By Don Martin II

Ryan Robinson won the 20 lap All Star Series Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. Robinson is a regular at Placerville Speedway, but he made the trip to Antioch as his track wasn’t running.  Robinson raced into lead from his outside front row starting spot ahead of Roberto Kirby and Jacob Tuttle. Working lap six, Tuttle thrilled the crowd when he did a wheelie down the back straightaway.  Tuttle raced around the outside of Kirby down the backstretch on lap 11 to take second, but at that point Robinson held a commanding lead. Robinson scored the victory ahead of Tuttle, Jayson Bright, Shawn Arriaga and Justyn Cox.

Brent Curran won the 20 lap B Modified Main Event. This was his fourth win of the season as he keeps pace with Tommy Fraser in the championship chase. The well-run race had no yellow flags, and Chris Sieweke raced into the lead on a lap two restart with Curran right behind him. The lead duo swiftly pulled away from the pack and were into lapped traffic by the 15th circuit. As they worked the final lap, Curran dove into Turn 3 and slid up into the path of Sieweke to gain the lead. Both drivers continued on to the checkered flag with Curran winning ahead of Sieweke, Fraser, Trevor Clymens and Kevin Brown. 

Jim Freethy won the 20 lap Limited Late Model Main Event. Freethy charged onto lead at the start ahead of Mike Gustafson. A lap five restart provided Kimo Oreta the opportunity to charge into third, and the Top 3 ran in close formation. Gustafson took a couple of looks to the inside of Freethy during the second half of the race, but Freethy would not be denied the victory. Gustafson settled for second ahead of Oreta, Mike Walko and Chad Hammer.

Chris Sorensen won the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. This was the fourth win of the season for the current point leader. Rookie Ken Johns led three laps before Sorensen went by on the inside down the backstretch to take the lead. Josh Leach settled into second on lap nine as Sorensen led by about half a straightaway. The leaders caught slower traffic by lap 13, making it a close three-car battle at that point. James Thomson made an inside pass on the backstretch in traffic on lap 17 to take second from Leach. However, Sorensen again pulled away a bit for the impressive victory, followed by Thomson, Leach, Breanna Troen and Jeff Betancourt.

Racing resumes next Saturday night with the All Star Series A Modifieds back in action along with the Wingless Spec Sprints, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Unofficial Race Results – All Star Series Antioch Speedway

Winged 360 Sprint Cars – Heat Winners (8 laps)-Joel Myers, Jayson Bright. Main Event (20 laps)-Ryan Robinson, Jacob Tuttle, Jayson Bright, Shawn Arriaga, Justyn Cox, Brad Dillard, Danny Wagner, Art McCarthy, Joel Myers Jr, Roberto Kirby.

B Modifieds – Heat Winners (8 laps)-Brent Curran, Trevor Clymens. Main Event (20 laps)-Brent Curran, Chris Sieweke, Tommy Fraser, Kevin Brown, Trevor Clymens, Tommy Clymens Jr, Cameron Swank, Brandon Baughman, Tim Rolan.

Limited Late Models – Heat Winner (8 laps)-Jim Freethy. Main Event (20 laps)-Jim Freethy, Mike Gustafson, Kimo Oreta, Mike Walko, Chad Hammer, Jimmy Robbins, Chris Long, Michael Burch.

Hobby Stocks – Heat Winners (8 laps)-James Thomson, Breana Troen, Luke Brignoli. Main Event (20 laps)-Chris Sorensen, James Thomson, Josh Leach, Breana Troen, Jeff Betancourt, Ken Johns, Luke Brignoli, Lori Brown, Jacob Mallet Jr, Will Buirch.

Smith’s Landing, founded in 1849, was renamed Antioch at the town’s July 4th picnic in 1851.

Will hire 19 more police officers, four fare inspectors

The BART Board of Directors has approved a $2.3 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) which begins July 1, 2019. The budget focuses on expanding and investing in Quality of Life issues, including the addition of 19 police officers and four unarmed fare inspectors.

