IT’S YOUR PAPER
City declares war on blight
www.concordpioneer.com
From the desk of...
February 23, 2018
925.672.0500
Edi BirSAn
MAYOR
More conversations needed on body cams and substations
People often hear me say two sayings: “Government is either listening to you or to someone else; so talk up” and “Local government is where you can put your hand on the face of democracy. You may want to slap it around or kiss it, and it Tamara Steiner/Concord Pioneer can be as ugly or beautiful as you A top priority for the City Council in 2018 will be cleaning up the many outdated retail centers contributing to urban blight in the city. The make of it.” abandoned Blockbuster center downtown has been boarded up for several years. The Council is out of patience with property owners who Changes are occurring in ignore the decaying properties and vows to stepped-up code enforcement and to apply strict timelines for cleanup. Concord that are the result of a determined long-term effort involving both residents and a strip malls. scattered on many of the door seeking election in 2016, I the decline of retail centers national movement, as well as a One Concord resident A staff report at the Jan. 23 town’s main arteries. Some heard over and over about the and develop strategies to recent very localized handful of tackles reighborhood meeting highlighted urban have been in the city’s sights aging of our shopping centers improve conditions and/or people. cleanup, Page 3. blight, such as vacant and for decades. – how the residents would like redevelop them. boarded-up storefronts, a Since last spring, the city to have more viable shops to According to the staff POLICE BODY/CAR CAMERAS JOHN T. MILLER decided lack of curb appeal, has been researching and idenpatronize,” said Councilreport, a lack of reinvestment Having championed it for Correspondent along with inadequate lighting, tifying retail properties that woman Carlyn Obringer, who can cause retail centers to fall years, I saw this effort come to landscaping and signage. would benefit from increased helped spearhead the drive. into disrepair. Poor conditions fruition this month with the City The Concord City Council When Concord staff priorinvestment to improve properBy September, the Housing can deter customers, while also Council authorizing the use of a has set its sights on combating itized goals in April 2017, top ty maintenance and site condiand Development (HED) attracting less desirable activibulk of Asset Forfeiture Funds increasingly shabby conditions on the list was cleaning up the tions. Committee presented ideas to to outfit all sworn police officers at many shopping centers and See Blight, page 6 outdated shopping centers “When I went door-to- identify issues contributing to and cars with cameras. The equipment will be installed through the fall. In the meantime, there will be outreach to develop the policy and protocols that go along with it. Policy-wise, some of the questions include: In cases of police-involved violence, when does the video minute,” Swanger said. “The showing parked cars with got caught in Livermore doing numbers start dropping,” get reviewed by the officer BEV BRITTON amount of damage that is expensive items in clear view. the same thing,” he said. Swanger said. “We will know if involved? Concord Pioneer being done for insignificant The chief calls the posts The chief reported an over- that’s a true theory in the next How do we handle privacy issues within the confines of the In his semi-annual report type of property is mind-stag- “some public shaming, some all decrease in robberies, burgla- couple years.” education.” ries and auto thefts. “ResidenMeanwhile, downtown open records access rules? to the City Council on Feb. 13, gering.” Swanger said the Police When City Councilwoman tial and commercial burglaries crime continues to center How long and where is the Concord Police Chief Guy information kept? Swanger focused on crime at Department is working hard to Laura Hoffmeister asked if the are bottoming out,” he said. around the homeless and the centers could “We have not seen numbers like BART station. The chief credWhat are the costs to make the city’s main shopping cen- slow the rate of car break-ins. shopping its the City Council with pushinformation available and under ters and in the downtown area. “We have run details; we’ve put enhance surveillance to help that in well over 30 years.” undercover officers out there; thwart crime, the chief hesitatConcord saw a 26 percent ing for an increased focus on what conditions will any raw Auto burglaries were up 30 costs be waived? For example, a percent from 2016 to 2017. we’ve chased people that are ed before saying the depart- reduction in car thefts year to BART-related crimes, adding divorce lawyer wants a report on Overall, 35 percent of those crashing into cars, driving the ment was “still having conver- year, and other area cities are that other cities have followed sations” with center officials. reporting similar drops. Concord PD’s lead. “Citations a traffic stop or the defense break-ins occurred at the Wil- wrong way on freeways.” But he said the police alone Swanger said he continues “One of the largest theo- for fare evading in other cities wants details for an excessive lows or Sunvalley Shopping force case. Center – with 23 percent at the can’t stop this problem, and he to see organized crime from ries is that as cars start getting have had a huge impact on our urges residents to do one sim- people living as far away as Bak- older, people start donating city,” he said. What is the redacting policy? Willows. “I’ve heard from business What about drone video and “They come in and they hit ple thing: “Do not leave ersfield. He cited an example of them and getting rid of them. objects in plain sight.” a recent theft at the Veranda. And the newer cars have much owners and regular riders that its relation to privacy? three or four cars at time. They The department has posted “By the time we were ready to stronger anti-theft locks See Mayor, page 6 are in and out in less than a photos on its Facebook page post the pictures of them, they attached to them, so those See Crime, page 6
Mid-year sees increase in auto burglaries
Demographer maps city for district council elections TAMARA STEINER Concord Pioneer
The City Council took a major step forward in changing the way Concord voters elect their council members by selecting the map that will divide the city into five districts. Each district will elect its own representative rather than the age-old method of all eligible voters voting for at large candidates running citywide. At the Jan. 23 council meeting, demographer Michael Wagaman presented four alternative maps labeled Orange, Yellow, Green and Blue.
All five council members favored the “Blue” map because it checked most of the boxes they had set forth as criteria for district boundaries. After some minor adjustments, they renamed it “Cobalt” and adopted it at their Feb. 6 meeting. Cobalt keeps the downtown in one district, splits the naval base property and gives a better population balance. But the map does put both BART stations in the same district, a plan that was opposed by Sun Terrace resident Hope Johnson. “The North BART station comes with its own set of
See Maps, page 3
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