Antioch Council to consider approving public financing for 3 low-income apartment projects
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Including Lakeview Center near Golf Course Road
Will discuss staff contracts expired since last year, gas pipeline lawsuit
Make appointments to new General Plan Advisory Committee
By Allen D. Payton
During their meeting on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, the Antioch City Council will hold public hearings to consider approving conduit financing bonds for three of the 10 low-income apartment projects planned throughout the city. The council will also consider joining a joint powers authority for Green Stormwater Infrastructure, spending $500,000 for violence prevention services and $1.6 million for residential street resurfacing.
The council will also vote to appoint one member to the Antioch Police Oversight Commission for a partial-term vacancy and seven members and two alternates to the new General Plan Advisory Committee.
At the beginning of the regular meeting, the Council will hear two presentations, one on the Coordinated Outreach Referral and Engagement (CORE) Semi Annual Report on Contra Costa Health’s Health, Housing & Homeless (H3) Services in Antioch. The other will be the SeeClickFix 311 CRM Organizational Assessment Presentation.
Before the regular meeting at 7:00 p.m., during a Closed Session meeting beginning at 5:30 p.m., the council members will meet with representatives of the various city staff bargaining units on their contracts that expired last year. The City’s representative will be City Finance Director Dawn Merchant in the capacity of Acting City Manager in place of City Manager Bessie Scott who is on vacation. (See related articles here and here)
Will Discuss Two Lawsuits
The council will also discuss two lawsuits including an ongoing dispute with the California Resources Pipeline Corporation which owns the gas pipeline that runs through the city. It’s listed as Contra Costa Superior Court Case No. MSN21-2354.
After following the lead of the Brentwood City Council, in September 2021, the Antioch City Council voted 2-3 against renewing the franchise agreement for the low-pressure, natural gas pipeline that runs beneath the two communities. That resulted in it being closed, the City foregoing the annual franchise fee of about $17,000 and the lawsuit. The 35-mile long, 12-inch pipe previously carried 1.8 million cubic feet of natural gas daily which is enough to supply about 9,000 homes. The intent by the council majority of Councilwoman Monica Wilson and Tamisha Torres-Walker, and then-Mayor Lamar Hernández-Thorpe, was to protect the community from an explosion similar to what occurred in San Bruno in 2011 and save the environment from greenhouse gas emissions. However, according to a company spokesman, “The pressures are 50% below the allowable pressures.” Furthermore, the result was an increase in emissions and a much dirtier product being used by the refineries, from which Antioch is downwind. (See related article)
The second lawsuit to be discussed is against the City, water park and school district, was brought by Jayson Robinson, a former student with a heart condition who almost drowned in 2019. It’s listed as Contra Costa Superior Court Case No.C20-02420. (See related article)
Public Financing for Extremely Low, Very Low & Low-Income Apartment Projects
Under agenda items, 6., 7. and 8., the Council will conduct public hearings on financing for three proposed extremely low, very low and low-income housing projects, part of the 10 properties the City Council rezoned to a Commercial Infill Housing (CIH) Overlay Districts in 2022. While, as a result, no Planning Commission or Council decisions with public input are required to approve the projects, the public does have the opportunity to provide input on the City assisting with financing.
According to the staff reports for each item, under the Tax Equity Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (TEFRA), the Council is being asked to approve the issuance of one or more series of revenue bonds by the California Municipal Finance Authority (CMFA) to provide for the financing or refinancing of the acquisition, construction, improvement and equipping of the projects.
Under agenda item 6., the bonds, not to exceed $50,000,000, will benefit Hillcrest Antioch LP for the 165-unit multi-family housing project on the 4.9-acre parcel known as Hillcrest Summit Apartments. It is planned for vacant land located behind the 76 Service Station and 7-Eleven bordered by Shaddick Drive, Harris Drive, E. Tregallas Road and Hillcrest Avenue.
Under item 7., the bonds, not to exceed $43,000,000, will benefit Standard Buchanan Venture LP for the 195-unit Buchanan Crossings CIH project, a multifamily rental housing project on 5.4 acres located at 3210 Buchanan Road next to the Grocery Outlet store.
