Martinez News Roundup: Final Election Results, Refinery Incident Fallout and More

Also in this week's post: City gets new police chief, Martinez teachers get a raise, and pickleball project generates noise at council meeting

Now that the election is over, I’m revamping this newsletter as a platform to share news and observations on various events, issues and political developments in the city. I’m kicking it off with this post on several topics of note over the past few weeks (including the final election tallies).

But before I dive in, I have a question to pose to you readers. With the positive reception I’ve received to this newsletter over the past few months, I’d like to continue to work to make it as robust, comprehensive and valuable as possible. To that end, I would like to know whether you’d be willing to pay $5 a month to subscribe to and support the newsletter. I’m not looking at this as a profit endeavor for myself; rather, any funds raised would be invested directly into the operation and expansion of the newsletter, primarily paying for freelance journalists to contribute reporting of city events and the actions of our city council, school board and other public agencies that I simply don’t have the time to handle on my own.

If I do decide to introduce a paid option, I will continue to keep the newsletter freely accessible to subscribers and the public at large for the foreseeable future. Those who choose to pay the subscription fee would simply be supporting the growth of the newsletter and efforts to make it more valuable as a community service. If you don’t mind, please answer the following poll question, and depending on the reception I receive, I’ll have more information to share in a future post. Please feel free to reach out to me directly with any questions or thoughts on how to sustain and grow the newsletter.

Now, on to the news and my observations.

Election Results Are Finalized; Zorn to be Sworn in as Mayor on Wednesday

What happened: After weeks of counting and checking, the Contra Costa Elections Office finalized results of the Nov. 8 election on Friday. In the final count, Brianne Zorn prevailed by 191 votes over Sean Trambley in the mayor’s race. In the tightly contested District 4 race, Debbie McKillop prevailed by 24 votes over Ben Therriault (after winning by 23 votes over John Stevens four years ago). Zorn, McKillop and Jay Howard (who won the District 1 seat that’s being vacated by incumbent Lara DeLaney) will be sworn into their four-year terms at a special City Council meeting starting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, and DeLaney (who finished a close third in the mayor’s race) and Mayor Rob Schroder will deliver farewell remarks after two decades in their current roles.

My take: After years of amazing (and some would say concerning) continuity on the City Council, this election marks a profound change, starting with the city getting its first new mayor in 20 years. The first major task of Zorn and the rest of the new council will be to appoint Zorn’s replacement for the District 3 council seat she is vacating to assume the role of mayor (something the council will address at Wednesday’s regular meeting that starts at 7 p.m.). When the new District 3 council member is appointed, three of the five council members (including Zorn) will be folks who weren’t on the council dais three years ago. McKillop (who was first elected in 2014) and Mark Ross (first elected in 1996) will be the two holdovers. In selecting the person to fill Zorn’s seat, I hope the council will keep in mind the strong races run in this election by Therriault in Nakenya Allen (who lost to Howard in District 1). While neither will be eligible for this seat, I hope the diversity of background (one Native American; the other African-American), experiences and platforms they represented will be taken into account in the decision process. The council, of course, should focus on selecting the person it deems best-qualified to carry out the responsibilities of being a a councilmember. But as the city continues its reckoning over race, inclusion and diversity, a positive step would be to bring diversity to a council that is currently all-white.

