Kenneth Gardner

The biggest change that students and staff returning to the Deer Valley High campus will experience this year is the appointment of a new principal, Kenneth Gardner. He wants the students, staff and parents to know that he will listen to what they have to say and is willing to implement ideas that will work toward educational achievement.

Gardner served 20 years in the Air Force, including four years of active duty as an air traffic controller and 16 in the reserves in security forces. He retired with the rank of major. He also has served 20 years as a police officer in Southern California.

His most recent experience is as principal at Vista Continuation School, which has more than 300 students, where he was also overseer of the student welfare attendance. While at Vista he found himself missing the organized chaos of high school, leading him to apply for the Deer Valley job.

Before that he worked at De Anza High School in Richmond for three years, and served on the Student Attendance Review Board and was the district’s designated hearing officer.

Principal Gardner was chosen from 37 candidates who were interviewed by a panel of parent and community representatives along with district members.

Former Deer Valley Co-Principal Scott Bergerhouse was amongst the candidates, but was instead appointed vice principal of Black Diamond Middle School. Deer Valley’s other former co-principal, Clarence Isadore, is now the principal of Carmen Dragon Elementary.

With the commitment and support of the students, parents and staff, Gardner is confident that the successful path marked out by Isadore and Bergerhouse will continue.

To the editor:

I have been following BART since it started about 40 years ago. How did we get e-BART? I don’t ever remember a session where the locals had any input. I know we were in on many meetings to hear what was being done, but never were we in on the plans for construction.

Why are there two rail lines between Antioch and Pittsburg? One should do, and be about 3 million dollars cheaper. Why are there two rail sizes involved?

I am asking questions because I don’t know the answers. I see no reason why we can’t have one line connection to Pittsburg. I don’t expect that much traffic. I thinks it’s time to stop everything and start over again.

Bob Oliver

On July 8 beginning at 11 p.m. the Antioch Police Department and REACH Project, Inc. collaborated in a Curfew Sweep in Antioch. This program is designed to reduce the number of minors being out after curfew.

The program is intended to be supportive rather than punitive. The City Ordinance generally prohibits minors (under the age of 18 years) from being in any public area between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. seven days a week. The ordinance was adopted to promote safety of the City’s youngest most venerable residents from becoming participants or victims of crimes.

Officers from the Antioch Police Department detained a total of 37 minors. They were brought to the processing center at the police department and turned over to the staff of the REACH Project where the minors were counseled and released to their parents or guardians. Follow-up juvenile diversion services will be provided by REACH addressing decision-making skills and training, understanding youth and the law and applying principles of restorative justice.

This program was a success and future programs will be scheduled throughout the summer in an attempt to further reduce number of minors out after curfew and increase the accountability and responsibility of both the minors and their parents or guardians.

by Edi Birsan

Courtesy of HalfwaytoConcord.com

The mayors of Oakley ( Jim Frazier), Brentwood ( Robert “Bob” Taylor) and Antioch (Jim Davis) joined with the Vice Mayor of Pittsburg (Ben Johnson) at the Antioch City Council Chambers, in a recent non-partisan forum hosted by the East County Democrats for Action club.

Questions asked from the audience covered the following topics:

1. Brentwood has a substantial kids shadow government program where the kids spend time with council members and city staff. It took a few years to develop but the kids have come around to incorporate it into the education culture of the city.

2. Both Oakley and Brentwood have substantial financial reserves 29-30%

3. Oakley recently cut all its building fees by 50%

4. Frazier of Oakley is looking forward to the development of its $1 billion state power plant that has committed sizeable contributions to the city’s income base. He was also very involved in Highway 4 improvements.

5. Antioch and Pittsburg have several Council members involved in direct meetings with respective school boards.

6. Antioch has an Academy program to help you based on a Tennessee model, the details of which were not given.

7. Davis of Antioch said he had to be careful in answering about Section Eight impacts on his city because of pending lawsuits, but said he holds the position that the program has to be a “hand up not a hand-out” approach.

8. Redistricting was very interesting because of my own interest in the matter, with Frazier, Davis and Taylor all echoing the positions of wanting an East county district. Brentwood emphasized its association with Oakley and Antioch. Johnson of Pittsburg simply said they were happy with Glover an opening not taken by the others, nor did he talk about any association with Antioch. I suspect that Frazier and Davis are far more interested in the Redistricting than the two other representatives which may give us some indication of future moves.

