Mayor Thorpe to hold news conference Thursday morning; two other council members unaware of matter

By Allen D. Payton

According to an East Bay Times report, eight more Antioch Police officers have been placed on leave and are under investigation for sending each other racist and homophobic texts in violation of department policies. Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe has called a press conference for Thursday morning at 11 a.m. to speak on the matter.

The officers on leave are in addition to eight other officers also on leave while under investigation by the FBI and Contra Costa DA’s office. (See related article)

Questions were emailed to Thorpe, Acting City Manager Forrest Ebbs, City Attorney Thomas L. Smith, Police Chief Steve Ford and the police department’s spokespeople, Lt. Michael Mellone and PIO Ashley Crandell asking to verify the information in the article and for the time and location of the press conference.

Ebbs responded, “The City of Antioch is investigating allegations revealed by information received against a number of Antioch Police Officers.  The City has placed the officers on administrative leave pending the investigation of allegations.  Given that this is a confidential personnel matter, no further information can be disclosed at this time.”

Thorpe confirmed the time of the press conference, said it will be held at City Hall and that the information reported in the article didn’t come from him.

Councilmembers Mike Barbanica and Lori Ogorchock said they weren’t aware of the matter before being informed by this reporter. “First I’ve heard or seen” of it, Ogorchock responded.

“I sure did not,” Barbanica responded when asked if he had heard about the matter. He then called Ebbs. Barbanica said Ebbs told him he had briefed Thorpe on the matter, just not the rest of the council.

“I told the acting city manager, we are a General Law City not a Charter City and if one council member was made aware, the entire council should have been made aware. For the mayor to be briefed and not the rest of the city council, this is unacceptable,” said Barbanica. “I asked him why I wasn’t made aware of this and why wasn’t the rest of the council made aware, and why did I have to learn of this from the media.”

The District 2 councilman said Ebbs told him Thursday morning, “in a very short period of time he was going to get communication out to the rest of the city council.” That was expected to be received by 10 a.m. prior to the press conference. “I’m waiting for the details to come out before making any additional comment,” Barbanica added. But he said he had an appointment in San Francisco at the time and couldn’t attend the press conference. “Had I been briefed about it, yesterday, I could have rearranged my schedule.”

See press conference video.

Following hours-long stand-off outside home male suspect still wanted; his father says female suspect pregnant with male suspect’s child

By Allen D. Payton

Shortly after 2:00 pm Wednesday, March 29, 2023, the Pittsburg Police Department’s Special Response Unit served a search warrant at a residence in the 2000 block of D Street in the city of Antioch for two suspects wanted for murder of a Pittsburg convenience store clerk on March 22. During the service of the warrant, Jessica Russo was located and arrested. She was booked and taken to the Martinez Detention Facility.

After a methodical and exhaustive search of the residence was conducted, Gregory Rossignon remains outstanding and still wanted for murder. During the search officers approached the house and several times, broke windows, dropped a phone with a phone line into the house, called out on the loudspeaker for Rossignon to pick up the phone and dial a number to speak to police. The officers flew drones inside and outside and deployed four rounds of a chemical agent believed to be tear gas inside the home. After the second round of gas another woman emerged from the residence about 5:53 p.m. and was detained, placed in handcuffs and escorted from the scene.

About 7:35 p.m., Rossignon’s father, who identified himself as Gregory, Sr., arrived on the scene and asked to speak to his son “so everyone comes out of this alive”. He referred to Russo as his daughter. When shown a photo of Russo and asked if she was who he was referring to, Rossignon, Sr. said, “yes, I call her my daughter. She’s pregnant with my son’s child…my grandchild.” He told police, “I’ll strip down if you need me to and walk in there to talk to my son.” Later, ,a woman drove up to the scene and said she was the suspect’s mother. Officers took both parents to an area on Lawton Street where they waited but did not speak to their son.

At about 9:15 p.m., an officer said he expected to wrap things up shortly, but that they had not had any contact with the suspect nor could confirm that anyone was still in the house.

The Pittsburg Police would like to thank the Antioch residents who live in this area for their patience during the service of the warrant. Several residents were escorted by police to their homes on D Street. But one mother and daughter who live next door to the house had to find somewhere else to stay for the night. Although offered to stay at a Pittsburg motel by one of the officers, they chose to stay with friends. The woman said she expected to return to her home Thursday morning.

