Contra Costa County Supervisor Mary Nejedly Piepho is seeking qualified, motivated candidates to serve on the following county advisory committees:

County Library Commission

2 seats

Closing Date: Open Until Filled

The Commission serves in an advisory capacity to the Board of Supervisors and the County Librarian. They provide a community linkage to the County Library and establish a forum for the community to express its views regarding goals and operations of the County Library. The Commission assists the Board of Supervisors and the County Librarian to provide library services based on assessed public needs and develops and recommends proposals to the Board of Supervisors and the County Librarian for the betterment of the County Library including, but not limited to, such efforts as insuring a stable and adequate funding level for the libraries in the County.

The Commission meets on the 4th Thursday of every other month at 7:00 p.m. located at 75 Santa Barbara in Pleasant Hill.

Alcohol and Other Drugs Advisory Board

1 seat

Closing Date: Open Until Filled

The board assesses family and community needs regarding treatment and prevention of alcohol and drug abuse problems and provides input and recommendations on prevention, intervention, and treatment services to the Contra Costa Health Services Department, the Board of Supervisors, and the communities they serve.

The Board meets on the 4th Wednesday of the month at 3:45 p.m. located at the Alcohol and Other Drugs Services Division, 1220 Morello Avenue, Suite 200 in Martinez.

Emergency Medical Care Committee

2 seats

Closing Date: Open Until Filled

The Emergency Medical Care Committee (EMCC) function is to review the operations of each of the following at least annually:

1. Ambulance services operating within the county.

2. Emergency medical care offered within the county,

3. First aid practices in the county.

Regular meetings of the EMCC shall be held at least four (4) times per year or more often as deemed necessary. Meetings will convene at 4:00 p.m. on the Second Wednesday of March, June, September, and December unless otherwise directed by the EMCC or its Executive Committee. Location: Contra Costa County Schools Insurance Group, 550 Ellinwood Way, Pleasant Hill, CA.

Family & Children’s Trust Commission

1 seat

Closing Date: Open Until Filled

The Commission conducts a bi-annual needs assessment on family and children’s services in the County.

The Commission meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 8:30 a.m. located at the Employment and Human Services Dept., 40 Douglas Drive, in Martinez

Discovery Bay P-6 Citizen Advisory Committee

1 seat – Ravenswood Development

Closing Date: Open Until Filled

To make reports and recommendations to the Board of Supervisors on extended police protection services which shall include, but not limited to, enforcement of the State Vehicle Code where authorized by law, crime prevention, and litter control.

The Committee meets on the 2nd Monday of every month at 7:30 p.m. located at 1800 Willow Lake Road in Discovery Bay.

Contra Costa County Fire Protection District’s Fire Advisory Commission

1 Alternate seat

Closing Date: Open Until Filled

The Commission shall review and advise on annual operations and capital budgets; to review district expenditures; to review and advise on long-range capital improvement plans; pursuant to district ordinance to serve as the Appeals Board on weed abatement matters; to advise the Fire Chief on district service matters; to meet jointly with the Board of Supervisors and provide advice to the board as needed; to communicate with the other fire district advisory commissions on services and functional integration; to assist in the Fire Chief’s selection process as required; to serve as liaison between the Board of Supervisors and the community served by each district; to perform such other duties and responsibilities as may be assigned and as directed by the Board of Supervisors.

The Commission meets on the 2nd Monday of February, April, June, August, October and December located at the Administration Building, 2010 Geary Road in Pleasant Hill.
Bethel Island Municipal Advisory Committee

1 seat

Closing Date: Open Until Filled

The Council shall advise the Board of Supervisors on land use and planning matters affecting the community of Bethel Island and may represent the Bethel Island community before the Board of Supervisors, the East County Regional Planning Commission and the Zoning Administrator on such issues as land use, planning and zoning. The Council may also represent the Bethel Island Community before the Local Agency Formation Commission no proposed boundary changes affecting the community. The Council may advise the Board on services which may be provided to the Bethel Island Community by Contra Costa County or other local governmental agencies.
The Council meets on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 6:00 p.m. located at Scout Hall, 3190 Ranch Lane in Bethel Island.