9. Taylor of Brentwood came back repeatedly that much of their problems come from higher levels of government including Sacramento and Washington including the White House.

10. There were various comments about Mayor Taylor’s Turkey routine where he dresses up as a turkey to raise money for turkey’s to be donated at Thanksgiving. There was mention of over 750 turkeys’ that were raised and he apparently gave 200 plus to Oakley folks.

11. Frazier was very proud of La Clinica Raza coming to Oakley to help the community’s needy. He said he has donated half his salary to them with other chunks going to various charities.

The audience included East County Supervisor Mary Piepho, Councilmember Rocha from Antioch, as well as other organization leaders such as Chuck Carpenter, Chairman of the Democrat Central Committee.

The event was the first of its kind for the club and it is expected to be held annually.

CCC Board of Supervisors Draft Redistricting Proposal 17 (6A)

CCC Board of Supervisors Draft Redistricting Proposal 16 (12A)

CCC Board of Supervisors Draft Redistricting Proposal 15 (9A)

By Ed Diokno, Policy Analyst, Office of Supervisor Federal Glover

Redistricting is the redrawing or adjusting of electoral district boundaries following the federal Census to account for population shifts and growth during the previous decade. The redistricting process is governed by the U.S. Constitution, State and federal law.

California Elections Code § 21500 requires the County Board of Supervisors to adjust the Supervisorial district boundaries every ten years following the federal Census so that the districts are as “nearly equal in population as may be” and comply with the Voting Rights Act. This year, the Board of Supervisors is required to redistrict the five Supervisorial districts using 2010 Census data. The County’s redistricting process will include broad opportunity for public review and input.

Contra Costa County is committed to an open and transparent redistricting process by hosting community workshops throughout the County, providing all maps and data on-line, and potentially the ability to create redistricting options on-line.

The 2010 Census revealed that Contra Costa County has 1,049,025 residents. Extracts of the data for California, counties, places (incorporated cities and Census Designated Placed or CDP) and census tracts are available on the Demographic Research Unit website.

American FactFinder will also provide on-line access to more Census 2010 results.

July 12, 2011: Continuation of Board of Supervisors Public Hearing on Map Proposals.
The Board of Supervisors will continue the Public Hearing to Consider Proposal to adjust the boundaries of county supervisorial districts based on the 2010 Census at 11:15 am on July 12, 2011.

These are the 3 options being considered for the new Contra Costa County supervisors’ districts. Most likely there will be further revisions and proposals.

Proposal 15:
http://64.166.146.155/docs/2011/BOS/20110712_154/8406%5FDraft%5F11x17%5FProposal%5F15%2Epdf
Proposal 16:
http://64.166.146.155/docs/2011/BOS/20110712_154/8406%5FDraft%5F11x17%5FProposal%5F16%2Epdf
Proposal 17:
http://64.166.146.155/docs/2011/BOS/20110712_154/8406%5FDraft%5F11x17%5FProposal%5F17%2Epdf

The Redistricting Board item is listed as D.4 on the Agenda. Please follow the link to view the Board’s Agenda. http://64.166.146.155/agenda_publish.cfm#ReturnTo0. You may also find this information on the website at www.ccredistricting.org

Publisher’s Note: You can view the Contra Costa Citizens Redistricting Task Force plan, labeled Concept 6, which garnered the most support throughout the recent public process, by clicking  here and the data for the map by clicking here.

At approximately 5 a.m. on July 7, Antioch police received a call of a suspicious circumstance on Shadow Lane in Antioch. This area is part of a large condominium development, and borders Highway 4. When officers arrived, they located several cut power lines that were either hanging or on the ground near that location.

Further investigation revealed that copper thieves had scaled large metal power poles that line the freeway, and cut multiple power lines attached to these poles. The lines were under extreme tension, and as a result some of the lines fell with sufficient force to damage approximately ten vehicles parked in the parking lot of the development.

There have been multiple similar incidents, not necessarily from the metal power poles, but from wooden poles in the Antioch area. The people responsible for these crimes will then attempt to turn in the copper for money at scrap yards.

