Contra Costa Herald

Photo: City of Concord

At Senior Center

By Colleen Awad, Community Relations Manager, City of Concord

Concord, CA — The City of Concord is proud to present the 11th Annual Health Expo, a free community event, on Thursday, October 8, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Concord Senior Center (2727 Parkside Circle). This free event brings together local organizations, healthcare providers, and community resources to help seniors, families, and caregivers connect with information and services that support healthy living and well-being. No reservations are required.

While we offer health and wellness resources for all ages, many focus on seniors and caregivers, including information on Medicare, transportation, assisted living, nutrition, fitness, and more. The event will also feature free haircuts, along with opportunities to speak directly with local healthcare providers, nonprofit organizations, and community partners.

Whether you are looking for resources for yourself, supporting a loved one, or simply interested in learning more about healthy aging and wellness, the Health Expo provides an opportunity to discover local services and connect with organizations serving the Concord community.

The Health Expo reflects the City of Concord’s commitment to providing accessible resources and creating opportunities for residents to stay informed, connected, and engaged in their health and well-being.

For more information about the Health Expo, please visit www.cityofconcord.org/SCEvents, call 925-671-3320, or email concordsc@cityofconcord.org.

Rendering of the planned District 3 Youth Center in Brentwood. Source: CCCounty

A Space to Call Their Own: Investing in the Future of Our Youth Ages 12-18 in Brentwood, Oakley, Antioch, Bethel Island, Knightsen, Byron and Discovery Bay

For Creative Expression, Community & Connection, Holistic Wellness

By Diane Burgis, District 3 Supervisor, Contra Costa County

Across all neighborhoods in District 3, our youth have needed a space built specifically around their lived experiences, creative interests, and physical and mental health needs.

The project behind this long-held vision is officially underway with the support of Measure X funding. At the corner of Lone Tree Way and Windy Springs Lane in Brentwood, Contra Costa County is developing the District 3 Youth Center on a 4.68-acre County-owned parcel planned to also hold Fire Station 90.

This planned single-story, 15,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art flagship campus designed entirely for local youth ages 12 to 18 who live in the cities of Antioch, Brentwood and Oakley, and the unincorporated areas of Bethel Island, Byron, Discovery Bay and Knightsen and is scheduled to open in 2029. More than a standard municipal facility, the center’s preliminary blueprint reflects a home-like, collaborative atmosphere:

• Creative Expression: Architectural plans feature a full music and media recording studio, instructional classrooms, and quiet study nooks designed for academic support and creative exploration.
• Community & Connection: A central living room and lobby welcome visitors, anchored by multipurpose activity rooms, a community teaching kitchen, and open outdoor recreation areas.
• Holistic Wellness: Recognizing the unique pressures facing teens today, the facility includes dedicated wellness zones and private consultation rooms for youth therapy, mental health guidance, and peer support.

Quick Facts

• Estimated Construction Budget: $23,000,000
• Anticipated Construction Start: Winter 2027
• Estimated Project Completion: Summer 2029

As the Youth Center and Fire Station 90 are planned to be constructed by the same Design-Build team on the same parcel, the planning approval process of the Fire Station will ultimately affect the construction time for the Youth Center. It is currently on track for an opening in late Summer 2029.

Second of Three Youth Centers

The District 3 Youth Center is the second of three Youth Centers planned in the County. The District 4 Youth Center opened in 2025 at 2241 Galaxy Court in Concord. The District 5 Youth Center will be located in a new building to be constructed on the County-owned Los Medanos (former hospital) site in Pittsburg, which is currently home to a County-operated health clinic off Loveridge Road.

New Project Dashboard

The County has launched a new project dashboard where you can bring yourself up to speed on all of the current happenings at the site.

Follow the dashboard and messaging for exciting project updates and news for the District 3 Youth Center:  www.contracosta.ca.gov/10697/District-3-Youth-Center.

Programming for the District 3 Youth Center falls under the Employment and Human Services Department, Workforce Development Board. More information on the Youth Centers Initiative and interim services is available at their website: Youth Centers Initiative | Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Photos: Gold Runner

By Harlo Pippenger, Consultant, Gold Runner & Ahdel Ahmed, Public Relations Manager, San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority

Stockton, CA – More than 100 years ago, Allensworth, CA was founded as a bold vision of freedom, opportunity, and self-determination. Gold Runner invites you to honor that vision at the Allensworth Rededication on Saturday, October 10 from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. In partnership, Amtrak’s Gold Runner has scheduled a special stop at the park for multiple trains, bookable at exclusive half-price “Allensworth fares”.

