Bay Area

Probate Court Reform Organizations Gaining Political Support

Published

6 years ago

September 12, 2019

On Thursday, August 8th, Alameda County Advocates against Probate Court the neglect and abuse of the elderly and dependent adults, gathered at Board of Supervisor Nate Miley’s Castro Valley Office to discuss “next steps” on how to protect the county’s most vulnerable citizens, our aging population.

Nationwide, seniors are prisoners of County-appointed guardians taking total control over their lives and exploiting their wards for personal profit. Judges, conservators, guardians & attorneys are forcibly removing elderly wards from their homes, isolating them from their families and systematically emptying their bank accounts. Allegations of murder with psychotropic drugs and isolation tactics have emerged.

After viewing “The Guardians”, a film that graphically depicts abuse of elders and the disabled, County Supervisor Nat Miley, Berkeley City Councilman Ben Bartlett, Senator Bob Wieckowski and recently added Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf’s, Commission on Aging, Director Sylvia Stadmire, have come aboard to assist probate reform advocates .

Supervisor Miley held a meeting to discuss next steps regarding probate reform with Randy Morris, Social Services Director, Public Defender Brendon Wood’s representatives, Roger Spencer & Yousef Elias, District Attorney, Nancy O’Malley representatives, D.A. Sabrina Farrell & Jeff Israel, County Counsel, and Ms. Victoria Wu. Conspicuously missing was the Legal Assistant for Seniors agency which advocates point to as a major source of the abuse they have witnessed in Alameda County.

In February of 2019, Attorney Tom Coleman attended a meeting with Presiding Judge Wynne Carville to discuss the alleged reports of financial and psychological abuse by LAS. At that meeting Judge Carville advised Mr. Coleman, that Legal Assistant for Seniors would no longer work with Alameda County Courts, however LAS still conducts business within the court system. Agencies and advocates are uniting to understand why.

“It’s time for an “all-out campaign” to expose and bring attention to those who are not being responsible for the care of the elderly. Judges, conservators, attorneys, guardians are public servants required to take an oath to serve with honor and integrity. That is not occurring!” states Venus Gist, founder of Care4People Court and SHOUT OUT JUSTICE co-founded with advocate/reporter Tanya Dennis.

Linda Kincaid & Richard Calhoun, founders of CEDAR CA said, “Deputy DA Sabrina Farrell and Investigator Jeff Israel stated unequivocally that all cases submitted to the DA’s office were thoroughly investigated. They said they did not find any crimes in any of the cases although advocates have proof of perjury and fraud in multiple cases.” Alameda County advocates utilize the documentary film, The Guardians by filmmaker Billie Mentz, featured at 2018 Alameda Film Festival as a teaching aid.

The Guardians depicts a retirement community in Las Vegas, Nevada where the elderly are removed without cause from their homes with court orders because they have assets. The Guardians can be viewed on Netflix. “Unfortunately, what happened in The Guardians, is occurring in Alameda County and we want it stopped”, said advocate Venus Gist.

The Probate Court Reform Movement SHOUT OUT JUSTICE, Alameda County Care Alliance, CEDAR CA, Care4People Court, Ms. Cynthia Perrilliat, of Warren Publishing, and Ms. Antoinette Warren, Advocates for Seniors and members of Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland have their separate organizations, but they are joining together to create one voice to protect the Alameda County elderly community. Probate Court Reform Movement hold protests outside the Berkeley Probate Court every Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Tanya Dennis

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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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3 days ago

May 30, 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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1 week ago

May 25, 2025

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Bay Area

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.