Leads are being followed up on. Anyone with information to this theft or similar ones is asked to call Detective Krenz with the Antioch Police Department at (925) 779-6866.

Antioch City Clerk Jolene Martin administers the oath of office to Antioch's new Chief of Police Allan Cantando as his wife Cherith and their son Connor look on.

By Allen Payton, Publisher

After spending his entire law enforcement career with the Antioch Police Department, 45-year-old Allan Cantando rose through the ranks to become Antioch’s Chief of Police, last Friday, July 1. He was given the oath of office at an official ceremony, today, Thursday, July 7.

In attendance at the ceremony were a couple hundred family members and guests, including the mayor and city manager, current and past mayors and council members, community leaders, other police chiefs in the county, as well as three former Antioch Police Chiefs.

Both City Manager Jim Jakel and Mayor Jim Davis offered their remarks before Cantando was sworn in  by City Clerk Jolene Martin.

“Sometimes I second-guess myself,” Jakel said. “This is the right decision, right from the beginning.

“He’s held virtually every position in the department. He’d do a good job in any community. But he has connections. Just look at the diversity in this room. He’s linked in,” Jakel added.

Mayor Davis spoke directly to the new chief.

“It is with great pleasure that I congratulate you on your advancement, Allan, to Chief of Police. The council is 100% behind you.”

Elwood "Woody" Cantando places the chief's lapel pin on his son Allan's uniform as Allan's wife Cherith watches proudly.

Then, with his wife Cherith by his side, holding their 17-month-old son, Connor, Cantando was given his oath of office by Martin, as cameras flashed and video cameras rolled to commemorate the event.

He then invited his father, Elwood “Woody” Cantando, to pin the chief’s lapel pin on his uniform.

Then an at-times emotional Cantando was given the microphone  and thanked his wife and family members, who he had introduced earlier, and the Chiefs of Police that had given him his start, and those who mentored him in his career, plus those in the Antioch Police Department.

“This is something I’ve dreamt about since I became a police officer,” he said. “Thank you to Jim Jakel for his confidence in me. I was overwhelmed by the support of the stakeholders in this community.”

He referred to a book about successful people, entitled “The Outliers” and how it takes being in the right place at the right time with people who have mentored them.

He spoke of Jim Nunes, the former Pleasant Hill Police Chief who gave him the opportunity to become a cadet in that police department.  Cantando shared how proud he was to wear “that cool, little shiny police badge.”

Retired Pleasant Hill Police Chief Jim Nunes with Chief Cantando. Nunes gave Cantando his start as a cadet with the Pleasant Hill PD.

“I became a part of a profession I love,” he stated.

Cantando mentioned former Antioch Police Chief Len Herendeen who had hired him and was in attendance at the ceremony. He spoke of the recently retired Chief Jim Hyde who mentored him and finally of former Chief Mark Moczulski who encouraged him to apply for positions and promoted him to Lieutenant then Captain.

He concluded his remarks with a commitment.

“I love this department and love this city and as a department, we’ll make a collective difference,” Cantando stated.

By Walter Ruehlig

We are wasting no time for next year. Antioch has its July 4th mojo back!!!

Anybody who would like to sit on the steering committee for the 2012 July 4th Parade or come to one meeting to simply offer ideas is invited to a kickoff meeting at Bases Loaded at 3rd and G Street at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 20th. The more heads the better.

We will try to get iced tea donated by the owner, Terry Karp. Anybody wishing to eat or have a drink on their own is welcome to do so.

Let’s brainstorm ideas on making next year’s Parade bigger and better; how to fund fireworks; and where to have the show and attendant entertainment (Riverfront, Deer Valley High, Antiioh High, Fairfgrounds??). I went to the Singing Flag in Concord and was really inspired.

Antioch need not take a back seat to anybody with our patriotic and family-centered populace; our long and colorful hsitory; and our unsurpassingly gorgeous Delta venue.

Bring your creativity and your enthusiasm. I have already heard a bunch of interesting ideas on fund raising.

Rivertown Jamboree has fallen by the wayside; Holiday Delites has been off and on. We will not lose this most American of traditions for future generations. We can and will make this happen. Our kids and grandkids deserve it.