“This budget is designed to make BART safer,” said BART Board President Bevan Dufty. “Adding officers and establishing a community ambassador program shows our riders that we’ve heard their concerns and we’ve taken action.”

Quality of Life

Including funds added in FY20, since FY14 BART has spent $59 million on new budget initiatives addressing Quality of Life challenges in the areas of safety, fare evasion prevention, cleanliness and homelessness. The FY20 budget supplements and continues Quality of Life initiatives added in prior years. Among the highlights:

• $2.1 million towards 19 additional police officers.
• $500,000 to fund four additional fare inspectors.
• $2 million to continue funding efforts to address the impacts of regional homelessness in the BART system, including outreach programs, elevator attendants and Pit Stop restrooms.
• BART station hardening efforts are incorporated into many projects and programs throughout the District, using operating and capital funds. In FY20, $2.4 million of new and ongoing funds ($400,000 of new FY20 operating funds augments $600,000 of prior year parking revenue held in reserves and $1.3 million of capital staffing) will support station hardening projects, including raising railings and securing swing gates. Additionally, BART directs grant funds to station hardening, including federal formula funds for the fare gate modification program and often redirects existing engineering and maintenance staff to projects such as the fare gate cinch modification program as well as the camera upgrade program. BART’s Station Modernization Program also incorporates elements of station hardening in design, guided by the BART Facilities Standards. Six stations in the Station Modernization Program are spending or will spend a combined $16 million on station hardening elements. In addition, the $61 million Market Street Escalator Canopies project includes installing roll-up grilles at the street level, security cameras and handrail lighting. In summary, station hardening is a substantial, multi-year systemwide effort, leveraging new and existing operating and capital funds from a variety of sources into a wide range of projects.

System reinvestment

The new budget dedicates $1.4 billion for capital programs, a 5% increase from FY19 with the largest portion (46%) coming from Measure RR funds. The use of Measure RR funding for FY20 is increasing as projects anticipate moving from design and pre-engineering to construction. Most of the capital budget (69%) is directed to reinvestment in the system. The use of previously awarded and current federal funds has increased as BART ramps up on train control modernization, state of good repair projects and continues the delivery of new rail cars. FY20 projects include:

• $101 million for station modernization and elevator/escalator improvements across the system, including replacement of escalators at downtown San Francisco stations, and station modernization efforts at El Cerrito Del Norte, 19th Street, Downtown Berkeley, Concord, Powell, and Pittsburg/Bay Point stations. The station modernization program also includes many elements of station hardening.
• $303 million is budgeted for expenses related to the procurement of 775 new rail cars
• $151 million towards the continuation of a multi-year program of traction power infrastructure replacement, including replacement of traction power cables in San Francisco and in Alameda County.
• $71 million towards the Hayward Maintenance Complex, a modern facility to maintain the new rail cars.
• $86 million for planning and engineering for the Train Control Modernization Program and for renewing components of the existing train control system, including transformers, switch machines and speed encoding equipment at stations.
• Fare changes
• A 5.4% inflation-based fare increase will take effect on January 1, 2020 as part of a program first approved by the BART Board in 2003 and renewed for a second series in 2013. This is the last of four biennial fare increases called for under the 2013 series. The BART Board also approved a third series of inflation-based fare increases that will go into effect in 2022, 2024 and 2026.  This latest series will follow the same inflation-based formula as the previous increases.
• BART will participate in the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Regional Means-Based Fare Discount Pilot Program. The program will offer a 20% discount per trip to adult riders earning 200% or less of the federal poverty level. The FY20 budget assumes one-half year of the pilot with an estimated revenue loss of $2 million after the MTC’s estimated offsetting annual contribution to BART of approximately $2 million.

Revenue and ridership challenges

The FY20 budget is balanced and includes $17 million in budget cuts made by all departments in the district.

