In July, the Antioch City Council sent a letter to county Assessor Gus Kramer audaciously asking him to appear in person to explain why the latest property valuations show the city’s projected property tax revenues to be $850,000 less than expected. (Councilman Agopian queried why Brentwood values dropped 4.5% while Antioch’s dropped 7%.)

If I were Mr. Kramer, I would politely reply to their correspondence, but I would not appear in person. Here are some of the explanations I’d provide.

Proposition 8 mandated that homes’ assessed value must be temporarily reduced to their current market value during downturns. Certain areas of the state were harder hit than others. Compared with coastal areas with job centers, unemployment in our county remains high and all foreclosure activity for August was up by 9% from July.

As for the Brentwood vs. Antioch property values:

Fact is, a property’s value to a prospective buyer depends on 1) the condition of the property 2) the appearance of the neighborhood 3) proximity to retail, commercial and mass transit and the local school districts’ progress on the statewide Academic Performance Index (Antioch’s 2011 score was 731 vs. Brentwood Union’s 843).

Home values in Brentwood are higher than Antioch’s because the word is out – the Antioch Police force is understaffed and the city no longer has a code enforcement department due to the city’s anticipated decline in property tax revenues and sales tax revenues for the next fiscal year.

Because 70% of the city’s General Fund revenues go primarily toward personnel costs, the city implemented furloughs and layoffs, and negotiated concessions with employee bargaining groups (Antioch Police Officer Association situation still not resolved satisfactorily), all of which diminished services to the public. That’s just not appealing to folks looking to buy a home.

It may be hard for council to admit that Brentwood’s property values have held up better than Antioch, but facts tell otherwise. Sure, our city has assets that Brentwood doesn’t have, e.g., an underdeveloped waterfront with great potential and an e-BART station. However, our shopping centers, like the Safeway center on Deer Valley Road have numerous vacant stores, and I know for a fact that many of the business were purloined by the City of Brentwood.

As for those of us who have been able to hold onto our homes in this stagnant economy, we’ve appreciated the temporary decline in our property tax bills. We’re having to pay more for food, etc. despite government telling us the Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index (CPI), which they revised, has not risen since the last cost of living adjustment was determined in 2008! Who are they kidding?

Support The 13th Annual Delta Blues Festival – A Free Event – All Ages Welcome
One Day Only – Saturday, September 17, 2011 from Noon to 7:30 p.m. in Antioch’s Rivertown District off 2nd street between “G” and “I” streets on the San Joaquin Delta.

We want to remain a free, not-for-profit event and need your help. We have posted a PayPal link on our website. Your tax-deductible donation can help this festival survive and continue to be a gift to the community.

Festival Artist Line-Up
• Sugar Ray & the Bluetones featuring Monster Mike Welch
• Chris Cobb Band
• Zydeco Flames
• Steve Freund Trio with special guest Jan Fanucchi
• Wendy DeWitt
• Shad Harris & the Groovenators.

For Festival Info: www.DeltaBluesFestival.net or call the Hotline: (925) 698-8024. Also follow us on FACEBOOK. The Delta Blues Festival proudly supports the San Joaquin Delta Community.

Sugar Ray & the Bluetones featuring Monster Mike Welch

Letter to the Editor

Accountability, whose is it? Our school district is facing five areas of responsibility to our students and their parents. The area we cannot effectively control is the legislature. While it is out of control, however there are four areas we can have input on: the board of education, the district administration, the teachers and the students.

The board is elected to select the best qualified to run the district, hire teachers and guide the district through its accumulated experience in real world business, teaching models and overseeing operations. If our board doesn’t handle these functions well the whole district suffers.

Our input can be applied by voting in the best possible candidates and attending meetings where agendas of interest are held and speaking out. If our voices are not heard how can we expect to see change?

The district administration holds the responsibility to produce a curriculum that satisfies the Federal, state and local entities. They are responsible for teacher qualifications and upgrading them to stay current. The administration is supposed to be an efficient, on-budget operation that trims all the fat to produce a leaner profile.

The administration also assigns its principals and teachers to the schools where needed, but sometimes thinking that a good middle school administrator might bail out a high school, only find that administrator overwhelmed causing stress and perhaps the loss of a capable administrator.

Teachers hold the unique responsibility of forming our students’ minds and learning habits that will set them for life. In our current economic turmoil teachers are looking over their shoulders to see if they are next to be let go, perhaps at the expense of the “art” of teaching, that is to inspire their students. Teachers are not built-in baby-sitters but are to help build character and self esteem.

The students have their own responsibilities like being on time, doing homework, and focusing on the material being taught, not their neighborhood challenges. They need to learn to respect themselves when no one else does. They also need to know that there are other avenues to careers that don’t need college to start but, only their imaginations.

The responsibility for our students’ education is ultimately in our hands and we should be asking those who direct it, why doesn’t the system work any more?

