a slideshow at Lake Merritt that followed a peaceful Juneteenth celebration. Sideshows in Oakland and your complete Bay Area have develop into increasingly problematic through the years.

The Oakland City Council passed an ordinance last yr making it illegal to “organize, conduct or promote” sideshows.

Anyone who violates the ordinance might be charged with a misdemeanor and can face civil penalties reminiscent of six months in jail or fines starting from $1,000 to $5,000. Repeat offenders will face higher penalties.

Participants in illegal sideshows can also face having their vehicle towed and confiscated for a period of 30 days.

OPD recommends that anyone in the course of a sideshow seek a protected alternate route that may allow them to flee the sideshow activities.

Anyone with further information concerning the Sunday morning sideshow can call Oakland police at 510-238-3426.

Originally published: August 4, 2024 at 12:05 p.m.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans Friday for military prosecutors to work with the California Department of Justice on certain East Bay cases, just weeks after an analogous agreement with Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price's office fell apart amid a rare public spat between the 2 Democrats.

Newsom said attorneys from CalGuard's Counterdrug Task Force would work with Attorney General Rob Bonta's office on Alameda County cases. Among those not involved is the county's top prosecutor, Price, whose dispute with the governor earlier this month resulted in “disappointment” on either side.

In an announcement announcing the move, Newsom portrayed it as a possibility to “help bring justice to the people of the Bay Area.”

“Today, we are strengthening accountability and justice for East Bay communities by quickly reaching an agreement to provide additional resources to prosecute criminal behavior,” Newsom's statement said.

In a separate statement, Price expressed her approval of this move.

“We hope that the swift agreement between the Department of Justice and CalGuard will produce equally swift results, and my office stands ready to support that effort in any way possible,” Price said within the statement.

She also appeared to query the outcomes of Newsom's much-vaunted increase within the variety of California Highway Patrol officers within the East Bay. Price as an alternative suggested that her office had received only a small fraction of the a whole lot of cases Highway Patrol officers have opened as a part of their deployments within the Oakland area this yr.

The reshuffle of state and military prosecutors was the newest twist in a months-long saga that took a bitter turn in mid-July.

In February, Newsom announced plans to send prosecutors and military prosecutors to work directly with the Alameda County District Attorney's Office as part of a bigger effort to curb crime across the East Bay. The effort was modeled on an analogous agreement with the San Francisco District Attorney's Office and got here amid a surge of state troopers within the Oakland area to combat a wide selection of crimes, including shoplifting and automotive break-ins.

However, the move failed as a result of a series of delays, with Newsom and Price blaming one another for failing to agree on the terms of the partnership.

One of Newsom's Cabinet secretaries identified to Price in a letter last month that the Attorney General's Office took too long to conform to a memorandum of understanding that might have paved the way in which for the prosecutors' arrival. The letter claimed the Attorney General's Office had not taken “initial” steps to finalize such an agreement or appoint National Guard lawyers to work in its office, regardless that Newsom's office had complied with Price's team's requests for resumes and interviews, it said.

But Price said the governor's office didn’t begin that process until April. She also said the unique plan to send three prosecutors to Alameda County has been reduced to at least one, and the one remaining prosecutor is not going to be available after mid-August as a result of “another commitment.”

The issue culminated in competing press conferences on July 12, when Newsom publicly withdrew his offer of aid.

“(The governor) has the right to do whatever he deems appropriate,” Price said on the time, adding that her office had received “mixed messages about what (the governor) would do” and that she was “disappointed” the governor's office had not reached out to her on to share its concerns.

Originally published: August 2, 2024 at 12:31 pm

The San Jose Unified School District board of directors on Wednesday night rejected key findings from a Santa Clara County civil jury that attacked the South Bay's largest school district on a wide range of issues, from student safety to access to board meetings.

In a five-hour meeting marked by long discussions, tensions and, at times, scathing criticism of the grand jury itself, saying it was too old and too white, the board unanimously approved a response that rejected almost all the regulator's findings.