Finally, under item 8., the bonds, not to exceed $50,000,000, will benefit Standard Lone Tree Venture LP, by Los Angeles-based Standard Communities, for the 233-unit Lakeview Center CIH, multifamily rental housing project. It will be located on 5.3 acres next to the CVS store on the southwest side of Lone Tree Way between Golf Course Road and James Donlon Blvd.
Green Stormwater Infrastructure Projects JPA
Under Consent Calendar agenda item 5.L, the Council will consider joining the Contra Costa County Regional Alternative Compliance (RAC) Joint Powers Authority (JPA) to establish one or more community facilities districts (CFDs), for Off-Site Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) Projects.
The RAC would be empowered to “accept applications from property owners, annex properties to the CFD, and levy special taxes to finance on-going maintenance costs.”
According to the City staff report, the RAC System is an innovative, regionally supported approach to fulfilling state-mandated stormwater treatment obligations. Developed through a partnership between the Contra Costa Clean Water Program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, the RAC System provides an off-site, alternate compliance mechanism for the GSI that would normally be required on site. The RAC System creates a countywide marketplace that allows both public agencies and private developers to purchase ‘compliance units’ generated by certified Off-Site GSI projects constructed elsewhere in the county. These units represent an equivalent amount of stormwater treatment required for regulatory compliance.
$500,000 for Violence Prevention Services
Under the Consent Calendar items 5.M and 5.N, the Council will also consider approving two contracts totaling $500,000 from the City’s CalVIP-5 grant for violence prevention training over the period of April 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029. The first agreement is with Advance Peace to provide technical assistance and training evaluation services in the amount of $360,000. The second agreement is with Evident Change to provide evaluation services in the amount of $140,000.
According to the City staff reports by Public Safety & Community Resources Director Monserrat Cabral, “On March 10, 2026, the City Council approved acceptance of CalVIP-5 funding to support and expand the City’s violence intervention infrastructure.”
The Advance Peace website describes the organization as, “Transforming Public Safety Through Leadership Development, Healing-Centered Support, Violence Reduction Fellowships and Training” and “is dedicated to ending cyclical and retaliatory gun violence in American urban neighborhoods.”
According to Cabral’s report for item 5.M, “The City’s program model includes Neighborhood Change Agents delivering intensive street outreach, case management, and wraparound services; workforce development and stabilization supports; and structured, incentive-based interventions designed to drive sustained behavioral change. This model is grounded in nationally recognized best practices and is aligned with the Advance Peace Peacemaker Fellowship model—an evidence-informed strategy with demonstrated outcomes in reducing gun violence in high-impact communities.”
According to the organization’s website, “Evident Change, formerly the National Council on Crime & Delinquency and the Children’s Research Center, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that uses data and research to improve our social systems,” whose “work began in 1907” as “a volunteer organization made up of probation and parole workers who wanted to keep children out of the adult system.” Since then, they expanded their scope “to improving adult justice and public safety…the child welfare system” and “the adult protective services system.”
According to the Cabral’s report for item 5.N, “Evident Change has served as the City’s evaluation partner under CalVIP-4, providing critical support in program implementation tracking, participant outcome analysis, trend identification, and compliance with California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) reporting requirements. Through this work, Evident Change has developed extensive knowledge of the City’s program model, data systems, performance measures, and community context.”
Police Oversight Commission Appointment
Under item 9 the council will also appoint one member to the Antioch Police Oversight Commission for a partial-term vacancy with the term ending November 2026.
Three residents have applied for the position include Jim Thor, a former Digital Security Engineer; Manuel “Manny” Soliz, Jr., a Wealth Advisor with Thrivent and a former Antioch Mayor Pro Tem and Councilman; and Nicholas Cannon, retired from a 40-year career in law enforcement and security, and a former member and chairman of the Antioch Police and Crime Prevention Commission.
