By Heather Gass

*****East Bay Tea Party Call to Action*****
Patriots,

Apparently the management at MTC (Metropolitan Transportation Commission) and ABAG (Association of Bay Area Governments) are so afraid that there will actually be REAL citizens showing up at their One Bay Area “Kabuki” theatre visioning meetings that they have intentionally been rigging the attendee list.

This goes to show how far these agencies will go to hide what they are really planning on implementing. They know that if the public really knows what SB375 (Sustainable Communities) and AB32 would really do to our economy and private property rights that we would say NO!

As of yesterday almost 95% of the citizens that have signed up for workshops around the bay area have either NEVER received a confirmation or only received one if they signed up identifying themselves as a “Social or Environmental Justice” advocate.

I have never heard of a PUBLIC meeting requiring the public to preregister for the event and identify and/or characterize themselves as either; “concerned citizen”, “smaller role of govt.”, “social advocate”, “social justice”, etc. MTC purposefully set a maximum attendance at each meeting to 100 people.

Currently all of the meetings are waitlisted. If so many want to attend they should be postponing the event and finding a bigger venue to hold it in. Many of these concern citizens signed up in early December and have never received an email confirmation. When they call MTC to inquire they never get a call back.

In late December Greenbelt Alliance, who is a strategic partner in One Bay Area and also co-sponsored and facilitated the visioining sessions last spring put out a desperate call to all their supporters advising them that REAL citizens would be showing up to these meetings and pleading with them to attend as well.

This is a Major conflict of interest and should not be tolerated. These meetings are meant for PUBLIC input not shills and stakeholders who seek to benefit by the outcome of these meetings. All of this is clearly their way of weeding out who is pro-One Bay Area and who is not prior to the meetings. They are only holding One public input meeting per County for all nine Bay Area counties.

These 900 attendees will be the only ones providing public input about the fate and future of over 7 million people in the Bay Area for the next 25 years! To have a government agency display such blatant disregard for the public is a travesty. MTC has clearly been controlling who is being allowed to attend.

I’ve had enough of this crap. Yesterday I filed a formal complaint with the DOT about the shenanigans going on with the signups with MTC. I also specifically emailed a complaint to Ted Matley with the FTA (Fed Transportation Association). You can also file a complaint directly with Mark Green, the chair of MTC.

My suggestion is that everyone on this list should do the same. We need to flood their in boxes with complaints. The Federal Transportation Association and Fed. Highway Assoc. will be holding a hearing next Tuesday to ask the Public how MTC is doing. This should give them something to talk about!

File complaints with DOT, FTA and also with Mark Green the Chair of MTC. Here is there contact info. We need to fight fire with fire. Do it today.

1. Ted Matley FTA Region IX office at (415) 744-2590, or by email at ted.rnatley@fta.dot.gov

2. DOT/FHWA Complaint Online OIG Hotline Complaint Form – E-mail to hotline@oig.dot.gov

3. Mark Green – MTC Chair markg@unioncity.org

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At this point….. don’t bother trying to sign up and register for these sessions. The process is obviously rigged. I say just show up. After all it’s your future and your tax money paying for all of this!

ONE BAY AREA JANUARY VISIONING SESSIONS
ONE BAY AREA
JANUARY VISIONING SESSIONS

Register Here: http://www.onebayarea.org/workshops/

Website: www.theeastbayteaparty.com
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=78604449572
Twitter: http://twitter.com/EastBayTeaParty

California Unified Certification Program Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) CERTIFICATION WORKSHOP
Including one-on-one certification assistance

The Business Outreach Committee (BOC), with co-sponsor Contra Costa Supervisor Federal Glover and City of Pittsburg, invites you to learn about the DBE Certification Program.

Date: Thursday, January 19, 2012
Time: 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Place: Pittsburg Senior Center
300 Presidio Lane, Pittsburg, CA

For information on taking public transit to the event, please visit http://www.511.org/

WHY ATTEND?
* Learn how a DBE certification can provide you access to federally-funded projects. New federal requirements coming into effect February 2012 make it even more important for your firm to be certified.

* Bring your DBE certification application or questions and receive one-on-one assistance. Download an application at http://www.caltrans.ca.gov/hq/bep/downloads/pdf/DBE_Application.pdf

* Receive information on upcoming projects from BOC member agencies.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS FOR DBE CERTIFICATION:
(Go to www.CaliforniaUCP.com for complete details)

* Firm must be at least 51% owned and operated by one or more socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.