Background

The Board of Supervisors receives valuable input and community participation from numerous citizen advisory boards on a range of issues. Boards usually meet monthly on a regular basis.
Candidates for these positions must live in District III or any specified boundary area for special districts.  District III is comprised of the cities of Antioch, Brentwood, and Oakley, and the unincorporated communities of Bethel Island, Blackhawk, Byron, Diablo, Discovery Bay, and Knightsen.

For more information about the advisory committees, click here.

Click here to download an application from the County’s website.  Applications should be submitted to the Clerk of the Board’s office, 925.335.1900, located at 651 Pine Street, Martinez, CA 94553.

For more information, including on how to apply, you may contact Supervisor Piepho’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Lea Castleberry at 925.820.8683.

No challengers for City Clerk, Treasurer

By Allen Payton

The smell of blood is in the water and the sharks are circling. All incumbents have filed to run for re-election, in the eight local races for the November elections in Antioch, with six facing multiple challengers. Filing closed Friday, with Antioch City Clerk Arne Simonsen and City Treasurer Donna Conley  facing re-electing without opposition.

Mayor

In the race for Mayor, incumbent Wade Harper will face three challengers in his bid for re-election, including Mayor Pro Tem Lori Ogorchock, local chiropractor and Antioch Chamber of Commerce CEO Dr. Sean Wright, and businessman Gilbert “Gil” Murillo.

Harper was first elected to the city council in 2010, after serving two years as an appointed member of the Antioch School Board. He was elected Mayor in 2012. He ran for County Supervisor in this June’s election, coming in fourth in the race of six candidates, and garnering the second highest number of votes in Antioch.

Ogorchock was the top vote-getter in the 2014 city council race, which earned her the title and position of Mayor Pro Tem, which is the same as vice mayor in other cities. Wright is a one-time unsuccessful candidate for the Antioch School Board and currently serves on the Antioch Economic Development Commission. This is Murillo’s first campaign for public office.

City Council – 2 Seats

Council Members Mary Rocha and Monica Wilson will face four challengers, including one-time council candidates Lamar Thorpe and Karl Dietzel, who both ran and lost in 2014, coming in fourth and a distant sixth respectively, as well as local business owner Ken Turnage II, and retired program manager Fred Rouse.

This will be Rocha’s fourth time running for election to the city council. She was first elected in 1986, lost in 1990, and was elected again in 1992. Rocha was then elected Mayor in 1996 and instead of running for re-election in 2000, chose to run for County Supervisor, losing to Federal Glover. She came back in 2008 and was elected to the council, again after having run unsuccessfully for County Supervisor against Glover, again, placing fourth in the June primary, that year. Prior to her service on the council, Rocha served on the Antioch School Board for 16 years.

This will be Wilson’s first bid for re-election. Like Harper, she also ran for County Supervisor in the June election, and placed fifth while garnering the fourth highest number of votes in Antioch.

Thorpe, a university administrator, is a former member of the Antioch Economic Development Commission, having been removed earlier this year by a vote of the city council, for leading the effort to pass Measure E which was funded by a Pacheco-based casino to prevent Kelly’s Restaurant and Card Room from reopening in Antioch. He was also removed as Wilson’s Alternate Council Member the same night.

Dietzel, who is retired, regularly attends council meetings and has been a critic of the current council. He helped lead the unsuccessful fight against Measure C, the half-cent sales tax for more police in 2013. Turnage serves on the Economic Development Commission and was honored as the 2015 Antioch Citizen of the Year. Rouse is serving for a second time on the City of Antioch Board for Administrative Appeals.

