The Iron Horse Corridor (IHC), formerly known as the Southern Pacific right of way, is 18.5 miles long corridor traversing north-south in Central Contra Costa County. The northern terminus is Mayette Avenue in Concord, and the southern terminus is the Alameda County line in San Ramon. The corridor varies in width from 30 to 100 feet and currently includes a 10-foot wide, paved multi-use trail managed by the East Bay Regional Park District. The County Public Works Department has overall management responsibility of the IHC and performs the majority of maintenance.  
  
California Welfare and Institute Code section 19404 (“Section 19404”) gives the County the authority to purchase services from non-profit corporations who operate community rehabilitation programs and meet the criteria of Section 19404 without advertising or calling for bids, provided that the services meet the specifications and needs of the County and are purchased at a fair market price, as determined by the County.  
  
ANKA Behavioral Health, Inc. (ANKA) is a California 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. ANKA meets the requirements of Section 19404 in that: (1) the work to be performed under the contract will primarily (at least 75% of it) be performed by a labor force comprised of persons with disabilities; (2) ANKA makes elections under the federal Insurance Contributions Act to provide social security and unemployment benefits to its employees; (3) maintains Articles of Incorporation requiring that at least two directors on its Board of Directors are persons with disabilities or the parents, guardians, or conservators of persons with disabilities; and (4) provides disabled employees substantially equally benefits that are provided to ANKA’s organized employees.  
  
ANKA has a client in training/contractor relationship with its workers and provides sick time and vacation. ANKA does not commit unfair labor practices and abides by the provisions of the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act, the Walsh-Healy Public Contract Act, the Wagner O’Day Act, and the regulations of the State Division of Industrial Welfare.   
  
The Public Works Department has contracted with ANKA for the last three years to perform weed abatement in the IHC, in order to meet the Fire District’s June 1^st deadline for completion of mowing. The Public Works Department’s Maintenance Division continues to abate weeds the rest of unincorporated County. This arrangement has allowed more resources to be allocated to other County unincorporated areas to meet the Fire District's deadline. Public Works Department staff discussed this arrangement and the intention to contract with ANKA for a three-year period with the Teamster’s Business Agent and employees. Employees expressed their agreement with this arrangement and requested for it to continue.

Without approval of the contract, Public Works will continue to mow the IHC, but may not be able to meet the Fire District’s deadline for weed abatement