By Nick Goodrich

During its first meeting of the new year, on Tuesday, January 12, 2016, the Antioch City Council approved an ordinance prohibiting the cultivation of marijuana for medicinal purposes within city limits, and approved a new development project on the City’s southeast side.

Medical Marijuana

When the issue of cultivation was discussed late last year, council members were led to believe that language in AB 243 and 266, the laws signed by Governor Brown, last year, would prevent cities from taking a stance on medical marijuana cultivation if they had not passed any laws on it by this March. Under that belief, the Council had ordered staff to prepare an ordinance to be passed before the March 1st deadline.

Assembly Member Jim Wood, who introduced AB 243 to the State Assembly, has since declared that language a mistake, and has moved to change it, saying local governments would remain the decision-maker on cultivation in their cities. But with an ordinance already drawn up and preparations made, the Council voted unanimously on Tuesday for the ordinance, banning marijuana cultivation within Antioch.

Code Enforcement will take the lead on enforcing the ordinance, with the Antioch Police Department to step in and assist when needed.

Council Member Tony Tiscareno wondered whether the removal of the March deadline would open the city to potential litigation on the matter, and was assured by the City Attorney that Antioch has express authorization to go ahead with the ordinance. Tiscareno also made sure that an ordinance now would not lock Antioch into it’s decision later, and that the city could readdress the issue later, if needed.

During the public hearing for the ordinance, Jeffrey Keiffer, an Antioch resident, spoke against the ordinance. Keiffer, who has been living with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other serious medical conditions for more than 20 years, grows marijuana in his home to treat his ailments. He stated that many veterans in the community do the same.

“You don’t go after people who brew beer in their cellar,” he said. “I think it should be up to the voters.”

While no one stepped forward to speak out in support of the ordinance on Tuesday, several residents and Antioch Police Chief Allan Cantando pushed for the ordinance last year. Many Antioch residents are concerned that legalized cultivation could lead to more burglaries, and were concerned at the thought of a grow operation next door. Cantando told the Council that legalized cultivation would strain the police force even more, during a rebuilding period that is not yet finished.

Heidorn Village site.

New Home Project

The Council also held a public hearing on the Heidorn Village Subdivision, a development project along Heidorn Ranch Road and Prewett Ranch Drive. The proposed project would subdivide more than 20.3 acres into 117 single family lots, and would include a park, two acres of open space, and a connection to the Mokelumne Trail in the north.

According to the staff report, previous development plans for the land never came to fruition, including one for 83 single-family homes approved in 1990, and another which was allocated 115 homes by the Council in 2008. The new project required a new approval by the Council to move forward.

Lot sizes will range from 4,000 to 8,086 square feet with an average of lot size of 4,564 square feet and he homes will be both single- and two-story ranging in size from 1,654 to 2,607 square feet.

The development agreement also includes a new, annual police assessment for each home and a homeowners association to maintain the open space and enforce parking rules.

Doug Krah, of Mission Peak Homes, the project applicant and third developer for the site, thanked the Council and city staff for the work they put in to make sure the project was a “viable and exciting option.”

“I think this is a good project,” said Mayor Wade Harper.

He stated that the developers had to come in to meet with the City Council on multiple occasions and were able to work out all the details to their and the city’s satisfaction.

The Council then approved the project by a unanimous 5-0 vote.

To read the details of the agenda item (#3) on the new development, click here. Then click on Staff Report.

The next Antioch City Council meeting will be held Tuesday, January 26 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall on West Second Street in downtown. Council meetings can also be viewed live on Comcast local Channel 24 or via live stream on the City’s website at www.ci.antioch.ca.us.

For more information or to learn about Max Muscle’s Custom Meal Planning Services call (925) 757-MAXX (6299) or visit their location at 5887 Lone Tree Way in Antioch.

Congressman Mark DeSaulnier, who represents parts of Antioch in the U.S. House of Representatives, announces he will be participating in the second annual Congressional App Challenge (CAC), an app competition for U.S. high school students.

The Challenge submission period will now run through January 21, 2016. Winners will be selected by panels of local judges, and honored by their Congressman. Winning apps will be featured on a display in the Capitol building.

“This competition provides a unique opportunity to high school students to showcase their STEM skills. I invite students from across California’s 11^th Congressional District to join their peers across the nation in an opportunity to display their talents in the U.S. Capitol Building,” said Congressman DeSaulnier.

Established by Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013, this competition is a nationwide event intended to engage students’ creativity and encourage their participation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields. This competition allows students to compete with peers in their own district by creating and exhibiting their software application, or “app”, for mobile, tablet, or computer devices on a platform of their choice. By encouraging and recognizing our nation’s young programming talent, Congress hopes to shine a light on the growing importance of these skills.

