By Allen Payton

The winners in the November election for the Antioch School Board, Walter Ruehlig and Debra Vinson, will take their seats in a late afternoon oath of office ceremony on Wednesday, December 10, 2014. It will be held at 4:45 p.m. so they can participate in a Work Study Session at 5:15 p.m. and a brief closed session meeting at 6:15 p.m., before the regular meeting at 7 p.m.

However, at 6:30 p.m., they’ll do it again, as a re-enactment for the public who can’t attend the 4:45 p.m. real ceremony, followed by a brief reception before the regular board meeting begins.

According to Nancy Belleci, Superintendent Don Gill’s Senior Executive Assistant, who responded on his behalf in an email, on Tuesday, “The same format has been used for December meetings…[for]…almost eight years.”

Both ceremonies and the regular meeting, will be held in the School Services Building, at 510 G Street in downtown Antioch. But, you must attend in person to watch them, because unlike the Antioch City Council meetings, the school board meetings are neither televised nor live streamed online, yet.

For a copy of the complete meeting agenda, please click here.

By John Crowder

The Antioch Corps of the Salvation Army has an urgent need for volunteers to participate as Bell Ringers for their annual Red Kettle Campaign.

Lieutenant Connie Hall, Commander of the Antioch Corps, explained the need at the weekly meeting of the Kiwanis Club of the Delta-Antioch at their weekly, 7:00 a.m. meeting at Denny’s Restaurant on Tuesday, December 9. “People are very generous,” she said, “but we are experiencing an acute shortage of volunteer Bell Ringers.” With only two weeks to go for the campaign, she said, “without more volunteers to man the red kettles, we’ll be several thousand dollars behind on this important fund-raiser. That would mean having to cut programs, something I never want to say.”

Following the meeting, Hall provided Herald staff with a tour of the Salvation Army facility, located at 620 East Tregallas Road, and spoke about the Red Kettle Campaign and the work that the Salvation Army does for the local community.

Hall said that the vast majority of the Salvation Army’s support is derived from donor contributions received in the local community. They look to local volunteers, who work two-hour shifts manning the kettles in front of local stores that have allowed them to set up the donation kettles beside the store entrances. Hall said that, with a 100% volunteer campaign, the group could raise as much as $100,000 in contributions over a Christmas season, with $0.86 of every dollar going “directly to support the Salvation Army’s various community programs throughout the year.”

During the tour, Hall led us through the rooms where the myriad of community support programs are administered. They included a food storage area for their food bank, meeting areas for support groups, and a small classroom providing after-school care for local school children. She said they also funded summer camp opportunities for children, PG&E assistance for those encountering a financial emergency, and programs designed to help members of the community find employment. “We’re not just giving a handout, we’re giving a hand up,” she said.

John Sullivan, Immediate Past President of the Delta-Antioch Kiwanis, was one of several of the members of the local service organization who volunteered to help with the Salvation Army campaign. At 10:00 a.m. on the same day Hall spoke, he was out in front of Hobby Lobby, standing beside a red kettle and ringing the bell that so many recognize at this time of year. During his two hour shift, about half of those leaving the store made donations. Many young children placed donations in the kettle as their mothers’ looked on, approvingly. Each was greeted with a heartfelt, “Thank you, Merry Christmas,” by Sullivan, and most responded by thanking him for his work.

Asked about his volunteer effort, Sullivan said, “I’m retired, and my whole purpose now is to give back to the community. I think it’s kind of fun to ring the bell, and see people, and to see their generosity.”

People interested in volunteering should call Salvation Army Lieutenant Purnell Hall, Connie’s husband, at 925-778-0808, extension 12. Information about the Salvation Army can be found on the web at www.thesalvationarmy.org.

The Red Kettles and Bell Ringers began in the Bay Area almost 125 years ago

The red kettle has been an American icon for nearly 125 years. From Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve, the ubiquitous buckets can be found outside thousands of storefronts in small towns and big cities across the country. They can even be found on your TV, appearing in dozens of movies.

Red kettles raise millions for Salvation Army programs that provide food, shelter, rehabilitation, disaster relief, and much more for people and families in crisis. Last Christmas season, nationwide, kettles raised almost $136 million.

Indeed, red kettles are a Christmas force. But have you ever wondered who started the red kettle tradition, where, and why?

