Office of Supervisor Diane Burgis

The Contra Costa Library is offering Wi-Fi hotspots for checkout. The hotspot provides internet access to families and library patrons who don’t have a connection at home. The lending program will allow students, parents, teachers, and families working and studying remotely, access to a free and reliable internet connection. Due to the pandemic many people in our communities need access to the internet more than ever, said County Librarian Alison McKee. Reliable internet... service will help with work, school, and with staying connected to friends and family members they can’t see right now. The portable hotspots connect Wi-Fi-enabled devices such as laptops, tablets, or smartphones to the internet. The hotspots can connect up to 10 devices at one time and work almost anywhere in the continental U.S. Hotspots are available for checkout at ccclib.org or by contacting library staff at any community library. Patrons must have a library card in good standing in order to check out a hotspot. The lending period is 21 days, and they are available for renewal if there is no waitlist. The hotspot kits come with a case, instructions, and charging cord.

Contra Costa County Employees Help Provide Over 130,000 Meals to Residents in Annual Food Fight At a presentation during the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors meeting on February 9, 2021, the annual Counties Care Holiday Food Fight was recognized, and donation results were announced. Contra Costa County employees raised over $67,000 to help provide over 130,000 meals to benefit children, individuals, and seniors through the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano.... Basics like food remain a high priority need for members of our community during this pandemic. We thank County employees for caring to give, said Board Chair, Supervisor Diane Burgis. When we all pitch in to support one other, it heals our hurt and brings a stronger, brighter future for Contra Costa County. Celebrating 17 years of friendly competition, the Contra Costa and Solano Counties’ Food Fight this year helped provide more than 220,000 meals for families and individuals in need. Since 2004, the two neighboring counties have raised over $2.1 million to fight hunger, according to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano where demand for its services has dramatically spiked due to the pandemic. If you need assistance with food resources and want to learn about volunteer opportunities, visit the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano at www.foodbankccs.org. To find free or low-cost food distribution sites in Contra Costa, simply enter your location on the County’s interactive food map or call 211 for assistance. Visit the Contra Costa County website for additional COVID-19 resources.

BART is prepared to support the large-scale vaccinations at the Oakland Coliseum and for a limited time will offer a free BART ride home for those who have been vaccinated at the site. The vaccination site, which opens on Tuesday, February 16, 2021, will be in the parking lot of the Oakland Coliseum, which is accessible from the Coliseum BART station. Starting Tuesday, BART will have extra staff at the Coliseum BART station during BART operating hours to provide anyone who ha...s received a vaccine a free $7 BART ticket on-site after showing their vaccination card with a matching date. $7 is enough fare to get home to any station in the system, except SFO station. BART is also working to ensure those individuals who have mobility challenges will have assistance getting between the Coliseum BART Station and the vaccination site. It can be a long walk and BART is taking steps to make sure help is in place for those who need it. After you get the shot, we’ll get you home, said BART Board President Mark Foley. BART is proud to help people get to and from their vaccination appointment and we applaud the Governor and the Biden-Harris Administration for selecting a location that is easily accessible by transit. The vaccination site will be jointly operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the State of California through the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and is part of the wider effort to create 100 vaccination sites nationwide in the President’s first 100 days. Coliseum Station has become BART’s 10th busiest BART station. The pandemic has caused a fundamental shift in system usage with stations serving transit dependent communities such as Coliseum and Fruitvale rising to the top of the most frequently used station list. BART’s limited promotion of a free ride home from Coliseum is only available for the Coliseum site until further notice. It is not being offered for other vaccination locations in the Bay Area. The free ticket is non-refundable and is only available on-site during BART’s operating hours and on the same day of the person’s appointment as verified by the date on the vaccination card. Riders should check train arrival and departures times to and from the Coliseum Station for the day of their appointment to plan their trip. BART will monitor ridership to and from the station to ensure social distancing on trains remains possible. Registration for vaccine appointments will be available through the state’s MyTurn scheduling system.

