The Governing Board (Board) reports progress is being made on the search for the next chancellor of the Contra Costa Community College District (District) following Chancellor Helen Benjamin’s December 31, 2016, retirement announcement.  The Board is committed to conducting an equitable, inclusive, and transparent national search that will attract a strong pool of outstanding candidates.

“The selection of our next chancellor is one of our most important responsibilities,” said Governing Board President Vicki Gordon.  “We encourage our students, staff, and community members to participate in the process.”

Community input on the following two questions can be submitted online through the District’s website by clicking onto “Chancellor Search,” or you may send an email directly to search consultant Dr. Pamila Fisher at pamfisher@bresnan.net as soon as possible.

The questions are:

1. What are the major issues and challenges facing the District and its colleges in the next three to five years?
2. What characteristics, qualities, attributes and skills do you think are critical for the new chancellor’s success?

Progress reports and updates will be posted on the District website, and members of the community can meet the chancellor finalists at public forums during the last stage of the process.

The Contra Costa Community College District (CCCCD) is one of the largest multi-college community college districts in California. The CCCCD serves a population of 1,019,640 people, and its boundaries encompass all but 48 of the 734-square-mile land area of Contra Costa County. The District is home to Contra Costa College in San Pablo, Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, as well as educational centers in Brentwood and San Ramon.  Each college is individually accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. The District headquarters is located in downtown Martinez.

Editor,

In the S.F. Chronicle today, 5/25/2016, there is a story about a new electric car company moving to Mare Island, Vallejo.  Was Antioch in the running for this endeavor?  Did we submit anything?  Wilbur Avenue in Antioch would have been perfect for this type of company.

Our Economic Development Manager is Lizeht Zepeda.  The governor’s office in Sacramento has an “Office of Business and Economic Development” or “GoBiz” to help cities like Antioch and Vallejo recruit business.  It also grants millions in tax credits to the city.  Does Antioch even know this is available?

Ms. Zepeda makes a nice six figure salary in this job and I see no results anywhere except small businesses.  Has she ever given a report to Council?  Is she still “in training” as I have been told?  We needed a person in this position highly skilled at bringing in business not a friend of another employee.  Two council members have told me they have never received any kind of report from Ms. Zepeda.

Marty Fernandez

Antioch Council owes us either 104, 111 or 124 sworn officers, Cost Allocation Plan causes confusion, frustration over use of funds, City staff say 100% is going to what it’s meant for, citizens disagree

By Allen Payton

Since the effort began to pass a half-cent sales tax measure in 2013, Antioch has collected over $11 million of Measure C funds and has a net two additional sworn police officers, to show for it. Sure, we also have some additional Community Service Officers (CSO’s) and a few more Code Enforcement Officers, but the main focus of the measure was to fund additional police.

Chief Allan Cantando reported, at the Council meeting on May 10th, that staffing was back down to 91 sworn officers, after having reached a pinnacle of 94 just a few weeks prior.

At that council meeting and in a subsequent email discussion I’ve had with City Manager Steve Duran and City Finance Director Dawn Merchant, they argue that 100% of Measure C funds are being spent on police and code enforcement.

However, under the city’s Cost Allocation Plan, adopted in 2005, a portion of each department’s budget is transferred out to other departments, such as administration to cover the costs associated with serving that department. The police department is treated the same. So, as the amount of money being received by the PD increases, so does the amount transferred out.

City staff argues that the half-cent sales tax is a general tax and the money goes into the city’s General Fund and can be used for any purpose. They’re correct.

Yet, my argument is that the official ballot language and the ballot arguments in favor of Measure C are what voters read and are upon what they based their decision to support it.

Following is the official ballot statement for Measure C:

To fund all essential city services including increased police staffing to reduce crime and gang activities and improve 911 emergency response time; restored code enforcement to clean up blighted properties; and local economic development and job creation, shall the City of Antioch adopt a one-half cent transactions and use (sales) tax, expiring in seven years, with mandatory annual audits and independent citizens’ oversight and for local Antioch use only?

So, while the money from Measure C goes into the City’s General Fund and can be spent on whatever the council decides, it needs to be spent on that which is in the ballot language of the measure.

Furthermore, in the ballot “Arguments For Measure C,” signed by Mayor Wade Harper, the entire Antioch City Council at that time, and three others, they stated:

A Yes on Measure C will allow us to immediately hire 22 new police officers, decreasing the time it takes to respond to 911 calls. It will also provide funds to reduce the number of gang-related homicides, assaults and robberies.

Our police force has dwindled from 126 officers four years ago to only 89 today. 911 response times have increased and violent crime is up 30%. We feel unsafe in our homes and are in constant fear of becoming victims of crime.

The budget crisis has forced the near-closing of Antioch’s Code Enforcement Department. We need to resume inspections on foreclosed and abandoned properties to force absent property owners to clean up blight and evict tenants dealing drugs.

