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Contra Costa Council News
The Contra Costa Council is a public policy advocacy organization
that promotes the economic vitality of Contra Costa County and the region.

1355 Willow Way, Suite 253, Concord CA 94520 / phone 925-246-1880 / www.contracostacouncil.com

  January 2008
In This Issue
News & Comment: Health Care Reform Symposium helps clarify national and regional issues
CEO Viewpoint: Council helps shape State's Delta vision
Advocacy Action: SB 375: Transportation, housing and land use considerations
Member News: New Board Member Mo Qayoumi
Task Force Briefings: Transportation Task Force hosts MTC members; Environmental/Manufacturing Task Force schedules presentation on SF board's stormwater NPDES permit proposal
Task Force Spotlight: Transportation Task Force works to create a better system for County residents
Corporate Member Spotlight: Chevron Richmond Refinery
Welcome, New Members
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CCUSA 2008

Newsletter Archive

Upcoming Events

2008 Contra Costa Business/Education Leadership Summit:
Preparing for a Changing World
Thurs., January 10
7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Hilton Concord Hotel
1970 Diamond Blvd., Concord 

Keynotes by Dr. Willard Daggett, President, International Center for Leadership in Education, and Congressman George Miller, 7th Congressional District and Chairman, House Education and Labor Committees.
Six break-out sessions.

Presented by the Contra Costa Economic Partnership and the Contra Costa Council. Sponsors include John Muir Health, IBEW/NECA and the City of Concord.

Register here  ...

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CCUSA 2008
Thurs., January 24
Program: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reception: 5:30 p.m.
Dinner: 7 p.m.

Hilton Concord Hotel
1970 Diamond Blvd., Concord

Join us for the Contra Costa Council's signature event!

Opening by political satirist Will Durst. Evening keynote by Tony Snow, former White House Press Secretary. Also featuring Alan H. Sanstad, Ph.D., Professor Stephen H. Schneider, Will Travis, Christopher Thornberg and Mark Curtis


Presented by the Contra Costa Council and Chevron in cooperation with The PMI Group, Inc. Other event sponsors include Comcast, Contra Costa Times, John Muir Health, Morrison & Foerster, Shell Oil Products,
Wells Fargo Bank

*****
Allied Waste Services, Citibank, City of Concord, ConocoPhillips, Miller Starr Regalia, PG&E, Sunset Development Company, Sunvalley Shopping Center, Workforce Development Board

*****
Delta Diablo Sanitation District, Foley & Lardner LLP, Hilltop Mall and Stoneridge Shopping Center, The Mechanics Bank, Mirant LLC, Nossaman Guthner Knox & Elliott LLP, Tesoro

Sponsorship opportunities available! Please call the Council office at 925-246-1880 for more information.

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2008 Children Summit
Tues., January 29

8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Pleasant Hill Community Center
320 Civic Dr., Pleasant Hill

Keynote by UC Berkeley Professor of Public Policy
David Kirp.
Also: UC Davis Psychology Professor Ross Thompson; Director of the Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities and UCLA Professor Neal Halfon;and Executive Director of the California Budget Project Jean Ross

For more information, contact the Richmond Children's Foundation at 510-234-1200,  [email protected].
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  For information about any of these events, contact Suzanne Schoenfeld at the Contra Costa Council, 925-246-1880.

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Join the Contra Costa Council and help guide our economy and quality of life.

Visit our website
or call 925-246-1880.
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News & Comment
Alain Enthoven

Health Care Reform Symposium helps clarify national and regional issues

Stanford's Alain Enthoven, two expert panels highlight Council's December event

At the Contra Costa Council's Health Care Reform Symposium on December 14 at Concord's Holiday Inn, national and state experts, as well as elected officials, did their best to clarify the issues and focus on better alternatives to today's health care system gone awry.

Nearly 100 attendees heard featured speaker Stanford Professor Alain Enthoven (pictured above), a nationally recognized expert on health care systems and economics, outline the history of the U.S. health care system and enumerate its major problems, including cost (or unsustainable expenditure growth), quality and access issues. According to Enthoven, Americans are receiving about 55 percent of generally recognized recommended care. He also noted that frontline doctors are being seriously underpaid, while more move toward higher-paying specialized practices.

