Only two schools from Contra Costa garnered the 2011 California Distinguished School Award. I proudly announce that both schools belong to Area 5 which I represent as Trustee for the Contra Costa County Board of Education.

A big applause goes to Bristow Middle School, Principal Russell Cornell and staff, Superintendent Merrill Grant and the Board Members of the Brentwood Union School District. This is the fifth time that a school from BUSD earned this distinction. Other winners include Edna Hill Middle in 2007, Brentwood Elementary in 2002, Ron Nunn Elementary in 2000 and Garin Elementary in 1998.

A well deserved kudos to Dozier Libbey Medical High School, Principal Nancie Castro and staff, Superintendent Donald Gill and the Board Members of the Antioch Unified School District. This is the fourth time that a school from AUSD earned this award. Other winners include Park Middle in 2001, Marsh Elementary in 1997 and Park Middle in 1996.

Congratulations!

Cynthia Ruehlig
Trustee for Area 5 of the Contra Costa County Board of Education. Area 5 includes Bethel Island, Brentwood, Byron, Discovery Bay, Knightsen, Oakley and parts of Antioch, Bay Point and Pittsburg.

You may have missed the Notices Of Public Hearing to be held in the City Council Chambers on Tuesday, April 26th that were published on April 14th by the Antioch City Clerk.

The first one is in regard to the adoption of a urgency ordinance establishing a temporary moratorium on the establishment and operation of medical marijuana collectives, cooperative and dispensaries (whether at a fixed site or mobile) to become effective immediately.

Hurray! Wonder if there’s any nexus between the proposed ordinance and a civil suit against the former Antioch Police Chief and numerous Antioch officers in regard to a raiding of two commercial properties on Sunset Drive, one rented to a clothier and the other housing “Grow It Yourself Gardens”?

The second one is , however, merely a way to increase revenues. It calls for consideration of proposed fees (not delineated) to be charged by various City Departments for building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, other construction, community development, land use, land cartelization and subdivision, engineering review and inspection, signs, regulatory permits, water usage, public safety, recreation activities and misc. services.

This is one way of getting around the voters who demonstrated that enough’s enough when they voted down an increase in the already outrageous sales taxes we pay in order to provide more revenue for the Police Department. Incidentally, APD isn’t helping the city’s financial position by merely agreeing to pay 3% toward CalPERS to December 31, 2011. (They’re in contract until 2013). APD Sworn Management Personnel, on the other hand, agreed in March to pay full 9% share over a 5-year phase in.

One more item of note: Council voted to convey ADA properties over to the City of Antioch. Ironically, Pittsburg recently had the rating of three sets of city redevelopment bonds lowered by the bond agency who stated that the redevelopment agency had barely enough property tax revenue to cover obligations due to three years of loss in property values. Has the City of Antioch now put itself in a vulnerable position?

Antioch to Once Again Have a Free, Direct-Mail, City-Wide Newspaper

By Allen Payton, Publisher

I’m happy to officially announce that the Antioch Herald will be printed and mailed to 26,000 homes and businesses in Antioch, beginning May 1st, 2011.

We appreciate the opportunity presented by the Monthly Grapevine, to insert a print version of our news site, into their East County/Antioch edition, which publishes on the 1st of each month, reaching 26,000 homes and businesses by mail – for FREE!

It has allowed us to reduce our postage costs and pass those savings onto our advertisers, reducing ad rates by 40% and more, making it more affordable for local businesses to reach their market with their message, each month.

We have some of the same team members who published the original Antioch Press, before I sold it in 2005, back together working to make both the Antioch Herald print and online versions, a reality, including Editor Dave Roberts and soon writer Teresa Klein and graphic artist Linda Baker. Plus, we’ve added some new team members, Webmaster and graphic artist Emily Bernardi, writers Harry Stoll and Tami Barrera, and advertising sales reps Dave Godfrey and Sharon Ouka.

We go to print on Tuesday night, April 19, so there’s still time to get your ad in our first issue. It includes a free ad on our website. Please email sales@antiochherald.com by Monday or call me at (925) 457-5324 and we’ll make it happen for you.

Since this is a free paper to the readers, it’s because of our advertisers that we’re able to publish our paper and news site. We thank them for that. So please be sure to support those advertisers and let them know you saw their ad in the Herald.