“I'm concerned about … the racial makeup of this grand jury,” said Chairwoman Wendi Mahaney-Gurahoo. “It doesn't represent the people we serve. I'm concerned that it's mostly white people telling us, 'We don't like what you're doing.' And I'm a white person.”

The Santa Clara County Superior Court, which convenes a civil grand jury every year to analyze complaints about problems with public facilities, said the grand jury's findings were its own. The foreman of the civil grand jury that issued the report didn’t reply to a request for comment.

The district had 90 days to reply from the June 10 release of the grand jury's civil report, but urged board members to approve the response Wednesday night to resolve the difficulty before school starts in two weeks.

The civil court grand jury tossed the 42-page report last month, which raised concerns about unusually high turnover amongst school administrators, a scarcity of student health centers, problems with school safety and investigations of staff, and a general lack of transparency. The report also faulted the district's school board for failing to make sure district accountability and supply leadership.

District 24-page written response alternated between acknowledging its “dark” history of the past 40 years – a court order to desegregate schools, bankruptcy, labor disputes, and the arrest of the previous superintendent for stealing money and forgery – and stating the numerous progress already made in lots of areas where the civil jury system needs improvement.

Renata Sanchez, president of the San Jose Unified State College Teachers Association, reiterated the progress the district has already made in public comment at Wednesday's meeting.

“There are no findings in this report that I have not already discussed with district leaders,” she said. “…The findings already address areas that have been identified as growth areas for the district…We still have a lot of room to grow, but we have laid some groundwork.”

The district's response said the grand jury's findings were baseless, misleading and narrow-minded. The district said the 80 civil jury interviews weren’t representative of the district's community, limited in scope and heavily concentrated in two of the district's 41 schools.

“The San Jose Unified School District is disappointed that the Civil Grand Jury report consists largely of opinions that are not supported by specific and accurate examples, properly interpreted data, or thorough research,” the district said in its response.

District leaders and board members expressed respect for the civil grand jury and its work, but additionally questioned the variety of its members and investigative methods.

According to the 2023 Civil Grand Jury DemographicsOf the 58 potential jurors, 78% were white and 59% were 65 years of age or older.

Trustee Carla Collins said her interview with the civil jury left her feeling “troubled” about democracy and the biased view of the investigation.

“I left feeling … concerned that this was asking for trouble if an important checks and balances system in our country was being used in this way,” Collins said. “What I experienced was a small, silent group led by some obviously disgruntled, empowered members.”

Parents' reactions were mixed: some echoed the district's criticism of the civil jury, while others expressed disappointment on the district's decision to reject the report's findings.

“I was really disappointed and concerned that most of the response to the report was just denial and defensiveness,” said Trudi McCanna, a Willow Glen mother. “If we can't admit we have problems, we can't address them.”

The board was unable to succeed in agreement in two areas: school safety and public access to board meetings. The district's response acknowledged that further evaluation must be done on safety planning and emergency responsibilities, but additionally criticized the grand jury for not interviewing two key district safety officials.

The Board also discussed the civil jury's findings regarding public access to Board meetings, ultimately adding that it could explore options to potentially live stream or video record meetings in the longer term.

Currently, Silicon Valley's largest district doesn’t videotape meetings or publish presentations used at board meetings. Community members can access audio recordings and meeting agendas online, but must request supporting documents or attend meetings in person to participate.

District Superintendent Nancy Albarrán, who said she enjoys watching other school districts' public board meetings, said the district's decision to not live stream or record the meetings could also be unpopular but stems from a desire to get monetary savings, protect community members' privacy and avoid disruption.

Albarrán went on to say that in a big district like San Jose Unified, where there may be “a lot of diversity of opinion,” the boardroom isn’t the very best place for discussions. She said livestreaming or recording board meetings would disrupt the best way the board operates since it introduces “unpredictable elements.”