Enthoven noted that employment-based insurance is "broken" since people change jobs every five years on average. He also urged that the health care system move away from fee-for-service plans, which he said are mainly oriented toward acute episodes and place pressure on  costs. He referred audience members to the Committee for Economic Development proposal, described in a  handout, which calls for a new system to replace employer-provided health insurance. Enthoven worked on the proposal by the Washington-based think tank, which would establish independent regional "exchanges," enabling "individuals not employers . . . to choose the health care plan that best meets their needs, from a range of options . . ."

Enthoven outlined both the "good and (mostly) bad news" aspects of the single-payer plan option. He said the system needed would offer competing integrated-delivery systems, sustainable growth, effective expenditure containment, universal coverage, innovation and improving value, plus aligned incentives to choose and provide economical care. He commended Seattle's Virginia Mason Medical Center, a private, non-profit institution that offers a network of primary and specialty care clinics. He also praised the Dutch health care system, which he has consulted on. In summation, he said, "Fifty years of experience should teach us that piecemeal change won't work. We can't have sustainable universal health insurance without effective cost containment. We must have modernized, organized, accountable delivery systems with aligned incentives."

The first of two panels following Enthoven's presentation included a discussion titled "Reforming California's Health Care System," introduced by Ron Wetter of Kaiser Permanente and Co-Chair of the Council's Health Care Task Force.

Panelist Ruth Liu, Associate Secretary of Health Care Policy for the California Health and Human Services Agency, said that Governor Schwarzenegger is clear on the importance of prevention and wellness and the concept of individual responsibility for health. Assemblyman Mark DeSaulnier, 11th Assembly District and a member of the Assembly Healthcare Working Group, described the current government machinations over the Governor's proposal, noting, "Whatever we decide will take 5 to 10 years to be implemented . . . affordability is the issue."

Mona Barra-Gibson, District Representative from the Office of State Senator Don Perata, Pro Tem, noted that Perata's office supports many of the elements in the Governor's proposal. "We need to deal with the real nuts and bolts of the issue . . . I don't think this is a one-year conversation," she said.

A second panel, "Striking the Balance for Health Care Reform," was introduced by Frank Puglisi, Jr. of FJP Health Care Consulting and Co-Chair of the Council's Health Care Task Force. Panelist Dr. Martin Gallegos, SVP and Chief Legislative Advocate for the California Hospital Association, called for expansion of coverage and said that in the past, hospitals have opposed fees but now support in concept the 4% fee in the Governor's proposal because it will draw new federal funding.

Christopher Ohman, president and CEO, California Association of Health Plans, said that children should be the first priority, and expressed concern about hospital-acquired infections and a need for transparency on the issue. Dr. Anmol Mahal, immediate Past President of the California Medical Association, also supports universal access except for the 2% fee on physicians, and noted that 90% of likely voters are insured, and 80% of those are happy with their health care. "We have the resources in California to take care of the uninsured; it's a question of finding the will to do it," he said.

Panelist Lucia Savage, General Counsel, Pacific Business Group on Health, said goals should include more transparency in data and information, improved quality of health care and better alignment of incentives for purchases, plans and providers. Wright Lassiter, CEO, Alameda County Medical Center and Chair-elect of the Association of Public Hospitals, observed that public hospitals are the outgrowth of the lack of universal access. He noted that while these hospitals constitute only 6% of the system, 50% of new doctors intern at them. Lassiter added that California is 49th in the country for reimbursement of Medicaid costs, and coverage is needed for lower-income childless adults, who end up in the emergency room.

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Contra Costa Council Health Care Symposium

will air on CCTV

Comcast Channel 27 and Astound Channel 32

Tuesday, January 8, at 9 p.m.

Monday, January 14, at 10 a.m.

Wednesday, January 23, at 3 p.m.

To check listings, visit CCTV's program guide at

http://www.contracostatv.org.

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CEO Viewpoint
Linda Best photo

CC Council helps shape State's Delta vision

By Linda Best, President and CEO, Contra Costa Council

After months of research, analysis and public input, the Delta Vision Task Force appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger has completed its vision for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (the full report is available at www.deltavision.ca.gov). The Task Force submitted 12 linked recommendations and several proposed near-term actions to protect the Delta's ecosystem and the state's water supply. In 2008, the Task Force will develop an Implementation Plan, to be submitted to the Governor by October.

