By Michele Littlefield, Event Co-Chair, Antioch Relay For Life

Our event was held at Los Medanos College on June 23rd – 24th from 10am-10am. We had 72 teams this year, 710 registered participants and have raised $113,080.00 so far.

Some of the original Antioch Relay For Life cancer survivors walked as Survivors 13 years ago and carried the banner for us this year to Celebrate!

It is so important to me that our community knows that the American Cancer Society has so many wonderful free services and that there is support in the community as well for everyone, patients, survivors, their families and friends. Our event feels like a giant block party with your favorite friends and family members in attendance. It is very powerful to stop and look around for a minute during the event knowing that we all come out to Relay for our own reasons but are united in the fight to cure cancer.

The Antioch City Council made the right decision when it decided against a proposal by Councilman Gary Agopian, on behalf of the Citizens for a Safe Antioch, not to place a parcel tax for additional Police Department funding on the November ballot One wonders, however, if Council would have made the same decision if there weren’t three open seats for City Council, including the mayor’s seat or if they’re just holding out hope for the Legislature to lower the threshold for public safety taxes from a two thirds approval to 55% approval.

The Police Department is currently operating with 34 less sworn officers than authorized. However, the city is planning to hire back 5 officers to fill positions lost through attrition and 5 more with $1.5 million dollars in federal grant money. ( This month the chief informed council he’s currently in the process of adding two additional cops, expanding the reserve officer program, replacing 2 recently retired K-9s and adding one additional K-9.)

Regrettably, the city laid off all it’s non-sworn community service officers (CSOs) in 2009. Hiring back a number of CSOs, who make considerably less than sworn police officers, would free up more officers to get back on the street. (The cost of funding the base salary and benefits of a Police Officer at Step C is approximately $132,000 a year, the cost of a CSO at Step 3 is approximately $84,000 a year. (The City recently tried to hire 3 people, but each one declined.)

In recent contract negotiations APOA agreed to give up raises that had been deferred since 2009, received a 6% raise, agreed to contribute 9% instead of the previous 3% to their PERS retirement and accepted an agreement giving them a 3% salary increase in 2013 and a 4% hike in September 2013. (I fail to comprehend, however, why Council gifted them with two additional annual holidays! )

Interesting to note, a recent staff report to Council from Human Resources stated that, as per the city’s recently approved Memorandum of Understanding with APOA, effective September 1, 2012, the City will report the employee paid member contribution to PERS as special compensation to the employee’s salary. Could it be that the intent to treat the contribution as a salary addition is to jack up their pensions when they retire

School Starts August 15

The start of the 2012/13 school year is Wednesday, August 15th. Please contact your child’s school for enrollment and schedule information.

Kindergarten Registration, including Transitional Kindergarten, is currently underway.

Please contact your local elementary school for information and registration packets.

If you are not sure which school your child will attend, enter your address on the school locator on the Antioch Unified School District’s website.

Enrollment FAQs

Q1. Where do I find Information regarding AUSD schools?

A1.Visit www.antioch.k12.ca.us/schoolwebsites

Q2. What School Should my child attend?

Visit www.antioch.k12.ca.us/enroll and click on “A1. School Locator”

Q3. What Information do I need to bring with me to enroll my child?

You will need the following information to register your child: 

•Proof of age (original birth certificate, baptism record, passport or affidavit).

•Immunization records (doctor’s verification of shots given).

•Residence verification (two of the listed items) All must be current: PG&E bill, water bill, final escrow papers, property tax bill, rental agreement.   

•Photo ID of resident for purposes of verifying identity only.

For additional enrollment information visit the school district’s website at www.antioch.k12.ca.us

 

By Natalie Souza-Rapp

Since opening in 1991, Humphrey’s delicious food and beautiful atmosphere has made it one of the most attractive dining establishments in Antioch. This well renowned restaurant sits in a perfect area on the water near the Antioch Marina in historic downtown.

Since the early part of this year, Antioch opened its new boat ramp, making Humphrey’s an even more popular dining spot for boaters.

When first entering Humphrey’s, one cannot miss learning how the restaurant came to be, a beautiful story of a humpback whale that entered the San Francisco Bay and made his way up the Sacramento River and Delta in 1985. Everyone watched as this whale made headlines and a successful rescue mission made it possible for the whale to find his way back to the Pacific Ocean.