A Yes on Measure C will give us immediate funds to begin cleaning up Antioch’s blighted properties.

(For the complete arguments for and against, and the City Attorney’s impartial analysis, see http://www.smartvoter.org/2013/11/05/ca/cc/meas/C/).

But, that was written and signed in either July or August, 2013 before filing closed. By the time the measure passed in November the number of sworn officers had decreased to just 82. That is the base figure the council conveniently agreed to use instead of 89. So, instead of 111 sworn officers based on the funds from the measure, they only have to get us 104 to fulfill their commitment. They’re still currently 13 shy of the lower figure.

Police staffing and Measure C funds use

In an email exchange, last week, Duran provided me with the following statements regarding the amount of money collected and spent from Measure C and its uses:

“We had 82 officers on October 1, 2013. I wasn’t here for the Measure C election process; but 100% of the money is 100% of the money and 100% of the money has gone and continues to go to the Police Department and Code Enforcement.  Nobody can do better than that.”

“The City has collected $11,146,933 since the inception of the Measure.  These funds have allowed the Police Department to fund 20 additional sworn officers since November 2013, boost Community Service Officer positions by 4, hire a Police Communications Supervisor and an Administrative Analyst.  I guess they could have funded just 22 more sworn instead, but the Council allowed the Chief to determine that the APD would be more effective with the additional CSOs, the Communication Supervisor and the Analyst – lower cost employees freeing sworn officers for field work.

Measure C has also enabled the City to reinstate an active Code Enforcement division. Funds have been used to hire one additional Code Enforcement Officer, a blight abatement crew consisting of two laborers, a Development Services/Engineering Technician and to fund a full time Code Enforcement Manager.

Regarding the City of Antioch Cost Allocation Plan, which was implemented in 2005.  The APD would be getting the same cost allocation whether or not Measure C ever happened.  You can’t run the APD without these internal services unless APD hired these services separately, which would cost APD much more.

Funding 102 sworn officers and getting to that number are totally separate issues.  Measure C funded the additional sworn officers, CSOs and other APD staff.

All we can do is continue to put 100% of the Measure C money into APD and Code Enforcement, and recruit and hire officers.  We have hired 36 since Measure C passed.  We cannot keep people from retiring or leaving for other reasons.

The figure is since we started receiving Measure C funds, which I believe was April 2014.”

I’m glad we have the additional CSO’s and two other police staff members. But, the city only has a net nine additional sworn officers, using the 82 for the city’s officer baseline figure, not 20 as Duran stated. Plus, it’s the 22 sworn police officers who can be out on the street that we were promised and Antioch needs.

So where did the money go for the 11 phantom police officers?

Cost Allocation Plan questions and confusion

The use of money being transferred out of the PD is not clear. In the email exchange, I asked both Duran and Merchant, other than the additional $60,000 recently approved by the council for the part-time Assistant City Manager position, what was the money spent on that was transferred out of the PD and into the Administration budget.

In response Merchant wrote, “‘City Wide Admin’ in PD is $2,785,630 for FY16.  FY14 Actual ‘City Wide Admin’ in PD was $1,811,674.”

That’s an increase of $974,000 per year transferring out of the police department budget to other ‘City Wide Admin’ through other departments.

She also wrote “As we have stated at the Council meeting, because the Measure C is budgeted to kick in for expenditures over the base $28.4M, one cannot definitively say a specific item/purchase/etc is solely a Measure C expenditure – meaning this pen was purchased with Measure C but this other pen was not.  There is not a separate Measure C fund that expenditures are allocated to for PD.  Measure C revenue is deposited into the PD General Fund revenue budget and is used to fund/offset a portion of ALL police department expenditures.  That is why in my staff report to Council we said that one could also assume that the $2.4M in reported FY 15 Measure C PD expenditures (because this was the amount of FY15 PD expenditures that exceed the base) could be all salary since the salary costs are so high.”

But, my question to them and the City Council is, just because the Cost Allocation Plan allows for a certain percentage from the PD to go to Administration, are they required to redistribute that amount? The answer is clearly “no.” The CAP is an ordinance that with three votes of council members, they can approve exceptions.

Just because there is a Cost Allocation Plan in place based on percentages, that doesn’t mean those percentages can’t change or the portion from Measure C can be kept separate. The council can vote to not allocate any of the Measure C funds to anything but what was listed in the ballot language.

Besides, how much more money does Third Floor in City Hall need when there has been no additional staff hired to oversee the additional police and code enforcement staff, other than the part-time Assistant City Manager position.

What’s even more confusing is that Duran stated at the last council meeting – and the council has been approving it – the city has been budgeting for 102 sworn officers in each of the year’s budgets, going back to 2013. But, we haven’t had that many sworn officers in years.