The Contra Costa Council should be proud of the role it has played in helping to shape the final vision. Under the leadership of Bob Whitley and Ann Spaulding, the Council's Delta Vision Committee developed a Delta Vision Statement of Principles, which was adopted by the Council's Board of Directors and used as a basis for evaluating the evolving vision. Throughout the state process, the Council provided consistent input to ensure the vision would be a holistic one that protected the Delta's assets while assuring a reliable water supply. 

The final vision incorporates all of the Council's principles. It is based on the premise that the Delta ecosystem and a reliable water supply are co-equal values, and it stresses that the 12 recommendations must be linked and implemented together to ensure the co-equal goals. The vision recognizes the need for new facilities for conveyance and storage, which must be linked to better manage our water resources. It also calls for a new governance system with authority and accountability, which was a key recommendation of the Council.

We are especially pleased that the document also stresses the importance of near-term actions, including investing bond funds to improve strategic levees to protect public safety and infrastructure; develop an emergency response plan; and pursue improvements in current water conveyance systems. These are actions that are needed now while longer-term solutions are pursued. 

Bob Whitley, Ann Spaulding and the Delta Vision Committee are to be commended for their hard work and perseverance in helping to shape a solid vision for our Delta!

We will continue to follow the process in 2008 as the Implementation Plan begins to take shape.

Advocacy Action

SB 375: Transportation, housing and land use considerations

In recent action, the Contra Costa Council Board of Directors followed the recommendation of a subcommittee of the Council's Transportation, Environmental/Manufacturing and Land Use Task Forces, and agreed to oppose current California Senate Bill 375, which was introduced by State Sen. Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, in February 2007.

Concerns include:

  • SB 375 creates another layer of land use planning that may not be consistent with local land use plans and priorities.
  • Land use approval processes need to be streamlined so housing and transportation projects can proceed more quickly.
  • Economic vitality and sustainability could be significantly worsened by imposition of further bureaucratic requirements and subsequent delays in the approval processes for housing and transportation projects
  • Efforts to address greenhouse gas emissions should be equitable and effective; imposing new burdens on new housing development and transportation projects is not a solution. We support broad-based approaches and incentives for both new and existing housing to reduce their "carbon footprint."
  • Land use and transportation initiatives to reduce emissions should be coordinated and integrated with other activities and be consistent with the overall framework for implementation of AB 32; they should not be done in isolation.
Member News
New Board Member . . . The newest member of the Contra Costa Council Board of Directors is Mo Qayoumi, President of California State University, East Bay, who joined the Board in late 2007.
Task Force Briefings

Environmental/Manufacturing Task Force . . . Friday, January 11, 8:15 to 9:30 a.m. . . .  Presentation by Don Freitas and Tom Dalziel of the Contra Costa Clean Water Program on the new Region-Wide Municipal Stormwater NPDES Permit being proposed by the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. Brown and Caldwell, 201 N. Civic Drive, Suite 300, Walnut Creek. Contacts: Peter McGaw or George Smith

Transportation Task Force . . . Monday, January 14, 8 a.m. . . . Metropolitan Transportation Commission members Supervisor Federal Glover and Orinda Councilwoman Amy Worth will lead a roundtable discussion on the updating of the Region's Transportation Plan (Transportation 2035) and adopting priorities for Prop. 1B Trade Corridor Improvement. Marie Callender's, 2090 Diamond Blvd., Concord, $20 per person. (Please reserve and send your check to Linda Best/Terry Shoaff at the Contra Costa Council office, 1355 Willow Way, Suite 253, Concord CA 94520, 925-246-1880.) Contacts: Hank Haugse or Terry Bowen

New and prospective Council members are welcome to attend Task Force events.

Task Force Spotlight
Frank Pugligi and Ron Wetter

Transportation Task Force works to create a better system for County residents

Terry Bowen and Hank Haugse have worked on transportation programs and projects in the Bay Area throughout their careers. As Co-Chairs of the Contra Costa Council's Transportation Task Force, they lead the effort to provide input from the business community for implementing Bay Area transportation projects important to Contra Costa, and for improving transportation systems in the County. They also recommend advocacy positions to the Council for the development of new transportation funding sources.