According to Simonsen, both Thorpe and Dietzel filed their nomination papers on Thursday, but his office is waiting for the County Elections Office to verify the signatures of those who signed. Candidates must submit at least 20 and no more than 30 valid signatures of registered voters who live within the city or district they’re running to represent, as nominators.

School Board – 3 Seats

Incumbent Diane Gibson-Gray will seek re-election for her third term, after an unsuccessful attempt for city council in 2014, coming in third. Appointed school board trustees Fernando Navarro and Alonzo Terry will both seek the public’s confirmation of their appointments to the board to fill vacancies created by the resignations of former trustees Barbara Cowan, last fall and Claire Smith, this spring.

Five of the challengers include former trustees Joy Motts and Gary Hack, who didn’t pull his required filing his papers until Wednesday. He filed them the same day. The other three are local news website publisher Mike Burkholder who ran unsuccessfully in 2014 for the Ironhouse Sanitary District Board in Oakley, and teacher Crystal White.

CORRECTION: James Beck pulled papers but did not file, as was previously stated.

The election is on Tuesday, November 8.

Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D – Oakley) issued the following statement after the Joint Legislative Audit Committee approved a request by a coalition of Delta representatives to take a closer look at the funding of the Delta tunnels project, now known as the California WaterFix:

“Since being elected to the Assembly, I have continuously fought against any new water conveyance project in the Delta,” Fraizer stated. “Major concerns have been raised regarding a secure financial plan with both the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) and the California WaterFix/EcoRestore.

“As the representative and a long-time citizen of Assembly District 11, known as ‘The Heart of the Delta,’ this issue has always been a priority. As chair of the Assembly Accountability and Administrative Review Committee, I held the first legislative oversight hearing on the BDCP’s funding structure, allowing the public and Legislature a forum to voice concerns and identify shortfalls. I’ve also carried legislation to address these worries; such as AB 2583, which would have resolved many of the concerns raised in the recently approved audit request.

“Little by little, each of these attempts has resulted in increased awareness and understanding of this critical issue. I am pleased that my colleagues on the Joint Legislative Audit Committee understood the importance of taking a closer look at these uncertainties and I look forward to reviewing the results.”

On Thursday, August 11, 2016 at approximately 11:47 AM, Antioch Police Department dispatch received a call from a female victim, who stated her ex-boyfriend and father of her child was chasing the victims’ car. During the call the female victim stated that the male suspect was ramming her vehicle. APD dispatch started receiving multiple phone calls from citizens regarding the incident reporting a major traffic collision on Hillcrest Avenue at Via Dora Drive and that the male suspect had forced the victims into his car.

Officers arrived on the scene and found the victims’ vehicle which had sustained major damage and the victims were not at the scene. A short time later a local hospital called and stated the two victims, a 23-year-old Antioch woman and their three-year-old son, were dropped off and being treated.

The male suspect, identified as Joshua Dillard, age 23 of Oakland, left the hospital but returned a short time later and was taken into custody. Dillard was arrested for attempted murder, child endangerment and domestic violence and later transported to the Martinez Detention Facility with a bail of $1,195,000.

There will be no further information released regarding this case at this time. Anyone with information is asked to call the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925) 778-2441. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

By Allen Payton

After announcing, last year his intention to run for Mayor of Antioch in this year’s election, Antioch resident Gil Murillo filed the required papers with Antioch’s City Clerk’s office, Wednesday morning. He is the fourth candidate to file and is one of three to challenge Wade Harper, who is seeking a second term.

“I want to bring forth our voice to the City of Antioch,” Murillo said in a campaign press release. “The problems that we face today are not new and we can bring other cities’ successful programs to Antioch. These programs have reduced crime, better schools, increased police staffing and make communities stronger.”

“I am not a politician but I will get things done with no excuses,” he continued. “I am entering this election for Mayor to bring our voices to City Hall and represent you with no ties or incentives from special interest groups or developers. You have the opportunity to elect someone with 20 plus years of corporate experience whose only goal is serve the elected role and not be obligated to outside political interests.”