So, really, if the baseline budget included that many officers and Measure C is supposed to fund the hiring of 22 additional, then the Council owes us 124 sworn officers from the proceeds of the tax measure.

Sure, a large amount of the Measure C funds has not been spent and is being rolled over into the next fiscal year. But, that’s not why we voted to tax ourselves more. We want more police and improved public safety, now not in future years.

Net Funds Versus Gross

The main disagreement is rooted in the fact that the public is looking at the net amount being spent on police, while city staff is looking at the gross amount, before funds are transferred out of the PD budget to other departments.

Merchant stated clearly during the May 10th council meeting that the percentages have been increasing over the past several years.

“Citywide costs to the police department decreased 8%, then 13%” she stated referring to years prior to the passage of Measure C. “Fiscal Year ‘13 it went up 7%. Fiscal Year ’14 it went up 11%. Fiscal Year ’15 it went up 15%. Fiscal Year ’16 it did increase 24%. But that’s for a full year of furloughs,” referring to the elimination of the 10% pay cut for the city’s non-police staff.

That’s what has former Measure C Citizens’ Oversight Committee member Sal Sbranti and other residents upset and frustrated, including me.

When we were told we would get 22 police officers, plus Code Enforcement, economic development, etc, we didn’t expect the money to go to Administration or anything else.

What’s this about the furloughs? The money from Measure C was not intended to back-fill the 10% pay cut the rest of city staff were forced to take, which resulted in City Hall being closed on Fridays, thus the name Furlough Fridays. That was supposed to come out of Measure O funds, the city business license tax on residential rental properties.

The bottom line is Mayor Harper and the Antioch City Council Members who signed the arguments in favor of the ballot measure in 2013, which include current members Mary Rocha and Monica Wilson, owe us 22 more officers, not two and not nine. Until they get to at least 104 sworn officers – and frankly I believe it should be 111 since that’s based on the figure of 89  officers they gave us – they aren’t doing what they promised we, the people who passed Measure C and are helping pay for it through the increased half-cent sales tax in Antioch.

Until they accomplish that, the city council and staff can expect more complaints and frustration from Antioch residents.

By Lieutenant Anthony Morefield, Antioch Police Investigations Bureau

On Wednesday, May 25, 2016 at approximately 10:35 AM, Antioch Police Officers responded to a report of a shooting near the corner of Crater Peak Way and Black Diamond Drive. The officers arrived to find an adult male victim deceased from apparent gunshot wounds.

This case is currently being investigated by the Antioch Police Department Investigations Bureau. We are in the preliminary stages of this case, and no further information will be released at this time.

Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to call Detective James Colley with the Antioch Police Department at (925) 779-6922. Any further information or additional press releases will be provided by the Investigations Bureau at (925) 779-6939. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.

Editor:

I also publicly endorse Mr. Doug Harcastle for District III Contra Costa County Supervisor.

I would like to echo the comments of Dr. Michael Painter regarding Mr. Hardcastle. As the former General Manager of the Ironhouse Sanitary District (ISD), I had the opportunity to work directly with Doug for 12 years, and came to know and understand him well.

Doug was certainly instrumental (in conjunction with his fellow Directors) in helping reshape ISD from an outdated rural operation, into a modern, suburban oriented collection, treatment and water reuse operation that protects our environment and our sensitive Western Delta water quality.

In late 2012, when Doug decided to step down from ISD and run for City office, I knew ISD was losing an excellent public servant. While I did not want to see him go, I believed he had accomplished what he initially set out to do. Doug helped improve ISD over the twelve years he served and was leaving ISD in much better shape than when he found it.

While Doug was only one of five Directors on the ISD Board, he was critical in helping reset the Board’s vision for the future, and setting a high standard for staff that drove us to excellence. Doug understands the importance of working with others and did a great job of building consensus on the ISD Board.

Doug also understands the importance of establishing good public policies, hiring competent staff, providing staff the tools and resources necessary to do their jobs, and letting staff do their work. From a General Manager’s perspective, this policy-based mindset from elected officials is critical to well functioning public entities. I believe this skill will be especially important (and useful) when functioning at the County Supervisor level.

Of course, with staff empowerment comes staff accountability, and Doug also understands this concept. While Doug is no tyrant, he is demanding and he expects results from staff; and holds his agency people accountable for the tasks they are given.

With the addition of four years experience on the Oakley City Council, Doug has gained additional insight into a more complex city government. I believe this experience, combined with his 12 years at ISD, has helped him gain the knowledge necessary to function and succeed at the county level.

So, based on my 16 years of knowing Mr. Hardcastle, (five as a District Engineer, seven as a General Manager, and four as an observer and friend), I strongly endorse Doug as a candidate for the position of Contra Costa County Supervisor, District III.

Sincerely,

Tom Williams

Civil Engineer and Retired General Manager

25 year Antioch resident

Antioch Police highlights as published in City Manager Steve Duran’s Weekly Report dated May 20, 2016 and provided by Chief of Police Allan Cantando.