Gold Runner will offer special-priced train tickets to the event from stations across its corridor, which connects the Bay Area and Sacramento to Bakersfield, with bus connections to Southern California. Trains will make a stop at the Allensworth station (CNL), which is normally a whistle stop for pre-booked groups. Riders can combine the event fare with Gold Runner’s standard discounts for children, seniors, veterans, and riders with disabilities, listed on the Deals webpage.

Hosted by California State Parks, the Annual Rededication of Col. Allensworth State Historic Park honors the park’s original dedication in 1976. Join us for historical re-enactments, tours of historic buildings, square dancing, arts and crafts, and food vendors.

Founded in 1908 by Colonel Allen Allensworth, a formerly enslaved man, the town was designed to be a self-sustaining community where African Americans could live, work, and thrive. Today, visitors can see the legacy of this trailblazing community come alive through re-enactments, storytelling, and tours of the lovingly restored and reconstructed early 20th century buildings. Step into the Colonel’s house, walk through the halls of the historic schoolhouse, and explore the church and library for an inspiring journey through a pivotal moment in history.

“The Annual Rededication celebration is a chance to reflect on what Colonel Allensworth and the town’s founders built here, and to make sure that story keeps reaching new people,” said Lori Wear, California State Parks. “We’re glad to be working with Gold Runner again this year. With the cost of driving going up, the train gives families an affordable way to get here, and that matters for a park that belongs to all Californians.”

The southbound trains running for the event include trains 702 (11:41 am arrival), 710 (12:41pm arrival). Northbound trains include 713 (9:40 arrival), 715 (11:39 arrival), 717 (2:46 arrival). Riders must select “Col Allensworth State Park, CA (CNL)” when purchasing train tickets. A discount will automatically be applied, and if eligible, riders can then combine this reduced ticket with additional savings regularly available which include:

• Infants under 2 years of age ride for free
• Children 2-12 years old ride half-price every day
• Seniors (62+ years of age) receive 15% off
• Veterans & active military members receive 15% off
• Disabled riders save 15% off
• View deals

Visitors attending the Rededication Celebration via the Gold Runner trains will arrive at the Allensworth station (CNL), which will serve as a special stop for this event. Upon arrival, two complimentary 29-passenger shuttles provided by Tulare County Area Transit will transport riders between the train platform and the historic schoolhouse. Typically, a whistle stop available only to pre-booked groups, the Allensworth station (CNL) will be fully activated for travelers on October 10, offering a rare and seamless opportunity to experience this historic park by rail.

Train tickets to Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park can be booked online at the Colonel Allensworth landing page or contact Carmen Setness, community outreach coordinator for San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC), at csetness@sjrrc.com.

About Allensworth State Historic Park

The town of Allensworth is located in the heart of the Central Valley, about 30 miles north of Bakersfield. Boasting a rich history that is of interest to students, families, history buffs, minority community organizations, and anyone else looking to spend a fun day exploring the historic community and its restored buildings. In 1908, Allensworth was established as a town founded, financed and governed by African Americans. There were a series of challenges impeding the town’s long-term survival, but it is celebrated as a key historical icon. In 1974 California State Parks purchased the land in order to maintain it as a site for visitors to learn and explore the Colonel’s house, historic schoolhouse, Baptist church and library. For more information visit Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park.

About the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA)

Since July 2015, SJJPA has been responsible for the management and administration of Gold Runner, previously Amtrak San Joaquins. SJJPA is governed by Board Members representing each of the ten (10) Member Agencies along the 365-mile Gold Runner Corridor. For more information on SJJPA see www.sjjpa.com. Gold Runner is Amtrak’s 6th busiest route with 18 train stations throughout the Central Valley and Bay Area, providing a safe, comfortable and reliable way to travel throughout California. Gold Runner is currently running six daily round-trips. In addition to the train service, Gold Runner Thruway buses provide connecting service to 135 destinations in California and Nevada including Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Napa Valley, Las Vegas and Reno.