County Slams Martinez Refinery Co. Over Hazardous Materials Release

What happened: According to a news release from Contra Costa County Health Services, the Martinez refinery on Pacheco Avenue experienced an accidental release of a powdery substance around 9:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving night and into the early morning hours of Friday, Nov. 25. County testing of the samples showed “levels of aluminum, barium, chromium, nickel, vanadium, and zinc higher than normal background levels for those metals.” The county news release went on to say: “The most significant health risks were short-term respiratory impacts from breathing in the metals in the hours after the release. Exposure to high concentrations of these metals over a long period of time could cause more serious health problems.” The most concerning aspect of this incident, however, was the Martinez Refinery Co.’s failure to immediately notify the county, community and the Community Warning System about the release; in fact, county hazardous materials officials apparently didn’t learn about the release until the morning of Saturday, Nov. 26, after being alerted to community complaints about white dust on surfaces. The refinery also experienced a “flaring” event on Thanksgiving night, which it said was unrelated to the release of “spent catalyst” that resulted in the white, powdery substance falling in surrounding neighborhoods. The county news release included the following sharply worded statement by Deputy Health Director Matt Kaufmann: "MRC's failure to follow notification procedure cost us critical time we could have used to warn the public and reduce health risks in the community. It's unacceptable." The news release concluded by stating that the county is continuing to investigate the refinery’s failure to report such an incident in a timely manner.

My take: I’ve lived less than a mile from the refinery since 1998, so incidents like these are of particular interest and concern to me (I did not personally notice any evidence of the powdery substance in my neighborhood). Fortunately, such incidents have been few and far between in the quarter century I’ve lived near the refinery, and my definite impression is that this refinery, for the most part, has had a better long-term record when it comes to safe operations and community engagement than others in the region. But it has also undergone an ownership change in recent years, and the question now is whether its new owner, PBF Energy, is maintaining the same safety and communication standards that were in place previously when it was operated by Shell. The failure of the refinery to immediately report this release and the danger it posed to nearby residents needs to be fully investigated, and there should be a steep fine if indeed the investigation shows the refinery violated applicable state and county laws. I can’t help but wonder if the incident and communication failure had anything to do with the fact the hazardous release occurred on a holiday and whether the refinery might have been operating with reduced staffing? Meanwhile, the city has been updating the public on developments through its own newsletter, and Contra Costa County Health Services is expected to provide at update at Wednesday’s City Council meeting.

The refinery has built up a lot of goodwill in the community over the years through its support of local schools and other organizations and the significant taxes that it pumps into the local economy, but none of that should matter when the issue is public health. The proximity of the refinery to local schools and parks/recreational facilities is of particular concern, given the potential impact of polluted air on the growing brains and lungs of children. That is why it’s essential that the Community Warning System works as it’s intended to, and that the community is alerted immediately when something such as this occurs. What if this release had occurred during a school day while 6- and 7-year-olds were on the school playground at Morello Park and Las Juntas elementary schools (both of which are located a few blocks from the refinery), and schools were not notified to shelter in place? It’s essential that the city, county and school district work to get to the bottom of what happened here and do all they can to make sure it doesn’t happen again. While the refinery has issued several posts on its Facebook page regarding the release and how/why it occurred, it has not, as far as I can tell, yet addressed the reason for the failure to immediately alert the community and county health officials. It also has failed in its posts to disclose the potential health risks from the materials that were released, and which the county identified in its news release. In fact, two days after the release, it wrote on Facebook of the release of catalyst dust: “Alumina silicate and the other naturally occurring materials are considered non-toxic and non-hazardous, including in this form. … There are no health risks associated with this material.” That does not match up with what county health officials reported in their own news release about the incident and health risks involved. It appears that not only did the refinery fail to immediately notify the public and appropriate authorities of what had happened, when it did finally provide information, it mischaracterized potential health impacts. Needless to say, refinery officials have some explaining to do.

City Names New Police Chief

What happened: Andrew White was announced as the city’s new police chief at the Nov. 16 council meeting. White, 38, who has served as chief of the Clearlake Police Department in Lake County since 2018, will take over as Martinez’s top cop on Jan. 3. In his introductory comments to the council on Nov. 18, White said: “I’m looking forward to earning your trust, to earning the trust of the department. I believe that trust is earned through your actions, and I believe that’s an important characteristic of a chief of police.” He also said he would focus on recruitment and retention within the police department “so that we can deliver the service that the community deserves here in Martinez.” He replaces Manjit Sappal, who retired earlier this year, and his annual salary will be $238,771. You can read more about White and his background through the city’s newsletter announcement.

