Will Contra Costa supervisors dip into reserves?

After cutting more than $150 million from Contra Costa's budget since May, supervisors will vote today whether to use reserve funds for the first time this fiscal year.

The board will need a four-fifths vote to use $1.5 million in reserves to bolster the county's health care clinics, which anticipate a wave of new clients now that the county will no longer cover nonemergency health care for undocumented adults.

The one-time-only reserve expenditure would ramp up clinics that expect to provide the bulk of health care for an estimated 5,500 undocumented residents in the county. Supervisors recently stopped covering that population to save $6 million annually.

2009 Earth Day is special, says green jobs czar

A former Oakland activist now serving as President Barack Obama's "green jobs czar" said this week's Earth Day observance is special because of the new administration.

"As we move forward, one of the big differences is that we recognize now that the debate over whether we can do right by the environment and right by the economy at the same time is over," said Van Jones, appointed in March as special adviser for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

2009 Earth Day is special, says green jobs czar

A former Oakland activist now serving as President Barack Obama's "green jobs czar" said this week's Earth Day observance is special because of the new administration.

"As we move forward, one of the big differences is that we recognize now that the debate over whether we can do right by the environment and right by the economy at the same time is over," said Van Jones, appointed in March as special adviser for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

2009 Earth Day is special, says green jobs czar

A former Oakland activist now serving as President Barack Obama's "green jobs czar" said this week's Earth Day observance is special because of the new administration.

"As we move forward, one of the big differences is that we recognize now that the debate over whether we can do right by the environment and right by the economy at the same time is over," said Van Jones, appointed in March as special adviser for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Obama's energy czar visits Oakland program

OAKLAND — President Barack Obama's energy and climate-change czar seemed to like what she saw at a green-jobs training program Friday in West Oakland.

"It is so impressive what you all are doing," Carol Browner said while visiting the Cypress Mandela Training Center on Poplar Street, noting this was her first solo field trip in her capacity as head of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change.

"I work for a president who absolutely believes that at the heart of our economic recovery, our economic future, are green jobs," she said, citing $600 million in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus bill for green-jobs training programs like Oakland's which will produce "good homegrown domestic jobs that can't be exported."

Concord leaders take 5 percent pay cut to help ease budget woes

CONCORD — Top Concord employees have volunteered to take a 5-percent pay cut next fiscal year to help ease the city's $10 million budget shortfall.

City Manager Dan Keen and his entire executive team — 11 people in all — will take the hit by taking 13 unpaid furlough days between July and next June. On top of that, city contributions to their 401K plans will be suspended, as will their "pay for performance" merit awards and annual $2,000 flexible benefit payments.

Union City pastor, anti-abortion leader released from jail

OAKLAND — After 18 days in jail for violating a city law designed to protect women entering abortion clinics, a Berkeley church elder went free Tuesday with a wider, louder network of anti-abortion supporters than before he went to trial.

The sidewalk near Jack London Square that Walter Hoye patrolled weekly — accompanied by two elderly church women — drew a crowd of a few dozen protesters Tuesday morning for another in a series of vigils aimed at painting the law as an attack on free speech. Now, as Hoye pushes to reverse a judge's order to stay away from the clinic, his backers said the city's year-old "bubble law" — which bans approaching within 8 feet of a potential client trying to enter a clinic — has backfired.

Bill would require brain-injury training for high school coaches

An East Bay lawmaker wants high school coaches to be trained to recognize and manage signs of traumatic brain injury, like the kind that recently claimed the life of actress Natasha Richardson.

AB533, legislation sponsored by Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi, D-Hayward, was introduced Feb. 25. It will be heard by the Assembly Education Committee on Wednesday.

The bill would require not only that coaches be trained to look for and deal with signs of head and neck injuries, concussions, second-impact syndrome, asthma attacks, heatstroke and heart attack, but also that they be trained in emergency action planning and communicating effectively with 911 emergency services.

Bill would require brain-injury training for high school coaches

An East Bay lawmaker wants high school coaches to be trained to recognize and manage signs of traumatic brain injury, like the kind that recently claimed the life of actress Natasha Richardson.

AB533, legislation sponsored by Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi, D-Hayward, was introduced Feb. 25. It will be heard by the Assembly Education Committee on Wednesday.

The bill would require not only that coaches be trained to look for and deal with signs of head and neck injuries, concussions, second-impact syndrome, asthma attacks, heatstroke and heart attack, but also that they be trained in emergency action planning and communicating effectively with 911 emergency services.

Bill would require brain-injury training for high school coaches

An East Bay lawmaker wants high school coaches to be trained to recognize and manage signs of traumatic brain injury, like the kind that recently claimed the life of actress Natasha Richardson.

AB533, legislation sponsored by Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi, D-Hayward, was introduced Feb. 25. It will be heard by the Assembly Education Committee on Wednesday.

The bill would require not only that coaches be trained to look for and deal with signs of head and neck injuries, concussions, second-impact syndrome, asthma attacks, heatstroke and heart attack, but also that they be trained in emergency action planning and communicating effectively with 911 emergency services.

Bill would require brain-injury training for high school coaches

An East Bay lawmaker wants high school coaches to be trained to recognize and manage signs of traumatic brain injury, like the kind that recently claimed the life of actress Natasha Richardson.

AB533, legislation sponsored by Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi, D-Hayward, was introduced Feb. 25. It will be heard by the Assembly Education Committee on Wednesday.

The bill would require not only that coaches be trained to look for and deal with signs of head and neck injuries, concussions, second-impact syndrome, asthma attacks, heatstroke and heart attack, but also that they be trained in emergency action planning and communicating effectively with 911 emergency services.

Energy efficiency, 'green' jobs targeted in bills

Former windmill guru Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, introduced three bills this week designed to squeeze more efficiency out of the nation's electrical grid and train young people for so-called "green" jobs.

The Smart Grid Advancement Act would require utility companies and states to plan for the use of technology that allows appliances such as refrigerators to reduce their draw on the electricity grid during peak use hours.

The shift would spread out demand for electricity and reduce costs associated with the construction of high-capacity plants required to meet the peak demand hours, McNerney said.