Wonder no more. Below is a short history of the Salvation Army red kettle, one of the most timeless and successful Christmas fundraising tools of all time.

Origins

In December of 1891, Captain Joseph McFee of The Salvation Army in San Francisco, Calif., was stumped. He wanted to provide a Christmas dinner for 1,000 poor people, but had no way to pay for it.

Then, an idea. He thought back to when he was as a sailor in Liverpool, England, where on the docks of the city’s waterfront he remembered seeing a large pot into which charitable donations could be thrown.

The next day, McFee secured permission to place a brass urn at the Oakland ferry landing. Beside the pot, he placed a sign that read, “Keep the Pot Boiling.” Soon, he had all the money he needed to fund the Christmas dinner.

Two years later, McFee’s fundraising idea had expanded to 30 kettle locations on the West Coast. He’d grown the program with help from two young Salvation Army officers named William A. McIntyre and N.J. Lewis.

Soon after Christmas 1895, McIntyre and Lewis were transferred to the East Coast. They took with them the idea of a Christmas kettle.

Kettle explosion

McIntyre was stationed in Boston. During the 1897 Christmas season, he, his wife and sister set up three kettles in the heart of the city. Their effort, combined with others on the West Coast and elsewhere, resulted in 150,000 Christmas dinners for the poor, nationwide.

Red kettles spread to the Big Apple, where the New York World newspaper hailed them as “the newest and most novel device for collecting money.” The newspaper also observed, “There is a man in charge to see that contributions are not stolen.”

In 1901, kettle donations in New York City funded a massive sit-down Christmas dinner at Madison Square Garden. The meal became a tradition for many years.

The rest, as they say, is history. Captain McFee’s idea launched a tradition that has spread not only throughout the United States, but across the world. Although red kettles are not found in all of the 126 countries The Salvation Army serves in, they can still be found in such distant lands as Korea, Japan, Chile, and many European countries.

Join the movement

You can be part of the red kettle tradition by signing up to bell ring.

Thousands of hours of ringing are available at hundreds of kettle locations across the country. Bell ringers raise an average of $30 per hour. In just two hours of ringing, you’ll raise enough money to provide a week’s worth of groceries for a family of four.

By Allen Payton

The winners in the November Antioch City Council, Lori Ogorchock and Tony Tiscareno, will take their oaths of officer during ceremonies at City Hall, Tuesday night, December 9.

The evening begins at 6:00 p.m., an hour earlier than normal council meetings, with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a special invocation by Father Roberto Corral, a priest at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Antioch, who was chosen by Ogorchock.

Then, the council will vote to certify the official election results, which show Ogorchock with the most votes, followed by Tiscareno.

That will be followed by the oaths of office and then comments by each of the newly elected council members, the mayor and other council members, as well as members of the public who wish to speak.

Then the council will be reorganized, with Ogorchock being voted in as Mayor Pro Tem for the next two years, according to the city ordinance, since she was the candidate with the most votes in the council election. A brief game of musical chairs will occur, as the mayor pro tem sits to the right of the mayor, and the others are rearranged at the will of the mayor.

Following the ceremonies a brief reception will be held in the council chambers.

Although rumors had been circulating that the proponents of Mayor Wade Harper’s recall would, once again serve him with papers at the council reorganization meeting, recall leader Rich Buongiorno stated on Monday, that they will wait until the first council meeting in January.

The complete meeting agenda can be viewed here.

The council meetings are held at 200 H Street in downtown Antioch or can be viewed via live stream on the city’s website at http://www.ci.antioch.ca.us/CityGov/citycouncilmeetings.htm.

By Corporal William Dee, Antioch Police Patrol Division

On Sunday, December 7, 2014, at 2:45 a.m., Antioch Police responded to two armed robberies which occurred in the early morning hours. The first case occurred at the Chevron Gas Station on Delta Fair. One subject entered the business and demanded cash at gunpoint. The suspects were seen leaving the scene in a Toyota Tercel station wagon.

About an hour later, the same suspects robbed the 7-11 convenience store on Contra Loma Blvd. In each case, the same suspect entered the store and brandished a handgun and fled with cash. The suspects fled the area in each case in a stolen Toyota Tercel station wagon (which has since been recovered). During the second robbery, store security footage showed at least two other suspects waiting in the stolen car while the robbery took place.

