Archive for April, 2013

False Bomb Threats at Antioch and Deer Valley High Schools Wednesday morning

Wednesday, April 24th, 2013

By Sergeant Morefield, Investigations Bureau

On Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at approximately 9:41 AM, Antioch High School received a bomb threat. The school was evacuated and searched, and nothing was located. Two more bomb threats were called in concerning Deer Valley High School at approximately 10:35 AM and 1:06 PM. The same measures were taken and nothing was located.

Two similar threats were called in to Deer Valley High School on Monday, April 22 and Tuesday, April 23 and both of those were determined to be hoaxes, as well. The Antioch Police Department is currently investigating each of these false bomb threats.

Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to call Detective Koch with the Antioch Police Department at (925)779-6895.

You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCHq

Youth Intervention Network Spring Luncheon to feature U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag

Wednesday, April 24th, 2013
Melinda Haag

Melinda Haag

You’re invited to attend theYouth Intervention Network (YIN) Spring Luncheon:
“Preventing Bullying and Reconnecting Our Youth” on Thursday, May 9, 11:30 – 1:30 pm at the Lone Tree Golf and Event Center in Antioch.

We anticipate an audience of about 100 local and regional leaders at this historic event.
Individual tickets are $50 and we are looking for additional sponsors for this event to support the work of YIN. As a sponsor, you will be recognized in outreach and event material. In addition, this program will be taped for broadcast by CCTV and will reach thousands of households throughout the Contra Costa community.

The Youth Intervention Network (YIN) Spring Luncheon

Honorary Hosts

Assemblyman Jim Frazier, Supervisor Mary Peipho, AUSD School Board President Joy Motts,

AUSD Superintendent Donald Gill, and Antioch Mayor Wade Harper

“Preventing Bullying and Reconnecting Our Youth”

Building Healthy Families, Safe Schools, and an Inclusive Community

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Lone Tree Golf Course and Event Center,

4800 Golf Course Road in Antioch

11:30 am – 1:30 pm

Keynote Speaker: Melinda Haag, US Attorney for the Northern District of California

Panelists:

Allan Cantando, Antioch Police Chief

Stephanie Anello, Antioch Unified School District Student Services

Devorah Levine, Contra Costa Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence Initiative

Iris Archuleta, Co-Founder, YIN/CEO, Emerald HPC International, LLC

As recent events have demonstrated, bullying, cyberbullying and other forms of mistreatment continue to permeate our schools. The growing indifference and increase in bystander behavior has had the unintended consequence of ‘normalizing’ incivility and intolerance. These dangerous behaviors are occurring at younger ages and are more pervasive and therefore more challenging for adults to identify. It is not possible to legislate civility or punish young people into being tolerant. Evidence and experience call for a change in direction, priorities and the allocation of resources. To increase school safety, attendance, achievement and graduation rates, schools and communities need a new approach and strategies that focus on the fundamental determinants affecting school climate:
– Strengthening the relationships between among youth and adults

– Viewing students as resources and contributors

– Utilizing restorative justice practices and policies

– Changing the social norms that allow bullying to occur.

The principal objective of school violence-reduction strategies should be to
create cultures and climates of safety, respect, and emotional support within educational institutions.

– U.S. Secret Service and Department of Education

Our keynote speaker, Melinda Haag, is serving her first term as the US Attorney for the Northern District of California. She was appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the US Senate in August 2010. Ms. Haag served most recently as the Chief of the White Collar Crimes Section in the Northern District, where she supervised the prosecution of white collar, environmental, child exploitation, and civil rights offenses. Selected by the Daily Journal as one of the Top 100 Lawyers (2009 and 2010) and Top Women Litigators (2005-2009) in California, she received the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Public Service Award in 2003.

