Latest news with #ContraCosta
CBS News
26-06-2025
- CBS News
Suspect in alleged Discovery Bay "boat rage" incident arrested
Discovery Bay boater seen on video crashing into person on jet ski, other boats Discovery Bay boater seen on video crashing into person on jet ski, other boats Discovery Bay boater seen on video crashing into person on jet ski, other boats The owner of a powerboat caught on video in an alleged "boat rage" incident in Discovery Bay on Sunday has been arrested and charged with multiple felonies, according to authorities. Video posted on social media shows a dark-colored wakeboard boat near the Discovery Bay Marina docks chasing after someone on a personal watercraft, creating waves that rocked other boats at nearby docks. Another video shows the boat crashing into boats docked at the marina after hitting the jet skier. The Contra Costa Fire Department said one person was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office jail records show that the registered owner of the boat, identified as 57-year-old Erick Garcia, was arrested on Wednesday at noon and was being held at the Martinez Detention Facility on $95,000 bail. He is being charged with assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats, and vandalism resulting in damage of $400 or more. The Sheriff's Office said more information on the arrest would be provided later.
CBS News
21-06-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Parts of the Bay Area experiencing elevated to near-critical fire weather
Parts of the Bay Area will have elevated to near-critical fire weather on Saturday, the National Weather Service said. Those areas are the interior East Bay, eastern Santa Clara Hills and the Gabilan Range, which is in Monterey and San Benito counties. Gusty winds and dry humidity in the afternoon will create conditions for fast-spreading grass fires, the NWS said. Wind gusts will be between 25 to 45 mph, and afternoon humidity will be between 15 to 30 percent, according to the NWS. 🔥Elevated to near-critical fire weather concerns for the interior East Bay, eastern Santa Clara Hills, and Gabilan range due to gusty winds and dry afternoon humidities, resulting in increased risk for quickly spreading grass fires. Remember: One less spark, one less fire! #CAwx — NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) June 21, 2025 Due to fire weather conditions, PG&E warned that power shutoffs in several parts of Northern California were likely, and there are shutoffs in effect already. Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and Monterey counties are under a power shutoff warning, according to PG&E.
CBS News
20-06-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Flaring at Martinez refinery prompts community notification
Flaring at the Martinez Refinery Company early Friday morning prompted a company report to health officials and a subsequent community alert. The refinery said it reported a Level 1 Community Awareness Message to Contra Costa Health at 5:47 a.m. because of the flaring. Following the message, CCH issued a notification telling residents, "You may hear, smell, or see signs related to this event; however no action is required." Flaring at a refinery is a controlled burning of excess or waste gases, primarily hydrocarbons, done as a safety measure to prevent pressure buildup and potential explosions. MRC said that flaring events "are an essential part of a refinery's integrated, engineered safety systems, which are designed to safely manage excess gases and pressure through efficient, effective combustion." In February, a fire at the refinery injured six workers and burned for three days, prompting the refinery to shut down all operations. Earlier this month, an independent report on the fire was released, indicating a lack of qualified contract workers, inadequate training and supervision, and California regulatory issues were among factors leading to the fire. In April, the refinery began restarting some of its process units shut down because of the fire and MRC said it hopes to rebuild the damaged unit and reopen it by the fourth quarter of this year. CCH offers more information on flaring and hazardous materials releases at MRC also provides additional information on flaring at
CBS News
05-06-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Early morning brush fire in Crockett contained; 6 acres burned
Crews contained a 6-acre vegetation blaze in Contra Costa County's town of Crockett early Thursday morning, according to fire officials. The fire was reported shortly before 3 a.m. near San Pablo Avenue and Old County Road, the The Crockett Carquinez Fire Department said on social media. 🚨 Vegetation Fire - Pablo IC Early Thursday, crews from Crockett-Carquinez, Rodeo-Hercules, Con Fire, El Cerrito, EBRPD,... Posted by Crockett Carquinez Fire Department on Thursday, June 5, 2025 Crockett firefighters—with help from the Rodeo-Hercules Fire Protection District, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, Cal Fire, El Cerrito Fire Department and East Bay Regional Park District—were able to stop the spread by 4 a.m. No injuries or structure damage were reported, according to the Crockett Carquinez Fire Department.
