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>The Concord Police have arrested a suspect who they say murdered a homeless man in Concord over the weekend.
The following is from the Concord Police Department:
On 04/01/12 at approximately 7:30 AM, Concord Police Officers and Consolidated Fire Department personnel were sent to the Food Maxx Shopping Center, 1751 Monument Boulevard, regarding an unconscious homeless subject. Officers located the victim behind the vacant Hollywood Video store in a makeshift homeless encampment. Officers and Paramedics determined the victim was deceased. The victim, a 49 year old male Concord transient, appeared to have been assaulted.
During the course of the subsequent investigation detectives developed information identifying a specific suspect who allegedly assaulted the victim the previous night. Detectives established probable cause to arrest that suspect on the charge of murder.
At approximately 8:30 PM, patrol officers located the suspect walking on Monument Boulevard near Virginia Lane. The suspect, 39 year old Concord transient Jason Charles Cahall, was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Concord City Jail.
Jason Cahall was interviewed by detectives and subsequently booked on the charges of Murder and Robbery and sent to the Contra Costa County Sheriffs Department Main Detention Facility in Martinez.
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>Traffic Jammin’ with Janis Mara – Every Monday at 2pm on Claycord.com
TRAFFIC JAMMER: Greetings, all! This Claycord.com column is for everyone who negotiates the highways and public transit of the Bay Area. It runs every Monday at 2pm and answers your commuting and transportation questions. Email your questions to trafficjammin@claycord.com.
COMMUTER: I drive quite a bit along the Capitol Corridor and have noticed over the years scores of tour buses seemingly immune to the laws of traffic. Strange, in 15 years I’ve never seen one pulled over.
–Atticus Thraxx thirsts for road knowledge
TRAFFIC JAMMER: Nice to hear from you, Atticus! There is nothing more frustrating than having a gigantic tour bus, or even a small one, nearly blow you off the road as it passes too closely or commits some other infraction of the California Vehicle Code. Multiply this over 15 years of frequent trips and it must get pretty annoying.
By all means, you can call the local California Highway Patrol office and let them know about this. I don’t know what part of the Capitol Corridor – by which I assume you mean Interstate 80 between the Bay Area and Sacramento, yes? – you’re referring to, Atticus. To find the appropriate office, visit http://www.chp.ca.gov/ (obviously, not on your smartphone while behind the wheel).
One thing to remember is just because you don’t see those tour buses getting pulled over, that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. Regardless, if you see an offense happening on a regular basis, by all means let law enforcement know.
COMMUTER: Who do I call to try and get the signal lights changed at the intersection of Clayton Way and Concord Boulevard? I use this route every day to take my daughter to school. When the light turns green for Clayton Way everyone gets to go, which causes confusion and anger.
When the light turns green, it doesn’t have an arrow, so everyone goes, regardless of whether they are going straight or left. You can’t see past the car in front of you to know if the next car is going left or straight.
–Amy, Concord
TRAFFIC JAMMER: Amy, the Traffic Jammer applauds you and all moms everywhere for taking good care of their young ‘uns. My mom did not drive me to school. I had to walk ten miles uphill both ways in the snow (difficult because we were in Florida). Anyway, Amy, it sounds like this situation could be solved with a left-turn arrow, but unfortunately it’s not practical.
The problem is that in order to put in a left-turn arrow, it’s necessary to create a separate left-turn lane, and Clayton Way is not wide enough to put in another lane. The city would have to widen the street, which would do away with street parking and take away part of the front yards of all the houses lining the street. This is the word from Concord Transportation Manager Ray Kuzbari.
But hey, let’s harness the power of Claycord to help Amy out! Anybody got a suggestion on how to avoid the mess at the intersection of Clayton Way and Concord Boulevard?
COMMUTER: I work with someone who very recently got a DUI and their license was suspended for at least 30 days, I believe. I know for a fact that this person is driving to work every single day while driver’s license is on suspension. Is there any way to report this?
–Anon
TRAFFIC JAMMER: Anon, your email address looks familiar to me as a regular reader, and it’s great to hear from you! Given the subject matter, we’ll just call you Anon on this one, though. Anyway, Anon, your coworker might not be violating the suspension. When an officer pulls someone over, they may confiscate the motorist’s license but give them a paper license they can use before their court hearing, Lt. Bisa French, a Richmond police spokeswoman, told the Jammer.