Calls for Service and Arrest Data Summary:

Time Period: 05/12/16 00:00:00 – 05/18/16 23:59:59

Number of Calls for Service: 1,829

Number of Case Reports: 319

Number of Arrests: 87

Felony: 41

Misdemeanor: 46

Infraction: 0

Arrests with DUI charge: 2

The data is based upon unaudited CAD/RMS data at time of report generation.

• ·On 5/19/16 at 6:00 am, officers made a vehicle stop on a Honda with no plates driving slowly in the 500 block of W 14^th St. 34 year old Roberto Martinez exited the vehicle and fled into a nearby address. 36 year old Alfred Nobblet was contacted as the driver. He was found to be in possession of a stolen handgun and narcotics. He was taken into custody without incident. Martinez was found to have multiple outstanding warrants for his arrest. A perimeter was set up and during a K-9 search; he was found hiding in a neighbor’s basement. He gave up quickly when challenged by the K-9. Both were booked and transported to county jail for weapons and narcotics charges.
• ·On 5/19/16 at 12:30 am, 35 year old Jacqualine Box was driving west bound on E. Tregallas Rd. when she turned into 7-11, ran off the roadway and collided with a tree. She then backed up and continued to drive west bound; however, her front tire came off the rim preventing her from continuing. A passerby called to report the accident. Upon arrival, officers found Box walking around her vehicle. She stated she had just come from Applebee’s and believed she was in Brentwood. She showed signs of being under the influence and was found to have a preliminary blood alcohol content of .233. She was arrested and eventually booked into county jail.
• ·On 5/18/16 at 11:16 pm, officers conducted a vehicle stop on 47 year old Chandler Colquitt and 36 year old Charmaine King at 2301 Sycamore Dr. after seeing what was believed to be a narcotic transaction that had just occurred when another subject they recognized approached the vehicle’s open driver’s door window. The subject saw the officers and fled into the complex on foot and was not located. During the vehicle stop, Colquitt was found to be in possession of methamphetamine. He was arrested and later cite released.
• ·On 5/18/16 at 10:00 pm, APD units responded to the report of a vehicle that had been travelling south bound on Cavallo Rd. and left the roadway and crashed into the rear yard of 141 East Madill Street. The driver and solo occupant of the truck was ejected and found under the truck. He was pronounced deceased on scene. His identity could not be confirmed and is pending coroner identification. APD traffic units responded to take over the investigation.
• ·On 5/18/16 at 1:09 pm, officers were dispatched to 1900 block of Dennis Dr. for subjects smoking marijuana on the side of a residence. The officers arrived on scene and contacted 18 year old Emiliano Rodriguez in the middle of the street. Rodriguez nervously told an officer that he needed to get something from his car and started walking towards a black Ford parked at the curb. The officer attempted to grab Rodriguez but Rodriguez pulled away from the officer and quickly went to the passenger side of the Ford and reached inside. The officer drew his gun and ordered Rodriguez out of the car. The other officer grabbed Rodriguez and attempted to handcuff him but Rodriguez became combative and attempted to pull away from the officer. Rodriguez was eventually taken into custody. Rodriguez was issued a citation and released for resisting arrest.
• ·On 5/17/17 at 10:28 pm, an officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for vehicle code violations at the 1800 block of A St. When the driver, 21 year old Antoine Cooper, opened the glove box to retrieve some paperwork, the officer noticed a handgun inside. Cooper was taken into custody without incident. The semi-automatic pistol had a fully loaded magazine with one round in the chamber. The officer contacted the owner of the gun, who turned out to be Cooper’s cousin. Cooper and his cousin were at a gun range earlier and forgot the gun was in the glove box. Cooper was arrested and cite released.
• ·On 5/17/16 at 7:30 pm, 27 year old Curtis Brown was contacted during a pedestrian stop at West 9^th St. and K St. He was found to have an active warrant for his arrest and taken into custody. He was later booked into county jail.
• ·On 5/17/16 at 12:47 pm, on 5/9/2016, a woman was robbed of her cellular phone by a man armed with a gun. Today, the victim called and stated that she saw the suspect who robbed her at 2301 Sycamore Drive. 28 year old Emmanuel Easter fled on foot when patrol officers arrived and the victim pointed him out identifying him as the man who robbed her. Easter was able to run to W 18^th Street by crossing the railroad tracks. A perimeter was set up and an officer with a K-9 conducted yard to yard searches. Easter was apprehended by the K-9 in the rear yard of a home on Crestview Drive. Easter continued to fight after being found by the K-9, but was taken into custody. He was medically cleared at the hospital and later sent to county jail. The victim’s cell phone was recovered.
• ·On 5/17/16 at 8:12 am, someone lit two garbage cans on fire at the City Park. During the investigation it was learned that someone was seen throwing things in the garbage cans around the time of the fires. Contra Costa County Fire Inspectors arrived to assist with the investigation. Due to the amount of cigarette butts in the garbage can area the Fire Inspectors did not believe they had probable cause for the suspect. He was interviewed and released.
• ·On 5/17/16 at 2:15 am, officers responded to Chevron at 3201 Delta Fair Blvd. on a report of a suspicious vehicle. Officers arrived and contacted 36 year old Gregorio Yarborough. A computer check revealed Yarborough had several local and out of state warrants, one of which was a homicide warrant out of Louisiana. Yarborough was taken into custody without incident and booked into county jail.
