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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.
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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 2008Thurs., 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. .............................................
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]. .............................................
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 websiteor call 925-246-1880. |
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News & Comment
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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. ............................................................................ 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
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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.
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Advocacy Action
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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.
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Member News
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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.
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Task Force Briefings |
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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.
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Task Force Spotlight
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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 |
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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.
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New Members
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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.
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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. |
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