Then, when the motorist gets to court, the judge might stipulate that he or she can drive back and forth to work, but their license is otherwise suspended. So, probably best to hold off on this, unless of course you’ve seen the coworker knocking back doubles at the bar after work and you’re afraid for yourself and others on the road going home.
TRAFFIC JAMMER: In last week’s column, a Claycordian shared the story of his grandson getting in a car crash. The airbag didn’t inflate, and the young man got a concussion. Several Claycordians had excellent comments, and here’s one of them:
COMMUTER: Isn’t there a law that little ones, (and little people) are not allowed in the front seat of an airbagged vehicle?
Some vehicles have ways to turn off the air bag in those situations, or turn down the pressure.
–J.
TRAFFIC JAMMER: J., it’s good that you brought that up. Yes, children 12 years and under, including infants, should sit in the back seat – whether or not there is an airbag up front. This is because the back seat is the safest area in most crashes. If your back seat has airbags, check with the vehicle manufacturer to see if the airbags have been activated.
You’re also correct, J., that the newer, more advanced systems can sense various factors such as the size of the person next to the airbag and either moderate the force with which they inflate, or keep them from deploying altogether.
TRAFFIC JAMMER: Here are two letters that arrived at the same time about the same subject, with widely divergent opinions:
COMMUTER: I saw that someone asked you about HOV studies earlier this week and thought the Reason-Rupe transportation poll might be useful.
The national telephone poll of 1,200 Americans found that 59 percent of Americans say they would pay to use a toll road if it saves them “significant” time and 57 percent favor converting carpool lanes into high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes. The full poll is online HERE.
– Lainie Frost, Communications Specialist, Reason Foundation
TRAFFIC JAMMER: Apparently this Claycordian was not one of the 1,200 Americans polled:
COMMUTER: My theory is that all HOV lanes contribute to congestion. The Interstate 680 toll lane in Sunol is the biggest waste of taxpayer money in recent history. It cost millions to build and carries very few cars.
–Beacon
TRAFFIC JAMMER: As most Claycordians know, the I-680 toll lane Beacon mentioned is a 14-mile stretch of I-680 from Pleasanton to Milpitas that cost about $37.6 million for lane configuring and electronic equipment. Solo drivers can pay from 30 cents to $7.50, depending on congestion, to use the carpool lane.
Its first anniversary was in September; at that time, almost half a million drivers had paid a toll to use it. Claycordians, what do you think? Do you agree with the Reason Foundation poll, or do you see it Beacon’s way?
The question is particularly relevant because another express lane, the Bay Area’s second such lane, is going to be built on eastbound I-580 from Hacienda Drive in Pleasanton to Greenville Road in Livermore.
COMMUTER: Would you happen to know who I would contact in the City of Pleasant Hill or other agency to report a crosswalk button that does not function? I looked at the city’s website and could not find anything other than directing me to Caltrans. The Caltrans website sounds like they only do lighting and signals around the freeways?
The button in question is on the corner of Morello Avenue and Taylor Boulevard next to the Chevron station. I ride my bike here often and always have to wait (sometimes 2 rotations) before a car pulls up to change the signal. I even have crossed against the light, which I prefer not to do.
Thank you in advance for your help.
–Share The Road With Me
TRAFFIC JAMMER: First of all, STRWM, congratulations on sparing the air, saving money and keeping fit by getting around on a bicycle. Good going! As you surmised, this is not a question for Caltrans, but for the city.
Here’s the scoop: The City of Pleasant Hill has a service agreement with Contra Costa County for things like this. The Traffic Jammer reached Annette Kaufmann, the administrative secretary for the public works department, and Ms. Kaufmann notified the County.
The Jammer can’t tell you how soon the button will be fixed, but keep in touch, STRWM, and if it’s not functioning in a few weeks, do let me know.
That’s it for this week – see you next Monday. Be sure to cruise by Claycord.com at 2 p.m. for more traffic intelligence. Remember, whether you drive, walk, bike or hop Amtrak, BART or AC Transit, Traffic Jammer Janis Mara is here to answer your questions.
