Gregory Prokopowicz, 44, pleaded guilty last year to murdering Roselyn Policarpio, a Walnut Creek resident who had dated Prokopowicz for two years and told family members she was planning to break up with him that day. But Prokopwicz’s lawyer argued he should be found legally insane at the time of the shooting, which would have resulted in Prokopwicz being sent to a mental institution in lieu of prison.

Prokowicz launched an appeal of Judge Charles “Ben” Burch’s ruling last Dec. 21, court records show. His attorney declined to comment.

Deputy District Attorney Rachel Piersig, who prosecuted the case, praised Burch’s decision.

“This was a horrific domestic violence-related murder in which a young woman was senselessly murdered,” Piersig said in an email to this newspaper. “Prokopowicz will be serving 25 years to life in prison for his actions. It is our hope that his sentencing will bring a sense of justice to the family members of the victim.”

Under state law, prosecutors must prove that a person understood the nature of his or her act, or understood that it was wrong, in order to establish a criminal defendant was legally sane. Knowledge of wrongdoing can be proved by evidence the defendant tried to cover up the crime or elude police.

After the murder, Prokopowicz told Policarpio’s son over the phone that he’d killed her. He fled the area, and was located that evening in Martinez, where police initiated what became a standoff that lasted 19 hours and ended with Prokopowicz’s arrest.

Prokopowicz remains in the Martinez Detention Facility on a no-bail hold, pending transfer to state prison, court records show.

A student recently asked me, “Who will ever need to learn to write if a computer can?” I thought for a moment and told him that I’d have to write an essay to answer that one. Honestly, I am not wholly concerned and, actually, relatively intrigued.

Technology and all it brings to a society and humanity will always have some long-lasting impacts, some positive, some not so much. AI is a technology. Technological developments have always advanced our society, allowing individuals the ability to do something faster, more efficiently, more safely or more intentionally.

As such, AI should not be viewed as inherently bad, wrong, immoral or harmful. In fact, as we cautiously welcome the fact that computer-generated text really is here, we should not be fearful but see it for what it is: a tool.

Indisputably, a big change is upon us. Much discussion corroborates the idea that recent developments of AI will drastically alter education as we know it. Education typically shifts as society does, and I expect that how writing is taught will undergo a transformation, just as it did when computers first entered the classroom.

However, these advancements will not change what we teach to writers. Just as students still need to learn basic addition and the multiplication tables even though we have calculators, students will still need to learn the basics of writing: the grammar, the syntax and the structure of an essay. In both situations, the exercise of learning these basics helps a student’s brain develop and grow, and the information learned allows for the manipulation of — or recognizing the manipulation of — words.

Words and the established writing conventions allow members of a society to communicate with others competently and effectively. What we teach will not drastically change, yet what may need to be made more explicit is the why.

Why would, or should, one write if a machine can do it better, faster and easier? This perception holds that technology can effectively replace writing. I beg to differ. AI creates a product. Writing an essay, however, is so much more than a product; it is a process.

In fact, the noun “essay” has a secondary meaning: “a try or attempt.” It is only through the process of writing that students learn. They learn what they think. They learn how they think. They learn why they think. They learn to challenge themselves. They learn what interests them. They learn what interests others. They learn they are interested in something. This is something AI will never learn.

The process of writing allows us to not only learn but think, feel, dream, inspire. That same process allows us to create something unique, to present an old thought in a new form, to communicate in a way so that another will understand.

A product created by a machine can never replace the process of thought nor the reward that process brings. The product itself is shaped by the process. This is the why.

Linda Hora is an advanced placement language and composition teacher at Miramonte High School in Orinda. She holds a master’s degree in composition and has taught high school students in the Bay Area for almost 20 years.

The 55-year-old man is being held at Contra Costa jail in lieu of $46,000 bail, records show. He was charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor, all connected to the Nov. 17 incident when he allegedly made the threats.

Police say that at around 3:45 p.m. Nov. 17, he called the dispatcher and accused a CHP motorcycle cop of kicking his mirror, then speeding off on Highway 24.

“If I could have killed him, I would have,” he allegedly told the dispatcher, later adding, “I wanna know who the dirty (expletive) pig cop was so I can go after him and his family.”

“I need (the sergeant’s) name and badge number too. I’m gonna (expletive) him up too,” he allegedly said.

A records check revealed the man had prior arrests for making threats and assault on a peace officer. He was formally charged in Contra Costa Superior Court on Dec. 7, according to court records.

The taco shop from friends Eric Galindo and John Batesting opened earlier this month in the former Lava Pit Hawaiian Grill at 2 Orinda Theatre Square, Suite 142, in Orinda. The menu features tacos, burritos, quesadillas and tortas with six protein offerings, including asado, pollo and vegan and halal options. Comelones Tacos is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday, and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Take a peek at the menu on Facebook.