"The work of the Task Force is complementary to the overall mission of the Council, which is to enhance the economic vitality and quality of life in the County. Transportation is a big part of that picture--it affects every facet of life for both employees and employers," says Terry Bowen (pictured above, at right), Senior Vice President of Gray ▪ Bowen and Company, Inc., a Walnut Creek transportation consulting firm that provides transportation consulting and strategic project planning services to public and private clients.

Terry assumed her role as Task Force Co-Chair nearly two years ago. She worked as a civil engineer at the County Department of Public Works before joining Bill Gray--a former Council Chairman, Transportation Task Force Chair and current Board member--at the consulting firm (then called Smith, Gray and Company) that now bears her name, 22 years ago.

"With Measure J's passage in 2006, when voters approved continuation of the County's half-cent transportation sales tax for 25 more years, we learned that transportation is a top concern of Contra Costa residents, even those who commute to other areas," says Hank Haugse (above, at left), Senior Project Manager with Hatch Mott MacDonald, a consulting engineering firm with offices in the U.S. and Canada. He has co-chaired the Transportation Task Force for several years.

A city planner, Haugse worked with Bechtel Corporation for the Santa Clara County Transportation Authority and on several overseas projects. He has since managed sales-tax-funded projects with Hatch Mott MacDonald and Nolte Associates' program management teams, and rejoined Hatch Mott MacDonald again in 2007 to be part of the project management team for the Alameda County Congestion Management Agency.

Transportation demographics and needs

Haugse explains that from a transportation perspective, Contra Costa County is divided into four sub-regions: (1) West County, covering Richmond, San Pablo, El Sobrante and Pinole; (2) Central County, covering Clayton, Concord, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek and some unincorporated area; (3) South County, which includes Danville, Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda, San Ramon and unincorporated areas; and (4) East County, covering Bay Point, Pittsburg, Antioch, Oakley, Brentwood and Discovery Bay.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the demographics and transportation needs of each of these sub-regions are quite different. For example, West County constitutes an older area, with older infrastructure. It is quite unlike East County, which has experienced rapid suburban development, lots of commuting residents and a small employment base. Many East County residents who travel to work on Route 4 would welcome a BART commute, along with the improvements to Route 4 currently underway, says Haugse.

Due to the County's topography and the layout of the County's transportation system, there are not many options in terms of alternative routes for residents to get to and from their jobs. As funding is always a challenge for transportation projects, the Council has traditionally played a large role in supporting transportation measures. These have included Measure C, the first transportation sales tax passed in Contra Costa County 20 years ago, and Measure J, which reauthorized the half-cent sales tax, a measure that Contra Costa voters approved in November 2006, and Regional Measures 1 and 2.

Haugse notes that approval of Measures C and J cleared the way for work to begin on key transportation projects like the Caldecott Tunnel fourth bore and Route 4 East. The Council had a key role in shaping expenditure plans, which included projects such as Interstate 680 and Highway 24 construction projects, local roads and highways, bus and rail transit through BART, and programs that funded paratransit and local school bus systems.

Merits of collaboration

In determining its stand on policy issues, the Transportation Task Force often works with the Council's Environmental/Manufacturing Task Force and the Land Use Task Force. Task Force members also collaborate with public agencies, such as the Contra Costa County Transportation Authority, and private organizations like the East Bay Economic Development Alliance, the League of California Cities and the California Home Builders Association.

Bowen points out that the Council's and Task Force's work in the late 1990s with their Alameda and Santa Clara County counterparts in advocating for improvements to Interstate 680 over the Sunol grade, and the Solutions on Sunol (SOS) committee, is a prime example of successful collaboration with a positive payoff. The SOS committee approached Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher, who quickly found seed money. This created the needed momentum that resulted in the counties' prioritizing regional funds, and the state programming interregional funds, which funded the project.

The Task Force Co-Chairs make an effort to strike a balance between general education and advocacy, or what they call "doing something that makes a difference" in the regional transportation system. "We have a good solid core of people on the Transportation Task Force who are active in our work; when specific issues arise, they come to the table and contribute their talents," says Bowen.

Last year, Task Force members participated in a roundtable discussion with Acting U.S. Secretary of Transportation Maria Cino on East Bay transportation priorities, and worked with the Northern California Trade Coalition to advocate for funds for goods movement  projects. Projects currently on the Task Force watch list include progress of the BART extension and the Highway 4 widening in East County, the Caldecott Tunnel fourth bore, the Sunol Grade HOV/HOT Lane, Vasco Road, the Richmond Rail Spur, the I-80 Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) project and reuse of the Concord Naval Weapons Station.