We look forward and are committed to bringing you the news and information about Antioch, you might not read elsewhere – about our people, politicians, police, pastors & priests, places, events and activities, while we help promote our businesses and grow our local economy, once again. Our desire is to help fulfill our City’s Vision to make Antioch a better place to live, learn, work, worship and play in a safe and stimulating environment.

The Herald is The People’s Paper – your paper. So if you have something you think is interesting and/or important that you want covered, either write it up and submit it to us, with a photo or two, or let us know by contacting Dave Roberts at editor@antiochherald.com. We’ll do our best to get it, at least on our website – which we’ll update regularly, and/or in the newspaper.

For those who want to advertise, we also represent the Monthly Grapevine in Antioch. So if you’d like an ad in that publication, please let us know. To learn more about them, please click on their ad, on the upper right side of this page. We thank Jim and Karen Spann for this new business relationship that we hope and expect will be beneficial for both our businesses and all those who advertise with us.

Please be sure to look for the Antioch Herald inside the Monthly Grapevine, each month, beginning on May 1st.

The internationally-acclaimed Harlem Ambassadors will be visiting Antioch/Pittsburg for a game at Los Medanos College Gym on May 7 at 7 p.m. The Harlem Ambassadors offer a unique brand of Harlem-style basketball, featuring high-flying slam- dunks, dazzling ball-handling tricks and hilarious comedy routines.

The Ambassadors feature non-stop laughs and deliver a positive message for kids wherever the Ambassadors play.  “At our shows, we want the kids to know that they’re part of our team too,” Coach Lade Majic said.  “We invite as many kids as we can to come sit on the bench, have a front row seat during the show, and get involved in all of the fun stuff we do.”

The Ambassadors set themselves apart from other “Harlem style” basketball teams by working with local not-for-profit and service organizations and holding Harlem Ambassadors shows as community fundraising events.  For the Antioch/Pittsburg event the Ambassadors have partnered with Antioch Rivertown Jamboree to help raise funds for People Helping People, and Antioch Rivertown Jamboree projects.

The Ambassadors have worked extensively with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Boys & Girls Clubs, Big Brothers Big Sisters and American Red Cross as well as Rotary, Lions and Kiwanis clubs in communities throughout the U.S., and perform more than 200 shows a year.  Those shows have helped raise millions of dollars – an accomplishment of which Ambassadors President Dale Moss is very proud.

“It feels good to be able to provide quality entertainment and create memories that the fans will take with them,” Moss explained.  “We’re able to give even more when we can help provide funding for a Habitat for Humanity house or new computers for the school library, and that feels great.”

ADVANCE TICKETS: Adults $10, Students & Seniors $8. Call 925-757-0972 or ORDER BY MAIL: 301 West 10th Street, Suite 5, Antioch, CA 94509. Please make check payable to Antioch Rivertown Jamboree. At the door tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.

You can also purchase tickets at East County Insurance Agency, Delta 2000, Pittsburg Yacht Club, Martin Memorials, Antioch Rivertown Jamboree Office. The event is sponsored in part by Keller Canyon Trust Funds, Cornwell Tools, Delta 2000, Supervisor Federal Glover, Los Medanos College, Comfort Suites Inn. Rivertown Jamboree is a non-profit organization dedicated to family fun.

Clarence Isadore, left, and Scott Bergerhouse

By Tami Barrera

Parents of Deer Valley High School students gave the School Board an earful last night, expressing outrage at the plan to eliminate the co-principal model at the school in which Scott Bergerhouse and Clarence Isadore jointly run the school. The four-year, innovative partnership may be eliminated due to the need to make $4 million in budget cuts.

Distraught parents argued that the two principals have improved safety, school spirit and education at the school, adding, “Why are we eliminating a model that works?”

Jim Thompson said, “The atmosphere created by the two gentlemen, Clarence and Scott, is different today than four years ago.” Removing the co-principal model will place an indelible mark on the school society that it may not be able to recover from, he said. Thompson noted that the school board members took on their responsibility because they wanted to make a difference, and he called on them to rethink the elimination of the co-principals.

Other parents also questioned why Deer Valley, which was in a slump and chaos before the co-principals and is now on the right track, is having the co-principal model tossed by the wayside.

