Kristoff Williams, courtesy of WSU Athletics

PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University has announced that Kristoff Isiah Williams of Antioch has, once again, made the President’s Honor Roll, this time for the 2014 Summer semester.

The President’s Honor Roll recognizes students who stand above the rest with excellent academic performance. To be eligible for the honor roll, undergraduate students must be enrolled in a minimum of nine graded hours in a single term at WSU and earn a grade point average of 3.75 or earn a 3.50 cumulative GPA based on 15 cumulative hours of graded work.

A criminal justice major in his senior year, Williams is a 2010 graduate of Deer Valley High School, where he was a four-year scholar athlete and a National Football League Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete, as quarterback for the Wolverines. He now plays wide receiver for the WSU Cougars football team. Williams is the son of Daniel and Corlette Williams.

For more information on Kristoff Williams, click here or here.

Dear Editor:

The September 10th meeting of the Contra Costa Community College Board was at least a partial victory for the voice of common sense. First, BART President Joel Keller and a number of supporting people spoke. They advocated exploring a possible land swap for the 17 acre proposed campus at Marsh Creek Road behind Trilogy Retirement Village.

After Board comment, the College Board President, John Marquez (Area I) formed a feasibility committee to assess the viability of Mr. Keller’s proposal. This consisted of Board Vice President John Nejedly (Area IV) and Trustee Greg Enholm (Area V). Since then the Chancellor, Helen Benjamin, has suggested hiring a professional consultant with site evaluation expertise.

I am heartened that the College Board is not blindly lurching forward as any final decision will have generational consequences.  The new site is five miles from Lone Tree on a dim two way road down the Highway bypass. A representative from Tri-Delta spoke adversely of the site saying, that at best, transportation would be spotty.

At the Board meeting my wife, Cynthia Ruehlig, a Trustee with the County Board of Education, but speaking as a private citizen, concurred. She stated that that those with disabilities and economic hardship would suffer most as many people in East County did not have cars.

On the other hand, the proposed new site, off Mokelumne Trail between Lone Tree and Sand Creek Roads adjacent to Highway 4, has acsessability.  An e-BART station is projected for that site and it is much more central to all area high schools. That weighs importantly as there is an increasing trend towards high schoolers taking concurrent college classes.

Lastly, we’re all hoping that our senior citizens be spared a horror show.  Picture up to 11,000 car trips daily streaming into the now peaceful retirement area of Trilogy and Sumerset.  Many of the students will, invariably, be late to class and rushing. Imagine the dangers of many taking ancillary side roads like Fairview.

For the interests of young and old, then, there are challenging questions to be answered.  Much rides in the balance.

Walter Ruehlig

Antioch

Dear Editor:

When Jim Frazier first ran for Assembly two years ago, he promised to put people before politics. Unfortunately, like most politicians, he has failed to live up to his campaign promises, too often putting politics before people (also known as taxpayers).

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has given Frazier the grade of ‘F’ on its report card for the 2013-14 legislative session. Frazier voted in favor of taxpayers only 21 percent of the time on 15 important bills, including votes supporting tax increases and attacks on Proposition 13.

Frazier did better on the California Taxpayers Association report card for 2013, voting in taxpayer interests 41.7 percent of the time. But this year Frazier has voted with taxpayers just 30 percent of the time. That’s based on 35 bills “that would have a lasting impact on California’s tax structure, and would affect economic certainty, equity, transparency and the complexity of California taxes,” according to CalTax.

Only six of the 80 Assembly members scored worse than Frazier on the CalTax report card. And only 12 Assembly members received a worse score from HJTA.

If you believe your taxes are too low and that government spends your money better than you do, then give Jim Frazier two more years in the Assembly. If you feel that you are over-taxed and prefer to keep your hard-earned dollars, then Alex Henthorn, who favors lowering sales and business property taxes, deserves your vote.

Dave Roberts

Oakley

Dear Editor:

Pinocchio doesn’t live in Antioch.

Neither do the big money people behind the no on O campaign.

The City Council did not lie to voters. All of the Measure C funds are going to hire police officers. There is an oversight committee to insure that happens. The increase is off to a slow start because so many officers retired in 2014.