• ·On 5/16/16 at 11:57 pm, officers responded to the County Square Market at 2711 Hillcrest Ave. on a report of a vehicle collision with a male subject laying in the street unconscious. Officers arrived and learned 32 year old Lila Penn and her passenger had been drinking earlier at a friend’s house. Penn admitted she was driving west on Larkspur St. when she lost control of her vehicle and collided into the soundwall. The passenger was found unresponsive and transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Penn was found to be intoxicated with minor injuries and she too was transported to the hospital. A blood sample was obtained from Penn. Due to the length of time at the hospital, Penn was later released pending further investigation.
• ·On 5/16/16 at 11:22 pm, officers responded to the Antioch Toyota dealership on a report of a male subject breaking windows and ripping off mirrors and windshield wipers from the new vehicles in the parking lot. Officers arrived and located the subject who was later identified as 32 year old Fredrick Dycus. Dycus stated he was disrespected by an employee at the Days Inn and wanted to “retaliate against America” so he decided to vandalize the vehicles. The manager of the dealership responded and advised the damage was in excess of $15,000. Dycus was booked into county jail for felony vandalism.
• ·On 5/16/16 at 4:53 am, an officer contacted two subjects inside a parked vehicle in the parking lot of Country Manor Park at 2800 Asilomar Dr. One of the subjects, 23 year old Ross Unzell, had a no bail felony warrant for his arrest. Unzell was arrested and booked into county jail without incident.
• ·On 5/15/16 at 9:07 pm, an officer conducted an enforcement stop in the area of Texas St. and Batacao Ln. on a vehicle driven by 23 year old Osvaldo Lopez for having a headlight out. While the officer was speaking to Lopez at the driver door, his cover officer could see a revolver on the floorboard at Lopez’s feet. Lopez was detained without incident. The revolver was found to be fully loaded and registered to an elderly female from South Gate. Lopez was booked into county jail.
• ·On 5/15/16 at 7:26 pm, the victim and 26 year old Todd Allen live a few houses from each other on West 7^th Street. They got into an argument over Allen trying to show the victim a picture on his cell phone. During the argument Allen struck the victim on the head with a sock that contained an unknown metal item. The victim sustained a serious cut to the back of his head that was bleeding heavily. Allen fled the scene and was not located. The victim and his wife both identified Allen in a photo lineup. A few hours later, Allen’s grandmother called APD to advise that Allen returned home. Officers responded to the residence and Allen was detained trying to flee from the side garage door as officers were knocking on the front door. Allen was booked into county jail.
• ·On 5/15/16 at 4:27 pm, 34 year old Blas Sulvaran was driving his vehicle east bound on W 5th St. when he veered from the roadway and collided with a parked vehicle. Sulvaran placed his vehicle in reverse and then fled the scene. He drove to his residence which was just a short distance away on W 5th St. A witness to the collision called APD and maintained a visual on Sulvaran until we arrived. Sulvaran was detained and found to be heavily intoxicated. He failed a preliminary alcohol screening device and was placed under arrest for DUI. Sulvaran was booked at county jail.
• ·On 5/15/16 at 8:10 am, an officer was on an unrelated call for service in the area of E. Tregallas Rd. and Hillcrest Av. When he saw an older model Honda Accord pass by him. The driver made eye contact and sped away at a high rate of speed. The officer located the Honda abandoned at Deer Valley Rd. and Davison Dr. Witnesses described the driver, 21 year old Richard Wilcox, and officers located him in the bathroom of the nearby McDonalds. Officers contacted the registered owner of the vehicle and discovered the Honda was an unreported stolen vehicle. Wilcox was arrested and booked into county jail.
• ·On 5/15/16 at 4:28 am, Officers were dispatched to the Goodwill store for an alarm. 58 year old Steven Gilbert was contacted in the area and found to have a parole violation warrant for burglary out of Lake County. Gilbert was arrested and transported to county jail.
• ·On 5/15/15 at 2:04 am, 45 year old Joseph Buccellato was under the influence of drugs and running from imaginary enemies who wanted to kill him. He went to Raley’s on Lone Tree Way but the doors were locked. Upset that the employees wouldn’t open the doors for him, he smashed the front door window with a metal trash can lid. Buccellato waited for officers to arrive where he was subsequently arrested for being under the influence of drugs and vandalism. He was treated at the hospital for minor cuts to his arms and then transported to county jail.
• ·On 5/14/16 at 4:26 pm, an officer conducted a traffic stop on a Dodge Durango in the area of A St. and W. 6^th St. The vehicle was driven by 44 year old David Bledsoe. The vehicle came back clear and Bledsoe was allowed to be on his way. Later in the shift, another officer was dispatched to a stolen vehicle report at the 3200 block of Ashley Way. He recognized the vehicle as the one Bledsoe was driving earlier. The officer located Bledsoe again; this time driving the vehicle in the area of Service Rd. and Evergreen St. A traffic stop was conducted and Bledsoe was arrested without incident. Parole was contacted and a hold was placed on Bledsoe. He was booked into county jail.
• ·On 5/14/16 at 2:36 pm, officers were dispatched to a collision near the intersection of Dennis Dr. and Kean Av. An officer was nearby and observed a vehicle with major front end damage driving from the area at a high rate of speed. The officer was able to catch up with the vehicle and conduct an enforcement stop. 27 year old Armani Shankles was the sole occupant and found to be heavily intoxicated and extremely uncooperative. Officers responded to the original call location and found a parked car that had been hit by Shankles. The front bumper from Shankles vehicle fell off and was left at the crash scene. Shankles was arrested for DUI and transported to the hospital for medical clearance. He became uncooperative at the hospital and had to be placed in a restraint device. His CDL was suspended from a prior DUI and he was on probation for weapons charges out of Alameda County. Shankles was booked into county jail.
