By Daniel Borsuk

In order to conduct business, including the approval of higher fire district development fees, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday had to take the rare step of selecting a chair pro tempore because neither chairperson John Gioia of Richmond nor vice chair Candace Andersen of Danville were in attendance.

Supervisor Karen Mitchoff of Pleasant Hill was elected chair pro tempore by fellow supervisors Diane Burgis of Brentwood and Federal Glover of Pittsburg who were present.

Board chair Gioia was out of the area attending a meeting of the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance at Lake Tahoe. He said he was scheduled to attend that conference because he also serves on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the California Air Resources Board.

Vice chair Andersen was absent because her mother had passed away in Hawaii, a representative for the supervisor said.

“I am in charge,” declared Mitchoff upon getting the 3-0 vote to serve as chair pro tempore. In the 8.5 years that Mitchoff has served on the board, the supervisor said she has never seen where the board had to resort to selecting a chair pro tempore. Mitchoff served as board chair person last year.

Meanwhile, with fire season already here, supervisors voted 3-0 to have increased Contra Costa County Fire Protection District development impact fees go into effect in November.

In reporting findings from a Willdan Financial Services study, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Chief Lewis T. Broschard III informed supervisors the fire district service population is projected to increase by 162,100 to 892,200 by 2040 in the cities of Antioch, Clayton, Concord, Lafayette, Martinez, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, San Pablo Walnut Creek and the unincorporated areas of Contra Costa County.

The last time the fire district increased development fees was in 2006.

The fire district, as of August 1, 2019, will have 26 staffed stations to accommodate the current service population of about 730,000. “This situation makes for a ratio of one fire station per 28,000 persons in the service population. To maintain the existing station-to-population ratio, the projected growth would require the construction of more than five stations by the year 2040.” the Willdan Study states.

The estimated cost for a new fire station is $7,923,750 based on a $720 per square foot construction rate. Adding the cost of new fire apparatus can add $750,000 to $1.5 million per station or the cost of the station parcel which can be $500,000 to $1 million per site.

Based on cost factors, the Willdan study proposed total Fire Protection Facilities fees, including administration fees, will be $970 per dwelling unit for Residential single family, $460 per dwelling unit for Residential multi-family, $662 per 1,000 square feet Commercial, $579 per 1,000 square feet Office, and $387 per 1,000 square feet for Industrial.

Supervisors did not hear either public opposition or support for the proposed fire protection district facilities fees increases.

 

 

 

Three Fire Station Design Extensions Approved

In a related consent action, supervisors extended architectural services with Loving Campos Associates Architects, Inc. by increasing the payment limit by $75,000 to a new payment limit of $595,000 and to extend the term from June 14, 2019 to June 14, 2020 to provide architectural services for Fire Station 16 located at 4007 Los Arabis Road in Lafayette, a fire station constructed in the late 1950’s that was abandoned shortly after the Loma Prieta Earthquake. Subsequent to the station’s closure, a double-wide mobile home was used as the crew living quarters.

Supervisors also approved as a consent item an additional $300,000 payment to the architectural firm of Kimley-Horn Associates, Inc. to provide design services for new Fire Station No. 9 in Pacheco and a new Fire Station No. 86 in Bay Point. This increase raises the contract with Kimley-Horn to $1,240,000 and extends the term limit from Dec. 12, 2020 to Dec. 12, 2021.

The two new stations in Pacheco and Bay Point will include modern seismic standards, meet current ADA requirements, and have the ability to support modern equipment and apparatus. The stations will be built to provide protection for the community or the next 50 years.

Catholic Charities Wins $905,414 Contract

Supervisors approved as a consent item, Public Defender Robin Lipetzky’s $905,414 contract request with the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Oakland DBA Catholic Charities of the East Bay to provide civil legal deportation defense and community services for Stand Together Contra Costa. The contract will be in effect from July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020. Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Oakland has provided civil legal deportation defense services for the county supported Stand Together Contra Costa since July 24, 2018.

Approve $1.4 Million Inmate Communications System

Supervisors also permitted Sheriff-Coroner David O. Livingston’s $1.4 million request to sign a contract with Global Tel Link (GTL) Corporation to install and operate Inmate communication services including a jail management system, inmate telephones, video visitation, and inmate tablets in the adult facilities for the period of July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2024. There are no net county costs associated with this contract. Under the contract GTL will pay the county $200,000 at contract start to defer the Office of the Sheriff’s expenses related to facility technology and program expenses and will pay the county $20,000 a month for county cost reimbursement which will be place in the Inmate Welfare Fund.

