Contra Costa News

On this episode, Greg Berkowtiz of Berk’s Beans Coffee drops in to share his new promotion for first responders, a tub of coffee! While we get into his love of coffee, how he got started roasting and helping others, we talk about his First Responders Coffee Bucket, also refillable, which is perfect for police departments, firehouses, EMS teams, dispatch centers and break rooms while being an affor...

On this episode of Be Curious Contra Costa, a chat with Peter Karumbi. He is a candidate running for Contra Costa County Auditor-Controller. He has spent the last 14 years in the auditor-controllers office and most recently as the assistant auditor-controller. Karumbi is originally from Kenya and came to the United States in 2007 where he worked at Home Depot and then Ross, before being hired by C...

On this episode of Be Curious Contra Costa, a chat with Hunter Hammett after a bounty has been placed on him after he has won three consecutive speed races (Antioch & Petaluma). The bounty race is set for May 30, 2026. Hunter is only 19 but racing is starting to click for him in his second “official season”. Hammett, began racing three years ago on the dirt track in Antioch where he has won hi...

On this episode, a chat with Vince Robb, candidate for Contra Costa County Assessor. So what does the assessor even do? They determine the taxable values of all real estate and business personal property, produce the assessment roll by July 1 and manage ownership records, process property tax exemptions and calculate changes to supplemental assessments due to construction or sales. Vince has serve...

On this episode of Be Curious Contra Costa, a tech chat with Seana Fippin of Red Box Business Solution. We get into Artificial Intelligence (AI), data centers and cybersecurity. We talk about the impact Claude is having while exploring the dangers, such as an AI Agent using Claude which recently deleted an entire database within seconds. While AI is impactful, one also needs to utilize the human e...

On this episode of Be Curious Contra Costa, a chat with Kish Rajan, CEO of Mt. Diablo Resource Recovery. Rajan shares the latest updates at MDRR including being awarded the Solid Waste Environmental Excellence Performance (SWEEP) Platinum Certification —the highest level of recognition offered by the SWEEP Standard. We talk electric batteries and how to properly dispose of them – how they start fi...

On this episode of Be Curious Contra Costa, a chat with Dana Eaton, Superintendent of the Brentwood Union School District who is now running for County Superintendent of Schools in Contra Costa County. If elected, he would replace Lynn Mackey who opted not to seek re-election. Eaton has 30 years in education from teacher to principal to superintendent. We talk about a variety of issues from the st...

On this episode of Be Curious Contra Costa, a chat with City of Richmond Mayoral candidate Demnlus Johnson III. He is a former city councilmember running for mayor. He is a fun guy with big ideas and wants to bring people together. We talk about his thoughts on a city not only planning for today, but for Richmond 2050 and what that would look like, such as developing land for community benefit whi...

On this episode of Be Curious Contra Costa, a chat with Richmond Mayoral Candidate Ahmad Anderson. Richmond is a city that now has a primary system for all council positions and there are five candidates running for mayor. In this episode, we talk about what leadership looks like to Anderson? We talk about his vision for Richmond and how it can be a good neighbor to the rest of Contra Costa County...

On this episode, a chat with Cheyenne Erickson who is the new CEO of the Contra Costa County Fair. We talk about the upcoming fair on May 14-17, 2026. We talk about the theme, “Wild About the Fair” and what new attractions are coming. Cheyenne shares here background, what she hopes the changes bring for the community and how they hope the fair will reach all of Contra Costa County—including bringi...

On this episode of Be Curious Contra Costa, a chat with Lenna Billeci who owns and operates two businesses in downtown Brentwood. She is the owner of Socialyte Boutique and Salt & Fig Marketplace and recently purchased her first building. We talk about her journey from a love of fashion to investing just $2k into handbags which grew into a clothing store followed by a local gift shop for the f...

On this episode, a chat with Pratima Sonavne, candidate for Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder. Sonavne is a resident of Danville and founder of Kurious Kids childcare center. She also has 20-years of experience in human resources. We get into why she is running for this position, including cybersecurity concerns and reducing risk of cyber-attacks—including calling for an audit in her first 90-day...