My take: Aside from the appointment of Michael Chandler as the new city manager, this is probably the most important recent staff hire for the city in terms of the quality of services provided to the residents of Martinez. Public safety was a significant topic of conversation during the election campaign, with opinions differing on how dangerous or safe Martinez is as a city (as a resident here for nearly a quarter century, I fall into the camp that the city is relatively safe, and I see no indications that incidents large or small have spiked in recent years). But there’s no doubt that turnover and attrition have impacted the police department, along with other city departments, in recent years, and I’m sure many in the public will be reassured by White’s commitment to retention and recruitment. Equally important, in my mind, is his commitment to earning the public’s trust, particularly the trust of traditionally marginalized communities where it has often been lacking in American policing (as we’ve seen from national events over the past many years). All local law enforcement agencies should continue to aggressively pursue training initiatives to eliminate implicit or explicit bias as well as work to create a culture that seeks to prevent incidents of police misconduct and provide accountability for such incidents. It’s important that police officers in Martinez feel valued and respected by the community, just as it’s important that all community members feel valued and respected by them. That, in my view, is the best way to ensure that cities like Martinez are able to recruit and retain quality, committed officers who will build healthy, productive relationships with community members from all backgrounds, and find gratification in their careers.

Martinez Unified Teachers Receive a Raise

What Happened: The Martinez Unified School District Board of Trustees approved a 9% salary increase retroactive to July 1, 2022, for teachers represented by the Martinez Education Association (union) at last Wednesday’s board meeting. Also of significance, starting with the next school year, “MUSD will accept all qualifying years of experience for new hires. Additionally, starting in 2023-2024, current MEA members will be placed accordingly on the salary schedule where there had existed an 11-year cap on previous experience accepted by MUSD.” This means that teachers with more than 11 years of experience in other districts will be granted the same salary level upon hire in MUSD as teachers who have been with the district a comparable length of time, making it a more attractive place to work for experienced teachers. In a joint statement Nov. 16 announcing a tentative agreement, MUSD and MEA officials said: “Both teams worked to collaborate, advocate, and problem solve, reaching a tentative agreement that helps address our greatest area of interest, the success of our students. Both teams agree that the value of teachers and certificated staff far exceeds the available money provided from the state of California. Both teams agree that to recruit and retain teachers in our district we need to have a competitive salary and benefits package.”

My Take: Any time district leaders and unions can reach agreement on a labor deal without the negotiating process devolving into finger-pointing and acrimony, it’s a good thing for our students. Now more than ever, after the struggles and hardships of the pandemic, we need district staff and teachers working hand in hand to put the interests of students first. This salary increase should also help teachers better weather the impacts that inflation has exacted on middle- and low-income workers across the country. And it is an important step in the district’s efforts to recruit and retain quality teachers and make Martinez a place where teachers both want to, and can afford to, work. As someone who spent 15 years as a parent in the district, I saw first-hand the impact that attrition and turnover of educators (both administrative and teaching/counseling) has had on our students, particularly the most disadvantaged and vulnerable students. When I attended a recent board meeting, I could count on one hand the number of people in the room who were present when I first started going regularly to meetings in 2018. In the years my own children attended Morello Park Elementary from 2007 to 2014, the school went through four principals (I also counted four principal changes in the time they spent at Martinez Junior High). Teachers seemed to come and go at a similar rate, with the turnover particularly alarming among the special ed staff, where continuity can be particularly important in understanding and addressing the challenges faced by students with learning and emotional disabilities. While change at times can be good and allow for fresh ideas and perspectives, when it becomes a revolving door of people coming and going, the impacts are generally negative. I was cognizant of this issue when I ran for school board in 2018 and proposed at the time that the district make whatever cuts were necessary to non-core academic and counseling programs (however painful they may be) to try to ensure that teacher pay in the district was at least at the median level for the county as a whole.

