Council Should Have Opposed Pittsburg Annexation
Oakland Mayor Jean Quan was justifiably criticized for vacillating about whether or not to evict protesters at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza.
I find the Antioch City Council equally negligent for once again not standing up to the neighboring city of Pittsburg, where the Seeno construction family, which operates under various names e.g. Discovery Builders, A.D. Seeno Construction, and West Coast Home Builders, rules the roost and city leaders jump to obey. (The Albert D. Seeno Construction Co. and Discovery Builders offices on Port Chicago Highway were raided last year by the FBI, IRS and Secret Service.)
Why was the Antioch City Council mute while West Coast Home Builders spearheaded a ballot measure to get voter approval to place 194 acres of the former petroleum tank farm west of Somersville and Buchanan roads, currently within Antioch’s limit line and within the Antioch School District, inside their urban limit line where they could develop at a much higher density. (Although Measure I passed, only 5,455 of Pittsburg’s more than 63,000 residents turned out to vote.)
Regrettably, Council’s lack of aggressive action, is similar to what happened when Antioch let Pittsburg annex the Baker property north of Highway 4 which became Century Plaza and Delta Gateway.
What can the City of Antioch do now? Trust LAFCO to make the right decision this time around? I think not. County Supervisor Federal Glower is currently a member of the LAFCO commission as he was back when Roddy Ranch was seeking annexation into the City of Antioch. Although that annexation was approved on a 5-2 vote, he and Gayle Ulkema voted against.
