Supervisors Confirm Three Cleanup Liens Topping $216,000 in 5-0 Votes

Contra Costa County property owners who ignore years of code-enforcement outreach will now pay for the cleanup through their property tax bills. On Nov. 3, 2026, the Board of Supervisors unanimously confirmed three abatement cost statements as special taxes: about $90,500 in Bethel Island, $5,110 in Martinez and $121,000 in Brentwood. Later in the meeting, Pittsburg residents pressed the board to act on a proposed data center that one supervisor said the county has no power to stop.

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• Three abatement liens confirmed 5-0, totaling more than $216,000 for cleanups in Bethel Island, Martinez and Brentwood
• Pittsburg residents urge a data center ban, and Supervisor John Gioia says the county lacks land-use authority inside cities
• County honors veterans Bill Green and Luther Hendricks, and Gioia pledges continued Veterans Service Office funding
• Diablo Japanese American Club marks 100 years with a board tribute and a call to oppose anti-immigrant hate

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Three Cleanups, Three Liens, No Dissent

The basics: In an abatement, the county clears code violations itself after an owner fails to do so. When the board confirms the cost as a "special tax," the county recovers that money through the property's tax bill.

Why it matters: The hearings show what follows years of unanswered compliance requests. The county fronts the cleanup cost, and the debt then attaches to the land.

Where things stand: Jason Crapo of the Department of Conservation and Development said abatement is a last resort. It comes, he said, "only after we've spent many months trying to work cooperatively with the property owners to remove the violations voluntarily." Owners can appeal to the board.

The three properties:

• Gateway Road, Bethel Island (D1): This property is held by the Trust of Bertha Sharp. The cleanup cost $90,509.72 and followed 41 site inspections. Crews hauled out 41 mattresses, 26 washing machines and 492 vehicle tires.
• 1210 Veal Ave., Martinez (D2): The county spent $5,110 to board up an unsecured vacant house.
• 26835 Marsh Creek Road, Brentwood (D3): This was the largest job, at about $121,000. Crews removed 76 washing machines, 39 water heaters, 23 mattresses, 47 refrigerators and about 50 tons of scrap metal and wood.

Supervisor Diane Burgis, who presided, asked why the Bethel Island case required 41 inspections. Crapo said "our staff worked with the contacts that we had there over a period of about 5 or 6 years to try to get this cleaned up voluntarily."

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: No one offered public comment on any of the three hearings. Each motion passed on a roll call vote (For: 5 — Gioia, Andersen, Burgis, Carlson, Scales-Preston; Against: 0; Absent: 0).

• Burgis moved D1, and Supervisor Shanelle Scales-Preston, District 5, seconded.
• Scales-Preston moved D2, and Supervisor Ken Carlson, District 4, seconded.
• Burgis moved D3, and Carlson seconded.

The owners now carry tax liens. Neighbors get cleared properties, and the county recovers money it already spent.

What's next: The confirmed costs will be collected as special taxes on each property.

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Data Center Fight Hits a Jurisdictional Wall

Why it matters: Pittsburg residents keep bringing a city land-use fight to the county. That has exposed a gap between where residents want action and where the legal authority actually sits.

Where things stand: Three public commenters, May, Lynn and Angelica, urged the board to oppose the proposed Avayo data center in Pittsburg.

• They warned the facility would add diesel pollution, heat and noise in a disadvantaged community.
• They said it conflicts with Pittsburg's general plan goal of ending diesel pollution by 2040.
• Their requests ranged from a discussion item to a ban to, at minimum, a proclamation on air quality.

Each speaker made a distinct case:

• May cited health risks and asked for a discussion item.
• Lynn said Pittsburg residents will keep raising the issue and rejected what she called environmental racism.
• Angelica argued the county could move to ban data centers in unincorporated areas, noting that county plans contain no explicit language on them. She also cited backup diesel generator run hours and a Bay Area Air District community advisory retreat.

The other side: Supervisor John Gioia, District 1, said the county cannot override the city. "The county has zero legal authority on a land use permit in a city," Gioia said. He noted that the county's 19 cities control their own land use and that Air District permits are the relevant process. Burgis acknowledged that Pittsburg residents have made repeated requests.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The board took no action. Residents remain without the agenda item they sought. Angelica's argument about unincorporated land points to the one area where the county does hold zoning power. For now, the Air District permit process is the main venue left for opponents.

Other voices at public comment:

• Ayoka, owner of the cannabis dispensary Urban Soil, described two burglaries, complaints later found unfounded, the loss of seven employees and no answer from the Department of Conservation and Development on her license status. She invoked a 1998 county promise on racial disparities. "Resolve our grandfather status, allow us to reopen with adult use," she said.
• Rhea Settles alleged that predatory PACE energy-efficiency loans are being attached to seniors' property taxes, with the county assessor acting as fiscal agent. She said her 79-year-old aunt, who has a neurocognitive disorder and is under conservatorship, signed a loan without the repayment-ability check the law requires.

The board did not respond to either speaker.

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A Veterans Day Salute, and a Funding Pledge

Why it matters: The ceremony was the longest segment of the meeting. It put a spotlight on a large constituency and on the county office that serves it.

Where things stand: "We are home to about 45,000 veterans and their families," said Supervisor Diane Burgis, District 3. She noted that the Veterans Service Office has served 12,489 of them.

Josh Zembly, County Veterans Service Officer, introduced a 250-year tribute video and presented this year's awards to two veterans:

• Bill Green, a Vietnam veteran with Vietnam Veterans of Diablo Valley, has spoken to more than 115,000 students.
• Luther Hendricks, a 101-year-old Montford Point Marine, was featured in an interview clip.

Veterans Service Office staff were also recognized.

What's next: Gioia pledged that the board will continue funding the Veterans Service Office. The meeting adjourned after the ceremony.

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Concord Japanese American Club Turns 100

Where things stand: Carlson introduced a resolution honoring the Diablo Japanese American Club and the Diablo Japanese American Religious and Cultural Center (JARCC). The organization was founded in 1926 by 13 families.

Karen Sakata, President, Diablo Japanese American Club, traced its history:

• World War II internment
• The fight to reclaim the group's property
• The first summer festival in 1957
• "Kizuna," a centennial film funded in part by the City of Concord

She described the milestone as "100 years of service, friendship, and community."

Why it matters: Board members shared personal reflections. Gioia tied the internment history to present-day immigration debates: "We need to all stand together in speaking out against all hate against immigrants."

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Minor Items

• Consent calendar: Items C1–C119 passed 5-0 on a roll call (Carlson moved, Scales-Preston seconded). The items included the Marathon (C28) and Phillips 66 (C29) Community Benefit Funds for District 5 groups.
• Closed session: The board voted 5-0 to file a cross-complaint for indemnity and contribution in Storelli v. County of Contra Costa, Superior Court case C-2500696.
• Adjournments: The board honored former Pittsburg Mayor Merle Craft, creator of the FutureBuild trades program, and labor leader Dolores Huerta. A certificate will go to Craft's family.
• Proclamation: November 2026 was recognized as Dementia Awareness Month, at the request of a teen-founded nonprofit focused on early detection.

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Looking Ahead

Pittsburg residents say they will keep returning to press the data center issue. Whether any supervisor agendizes Angelica's proposal to address data centers in unincorporated areas is the question to watch.