Appointments to New General Plan Committee
Under item 10, the council will appoint six members and two alternates to the new General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC). According to the City staff report, “The GPAC is an advisory body that provides a mechanism for the General Plan project team (City staff and consultants) to receive input regarding the effectiveness of the current General Plan, methods to address issues of concern to the City and the Antioch community, and an opportunity for the public to provide input on the update to the General Plan. A series of GPAC meetings is anticipated throughout the General Plan Update process to address potential land use, economic development, infrastructure, circulation, and other considerations to develop the Land Use Map and the goals and policies for each topic to be addressed in the General Plan Update.
The committee will consist of two City Council Members, two Planning Commission Members; five At-Large Members of the general public and two At-Large Alternate Members of the general public.
At the March 10, 2026, City Council Meeting the Council voted 4-0, with one Councilmember absent, to approve the appointments of Mayor Ron Bernal and Mayor Pro Tem and District 3 Councilman Don Freitas to the GPAC.
At the February 4, 2026, Planning Commission Meeting they voted 4-0, with two Commissioners absent, to forward their recommendation of Commissioners Kevin Riley and Cortney Jones to Mayor Bernal for consideration to serve on the GPAC. He is nominating Commissioner both to fill the two Planning Commissioner seats.
A total of 16 residents have applied for the At-Large Member appointments including James Becker, the Antioch Chamber of Commerce Chair and non-profit CEO; Gerald “J.R.” Wilson, Founder of Delta Veterans Group; Melissa Case, a local Realtor and regular council meeting attendee and public comments speaker; and Sean McCauley, a local commercial building and business owner.
The other 12 applicants include:
- Alex Aorga, a retired IT Project Manager;
- Sally Ann Bergquist, Vice President Managing Agent for Unlimited Resources, LLC dba Berggie Trucking & Movers and dba Jacobson Transfer & Piano Movers & Storage;
- Desiree Coronado, a volunteer with Team Jesus Ministries;
- Lemuel def Castillo, a Lead Civil Engineer for the Federal Aviation Administration;
- Buffie Lafayette, Founder and Pastor of True Free Love Ministries who moved to Antioch last June;
- Nicola “Nikki” Lopez, CEO of Caring Haven;
- Edgar Alejandro Martinez, a Senior Practice Support Advisor for Hills Physicians Medical Group/UC Berkeley/CSU East Bay;
- Redonha Means, an HR Business Partner for Kaiser Permanente;
- Salvadore Morales, an Economic Development Planner for the Contra Costa County Department of Conservation and Development;
- Erika Raulston, a Community Navigator for GEO Reentry Services DRC (Day Reporting Centers);
- Tom Tafolla, Corporate Advisor and Legal Affairs Officer of Abacus Semiconductor Corporation and former Professor of Business & Technology Administration; and
- Veiongo Uesi, a Corporate Security Investigator Analyst for BMO and University of Pheonix.
Learn more about the General Plan Update, here: Antioch General Plan
$1.6 Million for Street Micro-surfacing
Under agenda item 11, the Council will consider approving $1.6 million for the Antioch Cape Seal Project 2026. According to the City staff report, the project consists of the placement of a half-inch Polymer Modified Asphalt Rubber Chip Seal with an application of micro-surfacing on top to various residential streets. They include:
Staff recommends that the contract be awarded to the lowest, responsive and responsible bidder, American Pavement Systems, Inc. of Modesto, CA in the amount of $1,565,550.58, with a 5% contingency in the amount of $78,277.53 for a total contract amount of $1,643,828.11.
Funds to pay for the project include $1,000,000 from the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account (RMRA). The approval of this resolution will amend the Fiscal Year 2025/26 Capital Improvement Budget by adding $1,000,000 of RMRA funds for a total of $2,000,000 of RMRA funds. There is an additional $308,053 of Contra Costa County Measure J half-cent sales tax for transportation funds for a total budget of $2,308,053 for the project.
Meeting Details
The beginning of the Closed Session and the regular Council meeting will be held in the Council Chambers at 200 H Street, or can be viewed via livestream on the City’s website or on Comcast cable TV channel 24 or AT&T U-verse channel 99.
See the entire agenda packet.
Publisher @ April 11, 2026