The Pittsburg Police Department is asking anyone with information related to Gregory Rossingnon’s whereabouts to contact the local police. We are also asking anyone with information contact Detective Jonathan Elmore at 925-252-4875 or the Pittsburg Police Department Tip Line at 925-252-4040.

See more photos and video at facebook.com/antiochheraldca.

Arrested for sex crimes against minors in Contra Costa, first at Deer valley High

By Ted Asregadoo, PIO, Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office

As the seven-count felony case against Christopher George Miller continues in Superior Court in Martinez, the investigative team who arrested him in a sting operation for arranging to engage in sex acts with a minor are asking the public for help.

The investigation into Miller started in 2022 when he was employed at Deer Valley High School in Antioch as a campus supervisor. A parent of a student reported to school officials that Miller was sending inappropriate texts to the student regarding marijuana use at the school, as well as sexually suggestive messages. (See related article)

The Contra Costa County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) adopted the case about three weeks ago to see if Miller (who was then a former employee at the high school) would sell marijuana and arrange to meet for sex. Posing as a 13-year-old girl on a chat app Miller used, a Detective with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office started communicating with him. At one point while exchanging texts, Miller offered to sell the fictitious teen marijuana — and later the chats became more sexual in nature.

Miller arranged to meet the teen for sex at a park in Martinez on March 16th, 2023. Participating ICAC members from the Sheriff’s Office, Concord Police, Danville Police, Pittsburg Police, and the District Attorney’s Office met him at the park and arrested Miller on marijuana possession with the intent to sell to a minor and other charges related to contacting and arranging to engage in lewd and lascivious acts with a minor. He was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility and arraigned on a total of seven felony charges on March 21st. His preliminary hearing is set for April 3rd at 8:30 am in Department 25 in Martinez.

According to the charging document filed on March 20 by the CCDA’s Office, Miller was charged with seven felonies, including P0288.3(a), Contact with Minor for Sexual Offense on or about June 14, 2022; PC288.4(b), Meeting Minor for Lewd Purposes between March 10 and 16, 2023; PC288.3(a), Contact with Minor for Sexual Offense on or between March 10 and 16, 2023; PC288.2(a)(2), Distributing Or Showing Pornography To A Minor on or about March 14, 2023; PC288.2(a)(2), Distributing Or Showing Pornography To A Minor on or about March 15, 2023; PC 664/PC288(a), Attempted Lewd Act Upon A Child on or about March 16, 2023; PC 664/HS11360(a), Attempted Sale/Offer To Sell/Transportation Of Marijuana on or about March 16, 2023. 01-23-00820 – Charging Document Miller

ICAC Senior Inspector Darryl Holcombe notes that Miller may have been in contact with other victims. He’s asking the public to email him at the District Attorney’s Office if they have information related to Miller’s case. He can be reached at: DHolcombe@contracostada.org.

Case No. 01-23-00820 | The People of the State of California v. Miller, Christopher George

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

In spite of traffic concerns from neighbors

Barbanica, Ogorchock want to wait for funding source, first

“I also know I’ve been here long enough it’s not going to cost $12 million…” – Mayor Thorpe

By Allen D. Payton

Julianne Davis said she lives on W. 10th Street in the 200 block. My window looks right out on the site they’re talking about building on. She spoke about the traffic and parking issues on the street and “33 accidents right at that spot.” My big concern is parking, traffic, accidents.

“Can we please deal with the traffic, parking and accidents before moving forward,” Davis stated. “The Portuguese hall has parties every week. If we want to have an event we don’t have parking.”

Resident Gary Wells spoke next saying, “Great concept. I give you guys your do for trying to do something at that spot. But $14 million it seems like it could be put somewhere else. Downtown. Rivertown needs something for our youth. We’re going to have to meet somewhere in the middle, there. It’s dangerous on that street. But to bring this at this corner, I stay right across the street from it. I’m going to be really, really irritated if we don’t do something about the traffic, first.

“We talk about revitalization. We took all of those non-profits out of that building. I’m sure we can take this $14 million and do something better. For safety reasons I say ‘no’. We have to involve safety and involve the community, there. Or I’m going to sell my house and move from Antioch. My neighbors, we’re tired and fed up. We don’t want this building built before something’s done with safety on that street. We have people breaking into cars.