In its first year, the CAC received submissions from students in 84 districts. This year, the Challenge is striving to double that number. Recognizing the racial, gendered, and other disparities in the tech sector, the CAC will also focus on inclusivity and making the Challenge as accessible as possible to people from all backgrounds. Deliberate efforts will be made to include students from all backgrounds, including those traditionally underrepresented in tech.

The Internet Education Foundation will be serving as the operational “sponsor” of the CAC. For further information about the Congressional App Challenge, please visit www.congressionalappchallenge.us

There will be highway lane closures in the westbound direction of State Route 4 between Railroad Avenue and Contra Loma on Monday through Friday from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.

There will be highway lane closures in the eastbound direction of State Route 4 between Bailey Road and Contra Loma on Monday through Friday from 4:30 am to 12:00 pm.

There will be highway lane closures in the eastbound direction of State Route 4 between Hillcrest Ave and State Route 160 on Thursday from 11:00 pm to 4:00 am.

By Barbara Zivica

It’s the beginning of a new year.  The President has given his State of the Union speech.  Since all I can foresee in the future is a rush of tax and fee ballot measures, I decided to look back at what’s happened so far in Antioch, both the good and the bad news.

Police Department

Good News: Lt. Diane Aguinaga promoted to Captain.

Bad News:  Department still understaffed, has put out some dubious stats and encrypted dispatch so residents can’t find out what’s happening and avoid stumbling into the middle of a bad situation.

Budget Issues

Good News:   Although prior to 2015, the city experienced multiple years of declines in property tax revenue, a significant increase in property tax revenue, well above 2015 projections, is helping stabilize the city finance.

Bad News:  City continues to face significantly reduced revenues in line with General Fund Budget expenditures in order to address budgetary difficulties brought on by the struggling economy and despite passage of Measure C  (a half cent tax increase) and Measure O (a business license tax measure which applied to all rental units).  Neither tax measure resulted in adequate police staffing or positive general fund reserves.

Economy

Good News: Gas is cheaper, housing construction is accelerating, as is industrial real estate activity.

Bad News: Food and health care costs are up.  Significant vacancies exist in some of the neighborhood shopping centers and the City’s downtown business core.

Education

Good News:  Fernando Navarro seated on the AUSD Board after Barbara Cowan resigned.

Bad News:  School Supr. Don Gill, whose contract ran through until June 30, 2017, announced he wanted to leave June 30th, 2016.  The Board agreed, voting 4-0 to put him on paid leave until then so he could spend more time with his family in San Diego.

Jeff Belle was elected to the CCC Board of Education in 2014. His term expires November 29, 2018. Voters later learned he made several misrepresentations on his ballot statement regarding his qualifications.  In 2015 the Respiratory Care Board of California issued a Citation order stating Belle is not now, nor had ever been licensed by the Respiratory Care Board of California. He received a civil penalty in the amount of $8,200. Belle, however, still remains on the CCC Board of Education.

Candidates

Good News: Several candidates will be vying for County Supervisor Mary Piepho’s seat. Those include Oakley Councilman Doug Hardcastle and East Bay Regional Parks District Director Diane Burgis.

Bad News: Antioch Mayor Wade Harper, who survived a recall effort, now wants to run for Piepho’s seat, too.

Antioch Police Chief Allan Cantando presented with an envelope full of checks and cash for the Antioch Police Activities League from Amy Dopart of Strategic Threat Management on Thursday, January 14, 2016.

By Allen Payton

On Thursday, January 14, 2016, Amy Dopart of Strategic Threat Management presented $3,130 in checks and cash to Antioch Police Chief Allan Cantando for the Police Activities League (PAL).

Some of the gift baskets created by Amy Dopart of Strategic Threat Management, that were auctioned off at their annual holiday party in December.

“Every dollar that is donated to Antioch PAL stays in our community,” Cantando shared. “It will enable us to provide no-cost programs to children in our community to help enrich their lives.”

“On behalf of PAL, I want to thank STM for their generous donation,” he added.

The donation came from the proceeds of the silent auction at STM’s annual holiday party, held at the Hannah Nicole Vineyards, last month.

“We had over 35 prizes that were raffled off including 25 gift baskets,” Dopart said. “The items in the baskets were donated from local businesses.”

Dopart, the company’s Office Administrator, made all the baskets.

This is the first time that Antioch-based STM has donated to PAL. Last year they donated the proceeds from their party to the Delta Veterans Group.