The suspects were located by an officer within minutes of the second robbery. The officer confronted the occupants at gunpoint at which time one of the suspects brandished a machine pistol at the officer. The officer fired his duty weapon striking the car which lead to a short pursuit and collision. All of the suspects fled on foot. An extensive search was conducted, but the suspects were not located. The officer was not injured, and it is unknown if any of the suspects were injured at this time.

These cases are currently being investigated by the Antioch Police Department Investigations Bureau. No further information will be released at this time.

Anybody with information related to these incidents are asked to contact the Antioch Police Department Investigations Bureau, Detective Meads at (925) 779-6884. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.

Residents, business owners share their concerns, complaints

By John Crowder

At the Antioch City Council meeting on November 25, 2014, council members heard from local citizens who expressed concern over law enforcement and city staff interactions with community members, and others who suggested that a private firm be used in implementing changes coming as a result of the passage of Measure O. Meanwhile, Council Member Tony Tiscareno questioned the expenses involved in a grant application, the council voted to appoint two local advocates to the Parks and Recreation Commission, and the city continued to move forward with steps ending “furlough Fridays.”

Kathryn Wade was the first resident to speak at the meeting. Holding up a picture of her son, she claimed that Antioch Police Department (APD) officers had “trumped up” charges on him. She said that, although she has complained about the incident, nothing has come of her complaints.

Janet Barbee spoke about the murder of her son last year. She said that APD, “didn’t care to solve this case.” Barbee also said that, although she has provided them with evidence, “they have never called me back, they have never been to my home. If I don’t do the calling and calling and calling, I don’t get any response.” She said it is not fair that members of APD don’t get back to family members in this type of situation.

Cochise Potts and LaDonna Hartman, who own Nuce Nuce Deli, located across from Antioch City Hall at 101 H Street, said the city had threatened to shut them down because they had been barbecuing, but they hadn’t been shown any code references that would prevent them from barbecuing. Potts complained that nobody from the city would provide them with information.

“I’d appreciate it if someone would get back to us,” he said.

When it came time to deal with the consent calendar, two items were pulled, Item E by Tiscareno, and Item F by members of the public.

Item E was a resolution authorizing the submission of a grant application for the West Antioch Creek Channel Improvement Project. Tiscareno questioned the financial impact noted in the staff report, which read, “the City must make a contribution to the project. This may be a financial match of the grant, an in-kind contribution, or a combination of both.”

The application was to seek an additional $1,000,000 for the project, as, “The cost of this project is currently estimated to be more than the budgeted funding.” It also required a partnership with a non-profit entity, and staff had selected the operators of Antioch Charter Academy II as the partner, saying, due to the school’s location, it, “provides a unique opportunity for the children to observe the benefits of this project.”

City Engineer Ron Bernal responded to Tiscareno, saying that the in-kind contribution by staff would be “the time we’ve already spent pursuing this grant,” along with the time of the consultant and time spent during the project. He also stated, if their is an additional cash requirement, they would return to the council for approval.

Tiscareno said, “I’m satisfied with that answer,” made a motion for approval, and the item passed, 4-0.

Item F was a resolution seeking approval of funding for one Business License Representative Position. The cost of the position was estimated in the staff report at, “$42,715 for the rest of fiscal year 2014-2015.” Two residents, Mark Jordan and Nancy Fernandez, both members of the Friday Morning Breakfast Club (FMBC), the group largely responsible for the passage of Measure O in the November 4 election, spoke on the item.

Jordan wanted to know why Antioch was immediately moving to hire a person to collect business fees. He said that FMBC had submitted a letter to the city suggesting that Antioch should hire an outside firm to do this. He thought it might make more sense to hire a company to do this collection, as they charge a percentage of the money collected, which might be more economical. He asked the city to, “seriously look at going to an outside firm.” Jordan also called for an, “open enrollment period,” and discussed the property inspection process.

Fernandez provided the council with a copy of the letter that Jordan had referred to. She said it had been sent on December 19, 2013, and written to the city council and the mayor by the attorney for FMBC. She said the letter called for the immediate hiring of an outside firm to begin collecting business taxes and establishing a database to be used for such collections.

As this is a “monumental task,” she said, quoting from the staff report, she wanted the vote to be put aside and the city to hire an outside firm to help establish a collections department.