Murillo then offered his campaign platform with a list of issues he commits to work on if elected.

“It is my plan to bring our City:

• Living wage job opportunities so you can work and live in the same city
• Form a committee to bring county, city, police, social services and schools together on issues that impact our youth
• Engage outside police agencies to assist in additional patrolling while we increase officer count
• Define government housing plan that is based on the needs of the city and community
• Ensure community services (e.g. fire, schools, police) are fully funded before new development starts
• Enhance downtown Antioch with positive family theme events
• Creative solutions to address the homeless challenge
• Engage adjoining cities for a joint vision of tomorrow”

Filing closes on tomorrow, Friday, August 12 at 5:00 p.m. The other challengers in the race are Mayor Pro Tem Lori Ogorchock and local chiropractor and Antioch Chamber of Commerce CEO Dr. Sean Wright.

Murillo works as Manager of Application Programs for the staffing and consulting firm Robert Half. He and his wife Dulce have lived in Antioch for eight years and have five sons. For more information call him at (925) 219-1068 or visit Murillo’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/murilloformayor.

By Allen Payton, Publisher & Editor

There’s an old saying that goes “figures don’t lie but liars do figure”. That can be said of some elected officials and candidates for public office. Unfortunately, Americans have come to expect our public officials to lie to us – and some do. More often is the case that candidates make exaggerations during their campaigns. It’s the media’s job to verify the truth and accuracy of their claims.

So, much like the major media does with the presidential candidates and their claims during speeches and press conferences (when they hold them), I thought I’d do a Fact Check of my own on the claims made by Antioch Mayor Wade Harper in his recent re-election campaign announcement. (Please read the article containing it, here).  In it, he stated “Under my leadership as mayor of the city of Antioch we have become a safer and more prosperous city.”

Following is a chart of annual Part I crime statistics in Antioch, as provided on the City’s website which generally supports that claim. Click here to view the details of each year’s crime statistics.

Mostly True

As you can see, between 2012, the year Harper was elected Mayor, and 2015, Part I crimes were down in six of the eight categories which are reported to the FBI. However, during the same time period theft increased 5.5%, rapes increased 82.8%, and Adult Arrests were up 35.5%, and 37.7% compared to 2013. Juvenile arrests, on the other hand decreased by 31.7% between 2012 and 2015. For the latest statistics, comparing crimes during the same time periods, murder, robbery and arson have all increased in 2016 over 2015.

While most of the serious crime categories have experienced decreases, total arrests have increased during the period, leading one to assume that overall crime has increased in Antioch. One argument for that has been because of the additional officers on the Antioch Police force who are available to make more arrests. However, the City had only a net two additional officers by June, 2016 with 91 sworn over August, 2013 when the City had 89.

Therefore, what Harper claimed in his re-election campaign announcement regarding the reduction in crime is mostly true. For Part I crimes through 2015, I give it at best, a rating of 75% true, since six of the eight categories saw a reduction. That’s a grade of C on any test in school, which is a passing grade. But, for 2016 over 2015, I have to give Harper’s claim a rating of 62.5%, which is equivalent of a D, because the decrease has occurred in only five of the eight categories. If you add the increase in adult and total arrests, those ratings have to be decreased, since other, non-Part I crimes must have increased.

Zero Tolerance for Crime?

Comparing the annual and total crime statistics during his term as Mayor to his 2012 campaign slogan “Zero Tolerance for Crime” – while a great goal, was surprising for any candidate to ever offer, since it requires a 100% reduction in crime – Harper’s claim is woefully lacking. The 35 murders, 155 rapes, 1,117 robberies,  1,653 aggravated assaults, 3,897 robberies, 6,631 cases of theft and 3,770 car thefts that have occurred in Antioch during his term as Mayor, clearly undermine his claim of a zero tolerance for crime. While we unfortunately expect candidates for public office to make exaggerations, this is a clear case of over-promising and under-delivering.

