Bay Area

2020 League of Women Voters Bay Area League Day in Fremont

Published

5 years ago

March 26, 2020

Guest Speakers invited to the 2020’s League of Women Voters Bay Area League Day, held on Saturday, Feb. 29, were more diverse than in past years, as elected officials, civil servants and distinguished community leaders from many different backgrounds – including immigrant, Spanish-speaking, African American and Asian American backgrounds, spoke to those in attendance

Leaguers were welcomed by Sister Rose Marie Hennessy, of the Dominican Order, Administrator of the beautiful Dominican Center in Fremont where the meeting was held.

Most of the speakers were women and people of color who spoke about overcoming many challenges and struggles in their lives, communities and careers. They persevered with determination, continuous self-improvement and education and made their way to become community and civic leaders–despite the barriers they faced as women, as Blacks, as immigrants, or as part of the Latinx community.

Susie and Steve Swatt, authors of “Paving the Way—Women’s Struggle for Political Equality,” gave a history of how women won the vote in California in 1911 and nationally in 1920, and how they have advanced in elected positions over the last 100 years. As an example, California Senate leaders of both parties are now women: President pro Tempore of the Senate Toni Atkins, and Minority Leader Shannon Grove.

Otis Bruce, Jr., a Senior Deputy District Attorney in Marin County, discussed the essential role of prosecutors in our social and restorative justice systems. He pointed out that it’s important that the attorneys, who are prosecutors, represent diverse cultures, genders, backgrounds and experiences. Prosecutorial decisions can and do impact entire families and communities on many levels, making those who are involved in making those decisions very important.

In California, ethnic minority attorneys represent approximately 7% Latinx, 13% Asian and 4% African American, Bruce said. The percentage of ethnic minorities and women among prosecutors are much less across the state.

Prosecutors may make decisions that help to set the course for fairness and justice for all people, Their decisions will affect victims and the accused whose lives are impacted by the criminal justice system, or who stands to get a break in the social justice system and be restored to lead a productive life in our communities.

Sister Elaine Marie Sanchez of the Sisters of the Holy Family, who works in poor communities of Spanish speaking and Black families, spoke movingly about human trafficking for sex or labor. She pointed out that labor trafficking has a higher concentration than sex trafficking, and went on to say that trafficking does not exist in isolation, that it is a result of extreme inequality, and affects people who are “considered disposable commodities.”

For a look at the meeting program: http://lwvbayarea.org

For more information, contact Veda Lopez, Communications Director – League of Women Voters of Bay Area, at (415) 299-0035 or go to lwvbayarea@gmail.com

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Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 3, 2025

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Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

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Chevron Richmond Installs Baker Hughes Flare.IQ, Real-time Flare Monitoring, Control and Reduction System

While the sight of flaring can cause concern in the community, flares are essential safety systems that burn pollutants to prevent them from being released directly into the atmosphere. They activate during startup and shut-down of facility units or during upsets or equipment malfunctions. The typical flare stack is about 200 feet high so that vapors are well above street levels.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 19, 2025

Oakland Post

Image courtesy The Richmond Standard.

The Richmond Standard

Chevron Richmond recently installed flare.IQ, a real-time, automated system that will improve the facility’s flaring performance.

The technology, developed by Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business, uses sensors to monitor, reduce and control flaring in real time. It collects and assesses data on refinery processes, such as temperature, pressure, gas flow and gas composition, and adjusts accordingly to ensure flares burn more efficiently and cleanly, leading to fewer emissions.

“The cleaner the flare, the brighter the flame can look,” said Duy Nguyen, a Chevron Richmond flaring specialist. “If you see a brighter flame than usual on a flare, that actually means flare.IQ is operating as intended.”

“A key element in Baker Hughes’ emissions abatement portfolio, flare.IQ has a proven track record in optimizing flare operations and significantly reducing emissions,” said Colin Hehir, vice president of Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business. “By partnering with Chevron Richmond, one of the first operators in North America to adopt flare.IQ, we are looking forward to enhancing the plant’s flaring operations.”

The installation of flare.IQ is part of a broader and ongoing effort by Chevron Richmond to improve flare performance, particularly in response to increased events after the new, more efficient hydrogen plant was brought online in 2019.

Since then, the company has invested $25 million — and counting — into flare minimization. As part of the effort, a multidisciplinary refinery team was formed to find and implement ways to improve operational reliability and ultimately reduce flaring. Operators and other employees involved in management of flares and flare gas recovery systems undergo new training.

“It is important to me that the community knows we are working hard to lower emissions and improve our flaring performance,” Nguyen said.

Also evolving is the process by which community members are notified of flaring incidents. The Community Warning System (CWS), operated by Contra Costa County is an “all-hazard” public warning system.

Residents can opt-in to receive alerts via text, e-mail and landline. The CWS was recently expanded to enable residents to receive notifications for “Level 1” incidents, which are considered informational as they do not require any community action.

For more information related to these topics, check out the resources included on the Chevron Richmond, CAER and Contra Costa Health websites. Residents are also encouraged to follow @chevronrichmond and @RFDCAOnline on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), where additional information may be posted during an incident.