Weekly Update - January 26, 2024

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The 2024 Presidential Primary is less than two months away. Now is the time to update your registration, re-register or register for the first time. For more information, click here. 

Election Day would not be possible without poll workers. Poll workers are on the front lines of democracy, processing voters, issuing ballots, and maintaining voting equipment. In Contra Costa County it takes approximately 1,600 poll workers to conduct a statewide election! If you are interested in working as a poll worker, please click here.

On Thursday, January 25th, Supervisor Andersen joined the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District (SRVFPD) in both a groundbreaking (pictured above) and a ribbon cutting.

The groundbreaking ceremony recognized the start of construction on the new San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District Training Facility project located at 1500 Bollinger Canyon Road, the former site of their administrative offices.

The Ribbon Cutting ceremony celebrated the completion and full use of the new Public Safety Complex and Communications Center. The administrative offices of both the San Ramon Police Department and the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District are housed in the new building, along with a state of the art Dispatch Center and Emergency Operations Center.

Pictured above on the left are Dominique Yancy, former SRVFPD Board Member; Sabina Zafar, former San Ramon Councilmember; Kathy Chiverton and Supervisor Andersen.

$3 Million CAL FIRE Wildfire Prevention Grant to Fund Creation of a Shaded Fuel Break Across Southern Lafayette and Walnut Creek

Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire) received a $3 million California Climate Investments Wildfire Prevention Grant from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). The grant is for the creation of a shaded fuel break across southern Lafayette and Walnut Creek that will afford significant protection from wildfires for residents in the communities of Rossmoor and southern Lafayette. The tentative completion date of this project is late 2025.

The Lafayette/Walnut Creek Shaded Fuel Break project area will encompass 268 acres along some 11 miles of open space in the East Bay.



The grant directly supports Con Fire’s efforts to quickly suppress fires in densely-populated wildland-urban interface and hard-to-access grassland areas before they are able to threaten homes, businesses and other property.

At most groundbreakings, you will see people holding ceremonial shovels, but the shaded fuel break project relies upon hand crews removing vegetation with tools like saws! Supervisor Andersen was joined on stage by Mayor Loella Haskew of Walnut Creek and Mayor Gina Dawson of Lafayette.

NCAPDA is now offering FREE Naloxone Overdose Rescue Training virtually on a bi-monthly basis. These sessions are designed to equip participants with critical life-saving drug prevention and overdose rescue skills.

The trainings cover essential topics, such as prescribed and illicit opioid safety education with a key focus on recognizing and responding to an opioid-related overdose using NARCAN®, the spray version of naloxone.

Key Details:

• Scheduled Training Dates: Published on our homepage and events page at least 30 days in advance
• Registration: Open to anyone in the U.S., with a capacity of up to 100 registrants for each session
• Free Narcan® Overdose Rescue Kits: Available upon request to California residents. Kits can be picked up or mailed, depending on your location
• Certificates of Completion: Provided electronically upon training completion
• 

Upon registration, a confirmation email will be sent to you, containing the Zoom link necessary for joining your selected training session.

For any registration issues, questions, or additional information, please feel free to contact us at 925-480-7723 or via email at [email protected].

Training Schedule:

Register for Training on 2/6 from 10-11 am PST click here.

Register for Training on 2/20 from 1-2 pm PST click here.

*NEW* Register for Training on 3/12 from 10-11 am PST click here.

*NEW* Register for Training on 3/26 from 1-2 pm PST click here. 

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and commented on the Public Review Drafts of the Contra Costa County 2045 General Plan and Climate Action Plan (CAP) 2024 Update that was published last October.

The initial comment period end date was January 31, 2024. However, this comment period will be extended to align with the comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR), which assesses the potential impacts on the environment that could result from adopting and implementing the 2045 General Plan and 2024 CAP. The Draft EIR will be published in the coming weeks, and once it is published, a 60-day comment period will be set for the Draft EIR, which will also determine the close date for comments on the Draft 2045 General Plan and Draft 2024 CAP. Once the Draft EIR is published, an email will be sent to update the mailing list with the new comment period close date.

In the meantime, feedback on the Draft 2045 General Plan and Draft 2024 CAP continue to be welcome via the interactive online review page, emailing comments to [email protected], or attending an open house.

The Contra Costa Red Cross Leadership Council hosted it Seventh Annual Partner Recognition event, Celebrating Our Partners, on Thursday, January 25th.

Every year the Red Cross honors and thanks those who have helped serve our community. This year, with their partners, they educated the community in emergency preparedness, teaching classes in our elementary schools and participating in safety fairs, focusing on Spanish speaking neighbors. Together they installed smoke alarms in vulnerable communities making homes safer and conducted blood drives to save lives. 

Contra Costa County employees honored this year: Rick Kovar from Contra Costa County Office of Emergency Services received a Special Recognition. Beatriz Portillo, Office of Emergency Services, Kristina Miller Office of Employment & Human Services, Director of Health, Housing & Homeless Services Christy Saxton, were all honored for Atmospheric River Response.

Pictured above, Red Cross North Coast Region Hannah Malik, Supervisor Andersen, Fire Education Coordinator for ConFire Noelle Crosse, and ConFire Deputy Chief Brian Helmick.

To learn more about the Red Cross go to NorCal Red Cross.

Kick off 2024 by testing your movement knowledge through the Sustainable Movement Challenge! It's a free 5-minute game, and by participating, you'll have the chance to win a $50 Gift Card to Sports Basement in the drawing this spring.

To play, visit 2024SustainableMovement.