The Tax the Ultra-Rich Now campaign bus will start its week-long tour on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2026. Photo: TURN

Kicks off at Bernie Sanders rally in SF on Saturday, Oct. 3, with stops in Oakland, Berkeley, Bakersfield and LA

Week-long tour makes the case for reducing the wealth and power of the ultra-wealthy through a wealth tax

By Ryan Thomas, Tax the Ultra-Rich Now, Yes on 3 & 40, No on 41 & 42

SAN FRANCISCO — Tax the Ultra-Rich Now (TURN) kicks off a week-long, statewide bus tour tomorrow in support of Proposition 40 and Proposition 3, hosting events with advocates, experts, and policymakers across California. Running from October 3 to October 11, the tour builds on TURN’s six-figure campaign to rein in the outsized wealth and power California’s billionaires hold over working families, the economy, and our democracy.

On November 3, 2026, California voters will vote on Proposition 40, a one-time 5 percent tax on the net worth of billionaires who were California residents on January 1, 2026. Ninety percent of the revenue would fund health care programs, with the remainder for food assistance and education. This analysis examines how the Forbes-estimated wealth of 22 billionaires who have publicly opposed the measure has changed since January 2025 and compares that growth with the measure’s tax rate.

Prop 3 permanently protects roughly $15 billion a year in school and health care funding by again extending an existing high-income tax.

The tour comes at a time when Americans clearly see unchecked billionaire wealth as an existential threat to democratic governance. A new poll released by Tax the Greedy Billionaires showed that 79 percent of Americans say billionaires have more power than they should in a democracy, while seven in ten Americans also favor increased tax enforcement on the wealthiest households.

The tour launches with a rally hosted by Senator Bernie Sanders and Congressman Ro Khanna in San Francisco on October 3, and closes with a comedy show hosted by Heather Gardner featuring Franchesca Ramsey, Kylie Vincent, and Moses Storm in Los Angeles on October 11. Stops include:

• October 3: Rally with Sen. Bernie Sanders in San Francisco
• October 4: Canvas Kickoff in Livermore with Rep. Aisha Wahab
• October 6: “Server for an Hour” in Oakland with Local Electeds
• October 7: AI Roundtable in San Francisco
• October 8: Media Avail, On-Campus Organizing at UC-Berkeley
• October 9: Media Avail, On-Campus Organizing at CSU-Bakersfield
• October 10: Canvas Kickoffs with UTLA and Angela Gonzales-Torres in Los Angeles
• October 11: Comedy Show in Los Angeles

Source: TURN website

The tour will connect some of the most important issues to California voters—from health care and education to wages and affordable housing—into a single statewide campaign supporting Props 40 and 3 while building political momentum toward a national conversation about billionaire power. Partners joining TURN on the road include:

• California Working Families Party
• Courage California
• One Fair Wage/One Fair Wage Action
• People’s Action
• United Healthcare Workers West (UHW)
• Senator Bernie Sanders
• Reps. Ro Khanna and Aisha Wahab
• Congressional candidate Angela Gonzales-Torres
• Oakland School Board Members Valarie Bachelor and Patrice Berry
• City Councilmembers Igor Tregub (Berkeley) and Kalimah Priforce (Emeryville)

“For far too long, the ultra-wealthy have gotten wealthier while working families pay the price—in higher health care costs, crowded classrooms, and skyrocketing rent. We believe working families should determine our future, not a handful of billionaires exploiting unchecked power built from fortunes that grow year after year,” said Igor Volsky, TURN’s Campaign Manager. “The vast majority of California voters understand what’s at stake. That’s why we’re taking the fight against billionaire greed and power directly to the people impacted most. From the Bay to the Valley, we’re building a movement that will show California and the rest of the country what’s possible when we tax wealth and invest in working people.”

In addition to rallying support for Props 40 and 3, TURN is actively organizing against Props 41 and 42—two billionaire-backed measures on the ballot this November that would nullify Prop 40 if either receives more “yes” votes. So far, despite the poison bills and the ultra-wealthy spending more than $150 million into outright deceiving voters, recent polling shows that 52 percent of likely voters support Prop 40 while 58 percent of likely voters support Prop 3.

