Uncertainty, as it relies on 48% of funds from federal government

By Daniel Borsuk

Contra Costa County supervisors took a peek at a proposed $3 billion budget on Tuesday that includes $250,000 to expand a popular health care program for low income citizens, $220,000 to reopen the shuttered Knightsen fire station in the East Contra Costa Fire District, and spend $500,000 for the Northern Waterfront Study Intiative.

Supervisors are scheduled to adopt the new spending plan at its May 9 meeting to replace the current $2.6 billion budget.

During the seven-hour hearing, some supervisors seemed to play the conservative card due to fiscal events that have developed in Washington, D.C. and how federal cuts in health care, education and housing might have a ripple effect at the state and county level.

County Administrator David Twa said the county receives 48 percent of its funds from the federal government so there is concern that funding cuts from Washington will impact county operations if not in the 2017-2018 fiscal year, it could occur in the 2018-2019 fiscal year when the county needs to renegotiate labor contracts with doctors, nurses. and fire fighters.

“This is one of the most difficult budgets to assemble,” Twa told supervisors, “because there is so much uncertainty at the state and federal levels.”

The fiscal uncertainty also affected the supervisors.

Supervisor Karen Mitchoff of Pleasant Hill said she would not approve the proposal for an additional $250,000 to expand the Contra Costa Cares health care program for low income residents.  The county allotment would be matched by the nonprofit organization to help access the health care program to 1,000 residents.   This current fiscal year the county spent $1 million and has proposed $1.25 million for the upcoming 2017-2018 fiscal year.

“There’s a large part of the community that doesn’t understand why we see a part of the undocumented community the way we do, but in this case, I cannot support spending an extra $250,000 for the Contra Costa Cares program,” Mitchoff said.

Mitchoff also raised doubts that Contra Costa Cares has the fundraising capabilities to collect $250,000 to expand the program.  “The hospital is not committed to contributing the $250,000,” she said.

“We’re seeing the rise of people awareness to their right to health care,” said Supervisor Diane Burgis of Brentwood.  She favors the extra funding for the health care program that drew about eight speakers in support of the health care program.  “I’m in support of expanding it,” she said.

Initially supervisors were reluctant in setting aside $220,000 to reopen the Knightsen fire station for fiscal years 2017-2018 and 2018-2019, but eventually caved in to reality that the station needed to opened.  Supervisors are frustrated over the way the ECCFD has managed its financial and business affairs.  The fire district had shuttered the fire station in order to open a new station in Brentwood..

Supervisors also voted 4-0, with Supervisor Candace Andersen absent, to designate $500,000 for the Northern Water Front Study Initiative, a project of Board Chair Federal Glover.  The funding would be spent on data development, parcel identification, engineering, and public outreach.

New Airport Safety Classifications Approved

Supervisors also approved the creation for four Airport Safety Office Classifications at the Byron Airport and Buchanan Field to replace three outdated classifications that should help the county improve the retention rate among safety personnel.  The county has a 60 percent retention rate among 17 personnel assigned to aircraft rescue and firefighting duties.

By Sergeant John Fortner #3264, Antioch Police Investigations Division, Violent Crimes Unit

On Monday, April 17, 2017, at approximately 4:36 PM Antioch Police Officers were dispatched to the Umpqua Bank located at 3700 Lone Tree Way on the report of a robbery. The suspect fled the scene on foot prior to the arrival of officers. Nobody was injured during the robbery and the take was cash.

The suspect was described by witnesses as being an older, white male adult wearing a baseball hat and glasses. The suspect is pictured in the two photographs above. Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to call Detective Gonzalez with the Antioch Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit at (925) 779-6942 or 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.

Dear Editor:

Good morning Antioch, welcome to the socialism for which you voted. It started long ago, however it is becoming more apparent by the day. The first noticeable action occurred when the ruling class, with no input from or communication with the ruled class, decided that the ruled class really has no right to know what our police force, a force that we have no choice but to pay for, is doing in our community.

Our only source of information was the heavily edited, weekly calls for service. Be assured, crime is down, trust us, just look at the statistics. Now access to even that skewed information is being denied. Any mathematician can tell you that statistics can be skewed to give the results wanted in any given situation. Now that any other sources of information have been cut off, trust us, crime is way down. Do not trust what you hear on the streets, that is just hearsay. We will give you the true facts as we deem necessary.

Someone has a great deal of property in Antioch that they are trying to unload in the midst of a crime wave never before experienced. Someone with a great deal of influence. Someone with no conscience. Someone with only their own well-being is steering us toward their goals and our demise. Someone untouchable in their own eyes. Hmmm…I wonder who might fit this description? Come on now, do I really have to come right out and say it? Do some research or end up losing, again.