Every business in Antioch is expected to pay an annual business license tax. Landlords don’t. When someone rents a house, it’s for profit. That’s a business! Landlords need to pay their FAIR SHARE in Antioch. They do in most other cities.

A tax on seniors. What a lie that is. The majority of all seniors living in Antioch own their homes. NO HOMEOWNERS ARE AFFECTED BY MEASURE O. Measure O only applies to rental properties.

Most of Antioch’s public employees are still on a 4 day work week. Measure O will get them back to work full time. This will be a big step in getting Antioch back on track.

VOTE YES ON MEASURE O. IT”S FAIR AN HONEST.

Wayne Harrison, Antioch

Joseph E. Canciamilla, the County Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters, announces that vote-by-mail ballots for the November 4, 2014 Gubernatorial General Election were mailed the week of October 6, 2014. Ballots were mailed to those registered voters who previously requested a vote-by-mail ballot and to those living in precincts designated as mail ballot only.

Registered voters who expect a vote-by-mail ballot and have not received it as of October 15, 2014 please call (925) 335-7800 to request a replacement ballot.

We encourage voters to vote and return their vote-by-mail ballots as early as possible. Ballots must be received at the Elections Office by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 4, 2014 in order to qualify for counting. Ballots may be returned via mail, dropped off at the Elections Office at 555 Escobar Street, or beginning the week of October 13 they may be dropped off at participating City Halls during normal business hours (Antioch, Brentwood, Concord, Hercules, Orinda, Pinole, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, Richmond, San Pablo, San Ramon and Walnut Creek).

Any voter who wishes to become a permanent vote-by-mail voter for future elections may obtain information from our website at www.cocovote.us/voting/vote-by-mail/ or by calling the Elections Office at (925) 335-7800 or (877) 335-7802. Voters may also sign and return the vote-by-mail application on the last page of their Sample Ballot Booklet.

Smartfood Popcorn And Movie Critic Ben Lyons Celebrate National Popcorn Month By Unveiling America’s At-Home Movie And TV-Watching Habits

PLANO, Texas (Oct. 7, 2014) – In celebration of National Popcorn Month, movie critic Ben Lyons and Smartfood Popcorn, the No. 1 ready-to-eat popcorn brand* from PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay division, went to the polls with a survey on American at-home movie and TV-watching habits, honoring America’s go-to popcorn eating occasion. Among the interesting results, the survey revealed more than two-thirds of respondents are staying home and prefer a movie night from the comfort of their couch over a night out at the movie theater, and 70 percent of respondents indicated they prefer to pace themselves rather than marathon-watch a television or movie series. Additionally, when asked when they would most likely reach for the popcorn while watching a movie, 78 percent of respondents indicated they get a hankering for the snack during exciting or happy moments, as opposed to only 22 percent during sad or scary moments.

“Throughout the year I spend lot of my time at film festivals and big movie premieres, but the truth is, I also love a relaxing night at home enjoying a good movie or my favorite TV shows,” said Ben Lyons. “I’m not surprised that in the survey, Americans agreed that buying the right variety of snacks is the best way to make a movie night at home feel special. So, a fun way for movie fans to celebrate National Popcorn Month is to stay at home with some Smartfood popcorn and enjoy a great film.”

Additional survey results revealed:

·         Not feeling nostalgia:  The all-important decision between watching a new movie or an old favorite swayed in favor of the latest and greatest, with 62 percent of respondents indicating they most often watch new movies versus old ones.

·         Book vs. movie – A battle of the sexes:  With so many literary works turned into movies, men and women stand divided on what should be enjoyed first – the book or the movie.  Sixty-two percent of women say reading the book is a must before watching the movie version, compared to 53 percent of men preferring the move first.

·         Slow and steady beats marathon viewing:  When choosing to binge-watch movies or a television series, the average number of episodes enjoyed per sitting is a whopping seven, however, 70 percent of Americans indicate a preference to pace themselves rather than taking on a marathon session.