Taking stands on policy 

Nor does the Task Force shy away from public policy issues and other legislation. Members recently recommended opposition to Senate Bill 375, a transportation bill aimed at reducing greenhouse gases. (For more information on SB 375, see the Advocacy Action article this issue.)

We need to keep asking the key questions, says Bowen. "What are the transportation needs in East Contra Costa County? How best can we serve those who live and work here? What kind of transportation network do we need? What's the most effective way to fund the system? And how can we create a job base? All of this goes hand in hand with building an effective transportation network--it's all part of the Contra Costa picture, and Contra Costa is part of the Bay Area regional picture."

It's just really exciting to be part of a group of people who want to create positive change, says Haugse. "The people who are part of the Council, and who attend our events, are an extremely interesting, intelligent and dynamic group of people. It's great to be part of that."

Corporate Member Spotlight
Chevron Richmond refinery

Chevron Richmond Refinery contributes to community's social and economic development

The Chevron Richmond Refinery has been part of the Richmond community since before the City was incorporated in 1905. Today, the refinery provides jobs for more than 1,000 people, covers approximately 2,900 acres, and has a refining capacity of 240,000 barrels of crude oil per day.  

The Chevron Richmond Refinery processes more crude oil than any other refinery in the Bay Area, has the largest lube oil facility on the West Coast, and is a supplier of petroleum products critical to the Bay Area's economy. With a focus on transportation fuels--gasoline, jet and diesel--as well as lubricating oils, the refinery takes pride in its production of the latest generation of clean-burning gasoline, which meets the most stringent requirements in the world.

Chevron Richmond Refinery employees are committed to contributing to the social and economic development of the Richmond community in the belief that providing community support, both through financial assistance and personal involvement, is the facility's responsibility as a good neighbor. Each year, the Chevron Richmond Refinery contributes over $1 million to local nonprofit organizations and civic programs. This focus on funding results-oriented organizations enables the refinery to have a greater impact in the community.

As mentioned in the November 2007 issue of the Contra Costa Council News, Chevron is currently permitting upgrades of the Richmond facility. The Chevron Renewal Project will improve reliability and energy efficiency and will provide additional fuel to the California market. (In the fall of 2007, the Contra Costa Council Board of Directors endorsed the project and urged its approval by the Richmond Planning Commission.)

The Chevron Richmond Refinery is a longstanding member of the Contra Costa Council. External Affairs Manager Dean O'Hair is a member of the Board of Directors.

For more information on the refinery or the renewal project, please visit the Chevron Richmond Refinery website.

Photo courtesy of Chevron.

New Members
Please welcome these new Contra Costa Council members!

Samina Malak, Manager of Business Development
ECORP Consulting , Inc.
2100 Embarcadero, Suite 202
Oakland, CA 94606
www.ecorpconsulting.com

Allen, Matkins, Leck, Gamble, Mallory & Natsis
200 Pringle Ave., Suite 300
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
www.allenmatkins.com

Mary Dunne Rose, Senior Accountant
Ray Evans, Tax Manager

RINA Accountancy Corp.
1220 Oakland Blvd.
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
[email protected]
www.rina.com

Len Coster, President
Laurcourt Consulting

1920 Glenhaven Ave.
Walnut Creek, CA 94595
[email protected]

For information about joining the Contra Costa Council, visit our website or call our office at 925-246-1880.

Our Mission

The mission of the Contra Costa Council is to provide advocacy on public policy issues affecting the economic vitality and quality of life in Contra Costa County.

The
Council engages on issues of critical importance to the business community and residents of Contra Costa County, balancing the needs of a diverse county though policy efforts that provide for economic development while retaining our quality of life. The Council also produces top-tier events, including Contra Costa USA, the premier business event in the County, featuring major national speakers as well as providing a local perspective on current events.

The Council retains a close relationship with local, state and federal elected officials. These relationships provide regular opportunities for our members to interact with their political representatives and other business leaders.

For more information about the Council, please visit our 
website.

To comment about items in this newsletter, please contact Linda Best
at the Contra Costa Council.

This issue was edited for the Contra Costa Council by Molly A. Walker of
Walker Communications.