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REGIONAL Just as it seemed that a crucial decision on the consoli- dation of the East Contra Costa (ECCFPD) and Contra Costa County (ConFire) fire protection districts was within sight, a last- minute scheduling conflict caused the cancellation of ConFire’s board of directors meeting Tues- day afternoon, July The board was expected to consider the final feasibility study on the merger after the full report was released late last week. The report’s key finding is that the three fire agencies covered by the study – ConFire, ECCFPD and the Rodeo-Hercules Fire District (RHFD) – should move forward with consolidation, also referred to as annexation. “Based on the analysis, an- nexation will increase both the effectiveness and efficiency of the service delivery system and the ef- ficiency of the administrative func- tions,” stated the report. The recommendation was supported by the report’s find- ing that anticipated revenue for the consolidated district would be sufficient to fund current and expanded services throughout the five-year period identified in the project’s scope of work. Addition- ally, the study found no operation- al impediments to consolidation. “I was excited to read the fea- sibility study indicating that com- bining the agencies will greatly im- prove fire and medical services for residents within a short timeframe,” said Diane Burgis, Contra Costa
Former clerk pleads guilty to 9 counts
REGIONAL On July 12, former Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder Joe Canciamilla pleaded guilty to perjury and grand theft, totaling nine counts, for illegal activity tied to his political campaign bank accounts. The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office filed criminal charges against Canciamilla last year. Canciamilla previously served as the Contra Costa County clerk-recorder and resigned in 2019. Canciamilla will serve 365 days in county jail per his guilty plea. Per the court, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office will determine how the custody time will be served. In addition, he was sentenced to two years formal probation by Judge Leslie Landu. Due to his felony conviction, Canciamilla will not be able to act as an attorney and he will report his criminal conviction to the California State Bar. Further, he may no longer hold public office or any other elected office. Canciamilla committed felony perjury for his misstatements on campaign disclosure statements (form 460s). Canciamilla signed these campaign finance statements under the penalty of perjury. The illegal activity was conducted from 2010 to 2016. The grand theft counts against Canciamilla related to the use of campaign funds for his personal use.
The personal expenditures made by Canciamilla’s campaign committees for his own personal use were: personal vacation to Asia; restaurants; airfare via Southwest Airlines and American Airlines; repayment of a personal loan; and transfers from his campaign bank accounts to his personal accounts
In 2019, Canciamilla was fined $150,000 by the California Fair Political Practices Commission in a civil stipulation for his inaccurate campaign finance statements, which concealed the personal use of campaign funds for his own benefit.