Resident Leslie May said, “I still work for one of the non-profits that’s in that business. But I’m glad we’re out of that building. We had a rodent problem, breathing problems. I did say to the council, ‘you guys going to open this, here, you better do something about this traffic.’ I sit in the back of my yard and hear horrible crashes…every single week.”

You’re going to have to do something. Hopefully, we will get traffic calming devices. I’m sure something has to happen before that building is completed.”

Mayor Pro Tem Tamisha Torres-Walker said, “I’m excited about this opportunity…it’s the type of capital improvement project we need for the community. Our intent is not to put a building into a spot that’s going to be dangerous for the community. In one of the slides, there’s a turning lane into the parking lot. I don’t know how long these problems have been happening, because I’ve only been here nine years. But I know they’ve got to improve before the opening. We have youth who live in District 1 who can’t always get over to southeast.”

District 4 Councilwoman Monica Wilson, who served on the council subcommittee dealing with the department and proposed building with Torres-Walker, said, “I’m really excited about this building. It’s not only for the youth it’s for all individuals who have issues…to share knowledge, be in community, break bread. Yes, we know there are the challenges around traffic we can work on. I just feel that the work we are doing…we’re not breaking ground tomorrow…it’s going to be a positive for the community, not just for District 1.”

“People have mentioned $14 million, wow, that’s a lot of money,” Torres-Walker said. “Is there active fundraising happening…to supplement the funding? she asked of Tasha Johnson.

“Yeah. That’s the hope. We wanted to get the conversations started on approval of the building,” Johnson responded who spoke of grant writing. “Hopefully, we can find a source or two.”

“My concern is, I think we need to look at the budget before we start making commitments for funding,” District 3 Councilman Mike Barbanica said.

“I love the design of the building and believe it can be a positive for the community,” said District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock. “We don’t have the funding for L Street. Until we have the funding and the budget’s clear and know where the funding is going to come from, I can’t go forward.”

“It’s a couple things,” said Acting Public Works Director Scott Bunting in response to a question by Torres-Walker. “Moving forward does need some kind of commitment. The construction doesn’t have a budget.”

He then spoke of the traffic calming devices and a possible grant to pay for them.

Forrest Ebbs, “The step that’s missing in the schedule is the funding. If you move forward with this you’re aiming very high. It’s clear this is not going to be a 100% General Fund project. But that doesn’t mean it’s not going to be funded. I would say the next step would be to explore funding options.”

“I don’t think it’s prepared for a commitment of total funds,” City Attorney Thomas Smith added.

“We did a survey, once, a few years ago. One of the things that polled very, very high was a municipal center…to centralize all these different services,” Mayor Lamar Thorpe stated. “In my head, there may still be opportunity to work with, like the county. Because they’ve been talking about a new library for a long time. I don’t know, it’s just an idea.”

“I was surprised by this. I thought we were going to stick to the confines of the existing building,” he continued. “I appreciate where we could go with this. But I also know I’ve been here long enough it’s not going to cost $12 million. We redid City Hall…and the price tag kept going up and going up. Effectively our hands were tied and we had to finish what we started. Those aren’t the final numbers, so, we have to budget accordingly.”

“So, there is no funding for this, already. We’re going to have to figure out the funding at a later time,” the mayor stated. “Figuring out the cost is going to be a hard thing to do. I can be for this.”

Barbanica said, “no, I would rather go the other route and find funding, first.”

Torres-Walker said, “yes.”

Ogorchock said, “funding, first.” She then suggested getting the County to sell the library on W. 18th Street to the City for $1.00 and add a second floor to that building.

“I’m confused by funding, first,” Thorpe said.

“This report is premature is what you’re saying,” Wilson said to City staff members.

“We cast a vision, first. We need to start targeting…if we pair the project with the funding,” Acting City Manager Forrest Ebbs said.

“I think we’re moving forward, so you’ve got direction,” Thorpe said. “Wow, this is a big deal. But not without making W. 10th Street safe.”

Ogorchock switches position, joins Barbanica, Torres-Walker

Thorpe, Wilson continue support of ban

Mayor shares personal information about his name and father

By Allen D. Payton

At the beginning of the regular Antioch City Council meeting Tuesday night, March 28, 2023, Mayor Lamar Thorpe spoke about a personal matter, saying his father has cancer and began hospice, today and that he might be missing meetings in the near future. He will begin the legal process tomorrow to add his father’s last name of Hernandez to Thorpe. The mayor shared that last October when he missed a council meeting, he was in L.A. visiting his father when he was first diagnosed.

