General News
Cooler temps, new contest boost crowds at annual BBQ Festival
Event disrupted by protestors on Saturday MARTINEZ, Calif. – With favorable weather and a picturesque venue the annual King of the County BBQ Festival hosted by the Martinez Chamber of Commerce drew large crowds eager to sample a variety of food. Last year a stifling heat wave kept the crowd low at the yearly festival, […]
Council to hear midcycle budget, staffing recommendations tonight
MARTINEZ, Calif. – Martinez staff members will offer their recommendations for midcycle 2017-19 budget amendments, funding for local nonprofit organizations and staffing changes at tonight’s City Council meeting. The budget didn’t anticipate some of the city’s expenses, said City Manager Brad Kilger, Assistant City Manager Anne Cardwell and Finance Director David Glasser in their joint […]
Update: Measure I lead growing
MARTINEZ, Calif. – Measure I, the citizen-initiated ballot measure that would prevent development on open space park and recreation land without voter approval, now leads by 100 votes a similar city measure that would apply only to publicly-owned land, according to information provided by the Contra Costa County Elections Department. The two measures were put […]
State’s $139 Billion budget increases spending, expands funding for education, homeless
California’s latest $139 billion General Fund budget that will be put in place with Governor Jerry Brown’s signature, increases state spending by 9 percent, and increases appropriates to education and earmarks $500 million for homeless programs. The budget was approved by both the Senate and Assembly Thursday. Some in Sacramento have praised the compromise Brown […]
PRMCC meets on Measure H park improvement
The Park, Recreation, Marina and Culture Commission Park Subcommittee will meet Tuesday to discuss the 2018-19 Measure H Park Improvement Project, a continuation of conversations started Saturday during its May 17 workshop. The meeting will start at noon Tuesday in the First Floor Conference Room of Martinez City Hall, 525 Henrietta St.
Subcommittee reviews mid-cycle budget adjustments
MARTINEZ, Calif. – In advance of the June 20 Martinez City Council meeting, the Council’s Budget and Finance Subcommittee heard Wednesday that some taxes are producing more revenues than expected. But sales tax revenues are slightly lower while the cost of some city operations are costing more. Finance Director David Glasser first gave the subcommittee […]
Police Blotter for May 16-31, 2018
On May 16th at 1:14 am Officer Parsons and Officer Breinig had a man flee from them on a bicycle in the downtown area. They re-contacted the man in the 600 block of Berrellesa Avenue, where a brief struggle ensued and the man was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. Case# 18-1122. On May […]
Board of Education to vote on labor pact, see 2018-19 budget
MARTINEZ, Calif. – Martinez Unified School District Board of Education will decide Monday whether to approve a project labor agreement (PLA) with the Contra Costa County Building and Construction Trades Council that would prevent work stoppages during construction of many Measure R-funded projects in exchange for other concessions. The pact would require non-union contractors to […]
City’s open space protection measure has narrow lead
MARTINEZ, Calif. – Martinez voters showed Tuesday they want a say if open spaces are to be developed, but by a 75-vote margin so far, indicate that such referendums should not apply to privately-owned properties. Measure F, placed on the ballot by the Martinez City Council, has received 2,762 “yes” votes and 2,542 “no” votes, […]
Martinez youth arrested after Pleasant Hill school threatened
A 13-year-old Martinez youth has been arrested after he was accused of threatening to kill multiple people at the Pleasant Hill school he attended, school and law enforcement officials said. The boy used Snapchat to send a message to another student in which he promised to kill “at least 30 people” during the final class […]