About TURN

TURN (Tax the Ultra-Rich Now) is a coalition of working families, health care workers, educators, and everyday Californians fighting to shrink the power billionaires hold over our economy, our democracy, and our future. Taxation is our tool: It funds our schools, health care, and communities while cutting excessive wealth down to size so the rest of us can thrive.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

LMC Latino students excel

Online celebration Oct. 22

By Juliet V. Casey, Director of Marketing and Media Design, Los Medanos College and Loni Swain, Director of Communications, Campaign for College Opportunity

Pittsburg, Calif. – The Campaign for College Opportunity named Los Medanos College a 2026 Pathway Champion of Placement for its Latino Student Success in English. This award recognizes colleges where Latino students are completing transfer-level English at the highest rates, with particular attention to closing racial equity gaps.

“We commend your institution’s commitment to advancing equitable student success and strengthening California’s transfer pathway,” said Jessie Ryan, president of The Campaign for College Opportunity. “This achievement underscores the extraordinary efforts of your faculty and staff to ensure all students, especially those historically underrepresented, have the opportunity to succeed.”

Ryan added that LMC is leading the way, showing what is possible “when equity and excellence go hand in hand.”

LMC will be recognized during the Pathway Champions: Celebrating Colleges Building Seamless Paths to Student Success virtual celebration on Thursday, October 22, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., during National Transfer Week.

“Los Medanos College is a culturally rich institution, where more than 45% of the student population identifies as Latinx,” LMC President Ralston said. “We are honored and proud of this recognition.”

Ralston said that as a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution, LMC prioritizes improving transfer-level English completion for this population but has not done so in isolation. The college’s Student Equity Plan includes strategies designed to address shared and intersecting barriers to completion of all students, she said.

Morgan Lynn, chair of LMC’s English Department, faculty members have been making student-centered, holistic, and innovative changes to our programming and pedagogy.

“This award is a testament to all of our committed faculty, who have dedicated themselves to truly putting students first,” she said.

LMC Vice President of Instruction A’kilah Smith applauded the English Department for their notable work.

“I’m especially proud of our English faculty and colleagues who have embraced the opportunity to rethink how we support students, remove barriers, and create pathways to early success in college-level English,” Smith said.

Marisa Johnson, director of policy impact for The Campaign for College Opportunity, said LMC’s approach stands out. During the 2023-2024 academic year, LMC’s overall transfer-level English completion rate within one year of initial enrollment was 69.4% and 65.1% among Latino students, below the threshold to qualify for the award. After implementing its equity plan, which includes targeted initiatives, services, guidance and resources, LMC’s completion rate overall and for Latino students both rose to 72%.

“So, this award really represents closing the equity gap for last year’s English gateway courses,” Johnson said.

Rachel Anicetti, LMC dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said the award also reflects LMC’s commitment to equity.

“I am incredibly proud for our English faculty and their collaborative investment in professional development, learning communities, and equitable teaching practices,” she said.

Pathway Champion awards honor campuses advancing landmark reforms in equitable placement (AB 705 and 1705, Irwin), which maximize student success in transfer level-courses, and the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT), which streamlines transfer between community colleges and CSUs. Since the passage of AB 705 and AB 1705 (Irwin), California Community Colleges have made historic progress in ensuring students are placed directly into transfer-level courses.

The Campaign for College Opportunity is recognizing 40 Pathway Champions this year.  The 40 honorees include California Community Colleges and CSU campuses.

Source: The Campaign for College Opportunity

About Los Medanos College (LMC): LMC is one of three colleges in the Contra Costa Community College District serving the East Contra Costa County community. Established in 1974, LMC has earned federal designations as a Minority-Serving and Hispanic-Serving institution. It offers award-winning transfer and career-technical programs, support services, and diverse academic opportunities in an inclusive learning environment. With exceptional educators, innovative curriculum, growing degree and certificate offerings, and state-of-the-art facilities, the college prepares students to succeed in their educational pursuits, in the workforce, and beyond. LMC’s Pittsburg Campus is located on 120 acres bordering Antioch, with an additional education center in Brentwood. For more information visit www.losmedanos.edu.