Superintendent Donald Gill responded that $4 million in cuts need to take place across the board due to a $1,000/student decrease in state education funding. In addition, enrollment at Deer Valley High has declined, he said.

In other action, it was announced that Dozier-Libbey Medical School is one of 97 schools in the state and one of only two schools in the county to receive the 2011 California Distinguished School award. Dozier-Libbey has also received the Exemplary Career Technical Education Program Award.

An update was provided on the progress of the widening of Highway 4, which may impact local roads and school commutes.

The Somersville Road construction began on March 16, and is scheduled to take about 2 1/2 years to complete. The Contra Loma Boulevard Interchange/G Street Overcrossing will begin construction in early 2012. The Lone Tree Way/A Street Interchange construction is slated to begin next spring. The Hillcrest Avenue Interchange will be the last segment and will be tied in to the construction of an eBART station. For more information visit www.widensr4.org or call 925-756-0721.

Our Delta Contra Costa Branch’s annual celebration of the leading scholars at local high schools will be held Thurs., April 14 at the Antioch Senior Center, 415 W. 2^nd Street at 7-8:30 pm. Members may come to set-up starting at 5:30 pm.

Each year ten outstanding senior scholars are selected from Antioch, Deer Valley, and Pittsburg High Schools. A list of students with a 3.5 GPA and above is given to the teaching staff, who choose the students. In addition to their GPA, they  consider school and extra-curricular activities. Jane Wilkins and Sally Massey co-ordinate for Antioch and Jan Kuhl worked with Pittsburg.

This event has been a favorite tradition in our branch.  We will be presenting certificates to the top 30 students in front of their families and friends. Susan Ten Eyck, a principal in the Antioch Unified School District will be the guest speaker.

“Under Dorothy’s professional and dedicated leadership, BART has achieved a proud record of success on many fronts.” – BART Director Joel Keller

From BART, 4/13/2011

Tomorrow the BART Board of Directors will officially begin the process of searching for a new general manager, following the resignation of BART General Manager Dorothy Dugger. Dugger turned in her resignation letter to the BART Board of Directors this morning.

After spending nearly 19 years at BART, including the last four years as the general manager and 13 years as deputy general manager, Dugger’s last day on the job will be Friday, April 22.

“It has been a challenging, exciting and professionally rewarding experience to lead a great organization that provides a vitally important service to the people of the Bay Area every day,” Dugger said.  “I am extremely proud of all that we have achieved and BART’s strong record of accomplishment.  This record of achievement was possible with the outstanding support of the entire organization. I want to thank BART’s talented and dedicated employees for their exemplary work during these past years.”

“On behalf of the BART Board, I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to Dorothy for her tireless work and lifelong dedication to public service,” BART Board President Bob Franklin said.

The Board appointed Dugger to the agency’s top spot on August 23, 2007 – making her the agency’s eighth general manager and its first female to lead the agency.

“Under Dorothy’s professional and dedicated leadership, BART has achieved a proud record of success on many fronts,” BART Director Joel Keller said. “We have weathered the worst economic period in our history without layoffs or a reduction in core service, due in part to historic changes negotiated in our last labor contract; our $1.2 billion earthquake safety program is on schedule and under budget; service expansions are underway in three important transportation corridors; and the first phase of replacement of BART’s fleet of train cars is moving forward.”

Board to meet in closed session Thursday to begin search for new GM
The BART Board of Directors will meet tomorrow in closed session during a special meeting to consider naming an interim general manager.  At that time the Board will also discuss the parameters for the search for a permanent general manager.

Dorothy Dugger Quick Facts:

• Eighth BART general manager
• First female general manager
• Began at BART in 1992
• Thirteen years as deputy general manager
• Four years as general manager
• Two years as executive manager, External Affairs
• Nineteen years with BART

Terms of resignation agreement:

BART General Manager Dorothy Dugger and the BART Board of Directors reached a mutual agreement whereby BART will pay Dorothy Dugger $958,000 and Dugger would resign effective April 22, 2011.  The $958,000 settlement is comprised of:

• Approximately $600,000, the cost to BART of Dugger’s severance package had she been terminated
• $350,000 to ensure a smooth transition and to avoid any litigation between the parties

For more information on BART, click here.