Becomes sixth candidate to join the race in District 3

Odessa Lefrancois, a 16-year resident of East Contra Costa County and a 12-year county health services employee, made her candidacy for District 3 Supervisor official by completing her filing on Wednesday afternoon, March 9th, as supporters and volunteers dressed in “Vote for Odessa” shirts looked on at the County Office of Elections and Registration.

Informally beginning her campaign last November, by riding in a car with signs announcing her candidacy in Antioch’s Veterans Day Parade, Lefrancois is undeterred to join a race with five other candidates seeking to replace Mary Piepho.

“I’ve not only lived in the district for a long time, I’ve also worked (and still do) for the County for over a decade,” she said. “I’ve seen County governance both from the inside and the outside.  More importantly, I’ve experienced, firsthand, the effects of Supervisor decisions as a resident as well as an employee. I have something unique that the other candidates don’t have – a dual perspective and experience.”

Recent decisions from the Supervisors have led Lefrancois to her run for Supervisor.

“For nearly a decade, we have seen the County reduce or completely cut services, close down health care facilities, roll back employee salaries and benefits, and insist residents do more with less,” she said. “Supervisors preached sacrifice.”

But one decision in particular concretized Odessa Lefrancois’ determination to run.”

“When the Supervisors, minus Candace Andersen, voted to raise their own salaries by an unbelievable 33% while preaching sacrifice to everyone else, I knew this County needed new leadership,” she stated.  “That decision was incredibly self serving. Leaders serve the public interest, not their own interest.”

On her priorities for the County, she said, “I am neither a career politician nor a political opportunist chasing the next office. I am a mother, a resident, a County health services employee, a retired Navy veteran, and a community volunteer.”

As a mother and resident, Lefrancois’ priorities are improved public safety and the preservation of green spaces and wetlands for families to enjoy.

As an employee, Lefrancois’ priorities are better regional transportation infrastructure and County leadership that will treat their employees fairly, and to lead by example.

As a Navy vet, Lefrancois’ priorities are better health care delivery to all, especially our men and women in uniform who served honorably but now have mental and/or physical health needs to heal.

As a community volunteer for faith-based organizations working to serve those who are traditionally underrepresented and ignored, Lefrancois’ priorities are to become a Supervisor who is relentless in engaging her constituents and responding to the needs of those constituents.

According to her bio on the NAACP East County Branch website, two weeks after graduating from Lincoln High School in McClellanville, she joined the United States Navy.

During her military career she was trained as a hospital corpsman and a respiratory therapist. Training led to a military career that took her to over thirty-five states in the United States and five foreign countries (Japan, Korea, Philippines, Canada and Mexico).  She retired from the military after 21 years of honorable service at the rank of Chief Petty Officer (E7).   After retirement, she went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership and Management from Chapman University, in Orange County, California. Community involvement includes but not limited to Health Chair for Antioch Church Family and the current President of the East County National Association for the Advancement of Colored (NAACP) Branch.

Lefrancois is a proud mother of two children, Shane (28) and Lorraine (20) and three grandchildren. She enjoys bicycle riding, reading, traveling and most important, living a life of service to others. She is currently employed as a respiratory therapist at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center and Kaiser, Walnut Creek Medical Center. Lefrancois resides with her husband, Louis in Antioch.

The election is June 7th. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, the top two candidates will face off in the General Election in November.

Antioch City Councilmember and community advocate Monica Wilson announced she had added the endorsement of State Controller Betty Yee to a growing list of support for Contra Costa Supervisor.

“Monica is a champion for Contra Costa in improving the economy and quality of life for its residents and businesses,” Yee said. “Her demonstrated leadership and experience in the business and public sectors will serve Contra Costa County well. I wholeheartedly support Monica Wilson for county supervisor.”

Controller Betty Yee, of San Francisco, currently serves as the state’s Chief Financial Officer. She chairs the Franchise Tax Board and serves as a member of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) Boards, which have a combined portfolio of nearly $500 billion. Yee was elected to the seat in November 2014, defeating the Republican Mayor of Fresno Ashley Swearengin in 2014 with 54% of the vote.

“I am thrilled to have the support of our State Controller, Betty Yee.” said Wilson. “We both share the same goal of making sure California’s working families receive their fair share.”