Fare revenue is BART’s largest source of revenue, with $479 million of rail fare revenue forecast in FY20, a decrease of $5.6 million from FY19, reflecting a lower ridership forecast. Other operating revenue is forecast to be $10 million lower due to one-time revenues in FY19 not budgeted in FY20. These decreases are offset by increases in financial assistance, particularly sales taxes. Sales taxes are BART’s largest form of financial assistance budgeted at $277 million for FY20 a 3.2% growth over FY19

We take a conservative approach to projecting ridership for our FY20 budget. We are concerned about the length of this current economic expansion and the potential for a downturn in the future, which could impact ridership.

Service improvements

The budget includes funding for service enhancements that will ease crowding. Most notably, by February of 2020 we expect to have 160 Fleet of the Future train cars which will allow us to run all 10-car trains on the four Transbay routes. As we increase the number of Fleet of the Future cars, we will begin retiring legacy cars, which should increase reliability and reduce maintenance costs.

Silicon Valley Berryessa Extension fares

Along with approving the FY20 budget, the BART Board of Directors voted unanimously to establish a fare structure for the Silicon Valley Berryessa Extension.  BART’s existing distance-based fare structure will be used to calculate trip fares on the 10-mile extension from the Warm Springs/South Fremont Station to Berryessa Road in San Jose.  This is in accordance with the comprehensive agreement between BART and the Valley Transportation Authority.  The extension includes stops in Milpitas and Berryessa/North San Jose.

Ambassador program

Though not part of the FY20 budget, $500,000 in additional anticipated revenue from the FY19 budget will be set aside to fund an ambassador pilot program.  BART is in talks with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to seek matching funds for the program.

Only $2.00 per trip, much less than Uber or Lyft

Eastern Contra Costa County Transit Authority (Tri Delta Transit) is excited to announce the launch of Tri MyRide, a flexible and dynamic on-demand shuttle service operating in neighborhoods near the Antioch BART Station and Pittsburg Bay Point BART Station. This six-month pilot program shuttle service begins operation today, Monday June 17. Tri MyRide operates Monday thru Friday from 5am to 8pm.

Similar to ride-hailing services, Tri MyRide uses a smartphone app for riders to schedule customized curb-to-curb trips. Tri MyRide allows riders to plan their customized trips anywhere in the Hillcrest/Antioch BART service area or San Marco/Pittsburg Bay Point BART service area to BART or to a designated point of interest located in the service area. The app, known as Microtransit by TransLoc, is connected to proprietary software that allows bus operators to pick-up and drop-off passengers in an efficient manner.

The service uses small, neighborhood-friendly shuttle buses that easily maneuver on residential streets. Tri MyRide operators undergo the same background screening as other Tri Delta Transit operators, and all vehicles are equipped with surveillance cameras to ensure safe transport. The shuttle buses are wheelchair accessible and accommodate people with disabilities.

The cost to ride is only $2.00 per trip. Payment may be made through the Microtransit app or with cash. The low-cost makes Tri Delta Transit’s Tri MyRide more affordable than traditional ride-hailing services, which could cost riders at least more than three times the amount for a similar trip.

“By partnering with technology companies, Tri Delta Transit is meeting the evolving needs of passengers in our community. Tri MyRide allows our agency to provide on-demand service from the convenience of a smart phone app.” said Chief Executive Officer Jeanne Krieg.

HOW IT WORKS

The six-month pilot program is being implemented in partnership with Tri Delta Transit and TransLoc, a Ford Smart Mobility Company. To use this new ride share program, passengers located within the service area first download the free Microtransit by TransLoc app to their smartphone and request a ride. Following a Tri MyRide request, the Microtransit app will provide passengers with an estimated pick-up time, track their bus in real-time, and alert them when the ride is about to arrive. Passengers are also notified when their ride is about to reach their destination.

Tri Delta Transit is one of the innovative transit agencies throughout the nation piloting microtransit technology. The new microtransit services are intended to complement existing public transportation services. By providing flexible, on-demand transportation services, transit agencies are bringing improved mobility and greater accessability to the communities they serve.