However, community members argued that the district's refusal to record and live stream meetings excluded those that couldn’t attend in person and led to misunderstanding or confusion.

The county acknowledged that the civil jury's report was limited because members only had access to publicly available data and documents, but Trustee Teresa Castellanos argued that was the entire problem.

“The community doesn't know what we're doing,” she said. “This gave us an excellent opportunity to comment on our actions, but we shouldn't have to comment on our actions in front of a civil jury. We should be doing this on a regular basis and communicating on a regular basis.”

Originally published: July 25, 2024 at 3:39 pm

Unable to agree on how one can address widespread pollution and threats to its employees without treating the homeless fairly, the board of Silicon Valley's largest water utility postponed a vote Tuesday on a brand new ordinance banning camping along 295 miles of streams in San Jose and other parts of Santa Clara County.

After 4 hours of public hearings, the seven-member Santa Clara Valley Water District board voted to send the matter back to considered one of its committees for reconsideration. A brand new vote could happen later this fall.

“It’s not how you start that matters, but how you finish,” said board member Dick Santos.

The district, a government agency based in San Jose, has spent $3.4 million since July to remove 15,050 cubic yards of debris – enough to fill 1,500 dump trucks – from Coyote Creek, Guadalupe River, Los Gatos Creek and other South Bay waterways.

Water district officials say a growing variety of encampments are polluting South Bay streams with hazardous materials, piles of trash, batteries, propane tanks and human waste. Camp residents have caught endangered steelhead trout with shopping carts, cut down trees, began wildfires that threatened nearby homes, discarded needles and built makeshift structures in areas that steadily flood within the winter.

Water district employees also report increasing threats once they travel to the streams to take water quality samples, conduct flood control work or perform other tasks.

“People have been pointing knives, machetes and guns at them,” said Jennifer Codianne, the county's watershed operations and maintenance commissioner. “It's not safe for our employees to be doing flood protection work.”

The district estimates that about 700 people live along the streams it manages. Proposed regulation would have banned the establishing of tent camps, the polluting of waterways with “garbage, debris and dangerous contaminants,” the setting off of explosives or fireworks, and the harassment of district employees.

After a verbal and written warning with a 72-hour deadline to vacate the camp, violations would have been punishable by fines of as much as $500 and 30 days in jail. The latest law would have been enforced by local police and sheriff's deputies.

Dozens of individuals made passionate statements at Tuesday's debate, with some residents who live near streams saying the measure was long overdue.

Yamini Sadasivam, a San Jose resident who lives near Los Gatos Creek within the Willow Glen neighborhood, told the panel that she was attacked outside her home by a homeless man with a bow and arrow.

“After this horrific experience, I felt extremely unsafe in my own neighborhood,” she said.

“Seven fires have been reported near our neighborhood, putting our lives and homes at risk,” she said, adding that open drug dealing, automobile break-ins and other problems are coming from people living within the nearby creek. “This is unacceptable. This constant threat is not something a community should endure.”

Others said the proposed rules were unfair and counterproductive.

“We can address these problems without criminalizing people for their struggle to survive,” says Jan Bernstein Chargin, CEO of PitStop Outreach, a Gilroy-based nonprofit that delivers food to the homeless. “That would make people's lives worse, clog up the courts and make it harder for them to find housing.”

Board members discussed the role the water district, whose primary mission is to offer drinking water and flood protection to 2 million people within the Santa Clara Valley, plays in providing housing.

“We're not a housing authority,” said Tony Estremera, a longtime water district board member. “We don't build houses, and that's the real solution. We can't relocate people because we don't have police powers.”

“We will protect our employees,” he added. “I'll tell you that right now. We are committed to that.”

But board member Jim Beall, a former state senator, said the water district should do more to offer housing.

“We are not a housing authority, but we work with people who can provide housing,” he said. “We can provide land and we can provide assistance.”