• ·On 5/14/16 at 11:23 am, officers were called the area of 100 Railroad Av. for a welfare check on a male running through the area claiming he is being chased. Officers made contact with 25 year old Nathan Watson who was found to be under the influence of drugs. He was arrested and his probation was violated. He was booked into county jail.
• ·On 5/14/16 at 8:00 am, the victim was driving on 18^th Street when 26 year old James Tillman threw a rock at the victim’s vehicle for some unknown reason. The rock caused minor damage. Officers made contact with Tillman at Romi’s Liquors at E. 18^th St. and Cavallo Rd. and he fled on foot. He was caught near 18^th St. and Woodland Dr. where he struggled with two officers. The officers took Tillman into custody. During a search of his person, officers located a small amount of methamphetamine and paraphernalia. He is also on felony probation. Tillman was later booked into county jail.
• ·On 5/14/16 at 12:15 am, an officer was in the area of Hillcrest Ave and S. Lake Dr, when he attempted to stop a Honda Accord driven by 44 year old Frederick Simarro. Simarro led the officer on a pursuit around Lake Alhambra. The Honda showed to be a reported stolen vehicle out of Pittsburg. Simarro came to a stop in front of 19 N. lake Dr. and fled on foot. The officer made a K-9 announcement and Simarro immediately complied with the officer’s commands fearing he would be bit by the K-9. Simarro was taken into custody without incident. Simarro is on parole and was transported directly to county on several felony charges.
• ·On 5/13/15 at 11:30 pm, Contra Costa Fire declared a mass casualty incident (MCI) when they arrived and were advised employees of Wal-Mart on Lone Tree Way had been exposed to carbon monoxide. Turns out there was only 1 employee exposed and he declined medical. The leak was isolated to a soda machine supply bottle used by McDonalds located inside Wal-Mart that had a bad valve. The leak set off detectors in the front of the store. The bottle was removed and the store was declared safe by PG&E and Contra Costa Fire. Employees were allowed to return to work.
• ·On 5/13/16 at 11:13 pm, a subject driving a Toyota pickup was westbound on William Reed Dr. when they drove over the curb and sidewalk, just missing a pole and striking several vehicles and a fence in the 200 block. The driver fled and was not immediately located. A short time later, the responsible truck was located in front of the ABC Rendezvous. 36 year old Ryan Spencer is the owner of the truck and was in front of the bar. He matched the description of the driver involved in this incident. He was detained and an in-field line-up was done. A witness was unable to identify Spencer as the driver, but did identify his truck. Spencer denied any involvement in the collisions and refused to say if anyone else was driving his truck. Spencer was heavily intoxicated at the time of contact and belligerent. He was taken into custody for public intoxication and booked into county jail.
• ·On 5/13/16 at 4:49 pm, an officer was in the area of 316 W. 20^th St on routine patrol. The officer saw 48 year old Ryan Luton, whom he knew from prior contacts. Luton was checked for wants and the officer discovered an arrest warrant, which was issued today for vandalism. Luton was taken into custody without incident and sent to county jail.
• ·On 5/13/16 at 4:41 am, an Uber driver called because he brought 37 year old Robert Pontoon to Antioch at the Chevron station in the 2400 block of A St. and now Pontoon would not wake up or get out of the car. Officers arrived and woke Pontoon up. He exited the vehicle and charged one officer with his fists clinched. Pontoon was taken into custody and found to have 3 large baggies of marijuana. He was later booked into county jail.
• On 5/13/16 at 1:04 am, Brentwood PD became involved in a pursuit of a reckless driver westbound Lone Tree Way near Empire Ave. The driver headed into Antioch and pulled into the Wal-Mart lot. The driver only stopped after losing control of his vehicle and colliding into a pole in front of Wal-Mart. The driver and passenger fled on foot at this point. An Antioch officer was in the area and responded to assist in the foot pursuit. The APD officer tackled the driver and took him into custody without incident. Brentwood PD took over the arrest and APD took no further action. CHP responded at BPD request and handled the collision.
• ·On 5/13/16 at 12:21 am, an officer was doing an area check and witnessed 19 year old Joel Acevedo-Camarena doing “donuts” in his Mustang at the intersection of James Donlon Blvd. and Metcalf St. A vehicle stop was conducted and the driver, Acevedo-Camarena and his passenger 19 year old David Gaspar were both arrested. A second vehicle that was watching fled the area and was not located. Both subjects were cited and released. Acevedo-Camarena’s vehicle was towed and held for 30-days.
• ·On 5/13/16 at 12:21 am, 22 year old Dominique Grogans was contacted during a vehicle stop in the area of Benton St. and Bitter St. and found to have the no bail warrant for his arrest for hit and run. He was taken into custody without incident and booked into county jail.
• On 5/12/16 at 7:17 pm, officers were dispatched 1 Helmuth Lane on a report of a possible fight between 44 year old Frank Mello and another male. Upon arrival, officers contacted Mello and discovered he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. Mello was taken into custody without incident and later sent to county jail. The fight was determined to be unfounded.
• On 5/12/16 at 10:30 am, 21 year old Trezell Heckard was contacted on a car stop at Hillcrest Av. and Wildflower Dr. and found to have a felony warrant for his arrest. He was cooperative and arrested. He was later transported to the county jail.

