Yesterday we celebrated International Women's Day! While 72% of women in Contra Costa County are in the workforce, more than 40% are low-wage workers and 9.3% live below the poverty line. We have lots more work to do.

As we work to improve the lives of women in our county, on Tuesday we welcomed Joey Smith and Marilyn Cachola Lucey, members of the Contra Costa Commission on Women and Girls, and proclaimed March as Women's History Month.

We also recognized Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month at our meeting this week. Mariella Sanding of the Contra Costa County Meds Coalition spoke to the Board about the dangers of prescription drug abuse and the work the Meds Coalition is doing to curb abuse.

As a reminder, if you have prescription medications that you no longer need, you can come to my Brentwood office to pick up a pre-addressed envelope with paid postage and send the meds to a proper disposal facility.

A3 Crisis Response

A3 is Contra Costa County’s innovative approach to provide timely and appropriate mental and behavioral health crisis services to anyone, anywhere at anytime in the county.

When someone is in a crisis — a fire, crime or medical emergency — they call 911, expecting immediate emergency services. However, when that emergency is a mental or behavioral health crisis, the lack of a timely and clinically appropriate response too often results in unnecessary suffering, loss of life, criminalization or incarceration. A3 addresses this critical need by making mental and behavioral health a pivotal part of the emergency response system.

For more information, visit: http://www.cchealth.org/a3

Applications for Civil Grand Jury Service Sought

The Contra Costa County Superior Court is accepting applications for Civil Grand Jury Service 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. After interviews, the judges will nominate approximately 30 applicants to constitute a grand jury pool from which the final panel of 19 will be selected by random drawing.

The drawing is scheduled to be held on Friday. June 16, 2023.

Individuals selected for service will be expected to be available from June 20 to June 23 and June 26 to June 29, to attend an orientation where they will meet with department heads, become familiar with their colleagues, learn about juror responsibilities and procedures, and select committees on which they will serve.

Grand jurors must be a United States citizen, 18 years of age or older, who have been a resident of Contra Costa County for at least one year prior to selection. They cannot currently hold any elected position within the county. Applicants should have reliable transportation to Martinez, and must be prepared to devote at least 30 hours per week to Civil Grand Jury service. Applicants should have access to a computer, be familiar with Microsoft Word, and be able to send and receive email. Citizens who work should apply only if they can be released from their jobs to perform the jury duties.

Applicants selected as one of the 30 nominees will be fingerprinted before the drawing. Jurors receive a stipend for attending full jury and committee meetings and are reimbursed 62.5 cents per mile for allowable jury travel.

Persons interested in applying may contact the Office of the Civil Grand Jury at (925) 608-2621 , or visit the website at www.cc-courts.org/grandiury to receive additional information regarding service on the Civil Grand Jury. Application deadline is Friday, March 24, 2023.

Was your business impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic? Eligible Antioch small businesses can receive a grant payment of up to $15,000, and facade upgrade reimbursement of up to $25,000 through the City of Antioch Small Business Programs.

Community Info

Families: the California Earned Income Tax Credit can put up to $3,417 back in your pockets.

Put money back in your pockets and file your taxes for free. The California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC), state expanded Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC), state Foster Youth Tax Credit (FYTC) and the federal EITC can combine to put hundreds or even thousands of extra dollars in your pocket. That’s money you can use for rent, school tuition, utilities, groceries and other important expenses.



What is the CalEITC?

The California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) is a cash-back refund and California’s supplemental boost to the federal Earned Income Tax Credit. Research suggests the credit leads to long-term positive outcomes in health, financial stability, and education for working Californians.

Family Justice Institute

Virtual Learning Opportunities

Guardianship

This workshop is provided by Court Investigator Scott Thomas and Attorney Robin Towse with the Contra Costa County Superior Court.

Help Protect Your Community!

Would You Like to Serve on the 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 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 lelli@cccfpd.org or (925) 941-3300 x1200.

Pass2Class offers free bus passes to Contra Costa students at the beginning of the school year to encourage the use of bus transportation to and from school. Pass2Class reduces traffic congestion and air pollution by reducing the number of cars being driven to school.

The 2022 program offers free County Connection, Tri Delta Transit, WestCAT, or AC Transit bus passes for up to two (2) students per household for up to two months.

Mobile Citizen App

Have you noticed a pothole or graffiti and wanted a quick and easy way to report it?

The Contra Costa County Public Works Department now uses a versatile and user-friendly Smart Phone (Android, iOS) application called Mobile Citizen to help.

Residents can report concerns such as potholes, graffiti, illegal dumping, and other service requests simply by taking a photo, providing comments, details about location, and submitting it directly to the Public Works Department.

The Mobile Citizen application is free and can be downloaded from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android).

“We’re excited to provide a fast and easy tool that makes it more convenient for our customers to report many types of service concerns for our unincorporated communities,” said Brian Balbas, Public Works Director.

To learn more about the Mobile Citizen application, please visit us at contracosta.ca.gov/7875/Mobile-Citizen.

Board of Supervisors' meetings are held in person at the County Administration Building 1025 Escobar Street, 1st floor, Martinez. The public is encouraged to attend the meetings.

The Board meetings are also accessible via television, and via live-streaming to all members of the public. Board meetings are televised live on Comcast Cable 27, ATT/U-Verse Channel 99, Astound Channels 32 & 1027, and can be seen live online at www.contracosta.ca.gov or www.contracostatv.org.

Persons who wish to address the board during public comment or with respect to an item on the agenda may comment in person or may call in during the meeting by dialing 888-278-0254 followed by the access code 843298#. A caller should indicate they wish to speak on an agenda item, by pushing "#2" on their phone. Access via Zoom is also available using the following link: https://cccounty-us.zoom.us/j/87344719204. Those participating via Zoom should indicate they wish to speak on an agenda item by using the “raise your hand” feature in the Zoom app. To provide contact information, please contact Clerk of the Board at clerkoftheboard@cob.cccounty.us or call 925-655-2000.

Meetings of the Board are closed-captioned in real time. Public comment generally will be limited to two minutes. Your patience is appreciated. A Spanish language interpreter is available to assist Spanish-speaking callers.

See information about parking and access to the County Administration Building at 1025 Escobar Street, Martinez, CA 94553.

“Words have power. TV has power. My pen has power.”

• Shonda Rhimes