Steven Payne

Antioch

By Sergeant Dimitri Barakos #2176, Antioch Police Community Policing Bureau

On Tuesday, April 18, 2017 at approximately 4:52 AM the Antioch Police Department received a call of two subjects in a car in the drive through of the Jack-In-The Box restaurant, located at 2505 ‘A’ Street, armed with a rifle. Officers arrived on scene and attempted to make contact with the occupants of the car, Michael Ferreira, 19-years-old, and Carlos Cabezas, 32-years-old, both Antioch residents, but they received no response.

The officers were unable to see clearly into the car due to heavy tinting on the car windows. Eventually officers approached the car and made contact with the occupants who were passed out in the car. A loaded short barreled shotgun and a military style rifle were located in the car along with a large amount of marijuana. Ferreira and Cabezas were arrested without incident and sent to the Martinez Detention Facility.

Charges for Ferreira: HS11359 Possession of marijuana for sale.

PC29800(A)(1) Felon in possession of a firearm.

PC30305(A)(1) Felon in possession of ammunition.

PC33210 Possession of a short barreled firearm.

PC1203.2 Probation violation.

PC30605(A) Illegal possession of an assault weapon.

Charges for Cabezas: HS11359 Possession of marijuana for sale.

PC33210 Possession of a short barreled firearm.

PC30605(A) Illegal possession of an assault weapon.

You may text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

Dear Editor:

It comes as no surprise to me that the outlook for our City is bleak. I hope it does not come as surprise to you. We have known for some time now that we were spending more than we made. That we were slow on collecting monies owed the City and that we were not managing the budget in a more professional manner. There is no “single” event” that brought us to where we are today – On the Brink of Bankruptcy. It was many years for promises not kept, contracts poorly negotiated, special interests having to be placated. We saw it coming, the slow way hiring of new officers was happening, the passing of specific measures to address crime. But poorly implementing them. Increasing taxes on landlords to help our city.

But now we are down to the brass tacks. I have faith and believe there is a path through all this mess that can bring us out the other side. Cuts, slashes in retiree retirement pay, make them have to carry a larger portion of healthcare and other benefits, roll back salaries on employees. Increase fees for inspections, use fees, and some permits. Get the police number where it needs to be. It is a fairly simple solution that requires a hand implementation. 1. Save now, anyway we can. 2. Complete the police staffing. 3. Reduce our crime rate. 4 With a safer city people might want to live and spend money here and that might help us to recover. Even if we declare Bankruptcy, we still have the obligation to get our fiscal house in order. We still have to balance the budget.

We still have to settle with the claimants. We still have to pay our legal bills, and we still have to deal with our unfunded liabilities. So, running from the problem will not work. If we file, there will not a positive trusting relationship between the bankers, suppliers, vendors, employee organizations and the city management. That will just make things worse than they are.

Fred Rouse

Antioch

Both are expected to turn themselves in, today

By Allen Payton

The former general manager and PGA golf pro at the now closed Roddy Ranch Golf Club in Antioch, Kevin Fitzgerald, is a wanted fugitive according to the Contra Costa District Attorney’s office. According to the website www.northerncaliforniamostwanted.org, the 46-year-old is “Wanted by the Contra Costa County District Attorney” and that he “conspired to commit loan fraud, file a false police report, commit insurance fraud, divert construction funds and defraud an elder.”

Also wanted for the same charges is Mark Ellis Mattson.

The same website states, “Mark Mattson a solar contractor while working at the former Roddy Ranch Golf Course LLC conspired to commit loan fraud, commit insurance fraud, divert construction funds and defraud an elder. Mark Mattson lives in San Diego and may work at San Diego State University as an instructor.”

The “elder” referred to in the charges is Jack Roddy, the owner of the golf course.

When reached for comment, Roddy stated, “Kevin and the other guy are supposed to be turning themselves in, today.”

That other guy is “Mark Mattson, the owner of a solar company,” Roddy said, “He’s under a $750,000 bail, who colluded with Kevin on this. They both have multiple felonies they’re wanted for.”

“They were supposed to turn themselves in, last week, but didn’t do it,” he continued. “They hurt a lot of people. Hurt Donna (Jack’s wife) and me, bad. Hurt a lot of golfers. Just did a lot of damage. But they’re going to pay the price.”

Asked about Roddy’s plans for the 235-acre golf course land, after he shut down the operations last summer, he responded with a laugh, “There are a lot of cattle getting fat up there. It wasn’t working, so we shut it done. We decided to put it back to the way it was.”