Xnnián kuàilè! How to Say Happy New Year in Chinese in 2021: Mandarin and Cantonese Xnnián kuàilè () means ’Happy New Year’. Xnnián kuàilè is a great way to say Happy New Year in Chinese. It is a formal greeting typically used for strangers.... Learn more at https://www.chinahighlights.com//happy-new-year-in-chinese

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SERVE ON THE MEASURE X COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD? The Community Advisory Board was established on February 2, 2021, following the passage of Measure X a countywide sales tax measure providing general purpose revenue for County programs estimated to generate at least $81 million annually. The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors is seeking individuals that represent broad and diverse voices,...Continue reading

Sending warm wishes and cheer

Tim and Angie Mathisen posted a collection update to local Facebook groups on Tuesday, thanking neighbors for bringing food to their donation barrels, This neighborhood is just AMAZING!!! Angie said. The Food Bank did another pick-up this morning and because of the neighborhood's generosity, we have now turned in FOURTEEN barrels in 23 days! For 10 years, the Mathisens have decorated their Oakley home in a successful effort to raise food donations for the Food Bank of C...ontra Costa and Solano. In an earlier post, Angie said, There is a bin out front daily. So please, come see the lights and if possible, leave a non-perishable food item. Anything you can give will help the Food Bank tremendously. And their neighbors are showing up in a big way. Angie said "I can't even express the appreciation my husband and I feel and how proud we are to live in this neighborhood. This year has been a hard one and the Food Bank has been in desperate need. All that you have done will help so many people. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!" The couple will continue to collect donations until the end of the year. The barrel is out daily and if it is raining, it will be on the front porch. Supervisor Burgis appreciates the Mathisen’s and the kind hearts of friends and neighbors whose generous donations will help to feed many in these uncertain times. Keep up the great work District 3!

We can "Choose to be Grateful" Supervisor Burgis "Dished with Debbie" Toth from Choice in Aging today- https://fb.watch/293s5QCsis/

Virtual Urgent Care Veterans enrolled at the VA Northern California Health Care System can now receive virtual acute care from the comfort of their home through VA Virtual Urgent Care. Depending on their needs and preferences, enrolled Veterans with urgent complaints can be seen on-demand by a tele-urgent care provider or scheduled into same-day care with their Patient Aligned Care Team. VA Virtual Urgent Care is not intended to treat medical emergencies.... With a VA Virtual Urgent Care visit, you can: - Speak with a VA clerk or registered nurse immediately by phone. - Have a telephone or video visit with a provider as necessary. You can request Virtual Urgent Care for symptoms such as: - Skin lesion or rash - Earache, sinus congestion, sore throat, hoarse voice, and other upper respiratory issues - Pain with urination, frequent urination, and other urinary issues - Cough - Diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, and other gastrointestinal issues - Headache - Musculoskeletal pain - Red or weeping eye with vision loss. Request and Receive Same-Day Care You don’t need to travel to a VA facility or leave the comfort of your home to receive Virtual Urgent Care. Veterans enrolled at the VA Northern California Health Care System can request a Virtual Urgent Care visit 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling 1-800-382-8387.-

Contra Costa Senior Legal Services offers remote services to seniors. Contra Costa Senior Legal Services (CCSLS) is a private, nonprofit agency that has been providing free legal services to older residents of the County since 1976. Thousands of seniors have benefited from these services which have enabled them to stay in their homes, to become eligible for and to retain public benefits, to recover real and personal property wrongly taken from them, and to obtain relief from ...physical, financial, and emotional abuse. CCSLS seeks to provide the broadest possible access to its services. It prioritizes those areas of law relevant to the needs of older residents of the County, especially those not otherwise addressed by other legal services programs. CCSLS regularly provides individual assistance to over 1,000 clients per year and provides outreach and training to hundreds more.CCSLS normally provides services at Senior Centers throughout the County but due to the pandemic, access is restricted and many Senior Centers are closed. We are therefore suspending our in-person clinics for the foreseeable future. However, we are offering remote services to seniors who require assistance with preparing Advance Health Care Directives. Call CCSLS at 925-609-7900 to learn how you can sign up for these free clinics.

Stopping the spread starts with YOU.

(Corrected) You're invited

Stay home. Save a Grandma.

Native American Heritage Day is held the day after Thanksgiving. On this day we commemorate Native American culture, encourage tradition, celebrate contributions, and honor struggles.

Happy Thanksgiving. Let's All Stay Healthy!