As a smart snacking choice that’s air popped with great taste, and doesn’t use artificial flavors or preservatives, Smartfood is a flavorful snacking choice and the perfect complement to at-home movie night. For a reduced-fat** snacking spin, Smartfood Delight Popcorn offers snack fans a tasty way to enjoy delicious flavors at 35 calories per cup. Available in two varieties, Sea Salt and White Cheddar, Smartfood Delight popcorn is 100 percent whole-grain popcorn, gluten free and contains no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

To celebrate National Popcorn Month, Smartfood and Lyons invite popcorn fans to enjoy a Smartfood flavor with their favorite kind of “flick:”

·         Smartfood White Cheddar Popcorn – perfect for a family favorite

·         Smartfood Movie Theater Butter Popcorn – perfect for an action-packed Hollywood blockbuster

·         Smartfood Kettle Corn Popcorn – perfect for a romantic comedy

·         Smartfood Cinnamon Brown Sugar – perfect for a holiday classic

·         Smartfood Delight Sea Salt Popcorn– perfect for a critically acclaimed film

·         Smartfood Delight White Cheddar Popcorn – perfect for a feel-good chick flick

Wakefield Research conducted the Smartfood National Popcorn Month survey online with 1,000 nationally representative U.S. adults ages 18+ from September 15, 2014 – September 19, 2014.

For more information, visit www.smartfood.com or www.facebook.com/Smartfood.

About Smartfood

Smartfood is one of the many brands that make up Frito-Lay North America, the $13 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY.  Learn more about Smartfood at www.facebook.com/smartfood  and Frito-Lay at the corporate website, http://www.fritolay.com, the Snack Chat blog, http://www.snacks.com/ and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fritolay.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $66 billion in net revenue in 2013, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our goal to deliver top-tier financial performance while creating sustainable growth in shareholder value. In practice, Performance with Purpose means providing a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; finding innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment and reduce our operating costs; providing a safe and inclusive workplace for our employees globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

Follow PepsiCo: 
• Twitter (@PepsiCo)
• Facebook
• PepsiCo Blogs
• PepsiCo Press Releases
• PepsiCo Multimedia
• PepsiCo Videos

* Smartfood® is America’s #1 Selling Popcorn Brand based on 2013 retail sales data from Information Resources, Inc.

** Regular Smartfood White Cheddar Popcorn has 10 g of total fat per 1-oz. serving. Smartfood Delight Sea Salt Popcorn has 7 g of total fat per 1-oz. serving. Smartfood Delight White Cheddar Popcorn has 5 g of total fat per 1-oz. serving.

Anthony Segovia

By John Crowder

Anthony Segovia, a 27-year-old, self-described financial analyst and small business owner, and a candidate for the Antioch city council, has admitted to a criminal record that includes two felony convictions for insurance fraud, as well as grand theft.

In an interview conducted by the Herald, Segovia claimed these charges have now been dropped down to misdemeanors after payment of restitution. He said he was currently on probation for these offenses.

According to Segovia, the felony charges stem from a car accident that took place in 2010. Segovia said he was one of five people in one of the two cars involved. He said that, after the accident, he and the others in the car he was riding in filed insurance claims for injuries sustained. While his own claim, he said, was legitimate, others made claims that were not. Segovia says that the two insurance companies that were defrauded paid about $92,000, altogether, to the five people involved. He claims to have personally received payments of about $1,500.

Segovia said that his involvement in the scheme included his pretending to be two of the other people who had been in the accident, speaking over the phone with and emailing the insurers on their behalf. He said he knew all of the other four participants, and that one of them was an uncle.

Segovia said that the main reason that he got in trouble was that he knew about the inflated claims made by others in the group, but refused to cooperate with the CA Department of Insurance investigators who were looking into the matter.

“I didn’t want to rat out a family member,” he said.

After being charged with insurance fraud, he says he determined to start cooperating with the investigators, and it was this decision, along with an agreement to make restitution to the insurance company, that eventually resulted in the charges being lowered to misdemeanors and a reduced jail sentence. Segovia pleaded ‘no contest’ to the two felony charges in 2012. He also said that he paid close to $90,000 in restitution, while one of the other participants paid between $10,000 and $15,000.

