Walnut Creek, CA – BART is in a financial crisis with capital needs estimated at $9.6 billion, yet it gave out $1,000 bonuses to the transit system’s 3,357 employees, as reported in today’s San Francisco Chronicle’s “Matier and Ross” column.

The 2013 employee contract tied the bonuses to ridership numbers. It is likely that additional $1,000 bonuses will be given again on July 1, 2016.

“This is an outrageous giveaway of taxpayer money by a transit system that is billions of dollars in capital debt,” said State Senator Steve Glazer (D – 7^th District). “This secret bonus is on top of the 15.4% raises that BART gave to all workers and managers in its last contract.”

“Moreover, these bonuses aren’t tied to any performance metrics – which is probably obvious to all riders, given the packed and dirty trains, maintenance breakdowns and constant delays,” he continued. “And, they came from an agency that claims it has no money for new trains, track upgrades and technology improvements.

“BART continues to pay out millions of dollars in pay and benefits from one pocket, while claiming that it has no money for system improvements in the other pocket,” Glazer added.

Sen. Glazer, Assemblywoman Catharine Baker, and 38 local Supervisors, Mayors, and Council members recently wrote a letter to the BART Board of Directors and employee unions raising strong concerns about a potential multi-billion dollar bond that the Board is considering for the November 2016 ballot. The letter noted that convincing two-thirds of Bay Area voters is already an uphill fight, but the 2013 strike by BART unions, drawn-out contract negotiations, and wage concessions for workers and management also seriously damaged voters’ trust in BART.

To regain that trust and the voters’ support of new taxes, Sen. Glazer and the other signers implored the BART Board and employee unions to negotiate – before the 2016 elections – a new contract that will take into account the dire fiscal needs of the system and ensure that trains keep running on schedule. The new contract would come into effect after the existing contract sunsets in 2017.

The 7th State Senate District includes Antioch and most of Contra Costa County.

Diane Burgis, a trustee on the East Bay Regional Parks District Board and Executive Director of Friends of the Marsh Creek Watershed received the Women Improving the Environment Award from the Contra Costa Women’s Hall of Fame, Tuesday night in Concord.

The Board of Supervisors established the Contra Costa Women’s Hall of Fame in October 1997 to acknowledge those exceptional, multifaceted women who have enhanced life in Contra Costa County through their careers and volunteer activities.

The honorees have made a difference through their efforts towards equity, innovation, service or achievement in commerce or community outreach.

Burgis was nominated by Susan Morgan, a Director on the Ironhouse Sanitary District Board.  “Through Diane Burgis’ leadership as Executive Director of the Friends of the Marsh Creek Watershed, the protection of natural resources including creeks, water quality and open space has become a priority to our community and its leaders,” said Morgan.  “Much of Diane’s work has been funded part time and she was able to accomplish great things for our environment and the Watershed by working beyond her paid hours and by recruiting and encouraging support from volunteers in the community.”

Marsh Creek is one of the fastest urbanizing watersheds in California, and the creek flows for 30 miles through the rapidly growing communities of Brentwood, Oakley and Antioch in eastern Contra Costa County and into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

“I am honored to receive this award on behalf of the many volunteers who contribute their time and talent to protecting, conserving and restoring the Marsh Creek Watershed,” said Burgis.

Burgis is a candidate for County Supervisor in District 3 in the June election. This is the second honor for her since she entered the race.

Candidate for County Supervisor in District 3 and Antioch City Council Member Monica Wilson, announced Monday that she has earned the endorsement of California Nurses Association.

“Monica Wilson is a champion for Contra Costa nurses and patients.” said Kati Johnson, a Perinatal RN at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center. “The California Nurses Association’s is proud to endorse Ms. Wilson. She is committed to ensuring that our patients receive the care they deserve and that nurses have the support they need to continue serving our community. We unanimously support Monica and we know she is the best candidate to deliver real results.”

The California Nurses Association, together with the National Nurses Organizing Committee and the AFL-CIO, has more than 86,000 members in hospitals, clinics and home health agencies throughout the country. As one of the nation’s fastest growing labor and professional organizations, CNA has grown by nearly 400 percent in the past 15 years.

“I am grateful to have the support of the California Nurses Association.” said Wilson. “The compassion and work ethic of nurses is what inspires me to fight for what’s best for our community.”

District 3 includes Antioch, Oakley, Brentwood, and Discovery Bay. The primary election is June 7, 2016.

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 westbound direction of State Route 4 between State Route 160 and Hillcrest Ave. on Wednesday and Thursday from 10:00 pm to 4:00 am and Friday from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am.

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.

For questions or comments please send e-mail to info@4eastcounty.org.

By Acting Lieutenant Tom Fuhrmann, Antioch Police Investigations Bureau

On Friday, March 18, 2016 at 4:22 p.m. Antioch Police were dispatched to the 2200 block of Belle Court after a man called police and said he had discovered his ex-wife, Cheryl White, age 50 of Pittsburg, deceased in the trunk of his car. Officers responded and confirmed this to be the case. The car was a green, 1992 Toyota Camry.

