Rob Greaff, CEO of Delta Schools Federal Credit Union in Antioch, was among those honored at this year’s California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues’ REACH Conference.

Greaff received the Leagues’ Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes credit union professionals’ service to the industry particularly within the last three years. He was honored during the annual meeting and convention for the Ontario, CA-based trade association for the two states, held Nov. 6-9 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles, CA.

Greaff was recognized for his work within the credit union industry (which spans some 25 years; 15 of those as CEO of Delta Schools FCU) as well his outstanding efforts in the arena of financial education. At the 2014 REACH Conference, Greaff attended his first “Bite of Reality”, a financial reality fair offered by the Richard Myles Johnson (RMJ) Foundation, the Ontario, CA-based foundation for credit unions in California and Nevada. The program aims to teach youth the basics of money management through a hands-on simulation.

The experience inspired Greaff to create one of the most robust and successful financial literacy programs in the state. Under his leadership, Delta Schools FCU has sponsored more than 7,000 students through the “Bite of Reality” program over the past three years. In a single session, his credit union reached a record 725 students. With more than 20 sessions to date, the credit union has developed a priority to teach financial literacy to students throughout the local school district.

Greaff is so passionate about “Bite of Reality” and youth financial education, that in 2015, he was asked to serve on the RMJ Foundation board. He was grateful to receive the award.

“Having been nominated by a colleague and recognized by my peers, for my service to this industry that I love, makes this award an incredible honor,” he said.

By Timothy Leung, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa Community College District

Due to the ongoing and unpredictable poor air quality we are experiencing throughout Contra Costa County, the Contra Costa Community College District has decided to close all locations  – Contra Costa College, Diablo Valley College, Los Medanos College, Brentwood Center, San Ramon Campus and District Office on Monday, November 19, 2018. We hope to re-open Tuesday, but will make a final decision by 3:00 PM on Monday.

By Claudina Medlock

You risk your life

On a regular basis

You’ve seen pain and heartache

In so many faces!

How do you do it?

How do you get through some days?

When you’ve seen so much horror

And in so many ways!

You serve to help others

Putting your life on the line

But the things you must carry

You must have a strong mind!

I don’t know how you do it

I don’t know how you stay strong

I admire your courage

Things could so easily go wrong

Yet you still keep on fighting

And keep saving lives

Putting others before you

The goal is everyone survives!

But so often we look past

All the horror you see

And the things you must go through

To save someone like me

So if no one has told you

Then I’ll tell you today

Thank you my Hero

For the price that you pay

For the emotional heartache

For the nightmares at night

For the risk that you go through

And any internal fight

For the struggle while sleeping

For the stress that you bare

But today I will tell you

That I truly do care

I want to wish you true comfort

I want to wish you happiness

Because someone like you

Deserves peace and nothing less

So I’m sorry my Hero

That no one stopped to check on you

And I’m sorry my Hero

For not saying thank you … for all that you do!

By Paul Burgarino, Community Education and Engagement Specialist, Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder-Elections Department

Results from the November 6, 2018 General Election have been updated on the Contra Costa Elections website as of Friday, Nov. 16 at 2:07 P.M. You can view them here.

A couple of points of interest: voter turnout is now at 62.2 percent for this election. Also, the Contra Costa Elections Division has processed nearly 2.3 million ballot cards to this point.

The Elections Division estimates that there are about 10,000 Vote-By-Mail ballots left to process, along with 25,000 Provisionals and 1,000 Conditional Voter Registrations.

Our next scheduled results update is at 5:00 pm on Wednesday, November 21st.

Antioch Election Results

In the Antioch School Board race, Ellie Householder expanded her lead over former Antioch Mayor Jim Davis to 1,399 votes, securing her victory along with Mary Rocha. The former Antioch Mayor, Council Member and School Board Trustee, Rocha overwhelmingly took first place in the race, with 27.37% of the vote, so far and currently leads Householder by 3,945 votes.

In the Antioch City Council race, Council Member Lori Ogorchock leads fellow Council Member Tony Tiscareno by 1,575 votes. She trails former Antioch School Board Trustee Joy Motts who finished first, by 2,039 votes. As a result, Motts will be the city’s next Mayor Pro Tem.

Finally, the results for Antioch’s Measure W, which increased the city’s sales tax from a half- to one-percent, show it passing by 8,004 votes with 65.26% of the vote. That almost reaches the two-thirds requirement for a special tax to pass. Measure W is a general tax and only required a simple majority or 50% plus one vote to pass.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

By Tammany Brooks, Antioch Chief of Police

Today, we are swearing in another member of our APD family. Join us in welcoming Officer Riley Kathain.

Riley grew up in Brentwood and graduated from Heritage High School in 2009. After High School, Riley attended Los Medanos College and put himself through the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Academy. Upon completion of the academy, Riley went back to school full time while working for his father’s construction company and received his Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice.

Prior to being hired by Antioch PD, Riley worked as a lineman for AT&T. In July 2017, Riley was hired as a Community Services Officer with the Antioch Police Department and spent most of his time working as one of our jailers. He recently completed the Basic Academy requalification course at the Napa Valley Criminal Justice Training Center. His childhood dream was to be an Antioch Police Officer, so Riley is very excited to advance his career here at Antioch PD.

In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, trips to the mountains, and playing golf.

A funny fact about Riley is that he regularly watches Wheel of Fortune and hopes to one day be a contestant on the show.

That brings the total sworn officers on the Antioch Police force to 100.

By Timothy Leong, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa Community College District

Due to the unpredictable and poor air quality we are experiencing throughout Contra Costa County, the Contra Costa Community College District has decided to close all locations – Contra Costa College, Diablo Valley College, Los Medanos College, Brentwood Center, San Ramon Campus and District Office – effective 3:00 p.m. today (Thursday), Friday and Saturday.  We will reopen all locations on Monday, November 19, 2018.

While the Bay Area Air Quality Management District is forecasting a significant improvement in air quality over the next few days, we believe this decision best serves the safety of our students, staff and community.