By Velma Wilson

We may not be headed back to the classroom yet, but students still need school supplies for the school year. Let’s prepare students for success by ensuring they have the necessary school supplies while they are distance learning.

On August 15th from 11am- 2 pm, in the parking lot of Somersville Towne Center, Claryssa will host her Annual Stuff the Bus School Supply Giveaway. She will also be accepting school supplies, donated computers, and Ipads to have refurbished and then distributed to students and families in need. Social Distancing will be adhered to and mask/face covering is mandatory.

Requested donations:

Wide & College Ruled Notebooks

Wide & College Ruled Filler Paper

Colored Pencils

Colored Markers

Crayons

Highlighters

#2 Pencils

Mechanical Pencils

Ink Pens (blue, black, red)

Erasers

Glue Sticks

Rulers

Pencil Sharpeners

Folders

1″ Binders

2″ Binders

Dry Erase Boards & Markers

Staplers and staples

Backpacks for Laptops

Monetary donations can also be made to Claryssa for Stuff the Bus via Venmo @CWILSON1216

For questions please contact Claryssa at 925-250-0692 or Velma at 925-250-3051.

Dear Editor:

This is an open letter to the city of Antioch per #CupOfJoBruno and Delta Peers. Specifically, this is a letter addressing the current city council. It’s close to elections and I’m curious why I should support you. Any of you. So, here’s the thing. I’m a Pittsburg native, and I am a proud Pirate. But Antioch is home to me. I have placed my heart in the waters that rest under the bridge. I have, like many others, marked my territory. I did what a lot of folks do, and I left home to experience life outside of where I was born. I traveled overseas and went to college in another state. But I find myself back here and I’m playing for keeps.

Currently without residency, living in my car, I am working hard to become the best version of myself. And even with the heartache and pain of my situation, I am quite happy with who I’ve become as I decide to watch y’all real close. As an anthropologist and a writer, I am observing you and waiting to write my critique. I see myself running for office as I grow into my purpose in Antioch. I feel I may even run for mayor one day. What’s a city, right? A lot of responsibly y’all. It’s a lot of responsibility.

Why haven’t you taken responsibility? Why haven’t you done anything for the unhoused population until we had a pandemic? The police department needed a good looking at prior to the countless murders of young black folks. Why are so many buildings unused and boarded up? Why have you dismissed your responsibilities and are you going to do anything different this time?

If I have personally spoken to you in passing, I know you know who I am. With all the kind words and motivational speeches, we’ve shared, I question who you are because I haven’t seen many of you act on any of it. As I move forward with establishing Delta Peers, will I see you at the table? I sure hope you hold true to your word because we need better support out here for the community. Y’all have seemed to forgotten your community and we are suffering out here. Y’all can do better, and I pray you start using the resources within the community so we can build better resources for the city.

Delta Peers is coming to the streets. We are bringing our voices and our skills. We are supporting each other and it’s time you support us too. Peer Support and mental health wellness is key moving forward as we rebuild Antioch. Y’all better get on the right side of history and make this city booming like it was when I came and visited when I was a child, in the mid-80s. We can’t ask for surrounding cities to help or join us, we are the wise old woman sitting on her porch with a shot gun, protecting her land. We help the other cities. Guide them. We are the leader here. And it’s about time we rise again.

So, show me why I am supporting you. Show us where our money is going. Show us all how you intend to improve the city that’s been stagnant the entire time you’ve been in office? Please, show us. We’ve been waiting for a long time.

Jo Bruno

Peer Action League Member for California Association of Mental Health Peer Run Organization (CAMHPRO)

By Jon Coupal and Ernest Dronenburg

Come November, Proposition 13 faces its biggest political battle at the ballot box. It is instructive to ask whether that iconic tax affordability measure remains good tax policy for California.

As the just-released property tax assessments rolls from several California counties reveal, Proposition 13 is working exceedingly well at keeping homeowners and small business owners from losing their properties to skyrocketing property taxes, while delivering government a reliable source of revenue. Voters would be foolish to repeal one of its major protections this November.

Take San Diego County, for example. The assessed value of all taxable property increased to a record high $604.75 billion, more than a five percent increase over last year. Because the state-set “lien date” is January 1st, any potential impact from COVID-19 won’t show up in this year’s numbers. Nonetheless, there is little to suggest that the county will see any major downturn in the real estate market, notwithstanding the pandemic.

