Weekly Update - February 17, 2023

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Alamo Residents Invited to Join Sheriff Livingston and Supervisor Andersen for a Safety Town Hall on February 22nd

Disaster Recovery Center Open in Danville to Assist Residents Impacted by December Winter Storms

Contra Costa County residents affected by the December winter storms can now connect directly to federal and state recovery programs and services in person.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has opened a Disaster Recovery Center (Center) to help residents impacted by the recent winter storms connect directly with recovery resources.

During yesterday’s opening of the Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) in Danville, the County Office of Emergency Services (OES), alongside FEMA and CalOES (Governor's Office of Emergency Services), connected 21 residents with storm recovery information and resources. The County coordinated closely with the Town of Danville leadership, including Police Chief Shields and Danville's Emergency Manager Marcelle Indelicato, on media inquiries to field questions from reporters and connect them with residents who were willing to share their stories.

The Center will be open in Danville during these dates and times, depending on need: 

The Center will be open Monday (2/20) during the Presidents’ Day holiday.

Location: 510 La Gonda Way, Danville, CA 94526

Time: 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily Dates: February 15 to March 1

Disaster Event: Winter Storms from Dec. 31, 2022, to Jan. 30, 2023

The Center can help residents: 

• Apply directly for assistance. Residents can still apply online or check the status of their application at www.disasterassistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362; 
• Learn more about disaster assistance programs; 
• Learn the status of a FEMA application; 
• Ask questions regarding eligibility; 
• Find housing and rental assistance information; 
• Get answers to questions or resolve issues; or 
• Get referrals to agencies that might offer other assistance. 

Other resources through the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) will also be available. 

For those who have experienced personal property damage, please contact your insurance company first to determine what resources might be available. FEMA provides assistance to applicants for uninsured or underinsured disaster-caused expenses and serious needs. On Feb. 2, Contra Costa County was approved for Individual Assistance (IA). FEMA provides Individual Assistance to eligible individuals and households who have sustained losses as a direct result of a disaster that receives a federal disaster declaration.

To prepare for future storms, sign up for emergency alerts through the Community Warning System by clicking on the button below.

A3 - Anyone, Anywhere at Anytime

Contra Costa County Looking for New Members of

Civil Grand Jury

Contra Costa County Superior Court is accepting applications for jurors to serve the Civil Grand Jury for the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 term.

The Civil Grand Jury is made up of 19 members who serve for one year, July through June, to monitor, review and report on city and county governments, special districts and school districts.

Every effort is made to ensure that the Grand Jury reflects the makeup of the residents of the county. Approximately 75 applicants will be selected to be interviewed by the Grand Jury Selection Committee, which is composed of Superior Court Judges.

Persons interested in applying may contact the Office of the Civil Grand Jury at (925) 608-2621, or visit the website by clicking the button below to receive additional information.

Application Deadline is Friday, March 24, 2023.

Con Fire Graduates Fire Recruit Academy 58

Adds 28 Firefighters to District Ranks!

On Wednesday, February 15th, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District held its Academy 58 Graduation at the Lesher Theatre in Walnut Creek. Out of 492 applicants, these 28 Firefighter Recruits entered the academy and endured 20 weeks of intense training to earn their badge and join the ranks of ConFire to serve more than 750,000 residents in our county. 

Contra Costa Health Seeks Applicants for Gun Violence Prevention Coalition

Contra Costa Health (CCH) is seeking dedicated and passionate individuals to join a new Gun Violence Prevention Coalition to support the County’s efforts to reduce gun violence.

Coalition members will be asked to support the following activities: Research and planning efforts to address root causes of gun violence in Contra Costa; development of an evidence-based Gun Violence Prevention Strategic Plan; development of a final report that will include a gun violence prevention sustainability plan for areas of Contra Costa most impacted by gun violence, and coordinate and collaborate with other violence prevention efforts in the county.

The Coalition will help to set and achieve the goals of CCH's Violence Prevention Project, work supported by a $1.5 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. The Coalition will be a diverse, community and multi-agency-driven collaborative. Applications are being sought from representatives of community-based organizations, law enforcement agencies, other health-centered and faith-based organizations, and those who were formerly incarcerated and justice-involved. Residents with lived experience, diverse backgrounds, and perspectives are encouraged to apply.