STM provides security services to both the City of Antioch and Antioch Unified School District, as well as local businesses.

For more information about Antioch PAL, visit hwww.ci.antioch.ca.us/citygov/police/pal.htm. For more information about STM, visit www.strategicthreat.com.

For job growth and reduction in commute traffic

Oakley City Councilman and candidate for District 3 County Supervisor Doug Hardcastle is calling for State Route 239, the route between Brentwood and Tracy, and connectors to the Byron Airport to be included in the Transportation Plan for Our Future, being developed by the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA).

State Route 239 has been on the state’s plans for over 50 years and is finally in the planning stages. As Chair of Transplan, the Eastern Contra Costa transportation planning committee, and Vice Chair of Tri Delta Transit, Hardcastle supports the construction of the road as part of the proposed Tri-Link project, which includes a four-lane highway and two lines of transit.

“In order to secure the future of job creation and economic development for East County, we need Route 239 between Brentwood and Tracy to connect our region to Interstate-5,” Hardcastle said.

At last week’s county transportation Authority meeting, a presentation was made by a coalition of “Environmental, Labor, Transportation, Housing, Social Justice, Faith, Civic and other Public Interest Groups” asking the authority board to prohibit Route 239, labeling it “sprawl-inducing.”

“Route 239 will help us have jobs in East County, so people who already live here can work here,” Hardcastle responded. “That will mean people can get out of the commute and no longer be forced to go to jobs out of the area.”

Plans for the Byron Airport include extension of the runway and locating a Fixed Base Operation (FBO), serving commercial pilots who bring their clients into the area for business appointments and pleasure trips. Two connectors are needed, one to the proposed Route 239 and another to Vasco Road, to provide better access to the airport.

“In addition to Route 239, the Byron Airport offers great potential for job creation in East County,” Hardcastle stated. “We need to make sure expansion plans for the airport and better access to it are included in the proposed county transportation plan. That will make the airport more economically viable and no longer require a taxpayer subsidy of $500,000 per year. It needs to be self-funding.”

“But, we need to give it the tools to do so,” he added

Ron Reagan, Chair of the county’s Aviation Advisory Committee and a member of the Contra Costa Land Use Commission, agrees with Hardcastle on the need for better access to the Byron Airport.

“We need better access to the Byron Airport from both sides,” Reagan said. “We need Doug Hardcastle’s leadership in transportation issues, to ensure the Tri-Link project and expansion of the airport are accomplished.”

“I encourage all residents in District 3 to speak out in favor of both Route 239 and improvements to the Byron Airport at the next CCTA Board meeting on January 20^th,” Hardcastle added. “If you can’t attend you can contact the them by email at info@ccta.net or phone call at (925) 256-4700.

For more information on Route 239 and the proposed Tri-Link Project, visit www.trilink239.org. For more information on the Byron Airport visit www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/3802/Byron-Airport-C83. To learn more about the CCTA’s Transportation for Our Future planning process visit www.ccta.net/funding/our_future.

Doug Hardcastle was elected to the Oakley City Council in 2012 and just completed a year as Mayor. From 2000 to 2012 he served as a Director on the Ironhouse Sanitary District Board, for which he served as President in 2010-2011. He currently serves on both the Transplan Committee and the Tri Delta Transit Board of Directors. He and his wife Lyn own Hardcastle’s RV in Oakley. He’s a life-long resident of Contra Costa County. For more information visit www.doughardcastle.com.

Supervisor District 3 includes Oakley, Brentwood, Discovery Bay, Blackhawk, Diablo, Camino Tassajara, Bethel Island, Byron, Knightsen and part of Antioch. The election is on June 7, 2016.

By Allen Payton

In an email, on Wednesday, candidate for Congress Kathryn Nance, who is challenging incumbent Rep. Jerry McNerney in the 9th District, responded to his State of the District address, released on Tuesday.

“It was obvious the Congressman was not going to address terrorism and American security due to his past associations with anti-military groups who fund his campaigns  At the same time, McNerney has been a puppet for a socialist agenda on health care, agriculture and energy; all areas that directly affect our local economy. His votes continue to hurt working men and women and those trying to find work,” said Nance.  “The claims he makes about being bipartisan after the vicious negative campaigns he has run in the past are almost as sad as his record of taking millions from special interests to keep his job.  He has accomplished little and all the YouTube videos in the world won’t change that.”

Nance is a police Sergeant and serves as President of the Stockton Police Officers Association. This is her first run for public office. For more information visit www.nance2016.com.

The 9th Congressional District includes most of Antioch, Eastern Contra Costa County, Stockton and most of San Joaquin County, and Galt in Sacramento County.