It’s Not Your Grandfather’s Basketball Show!

The Harlem Ambassadors professional show basketball game is a fresh, community fundraiser full of high-flying slam dunks, hilarious comedy, and fun for the whole family! Since 1998, Harlem Ambassadors, Inc. has partnered with hundreds of non-profit organizations in all 50 states and 19 foreign countries.

The show will be held at Los Medanos College gym, 2700 East Leland Road in Pittsburg, on Saturday, May 7, 2011 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors by calling 757-0972 or at the Antioch Rivertown Jamboree office, 301 West 10^th Street, Suite 5, Antioch, Delta 2000 inside the same building, or at East County Insurance or Martin Memorials.

This event will benefit the Antioch Rivertown Jamboree, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to family fun, and is sponsored in part by Keller Canyon Trust Fund, Los Medanos College, Cornwell Tools, Delta 2000, Supervisor Federal Glover, East County Insurance Agency and Comfort Suites Inn.

If you’re into BMX bikes, then you’ll want to make sure to be at Antioch’s Schwinn City on Saturday, May 7 from Noon until 2:00 p.m. for the BMX Bicycle Stunt Show by the Young Guns Posse.

The event will also feature a wax release party by Li’l Mikey Beeswax, plus free hot dogs and drinks, free LMB swag, free parts give-away, free BMX goodies from Animal Bikes, Primo, Demolition and FIT BIKES and Lil’ Mikey Beeswax, plus a FREE Raffle to win a FIT BF 1 BMX bike worth over $350!

By Allen Payton, Publisher

This past Monday, Mr. Pickle’s new Sandwich Shop in Antioch, held its official ribbon cutting with the Antioch Chamber of Commerce. Representatives of the Chamber welcomed owner Bill Byrnes, his son Tim and staff to Antioch. Also on hand were Mayor Jim Davis and his wife Susan.

Everyone enjoyed some delicious sandwiches, chips, cookies and soft drinks on the house. They also serve salads, plus  you can also order your sandwich as a wrap. I’ve enjoyed their BBQ Melt chicken and cheddar cheese sandwich, their L’Michele turkey, jack cheese and cranberry sandwich, as well as their House Combo in a wrap. Mmmm.

You can too enjoy a free sandwich during their Grand Opening time, by getting their coupon in their ad in the print edition of the Antioch Herald (arriving inside the May issue of the Monthly Grapevine in your mailbox, starting, today) or by clicking on the “Ads & Coupons” link at the top of this page and printing out the page their ad appears. Buy one sandwich and two drinks and you get the second sandwich free!

They also have Mr. Pickle Gear for you to purchase and wear. So, stop by today and pick up a sandwich or two and say hello to Bill and Tim Byrnes and their staff. For more information visit www.MrPicklesInc.com.

Mr. Pickle’s is located at 4049 Lone Tree Way in the Bluerock Center in Southeast Antioch.

From the Office of Supervisor Federal Glover

Want to help your community?

District V Supervisor Federal D. Glover announced several openings for District V representatives on the following commission: Alcohol and Other Drug Advisory Board, County Library Commission, Contra Costa Mental Health Commission (At Large), Economic Opportunity Council, and Fish & Wildlife Committee. The current openings were created by a member’s term expirations or resignations.

Commissioners are appointed by the Board of Supervisors based on the recommendations of the District V Supervisor.

Interested individuals should contact the supervisor’s office at (925) 427-8138 (634-5915 toll free from East County) to obtain an application form or additional information. Completed applications must be received in Supervisor Glover’s office at 315 East Leland Rd., Pittsburg by close of business Friday, May 20, 2011.

Additional information and staff contacts on each of the commissions are indicated below.

Alcohol and Other Drug Advisory Board: Applicants to this committee should have a professional interest in, or personal commitment to alleviating problems related to drug abuse and inappropriate alcohol use in their community. The board meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 3:45 to 6:15 p.m. in Martinez. The current opening has a term ending June 30, 2013. For additional information specific to this commission, please call Fatima Matal Sol at (925) 335-3307.