Whether one is sitting in the lounge or in the dining room, there are many fantastic views of the river. It is truly relaxing watching the boats going up and down the waterway. Ms. Eva Romero, owner and manager since 1995, is excited to introduce their new menu due out August or September. You will still find popular dishes on the new menu; these include fresh Salmon, Halibut, Sea Bass, Seafood Newburg, Seafood Pasta, Cioppino, and Captain’s Platter which includes calamari, jumbo prawns, scallops, and cod. On Sundays, one has the option of ordering off the lunch or brunch menu.

Having owned and sold La Plaza Restaurant in 2004, Mrs. Romero says in 2011, they “brought over our popular dishes from the La Plaza menu.” When asked about blending a menu at Humphrey’s with a Mexican restaurant menu, she replied “these dishes were La Plaza specialties and they do well”. The dishes are the beef, chicken, and shrimp fajitas, and Camarones a La Plaza. They also offer Taco Tuesdays with a car show from 5 p.m. until close.

They have a large banquet facility that can hold seated meals for up to 300 people, as well as the Harbor Room with seating for up to 25.

There’s live music every Friday night starting at 9:30 p.m., and they feature the local, popular band PhD’s on the last Friday of the month. People can dance the night away on the large dance floor. The cover charge is just $5.00.

On Sunday afternoons, from 3pm-6pm, there is live music on the deck, overlooking the marina, performed by the Latin jazz band, Point of No Return.

Humphrey’s dining hours are Sunday-Thursday, 11am-9pm and Friday-Saturday 11am-10pm with the lounge open until 1:30am. On Saturdays you will find events ranging from wedding receptions to birthday parties taking place in the large banquet room.

Since first opening, Humphrey’s has remained one of Antioch’s top restaurants for a great menu, superb service and gorgeous views. They are located at 1 Marina Plaza, at the end of L Street. For reservations call 778-5800 and for more information visit their website at www.humphreysonthedelta.com.

I am announcing my candidacy for Antioch City Council 2012.

I have been a resident of this diverse Antioch community for over eight years and I truly enjoy living in this City. Antioch has become a stagnant City. We need leadership who has the vision for beneficial growth, thinks outside the box, is transparent and understands the complexities of fiscal responsibility. I bring new ideas, commitment, intensity, integrity, accountability and a strong desire to take on new challenges and find long-term solutions. I will represent all City residents without bias and will involve the community in the decision-making process.

I have a degree in Civil Engineering and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with over 31 years of management experience working for Governmental Agencies. I have worked with various community groups, City Commissions and Boards, City Council and the Mayor’s Office. I have served on my HOA Board for four years and two years as the President. My wife and I were members of United Citizens for Better Neighborhoods (UCBN) since its inception.

My humble priority is to serve the citizens of the City of Antioch with dedication, integrity, fairness, transparency and full accountability. I encourage you to get to know me better by visiting my website www.noelpinto.com and communicate with me at noel@noelpinto.com. It is my privilege to have this opportunity to serve you.

Noel Pinto

Antioch

By James Ott

What appeared to be a last-minute move to place a parcel tax on the November ballot in order to raise money for additional Antioch police was ultimately rejected at the City Council meeting on July 10, 2012, due to lack of time.

At the close of the meeting, Antioch City Council Member Gary Agopian asked fellow council members to vote for a special meeting on July 17 to hear the item because Antioch has a city ordinance that requires two public hearings of an item before it can be placed on a ballot. And because the county will run the elections, they require any item that will go on the ballot to be placed between July 23 and the Aug. 1 deadline.

There was only one more regularly scheduled council meeting before that ballot proposal deadline so Agopian and fellow supporters would have needed that special meeting on July 17 for the item to have a chance to make the November ballot. In addition, the ballot measure’s supporters needed to conduct a formal poll of Antioch citizens to gauge their potential support of the parcel tax which currently requires a two-thirds majority vote to pass.

The idea of a parcel tax to generate the revenue to hire more cops was originally proposed at the Jan. 24 city council meeting by Antioch Crime Prevention Commissioner Bill Cook. Cook and his fellow supporters, Citizens for a Safe Antioch, asked Agopian to help them convince fellow council members to fast-track the item to squeeze it in on the upcoming ballot.

