Bill Baker

Today, candidate for County Supervisor in District 3, Doug Hardcastle announced he has received the endorsement of former Congressman and taxpayer advocate William P. “Bill” Baker.

“Doug Hardcastle has protected the taxpayers while he’s been in office. We need that kind of financially responsible leadership in our county,” Baker said. “In addition, his over 40 years of business experience gives him the understanding of how to help grow our economy and create the jobs our residents need. That’s why I’m supporting him for Supervisor.”

Before being elected to Congress, Baker served as a State Budget Analyst and worked as Executive Vice President of the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association, writing a weekly column entitled, The Angry Taxpayer.

He then successfully ran for the State Assembly in 1980 and served six terms in a district that included portions of Contra Costa and Alameda Counties. In the Assembly Baker was the chief Republican budget negotiator for seven years as Vice Chair of the budget-writing Ways and Means Committee, and on the Budget Conference Committee.

In 1992, Baker was elected to Congress, where he was active in addressing California’s economic, transportation, and science research policies. He served on both the science and transportation committees and played an influential role as an Assistant Majority Whip and an advocate for Contra Costa County His instrumental work on transportation projects include authoring the building of the Benicia Bridge and BART-San Francisco Airport extension that led to his winning of the San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s “Legislator of the Year” award. Baker also played an important role in championing the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and helped secure needed funding for science and defense programs including the groundbreaking National Ignition Facility (NIF).

He is now a partner in the investment firm of Baker, Brose & Mitsutome in Walnut Creek.

“Bill Baker has been a champion for the taxpayer in our county and I will do the same on the Board of Supervisors,” Hardcastle stated. “His work on transportation issues is an example I will follow. I appreciate his endorsement and support in my campaign.”

Hardcastle was elected to the Oakley City Council in 2012 and recently 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. Doug and his wife Lyn own Hardcastle’s RV in Oakley and have for over 40 years. Doug was selected Oakley Business Person of the Year in 2006. 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 a portion of Antioch. The election is on June 7, 2016.

Delta Diablo has received the 2016 East Bay Innovation Award known as Catalyst from the East Bay Economic Development Alliance. This prestigious award was presented at the Fox Theater in Oakland, in front of an audience of hundreds from business, government and the non-profit sectors.

Delta Diablo (District) is the joint powers authority that provides water resource recovery services for the City of Antioch, the City of Pittsburg, and the unincorporated community of Bay Point, serving a population of nearly 200,000. The water resource recovery services consist of secondary treatment of wastewater, recycled water production and distribution, pollution prevention, energy recovery, beneficial reuse of biosolids, street sweeping, and household hazardous waste collection. The District operates and maintains a Wastewater Treatment Plant with a 2.2 MG flow equalization basin and 12 MG of storage and Recycled Water Facility.

The event was a result of months-long competition for the best use of innovation across eight industry sectors. Over 100 nominations for the eight categories were submitted. The East Bay comprises 74 cities and has a population of 2.5 million people.

This Catalyst award recognizes Delta Diablo for “transcending organizational boundaries to pull East Bay assets together in new ways and/or catalyze new thinking or processes.” Delta Diablo was specifically recognized for their collaborative partnerships to fund recycled water and develop resource recovery projects from wastewater.

Delta Diablo serves as lead agency for the Western Recycled Water Coalition (WRWC), developing reliable and secure water supplies for the East Bay region, as well as across California and Hawaii. They are also the lead agency for the Bay Area Biosolids to Energy (BAB2E) Coalition, which is pioneering resource recovery technologies that will generate new energy sources from biosolids on a commercial scale.

Antioch Mayor Wade Harper, who is the Chair of Delta Diablo’s Board of Directors, believes this award speaks to how Delta Diablo positively contributes to the East Bay’s culture of innovation.

“The commitment of Delta Diablo to collaborate across diverse sectors, adopt new ways of thinking and introduce new innovation processes is why they were recognized by the Alliance,” he said.

The East Bay Economic Development Alliance is a public-private partnership founded in 1990 to serve the Bay Area’s East Bay region (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) through business attraction, retention and growth strategies. The East Bay EDA’s mission is to be the regional voice and networking resource for strengthening the economy, building the workforce and enhancing the quality of life in the East Bay.

“Our Catalyst finalists, Delta Diablo and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/CalCharge, are

excellent examples of how cross-sector partnerships can contribute to the greater good, in a much more sustainable manner,” said Darien Louie, East Bay EDA Executive Director. “We applaud the efforts of Delta Diablo and the impact they have made – and will continue to make – for the businesses and residents of the East Bay region.”

Winning this prestigious award serves as a reminder that Delta Diablo is on the right track. It also reinforces the agency’s commitment to our industry, partners, customers, the environment and the East Bay economy,” added Harper.

Delta Diablo is located at 2500 Pittsburg-Antioch Hwy in Antioch. For more information call (925) 756-1900 or visit www.deltadiablo.com.