San Diego’s experience with Proposition 13, as with most California counties, should lay to rest the notion that Proposition 13 has starved local government of revenue. Since 1978, increases in property tax revenue for local governments have far exceeded population and inflation. And while California now has the highest income tax rate, gas tax and sales tax rate in America, we remain in the top third (17th out of 50) in per capita property tax revenue. In short, we are not a low property tax state.

Hardly an outlier, San Diego County’s benefits from Prop. 13 are evident in the other counties that just reported their assessment rolls. These eleven counties all enjoyed big increases in taxable value that produced more revenue for schools and governments, including Fresno (up 5.5 percent), Marin (4.5 percent) and Orange (4.72 percent).

So how is it possible that, over the course of 41 years of history, Prop. 13 continues to work so well? Prop. 13 is an implicit contract with government that says property owners agree to pay a maximum property tax rate of 1 percent for as long as they own the property and agree to an annual increase of that taxable value up to 2 percent. When the property changes owners, it is reassessed at the market value and the new owner gets the benefit of a transparent and predictable tax they can afford. Prior to Prop. 13, every year was a guessing game as to whether you could afford your property taxes.

But now, far-left progressives and tax-hungry public sector labor interests want to strip away that protection from business and industrial properties in order to seize what they believe to be between $6 billion to $12 billion annually in taxes. Even their estimate of revenue has huge volatility.

Their Proposition 15 proposal on the November ballot would require continuous reassessment of business properties by removing the two percent cap on annual increases.

There are many reasons to reject Prop. 15. But as the 58 counties release their assessment rolls, it’s more evident than ever that Prop. 13 has delivered affordability for property owners and a stable and growing revenue source for schools and local governments. We shouldn’t abandon a system that’s working.

We should reject Proposition 15 in November. It’s obvious that it will have a negative impact on revenue stability for our schools and on stability for taxpayers. We will see businesses closing not because of the pandemic, but because they cannot afford to pay their property taxes.

Jon Coupal is the president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and Ernest J. Dronenburg, Jr. is the elected San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/Clerk and former 20-year member of the California Board of Equalization and Chairman of its Property Tax Committee.

 

Former mayor’s grandson pulls papers to run for City Treasurer

By Allen Payton

The race for the Antioch City Council District 3 just got more crowded as Antioch Parks and Recreation Commission Chair, Marie Arce pulled papers on Friday. That brings the field of candidates to five. She will challenge two incumbent council members, a former commissioner and a current city board member.

According to her personal Facebook page, Arce is an Accounting Bookkeeper for Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, but more specifically she said she works for the Kaiser Foundation School of Nursing, and is studying Public Administration at Golden Gate University. According to her LinkedIn profile, Arce is the Business Manager/Analyst for the Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church in Walnut Creek, as well as owner of Marie Arce Photography.

“Time to get excited for the bright future in our community. I’m excited to announce I’ll be running for Antioch City Council District 3. I hope to earn your support and vote!” she wrote on her campaign Facebook page Friday night.

The 2003 Antioch High School graduate also serves in Business Finance at the Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of California, which advocates for defunding police according to the organization’s Facebook page, and as the Finance Liaison at Winter Nights Family Shelter in Contra Costa County, located in Pleasant Hill.

Arce announced her campaign by posting the video above, and the following on her personal Facebook page, Friday afternoon:

“You do not recover from your child passing, only mend pieces of you back, but you’re different.

Many of you have experienced and seen my love for Caitlin (her late daughter) shown in 4eversunshine Designs and through my work as Chair of the City of Antioch Parks and Recreation, but now it’s time to grow that love for my girls and my town even further.

Today, I picked up my papers for intent to run for Antioch City Council District 3!

The love and support that I have received from my community has been humbling, and I am grateful for the community that I chose to raise my family.

Go now and like my page Marie Arce for Antioch City Council District 3, where I will keep you in the loop on what we are doing in the community and have the opportunity for Q & A’s!

If you want change, you must be that change, so here I go!

I would love your support and energy not only during the election, but after November when we together, can begin to build a bridge to the future of the city that I love!”

City Treasurer Race

In addition, Ruben Rocha is attempting to be the third generation of his family to serve in leadership for the Antioch community by pulling papers to run for City Treasurer. He will face incumbent Jim Davis who is seeking his second term in the part-time position. Rocha is the grandson of former Antioch Mayor and current Antioch School Board Trustee Mary Rocha, and one of the twin sons of Antioch High School Principal Louie Rocha.

According to his Facebook page, Ruben works as a Substitute Site Safety Assistant for the Antioch Unified School District. To announce his campaign, on Thursday Rocha wrote, “I pulled papers today to run for City Treasurer of Antioch! God is so good!”