City staff says 100% is going to police, code enforcement, but funds being transferred out to administration, other departments under city’s Cost Allocation Plan

By Allen Payton

At their meeting on Tuesday, May 10th, the Antioch City Council once again heard complaints from residents, including a former Oversight Committee member, about the use of Measure C’s half-cent sales tax money, after hearing a report from Police Chief Allan Cantando that violent crime is down over last year, but that police staffing was at only 91 sworn officers.

In addition, the Council voted unanimously to contribute $20,000 to the annual July 4th celebration.

Police Chief’s Report – APD 1st Qtr 2016 Crime Stats Report

As previously reported, Cantando shared that Part I crimes – the violent crimes reported to the FBI – have decreased by 9.7% in the first quarter of 2016 over the first quarter of 2015. He then shared statistics on police hiring.

“We are now at 91 officers,” Cantando stated. “We lost one officer after the latest shooting of an officer. Not the one who was shot. But he realized how dangerous this job was.”

He then reported that the department had hired 36 officers, had 15 Retirements, seven resignations and five separations.

“Other departments in our county are having a much more difficult time in hiring, than we are,” he added.

Response times for Part I crimes have decreased from 10 minutes 36 seconds in 2014 to 10 minutes, two seconds in 2016.

“With the response times going up and down, can you elaborate a little bit more?,” Councilwoman Monica Wilson asked.

Cantando responded “When we were in 2008 our response time…was seven minutes, five seconds. That’s when we had the most officers on the street.”

“On the response times, do you have a goal in mind,” asked Mayor Pro Tem Lori Ogorchock.

“I’d love the response times to be in the sevens,” he stated. “There are only so many officers available on the street at a time. This is something this city will have to consider. The City of Richmond has 95 more officers than we do. Is 102 enough?”

Cantando also shared about an addition to the parking lot of the Antioch Police Station, for safer online transactions.

“I’m going to give credit to Councilwoman Wilson on this,” he said. “Another city beat us to the punch,” referring to Pittsburg.

He then spoke of “an exchange zone for people who use Craigslist, to use our parking lot to do business.”

“Hopefully, that will be in place in the next few weeks,” Cantando added.

Measure C Report – Measure C Report 051016

City staff provided a report on the use of the City’s Measure C half-cent sales tax, from the Citizens’ Oversight Committee and the council heard complaints about the use of those funds for things other than police and code enforcement, and transparency in reporting. That prompted a discussion among council, staff and the public.

“You’re increasing the citywide administration by 37%, but the police department increased by only 8%,” said former Oversight Committee member Sal Sbranti.

He then reminded the council of the stated purposes of Measure C, to “reduce 9-11 response, increase the number of police officers and improve Code Enforcement.”

