Posts Tagged ‘Contra Costa County’
The waiting game of prisoner realignment
With a proposed jail expansion now on the back burner, county officials are spending long hours hammering out the fine print of what Contra Costa services will look like for the low-level felons who have been transferred to county jurisdiction in the last year.
Read MoreCounty seeks tighter safety measures in wake of new findings
As Richmond Fire Department and Chevron firefighters complete joint search-and-rescue training operations at the Chevron refinery this week — a sign of cooperation between the two agencies at a time when residents and regulators are demanding answers about refinery safety — Contra Costa County is taking steps to tighten its industrial safety standards. The county’s…
Read MoreRichmond hears El Grito de Dolores loud and clear
The Mexican flag, carried carefully without touching the floor, dwarfed Marco Negrete, a diplomatic attaché from the Mexican Consulate General in San Francisco, as he carried it onto the stage in Richmond’s Restaurante la Revolución. From the stage, Negrete stood before the band’s instruments, and gazed out at hundreds of people who had gathered from…
Read MoreNew court budget could eliminate Richmond truancy program
A budget that the Contra Costa Superior Court will consider adopting Friday would close six courtrooms, including the Juvenile Law Courtroom in Richmond. For the 2012-2013 fiscal year, more than $7 million is estimated to be cut from the county court’s budget.
Read MoreContra Costa tables controversial jail expansion
Contra Costa officials announced at an emotionally-charged meeting Thursday morning that they would postpone a decision to build more jail beds and instead look into alternative solutions to reduce prison populations, a move that was applauded by Richmond residents, nonprofits, faith leaders, and government groups. Buses drove Richmond leaders and residents to the meeting at…
Read MoreTestimony in Magnus trial focuses on descent into dispute
Tuesday’s testimony – a marathon volley between Hartinger and Pickett – traced the rapid devolution of relations in the department after Magnus’ January 2006 hiring, which brought him to Richmond from Fargo, N.D.
Read MoreHealthy Steps: A hospital administrator’s struggle to save Doctors Medical Center
Dawn Gideon remembers walking down the steep stadium steps of the Ashland Regional Medical Center auditorium, staring at the backs of the heads of 100 hospital workers, each step taking her closer to the front of a crowd filled with people she had known for only a month. It would be her first attempt at…
Read MoreVoters pass parcel tax for Doctors Medical Center
Voters in West Contra Costa County passed a ballot measure Tuesday that Doctors Medical Center administrators said will keep the struggling hospital from closing. Measure J, which won with nearly 74 percent of voters casting “yes” ballots, will allow the county to put in place a $47 parcel tax increase per household in West County,…
Read MoreAt the public hospital and sports centers, vending machines are healthier
Snickers bars at the county hospital? No more. Nor will you be able to find them at the city’s community centers. The city’s Recreation Department — following the lead of Contra Costa County’s health department — has replaced all the vending machines in its community centers with new, energy-efficient ones holding snacks and drinks that…
Read MoreChildhood obesity in Contra Costa on the rise
Sugar-sweetened drinks and street violence have contributed to a rise in childhood obesity across low-income areas of Contra Costa County, according to county health officials who worked closely on a statewide study released Wednesday.
Read MoreContra Costa County realignment inmate numbers higher than predicted
One month into the state’s implementation of a major prison realignment, Contra Costa County’s parolee and inmate numbers are much higher than projected. Although the numbers themselves aren’t large, the percentages are. Parole violators in custody are almost double what was expected and so-called AB 109 commitments are 200 percent of what was estimated. “For…
Read MoreShotSpotter grows, maintains confidence of police leaders
The gunshot detection and location system is an invaluable investigative and response tool, police leaders say, but it has not been credited with nabbing any homicide suspects. Still, reduced costs and technological advances mean that the system is likely to be a long-term feature in Richmond.
Read MoreChanging California’s prison population
Continued overcrowding in California’s state prisons brought about a 2010 Supreme Court ruling that the state’s efforts to cram in more prisoners constituted cruel and unusual punishment, a violation of the Eighth Amendment. The state responded with legislation that shifts responsibility for state parolees to counties and redefines what constitutes a prison-worthy offense. That realignment…
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