To: Board of Supervisors
From: Warren Lai, Public Works Director/Chief Engineer
Report Title: Lease for office space at 4005 Port Chicago Highway, Suite 120, Concord for Health Services Department- Hazardous Materials Program
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Acting as the governing body of the County and the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Fire District), APPROVE a lease between the County and Seecon Commercial, LLC for office space located at 4005 Port Chicago Highway, Suite 120, Concord, for a term beginning January 1, 2026, and ending October 31, 2027, at an initial annual rent of $465,549.60, for use by the Hazardous Materials Division of the Health Services Department (the Haz Mat Group), subject to approval by the County Administrator and approval as to form by County Counsel, with the lease being automatically assigned by the County to the Fire District when responsibility for the Haz Mat Group is transferred to the Fire District.
AUTHORIZE the Public Works Director, or designee, to execute the lease, which includes language assigning the lease to the Fire District effective the day responsibility for the work performed by the Haz Mat Group is transferred to the Fire District.
AUTHORIZE the Fire Chief, or designee, to execute the lease, thereby acknowledging and agreeing to its terms, including the assignment of the lease to the Fire District effective the day responsibility for the Haz Mat Group is transferred to the Fire District.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The lease will obligate the County to pay rent of $864,362.780 over the one year and ten-month term.
Monthly rent is (i) $38,035.10 for the period January 2026 through April 2026, (ii) $39,176.15 for the period May 2026 through April 2027, and (iii) $40,351.43 for the period May 2027 through October 2027. If the assignment of the lease occurs July 1, 2026, the County will be responsible for $230,452.70 rent through June 2026, and the Fire District will be responsible for $633,870.08 of rent for the remainder of the term. (100% General Fund)
BACKGROUND:
Health Services currently leases office space located at 4585 Pacheco Boulevard, Martinez, to house the Hazardous Materials Program. This lease expires on December 31, 2025. The lease for the office space at 4005 Port Chicago Highway, Suite 120, Concord, will begin January 1, 2026.
On June 24, 2025, the Board approved the transfer of the Haz Mat Group functions and employees from the County to the Fire District. The Fire District already occupies office space at 4005 Port Chicago Highway, Concord. The new lease is structured so that it will automatically be assigned by the County to the Fire District on the day responsibility for the Haz Mat Group is transferred to the Fire District, without further action by the County or the Fire District. The landlord will be notified of the effective date of the assignment.
Relocating the Haz Mat Group to the new space eliminates the need to continue to rent the Martinez facility. The relocation of staff is projected to result in annual lease savings of approximately $80,000. In addition to direct cost savings, consolidating the program within the District’s administrative headquarters is expected to enhance operational efficiency, streamline program management, and support improved coordination of services.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Failure to authorize the lease would result in increased rental costs for both the County and the Fire District over the term of the agreement.