By Lieutenant Don LaDue, Antioch Police Field Services Bureau

The Antioch Police Department is still recruiting for the Volunteers In Police Service. Recruitment will continue until the end of April 2016. Please refer to the flier, below for further information on the program and how our volunteers support the police department and city.

Interested persons can obtain an application and questionnaire from the City of Antioch Website by clicking “Departments”, then “Police”, then “VIPS.”

VIPS Brochure

Justin Griffin

By Sergeant Wisecarver, Antioch Police Special Operations Unit

On Sunday, February 28, 2016 at approximately 11:30 pm, two female victims were leaving the Antioch Amtrak train station in a car when a male suspect approached the car on foot and opened the driver’s door.  The male suspect dragged the female driver out of the car.  The male suspect was holding a handgun in his hand and ordered the females away from the car.  The male suspect got into the driver’s seat and fled the area in the female’s stolen car.  The two females were not injured during this incident.

On Wednesday, March 2, 2016 at 10:00 am, Antioch Police Department Detectives saw 28 year old Justin Griffin driving a vehicle that had been stolen in an armed carjacking, just days prior. The Antioch Detectives knew that a gun was used in the carjacking and were aware that Griffin had warrants for his arrest and was considered a parolee at large.

The Detectives attempted to use uniformed Patrol Officers to contact and arrest Griffin, however

he fled from the contact and led the Patrol Officers on a short vehicle pursuit. Griffin caused a vehicle collision on Delta Fair Boulevard at Fairview Drive, near Somersville Road. He fled from the collision on foot and was captured in the parking lot of a nearby business. Griffin fought with the arresting officers, but was eventually taken into custody.

Griffin and the driver of the vehicle that he collided with were both evaluated for injuries at a local hospital as a precaution due to the collision. Griffin was released from the hospital and was

eventually transported to the Martinez County Detention Facility.

The investigation is ongoing; anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to call

Sgt Wisecarver with the Antioch Police Department at (925) 779-6941.

By Allen Payton

What was believed to be an attempted abduction of an Antioch High School girl, Tuesday morning, has been relabled suspicious activity by the Antioch Police Department.

According to a news release by Acting Sergeant Shawn Morin, Antioch Police Field Services Bureau, “On March 1, 2016 at approximately 9:44 PM, Antioch Police Officers were dispatched to investigate suspicious incident that occurred near the intersection of L St and Sycamore Dr. Upon arrival, officers learned of a student walking to Antioch High School that was approached by a subject in a vehicle. The subject motioned for the student to come to his vehicle, but the student ignored the man and continued to school.

There was no direct physical contact between the driver and student. Additionally, there was no clear indication of the intent of the subject driving the vehicle. The vehicle was last seen driving north on L St from 18^th St. The vehicle was described as an unknown make and model gold colored minivan. The driver was described as a hispanic male, unknown age, “droopy face” and black hair.”

According to an email from the office of Interim Superintendent Stephanie Anello of the Antioch Unified School District, received, Tuesday afternoon, March 1, 2016, the following phone message was sent out to parents of students in the district:

This is the Antioch Unified School District calling with an important safety announcement. Earlier today, an Antioch High School student reported that she was approached by a man in a van who attempted to grab her wrist. The student was unharmed and is safe.  Antioch Police Department has been notified. The van was described by the student as older with faded gold paint and a license plate with the letters 4 and D in it. The man driving the van was described by the student as Latino with bushy eyebrows. The student reported that this occurred near Antioch High School. As a precaution, we will have extra security in the area. Please take a moment to review stranger danger with your children and to remind them to never get into a vehicle with a stranger, even when the stranger says that he or she is a friend or has been sent to pick them up by another family member. As always, your child’s safety is our number one concern. Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s school should you have further questions or concerns.

Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11) will continue his longtime practice of meeting on-on-one with constituents during Mobile District Office Hours in Martinez on Saturday, March 5^th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Since elected as a new Member of Congress, DeSaulnier has held eleven town halls throughout Contra Costa County and continues to hold listening tours across the district.

“We strive to be accessible to the people we serve, and invite Contra Costa County residents to join us in Martinez or at one of our future stops. This is an opportunity for constituents to talk with me about issues of importance or concern and learn about the constituent services my office can provide,” said DeSaulnier.

The congressman will be on hand to share thoughts and to answer questions on federal legislation, and to assist with issues related to Social Security, the Veteran’s Administration, passports, or other federal agencies.

• What: Congressman DeSaulnier’s Mobile District Office Hours
• When: Saturday, March 5th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
• Where: Contra Costa County, Department of Conservation and Development, 30 Muir Road, Martinez

First-come, first-served. No appointment necessary. Event is open to all residents of California’s 11th congressional district

For more information or to confirm you are a resident of the 11th district, which includes parts of Antioch, please email CA11.RSVP@mail.house.gov or call (925) 933-2660.