On this episode of the ContraCosta.news Podcast, Erin Kerr Summit was kind enough to be my first guest on the video version of the podcast. She talks about upcoming Brentwood Rotary events including a poker tournament, bingo, whiskey walk and a golf tournament. We then get into real life, where she is a lender. She shares what is going on in the market and what her idea was behind her “just the ti...

On this episode, a chat with Kevin and Tawnya Erickson on what the heck is going on with real estate in Contra Costa County. We get into what has changed in the past month or so and the impact its having on selling and buying homes. We get into some housing markets from Antioch, Brentwood, Concord and Walnut Creek and what to look for. Impact Iran War is having on home sales. The age old debate of...

As the podcast is returning after a short break, a quick reversal interview where Seana Fippin of Red Box Business Solutions flips the script and interviews me as in a guest interviews the host episode. We touch on a couple things with ContraCosta.news for 2026. 

On this episode, a chat with Michelle Powell Evans of Breath Better Wellness and Tawnya Erickson. In a 2026 that has started off pretty wild, we discuss breathing techniques to help calm anxiety and stress. We get into what sound baths are and what they help with—including crystal bowls and other sounds. Finally, we talk paddle boarding out on the delta and the soothing impact nature has on the mi...

On this episode, a chat with Monica Barajas of Monica's Riverview in downtown Antioch. We get into the restaurant, challenges, how she has overcome it and the potential for all of the City of Antioch.   At Monica’s, it offers feel-good breakfast, lunch and dinner favorites with care and creativity. Our menu celebrates  regional comfort food made from scratch using seasonal, local, and organic ingr...

  On this episode, a chat with Jack Jackson, the author of The Reaction to Inaction: How to Outpace Disruption and Lead the Age of AI. Jackson will be holding a book signing on December 13 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Barnes & Noble in Brentwood for his new book. Jackson grew up in Antioch and shares his journey. Jackson is a leadership strategist, bestselling author, and former federal task-fo...

On this episode, Antioch City Manager Bessie M. Scott talks about her first year as city manager in the city of Antioch and offers many updates – including staffing, budget, and plenty of other updates.   I would argue year 1 was a fact finding mission to see what was underneath the hood of what had been going on in Antioch the past four years, now real progress can start as the systems have been...

On this episode, Kathy Cabrera talks K911 Animal Rescue adoption goals for 2025. She talks about how the rescue was created and highlights the partnership with Petsmart.  K911 is a non profit animal rescue that rescues abandoned and displaced cats & dogs who would otherwise remain on the streets and/or be euthanized. Because of our home-based foster volunteers we can help give abandoned, abuse...

On this episode, a chat with Kathie Campbell, Board President of the El Campanil Theatre in Antioch. According to Campbell, she announced that without funding, they will begin shutting down operations by December 2025. We get into the impacts of prior business decisions by prior staff and the board, impacts by the City of Antioch, crime, the homeless. However, there is now an uptick in economic de...

On this episode, a chat with Hope Petrow, the author of Dating After Divorce: from Heartbreak to Soulmate. The book debuted this past week and was number 1 on amazon in two categories. Divorce sucks for anyone and everyone involved, but Petrow shares her experience of betrayal to rebuilding her self-worth starting over. She took journaling and her coaching experience to turn it into a book to help...

On this episode a chat with Cynthia Loredo and Tammy Zickuhr of Vasco Forever Helping Families who have a mission to advocate for a safer Vasco Road. We get into their mission and what they would like to see occur. While advocating for safety improvements on Vasco, one of the most dangerous roads in the San Francisco Bay Area, they share what they want to see happen. We also get into the newly rel...

On this episode, Paul Stonebarger drops in to talk about the East County Valkyrie and their upcoming U-Pick 6 Girls flag football tournament on May 18 at Heritage HS in Brentwood. Stonebarger shares U-Pick is tribute to Brentwood’s U-Pick Season for cherry’s, while also Pick-6 for football. He shares how the league started, its impact and growth – which we also get into the explosion in girls flag...

On this episode, Antioch City Manager Bessie M. Scott drops in to talk about her first six months on the job. We get into her background, her expertise and her “why” she took the City of Antioch job given all the controversies, budget issues, staffing and the lift needed to improve the city. We get into the hiring controversy due to lack of transparency and within six months, improvements are alre...