According to City Clerk Arne Simonsen, the following Antioch residents have taken out Nomination Papers as of 5 p.m. July 24th or Qualified for the following City offices:

Council District 3

Lori Ogorchock – Antioch Councilwoman

Lamar Thorpe – Antioch Councilman

Wayne Steffen – former Antioch Parks & Recreation Commission Member

Antwon Webster – Antioch Board of Administrative Appeals Member

Marie Arce – Antioch Parks & Recreation Commission Chair

City Treasurer

James Davis (I) – City Treasurer

Ruben Rocha

No other candidates pulled or filed their papers for any other city office or the Antioch School Board on Friday. This list will be updated when additional registered Antioch voters take out Nomination Papers or become Qualified. To see the complete list of candidates for Antioch City offices and the Antioch School Board, visit www.antiochherald.com/election-2020.

Mildred Irma “Millie” Biglow Burris Peterson

September 9, 1918 – July 21, 2020

From City of Antioch

Mildred Irma “Millie” Biglow Burris Peterson had deep roots in the Antioch community, and was the matriarch and last of the Antioch Biglows, one of the city’s pioneer families from Gold Rush days. She passed away after suffering a stroke on June 30 at age 101  just a few months shy of her 102nd birthday.

Born on September 9, 1918, on 10th Street in Antioch, Millie attended Antioch schools from Kindergarten to 12th grade graduating with the class of 1935 from Antioch High School. She volunteered for the American Cancer Society, Delta Memorial (Sutter) Hospital for 20 years, and the El Campanil Theatre as an usher. She was involved in various organizations/clubs, including

• Holy Rosary Church
• YLI Young Ladies Institute for over 80 years
• Native Daughters
• Sons of Italy
• Women’s Club
• Historical Society

Millie exemplifies the Antioch spirit of perseverance and service. She will be deeply missed by all her family and friends.

Message by Antioch Historical Society

Every year Millie Peterson would attend the Victorian Tea at the Antioch Historical Museum. Her wedding dress is featured in the bridal room at the museum. She will be missed at our tea for sure.

In 2012, she was featured in an East Bay Times article, A Life of Work, Fun and Friends. Peterson’s advice to today’s youth was, “live life to the fullest; take every opportunity you get; be positive; and, have a happy attitude.”

Additional information gathered from CaliforniaObituaries.com for this report.

 

Will study molecular biology, computer science

By Antioch Unified School District

   Like so many, Deer Valley High School had an unusual end to its school year. But two Deer Valley students continued to shine and rose to the top of the Wolverine pyramid.

   Britney Ta was the valedictorian while Jasmine Yang earned the title of salutatorian. Ta ended her year with a weighted GPA of 4.3953. She accomplished this impressive feat by working hard, of course, and taking 11 AP courses in three years.

   She said her favorite subject was “definitely psychology with Mr. Gorski. His classes were always super engaging and interesting with his unique teaching style. As a class, we established multiple inside jokes and created a sense of community among our peers – something I find to be pretty rare in most classrooms. I looked forward to going to school on the days I had AP Psychology.”

   Additionally, she enjoyed AP Calculus with Ms. McClain, who was “also super invigorating. I feel she prepared me for college like no other. She deserves the highest of recognitions.”

   Aside from her studies, Ta also kept busy as an active member of Key Club, CSF, the DV Dance Crew, which was “definitely one of the highlights of my high school career. It was incredible.”

   One of her favorite memories from Deer Valley was during the homecoming assembly.

“I was a part of a friend’s skit and able to become close friends with people I would never meet otherwise through our skit practices.”

   Ta attended kindergarten and part of first grade in Hayward. After moving with her family to Antioch, she went to at Diablo Vista Elementary and Dallas Ranch Middle before becoming a Wolverine.

In the fall, Ta will go to UC Santa Barbara with plans to major in computer science.

   Salutatorian Jasmine Yang earned a final GPA of 4.3478. Her favorite subjects were Japanese, math and biology. She really enjoyed Ms. McClain as her math teacher “because she made class and learning enjoyable.”

   Some extracurriculars Yang participated in were the Contra Costa County Science and Engineering Fair, where “my partner and I won fourth place in the biology division.” She also was involved in MESA winning second place the Math Escape Challenge and was active with the Japanese festivals held on the DV campus.

   Her favorite high school memories revolve around the Japanese festivals because “even though they took a lot of hard work to set up, work through and clean up, I had a great time laughing and (being) alongside my friends and classmates.”