Unfortunately, the level of discretionary spending in school district budgets is typically quite limited. Because of structural limitations in the way school funding is allocated and the fact that a growing percentage of district budgets have been consumed by retiree pension and health care obligations, school districts across the region have struggled in recent years to find the money to pay workers what they deserve and need to live comfortably in the Bay Area while maintaining essential services, resulting in often-contentious contract negotiations. The good news is that in reviewing the district’s budget for 2022-23, MUSD was anticipating revenues to increase by 6.9% over last fiscal year, while expenditures were only anticipated to rise by 4%. Meanwhile, the district expected its reserves (rainy day fund) to increase by 14.2% to $1.69 million. Presumably, these positive financial developments provided the necessary wiggle room to grant the teachers a significant salary increase. Going forward, it will be important for MUSD and MEA leaders to remain clear-eyed about the challenges, financial and educational, facing the district and work collaboratively to overcome them and make MUSD an attractive and rewarding place to work, while ensuring that district finances remain on solid footing with healthy reserves to meet whatever economic hardships may lie ahead. I hope this agreement is a sign of more positive days ahead for all involved, starting with MUSD students.

City Moves to Build Pickleball Courts at Hidden Valley Park

What happened: The City Council at its Nov. 16 meeting discussed long-anticipated plans to bring dedicated pickleball courts to Martinez and agreed to move ahead with planning the project. The plan is to resurface the two current tennis courts at Hidden Valley Park, convert one to a pickleball court while retaining the other for tennis; and pursue the creation of four additional pickleball courts at the park. Community pickleball players have been lobbying for many years for the creation of such courts in town. The initial estimate for the design and construction of the project is $1,544,629.

My take: It’s no surprise that the national pickleball craze has landed in Martinez, just as it has pretty much everywhere else in America. Pickleball has been touted as the nation’s fastest-growing sport, and courts and clubs have steadily sprouted in surrounding communities in recent years. Just as the city provides facilities for tennis, bocce ball, baseball and other popular sports, it makes sense that it now should do the same for pickleball. But it will need to proceed cautiously, because with the surge in pickleball play throughout the country has also come a surge in neighborhood complaints about the noise levels generated by the sport. Unlike tennis, pickleball makes use of plastic balls and paddles that make a high-pitched sound that can become grating, to put it mildly, when experienced over a significant period of time. The pickleball courts in Berkeley have emerged as a significant source of neighborhood strife in recent years. The staff report for the Hidden Valley project at the Nov. 16 council meeting acknowledged that noise levels would exceed acceptable threshold levels without mitigation measures, which would presumably encompass some sort of noise barrier (the term “noise blanket” was used at the council meeting). While council members indicated they were committed to moving ahead with the project, they also acknowledged that the sound concerns need to be addressed as plans proceed.

The discussion of noise-mitigation measures at the meeting was generally vague and lacking in specific proposals for what can and should be done. Zorn spoke to this point during the council discussion: “I’m a little disappointed in the explanation of noise that we’ve been getting because that appears to be a major issue that I don’t really feel like the mitigation measures really addressed.” She asked that as the design process proceeds, the city’s consultants focus on addressing and resolving this concern. McKillop, who manages the county Sheriff’s Office crime lab, expressed a public safety concern about noise barriers that enclose the courts and prevent visibility from the outside, potentially putting players’ safety at risk. Stay tuned for what they come up with and whether it adequately balances the desires of pickleball players with the concerns of residents living near Hidden Valley, as well as safety issues. If five courts ultimately come to Hidden Valley, that’s going to generate quite a bit of pickleball noise, and I’m not sure how one maintains a safe, highly visible pickleball complex that also contains structures to muffle noise.

Looking for more Martinez news? Check out the latest city newsletter here, including the latest with the waterfront homeless camp, General Plan and Alhambra Highlands updates, and more.