The duo chose the cozy, 880-square-foot space for its central location and opportunity to bring quality, affordable Mexican food to a small town, Galindo says. Tacos are $3 each.

“Orinda’s a nice town and we kept hearing from our friends that there weren’t a lot of options,” he says. “In a small town, you get a lot of people who are kind and appreciate the food.”

The recipes are mostly from Galindo’s mother, who comes from Jalisco. But the family has been in the restaurant business for a long time. Galindo’s uncle, Enrique, is the owner of Mi Grullense, a taco truck that’s been in Oakland for 40 years. His parents, Maria Galindo and Hector Montes, are behind El Trompudo, a Mexican restaurant they opened in El Sobrante about six years ago. That’s where Eric learned the ropes.

But the carnitas — pressure-cooked with beer and served with house-pickled cabbage, carrots, onions and serrano peppers — are his creation. Look for more menu items coming soon, including a possible birria, vegan jackfruit tacos and halal chicken.

“I want to cook food that all my friends can eat,” Galindo says.

Rooftop solar shouldcome with storage

California currently has a huge surplus of solar energy, particularly in the spring of the year.

This year in March through May, CAISO reported curtailing over 2 million megawatt hours of solar energy. Meanwhile, the utilities had to credit rooftop solar customers at essentially retail rates for their surplus energy.

This makes no economic sense. Any new rooftop solar systems should be required to include enough batteries to store the excess.

Jonathan SchaffSan Leandro

Ratepayers shouldn’t beon hook to pay for solar

Severin Borenstein correctly points out that shifts in utility rates to fund rooftop solar disproportionately affects non-solar ratepayers and particularly the poor (“California rooftop solar bias is pointing us in wrong direction,” Page A6, Dec. 13). Unfortunately, his putative solution is worse and misses the real problem.

The people of California have decided that subsidizing rooftop solar is the right thing to do for climate change for a variety of reasons. The problem is not so much that decision but how the state has decided to implement it. By implementing it through utility rates, it means the ratepayer must shoulder the burden for something that is of value to California residents independent of their ratepaying status.

The solution, which requires a bit of “put up or shut up” from the Legislature, is to fund the subsidies out of the general fund rather than to expect the electric ratepayer to fund it.

Max ShermanMoraga

Spieker developmentwon’t impact affordability

The county board of supervisors recently approved the Spieker Development “Diablo Glen.” The move-in price necessitates that the target audience for this proposed development comes from individuals residing in affluent communities.

I am not opposed to expensive senior housing, but the developer continually says (and the supervisors did not argue when it was stated) that these prospective residents will be leaving behind affordable housing for young families to move into. This is a false narrative. The people moving into “Diablo Glen” will need top sales dollars for their move-in fees.

Troy Bourne of Spieker also declares that anybody who sells their home and is on Social Security would be able to afford to live in the development. The highest Social Security retirement payment for 2022 is $3,345 per month. The lowest monthly Diablo Glen rent is $3,770. You do the math.

Brandon O’SullivanWalnut Creek

Supervisors ignoredimpact on community

The Spieker “Diablo Glen” development for Seven Hills Ranch, given recent approval by the county board of supervisors, brings sizable impacts to the surrounding community, yet questions regarding those impacts have been largely ignored.

No plans have been prepared for the off-site access improvements on North San Carlos, Seven Hills Ranch Road and Kinross Drive. More than 6,000 truckloads of soil and bedrock are to be hauled off-site, but there is no discussion of how or where or if there will be any restrictions to this activity over Walnut Creek city streets, including the street that runs through Heather Farm Park. One wonders how the staging and construction-related activities will impact the significant habitat and human activity found on or near the proposed access points.

There will be substantial impacts on communities outside the boundaries of Seven Hills Ranch. The county has shown little concern. I doubt this is acceptable to anyone except the developer.

Jim FreyWalnut Creek

Celebrate deal thatbrought Griner home

Brittney Griner is back home. A Russian criminal goes back to a Russia that is embracing Stalinism. Trumplicans are calling the trade a debacle and a bad trade.

In Vietnam, it was inconceivable that an American was left behind. In the jungle, one did not ask if a buddy was white, black, yellow, gay, straight, Republican or Democrat. One only cared about having one’s back. Dying to save or rescue an American was what was done.

Brittney Friner is an American. Trading her for a single Russian bandit is a deal that should be celebrated by every American.

Those who can criticize this transaction are playing at being disrespectful of Americans who believe in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If I was in Vietnam, they could not be counted on to have my back. Shame on these cowards. Welcome home Brittney.

Norm WeissOrinda

Litmus test forsources of news

For any news source that criticized President Joe Biden for trading Viktor Bout for Brittney Griner, ask yourself whether it would have criticized Biden if he had traded Bout for Paul Whelan or made no trade at all.

If so, the source doesn’t give a damn about trading hostages; it’s only after Biden and has phonied-up another excuse to go after him, and it’s likely to do the same any chance it gets.