 

New school in Antioch helping students close achievement gaps

Antioch, Calif. – Rocketship Delta Prep announced today that in their very first school year (2018-2019), students grew an average of 1.4 years in math and 1.3 years in English language arts. This means that at Rocketship in Antioch, students are learning an entire school year’s worth of material plus 40 percent (in math) and 30 percent (in English language arts) of another school year, as measured by the nationally-normed NWEA MAP exam. In the very first school year, Rocketship Delta Prep also more than tripled the percentage of students in the top third of achievement in math and more than doubled the percentage in the top third of achievement in English language arts. The vast majority of Rocketeers at

Delta Prep came into the 18-19 school year multiple grade levels behind standard. By growing significantly more than one grade level in a single school year, Delta Prep Rocketeers are well on their way to achieving at and above grade level standards.

“I am so proud of all of our Rocketeers – from TK up through fourth grade,” said Principal Lauren

Hilliard. “Our teachers, parents, students, and entire Rocketship Delta Prep community built a solid foundation in the 2018-2019 school year for even greater academic success this year and beyond. I can’t wait to see all the amazing things our Rocketeers will do in the 2019-2020 school year.”

Rocketship Delta Prep is a free, public charter school open to all students. Approved by the Antioch

Unified School District Board of Education in December 2016, Rocketship worked with parents and community members to build a state-of-the-art, net-zero energy charter school facility. Community support also helped Rocketship gain approval for the school design by unanimous decisions at both the Antioch City Planning Commission and Antioch City Council in fall 2017.

Delta Prep opened at 1700 Cavallo Road in Antioch in August 2018 with more than 400 students.

Overwhelming parent demand for a high-quality elementary school led Rocketship Delta Prep to open transitional kindergarten to fourth grades on day one. While challenging, opening such a big school in its very first year reinforced Delta Prep’s commitment to serve all Antioch students with excellence in order to eliminate the achievement gap. This school year, Rocketship Delta Prep will again serve over 400 students in grades TK-fifth.

“I could not be happier to have found an excellent school right here in my community of Antioch,” said Founding Rocketship Delta Prep Parent Cynthia Cathey. “My daughter has grown so much in just the first school year – not only academically, but also in her behavior, living out Rocketship’s core values of respect and responsibility, and she’s made amazing friends. I’ve also found a tight-knit community of parents who advocate for our kids’ needs and for the future of our city.”

Rocketship’s California network of schools ranked in the top 10 percent of all school districts and charter schools serving similar students on the 2017-2018 California state assessment in both math and English language arts. Rocketship Delta Prep in Antioch is the second Rocketship school in the East Bay, joining Rocketship Futuro Academy in Concord which opened in August 2016. Rocketeers across the national network achieved remarkable gap-closing results last school year, averaging 1.36 years of growth in math and 1.29 years of growth in English language arts.

Sterling the Bubblesmith

The artist Sterling Johnson has performed versions of his remarkable hand-blown bubbles for over 45 years. He is the only person to ever put a bubble inside a bubble inside a bubble on stage without any tubes or straws, and the first person to walk completely through a bubble film.

Trained as an engineer and lawyer, Sterling started his act to entertain friends, and developed it into a full stage show. He has performed for Price Waterhouse, FAO Schwartz, Old Navy, and the Copia Wine Center. He also performed at the Great American Music Hall, the Mason Street Theater, Theater Artaud, Fort Mason’s Magic Theater, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Academy of Sciences, the Exploratorium and other San Francisco / Bay Area venues. He has performed in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Dallas, Seattle, Cincinnati and other locations.  He is often booked as one of several acts, sometimes with circus performers, such as the New Pickle Family Circus, Velocity Circus and other variety acts.  He helped to open for Huey Lewis and the News in Las Vegas.

Discover Sterling’s awe-inspiring performance at the Antioch Library on Thursday, July 25 at 1:30 p.m. For more information visit http://www.sterlingthebubblesmith.com/.

Bring your family and friends to Waldie Plaza inRivertown Saturday and rock back to the 80’s all night long with your family and friends. The Breakfast Klub is the most exciting 80’s tribute band in northern California, and brings all the tunes and music you can remember here to Antioch. July 27th is the third concert in the free Summer Concerts by the River series and promises a foot-stomping, high energy night.