To apply for the GVPC, please click on the button below and submit your responses no later than Friday, February 24, 2023, by 5 p.m.

Contra Costa County Wildfire Mitigation Program

Contra Costa Fire has a new wildfire mitigation program. Residents can go to the website to report concerns and request abatement work in a variety of categories.

Firewise is a national program helping neighbors work together with their local fire jurisdiction to protect their communities from wildfire danger.

Firewise programs include removal of dead trees, community chipping day and vegetation management, and fuel reduction. To read about these and other opportunities, click on the button below.

Flashing Yellow Arrow Signals Come to Danville

On February 21, the Town of Danville will convert left turn signal heads to include flashing yellow left turn arrows (FYA) at the intersections of Diablo Road-El Pintado Road and Diablo Road-Front Street. A flashing yellow left turn arrow functions the same as the traditional green circular indicator (yield on green) meaning that you must yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. For more information click on the button below.

AAUW San Ramon Event - Women Leaders in our Community

Featuring Our Chief of Staff Gayle Israel

Educational Equity - Student Wellness Initiatives, A Whole Child Approach to Education

Join the Danville-Alamo Walnut Creek AAUW for their Third Thursday Member Meeting on March 16, 2023, from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at the Greenbrook Clubhouse, 300 Greenbrook Drive in Danville.

They will discuss effective programs to bring science and wellness to K-12 students in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District. Speakers include Jennifer Sachs, Chief of Educational Services for the Mt. Diablo Unified School District and Laney Cline King, Growing Healthy Kids (GHK) Program Director.

The discussion will include information about the non-profit organization Growing Healthy Kids (GHK), and the unique garden-based science and wellness education it brings to K-12 students in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District. 

Please save the date and register below for this FREE event.

Presidents Day Weekend: Free Buses Replace BART Trains Between Lafayette, Orinda and Rockridge Stations

Over Presidents Day weekend, February 18-20, 2023, BART is replacing 7,500 feet of rail and making other system improvements between Lafayette and Rockridge Stations.

Throughout the weekend, free buses will replace train service between the Lafayette, Orinda, and Rockridge Stations. There will be an express bus between Rockridge and Lafayette Stations, and a local bus with stops at all three stations. Riders using the bus bridge should expect 30-minute delays. Riders can keep up with service impacts including the latest real-time departure information by downloading the official BART app or by viewing the service advisory.

This work is made possible by Measure RR, approved by BART District voters in 2016. When the project is complete, riders will experience a safer, quieter, and more reliable BART. 

During each shutdown weekend, neighbors or riders with immediate concerns should email [email protected] or call (510) 464-6178. 

County Debuts Data Dashboard Showing How and Where it

Helps Community Members

Data can be a powerful storyteller. In Contra Costa County, an exciting new set of data tools paint a rich picture of our support and engagement with the community we serve.

The Employment and Human Services Department (EHSD) has launched two new complementary public-facing data products: the Benefits Program Geographic Information System (GIS) Map and the EHSD Interactive Program Data Dashboard.

The EHSD Benefits Program GIS Map provides enhanced insights into how the community is served through key benefit programs – across the county and by individual districts.

The Interactive Program Data Dashboard is a leading-edge platform with easy-to-understand visualizations of program activity. EHSD.org visitors can view and explore the monthly data in three ways: trend lines, mouse-over pop-ups, and bar graph color density to reflect volume.

Users interested in seeing the history and the trends also have the option of downloading the raw data behind the dashboards into an Excel spreadsheet in order to create custom analyses.

Community members, community-based organizations, researchers, students, elected officials, and policymakers – or anyone who is just curious - may find this data useful to include in reports to various audiences, view trends and the effects of external factors such as COVID, and understand the impact of economic and policy changes.

You can access the Benefits Program GIS Maps and Interactive Program Data Dashboard by clicking on the button below.

Commuting Options and Transportation Incentives

from 511 Contra Costa

• E-Scooters: Emission-Free Fun
• Commute Assistance at Work
• Guaranteed Ride Home: Put Your Mind at Ease
• Winter Walk Challenge – Join Today!

Contra Costa Health Opens Online Survey About

Emergency Ambulance Service

Contra Costa Health (CCH) seeks public participation in an online survey to help gather opinions and experiences related to emergency ambulance service in the county.