The grand theft conviction was for a real estate transaction involving another relative who lost $22,000 in the deal, for which Segovia said he was paid $400. He says he had a financial license, which allowed him to handle home loans, but not a real estate license, which was required.

For his crimes, Segovia says he was sentenced to nine months in jail, but actually spent only 30 days at a Marsh Creek facility, then spent another 45 days with an ankle monitor. This sentence reduction, he said, was approved by the judge in the case, after evaluating all of the circumstances.

Segovia’s version of the case, however, is disputed on almost every point by Contra Costa County Deputy District Attorney Brian Hast.

According to Hast, Segovia was the instigator of the fraudulent actions, not just someone helping out or covering up for his family. Hast also said that Segovia, still on probation, hadn’t yet paid the bulk of the restitution ordered. He said that the last time Segovia was in court was January, 2013, and that he would be on probation until October, 2017. Hast also said that the charges had not yet been reduced to misdemeanors, and that any such reduction would not happen until full restitution was paid.

Hast related a very different version of the events leading up to the fraud charges. Hast said that Segovia would submit an initial claim to an insurance company, with no proof, and if he was challenged, he would then drop the claim. Some insurance firms paid the claims without question.

According to Hast, he and an investigator from the CA Department of Insurance sat down with Segovia and confronted him with evidence of his crimes. Segovia was cooperative during the meeting, admitted his crimes, and spoke freely about the others involved. Because he was cooperating, Hast said, he told Segovia that he would request jail time of only six months, as long as he didn’t commit any more crimes prior to the trial, and withdrew any fraudulent claims he might still have open. “Then we find out he filed another claim,” said Hast, “and that is why the jail time went from six to nine months.”

Hast said that the total amount of restitution ordered was $118,236.99, and this was the amount Segovia was ordered to pay. According to Hast, the last time Segovia made a payment toward restitution was in November, 2013, when he sent in $250. Segovia had brought in other people on two different claims, and they were also ordered to pay restitution.

Segovia continues to campaign for the Antioch city council, in spite of the revelations about his criminal past. He said that, regardless of this history, he feels that he can still make a positive contribution to Antioch.

“I know a crime was committed,” he said, “I think moving forward, given that I’m so young, I don’t want one mistake in my past to affect my future. I want to be an example to people that, even though I made a mistake, I can still move forward, be a positive influence on society, and contribute to my city.”

In response to his past becoming public, Segovia posted the following on his campaign’s Facebook page on October 5:

“As many of the people are aware now, yes I do have a past that I am not proud of. Nobody is perfect, including the people judging me. Feeling I did the right at the time, there is no excuse to justify my choices. When one is running for public office of any kind, he/she should be a leader which he/she is seeking office for. As of now I have failed to do that. However what I haven’t failed to do is admit to my mistakes, took responsibility for my actions and moved on. There are many people with a past, they are just not trying to be a part of saving a crime stricken city. Before making a choice to run for Antioch City Council, I knew this was coming, now I have to face the comments and people passing judgment. Regardless of my past, there is a city that needs work and this is my main goal is getting Antioch back on track, getting it back to the city people loved to call hone. Many of you are probably wondering why i have no chosen to withdraw my candidacy, but let me tell you this will only make it stronger and makes me strive to change this great city. As for As the people who stuck by my side and continue to I want to thank you for your love and undying support you have shown me. NOW ITS TINE TO MOVE PAST THIS MINOR SETBACK AND GET TO WORK! ANTHONY SEGOVIA FOR ANTIOCH CITY COUNCIL.”

Segovia is the youngest of eight candidates running for the two seats up for election, on November 4. Also running are appointed incumbent Tony Tiscareno, who Segovia says is his cousin, but Tiscarano stated he only met Segovia at a candidates interview during the campaign and that he has 200 relatives in the area; Antioch School Board Trustee Diane Gibson-Gray, Lamar Thorpe, Lori Ogorchock, Karl Dietzel, Jeffrey Hall-Cottrell and Steven Bado.

Publisher Allen Payton contributed to this article.