* Firm must be an independent business.

* Only existing for-profit “Small Business Concerns” as defined by the Small Business Act and Small Business Administration (SBA) regulations may be certified.

* SBA size standards apply.

* Personal Net Worth (PNW) of socially and economically disadvantaged owners must not exceed $1.32 Million, excluding the individual’s ownership interest in the applicant firm and the equity in his/her primary residence.

To register online or sign up for future newsletters and event information, click link below (or copy to web browser), complete form, then click “submit form’: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dDZWWUg2ZF83blhPeTZSYUI5MXF4c0E6MQ#gid=0

Certifying agencies include BART, SFMTA, Samtrans, and VTA.

Commercial Code Enforcement/Shop Antioch Subcommittee Meeting
Monday, January 9, 2012
4:00 p.m.
Third Floor Conference Room
Antioch City Hall
Mayor James D. Davis
Councilmember Gary Agopian
Econ. Dev. Commissioner Martha Parsons
Econ. Dev. Commissioner Monica Wilson
Antioch Chamber Rep. Brian Bellante
Antioch Chamber Rep. Terry Ramus
PUBLIC COMMENTS (Only unagendized issues will be
discussed during this time)
I. Elect a Subcommittee Chair
II. Subcommittee Goals/Direction
a. How will goals be relayed/delivered from the subcommittee to the public?
III. Code Enforcement
a. Other city’s shopping cart requirements – Ryan Graham
b. Allied Waste Cart Retrieval Possibility – Gary Agopian
IV. Shop Antioch
PUBLIC COMMENTS
STAFF COMMUNICATIONS
ADJOURNMENT
– Next scheduled meeting: February 13, 2012 at 4:00 P.M. –

Dow’s 12th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration takes place on Thursday, January 12 and it promises to be a time of reflection and inspiration.

Former San Francisco 49er offensive lineman, Guy McIntyre, will deliver the keynote speechWith an NFL career that spans more than a decade and includes three trips to the Super Bowl and five trips to the Pro-Bowl, McIntyre has a story that goes beyond the gridiron.

Renowned jazz saxophonist, Kevin Moore, will also be entertaining the audience with several musical selections.

For the fourth year, Dow hosted an essay contest for local high school students. This year, in keeping with the County Office of Education’s new focus on civility, students were asked to describe how 21st century technologies (cell phones, social media, the Internet), not present in Dr. King’s time, have impacted civility.

The winning essay will be read by its author, Bianka Machado, a sophomore at Pittsburg High. In addition, this year a poster contest was held and the winning poster, drawn by Karla Rosales, a senior at Deer Valley High School, will also be revealed.

Dow employees and invited community guests will be on hand to participate in this event.

The recipient of the Community Award is Professor Silvester Henderson, Chair of the Music Department at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg. Henderson has used gospel music to unite communities for more than 25 years.

The recipient of the Dow Employee Award is Jamie Polan, a Production Engineer, who has demonstrated a true commitment to diversity in the workplace as she helps with hispanic recruitment, leads the Women’s Innovation Network, mentors young engineers and more.

The Dow Chemical Company purchased the Pittsburg facility in 1939 from the Great Western Electrochemical Company. It is one of more than 150 manufacturing sites located in 37 countries around the world and supports two of Dow’s eight global businesses – Dow AgroSciences and Performance Chemicals. The Pittsburg facility produces a variety of products used in personal care products as well as a variety of crop protection products and intermediates. www.dowpittsburg.com

The City of Antioch and Antioch Unified School District, along with community partners and sponsors, will present the 4th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration at Antioch High School Beede Auditorium, 700 West 18th Street, on January 16th, from 1-3 PM,

The event, which grew from Antioch City Council Member Reggie Moore’s desire to celebrate Dr. King’s historical contributions, along with creating a scholarship program for high school and middle school students, began in 2009.

Mayor Pro Tem, Wade Harper, will continue the celebration with the support of business and community leaders. The celebration will include local community member Keith Archuletta’s tribute to Dr. King, performances by the Delta School for the Performing Arts, DVHS Divine Voices, DVHS Show Choir. Dr. Donald Gill, AUSD Superintendent, will announce the 2012 Scholarship program.