About the Campaign for College Opportunity: The Campaign for College Opportunity is a coalition representing business, labor, civil rights, religious groups and civic organizations working to ensure that California keeps the promise of college opportunity to California’s next generation of students. The coalition is dedicated to ensuring every Californian can attend and succeed in college, building a stronger future for California’s communities and the students who power them.

3- to 4-bedroom 2,000+ s.f. single family residences.  Sale price $262,750 to $377,00 with up to $70,000 in additional homebuyer assistance financial subsidies

By Walter Zhovreboff, Administrative Director, Bay Area Affordable Home Ownership Alliance

The City of Walnut Creek is providing a very rare and highly beneficial opportunity for very low to low income first time homebuyers to secure home ownership of newly constructed three and four-bedroom single family homes.  The price for these homes will range from $262,750 to $377,000.  These newly constructed large two-level homes are part of the City of Walnut Creek’s Below Market Rate (BMR) home ownership program.  The same market-rate residences in the premier communities are for sale at prices ranging from $1,100,000 to $1,300,000

State and City ordinances enable developers building new homes in Walnut Creek to secure advantageous density bonuses by designating a percentage of their newly built inventory for very low to moderate income households.  Eligibility for these low-income BMR homes is restricted to first-time homebuyer households with a minimum household size of three to four persons.  Furthermore, the household’s combined gross income may not exceed the maximum thresholds outlined in the schedule below.

*To qualify as a first-time homebuyer, no household member may have owned or held an ownership interest in a residential property within the past three years.

The City of Walnut Creeks Below Market Rate homebuyer program is administered by the Bay Area Affordable Homeownership Alliance (BAAHA), a 501c3 non-profit organization.  BAAHA and the City are also partnering with the Richmond Community Housing Development Corporation (CHDC) to help provide access to essential first-time homebuyer education and counseling.  Furthermore, this collaboration, alongside support from Mechanics Bank, provides access for up to $70,000 in additional down payment assistance subsidies for qualifying buyers.   One of the loan subsidies provides up to $32,800 which is forgiven after five years of ownership.

To review the eligibility criteria, application process, and submission requirements for the currently available $262,750 four-bedroom very low-income home, please visit the BAAHA Abigail Place website at: https://myhomegateway.org/walnut-creek-bmr—abigail-place.html.  Households interested in purchasing the Walnut Creek BMR will be required to submit an application to BAAHA to participate in a lottery. The two remaining affordable Below Market Rate (BMR) units are scheduled to be released to the market shortly.

The City of Walnut Creek, BAAHA, and CHCD invite interested households to attend a virtual BMR program informational workshop scheduled for 6:00PM on October 21, 2026.  Topics covered at the workshop will focus on: BMR program purchase eligibility guidelines and requirements; gaining access to BMR Programs; required HUD education and valuable homebuyer counseling services; next steps households should take to apply to an upcoming BMR lottery. To get additional information and make a reservation for the virtual workshop please visit BAAHA’s website at https://myhomegateway.org/wc-bmrworkshop.html

Comprehensive hospice services and admissions to proceed without interruption

By Rico Marcelli, Communications Director, Hospice East Bay

Pleasant Hill, CA — Hospice East Bay announced its comprehensive plan to support patients, families, and the community with exceptional hospice care and admission services throughout a planned seven-day strike of National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) employees that is scheduled for October 5 to October 12, 2026.

To maintain continuity of care during this period, the following plans are in place:

A contingency team of qualified, trained clinicians will be available to respond to needs and provide necessary care, including admissions and daily operations at the Bruns House.

Hospice physicians and administrative staff will remain on call and accessible by phone for any time-sensitive concerns.

Medication, equipment, and supplies will be closely monitored and proactively managed to minimize any risk of disruption.

Volunteer activities and social support services will continue without interruption.

“Our commitment to serve the East Bay community is unwavering and we will ensure the necessary support to create seamless care for those in our care,” said Tonya Lyons, Regional Clinical Director, Hospice East Bay. “As a nonprofit

hospice provider, we are deeply disappointed by the National Union of Healthcare Worker’s plan to strike. The Hospice East Bay team continues to bargain in good faith and remains committed to reaching a fair agreement that will lay the groundwork for long-term sustainability and growth into the future,”

Hospice East Bay has provided nonprofit, community-based hospice care and grief support to local families for nearly 50 years.