Prior to serving as State Controller, Betty Yee served on the Board of Equalization since 2006 until 2015, representing 21 counties in northern and central California. Yee’s 30 years of experience in public service include serving as Chief Deputy Director for Budget with the California Department of Finance.

Yee also serves on the Board of Directors for the Equality California Institute, the nation’s largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender civil rights organization. She is a Co-founder of the Asian Pacific Youth Leadership Project, which engages California high school students in public service and politics.

Yee is the newest high profile endorser for Wilson’s supervisorial campaign, which recently announced it had also received the backing of Board of Equalization Chairwoman Fiona Ma. Yee has served as Vice President of California Women Lead, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for women holding or interested in running for political office, for which Ma currently serves as Treasurer.

Wilson lives in Antioch and received her M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix and her B.A. from Howard University. She is currently an Antioch City Councilmember. The seat is being vacated by outgoing third district Supervisor Mary Piepho. Contra Costa County’s third supervisorial district includes Antioch, Oakley, Brentwood, and Discovery Bay. The primary election is June 7, 2016.

 

Nance continues to build momentum to defeat failed incumbent Jerry McNerney as law enforcement continues to back Nance in battleground CD 9

Kathryn Nance, current President of the Stockton Police Officers Association and a 19 year member of the Stockton Police Department, today received the endorsement of San Joaquin County Sheriff Steve Moore in her campaign for Congress against who she labels the “vulnerable” incumbent Congressman Jerry McNerney.

“Kathryn Nance is the fresh face and new generation of leader that the 9th congressional district needs,” stated Sheriff Moore.  “Her 19 years as a member of the Stockton Police Department upholding the vow to ‘protect and serve’ shows her dedication to our community.  I am proud to give Kathryn Nance my endorsement for her campaign in the 9th congressional district and know that she will be a strong advocate for public safety in Congress.”

The 9th Congressional District encompasses the majority of San Joaquin County, as well as a small portion of Contra Costa including most of Antioch, and the City of Galt in Sacramento County.

“I am honored to have Sheriff Moore’s support and hope to take the fight against violent crime to our nation’s capital,” said Nance. “Jerry McNerney has been nowhere to be found in the fight against the criminal gangs and organized crime that costs lives and property for law abiding citizens.  I will be a voice for the victims of crime, not the perpetrators of it.”

Born and raised in the Stockton area, Kathryn Nance is a 19-year veteran of the Stockton Police Department, currently serving as a Sergeant with the Department’s AB109 Task Force and as President of the Stockton Police Officers Association.  She has previously served as a Field Training Officer and as a member of the Department’s Gang and Homicide units.  She is married to her husband of 11 years, James Nance, who also serves as an officer with the Stockton Police Department.  Together, they have a blended family of four children, ranging in ages of 15 to 23.  Kathryn is an avid outdoors enthusiast and enjoys activities such as hiking, cycling, kayaking and CrossFit.  Kathryn also served as the Chairwoman of Stockton’s annual “Strides Against Cancer” relay.

To learn more about Kathryn Nance for Congress, visit us online at www.Nance2016.com, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/KathrynNanceForCongress and follow us on Twitter @Nance2016.

Students from Antioch’s Sutter Elementary are showcasing their original artwork at the Lynn House Gallery through this Saturday, March 19th, on Wednesday and Saturday, from 1-4 PM. The showcase is open to the public at no cost.

Lone Tree Elementary and Mno Grant Elementary will showcase their art from April 6-23 on Wednesdays and Saturdays, from 1-4 PM.

The Arts4Schools Program is sponsored by the Arts & Cultural Foundation of Antioch, the City of Antioch and a Cal Pine and Keller Canyon Mitigation Fund Grant from Contra Costa County Supervisor Federal Glover. In addition to sponsoring the gallery exhibit, the grant  provides $500 to each participating school to be used for art and cultural supplies and educational endeavors.

For more information about each exhibit call Diane Gibson-Gray at (925) 325-9897 or email Diane@Art4Antioch.org. The Lynn House Gallery is located in the Rivertown District at 809 W. 1st Street, Antioch (across from the AMTRAK Train Station) and is open from 1 – 4 PM on Wednesdays and Saturdays during exhibits and admission is free.