BART announces the 2024 BART Lines Teen Poetry Contest. This will be BART’s first writing contest for youth, following last year’s short story contest for adults. Submissions for the contest open Friday, February 9, 2024.

Learn more on the official contest page: bart.gov/bartlines

With the BART Lines Teen Poetry Contest, BART is thrilled to lift and amplify the voices of Bay Area youth, whose perspectives, opinion, and ideas are providing a roadmap for the future – one that is informed by their lived experiences as well as the unique histories of their communities.

Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff is now accepting Spring 2024 Citizens Academy applications. The Citizens Academy provides community members with an inside look at the Office of the Sheriff and its mission, duties, responsibilities, and services.

The Citizens Academy will take place in Martinez with one special day dedicated to Clayton at the range. It begins on February 21 and runs for 6 consecutive weeks. Classes meet Wednesday evenings from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. with one Saturday session scheduled for March 9 from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

How to Apply: Visit www.cocosheriff.org. Completed applications should be submitted via e-mail to: [email protected]. Application deadline: February 9, 2024.

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors is accepting nominations for the 2024 Contra Costa County Youth Hall of Fame Awards.

For more information and the application form to nominate youth in our community, visit Contra-Costa-County-Cesar-E-Chavez-Youth. Submit your nomination by completing the form and uploading it to the County website or emailing the application and your letter of recommendation to Lia Bristol at [email protected]. 

Nominations must be received or postmarked by February 16, 2024. Recipients will be recognized at the March 26, 2024, Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors’ César E. Chávez Celebration. 

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors is seeking applicants interested in serving on its 20-member Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council (JJCC). Regular meetings of the Council and other standing committees are held at least quarterly based on a schedule adopted by the Council; that schedule may be changed or augmented as needed. Members have the option to serve on two subcommittees (Prevention, Intervention, Community Engagement, and Data & Services).

Applications are due by 5 p.m. Friday, February 23. All applicants who submit by the deadline will be invited to the public interview process conducted by the Public Protection Committee. This committee will then recommend a selection of applicants for the Board of Supervisors to appoint. Interviews with the Public Protection Committee will occur on March 4, and interviews with the Board of Supervisors will occur on March 19. 

Applications can be obtained from the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors by calling (925) 655-2000 or visiting the County webpage at http://www.contracosta.ca.gov/3418/. Completed applications should be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors Office at 1025 Escobar Street, 1st Floor, Martinez, CA 94553.

For more information on CAB membership and duties and activities, visit their website here.

To submit an application - Click Here.

General Full Body Meeting

Meets the 2nd Thursday of every month at 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Contra Costa LAFCO is currently accepting applications for the Alternate Public Member seat. All Commissioners serve a four-year term and cannot be elected/appointed officers or employees of a city, the County, or a special district in Contra Costa County. The deadline for submitting applications is February 29, 2024.

LAFCO is an independent agency created by the State of California and charged with encouraging orderly growth, discouraging urban sprawl, and preserving agricultural and open space lands. The Commission meets these objectives by regulating the boundaries of cities and special districts and conducting municipal services reviews and special studies.

LAFCO meetings are typically held on the second Wednesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. in Martinez. The Commission can call special meetings if necessary. Commissioners receive a $150 stipend per meeting. Applicants must be a resident of Contra Costa County, able to regularly attend LAFCO meetings, have a general understanding of LAFCO functions and authorities, and cannot be elected/appointed officers or employees of the County, a city, or a special district in the County.

The Commission will screen applications and make the appointment. In order to be considered for this appointment, a completed application form must be received in the Contra Costa LAFCO office, 40 Muir Road, 1st Floor, Martinez, CA 94553 by 5:00 p.m. by February 29, 2024.

Applications may be submitted by e-mail to [email protected], or U.S. mail; postmarks will not be accepted.

Contra Costa County residents interested in serving on this Commission should contact the LAFCO office at (925) 313-7133. For more information about Contra Costa LAFCO please visit our website at www.contracostalafco.org.

Affordable Housing Finance Committee (AHFC)

The Contra Costa County Internal Operations Committee (IOC) of the Board of Supervisors is now accepting applications from individuals to fill vacant positions for the AHFC:

• Central County (Unincorporated) Representative,
• At-Large/Community Representative.

Applicants must:

• Be a resident of Contra Costa County in one of the above vacant residency membership categories.
• Have professional experience in the field of affordable housing finance, design, development, or property management.

To obtain an application or further information, contact Kristin Sherk, staff liaison, at 925-655-2889 or [email protected]. Applications may also be obtained from the Clerk of the Board located at 1025 Escobar Street, 1st Floor, Martinez, CA 94553. 

For more information, visit contracosta.ca.gov/AHFC. A fillable application is available on the website for your convenience.



Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC)

Contra Costa County is seeking an individual to serve on the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) as a Public Representative on behalf of the County.

The individual will serve a four-year term in a volunteer capacity. The individual selected for this position must:

• Live in the unincorporated area of the County;
• Attend virtual committee meetings on the 4th Wednesday of every month at 6:00 p.m.; and
• Review agenda packets and develop input on agenda items beforehand.

The CCTA CAC reviews transportation programs and plans throughout the County, to advise and provide recommendations to the CCTA Board of Directors. This includes transportation projects and programs funded by the county half-cent transportation sales tax, which CCTA oversees. CCTA maintains its standing CAC to provide citizen perspective, participation, and involvement in the Measure J-funded and voter-approved Transportation Expenditure Plan and Growth Management Program. The CAC members have an opportunity to learn about and influence transportation and growth issues within Contra Costa County and in other jurisdictions through scheduled presentations by transportation experts, advocates, and CCTA staff.