This luncheon will highlight the continuing efforts of the Youth Intervention Network (YIN) to engage youth ages 10 through 18 who, because they are truant and/or academically disengaged, are likely to commit or become victims of violence without the appropriate interventions. Our distinguished panelists will focus on national and regional strategies to prevent bullying and how parents, businesses, and civic organizations can support efforts by AUSD, the City of Antioch, the Antioch Police Department, Contra Costa County, and YIN to prevent bullying and create safe and inclusive learning environments for our youth and young adults in Antioch and East County.

Since 2008, YIN has trained over 250 youth and adult leaders and volunteers, served over 50 families and 90 youth, and brought together more than 35 Antioch and Contra Costa County agencies and organizations. Among youth and families served, there has been a 92% reduction in police calls for service, an 83% reduction in truancy, and an improvement in student GPA by an average of 2 grade points. Ninety percent of the students participating in YIN have graduated from high school. Of these, 100% have gone on to postsecondary education.

YIN was recently featured at the opening celebration of the United Nations Peace University at the Hague in the Netherlands. Also, YIN’s success has been acclaimed in several local, state and national awards, including the National Project Safe Neighborhoods Best Community Involvement Award for 2010.
It has been a goal since the inception of YIN to integrate its best practices into the right community vehicle that would move the vision forward and take it to a level of sustainability. To that end, a transition team has completed the incorporation of YIN as an independent 501c3, and selected a board of directors and officers.

Your participation will support:

• the continuing work of YIN to reduce youth crime and gang violence though direct intervention into the lives of youth and their families, though agency collaboration and accountability, and through positive community messaging and transformation based on inclusion, service, cooperation, personal responsibility, and mutual accountability.

• the development and measurement of cross-agency strategies to reduce truancy, dropout rates, and youth violence and to increase academic performance, graduation, employability, and college-going rates among youth.

• the recruitment, training, and support of community volunteers to serve as mediators and educational advocates who directly engage youth and families under the award-winning YIN mediative intervention model.

We anticipate an audience of about 100 local and regional leaders and the event will be taped for broadcast by CCTV to the Contra Costa community.

Will you support YIN by sponsoring and/or attending this event?

Tickets are $50 and we are seeking additional sponsors for this event to support the work of YIN. Please complete the attached reservation or sponsorship form and confirm your attendance by Wednesday, April 30.

For more information about Melinda Haag, click here.

If you have any questions, please feel fee to contact: keith@emeraldhpc.com

County Fair provides fundraising opportunity to non-profit groups in the county

Wednesday, April 24th, 2013

The Contra Costa County Fairgrounds would like to invite all non-profit groups in Contra Costa County to participate in a fundraising opportunity that raises funds for non-profit organizations, while also sharing the enthusiasm for the Contra Costa County Fair!

Non-profit organizations that choose to participate are invited to sell tickets for the Unlimited Ride Wristbands valid at the Contra Costa County Fair carnival. Unlimited Carnival Ride Wristband tickets will be sold by the non-profit organization for $18 each (this is $7 off the regular price)and $4 of each ticket sold goes back to the non-profit organization. That’s right – your organization will receive $4 for every ticket sold!

If your organization is interested – it’s an easy process. From April 15 until May 17, your nonprofit organization will presell tickets for the Unlimited Ride Wristbands.The purchaser can redeem their ticket at any of the Midway of Fun Main Carnival Ticket Booths during the Fair, May 30-June 2, 2013, and receive their Unlimited Ride Wristband at that time. The carnival ride wristband is valid for one whole dayof unlimited carnival rides at the Contra Costa County Fair!

If interested, please call the Fair Office at (925) 757-4400 for an application and additional details. This year’s Contra Costa County Fair is May 30 – June 2. For Fair information, visit www.ContraCostaFair.com.

Nancy Roberts Solo Exhibit in Brentwood

Wednesday, April 24th, 2013
Cherry Orchard by Nancy Roberts

Cherry Orchard by Nancy Roberts

“Reality is great,” she says, “But I like giving it a little tweak. I love improvising with color, streamlining shapes and weaving playful patterns.”