“Thanks to the incredible commitment of our outstanding team members, volunteers and community supporters, we are achieving our vision of creating an environment of collaboration, celebration, opportunity and growth.” said Lyons.

Hospice East Bay provides compassionate end-of-life care to terminally ill patients, while offering emotional, spiritual, and grief support for the entire family. As a not-for-profit organization, we accept all medically qualified patients, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay. Hospice East Bay has been caring for patients and their families since 1977. Proceeds from our thrift shoppes support the programs of Hospice East Bay. For more information visit Hospice East Bay – Palliative, Hospice & Grief Support.

Caregivers at Hospice East Bay to protest new Florida-based owner imposing severe layoffs, service reductions

By Matthew Artz, Assistant Communications Director, National Union of Healthcare Workers

PLEASANT HILL, Calif. — Three years after becoming among the first Northern California hospice workers to form a union, caregivers at one of the Bay Area’s oldest hospice providers are launching a 7-day Unfair Labor Practice strike, starting at 6 a.m., Monday, Oct. 5.

“We’ve lost local control of the hospice, and now we’re about to lose caregivers who help people through some of the hardest moments of their lives,” said Claire Eustice, a chaplain at the hospice. “This is a critical moment, and we’re taking a stand to protect a program that has served generations of East Bay families.”

Dozens of hospice workers will be striking Hospice East Bay headquarters alongside elected leaders and community supporters from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday, Oct. 5 and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6 to Sunday, Oct. 11, 3470 Buskirk Ave., Pleasant Hill.

The approximately 70 nurses, social workers, pharmacists, chaplains and bereavement counselors at Hospice East Bay made statewide headlines in November 2023 when they joined the National Union of Healthcare Workers. They are still seeking their first contract after nearly three years of negotiations. During that period, Hospice East Bay, which was founded in 1977 and remains the second-largest hospice provider serving Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano counties, surrendered local control and turned over operations to Chapters Health System, a national hospice chain based in Florida, whose CEO, Andrew Molosky, was paid over $2.5 million in 2024, the last year for which records are publicly available.

Since Chapters took over last October, contract bargaining has stagnated, and staffing has declined. After a smaller layoff last year, Chapters is now set to lay off the equivalent of 21 full-time workers effective Oct. 16, including top executives, non-union nurses and four union members: two chaplains, a psychosocial resource specialist and a bereavement counselor.

Following the layoffs, the hospice will have just two bereavement counselors for a census of 1,200 patients and immediate family members, precluding it from offering all its traditional services to help grieving family members, including peer support groups, one-on-one counseling sessions and in-home counseling for clients with mobility issues. The hospice already eliminated a program two years ago for school-aged children who lost a parent.

“We’re about to be down to only two counselors, which means we can’t offer all the services we know help those in grief,” said Dawn Torre, a bereavement counselor at the hospice. “It’s painful to know that we won’t have the capacity to help families cope with the loss of a loved one.  It’s not fair to anyone, and there’s no excuse for it.”

Hospice unionization and consolidation are increasing throughout the Bay Area. Since 2022, more than 400 hospice workers in Northern California have joined NUHW, including at two hospices in Sonoma County whose operations were recently taken over by Compassus, a private equity-backed company.

Although Chapters is not a for-profit operator, it touts a reputation for helping its member hospices to “maximize administrative resources and minimize expenses.” Among those set to be laid off on Aug. 16 is Hospice East Bay Executive Director Chris Falley. Rather than replace Falley, Chapters is planning to appoint a new executive to oversee Hospice East Bay and four other Chapters hospice programs in the western United States.

The chain went months without holding any negotiating sessions with workers despite conditions placed by Attorney General Rob Bonta on Chapters’ acquisition of Hospice East Bay requiring that the national chain to “collectively bargain in good faith.” Chapters also laid off three workers last year and withheld merit raises until the National Labor Relations Board ordered it to provide the wage increases while negotiations continued.

In contract negotiations, the chain is insisting on being able to increase health care premiums at any time, while offering only a 2.5 percent raise over the next year. Chapters is also demanding that workers effectively waive the right to ever sue Chapters and accept employment arbitration to settle disputes.