County Library Commission: Serve in an advisory capacity to the Board of Supervisors and the County Librarian, provide a community linkage to the County Library; establish a forum for the community to express its views regarding goals and operations of the County Library, assist the Board of Supervisors and the County Librarian in providing library services based on public needs, and to develop and recommend proposals to the Board of Supervisors. The commission meets on the fourth Thursday of every other month from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Pleasant Hill. The current opening has a term ending June 30, 2014. For additional information specific to this commission, please call Corinne Kelly at (925) 927-3206.

Economic Opportunity Council: Participate and advise the Board of Supervisors regarding the selection of the Director, exercise all powers delegated to it by the Board of Supervisors, hold public hearings to determine overall program goals for the council, review fiscal and programmatic reports submitted by staff and the performance of Community Services Block Grant contractors and the Weatherization program services. The council meets on the second Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. in Martinez. The current opening has a term ending June 30, 2013. For additional information specific to this commission, please call (925) 313-1631.

Fish & Wildlife Committee: Advise the Board of Supervisors on Fish and Wildlife issues in Contra Costa County, make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors for the expenditure of funds from the Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund, address issues surrounding the enforcement of fish and game laws and regulations in the County, and consider other issues which may from time to time be referred to the committee by the Board of Supervisors. The committee meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 3 p.m. in Martinez. The current opening is a two year term which expires Feb. 28, 2013. For additional information specific to this commission, please contact Michelle Luebke at (925) 335-1315.

Mental Health Commission: Review and evaluate the community’s mental health needs, services, facilities, and special problems, to review any County agreements entered into pursuant to Section 5650 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, advise governing body and local mental health director on any aspect of the local mental health program. The commission meets on the fourth Thursday of each month at 4:30 p.m. in Concord. The current opening has a term ending June 30, 2014. For additional information specific to this commission, please call Linda Cipolla at (925) 957-5140.

Even on Private Property!

Dear Editor,

At last Tuesday’s City Council meeting, City Manager Jim Jakel slammed the Antioch Historical Society in an attempt to make it appear the Society was asking for special exemptions to ordinances. When the planning staff attempted to explain this new ordinance was never intended to impact “Non-Profits”, only for profit commercial events, she was talked over, silenced and the vote was forced through to the detriment of every non-profit in this community.

For those of you unclear about this ordinance: The City of Antioch now wants to collect a $50.00 permit fee from ALL private property owners whenever they plan an outside event on their private property. As if the fee wasn’t enough, the property owner must also post a $500.00 refundable security and clean-up fee. This ordinance impacts all non-profits, churches, property owners associations, commercial property, etc…. So the Holy Rosary Church Fall Festival will be tagged for a $500 security deposit, as well as the Antioch Historical Society Bar-B-Q, Woman’s Club if they attempt an outdoor garage sale, any church white elephant sale in their parking lots, etc…etc…

No consideration is given to the fact the groups owns their own parking lot or grounds. None given to the fact they clean their own properties and have never used city streets or crews to clean. None given to them providing their own security on their property. And the one I love most is completely ignoring the law suits and court settlements last year when the Board of Supervisors had to pay the settlement to a private property owner for charging him permits and fees for holding outdoor political fundraisers at his own home.

The non-profits of this community are attempting to raise funds to provide the charitable services the City Government is no longer able to support or fund. These permit fees and security deposits can frequently be in excess of the profits made. Not to mention I find them to be a total violation of your private property rights as land owners.

In his attempt to discredit the objections of the Historical Society, Mr. Jakel stated the City gives them $12,000 every year. Let’s be real clear on this subject. The citizens of Antioch VOTED for the Transient (Motel) Tax for 3% to fund the Arts and History. It was a City managers decision years ago to shift that burden into the Recreation Department Budget. Two years ago seeing the economic pickel the city was in the historical society voluntarily removed the annual stipend from our budget. The Soceity has received nothing from the city in two years.

Three years ago the Council voted to provide CDBG funds (Federal money intended for community groups) to the society to improve the heating downstairs. The staff switched that to Obama funds and created such an obstacle course it took us two years just to get the heating system and we still haven’t been able to jump through all the hoops for the upgrade to the handicapped restroom. How’s that for instant community funding to enhance the economy.