Jim WolpmanWalnut Creek

The following are the totals, in inches, from the National Weather Service for the storm that arrived early Saturday and moved out of the Bay Area early Monday. They are raw numbers, meaning they haven’t been quality-checked for accuracy.

The defending champions built a four-touchdown halftime lead at Rancho Cotate High in Rohnert Park and won 42-28.

UCLA commit Luke Duncan, who threw for 42 touchdowns during his senior season, tossed three scoring passes in a rally that came up short. As reported by the Marin Independent Journal, the San Marin defense played exceptionally well and recorded five interceptions. 

San Marin’s dominant second quarter won the game. The Mustangs outscored Miramonte 28-0 and grabbed three interceptions in that quarter alone, two of which were pick-sixes.

San Marin running back Charlie Smith had two rushing touchdowns, and quarterback Dominic Ingrassia threw a touchdown during the Mustangs’ epic quarter. Duncan and the Matadors scored three touchdowns in the second half, but could not overcome their previous mistakes.

While Miramonte’s bid for its first section championship since 2013 came up short, it was still a successful season for the Matadors. Miramonte started the season 6-1 before ending the regular season on a three-game skid. 

Coach Jack Schram’s team then found a second wind in the playoffs. No. 2 seed Miramonte trounced Sonoma Valley 55-8 in the first round and then routed Analy 34-6 in the next round.

The Orinda school finished 8-5.

Adan C. Rivas, 41, of Modesto, is in jail on a $600,000 warrant, prosecutors announced Thursday. He faces a total of 38 criminal charges for alleged offenses dating back to 2020. They include financial elder abuse, theft by false pretense, theft with specified priors, and violations related to his fraudulent contracting practices, court records show.

Authorities allege that Rivas — who in 2018 was sentenced to 76 months in state prison in a similar case — made a living by posing as an honest businessman. They say he would target affluent communities, offering gardening and tree trimming services under business names like New View Tree Care, Gutierrez Tree Services, and while using the pseudonym Adam Rivas. But then he’d allegedly take the money and disappear, leaving the projects unfinished or partially completely.

Rivas was initially charged with seven crimes in March 2022, with offense dates covering the two previous years. But according to police, that didn’t stop Rivas from continuing to scam older residents. Last May, a Concord couple in their late 70s told police they paid Rivas $10,000 for tree trimming, to install a drought-resistant garden, and other upgrades. They claimed he completed only a “fraction” of the agreed upon services then stopped returning their calls, according to court records.

A 78-year-old Contra Costa resident told authorities she lost $800 to Rivas for unfinished tree trimming, and another couple alleged they lost several thousand dollars when Rivas failed to complete upgrades that would make it easier for their daughter, who suffers from a physical disability.

Rivas was back to his old tricks, authorities said. In December 2016, he was listed as a subject on the Contractors State License Board’s “Most Wanted Wednesday” feature for an active warrant involving similar allegations and a dozen Bay Area victims.

Rivas’ criminal history includes misdemeanor convictions for grand theft, felony convictions for multiple counts of financial elder abuse and one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, according to police.

Jail records indicate that Rivas was transferred to Contra Costa from federal custody, but the exact circumstances of his arrest were not available at press time. The jail intake form lists his profession as “gardener.”

ORINDA — Police are reporting that Moraga Way is closed between Orchard and Brookside roads in Orinda, and the public should expect delays.

Pacific Gas and Electric workers are on the scene, according to police.

There’s no estimate as to when Moraga Way will re-open.

The move highlights lessons learned from HIV and the COVID-19 pandemic and the advantage of gathering data quickly and accurately to support the epidemiological understanding of the origins and transmission dynamics of monkeypox.

In an unanimous vote Tuesday, the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors approved a contract with the state’s data management system, CalConnect, for case investigation, contact tracing, outbreak management and data collection.

The database stores demographic information such as age and gender of people who test positive for monkeypox and collects relevant clinical information, risk factor and laboratory test results for case investigation, disease prevention and surveillance.

The U.S. declared monkeypox a public health emergency in August, around the same time health officials told the Board of Supervisors that there were 31 confirmed cases of monkeypox in Contra Costa County and another 13 suspected cases, posing another hurdle for public health facilities overrun by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The number of Contra Costa monkeypox cases has increased to 112. Statewide, there are 5,547 cases, including 241 in Alameda County and 832 in San Francisco County. There are 28,881 known cases in the U.S. and 11 deaths confirmed to be linked to the virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Monkeypox is known to spread through close contact and causes symptoms including fever, body aches and often painful pus-filled skin lesions.

CDC data also shows that Black and Hispanic men who have sex with other men are disproportionately affected, leading some public health officials and community representatives to express concern about the stigmatizing effect of monkeypox in these populations.

The county plans to continue utilizing this data-sharing and surveillance strategy for the next three years.