Her eclectic subjects range from landscapes and streetscapes to tools, trucks and toys.

The gallery is located at 700 Harvest Park Drive and is open Monday through Friday 10 am to 6 pm, Saturday 10 am to 3 pm. For more information and an exhibit preview visit www.nancyrobertsstudio.com.

Writer thanks Antioch Council for July 4th vote

Wednesday, April 24th, 2013

The Antioch City Council deserves kudos for moving the Fourth of July event from tier three to tier two in their official hierarchy of community support. This means that though the City still will not be the fiscal sponsoring agent, nor an equal paying partner, fortuitiously, they will not bill for event planning time. The only city billing will be for real and clearly extra costs; i.e., extra police manpower, public service workers, lost safety cones and the like.  

This is big news as last year the Citizen Committee paid $16,000 for staff meetings, traffic control schematics, etc. 

Clearly, the Council senses the pulse of the people and realizes that the crowd of 25,000 to 30,000 that reveled last year fervently wanted this American-as-American-gets event enshrined back in Antioch culture after a two year absence. 

Congressman Garamendi once poignantly remarked to me that Rivertown was made for the 4th of July parade and fireworks. It is, indeed, a bucolic  Americana setting a stones throw from the river, boasting the likes of the vintage art deco 1927 El Campanil Theatre.

Acknowledgements are due.  After many years energetically spearheaded by Rick Carraher and a citizen committee the city folded its’ support. Thankfully, Martha Parsons and Susan Davis kept the embers alive in 2010 with a Somersville Mall parade.

In 2011 Allen Payton, Louise Green and I brought the parade back to Rivertown.  Last year a citizen committee, with Joy Motts and Martha Parson fund-raising, brought fireworks back into the festivities. This year the torch is again carried by a core group, now led by Chair Wayne Harrison.

We are off to a good start with 20K donated through the efforts of our last Grand Marshall, County Board of Supervisor Federal Glover. We are looking to raise 65K again as last year we lucked out in that the holiday fell on a police training day, thus saving considerable costs.

This year promises bigger and better with wall to wall synchronized sound, more food vendors, a bigger car show, kids zone, dance-off, etc. 

You can help out by donating $4 (or more) to the 4th. Go to our web site at www.antiochjuly4th.com for donation address or Pay Pal contact. You can also see linked videos of last year’s event and get information on entering the dance-off contest or 7 p.m. parade.

Join us by contributing or participating in support of America’s birthday bash. In the midst of the recent Boston tragedy, let’s show that our bonds, our resolve and our free and celebatory spirit are unbroken. 

Walter Ruehlig, Antioch

McNerney introduces bill to help homeowners avoid foreclosure

Wednesday, April 24th, 2013

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Jerry McNerney (D-Stockton) introduced the Housing Opportunity and Mortgage Equity (HOME) Act of 2013 to help underwater homeowners avoid foreclosure.  The HOME Act will help lower homeowners’ monthly mortgage payments, providing them with a path to stay in their homes.

Continuing to strengthen the housing sector is a vital part of economic security.  We need to help people stay in their homes and build financial security.  With the housing crisis still affecting our region, it is vital that we continue to provide relief, thus benefitting our entire community,” said Congressman McNerney.

The HOME Act will provide millions of Americans with lower monthly mortgage payments, providing much-needed financial relief.  It will allow homeowners with mortgages secured by the Government Sponsored Enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to refinance at the current low interest rates.  This option was originally established by the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP); however, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), as of December of 2012, only 2.1 million loans had been refinanced out of the original goal of 5 million.

The HOME Act will create a one-year refinancing program and grant the FHFA the option to extend the program beyond that deadline.  Currently, there are nearly 30 million mortgages guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

We need to continue to take a multi-faceted, commonsense approach to deal with the ongoing housing crisis.  We will never get our economy back to a competitive, robust state without addressing this challenge.  This is too critical an issue to go unaddressed,” said Congressman McNerney.