The city fathers would have you believe all our economic problems are due to a 26% loss in revenue from the recession. However, I believe when we laid off the majority of our staff, we exceeded that amount in salaries saved. We no longer have a City Engineer, Head City Planner, Head Building Inspector, Assistant City Attorney, Assistant City manager, Economic Development Dept., no human resource director, deputy city clerk, only one secretary for the third floor, the City Treasurer and City clerk (both elected positions) have been cut to half time and the only full functioning department is the water department as the water funds collected are protected by law to be used by the water department only.

In 1982 we suffered a major recession with unprecedented foreclosures and bankruptcies. We did not desimate our city services to the point of being unable to provide basic services as they are today. I would suggest the loss of city services has more to do with a management style than with the loss of revenue from builders. When the City Manager’s answer to his budget is to create ordinances against the non-profits and private properties owners in the community, then the problem is clearly him and his management style, not the recession.

Time for the council to seek an interim manager steeped in financial background if they ever expect the threat of bankruptcy to leave the chambers. Time for a progressive individual that sees a future for us. Mr Jakel’s first department to dissolve was the neighborhood improvement department that was bringing money into the city. Wake up Council. It’s almost too late.

Elizabeth Rimbault, former Antioch Mayor Pro Tem

First of nine meetings is Sunday, May 1

By Melissa Jordan
BART Senior Web Producer

The public gets its first look this week at an interactive seat lab where riders can give feedback on what they’d like to see in new BART train cars. It’s part of the research for the Fleet of the Future — the long-range project to replace BART’s aging train cars, the oldest in the nation. (For more info visit www.bart.gov/cars).

“I see this as a fantastic opportunity to actually look at a number of different designs,” Janet Abelson, chair of BART’s Accessibility Task Force, said as she toured the seat lab on Tuesday.  “It’s been a really long time since BART has had an opportunity to update and upgrade the seating.”

The first round of public input was on Monday and Tuesday from elected officials and groups with special needs such as senior citizens and riders with disabilities. Now, a mobile version of the seat lab will hit the road for a series of nine meetings for the general public — one in every BART District. The first one is this Sunday, May 1, at Fruitvale BART Station in Oakland, from 11 am to 3 pm.

Courtland “Corky” Boozé, Richmond city councilmember, was among those touring the seat lab on Tuesday.  “I think that everybody should have the opportunity to come out, really sit in the seats, see the closeness of the legs, see the new design of the trains, see the customer-friendly train that you’re trying to put together,” he said. Boozé said some of the concerns he is hearing from constituents are about seat coverings, for cleanliness, and about features such as bars to hold on to, for senior citizens and others who may need added stability. “I’m really concerned about the seniors,” he said. “I want to make sure that they’re comfortable.”

Boozé’s chief of staff, Jackie Thompson, also toured the seat lab. She said that as a larger person, she hopes BART does not choose narrower seats. At 22 inches, BART’s seats are now among the widest of any transit agency in the world. Thompson tested out an example of a 17.5-inch-wide seat.  “I’m not comfortable” in this seat, she said. “I think the thing that would bother me here is if somebody else my size got on, we both would be uncomfortable even though we need to be seated.”

Linda Drattell, a support specialist with the Deaf Counseling Advocacy and Referral Agency, toured the lab, which seeks feedback not only on seats but also on other features of the new BART trains, such as passenger information. “I understand that there’s going to be electronic signage, and something like TV monitors that are going to offer information, and I would like very, very much if they would caption that and if they would also translate that to ASL (American Sign Language),” Drattell said.

Walter Gonzales, Alameda County representative for BART’s Government and Community Relations department, said it’s important to get public input. “We want to know what the public thinks, what do they want, what’s going to make the best ride for them on BART,” he said.

BART is collecting surveys from all the people going through the seat lab, and will use that feedback for guidance on designing the new fleet of train cars. The schedule for all nine of the upcoming meetings is not yet set, but when it is available it will be posted at www.bart.gov/cars. You can also access an email form there to send in your feedback, or sign up to receive news about the Fleet of the Future project.

For Sunday’s seat lab at Fruitvale BART Station, enter at the corner of East 12th Street and 33rd Avenue.