“It’s clear to us that Chapters is trying to break our union and defund our services,” said Marie Yang, a chaplain at the hospice. “Their strategy seems to be to drag this out until we give up — but that won’t happen. We’re defending a community institution, and we are committed to being able to provide our patients with the compassion they deserve.”

Workers have filed several Unfair Labor Practice charges against Hospice East Bay. There are currently two outstanding charges citing Chapters for unilaterally changing employee health insurance and refusing to bargain over it, eliminating two union job titles, and then offering to rehire the union workers into non-union job titles, but still doing the same job.

The National Union of Healthcare Workers is a member-led movement that represents 19,000 healthcare workers in California and Hawaii, including more than 400 hospice workers.

12-hour statewide effort focuses on identifying and arresting impaired drivers

By Jaime Coffee, Director of Communications, Office of Media Relations, California Highway Patrol

SACRAMENTO — One impaired driver can change or end a life in an instant. To help prevent these tragedies, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) is mobilizing uniformed personnel statewide for a targeted enforcement effort to keep impaired drivers off California roads. Drivers should plan ahead, arrange a sober ride and never get behind the wheel while impaired.

Beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2, and continuing through 5:59 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3, all uniformed CHP personnel will participate in a statewide Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP). During the MEP, officers will increase their presence on California roads and focus on identifying and stopping impaired drivers.

“The message is clear: Impaired driving will not be tolerated on California roads. It is preventable, dangerous and puts every person nearby at risk. If you plan to drink or may be impaired, arrange a sober ride home. During this statewide enforcement period, CHP personnel of every rank will make it their mission to identify and remove impaired drivers from our roads.”  – CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee

By the Numbers

From 2022 through 2024, data from the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System show that alcohol- or drug-impaired driving contributed to an average of nearly 800 fatal crashes each year and a total of more than 39,400 injury crashes on California roads.

During last October’s 12-hour MEP, held over the Halloween weekend, CHP officers arrested more than 500 impaired drivers. Officers also issued nearly 2,000 speeding citations, including 96 citations for drivers traveling faster than 100 mph.

Help Keep Impaired Drivers Off the Road

As California’s state police, the CHP remains committed to keeping California’s roads safe for everyone. The CHP asks the public to remain vigilant and report suspected impaired drivers. Driving unusually slowly, swerving between lanes or nearly colliding with obstacles are a few indicators that a driver may be operating a vehicle under the influence.

If you see a suspected impaired driver, call 9-1-1 and provide as much information as possible, including the vehicle’s make, model, license plate number and direction of travel.

Never drive impaired or ride with an impaired driver. Designate a sober driver, use public transportation or arrange for a rideshare service.

Together we can help keep California’s roads safe for everyone.

The mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security.

Stolen tools from Brentwood Fire Station recovered. Photo: Brentwood PD

License plate reader identifies suspect vehicle

By Brentwood Police Department

On September 27, 2026, at approximately 11:30 a.m., two suspects forced entry into the Fire Station construction site in downtown Brentwood on First Street and stole more than $10,000 worth of tools from a secured electrician’s toolbox.

A BPD patrol officer conducted a very thorough investigation, quickly obtained surveillance footage, and a detailed list of the stolen property. While construction site cameras captured the suspect vehicle, no license plate was visible.

Using License Plate Reader (LPR) technology, a BPD detective was able to identify the suspect vehicle. Within hours of the theft being reported, our partners at the Fremont Police Department located and stopped the suspect vehicle and contacted BPD Investigations.

BPD detectives continued the investigation and, within just two days of the reported theft, recovered the majority of the stolen tools and returned them to their rightful owner.

Screenshot of surveillance video of suspect’s car leaving the new downtown Brentwood fire station construction site and the car located with the help of Fremont Police. Photos: Brentwood PD

For the victim, a female engineer working here in our community, the recovery of her tools meant much more than simply getting back stolen property. These are essential tools that support her work and career, and returning them helps her continue pursuing her success while working on projects right here in our city. She expressed her overwhelming appreciation for the officers and detectives who worked quickly to recover what she had lost.

This case is a great example of how good police work, technology, and strong partnerships between law enforcement agencies can quickly make a difference for our community.

Thank you to our patrol officers, BPD Investigations team, and our friends at the Fremont Police Department for their assistance in getting these stolen items back where they belong.