Due to the suspicious nature of the death, investigators were called in to take over the investigation. The man reporting this stayed on scene and was cooperative. He was brought to APD and interviewed.

According to him, he originally left her to sleep in the passenger compartment at about 3:00 a.m. after they had used some drugs together. He knew White had moved to the trunk to sleep as he had checked on her at about 12:30 p.m. and she was then in the trunk of the car. She was fine at that time, but wanted to continue to sleep so he left her alone. He told investigators she had done this (slept in the trunk) on occasions in the past and that she likes to sleep in there because she felt safe and won’t get harassed.

There were no immediate signs of foul play visible on White and her ex-husband was not arrested. An autopsy performed Monday (3/21/16) did not reveal any obvious cause of death. Further testing is being done in an attempt to determine the cause. Those results could take weeks, at the least. Once all reports are in, this case will be sent to the Office of the District Attorney for review.

No other information will be released at this time. Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to call Antioch Police Detective Dee at (925) 779-6884. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.

SALT LAKE CITY, March 21, 2016 – Edgar Deguzman of Antioch has received the Financial Support Fund Scholarship from Western Governors University (WGU). As a nonprofit, online university that is committed to making higher education more affordable and accessible for everyone, WGU typically awards scholarships based on the applicant’s academic record, readiness for online study, financial need, and other considerations.

In 2015, WGU awarded:

* More than 2,300 scholarships.

* More than $3 million in need-based scholarships.

* 73 different scholarships for current and aspiring nurses, teachers, information technology, and business professionals.

These scholarships help further offset the already-low tuition of about $3,000 per six-month term for most WGU programs, a flat rate that covers all the courses a student is able to complete. Tuition has not increased since 2008.

About WGU

Now with more than 67,000 students nationwide, WGU was established in 1997 by a bipartisan group of U.S. governors with a mission to expand access to high-quality, affordable higher education. The nation’s first competency-based university, WGU has been recognized by the White House as what works in post-secondary education. WGU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, has been named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, and was featured on NPR, NBC Nightly News, CNN, and in The New York Times.

WGU has earned the support of more than 20 leading corporations and foundations, including AT&T, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lilly Endowment, HCA, Hewlett-Packard, Lumina Foundation, Microsoft, Oracle, SunGard Higher Education, and Zions Bank. More information is available at www.wgu.edu or by calling 866.225.5948.

Follow WGU:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wgu.edu

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/companies/western-governors-university

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wgu

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/WesternGovernorsUniv

Questions reasons for drop in student population

By Barbara Zivica

A number of school boards, including the Antioch Unified School District Board, are seeking to fill vacant superintendent positions. AUSD has hired Leadership Associates to aid in their search.

Here’s hoping that a new superintendent will be able to solve the District’s unexpected drop in student enrollment for which the district has offered no explanation. I find it puzzling because, Antioch’s population has continued to grow and the district’s specialized academies have proved to be extremely popular. It’s a serious problem which needs to be immediately addressed, because it will result in a loss of approximately $1.4 million in state funds which are tied to enrollment projections.

I’m also want an explanation why the AUSD school board, with the exception of Fernando Navarro and Diane Gibson-Grey, decided to purchase new Common Core textbooks and curriculum now despite the fact that revenues are declining.

As far as I know, the subject of the district’s decision to endorse Common Core curriculum was never discussed publicly with district taxpayers, many of whom will not be happy that the board adopted an educational curriculum being forced upon states by the Obama Administration who is requiring states to endorse the standards in order to be eligible for Race To the Top grants.
Common Core curriculum has been endorsed by Governor Brown and former Antioch resident Tom Torlakson, current state school superintendent and a full time elected official since 1980.

Unlike other statewide offices on the June, 2014 ballot, the race for superintendent was settled by having one candidate collect more than 50% of the vote.

Teacher unions who opposed performance evaluations in favor of retaining the current system for layoffs (based on seniority) and other state groups spent more than $4 million to reelect Torlakson, defeating candidates who wanted more freedom for school districts to try new approaches and favored promoting growth of independently managed, publicly funded charter schools.

What is Common Core?  It’s a curriculum that assumes all children will “be on the same page at the same time,” replaces classics with informational texts presented without context or explanation, and its math standards are equally dismal.  In fact, a Stanford math professor, the only mathematician on the Validation Committee, refused to sign off on the math standards because they would put many students two years behind those of many high achieving countries.

Frankly, there appears to be a similarity between the Common Core agenda and the prior No Child Left Behind underfunded federal educational program that became law in 2002, one that 44 states requested waivers from. A number of states have already dropped Common Core, discovering that when school districts are allowed to innovate and chose what works best for their students, charter schools resulted in increased student test scores.

The Antioch City Clerk’s Office is accepting applications for the following Boards and Commissions:

Board of Administrative Appeals Alternate Member – One 2-year term  – Deadline March 25.

Economic Development Commission – One partial term – Deadline March 25.

Sales Tax Citizen’s Oversight (Measure C) Committee – Three 2-year terms – Deadline April 15.

Planning Commission – One partial term – Deadline April 15.

Applications are available at the City Clerk’s Counter and online at www.ci.antioch.ca.us.