Martinez California CA Warrant Search

Martinez, California Coordinates: 38°01′10″N 122°08′03″W / 38.01944°N 122.13417°W / 38.01944; -122.13417Martinez (pronounced /mɑrˈtiːnɨs/ 'mar-TEE-niss' or 'mar-TEE-nezz') (from Spanish: Martínez: meaning: Martinson) is a city in and the county seat of Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 35,866 at the 2000 census. The downtown is notable for its large number of preserved old buildings. Martinez is located on the south side of the Carquinez Strait in the San Francisco Bay Area, directly facing the city of Benicia. History In 1824 the Alhambra Valley was included in the Rancho El Pinole Mexican land grant to Ygnacio Martínez. By 1849, Martínez served as a weigh station for the California Gold Rush. The town was laid out in 1849 by Col. William M. Smith and named for Martinez. It became the county seat in 1850, but could not incorporate at the time because it lacked the 200 registered voters required, and only became a city in 1876. In 1847, Dr. Robert Semple contracted to provide ferry service from Martinez to Benicia, CA (across the Carquinez straight, Benicia was a growing community and state capitol for a year in 1852). Martinez was the home of John Muir from 1880 until his death in 1914. He was buried about a mile south of the building that is now the John Muir National Historic Site. Also nearby is the Vicente Martinez Adobe, built in 1849 by the son of Ygnacio Martinez.The first post office opened in 1851.In 1860, Martinez played a role in the Pony Express, where riders would take the ferry from Benicia (particularly if they missed the steamer in Sacramento). In 1915, Shell Oil Company built an oil refinery near Martinez, which sparked a building boom in the area. Martinez's oil refineries can still be seen today from Interstate 680, and it continues to be a significant port and petroleum processing center.Martinez features in a folk etymology regarding the Martini cocktail. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.4 square miles (34.8 km²), of which, 12.2 square miles (31.7 km²) of it is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²) of it (8.92%) is water.Although the common perception of Martinez is that of a refinery town, given the view from Highway 680 across the Shell refinery and the strong smell of petroleum that greets visitors coming from the Martinez-Benicia Bridge, the city is in fact largely surrounded by water and regional open space preserves. The Martinez-Benicia Bridge carries Highway 680 across the eastern end of the Carquinez Strait to Solano County. The city can be defined as a more densely built downtown valley threaded by Alhambra creek and north of Highway 4. Suburban areas stretch south of Highway 4 to join the neighboring city of Pleasant Hill. Unincorporated areas include the rural Alhambra Valley and the Franklin Canyon area.The Martinez Regional Shoreline bounds the city to the north along the Carquinez Strait. Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline includes the Franklin Hills west of downtown, stretching west to the unincorporated community of Port Costa and the town of Crockett. Briones Regional Park borders the Alhambra Valley to the south. Waterbird Regional Preserve and the McNabney Marsh border the city and Highway 680 to the east. Martinez's location at the east end of the Carquinez Strait as it widens to Suisun Bay includes dramatic water views stretching to the Sierra range. From surrounding ridge tops views stretch to nearby Mt. Diablo, Mt. St. Helena, Mt. Tamalpais, etc.Martinez is one of the only two places in the Bay Area, the other being Golden Gate Bridge, where the Bay Area Ridge Trail and the San Francisco Bay Trail converge. The Bay Trail is a planned recreational corridor that, when complete, will encircle San Francisco and San Pablo bays with a continuous 400-mile (640 km) network of bicycling and hiking trails. It will connect the shoreline of all nine Bay Area counties, link 47 cities, and cross the major toll bridges in the region, including the Martinez-Benicia Bridge. To date, approximately 240 miles (390 km) of the alignment—over half the Bay Trail’s ultimate length—have been completed. The Bay Area Ridge Trail ultimately will be a 500+ mile trail encircling the San Francisco Bay along the ridge tops, open to hikers, equestrians, mountain bicyclists, and outdoor enthusiasts of all types. So far, over 300 miles (480 km) of trail have been dedicated for use. East Bay Regional Park District's Iron Horse Regional Trail will join the Bay Trail along the waterfront, and the Contra Costa Canal Trail threads through the city from Pleasant Hill to the south. Climate Martinez has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa/b). Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 35,866 people, 14,300 households, and 9,209 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,927.6 people per square mile (1,130.4/km²). There were 14,597 housing units at an average density of 1,191.5/sq mi (460.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.0% White, 3.4% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 6.6% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 3.3% from other races, and 4.7% from two or more races. 10.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 11.7% were of German, 10.8% Irish, 10.2% Italian, 9.4% English and 5.4% American ancestry according to Census 2000.There were 14,300 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.96.In the city the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.0 males.The median income for a household in the city was $63,010, and the median income for a family was $77,411 (these figures had risen to $73,668 and $92,486 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $52,135 versus $40,714 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,701. About 3.2% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.The languages spoken were 88% English, 6% Spanish, 2% Tagalog, 1% German, 1% Chinese, 0.5% Italian, 0.5% Persian, 0.3% Korean, 0.3% Portuguese, 0.3% Russian, 0.3% Arabic, 0.2% Dutch, 0.2% Polish, 0.2% French, 0.2% Punjabi, 0.2% Vietnamese, 0.1% Japanese, 0.1% Tamil, 0.1% Cantonese. Of the 4,176 people who did not use English as their primary language 3,663 (87.7%) spoke it well or very well while 513 (12.3%) spoke it 'not well' or 'not at all' Top employers According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: Rail Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, runs itsCalifornia Zephyrdaily in each direction through Martinez on its route betweenEmeryville(across the bay fromSan Francisco) andChicago, also passing throughSacramento,Reno,Salt Lake City,Denver, andOmaha. Amtrak'sCoast Starlightoperates daily in each direction through Martinez betweenSeattleandLos Angeles. Amtrak Californiaoperates itsCapitol Corridortrains throughMartinez station, providing service several times daily betweenSan Joseto the west andAuburnto the east (via Sacramento). Amtrak California also runs itsSan Joaquintrains through Martinez, providing service several times daily betweenOaklandto the west andBakersfieldat the south end of theSan Joaquin Valley. Bus connections branch off both the San Joaquins and the Capitol Corridor, providing service as far asSan Diego;Las VegasandSparks, Nevada; andMedford, Oregon. One connection originates in Martinez and runs as far north as theEurekaarea. BARTmakes a stop at a station calledNorth Concord/Martinez, although this station lies miles east of the city limits. The city was overlooked when the system was extended from Concord toBay Point. However BART's long term plans include a new line extension running fromFremontand through theI-680corridor and ending in Martinez. The new line will run along this course and continue along the planned extension toSan José.[citation needed]Another planned configuration will be a BART or BART substitute rail service running between Martinez and East County.[citation needed] Bus WestCATprovides service toEl Cerrito del Norte BART Station. TheCounty Connectionis the primary local bus operator providing service throughout the area. Among its destinations are theConcord,Pleasant Hill, andWalnut CreekBART stations. The County Connection also providesparatransitservice. TheBenicia Breezecrosses theBenicia-Martinez BridgetoSolano Countyand stops inBeniciaand at theVallejo Ferry TerminalinVallejo. Tri-Delta Transitruns express service between Martinez and eastern Contra Costa County. Major highways State Route 4runs through Martinez westward toHerculesand eastward throughStocktonand theSierra Nevadato near the border ofNevada. Interstate 680runs northward across theBenicia-Martinez Bridgetoward Sacramento viaInterstate 80and southward towardSan Jose. Education Covering most of Martinez, the Martinez Unified School District encompasses four elementary schools, one middle school, one high school, and two alternative/independent study schools. Students in K-5 attend John Swett, John Muir, Las Juntas, or Morello Park Elementary School. Martinez Junior High School serves students in grades 6 through 8. St. Catherine of Siena is a private Catholic school that serves grades K-8. Alhambra High School serves as the districts' comprehensive high school. As of 2006, the districts' K-12 enrollment was 4,194. Part of Martinez is served by the Mount Diablo Unified School District, whose Hidden Valley Elementary School is located in Martinez. St. Catherine of Siena School (Martinez, California), a private Roman Catholic elementary, also serves the Martinez community. Public libraries The Martinez Library of the Contra Costa County Library is located in Martinez. Beaver controversy In early 2007, a group of beavers settled in a section of Alhambra Creek that flows through the city. The beavers and their dam became a local attraction. Because the 6-foot-high (1.8 m), 30-foot-wide (9.1 m) dam created a potential flood hazard, local officials proposed to remove the beavers. Increased run-off from developed areas along the creek has increased flooding in Martinez, a low-lying city built on a flood plain, in recent decades. Although Martinez had completed the construction of a $9.7 million dollar flood control project in 1999, the downtown was flooded in 2005, ironically two years before the beavers arrived. A City Council subcommittee was formed to consider whether the beavers could be protected and flood risk managed, and was given 90 days to issue a report to the full council for a vote. During this period, expert Skip Lisle was hired to install a flow device that could reduce the level of impounded water behind the beaver dam and mitigate flooding risk above the beaver dam. The beavers have received national attention, amateur video coverage, a webpage devoted to them, and a new nonprofit organization ('Worth A Dam') formed. The beaver have transformed Alhambra Creek from a trickle into multiple dams and beaver ponds, which in turn, led to the return of steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and river otter (Lontra canadensis) in 2008, and mink (Neovison vison) in 2009. The beaver parents have produced babies every year since their 2006 arrival. However, in June, 2010, after birthing and successfully weaning triplets this year (and quadruplets the previous three years), 'Mom Beaver' died of natural causes.The Martinez beavers probably originated from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Historically, before the California Fur Rush of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the Delta probably held the largest concentration of beaver in North America. It was California's early fur trade, more than any other single factor, that opened up the West, and the San Francisco Bay Area in particular, to world trade. In 1840, explorer Captain Thomas Farnham wrote that 'There is probably no spot of equal extent in the whole continent of America which contains so many of these muchsought animals.' Notable residents John MuirNational Historic Site Alhambra Creek Yau-Man Chan,Survivor Fiji Robb Flynn,Machine Headfrontman Ella Leffland, author of National Book Award winnerThe Knight, Death and The Devil, a historical novel based on Nazi Hermann Goering, was born in Martinez in 1931. Her critically acclaimed novelRumors of Peaceis drawn from the author's adolescence in Martinez (called Mendoza) during World War II. John Muir,Naturalist Tug McGraw,baseball player Sara Del Rey,Professional Wrestler Joe DiMaggio,New York Yankeebaseball player, was born in the town in 1914. NFLhead coachNorv Turnerand his brother Ron who is on the Chicago Bears staff grew up in Martinez. Jeff Van Gundy, FormerHouston Rocketshead coach and currentESPNannouncer, and his brotherStan Van Gundy, current head coach of the NBA's Orlando Magic, were raised in Martinez. Maurice Benard,Actorknown for playing Sonny Corinthos on General Hospital. Norman Francis McFarland,Roman Catholicbishop