From Caltrans & CCTA

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY – The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) are widening State Route 4 (SR-4) through Pittsburg and Antioch. As part of this construction work, the contractor for the Loveridge Road project will close all lanes on eastbound State Route 4 at Loveridge Road for several hours in the early morning for approximately three weeks beginning Monday, May 2, 2011 and continuing through May 20, 2011. This work is to ensure public and crew safety while crews are working to install rebar cages for the bridge structure at Loveridge Road.

The highway closure will take place on Monday through Friday mornings beginning at 12:30 a.m. and continuing to 5:30 a.m. Eastbound SR-4 at the Loveridge Road undercrossing will be closed to all traffic. The detour will be as follows: motorists will be directed off the highway at Loveridge Road and immediately back on the highway at the east bound on ramp from Loveridge Road. Work may be rescheduled if there is inclement weather. During the same time, the loop on ramp to east bound SR-4 from south bound Loveridge Road will be closed as well.

The detour for this closure will be as follows: motorists will drive south on Loveridge Road, turn left on Leland Road, continue on to Delta Fair Boulevard, turn left on Somersville Road, then right on to SR-4 east. Motorists are advised to expect delays and allow extra time for their commute. Please drive cautiously through the detour and leave a safe traveling distance between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you. Caltrans and CCTA appreciate your patience as we work to improve the highways.

Issue on Board Agenda for Tuesday’s Meeting

By Allen Payton, Publisher

A team of county staff, led by Catherine Kutsuris, Director of the county’s Department of Conservation & Development  and Patrick Roche, Principal Planner for the county, has produced four alternative maps and a citizens group (led by yours truly) has officially submitted two alternative maps for the new district lines for the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors.

The first three of the staff’s maps, labeled Concepts 1 through 4, are similar to the current districts. Concept 4 is significantly different and is very much like the citizens’ group, labeled Plan B, which was given to staff at a meeting with them, last month. The group, known as the Contra Costa Redistricting Task Force, also submitted what is labeled as Plan A. The task force drew a total of eight different maps based on a list of principles (see below), which we developed from Supreme Court rulings, state Proposition 11, which was passed by voters in 2008 and created the California Citizens Redistricting Commission in charge of redrawing the state legislative and congressional district maps, as well as on common sense, such as geographic boundaries and common issues, and input from all five Supervisors.

The staff was given the following Principles/Criteria in their Adopted Work Program by the Board, in a unanimous vote on February 8, 2011 for creating the new district maps, which will go into effect next year:

♦ To the extent possible, achieve near equal population for each district according to census data. Total population for each district should be within 5% of each other.

♦ Use easily identifiable geographic features and topography to draw compact and contiguous adjusted boundaries.

♦ Maintain communities of interest in a single district and avoid splitting communities when adjusting boundaries. Communities of interest may be defined by existing boundaries for cities, school districts, special districts, and unincorporated communities.

The task force drew their lines based on the following principles, first and foremost being “Let the people choose their representatives and not the representatives choose their people;”

– Neutral, Non-Partisan Procedures

– Districts be Reasonably Equal in Population Size (within 1%)

– Contiguity of Districts

– Compactness of Districts – with the smallest perimeters, as possible

– Geographic Commonality

– Respect for Political Subdivisions (city and community boundaries)

– Common Issues – such as transportation, economic development, growth

While all of the staff’s plans meet their 5% population deviation goal, Concepts 1 through 3 violate their criteria of compactness as well as splitting cities and communities of interest.

The task force’s Plan A is the plan that splits only one community, Concord,  since it’s the largest city in the county. All the other 18 cities remain whole, as do all the unincorporated communities, such as Alamo, Bay Point, Bethel Island and El Sobrante, plus the remaining “Census Designated Places” of which there are 53 in the county.

County staff have developed some webpages on the County’s website, which can be viewed at www.ccredistricting.org. They have uploaded the four maps and supporting information that they have created. But, as of the posting of this article, the task force’s maps aren’t on the website. However, they can be found in the Board’s May 3, 2011 agenda packet online by clicking here under item D3, “Public Comment-Contra Costa Redistricting Task Force.”

The task force’s two maps are also posted here for the public to review. Below are the population and community information for each plan.

Following Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, county staff will be holding public meetings in each of the five districts to seek public input on all the maps that have been submitted for the process.  The dates, times and locations will be posted on their redistricting website.