The event is sponsored by the City of Antioch, Antioch Unified School District, CCC Supervisor Federal Glover, Arts & Cultural Foundation of the City of Antioch, Parents Connected.

For more information, visit http://art4antioch.org/MLK-Program.asp or contact Lisa Harper at 925.437-4240 or e-mail Diane@Art4Antioch.org.

Global NxLevel Strategies & The Antioch Community Foundation is pre-registering for its 2012, “Increase your sales by one-million dollars business planning class.” For existing business owners or new startups, this may be your last chance for business development training for Antioch & Pittsburg residents. Due to 2012 funding cuts, this program may know longer be offered.

Why start or expand a business in this economy, because there are opportunities everywhere. The problem with finding the opportunities is a lack of business planning. 1 out of 5 businesses in the “Land of Opportunity” survives. A business owner, who fails to plan, plans to fail!

GNS wants to help you write a winning business plan. By writing your plan, you will work through your strategies; avoid potentially costly errors like undercapitalizing your business, negative cash flow, hiring the wrong people, selecting the wrong location, underestimating your competition, and pursuing the wrong markets.

To remain relevant in an economy that has experienced downsizing and manufacture’s moving to other countries, GNS is inviting you to register for this 11-week business planning program for just $95.

Not an Antioch or Pittsburg resident? The course is Just $395

Class starts Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at the Antioch Chamber of Commerce. For more information contact Quincy Hardin at 925-209-1584 or visit www.GlobalNxLevelStrategies.com.

By Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla
Executive Director, Restore the Delta

Assemblymember Alyson Huber is sponsoring AB550 — a bill that would require the legislature to vote on the merits of a peripheral canal after a full cost analysis.

We believe that Assemblymember Huber’s bill is one of the most important pieces of proposed legislation for Californians. Can California tax payers and water rate payers afford to pay more out of pocket for a project that will benefit a few powerful water district leaders and corporate agribusiness growers?

Below, you will find Restore the Delta’s letter in support of the bill. Feel free to use it as a template to send your own letter to Assemblymember Jared Huffman, Chair of the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee. The Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee will be taking up the bill on January 10, 2012.

We encourage you to take the time to support this important piece of legislation. The letter can be faxed to 916-319-2196 and/or dropped in the mail.
—————–
January 4, 2012

Assemblyman Jared Huffman, Chair
Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee
1020 N. Street, Suite 160
Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear Assemblyman Huffman:

Restore the Delta supports Assemblywoman Huber’s bill AB 550. AB 550 would prohibit the construction of a peripheral canal around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta without a full fiscal analysis and a vote of the Legislature.

Restore the Delta maintains that the people of California deserve to know that due process will take place before tax payers and rate payers are asked to spend billions of dollars on a peripheral
canal. It is imperative that our state’s Legislature continues to oversee large-scale projects and does not delegate its authority to unelected bureaucrats who are not held accountable by voters.

While you were busy celebrating the holidays and the Antioch City Council was taking a break from their usual biweekly meetings, a lot was happening elsewhere.

At year’s end Governor Jerry Brown announced he signed 745 new bills passed by the Legislature this year, many of which he deemed “useless” but commenting that for many lawmakers it’s the only thing they have to show for their time at the Capitol!

Regional planners also announced they would soon be holding public workshops to present alternatives to a new plan they call One Bay Area” – a state-mandated plan to promote “smart growth” policies, purported to be the solution to urban sprawl, highway congestion, air pollution, blight and social inequity by encouraging high-density, mixed-use housing adjacent to transit corridors.

The plan being developed by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments, which would further deteriorate local control, is similar to a $750,000 plan entitled Shaping Our Future (SOF) adopted the County Board of Supervisors back in 2006 and similar to a regional plan “Focusing Our Vision, adopted by ABAG, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District shortly after the county adopted SOF.

The One Bay Plan, which would apply to all transportation and development planning in the nine Bay Area Counties through 2035, however, is more draconian as it could deny cities and counties that fail to follow the mandates millions of dollars in grants and incentives from the regional agencies.

Ironically, the first “transit village” built in Contra Costa County at the Pleasant Hill BART area didn’t increase ridership on public transit. A survey showed that 69% of the people who worked in the Pleasant Hill BART transit development area drove to work in single occupancy vehicles, 12% carpooled, 14% took public transit and 2% walked.