ABOUT TRI DELTA TRANSIT

Tri Delta Transit provides over 3,000,000 trips each year to a population of over 250,000 residents in the 225 square miles of Eastern Contra Costa County. They currently operate 15 local bus routes Monday – Friday, four local bus routes on weekends, door-to-door bus service for senior citizens and people with disabilities, on-demand rideshare services and shuttle services to community events. To learn more, visit TriDeltaTransit.com.

ABOUT TRANSLOC

TransLoc is the maker of mission-critical transit operations solutions for flexible on-demand and fixed route systems for both public and private transit agencies, and university and business campus transit systems. TransLoc is the largest provider of agency-owned microtransit systems for municipal transit agencies in the U.S., with the company’s products used at more than 400 agencies. To learn more, visit TransLoc.com.

For additional information about Tri MyRide, please visit TriMyRide.com.

By Antioch Police Department

Earlier this month, the Antioch Police Department welcomed Lieutenant John Donleavy and Officer Matthew Nutt, and celebrated the promotions of Corporals Vanderpool and Rose, Sergeant Hoffman, and Captain Schnitzius.

Lieutenant Joe Donleavy

Joe grew up in Richmond and graduated from El Cerrito High School in 1989. After graduation, he became an EMT and worked for four years for Acme Western Ambulance in Oakland. Joe eventually attended San Francisco State University and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art in 1998.

In 2000, Joe put himself through the Napa Valley College extended night Police Academy while working a full-time job in the Athletic Business Office at Cal. He was picked up by the Walnut Creek Police Department while in the academy and started with them upon graduation in December of 2000. During his time with the Walnut Creek Police Department Joe served in Patrol, Motors and as a K9 handler. Additionally, he was on the SWAT entry team and was a firearm and chemical agent instructor. In 2012, Joe was promoted to Sergeant and eventually helped create a four-person Special Enforcement Team as well as supervising the Motor team and K9 unit. In 2017, Joe was promoted to Lieutenant and worked the remainder of his time there as a Patrol Watch Commander.

Joe is married to a Walnut Creek Police Officer and enjoys traveling with his family and is a die-hard Giants, Niners and Sharks fan!

Fun Fact: Joe’s son has the exact same birthday as him.

Officer Matthew Nutt

Matthew grew up in Claremont, CA, and graduated from Claremont High School in 2012. Before graduating, Matthew enlisted in the Marine Corps and he left for boot camp shortly after graduating. Matthew eventually became an Infantry Machine Gunner and served 4 years with the Second Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment. Matthew was honorably discharged at the rank of Corporal in 2016.

Soon after being discharged, Matthew was hired by the Los Angeles Police Department and graduated from the Police Academy in October 2016. He was later assigned to patrol for 1.5 years in East Los Angeles, and spent the remainder of his time patrolling South Central Los Angeles. Matthew then accepted a job with the Antioch Police Department.

In his free time Matthew enjoys going to church, spending time with family and friends, rock climbing, and working out.

Fun Fact: Matthew is terrified of spiders and needs his wife to kill them for him.

Corporal Jason Vanderpool

Jason grew up in Fairfield and graduated from Fairfield High School. Jason is happily married to his wife Danielle and is the proud father of three girls. Prior to working for the City of Antioch, Jason worked in the construction trades for several years and had his contractor’s license. He also had a flooring business for several years.

Jason started his Police career in December 2002, and was assigned to the patrol division from 2002 to 2013. In April of 2013, he transferred from Patrol into the Investigations Bureau where he worked as the Domestic Violence Investigator. In 2015, he was assigned to the Robbery/ Homicide unit and worked as a violent crimes investigator. In July 2018, he transferred back to the Patrol Division.

During his career, Jason has had numerous assignments which have included Field training officer (FTO), recruiting team member, MAMFF team member, and Explorer advisor. In his spare time, Jason enjoys wakeboarding, playing basketball, camping, golfing and spending time with his family.