Jack Yeager
Candidate AUSD

By Walter Ruehlig

The award winners for the annual Knights of Columbus Police Office and California Highway Patrol Officer of the Year awards luncheon have been announced.

They are Antioch P.D. Officer James Stenger; Pittsburg P.D. Officer Richard Hosier; California Highway Patrol Officer Officer Mark Mitchell and CCC Fire Protection District Fire Fighter of the Year Brett M. Schooley.

The awards will be presented at Lone Tree Golf and Event Center this Saturday, September 17th from 11:30 to 1:30. The Boy Scouts will present the colors and Dayang Montilla will sing the Star Spangled Banner. Baritone Richard Asadoorian will sing several classical selections.

Sound engineering is being donated by by Malcolm Hunter and videoing provided by Joey Montilla of Snap Eye Productions. The event chairs are Gary Clausen and Walter Ruehlig.

Tickets are still available for the buffet luncheon for $35. Call Walter at (925) 756-7628 or email walter.ruehlig@gmail.com.

In attendance will be County Supervisor Mary Piepho, Maurice Delmer representing State Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, Antioch Mayor James Davis, County Board of Education Trustee Cynthia Ruehlig, Antioch Superintendent of Schools Dr. Donald Gill, and former Antioch Council Member Allen Payton.

The day’s events begin with a pageantry-rich Blue Mass to be held at St. Ignatius of Antioch Church at 9:30 a.m. The ceremonial Mass, replete with bagpiper, special music and colorful ceremony is a long-standing Catholic tradition that honors first responders. All are welcome.

The Chief Homilist is Rev. Robert Rien, chaplain to the Antioch and Martinez Police Departments. He will be assisted by Rev. Helmut Richter of Good Shepard Church, chaplain to the Pittsburg Police Department. Musical Director Don Pearson will conduct the choir and play the Rodgers’s 958 Trillium Masterpiece Pipe/Digital Organ.

By Walter Ruehlig
Member, Interfaith Peace Project Advisory Board

Some days, thank heavens, the news isn’t about murder or mayhem or scandals of unbridled lusting or looting. Sometimes as a human race we do it right and prove the poet Alexander Pope’s appraisal right; man can sink lower than the beast or fly higher than the angels.

It was gratifying to see well over a hundred people spend 45 minutes of their lunch-time at the dedication of the Peace Pole in front of Antioch City Hall on September 12th. The skies were glorious, the ceremony equally elegant and the milk of human kindness and brotherly love flowing.

Special kudos to June Kirk for her tireless behind the scenes organizational work. As one person wisely observed, it all seemed so stress less precisely because somebody, in fact, had stressed on the pre-details.

Bouquets as well to Rev. Sierra Lynne White for her inspired music and for so gracefully leading us into centering moments in honor of 9-11 and the planting of the pole. The remarks by Mayor Davis and Rev. Bonnaci were inspired and the baritone Richard Assadoorian moved the crowd with his haunting rendition of “To Dream the Impossible Dream”.

The doves released by Terry Davis were a fitting prelude to the final emotional touching of the pole as clergy of all faiths and lay people, some in turbans, others in crew cuts, affirmed their vision of a more peaceful future.

Appreciation is extended County Board of Supervisor Mary Piepho for her attending as well as Paul Adler, representing Supervisor Federal Glover; Maurice Delmer, representing Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla; Cynthia Ruehlig, Trustee of the County Board of Education; Antioch City Council members Gary Agopian, Wade Harper, Brian Kalinowski and Mary Rocha; and City Manager Jim Jakel.

The Interfaith Peace Project, in concert with the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County, hosted the planting as a second day kickoff to the 11 Days of Peace program which started in honor of 9-11 and will end on September 21st, the U.N. sponsored International Day of Peace.

By background, the Interfaith Peace Project was founded by Rev. Bonnaci on September 8, 2011 in Carmichael, PA. Rev. Bonacci then brought his vision to California in 2006 and a year later the organization was chartered. It now maintains a Peace Center at 4740 Matterhorn Way that is open to the public for browsing or reflection and houses artifacts and thousands of books on world religions.

Planting this pole continues a tradition started by Mashahisa Goi of Japan who in 1955 wanted to make a statement on world peace. Today over 200,00 peace poles exist. The Delta Region stands, then in good company as the poles have been dedicated by the likes of Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama and Jimmy Carter and stand at sites that include the tomb of Confucius, Gorsky Park in Russia, the Pyramids at Gaza, the base of Mt. Everest and the magnetic North Pole in Canada.

By all means, drop by this splendid eight-foot cedar pole. It stands between the evergreen planted in memory of the victims of 9-11 and City Hall Plaza, right near the gas payment box. Reflect on the inscription ingrained in twelve languages; Arabic, English, Filipino, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portugese, Spanish, Urdu, Ibo: “May Peace Prevail on Earth”.

I wish us all Der Frieden, Heiwa, Kapayapaan, La Paix, La Paz, Maluhia, Mir, Peace, Shalom, Shalom! After all, world peace begins one of us at a time.