——————————————————–

Contra Costa Redistricting Task Force

Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors Districts 2011

Plan A – Information

Changes from Plan B in Bold Blue

Census Designated Place Population District Total Deviation % Deviation

District 1

Richmond 103,701

North Richmond 3,717

East Richmond Heights 3,280

Kensington 5,077

El Cerrito 23,549

San Pablo 29,139

El Sobrante 12,669

Montalvin Manor 2,876

Tara Hills 5,126

Bayview 1,754

Rollingwood 2,969

Pinole 18,390

Other Non-CDP Areas 1,071

TOTAL District 1 213,318 +3,513 +1.67%

District 2

Lafayette 23,893

Orinda 17,643

Moraga 16,016

Acalanes Ridge 1,137

Reliez Valley 3,101

Alamo 14,570

Danville 42,039

San Ramon 72,148

Camino Tassajara 2,197

Blackhawk 9,354

Diablo 1,158

Norris Canyon 957

Non-CDP Areas 2,919

TOTAL District 2 207,132 -2,673 -1.27%

District 3

Discovery Bay 13,352

Brentwood 51,481

Antioch 102,372

Oakley 35,432

Bethel Island 2,137

Knightsen 1,568

Byron 1,277

Non-CDP Areas 4,097

TOTAL District 3 211,716 +1,911 +0.91%

District 4

Pleasant Hill 33,152

Pacheco 3,685

Walnut Creek 64,173

Clayton 10,897

Contra Costa Centre 5,364

North Gate 679

Shell Ridge 959

San Miguel 3,392

Castle Hill 1,299

Saranap 5,202

Concord 79,886

Non-CDP Areas 1,411

TOTAL District 4 210,099 +294 -0.14%

District 5

Pittsburg 63,246

Bay Point 21,349

Clyde 678

Martinez 35,824

Vine Hill 3,761

Mountain View 2,372

Alhambra Valley 924

Port Costa 190

Rodeo 8,679

Crockett 3,094

Hercules 24,060

Concord 42,181

Non-CDP Areas 3,496

TOTAL District 5 206,760 -3,045 -1.45%

TOTAL County 1,049,025

Average Population Per District 209,805

Plan B – Information

Changes from Plan A in Bold Red

Census Designated Place Population District TTL Deviation % Deviation

District 1

Richmond 103,701

North Richmond 3,717

East Richmond Heights 3,280

Kensington 5,077

El Cerrito 23,549

San Pablo 29,139

El Sobrante 12,669

Montalvin Manor 2,876

Tara Hills 5,126

Bayview 1,754

Rollingwood 2,969

Pinole 18,390

Non-CDP Areas 1,071

TOTAL District 1 213,318 +3,513 +1.674%

District 2

Lafayette 23,893

Orinda 17,643

Moraga 16,016

Acalanes Ridge 1,137

Reliez Valley 3,101

Danville 42,039

San Ramon 72,148

Camino Tassajara 2,197

Blackhawk 9,354

Diablo 1,158

Norris Canyon 957

Castle Hill 1,299

Saranap 5,202

Walnut Creek (Rossmoor) 10,150

Non-CDP Areas 1,341

TOTAL District 2 207,635 -2,170 -1.034%

District 3

Discovery Bay 13,352

Brentwood 51,481

Antioch 102,372

Oakley 35,432

Bethel Island 2,137

Knightsen 1,568

Byron 1,277

Non-CDP Areas 3,198

TOTAL District 3 211,713 +1,908 +0.909%

District 4

Pleasant Hill 33,152

Walnut Creek 54,023

Clayton 10,897

Contra Costa Centre 5,364

North Gate 679

Shell Ridge 959

San Miguel 3,392

Alamo 14,570

Concord 83,389

Non-CDP Areas 2,594

TOTAL District 4 209,019 –786 -0.375%

District 5

Pittsburg 63,246

Bay Point 21,349

Clyde 678

Martinez 35,824

Vine Hill 3,761

Mountain View 2,372

Alhambra Valley 924

Port Costa 190

Rodeo 8,679

Crockett 3,094

Hercules 24,060

Pacheco 3,685

Concord 38,678

Non-CDP Areas 2,166

TOTAL District 5 207,340 -2,465 -1.175%

TOTAL County 1,049,025

Average Population Per District 209,805