Agopian appealed to fellow council members – minus Mayor James Davis, who was absent from the meeting – saying that the item was “a fairly substantial issue that needs to be dealt with.”

“We’ve found the funding [for the required independent poll] and the poll’s going to be done and it should be done in time for a special meeting next week,” said Agopian.

Council members seemed to reject the special meeting – and thus prevented its inclusion on the ballot – after City Attorney Lynn Nerland specified the many requirements the last-minute item would need to make it onto the ballot.

“The council would have to introduce an ordinance on July 17 to be adopted without change on July 24 along with a resolution to consolidate the election in November,” said City Attorney Lynn Nerland.

After Nerland’s comments, Council Member Mary Rocha concluded that there would not be enough time to meet those requirements because even if they had all the necessary information such as the public poll at the special meeting on July 17, they wouldn’t have the required ordinance ready – something they would need all that information before hand to draft.

“Exactly,” responded Nerland. “I would have to be directed tonight to do that.”

To top it off, the final vote on the item would have to occur at a regularly scheduled meeting – the next being July 24.

Mayor Pro Tem Wade Harper said that he would not even have been able to attend the special meeting had they voted to do it anyway.

In the end even Agopian had to admit that it didn’t appear to be doable. “Well then it’s very apparent that the timing doesn’t work,” he said.

Agopian did appear to see a potential silver lining in the future for supporters of the parcel tax however. As mentioned earlier in the discussion by Council Member Brian Kalinowski and City Manager Jim Jakel – a state legislature bill is currently pending that would reduce the required majority vote to pass taxes used for public safety items – such as the proposed parcel tax to hire Antioch police officers – from a 66 percent, or two-thirds majority to only 55 percent.

Jakel seemed to think that, if passed, it could potentially be effective for next year’s ballot, possibly greatly increasing the odds that the parcel tax and related items could pass in public vote.

As a result, Agopian said that perhaps the Citizens for a Safe Antioch would continue with their polling in anticipation of the state bill’s passing, readying the information this time far ahead of its due date.

Also at the Meeting:

City Council decided to table the discussion that would potentially provide medical and retirement benefits for elected officials to the next meeting due to Mayor Jim Davis’ absence.

State law allows a general law city such as Antioch to provide salaries for its elected officials such as its city council members. And currently they $941.20 plus a car allowance of $350 a month and a communications allowance of $50 per month. The Mayor receives $450 for his car allowance and $100 for his communications allowance.

Although state law prohibits a council member’s salary from being reduced during their term, Antioch has passed resolutions since 2009 to encourage voluntary reductions in salary and car allowance due to the city’s years-long economic crisis.

The city council and City Manager Jim Jakel in the proposed resolution feel that because they are allowed benefits and were traditionally paid benefits before the economic problems and in light of “the sacrifices made by employees,” the council members deserve medical and retirement benefits.

– Analysis –

By Allen Payton, Publisher

Humphrey the whale would be shedding a tear if he knew what was happening to his namesake restaurant in Antioch.

Humphrey’s on the Delta restaurant has been in the news, lately, due to some back rent owed to the city of a little over $48,000, because the city owns the land upon which the restaurant sits, as well as the filing of Chapter 11 bankruptcy in order to reorganize their finances, to avoid foreclosure and remain in business.

Let me first state, Humphrey’s is still open and in business, and owner Eva Romero and her new partner Samir Rohayem plan to keep it that way.

But the question is how did Humphrey’s get here? Well that’s the whale of a true tale of competition and inconsistent and unfair treatment by the City of Antioch, over the past 10 years.

A little understanding, first. The city has an incentive to make sure Humphrey’s is successful. Why? Because their rent is based upon a flat rate or a percent of gross sales, whichever is greater. So the more business Humphrey’s does over a certain amount, the more money paid to the city.

Let’s go back to 2001 when the City Council chose to go into direct competition with Humphrey’s, when they approved construction of the Lone Tree Golf & Event Center’s new banquet facility.

Up until that point, Humphrey’s was the only place in town where you could hold a seated event for up to 300 people.

The Lone Tree facility was originally planned to be a 150-seat banquet hall at a cost of $3.6 million. Instead, the City Council at the urging of then Mayor Don Freitas, approved a 300-seat, $4.8 million facility. Then with construction cost overruns of $900,000 that figure increased to $5.7 million.