Puccini’s The Girl of the Golden West For Families

Presented by San Francisco Opera’s Education Department

Saturday, March 19, 2016     2:00 pm

Free (But Tickets Required)

T​he Vagabond Players Present

On Borrowed Time

Sunday, March 20, 2016  2:00 pm

Adults: $15   Seniors (62 & Over): $13   Youth: (Under 18): $10

General Seating

JONI MORRIS PRESENTS –

 “A Tribute to the Music of Patsy Cline”

Saturday, March 26, 2016   2:00 pm

Adults: $27

Seniors (62 and Over): $25

Youth (Under 18):  Free when accompanied by an adult or senior

Reserved Seating

Tickets May Be Purchased in Advance: At the Ticket Office 604 W. Second Street (Next Door To The Theatre) Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and 1 hour before showtime or by phone: (925) 757-9500 or online at www.elcampaniltheatre.com.

By Allen Payton

Antioch is in the process of developing a specific plan for more housing in the Sand Creek Focus Area as described in the City’s General Plan. The area on either side of Deer Valley Road, near the Kaiser medical center, has long been planned for additional housing.

At their meeting, on Wednesday, March 16, the Antioch Planning Commission will be deciding on recommendations they will make to the City Council on policies for how the area will be developed.

Following are some key facts I believe people should know before they make comments and provide input to the Commission and the Council, as well as some of my own recommendations:

Voter Approved Housing Area

The Sand Creek Area is inside both the County’s and City’s voter approved Urban Limit Lines.  The County’s line, approved in 1989, sets aside 65% of the land in the county from development of anything more than one house per five acres. The City’s line is the same as the original County line, but the vote for that included approval of the Roddy Ranch housing project. That land around the Roddy Ranch Golf Course was sold two years ago to the East Bay Regional Park District, and is now open space.

So, any housing approved there, in spite of opposition from current residents of Antioch and East County, who are saying the City Council isn’t listening to the people, is doing what the voters allowed.

Growth Is Inevitable

Growth is inevitable as long as people keep having babies. The only way to not have housing growth is for all generations currently living in a family to all live in the same house. But, I’m sure we can all recognize that’s not realistic.

Those from the opposition to almost new housing growth, such as Save Mount Diablo, would prefer us to live in high-density, high-rise housing, and preferably in inner cities. I ask them, when is enough open space enough? They want a buffer zone between housing and the East Bay Regional Park District’s Black Diamond Regional Preserve, which our tax dollars paid to purchase. Why do we need a buffer zone for open space?

Plus, this area isn’t Mt. Diablo. That’s already been saved, which is a good thing. They need to focus their efforts on the 65% of the land outside the Urban Limit Line and face the reality that most Americans don’t want to live in high-density housing, or in the inner cities. Home and private property ownership, with space between us and the next Americans, are part of our heritage.

I understand that most opponents of new housing growth in Antioch, don’t want more traffic or are concerned about the current lack of police. But, if they own a home or reside in Antioch or East County, and weren’t born and grew up here, or live in the same home their parents owned, they are basically and hypocritically saying, “I’m in. Shut the door. I’ve got mine, too bad for you.” They need to remember that when their homes were being approved, the people who already live in Antioch or next to their subdivision probably didn’t want them built, either.

I’m sure others who live in one of the homes in the subdivisions that back up to the Sand Creek area want to maintain the area as open space. If you are one of those Antioch residents and were told that it would be permanent open space, that’s unfortunate, because you were misled.

I’m a second-generation native Californian and could have opposed anyone who moved to our state since either I or even since my parents were born in the 1930’s and would have some credibility. But, that’s a ridiculous position to hold.

I graduated from high school in Walnut Creek and after I returned from college and got married, like many of my friends from Central County, we needed a place to live that we could afford. Antioch and East County was that place. If the homes weren’t built here for us, where were we supposed to live?

It reminds me of what I said, with tongue-in-cheek, at a meeting in Concord on transportation issues attended by elected officials in the county, most of whom opposed the widening of Highway 4 and construction of the Highway 4 Bypass, because they would “induce growth in East County,” back when we were pushing for their funding and approval from 1995-98. I said “don’t blame us for the growth. You had kids over the past 30 to 40 years. Where are they living? East County. So, if you ever want to see your grandkids again, give us money for Highway 4 or we won’t be coming back to Central County because it will take too long to get here.” They laughed, but they also got the message.

It’s time we all face the fact that the long-planned growth is going to occur, in Antioch, and focus on the issues related to it. Those issues are where and when the new homes should be built, how many and what type. Plus, how do we ensure the new homes pay their way so as to not burden city services, but support them and their expansion to provide for the people who already live here and will live in the new homes.