The HOME Act is supported by the California Association of Realtors and ClearPoint Credit Counseling Solutions.

Reps. Doris Matsui, Mike Honda and Jim Costa are original cosponsors of the bill.

We applaud Representative McNerney for introducing the HOME Act to make it easier for responsible homeowners to refinance their mortgages at today’s low interest rates and avoid foreclosure.  We support this important piece of legislation and hope it moves swiftly through Congress.” – Don Faught, President, California Association of Realtors

“Congressman McNerney’s bill is an important step toward improving the stability of the housing market and providing struggling homeowners with affordable alternatives for preserving home ownership. Sustainable home ownership has a positive effect on a local and national level, which helps improve the overall health of our economy.” – Martha Lucey, Senior Vice President and Chief Education Officer, ClearPoint Credit Counseling Solutions

The HOME Act will open the door for more families to receive needed assistance to save their homes. Thank you, Congressman McNerney, for being a champion of homeowners.” – Cynthia Summers, Housing Chair, California State Conference, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

McNerney represents most of Antioch in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Antioch Council postpones opening of, will study policy on locations for felons in state’s realignment program

Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013

By James Ott

City leaders have decided to restrict the opening of new social service centers in Antioch for recently released criminals until the city can research their potential impacts to nearby businesses and communities.

At the Tuesday, March 26 council meeting city council voted to require a conditional use permit for the social service centers and to restrict them to business and professional services zones in the city for at least the next 45 days.

The so called “community supervision programs” are a product of State Assembly Bill 109’s attempt to transfer the responsibility of supervising recently released low-level criminals from the state to the county. Private, public, non-profit and for-profit organizations can apply for over $4 million in state aid to provide services like employment and housing help, peer mentoring and other services to help recently released non-violent, non-serious offenders re-integrate into society.

Antioch staff brought the item to the attention of city council because it said that at least one such organization has already applied to open in Antioch.

According to Antioch Community Development Director Tina Wehrmeister, because the city does not yet have adequate ordinances and regulations in place to deal with these new centers that application almost went through and would have allowed the social services center to open across the street from the Nick Rodriguez Community Center which is frequented by seniors and children.

While the goal of the service centers is to reduce the odds of these low-level criminals from re-offending the program is brand new and so it’s effectiveness is untested, city council said. The city is worried about these programs concentrating parolees into cities like Antioch who already have a high crime rate and a reduced police force.

According to Antioch Police Captain Steve McConnell, Antioch has had 107 felons, who were released under the program, return to the city since AB 109 took effect – more than any other nearby city. That compares to Richmond who has 90, while Concord has 77, Pittsburg has 72, Martinez has 30 and Brentwood and Oakley both have 14.

I understand that the horse is already out of the barn, that people are being released and they need help,” said council member Gary Agopian. “So if we’re going to allow these types of facilities in Antioch I think it’s prudent, considering the risk, to study the issue and make sure we’re putting these facilities in places that are not going to create problems.”

Agopian also pointed out that while those that are released from prison are considered non-violent, no-serious, non-sexual offenders that is only based on their most recent conviction so those using the community supervision programs could possibly still have a violent or serious criminal past.

It was information like this that led city council to vote unanimously, (with Mary Rocha abstaining), to enact the emergency ordinance restricting the service centers while city staff research more permanent solutions.

I think we have a responsibility to allow these individuals to get the services they need to become responsible citizens,” said Mayor Wade Harper. “but I’m leaning toward certain restrictions… not near schools, not near parks, not near senior facilities but in a commercial area or near social service offices.”

Todd Billeci, the Director of Field Services for the Contra Costa County Probation Department said that Antioch has time on their side to make the necessary adjustments because the funding and contracts for East, West and Central county community service programs won’t be awarded until May 14.

According to Dana Simas in the Press Office of the California Department of Corrections, “No one is being released from prison early. They’ve served their full sentence and would be released anyway.”