The city loaned that $900,000 to the golf course, but the first payment of $48,379 wasn’t required until this year.

Once the new facility was open at Lone Tree, city, Chamber of Commerce and other events started being held, there instead of at Humphrey’s where they all had been held in the past.

Then the city chose to go into the restaurant business, again. This time with the Downtown Restaurant Incentive Program, in which they had $500,000 in redevelopment money to give to two restaurants.

They ended up granting $300,000 to help Bases Loaded open on G Street, which offered a full bar, food and live musical entertainment, just like Humphrey’s does. Now they’re struggling to stay alive, too.

At the time I argued that whatever the city did for a new business, they need to offer an equal benefit to existing businesses that the new one would compete with.

Instead, the city spent $20,000 on a consultant for Humphrey’s who told them three things, two of which they did: 1. change the staff uniforms, 2. make changes to the menu, and 3. spend $500,000 to $750,000 to fix up the place. The Romero family didn’t have that kind of money for improvements.

All they asked from the city was a new sign at the end of L Street at 2nd Street so people would know that Humphrey’s was there, since the trees in the marina parking lot had all grown up and now block the view of the sign on the front of the restaurant.

Then along came the new Antioch Community Center at Prewett Park which can also hold sit-down, catered banquet events for 220 people in one room and as many as 1,000 in the gymnasium. So, not only was the City competing with Humphrey’s, again, they’re now in competition with Lone Tree – which is owned by the city but operated by a nonprofit board of directors.

City staff recognized that, in their report to the City Council on February 10, this year, when they pointed out the challenges facing Lone Tree – “loan debt, downturn in the economy, creating a larger event center facility desired by the community leaders, the new Antioch Community Center.”

In that same report, staff pointed out that Lone Tree was in arrears almost $542,000 in payments on the loan for construction of the facility.

I don’t fault the golf course board. It was the Council at that time that strapped the board with a much larger debt than was planned or manageable.

But if they can’t make their loan payments, the city’s General Fund – which pays for police – has to pick up those costs.

Fortunately, according to one board member, they have made all the payments required by the city, this year. That included a $281,000 loan payment reducing the amount in arrears to about $260,000 and a $74,055 payment on the loan for the parking lot improvement, reducing that balance to either $74,055 or $148,110.

However, that doesn’t include the approximate $850,000 remaining from the loan for construction cost overruns.

The Prewett Park Fund, for both the new Community Center and Antioch Water Park, received a subsidy of almost $300,000 in this past year’s budget from the city’s General Fund. So that tells me unfortunately, they’re not making it on their own, either.

So now there are three facilities competing for the same banquet room rental business – which needless to say has dropped off dramatically since 2008 – and two of them are owned by the city, and all are struggling. One council member said the city now rotates events among the three.

Another shot from the city was the replacement of the Marina Park with the new Boat Launch Facility. Why? Because people would use the park for weddings then have their receptions at Humphrey’s, afterwards.

Finally, the latest shot was when the Council voted against changing the name of L Street to Marina Way or Parkway, as has been in the city’s Economic Plan since 1996. Humphrey’s address would have been 1 Marina Way or Parkway. The signs on the freeway would have provided permanent marketing for the waterfront and the road. Currently Humphrey’s address is 1 Marina Plaza, but there are no signs with that name on it and is confusing.

Yet the city is coming down hard on a 70-something, Hispanic female and longtime Antioch business owner and resident, over $48,000 in back rent.

Eva Romero attempted to sell the business two years ago, but she claims when the managing partner of the LLC defaulted on payments, she had to take the restaurant back.

She really doesn’t want to be in the restaurant business any more. She wants to retire.

One council member said it was because Romero filed for bankruptcy protection, the city was done dealing with her. They’ll be happy to negotiate with a new owner on the back rent. But not with Romero, because he doesn’t believe they can due to Humphrey’s being in bankruptcy.

Something smells about this entire situation, and it’s not from the fresh fish served at Humphrey’s or from a whale.

The City Council needs to work with Romero and her new partner, and let Humphrey’s deal with their creditors and stay alive until they can find a new buyer. It’s only fair after all the competition the city created for them.