East County is the Place

Growth is like a balloon. If you push in one side it will pop out on another. East County is where much of the developable land is still available for housing in our county. If the homes aren’t built here, within the 35% of the land in the county where housing growth is allowed – by the voters – then it will continue to occur further out in the Central Valley. That means less land to grow our food and longer commutes for those working in the job centers along the 680 and 880 corridors, Silicon Valley and even San Francisco and the Peninsula, blowing smoke out of the tailpipes longer, creating more pollution.

Now Is the Time

It is a good thing we didn’t approve the housing in what was known as Future Urban Area 1 (FUA-1) back in 1995 when I was on the City Council, and we started planning the area. We needed time for Antioch and East County to get caught up on Highway 4 widening and the extension (Bypass), and for the BART extension to be built, as well as the new school construction. That’s why a few of us proposed and got passed Measure U, the growth management advisory initiative which was approved by 69% of the voters in 1998. Now, all those things are either done or will be done in the next few years.

4,000 Homes Maximum

Back then a total of 8,900 homes were proposed to be built in the FUA-1/Sand Creek area. Now the number is down to about 4,000 homes, maximum. Recently two housing developments were approved, totaling about 1,300 homes. So there are only approximately 2,700 more homes that can be approved within the current confines of the General Plan.

The reality is enough homes must be approved to pay for the needed infrastructure to support the new developments, which includes local streets, sewer, water lines, parks and trails, plus the major roads which will serve any and all of us who will drive through the new area to either Kaiser or Highway 4 at Sand Creek Road.

Larger Homes on Larger Lots, Gated and Senior Communities

Going back to the 1990’s the plan has been as Antioch grew further south, the homes approved in the new areas would be larger and on larger lots, to add a different type of housing to the mix. While things have changed in the market place since then, the idea is to have executive and upscale housing, and gated communities, adding a different type of housing to the mix that we already have. That should help attract executives and business owners to Antioch who will hopefully bring their businesses and employ residents in our city and neighboring cities, so they would no longer have to commute out of the area to work.

Plus, senior housing communities, as have been approved in Brentwood, will provide housing for our own aging population for people who will not impact commute traffic or our schools, but stay in town during the day and spend money at local businesses and restaurants.

Hillside and View Lots

Recommendation: The Planning Commission and Council must include large hillside lots and view lots in the mix, like those in Blackhawk and the San Ramon Valley which will allow for upscale houses that command higher home prices, which attract the executives, professionals and business owners.

City Services & Infrastructure Impact Mitigation

The new subdivisions already approved in the Sand Creek area will be helping to pay for the completion of Sand Creek Road, which will connect Deer Valley Road to Highway 4 on the east side, as well as the extensions of Hillcrest Avenue and Heidorn Ranch Road. The other proposed developments in the area will help pay for the connection of Sand Creek Road to Dallas Ranch Road. The road improvements will of course serve the new homes, but will also benefit students who attend Dozier-Libbey Medical High School and provide better access to patients of the Kaiser medical center.

The homes, like all other new homes in East County will continue to pay the $15,000 fee for regional roads, such as the Highway 4 extension, previously known as the Bypass.

In addition, the new subdivisions will be paying a new, annual police fee which will help provide additional officers who will not only serve the new area, but all of Antioch.

Recommendation: The Commission and Council need to ensure that each new home helps pay for the completion of the 115-acre Prewett Park, which is the City’s regional park. There is a plan for all the vacant land between the parking lot and Antioch Community Center and Deer Valley Road, along Lone Tree Way. Just like the current homes in the newer areas of southeast Antioch paid 20% of their Mello-Roos assessment for the construction of the other parts of Prewett Park, such as the Antioch Water Park and the Community Center, the new homeowners in Sand Creek need to pay to complete the master plan of the park.

Meeting Information

The Commission meeting will be begin at 6:30 and held in the Council Chambers next to City Hall, at 3rd and H Streets in downtown.

To see the entire agenda and Staff Report for the General Plan Land Use Element Update, Sand Creek Focus Area please click here and on Item 3.

If you plan on speaking on the item, be sure to let the Commissioners know what you want to see in the new housing and subdivisions. Don’t just be against the new growth, because it’s coming. We just need to make sure it’s the type of housing we want in Antioch.