Summer Concerts by the River is a free summer program that gives families and friends a relaxing time by the river; taking in summer sunsets and foot-tapping to the music. Saturday’s concert begins at 6:00pm; the music plays on through 8:00pm. “Sunset Suppers” food trucks open at 5:00pm and local restaurants are also available for meals and snacks. Bring your lawn chair, blanket, and energy to Waldie Plaza Saturday night for a foot-stomping good time.

The 2019 “Concerts by the River” schedule offers a variety of music for all generations. Mark your calendar now for the August series:

August 3 – Retroactive – 60s and more

August 10 – Juke Joint – Classic Soul

August 17 – The Purple Ones – Prince cover band

Waldie Plaza is located across from City Hall on Second Street. There is plenty of free parking throughout downtown. Adding a dinner from local restaurants or the food trucks makes it the perfect staycation night in Antioch.

To learn more about the 2019 Concerts by the River, please call 925-776-3050 or visit the City’s website at http://www.ci.antioch.ca.us

August 19 & 20 at 7:00 pm

The Nick Rodriguez Community Theatre

213 F St, Rivertown, Antioch

Ages 10+ including Adult roles

Male and Female 15+ roles

This is a classic tale by the Grimm Brothers. Filled with fantasy, sorcery and heroism the play will be a fairytale to be remembered. Auditions entail a short cold read, a little improvising and filling out a form or two. Rehearsals are Tues, Wed, Thurs evenings 7-9pm. Actors accepted for roles will need to be available for all rehearsal and performance dates.

Mandatory orientation 8/26 7pm.

performances are Weekends 10/18 – 10/26

There is no participation fee ever for Drama Factory productions. We are an all-inclusive company, striving to make the Arts accessible to everyone.Also, no preparation materials are needed. Just bring yourself!

Questions can be sent to director@dramafactory.org

You can also visit our website at for more information www.dramafactory.org.

By Allen Payton

Posts on Facebook, including a photo of a receipt from the Staples store in Antioch with a message, that the store will be closing on August 16th have been verified by city staff.

In response to an email to city officials asking about the matter, City of Antioch Economic Development Director Kwame Reed wrote, “The store is closing on August 16th.  It is a disappointment to see another retailer close.  Unfortunately, I have inquired with other shopping center owners that do not feel adding a store like Staples will provide the longevity in a tenant they are looking for.  Staples did not renew their lease because of ongoing building improvements that weren’t addressed, and the landlord found a tenant that would do the improvements themselves (according to the Staples store manager).  Unfortunately, Staples sales have been declining steadily over the past four years.  Many people and companies are purchasing items online instead of in the store.”

Antioch Councilman Lamar Thorpe also responded with, “Yes, that is correct. And no, they don’t want to move to Brentwood. They’d prefer to stay in Antioch. (Economic Development Manager) Lizeht (Zepeda) has reached out to them to figure out how we can help keep them here.”

However, Reed later wrote, “I just spoke with a Staples representative at their corporate office and ‘Staples made a decision to reduce their retail footprint due to online sales’ and according to her knowledge, they have no plans to relocate the store nor do they have any new openings planned.’”

UPDATE: In a follow up email, Reed was asked if a health club will be locating there.

“That is according to the store manager however, corporates official statement is they are reducing their retail footprint due to increases in online sales,” he replied. “And yes, a fitness center is proposed but I have not heard officially yet.”

Will reopen at 1:00 p.m.

Sacramento – The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will close its offices statewide for a half day on July 24, 2019, to better prepare employees to process REAL ID transactions and reinforce training on providing excellent customer service.

Operation Excellence: DMV Training will result in more consistent customer experiences statewide and equip employees with the tools they need to handle an unprecedented volume of REAL ID applications, which are more complex and take more time to process.

The training will take place at 183 DMV field offices, Commercial Drive Test Centers and Industry Business Centers throughout the state. More than 5,000 employees will receive the training at their home offices, which will open for business at 1 p.m.

“Our employees are at the heart of every transaction we perform,” said Kathleen Webb, DMV acting director. “With this commitment to training, we can ensure they have the proper tools, knowledge, and experience to provide excellent customer service to the people of California.”