Asked if he had anything else to say, Roddy said “I’m going to let the law do my talking. I’ll let the cops and the legal system do their work.”

In 2014, Fitzgerald’s company, Roddy Ranch Golf Management leased the golf course from Roddy’s company Roddy Ranch, LLC. In July, Roddy took back control of the course and brought in Touchstone Golf as the operator. They discovered the course was financially unable to continue operations.

An email message to golf club members on August 6, 2016 stated, “we have discovered that the golf course is not financially viable as a going concern. This is due to outstanding debts of the previous operator and the high cost of irrigation water for the golf course.” The course was closed on August 11th. (See related article)

Fitzgerald and his family rented a house on Roddy’s personal property, and was a driver of one of the race cars owned by Roddy Ranch Racing, LLC, which competed at the Antioch Speedway inside the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds.

2:13 PM UPDATE – FELONY WARRANTS ISSUED FOR THE ARRESTS OF KEVIN FITZGERALD AND MARK MATTSON (RODDY RANCH FRAUD)

Earlier today, Contra Costa County District Attorney Mark A. Peterson announced that felony arrest warrants have been issued for Kevin Fitzgerald, age 45, of Brentwood, the   former general manager of Roddy Ranch Golf Course, LLC, in Antioch; and for Mark Mattson, age 56, a general contractor residing in Escondido, California.

Both Fitzgerald and Mattson are charged with felony counts of Grand Theft by Embezzlement, Attempted Grand Theft, Diversion of Construction Funds, Insurance Fraud, and Elder Financial Theft. Fitzgerald is also charged with filing a false police report, a misdemeanor. The victims are the Roddy Ranch Golf Course, LLC, and Mr. Jack Roddy, a long-time resident of the county. The charges stem from the abrupt closure of the Roddy Ranch Golf Course in 2016 after it was learned that Fitzgerald had allegedly diverted $200,000 of an $800,000 loan the Roddys had obtained to build a solar project on the golf course property.

Both Fitzgerald and Mattson, the solar contractor, submitted false construction documents to the loan company claiming that solar panels had been purchased and installed on the Golf Course property. This was done so the loan proceeds totaling $699,000 would be released to Mattson. Mattson did purchase and install some solar panels, but, not the 344 panels claimed in the construction documents. Mattson then gave $200,000 to Fitzgerald who used some of the proceeds for the golf course and to continue making the monthly lease payments to the Roddys. Fitzgerald embezzled the rest of the money through large cash withdrawals and transfers to his personal accounts.

In December 2015, Fitzgerald and Mattson attempted to get the remaining $93,000 of the loan money from the lender.  The lender made inquiries with PGE, the City and Antioch, and then with Mrs. Donna Roddy who told them the project wasn’t complete and, in fact, had barely been started.

When the lender refused to pay the remaining $93,000, Fitzgerald damaged the 12 solar panels that had been installed and then filed a false police report claiming the theft of 344 solar panels that were allegedly on the property awaiting installation. These panels had never been purchased.

Fitzgerald filed an insurance claim for the purported vandalism and theft. In April 2016, he received $267,000 as an insurance settlement from Liberty Mutual. Fitzgerald gave Mattson $40,000 of this money, transferred $55,000 to his (Fitzgerald’s) personal checking account. The remainder was used for golf course expenses and to pay “dividends” to five private investors. None of the insurance money was used towards the solar project.

Ultimately, after these series of crimes, the Roddys brought in a professional golf course management company to try to salvage the golf course operation. These attempts proved unsuccessful and the golf course closed in August of 2016.

Arrest Warrants have been issued with a bail set at $775,000 each for Fitzgerald and Mattson. Local law enforcement and the United States Marshal’s Service are attempting to locate and arrest both individuals.

Inquiries concerning this prosecution should be addressed to Deputy District Attorney Dodie Katague of the District Attorney’s Special Operations Unit. He can be reached at (925) 957-2208.

Note: For the purpose of full disclosure, Fitzgerald and Roddy have been personal friends of the writer of this article

Schedule: 6:00pm to 9:00pm: Music, Food, Fun and Libations.

Happy Hour pricing ’til 7:00pm

Delia LOVES to sing, and you will find her most weekends singing with Crosstown 5, a popular East Bay rock and roll band.  She is sure to entertain you with a mix of songs from the 60’s to today, from The Beatles to Miranda Lambert.  You will hear those great songs you remember, some unexpected ones you may not have heard in a while, and some new ones too.

Lone Tree is located at 2400 Golf Course Road in Antioch. For more information visit www.lonetreegolfcourse.com or call (925) 706-4200.