City Manager Steve Duran responded, saying, “This position is a position we are going to need” and, “you can’t just hire a firm that gave a talk,” as it would require an RFQ/RFP process. He also said that he had recently met with the California Apartment Owners’ Association on the issue, that the city had money in the budget for this position, and he wanted to, “move forward.”

Mayor Harper said that several councils had spoken about uncollected taxes, and he asked Duran why this issue had not been previously addressed.

Duran said, “I think its really been a matter of, just the financial crash, of the economy and of the city in particular. We had to lay off so many people in finance, that they could barely do accounts payable and receivable, and there was no money in the budget to hire staff or consultants.”

Further, in response to a question by Council Member Monica Wilson, Duran said that, although they were seeking approval for the Business License Representative position now, city staff did intend to do an RFP to hire an outside firm to assist with establishing the program.

On a motion by Mayor Pro Tem Mary Rocha, the item passed, 4-0.

Next, the Mayor recommended appointing Lori Cook and Beverly Knight to the Parks and Recreation Commission. The council approved the appointments on a 4-0 vote.

Labor Agreements

Labor agreements were once again addressed when Human Resources Department Director Michelle Fitzer spoke about a resolution approving a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the city and the Treatment Plant Employees’ Association (TPEA). She said the new agreement was for four years, expiring September 30, 2018. Beginning in January 2016, there would be a 2.5% salary increase in each of three years, but there would be a 1% give back by employees in retirement contributions. The fiscal impact for the four years was estimated to be approximately $80,000, none of which would come from the General Fund, as all costs were budgeted in the Water Fund.

Finance Director Dawn Merchant then said that all of the money impacting the General Fund with respect to the MOU’s that were being discussed recently and the additional costs associated with ending furlough Fridays were coming from an increase in property tax receipts. She emphasized that none of that money was coming from Measure O or Measure C.

Steve Duran also spoke again about the MOU’s, saying the intent when furlough Fridays was implemented was to reinstate the 40-hour work week once the city had the money to do so.

Fitzer also said, “The total cost of returning from the furlough for the General Fund impact alone was $800,000 across all of the bargaining units,” and that the $1.2 million in increased property taxes, “is more than adequate to cover that cost for all of the bargaining units.”

Commenting on the votes which would finally end all furlough Fridays, Tiscareno said, “We are now a full-service city,” and, “we are going to be working 40 hours a week.” Rocha also spoke up, saying, “I just want to thank the employees for saving us from bankruptcy.”

The next meeting of the Antioch City Council will be on Tuesday, December 9 at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council chambers.

Dear Editor:

On behalf of El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation, I would like to thank all of those involved with our recent Gift Basket Raffle Fundraiser. Our goal was to sell 1000 tickets and raise $10,000. We met our goal and exceeded it by nearly $500! We congratulate our winners Floyd Furgeson of Discovery Bay, Leslie Munson of Antioch and Ali Shironi of Antioch.

A very important part of any raffle is the prize donors. We are very thankful that Southwest Airlines, Disneyland and many local businesses donated the wonderful prizes which were a part of each gift basket.

I want to let our Executive Director and Board know how much their time and support in procuring prizes and selling tickets is appreciated.

Finally, we are all eternally grateful to every person who purchased at least one raffle ticket during these past few months.

As a Board, we are committed to do everything possible to continue to sustain our local landmark and treasure, El Campanil Theatre, bringing quality entertainment close to home at affordable prices.

Ron Yarolimek

Foundation Board President

 

By Lieutenant Don LaDue, Antioch Police Field Services Bureau

On Friday, December 5, 2014 at approximately 1:42 am the Antioch Police Department responded to a report of a vehicle collision on East 18th Street near Phillips Lane

When officers arrived, they located two vehicles with major damage in the roadway. Two women in their 30’s occupied the first vehicle that was rear ended by a 51 year old male driving a second vehicle. The male complained of chest pain and was transported by ambulance to a local area hospital where he died soon after arrival. The women in the vehicle that was struck by the male had complaints of pain, but did not require medical assistance at the time.

Preliminary investigation indicates that speed may have been a factor. It is not known if alcohol or drugs were involved, pending an autopsy by the Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office. It is also not known if the male was experiencing a medical issue prior to the collision, which could have contributed to the cause. The names of the involved parties will not be released at this time.

Currently, officers are following up on possible leads and interviewing witnesses. This incident is still under investigation. Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to contact the Antioch Police Dept. at (925) 778-2441. If you have information regarding this case you may text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.