The only difference under realignment is whether they’re on state parole or county probation,” she added. “That’s determined by their current commitment offense. If they’re non-violent, non-serious, non-sex offenders, as defined by the penal code, then they’re placed on probation not parole.

They must be released back to the community in which they lived when the crime was committed.

We are still 10,000 short of meeting the federal court order of reducing the prison population,” Simas stated.

That means Antioch and East County can expect more individuals to return to the local communities.

Also At the Meeting

The City of Antioch will conduct a poll to asses what kind of tax measure it’s constituents might vote for in order to provide money to hire more police officers.

The poll will ask voters if they would favor a half-cent or a three-quarter-cent sales tax measure or if they would prefer taxing rental properties $200 to $250 dollars a year to raise the money.

City Manager Jim Jakel said that the poll’s fine details will be decided and it should go out to Antioch homes in about the next 45 days.

Antioch currently has 102 sworn and 26 non-sworn officers on it’s payroll and it’s costing the city just under $24 million a year.

At the Tuesday, March 26 council meeting Jakel said that the city would need at least $6.8 million from the tax measure to reach the 126 sworn officer and 50 non-sworn officers it is aiming for.

That would require voters adopting at least a three-quarter-cent sales tax Jakel said – which would raise just over $7 million to go towards the new police hires.

It looks like city council’s goal of eventually having 144 sworn officers might be a bit of a stretch right now as it would cost an additional $10.7 million to get to that level and even a one-cent sales tax would only generate an extra $9.4 million – a full $1.3 less than needed.

As a matter of fact, Jakel estimated that it would cost the city $34,645,00 for pay and benefits – which would be more than the city’s entire current budget.

It was also estimated that the city would need an additional $240,000 to provide vehicles and safety equipment for 126 sworn and 50 non-sworn officers.

That number would jump to $1.1 million to provide the same equipment for 144 sworn and 55 non-sworn officers.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

AUSD is Leading the Way

Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013

sean-wrightBy Dr. Sean Wright, CEO, Antioch Chamber of Commerce

The Antioch Unified School District is leading the way in a statewide effort for High School Reformation. Five years ago AUSD applied for a grant and project from the James Irvine Foundation that brought in monetary resources and experts to incorporate a new model of educational reform known as Linked Learning. Antioch’s Superintendent Dr. Donald Gill and the AUSD school board has fully embraced this new model of educational reform and created numerous academies at each of the Antioch High Schools.

For the past five years, this grant has allowed AUSD to be involved in a California Linked Learning District Initiative, which aims to demonstrate that when school districts use Linked Learning as a primary district strategy for high school transformation, student outcomes improve. Only nine California districts were able to participate in this phenomenal opportunity. AUSD now offers pathway academies in Medicine, Law, Engineering, Business, Technology, and the Performing Arts with more on the way.

The data from these school districts is coming in with Higher Test Scores, decreased levels of truancy and overall students who are more engaged in their own educational process than ever before. Because of the promising data, the state of California wrote an Assembly Bill last year known as AB790 which sought out twenty school districts that would continue the work of Linked Learning over the next five years. Looking to collect more data and give the beginning districts more time to expand their pathways. AUSD partnered with Mount Diablo and Pittsburg School Districts to work together as surrounding districts to expand Linked Learning. The three school district cohort grant known as The Diablo Delta Corridor Project was applied for and accepted by the state of California in January of this year.

The Diablo Delta Corridor Project is an interesting model for Linked Learning as it looks to engage Businesses in order to create greater dialogue and more understanding for our students coming directly from the source of the employers of the future. This Linked Learning model allows student education to incorporate Math, English, Science and Social Study core learning into a thematic relevant and engaging pathway around the student’s direct area of interest. It’s not Math for the sake of Math or English for the sake of English, it is Math, English, and Science taught to help a student understand the topics that make them want to learn.