“Also blight reduction was added to that,” interjected Mayor Wade Harper.

“Police personnel budget only goes up 14% citywide. That’s bunk,” Sbranti stated.

“It’s outside our purview,” he continued. “You asked us to sit down and make sure the money is going into those three things.”

City Manager Steve Duran responded, speaking of the city’s Cost Allocation Plan, in which each department helps pay for other departments that provide services to it.

“Of course when you got off furloughs and people got their raised, the allocation went up,” he stated. “Selective cherry picking of numbers to make it look as if something’s gone awry…we’re not going to let people do that.”

Resident David Redford complained about the lack of transparency.

“Each of you has expressed a strong focus…more transparency, more accuracy, more definition in reporting,” he stated. “Nowhere in his report does it show 10 officers increase in the police force.”

Redford then mentioned “a new initiative will be filed” that will include a “penalty clause” and moving the Measure C funds “into a trust.”

In response, Duran said “The net number is the right number to put out there. You start with a base of 82 (sworn officers).”

Ogorchock asked staff, “If 82 is our base line, then 10 officers…can’t we show that these are Measure C funds and spending htem as the council promised?”

City Finance Director Dawn Merchant responded by explaining the amount of funds transferring out of the police department to administration and other departments, under the allocation plan, which the council adopted in 2005.

“Citywide costs to the police department decreased 8%, then 13%” she stated referring to years prior to the passage of Measure C. “Fiscal Year ‘13 it went up 7%. Fiscal Year ’14 it went up 11%. Fiscal Year ’15 it went up 15%. Fiscal Year ’16 it did increase 24%. But that’s for a full year of furloughs.”

Councilwoman Mary Rocha asked “If it doesn’t come out of the cost of police, where would it come out of?”

Merchant replied, “It would cause the City Manager’s budget to increase.”

“You could see other departments minused,” added Rocha.

Duran chimed in.

“Those costs don’t go away,” he stated. “The costs are still there and you still have to pay for them. You funded 102 sworn officers and some more CSO’s. You funded 20 more officers out o that 100% that went to police. Even though you’ve hired 36, you’re at a net 10. This is like debating how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.”

A defiant Duran said, “The bottom line is 100% of the money is going to where it’s supposed to go.”

Sbranti wasn’t satisfied with the responses.

“What stops you from going up to 25% (in the Cost Allocation Plan)?” he asked. “It wasn’t until the second year that I started saying ‘wait’.”

Wilson asked “When the (Oversight) committee was formed, did we explain this is the purview of the committee?”

“The mayor explained to us our role,” Sbranti responded. “How do we determine Measure C monies. Anything above $28.447 million (in the police department budget) is automatically Measure C money.”

Wilson then asked about the formula for cost allocation.

“What is the formula that we use? It’s not the same for each department across the board,” she said.

Merchant explained about the city audit in 2005 and that “it’s not a set formula across the board. It hasn’t been updated since.”

Harper tried to quell the disagreement.

“I hope we all want the same thing, which is a safer community and more police,” he said. “The funds are being intermeshed. We understand it’s not easy to say this bullet was not purchased with Measure C funds.”

Councilman Tony Tiscareno offered his thoughts on the matter.

“It’s not that I’m confused. But I remember voting to have 100% of Measure C funds go to the police department,” he said. “The issue is that we could identify every dollar. It’s my opinion we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing with Measure C funds.”

Harper called for more transparency and directed his comments to Sbranti and the committee members.

“Hopefully we can be more transparent,” he said. “Hopefully we haven’t acted defensive. Because you did what we asked you to do.”

Public Comments

During public comments earlier in the evening, Gary Kingsbury provided an overview on the proposed Antioch homeless shelter project

Regarding the homeless population, he said “the county went down but Antioch and East Contra Costa County went up 33% to 164 of visible homeless in the city.”

“We need to make this problem as real as possible to people,” Kingsbury added. He then invited people to a meeting of how people can get involved, including “outreach and services, not just the shelter for women and children.”

Resident Fred Rouse who is planning on running for city council in November asked the council to “Please allow some citizens to monitor dispatch calls. There’s still a number of sane minded citizens.” He suggested “a 20-minute delay in broadcasting” and to “certify some citizens to listen. Allow Neighborhood Watch captains to listen” and that they could “only listen to the dispatch side of the calls.”

Rouse also asked that the police department “provide news outlets with the feeds” and “only for major incidents.”

“Breathe some air back into the Neighborhood Watch Program,” he added and then asked for training for people when they call 9-11.”

Another resident for 25 years in southeast Antioch spoke asking for an off-leash dog area in Country Manor Park.

The next meeting of the Antioch City Council will be tomorrow night, May 24 at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at West 2^nd and H Streets in downtown. Meetings can be viewed on Comcast local cable access channel 24 or via live stream on the city’s website at www.ci.antioch.ca.us.