Last month, the San Jose City Council approved a plan to relocate about 500 homeless people living along creeks to approved encampments on public lands throughout town. Of the eight sites chosen, five are owned by the water district. Each is 1 to 2 acres in size. They are positioned on Lelong Street, Willow Street, 14020 Almaden Road, 3278 Almaden Road and Almaden Road at Canoas Garden Avenue.

Some have suggested these sites will provide tents for 100 or more individuals with supervision, but details still must be worked out between town and the water district.

Helen Hutchings, a Willow Glen resident, said such sites ought to be built on county land and away from residential areas.

“We don't think it's appropriate to house people in tent camps in neighborhoods when the county has so much land that could be used,” she said.

A coalition of eight environmental groups supported the foundations, including the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter, the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, the California Native Plant Society and Green Foothills.

“When we're out there cleaning up the creek, we encounter feces, needles and even fire, as well as guns and dogs,” said Deb Kramer, executive director of Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful.

Several speakers stated that they’d been or were currently homeless.

“It's inhumane to punish people and put them in jail,” said James Campbell, who lives in his automobile in San Jose. “My car is broken. I got a ticket, the police are harassing me.”

Board member John Varela said the difficulty ought to be delayed until after Oct. 11, when the water district plans to fulfill with other agencies and the general public to debate solutions.

Rebecca Eisenberg, the water company's board member who’s the strongest opponent of the ordinance, said: “After they are released from prison, there is no place for homeless people to go.”

“It is not only arrogant but also irrational of us to say that we know more than the homeless people who are speaking before us,” she said. “We also know that the homeless are not the biggest polluters of the rivers. We are causing more damage to the ecosystem than the homeless through our terrible, ecologically irresponsible projects, for which we use huge amounts of cement and concrete.”

HERCULES — Facing an uncertain economic future, officials with the Rodeo-Hercules Fire District have begun pursuing incorporation with the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, but not all residents are sold on the thought.

At two recent town hall meetings to deal with the difficulty, officials warned that RHFD's long-term financial health doesn’t look good: Expenses are expected to exceed revenues inside the subsequent decade and the district may have to make up hundreds of thousands in unfunded pension liabilities.

Four options are being considered: maintaining the establishment while cutting services, securing additional funding, outsourcing services or annexation, RHFD Fire Chief Rebecca Ramirez, ConFire Chief Lewis Broschard and Michael Despain, a former fire chief who advises the district on the difficulty, said on the June town hall meeting.

District residents have been surveyed on these issues over the past few weeks, and the outcomes of that survey will likely be reviewed by the RHFD Board of Directors during a special meeting on July 10. Some participants at each town hall meetings called the survey biased and the leading questions designed to advertise a ConFire takeover.

Of the 4 options available to the district, maintaining the establishment would likely force the department to shut a fireplace station because no additional funding source has been found, Chief Ramirez said. The deeper the district gets into financial trouble, the less likely it’s that an outdoor agency will wish to annex the world.

The district is predicted to generate $10 million to $12.3 million in revenue between 2024 and 2030, while spending $10 million to $13.3 million in the course of the same period, officials said. RHFD has only $7 million in reserves and about $12 million in unfunded pension liabilities.

Even with some revenue increases, akin to a money injection within the event of an economic recovery or the completion of the Hercules Hub – a project that can bring 1,400 housing units, 31,800 square meters of office space and recent multimodal connections to the region – the cash may not be enough to cover costs, Ramirez said.

“There could be an increase in revenue in the coming years. The problem is we don't have years left,” Ramirez said in the course of the first town hall meeting held in Hercules on June 18. “I'm afraid that even if we raise an additional $1.5 million, we wouldn't be able to provide the service that ConFire provides.”

Despain said the choice of outsourcing services is off the table after the county made inquiries and received no interest from other agencies. He noted that outsourcing could be “dangerous” for the agency providing the services because it might be left with employees after the contract ends and no revenue to cover those costs.