4 of 22 Promised Police Officers

More importantly, comparing what he promised in 2013, when he signed the ballot argument in favor of the half-cent sales tax initiative, known as Measure C (view it here), to what has actually occurred, Harper falls seriously short. He and the rest of the City Council, at that time, which included Mary Rocha and Monica Wilson, who are also up for re-election, this year, promised 22 more officers in addition to the 89 the City had at the time, if voters passed Measure C.

Here’s what the ballot argument 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.

To date, the City has 93 sworn police officers giving us just four of the 22 additional officers they promised. That means Harper, Rocha and Wilson, as well as Tiscareno (who isn’t up for re-election, this year) have fallen 81.8% short of fulfillment. It’s another clear case of over-promising and under-delivering.

In his campaign announcement, Harper also stated “We’ve had the most aggressive hiring practice, recruiting about 40 police officers since passage of Measure C.  That’s a promise kept. That’s effective leadership.” What he failed to mention is the fact that the City lost 36 officers during the same time period, due to retirement, and others who quit or were terminated, leaving a net four additional officers. Thus his claim of a “promise kept” is false and is actually a promise broken.

As for Harper’s claim of “effective leadership” that is a subjective statement which I’ll leave up to the voters to decide.

Dear Editor:

Our heartfelt “Thank you” to the following gracious donors who supported Royal Family Kids 2016! Your generosity allowed us to take 51 local foster children to camp this summer! On behalf of the children we serve and that you blessed, “thank you!”

JDK Realty, Terry Beyers, CMA-Christian Motorcycle Association, Linus Project, Delta Quilters, Rich Products, Great America, Deer Ridge Golf, Buffalo Wild Wings, Disneyland, Lucy’s Nail Salon, Twin Palms/Alicia Powell, Sweet Affair, Lauryn’s Jewelers, Vic Stewart’s, Brentwood Auto Spa, Kids-N-Cribs, Kevin Murphy Salon, Trinity Gunsmithing/Chris O’Connor, Shadow Lakes Golf Course, Movement Mortgage, Cornerstone Church-Brentwood & Walnut Creek, Of His Fold Photography- Rita Ortiz, Allen Payton & Antioch Herald, Delta RC Hobbies, Jenness Park, Audrey Hammel, Harvest Park Bowl, Battlefit Gym, Miettes, Crixa Cakes, CMA in Nashville, Daryle, Arnold Knoll, Eden Plains Nursery, Sofas 4 Less, Erica Turner, Mike Hester, Golden Hills Community Church, Pink Zebra, Good Scents Florist, GHCC Kairos Team, Brian & Anna Beakhouse, Rosa Franklin, Hook Line & Sinker, San Francisco 49ers, House of Charm, Starbucks-Antioch & Pittsburg, House Pet Sitting Services/Jenna Loewen, Spirit West Coast, James Andreggen/Pixar, Alert K-9, Jerry Theobald, Clif Bars/Mary Morris, Joanne Bell, Stockton Ports, Joslyn Fenyes, Tim & Cindy Demercurio, Karen Maze-Bettancourt, AMC Theaters, KorrieDidio, Big O Tires/Pittsburg, Lone Tree Golf Course, Tonic, Max Martial Arts/Matt Rosalez, Hair by Caitlyn, Revive Salon & Spa-Brittany Thorpe, Cushing & Gann Optometry, Robert & Susan Martinez, Amy Vasquez, San Francisco Ballet, Melissa Buell Photography,    Foster a Dream, Discovery Bay Yacht Club, Skipolini’s, ThirtyOne, Steve Todd, Mike’s Pastry Shop and Sweet Streets Desserts.

For more information about Royal Family Kids, please visit www.Brentwood.RoyalFamilyKids.org.

Dave & Sue Bowers, Directors