DMV Call Centers (1-800-777-0133) will remain open during the half-day office closure. Customers also will be able to:

• Conduct transactions online, at ca.gov, including renewing a vehicle registration, changing an address, requesting a copy of their driving record or making an appointment.
• Conduct transactions at DMV Now self-service kiosks located at grocery stores and select libraries, such as renewing a vehicle registration, filing for planned nonoperation (PNO) status, submitting an affidavit of non-use, submitting proof of insurance, and paying a $14 insurance reinstatement fee. A map of kiosks can be found online: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/about/sst_map.
• AAA members may visit AAA offices to conduct some transactions, including vehicle registration renewal.
• Registration services also are available at California DMV Business Partners for a fee. Customers can search for partners with this online map: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/bp_locator/reg_svc.

Operation Excellence is an initiative of the DMV Reinvention Strike Team, which Governor Gavin Newsom created in January to lead a comprehensive modernization and reinvention of the DMV with an emphasis on transparency, worker performance, speed of service and overall consumer satisfaction. The Strike Team was created in response to long wait times in DMV field offices, which were exacerbated by the federal government’s REAL ID requirements.

Beginning October 1, 2020, the federal government will require passengers flying within the United States to present a REAL ID-compliant driver license or identification card – or a passport or passport card – before boarding a plane. REAL ID-compliant cards or another federally approved document will also be required to enter secure federal facilities such as military bases.

“The unprecedented complexity of the REAL ID requirements is what led to the idea that we needed to take the extraordinary step of closing DMV offices for a short time to make sure all employees have consistent information in order to complete the transactions successfully,” said Government Operations Agency Secretary Marybel Batjer, who is leading the DMV Strike Team. “It is a complicated transaction and we want customers to be well prepared in order to receive their REAL ID efficiently.”

The DMV already is experiencing unprecedented demand for its services because of a greater volume of REAL ID applications, which must be done in person in the field office and cannot be processed online or via the phone. In addition, field offices are experiencing their normal summer surge of new drivers seeking licenses.

Field offices need to be prepared for at least a doubling of customer volume as the enforcement date approaches. On July 1, 2019, the DMV opened an additional 53 field offices early to handle the summer surge, bringing to 69 the total number of offices that open at 7 a.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays to accommodate the increase in customers. The DMV also now offers Saturday service at 62 offices.

Curriculum for Operation Excellence addresses the specific challenges DMV employees have identified in processing REAL ID transactions. Frontline staff will receive detailed training and a toolkit they can utilize immediately for processing REAL ID driver licenses and identification cards in the field. They also will be trained on best practices on delivering excellent customer service.

This half-day effort is the start of ongoing training around REAL ID and builds on DMV’s renewed commitment to providing sufficient training on all significant policy and procedure changes.

Operation Excellence addresses findings in a March 2019 report by the Department of Finance’s Office of State Audits and Evaluations, which determined training to be lacking at DMV. Report recommendations include more timely and comprehensive training for new hires and expanded training opportunities, particularly surrounding significant changes to policies and procedures including REAL ID.

By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff

On Thursday, July 18, 2019, at about 9:09 PM, Muir Station Deputy Sheriffs were dispatched to a suspicious circumstance in the area of Riverside Drive and Mariners Cove in Bay Point. The caller stated that there was a man who appeared to be beaten in the street.

Deputies arrived and found an unresponsive man in front of a home on the 200 block of Riverside Drive. The victim was taken to a local hospital where he was later pronounced deceased. He is identified as 38-year-old Johnny Burns of Bay Point.

At about 9:21 PM, Deputy Sheriffs responded to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon on the 2700 block of Willow Pass Road in Bay Point. The victim was later treated and released from a local hospital.

The suspect vehicle and suspect descriptions were broadcast to law enforcement agencies in the area. The Concord Police Department later located the vehicle. Deputies responded to that location and took custody of 20-year-old Abel Garcia of Antioch. An arrest warrant was issued for the second suspect, Erick Ruiz. The 24-year-old Bay Point resident was arrested Friday, July 19, 2019.

Garcia was later booked into the Martinez Detention Facility (MDF) on the following charges: assault with a deadly weapon, felony battery, conspiracy and participating in acriminal street gang. Garcia is being held in lieu of $140,000 bail. Ruiz was also booked into the MDF for assault with a deadly weapon, felony battery and conspiracy. He is being held in lieu of $160,000 bail.

Detectives are still investigating both incidents to determine if they are linked.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact the Office of the Sheriff at (925) 646-2441 or Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call (866) 846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.