Fun Fact: He’s proud to be a mama’s boy.

Corporal Brian Rose

Brian is a 12-year veteran of the Antioch Police Department. Brian’s assignments have been Field Training Officer and SWAT team member. In 2012, Brian was a recipient of the Antioch Police Department’s Meritorious Service Award which is presented to officers who display professionalism and excellence in performing his/her duties.

Brian has spent the last 5 plus years as a detective in the sexual assault/child abuse unit and has distinguished himself as a tremendous investigator. He is a POST certified sexual assault/child abuse instructor and travels throughout the state to train other detectives in this important discipline.

In 2016, Brian was honored as a 2016 Community Champion by Community Violence Solutions for those who go above and beyond the call of duty to end sexual violence in our community.

Brian holds a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice management and in his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing basketball, working out, and is an avid reader.

Fun fact: Brian has been nominated for Officer of Year a whopping 10 times but has failed to ever win the award.

Sergeant Rick Hoffman

Rick was born in Berkeley and moved to Antioch when he was in the fifth grade. Rick spent the rest of his childhood in the city of Antioch. He met his future wife, in a church youth group when he was 15 years old, and eventually married her years later.

Rick began his law enforcement career with the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff in March 2006, and worked as a Custody Deputy at the Martinez Detention Facility from March of 2006 to September of 2007. Having grown up in Antioch, he knew that he wanted to be a police officer for APD. Rick lateraled to APD in September of 2007 and began his career with APD as a patrol officer.

Since joining APD, Rick has held a variety of assignments. In 2009, Rick was assigned as a SWAT team member. In 2010, he was assigned to be a gang investigator. In 2013, Rick was assigned to be a Field Training Officer (FTO) and in 2015 he was assigned to be a Defensive Tactics Instructor.

Rick was assigned to the Investigations Bureau in August of 2015 where he initially worked as a Missing Persons Detective, a Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS) detective and eventually was assigned to the Special Operations Unit. Rick was also awarded the APD’s 2017 Officer of the Year award.

Rick was promoted to the rank of Corporal in January of 2019. During his time as a Corporal, he has been assigned as a patrol Corporal, Gang Unit supervisor, and a SWAT Assistant Team Leader.

Rick is excited to begin this new step in his career and is eager to serve his department and the citizens of Antioch in a new capacity.

Fun Fact: Rick would like to share that he is much better at fantasy football than both of the newly promoted Corporals Vanderpool and Rose

Captain Trevor Schnitzius

Trevor graduated from California State University, Sacramento in 1997 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Law Enforcement Management and Investigation. He was hired as a police trainee by the Antioch Police Department in January 1998 and attended the Los Medanos 135th Police Academy. Upon his graduation, he was sworn in as a Police Officer on May 26, 1998 assigned to the Community Policing Division.

Trevor transferred to in the Investigations Bureau in 2002 as the auto theft investigator. In 2003, he transferred to the person crime unit where he was the Sexual Assault/Missing Persons/Sex Offender Compliance Investigator. Trevor transferred back to the patrol division in 2007 and became a (FTO) Field Training Officer.

Trevor was promoted to Corporal in January of 2008 and was assigned to the Patrol Division. He was then promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2013 and remained in the Patrol Division. In February 2016, Trevor promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.

Additionally, Trevor served as a Weaponless Defense Instructor, Impact Weapons Instructor, Field Training Officer (FTO), Honor Guard Team Member, Recruiting Team Member, Explorer Program Coordinator, Department Armor, Peer Support Coordinator, Volunteer Coordinator, K9 Unit Coordinator, and FTO Program Coordinator.

As fate would have it, the effective date of his promotion to Captain is exactly 21 years to the day from his original appointment as an Antioch Police Officer.

Fun Fact: Trevor’s nickname amongst his peers is Mr. Incredible due to his resemblance to the animated film character. Through the generosity of our officers, he has accumulated a decent collection of Mr. Incredible memorabilia over the years.