Send your questions to trafficjammin@claycord.com.
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Concord Disposal is trying to hire a Concord Police Officer to fight recycling theft, according to the City of Concord.
The Concord City Council will vote on the issue this Tuesday night. According to the council agenda, “Over the past few years, there has been a sharp increase in the theft and resale of copper and other non-ferrous materials from public and private property. Although receiving less publicity, Concord and other cities in the Bay Area have also experienced a spike in the illegal removal of refuse from commercial and residential recycling containers.”
The agenda also states “In 2011, the City was contacted by representatives from Concord Disposal Service (CDS) regarding this trend. As described in a letter from CDS CEO Joseph Garaventa, the theft of recyclable material has reached a magnitude that is impacting the ability of the City and CDS to meet state-mandated requirements setting minimum levels for the percentage of solid waste that must be diverted from landfills and recycled. Specifically, AB 939 currently requires the recycling, source reduction, or composting of at least 50 percent of solid waste, and under recently adopted Assembly Bill 341, this goal will increase to 75 percent by 2020. When recyclable materials are stolen, the City and waste disposal services such as CDS do not receive “credit” towards compliance with these recycling requirements.”
Under Concord Municipal Code Sections 82-38 and 82-40, it is a misdemeanor for any unauthorized person to remove refuse left for collection within the City, or to interfere with the collection of refuse.
The Officer would work 20-hours per week. The cost to hire a Concord Police Officer for part-time work is $144.17 an hour.
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>The “Water Cooler” is a feature on Claycord.com where we ask you a question or provide a topic, and you talk about it!
The “Water Cooler” will be up Monday-Friday at noon!
Today’s question:
What was the first job you ever had, and did you like it or hate it?
Talk about it….
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We got this message from the father of a Soldier the other day….
My son is an Army Soldier who is on his third month of deployment in Kuwait. I spoke with him on Sunday, and he keeps in touch with the local news on Claycord.com as much as possible.
Just thought you might like to know how far your messages go out there.
How about a shout out there to the local Army Soldiers in Kuwait!
You got it! Hello to all the Military overseas! Thanks for doing what you do and thanks for reading Claycord.com!
Be safe!
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>As we reported earlier today, California State Assemblyman Roger Hernandez was arrested for driving under the influence on Tuesday at about 2:00 in the morning on Concord Avenue in Concord.
In our earlier report, Hernandez claimed he didn’t believe the Concord Police had probably cause to pull him over on Concord Avenue, and claimed that he only had two or three glasses of wine over a four hour period.
According to the Concord Police, Hernandez was stopped by a Concord Police Officer for weaving within driving lanes and failing to use turn signals while on Concord Avenue at Meridian Park Boulevard. Police say Hernandez stopped his vehicle in the parking lot of the Crowne Plaza Hotel where the Officer noticed Hernandez displayed further objective symptoms of alcohol intoxication.
Hernandez performed a field sobriety test and upon conclusion of the test, the officer determined there was probable cause to arrest him for driving under the influence (23152(a) CVC), according to police.
A 29-year-old female passenger was released at the scene. Hernandez was transported to the Concord Police Jail where a blood test was conducted. He was then taken to the County Jail in Martinez, police said.
Once the Concord Police Department receives the results of State Assembly Member Hernandez’s blood test, a determination will be made whether to forward this matter to the District Attorney’s Office for review.
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>A rollover crash on northbound Interstate-680 is now clear.
Believe it or not, there were no major injuries.
Thanks to the anonymous Claycordian who sent in the photo!
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>The “Water Cooler” will be up Monday-Friday at noon!
Today’s question:
How do you think the national media is handling the Trayvon Martin story?
Do you think they’re doing a good job or a bad job covering this case?
Talk about it….
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California State Assemblyman Roger Hernandez was arrested for drunk driving at 2:30 in the morning on Tuesday near the intersection of Concord Avenue & Meridian Park Boulevard, which is across the street from the Buchanan Field Golf Course, according to the Concord Police.
The Sacramento Bee interviewed Hernandez regarding the incident, click HERE to read what he had to say about why he thinks he wasn’t drunk.
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