Thorpe also shared he was baptized as Martín Hernandez, but his parents could not adopt him as his birth mother would not relinquish her parental rights. That’s why all his siblings have the last name Hernandez and he’s the only one with the last name Thorpe.

Council Majority Supports Reversing Tobacco Business Bans

After hearing from Antioch business owners who sell tobacco products complaining about the ordinance previously passed by the council on a 3-2 vote banning the sale of certain products and preventing them from selling or passing their business on to a family member, District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock changed course and agreed to a reversal. She was joined by District2 Councilman Mike Barbanica and Mayor Pro Tem Tamisha Torres-Walker who cast the two votes against the ordinance. (See related article)

Ogorchock wanted to reverse the ban on the sale of little cigars, or cigarillos, and requiring them to be sold in packs of at least twenty, which includes products sold under the Swisher Sweet brand name that are commonly sold in two packs; the requirement that large cigars must be sold in packs of at least six, including conventional cigars weighing more than three pounds per thousand; as well as the ban on the sale of any package of cigarettes, little cigars, or cigars may sold for less than $10, including applicable fees.

Barbanica spoke next saying, “this is ridiculous. We need to start over. If we want to ban new tobacco businesses from coming into town, fine. But this goes too far. We need to follow state law and make it a level playing field.”

“I agree with everything Councilman Barbanica just said,” Torres-Walker said.

Mayor Lamar Thorpe and District 4 Councilwoman Monica Wilson opposed the changes and continued to support the bans.

On the matter of selling or transferring their business to a family member Barbanica said, “My position is they should be able to sell their business if they want to.”

“If they want to sell it I shouldn’t be the one telling them who they can sell to,” Ogorchock chimed in.

“Selling it and passing it down to a family member,” Torres-Walker agreed when polled by Thorpe.

Both Thorpe and Wilson opposed the change. The mayor said he would work with staff to return with the changes by the council majority for a future vote, to applause from the business owners and their supporters in the audience.

“In the meantime, the ban remains. Please comply,” he said to them.

First incident was with female student last June; one more charge for attempt to sell marijuana to a minor

By Allen D. Payton

A man who worked at Deer Valley High School as a substitute safety monitor for seven days last year was arrested on March 20, 2023, for lewd acts with a minor. According to APD PIO Ashley Crandell, the incident was investigated by the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office.

According to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, the man, 30-year-old Christopher George Miller, born June 16, 1992, is currently in the West County Detention Facility and his trial date is set for Tuesday, April 4.

Antioch Unified School District Superintendent Stephanie Anello issued the following statement today, Tuesday, March 28, 2023:

“In June of 2022, a parent reported that Mr. Chris Miller, a Site Safety substitute at Deer Valley High School, engaged in an inappropriate exchange with her daughter. Administration immediately called the Antioch Police Department to report the allegation and the substitute was terminated that same day.

Mr. Miller worked as a Site Safety substitute in the District for a total of seven days in June of 2022 at Deer Valley High School.

Unfortunately, when criminal investigations are pending, the Antioch Unified School District is limited in the information that we receive and can share. However, we can confirm that we will offer law enforcement our full support and hope that their investigation concludes with justice being served.”

Anello explained that a Site Safety substitute “monitors students at lunches and during passing periods.”

According to the charging document filed on March 20 by the CCDA’s Office, Miller was charged with seven felonies, including P0288.3(a), Contact with Minor for Sexual Offense on or about June 14, 2022; PC288.4(b), Meeting Minor for Lewd Purposes between March 10 and 16, 2023; PC288.3(a), Contact with Minor for Sexual Offense on or between March 10 and 16, 2023; PC288.2(a)(2), Distributing Or Showing Pornography To A Minor on or about March 14, 2023; PC288.2(a)(2), Distributing Or Showing Pornography To A Minor on or about March 15, 2023; PC 664/PC288(a), Attempted Lewd Act Upon A Child on or about March 16, 2023; PC 664/HS11360(a), Attempted Sale/Offer To Sell/Transportation Of Marijuana on or about March 16, 2023.  01-23-00820 – Charging Document Miller

15,300 s.f. facility to include mini-plaza, event space, conference and class rooms for residents to use, replace Rivertown Resource Center

Will also consider disbanding Economic Development Commission; to hold 5 p.m. budget workshop