Bombardier Transportation announced it is opening a rail car assembly site in Pittsburg, California to assemble BART’s Fleet of the Future rail cars.  This work, which is currently taking place in upstate New York, will be transferred to the Bay Area over the coming months.

The new facility will employ local workers, contribute tax dollars to the local economy and, thanks to its proximity to BART’s Hayward Test Track, greatly reduce the vehicle emissions needed to transport the cars to BART property.

What used to be a 3,600-mile journey home to the Bay Area, will now be a quick 50 miles.

It also means local jobs.

“It’s Bay Area workers building cars for Bay Area commuters,” said BART Director Mark Foley. “Bringing the work home.”

Watch the Press Conference

Riders are giving the new trains high marks for its new features and design. The customer survey results were unveiled at a recent Board meeting. The vast majority of features received at least 85 percent “Excellent” or “Good” grades.

Some of its most well-received features were the ease of on-board and off-boarding the train; lighting; audio announcements; floor-to-ceiling poles; comfortable air temperature; and digital displays.

BART’s website dedicated to the Fleet of the Future has lots of great information about the status of the roll out. They keep it updated with the number of new cars delivered to date and the number in service.

A Fleet of the Future tracker is in the works that will show you if one of the next approaching trains at your stations is a new train. That feature will roll out in phases, to eventually include digital platform signs, bart.gov, and the BART Official App, which you can download for free.

 

By Sergeant Matthew Harger #3305, Field Services Bureau, Antioch Police Department

On June 14, 2019, at approximately 7:30pm, Antioch Police Dispatch received a 9-1-1 call regarding a possible child drowning in a residential family swimming pool in the 3000 Block of N. Francisco Way. Antioch Police Officers along with ConFire and AMR personnel quickly arrived on scene and began immediate live saving measures on the child.

The child was transported to a local hospital where he later passed away.

The preliminary investigation appears to indicate this incident was a tragic accident. No further information will be released 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.

As the weather heats up, rattlesnakes become more active in many of our parks, their natural habitat. They like to explore when the weather gets warm which can lead to more encounters with humans and dogs. The East Bay Regional Park District is advising that the public take snake safety precautions when visiting Regional Parks.

Safety Tips for Visiting Regional Parks

1. Always hike with a friend so you can help each other in case of emergency.
2. Look at the ground ahead of you as you are walking.
3. Look carefully around and under logs and rocks before sitting down.
4. Avoid placing your hands or feet where you can’t see clearly.
5. Check the area around picnic tables, campsites, and barbecues before using them. If you encounter a rattlesnake in these areas, notify park staff.
6. Keep pets on the designated trails and away from snakes if they see one.
7. Bring plenty of water for yourself and your pets as many parks do not have a direct water supply.

What to Do If You See a Rattlesnake

Leave it alone – do not try to capture or harm it. All park wildlife is protected by law. If you see a snake on a trail, wait for it to cross and do not approach. Then move carefully and slowly away.

What to Do If Bitten by a Snake

1. If bitten by a rattlesnake, stay calm and send someone to call 911. Remain calm by lying down with the affected limb lower than the heart. Do not waste precious time on tourniquets, “sucking,” or snake bite kits. If you are by yourself, walk calmly to the nearest source of help to dial 911. Do not run.
2. If bitten by any other kind of snake, wash the wound with soap and water or an antiseptic and seek medical attention.
3. If you are not sure what kind of snake bit you, check the bite for two puncture marks (in rare cases one puncture mark) associated with intense, burning pain. This is typical of a rattle snake bite. Other snakebites may leave multiple teeth marks without associated burning pain.

Snakes are an important resource in the natural environment. They are prime controlling agents of rodent, insect, and other reptile populations. They must be enjoyed from afar and left where they are found. It is illegal to collect, kill, or remove any plants or animals from the East Bay Regional Park District. Please help us to protect wildlife and their environment for present and future generations. Additional information is available at www.ebparks.org/parks/safety/#Snakes or download a PDF version of our Common Snakes.