That leaves just one likely end result: the dissolution of the Rodeo-Hercules Fire District and its merger with ConFire. The agency has existed since 1937 and was then called the Rodeo Fire District. Hercules was annexed within the late Nineteen Seventies when the population in the town known for its dynamite plant began to blow up. ConFire, the county's largest fire department, provides fire services primarily in Central and East Contra Costa, but in addition has fire stations in West County.

Ramirez said annexation could occur as soon as a yr from now if decisions are made at a gentle pace. During the July 10 meeting, the fireplace district board could ask staff to return with a proposal for annexation to be voted on soon after, and Broschard could bring the same proposal to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, which has oversight of ConFire.

The Local Agency Formation Commission would then review the proposal, a process that takes between three and 4 months, Ramirez said. If LAFCO approves, a transition process would begin with input from Ramirez and Broschard.

Should incorporation occur, Broschard assured the general public that funds from Measure O, a property tax approved by RHFD voters in 2016 to support the county's two fire stations, would proceed for use for those stations. He said existing ConFire staff will help reduce costs and reserves will likely be used to pay down unfunded liabilities.

“It's important for you to understand that you're still getting the most efficient, fastest and safest first aid, with three firefighters from stations 75 and 76 and one paramedic on each of those fire engine or truck companies. That's our minimum at ConFire,” Broschard said.

Not everyone was convinced. Maureen Brennan and Frank Grimsley, each members of the Measure O Oversight Committee, questioned why the difficulty was not put to voters.

“I don't want to be annexed. I don't think that's necessary. I think our fire district has made a tremendous turnaround since 2016,” Brennan said, adding that she is going to push for the difficulty to be put to a public vote when the board discusses it on July 10.

Former RHFD Fire Chief Pedro Jimenez also raised questions on annexation, and a few speakers called for more data before a final decision might be made. Speakers at each town hall meetings also expressed concerns that Rodeo and Hercules residents could be neglected under ConFire's leadership, since oversight of the district is handled by the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors.

Others, nevertheless, seemed convinced about annexation. Tanya Little, a 32-year-old Hercules resident, said she has been researching and dealing on the difficulty since 2021 and is ultimately convinced that annexation is best for the community.

Sarah Creeley, a teacher at Hanna Ranch Elementary School, said she opposed dissolving the district until she realized what a “broad range of experiences” residents would have in a bigger organization.

RHFD Captain Jonathan Bischoff, who has worked for the agency for 25 years, said nearly all of the district's 16 crew members support the annexation and the extra support it would supply.

“Whether it's Rodeo-Hercules or Contra Costa County Fire Protection, we're still our community. And I want you to know that, because we take this seriously,” Bischoff said. “We use wire and tape, we fake everything. We make it look easy, but it's not. ConFire has one big umbrella and ten more waiting for it if this one breaks.”

BERKELEY – Initial results show Igor Tregub leading the race for a seat on Berkeley’s Fourth District City Council.

In the race for the 4th District Council seat are Rubén Hernández Story, chief of staff to 2nd District Councilman Terry Taplin; rent commissioner Soli Alpert; community volunteer Elana Auerbach and Igor Tregub, policy director at Reimagine Power.

According to the Alameda County Election Office, as of 10:30 p.m. Tuesday evening, Tregub was ahead with 32.7 percent of the vote, followed by Hernández Story with 25.58 percent, Auerbach with 24.25 percent and Soli with 17.46 percent.

The Fourth District covers downtown and central Berkeley and currently has a complete of seven,453 registered voters, in response to the Alameda County Elections Office. The district was previously represented by former City Councilwoman Kate Harrison, who resigned from office earlier this yr citing concerns about city bureaucracy.

Harrison is currently still running for mayor. Her resignation got here shortly after Rigel Robinson resigned and suspended his campaign for mayor. Recent UC Berkeley graduate Cecilia Lunaparra won Robinson's seat in a special election in April.