CBS News
04-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Report: Martinez refinery fire caused by inadequate training and monitoring of contractors, California workplace rules
A new report on the fire and chemical release at the Martinez Refinery Company in February blames inadequate training and supervision of contractors, as well as regulatory hurdles that created a lack of qualified workers. Contra Costa Health hired an independent firm to perform a root cause analysis to determine why the fire happened and how it can be prevented from happening again. The Feb. 1 fire lasted for three days, injured six workers, and emitted a host of harmful chemicals, prompting a shelter-in-place alert and public health advisory for the surrounding communities. Consultant JEM Advisors was set to present the report to the CCH's Martinez Refining Company Oversight Committee at its meeting on Tuesday. The report determined that the fire at MRC began when workers mistakenly opened a flange on the wrong side of an isolation valve during maintenance work, leading to the release of hydrocarbon material, which quickly caught fire. Contractor issues resulting from California workplace rules The report concluded that the root cause of the fire was inadequate oversight of the operations and work of the contractors, who had limited organizational capability to perform the work. Their limited capability required increased monitoring and operator oversight, the report said. The report also listed four contributing causes, one of which was regulatory restrictions due to California Senate Bill 54, passed in 2013, and co-employment rules included in Assembly Bill 5, passed in 2019. SB 54 requires companies to use source contractor manpower from local union halls, meaning personnel experienced in refinery unit maintenance from other locations cannot be used, and experienced workers are more difficult to find, the report said. Meanwhile, co-employment rules for contractors prevent MRC from approving contractor safety plans and providing safety training directly to contractors. Instead, the rules require sharing such safety training with contractor company leaders, "with the expectation that contractor employees are fully trained in these prior to working on the refinery site," according to the report. "As a result of these two regulations, there is now a higher likelihood for human errors entering into maintenance work performed by contractor resources," the report stated. Other contributing causes were faulty work procedures, inadequate contractor training because of co-employment rules, and inadequate or missing contractor supervision. Among the issues affecting contractors' ability to perform was the small font on work permits, making them difficult to read, and inadequate procedures to mark or tag locations where work is to be done. Smoke billows from the Martinez Refining Company in Martinez, Calif., on Feb. 1, 2025, during a fire. Tony Hicks/Bay City News Previous incidents at the Martinez Refinery Company New Jersey-based BPF Energy acquired MRC from Royal Dutch Shell in 2020. Since then, there have been three major incidents at the refinery as well as other spills and chemical releases. On Thanksgiving Day in 2022, the refinery mistakenly released more than 20 tons of chemicals into the air, covering cars and homes in metallic dust. In July 2023, the refinery spewed petroleum coke dust, also known as petcoke, prompting a hazardous materials investigation. In February, CCH said the chemicals and combustion byproducts from February's fire and release included those that can cause cancer, and heart and lung disease. In a statement issued at the time, county health director Dr. Ori Tzvieli said it was fortunate the wind blew most of the toxic smoke north of the refinery and away from populated areas. "This could have been much worse," Tzvieli said. "We got lucky this time. But our community shouldn't have to rely on luck." CCH said in February that concentrations of chemicals in the air from the fire were mostly below the threshold considered dangerous, but there was a brief period when the particulate matter near the refinery was at a high level. The agency said it was working with toxicologists to determine whether there were any long-term health impacts from the release, including potential impacts to soil and water. The report from JEM Advisors said MRC has already implemented some changes recommended in the report, such as increasing company personnel presence during contractor maintenance work and reinforcing adherence to existing procedures. Other recommendations include increasing operations oversight, closely reviewing and endorsing safety assessment permits to ensure contractors are aware of risks, and providing consequences for poor performance as well as for excellence.