By Allen D. Payton

During tonight’s regular council meeting, Tuesday, March 28, 2023, the Antioch City Council will consider approving and spending $9.7 million more for a new two-story building for the City’s new Department of Public Safety and Community Resources at the site of the Rivertown Resource Center on W. 10th Street. In addition, the council will consider disbanding the Economic Development Commission. Earlier, beginning at 4:10 p.m., they will hold a closed session to discuss two lawsuits against the city followed by a budget workshop at 5:00 p.m. (See agenda)

New Department Building

Last year, after the council majority approved the new department, the city took back use of the former police station and jail that had been renamed and used as the Rivertown Resource Center, displacing 16 non-profit organizations that were tenants. Then they set aside $4.3 million in federal COVID-19-related relief from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).  The proposed plan was for a 2,500 square foot addition at a cost of $7.4 million. (See related articles here and here)

Now, staff has determined that it will be better to replace the existing 8,235 square foot building with a new 15,300 square foot two-story building with a public event space with tiered seating and a raised platform, community spaces, classrooms, conference rooms, breakout rooms and a mini-plaza that will create a new venue for possible events, classes and gatherings for residents to use at the W. 10th and D Street location next to a residential neighborhood. The construction is estimated to cost $12.5 million.

The plan includes a new parking lot with a total of 38 spaces. It is Item 7 on the regular council meeting agenda. New Bldg for New Dept ACC032823

The Council workshop and regular meeting will be held inside the Council Chambers at City Hall at 200 H Street in historic, downtown Rivertown. They can also be viewed livestream on the City’s website or on Comcast cable TV channel 24 or AT&T U-verse channel 99. The regular meeting begins at 7:00 p.m.

After April 3 state order expires

Staff in local skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) will be required to continue wearing masks under a new Contra Costa County health order.

The order, which requires masks to be well-fitted and cover the nose and mouth, will also apply to paramedics, emergency medical technicians, contractors and vendors when they enter these facilities in Contra Costa. The masking order will not apply to SNF patients or visitors seeing their loved ones.

The County’s health order will go into effect on Monday, April 3, immediately after the state’s COVID masking order for healthcare settings expires.

“Requiring staff at SNFs to wear well-fitting masks will help protect their vulnerable elderly patients from being infected with COVID,” said Dr. Ori Tzvieli, the County’s health officer, who is issuing the order. “We know from our experience during the pandemic that the people SNFs serve – seniors with serious underlying health problems – are the ones who are most susceptible to severe outcomes from a COVID infection.”

Since the pandemic began in 2020, 57% of the deaths from COVID in Contra Costa have been among people ages 75 and older.  

There are 30 SNFs in Contra Costa. Skilled nursing facilities provide a higher level of medical care than other long-term care facilities. The order will not apply to assisted living facilities, residential-care facilities or board-and-care homes, although masking is still highly recommended in those settings.  

Hospitals and outpatient healthcare clinics in Contra Costa County will not be subject to the new County order, although local health systems can choose to enforce their own masking policies. Dr. Tzvieli said hospitals have robust infection-control policies and personnel and can determine if and when masking is required.

California’s pandemic-related health emergency ended on Feb. 28. While the state is lifting its masking requirements for healthcare settings on April 3, local health officials can still issue their own masking orders.

Under the County health order, a well-fitted mask is defined as covering the nose and mouth and it’s strongly recommended that SNF personnel use higher-quality masks, such as an N95 or KN95/94, to provide the maximum protection.

County health staff were asked why the order is still necessary when there has been less than a 1% infection rate in the county in the past 60 days and according to a physician at John Muir Medical Center Concord, the latest COVID strain is treated like a bad cold and they no longer hospitalize for it.

UPDATE: According to Contra Costa Health spokesman Will Harper, “The new local order is narrowly focused on skilled nursing facilities and not any other settings. We are focusing on SNFs in this order because they are where we have seen some of the worst impacts of COVID in Contra Costa County, and we are being cautious with removing one of the last major layers of protection in this setting. As we said in the press release, requiring staff in skilled nursing facilities to wear masks will help protect the vulnerable elderly patients they serve.

From March 2020 to August 2022, deaths of residents of skilled nursing facilities accounted for approximately 27% of all deaths from COVID in the County and, looking more broadly, since the start of the pandemic, 57% of the deaths from COVID in Contra Costa have been among people ages 75 and older.”

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.