Data collected will help CCH evaluate the current state of Contra Costa’s emergency medical services in advance of writing and issuing a request for proposals for a new emergency ambulance services contract in a large section of the county.

The survey, conducted by consultant Fitch & Associates, includes questions about the responsiveness and quality of county emergency medical services, both for residents who have used them and who have not. The survey only takes a few minutes and does not ask for names or other personal identifiers.

Click the link below for the survey.

Wondering What to do With Fluorescent or Other Mercury-Containing Lights?

Do not throw fluorescent or other mercury-containing lights in the trash or recycling bins. High intensity discharge, metal halide, sodium and neon lights all contain mercury as well. It’s illegal and mercury exposure can harm the brain, heart, and immune and nervous systems. Mercury products contaminate California’s drinking water, fish, soil, and air when they are not managed properly. The mercury limit in drinking water is 2 parts per billion in California, since even low quantities are extremely hazardous.

The following lamps are considered hazardous in California: fluorescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps, HID lamps, High intensity discharge lamps, metal halide lamps, sodium vapor lamps, grow lamps, Zenon lamps, headlights - auto, mercury vapor lamps, video projector lamps, ultraviolet lamps, UV lamps, water treatment lamps, sun lamps, tanning lamps, mercury containing lamps, LED lamps. The following ballasts are considered hazardous in California: light fixture ballasts, lamp ballasts, electronic ballasts, fluorescent light ballasts, HID light ballasts, PCB containing ballasts, no-PCB ballasts.

Customers in RecycleSmart's service area can have their fluorescent light bulbs picked up at the curb. You must put them next to your recycling can in a clear bag, but not in the recycling bin. Go to Recycle Smart’s Resource Guide, you can type in any item and figure out how to recycle or have someone reuse it. 

Contra Costa County Fire Seeks Applicants for

Advisory Fire Commission

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors is seeking individuals to serve as an At Large Alternate member of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District’s (CCCFPD) Advisory Fire Commission. The Commission is responsible for confirming cost of abatement reports; conducting weed abatement appeal hearings; approving surplus equipment declarations; reviewing CCCFPD operations and budget reports; and advising the Fire Chief on District service matters. The Commission also serves as a liaison between the Board of Directors and the community and may be asked to perform other duties by the Board of Directors. Applicants must reside or work within the boundaries of the Fire District to be considered for appointment.

Regular meetings of the Advisory Fire Commission are held on the second Monday of even-numbered months at 7:00 p.m. in Concord. The appointment will be to complete the current term of office that will expire on June 30, 2024. Commissioners are not compensated.



Application forms can be obtained from the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors by calling (925) 655-2000 or by visiting the County webpage at www.contracosta.ca.gov. Applications should be returned to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, County Administration Building, 1025 Escobar St., Martinez, CA 94553, by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 3, 2023. Applicants should plan to be available for public interviews in Martinez on Monday, March 13, 2023.

Further information about the Advisory Fire Commission can be obtained by contacting Latonia Ellingberg at [email protected] or (925) 941-3300 x1200 or:

Community Advisory Board Looking for Members

The Community Advisory Board (CAB) on Public Safety Realignment was established by the Community Corrections Partnership (CCP) Executive Committee in December 2012 to provide input on community needs and encourage outcomes that are consistent with the County's Reentry Strategic Plan. The Community Advisory Board includes anyone interested in public safety issues and members with expertise in:

• domestic violence prevention
• workforce development
• behavioral health issues
• post-release reentry services
• adult education within a correctional setting
• services for reentering women
• criminal and drug court
• crime survivors
• law and policy related to issues of the formerly incarcerated 

CAB meets on the 2nd Thursday of the month from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ALL MEETINGS ARE CURRENTLY VIA ZOOM DUE TO COVID but will return in-person beginning in March.

Applications are on the CAB website - click the button below.

APPLY NOW as applications are continuously reviewed. Refer your questions to CAB's Outreach & Community Engagement Subcommittee: (925) 335-6440 or email by clicking the button below.

Alamo Police Advisory Board Looking for Members

Alamo Police Services Advisory Committee (CSA P-2B/APSAC)

To advise the Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff's Department on the needs of the Alamo/Danville community for police services.

You must reside in the P2B area of Alamo to serve on this committee.

1 Alternate Seat

Closing Date: Open Until Filled

To find out more information about volunteering for an advisory body and to apply online click the button below.