   Like Ta, Yang also attended Diablo Vista Elementary School and Dallas Ranch Middle schools. This fall, she will head to Cal and major in Molecular and Cell Biology.

   “I am very proud of Britney and Jasmine,” said DV Principal Bukky Oyebade. “They have worked very and proven just how resilient they are. DVHS has several outstanding young people, and these two young ladies have risen to the top. I wish them well and would love for them to stay in touch and come back to pour into the underclassmen.”

#WeAreAUSD

Dear Editor:

As the only African American School Board Trustee for Antioch Unified School District I can no longer remain silent during this pandemic. President Diane Gibson-Gray continues to undermine my ability to perform my fiduciary duties as a board trustee. For the past four months, the AUSD Board meetings have been virtual, and President Diane Gibson-Gray intentionally orchestrates ethnic intimidation and instrumental workplace bullying practices virtually. This is the time to recognize humanity during COVID-19 as we witness the racial strife in America and in East County. As President of Antioch Board of Education leadership is paramount. President Gibson-Gray continues to disregard leading our Board and work collaboratively. She exhibits incompetence as a leader. Parents and teachers have emailed me inquiring why for the past four months the Board Trustee faces are not displayed. I want to inform the public that the Trustee Householder and myself have been intentionally blocked.

As a parent and as a Board Trustee I am deeply concerned that the disregard of addressing safety for our students and staff is appalling. The first virtual meeting on April 8th (see agenda) President Gibson-Gray placed on the Agenda listing under Items for Information/Discussion/Action items requested by the Board None (Due to the current pandemic, only essential items will be placed on the agenda until the shelter in place is lifted.) This pandemic is a public health crisis and not addressing as a Board Governance team the COVID-19 policies and procedures is seriously disturbing.

My fellow Board Trustee, Ellie Householder and myself were not allowed to ask any questions based on her authority. The entire Board did not vote on this absurd “protocol”. This is a constant pattern with President Gibson-Gray not able to be a leader pertaining to safety for our school district. In January, Jonathan Parker was gunned down and the family continues to grieve.

During the pandemic, the safety precautions are more critical than ever. Trustee Householder and I have requested for a Board Workshop Reopening Plan for July and we are denied numerous times during this crisis.

During the month of July, I sent many emails to President Gibson-Gray specifying a Board Workshop is crucial to schedule prior to our August 12th Board meeting. Her response was to check with our Superintendent. Once again President Gibson-Gray is not a leader for our Board. The Superintendent works for us. Listed below is what I specifically requested:

1) Start with Advisory Committee (including Counselors, Teacher, VP’s)

2) An Updated Organizational chart of Certificated and Classified Staff

3) Health and Safety Guidelines

4) PPE Projected Expenses

Antioch Unified School District deserves a leader during these unprecedented times to reassure our students, staff, and administration to provide safety and transparency.

Stay safe,

Crystal Sawyer-White MS

Board Trustee

Antioch Unified School District

Officially announces campaign for Antioch City Council in District 2

Residents of Antioch District 2:

I’m a retired police lieutenant, a local small business owner and a lifelong resident of Antioch, where my wife, Kristine, and I raised our three children. I’ve never before run for office. This is my formal announcement of my intention to run to represent District 2 on the Antioch City Council.

I am asking for your vote for two reasons: First, we need new blood on the city council – individuals who can investigate out-of-the-box solutions to our many challenges. Second, our city needs leaders who aren’t afraid to stand up and initiate change to Get Antioch Back on Track.

In this COVID-19 era, and in general, Antioch has substantial challenges around public safety, dilapidated properties, the homeless, the need for jobs for our residents, saving small businesses, etc. I am not going to use this announcement to make promises around our challenges, as many politicians often do.

Instead, I’d like to announce a solution we’ve recently accomplished together as a community, addressing a problem we’ve been having in District 2 – the proliferation of sideshows. Sometimes

there are as many as 20 instances a day of cars racing and spinning donuts on our streets, while being filmed by the participants. Residents in District 2 can hear them and sometimes they occur at 3 AM, waking the neighborhood.

Community members have been sending me videos of these sideshows, which I’ve been forwarding to the City. Finally, we took things into our own hands, and with the assistance of our neighbors, we drafted up a plan to prevent sideshows at Somersville Road and the entrance to Black Diamond Mines. This plan includes a raised barrier within the turnaround and speed humps

leading up to the turnaround to stop cars from racing through this area.

After presenting this plan to the Antioch Police Department and the City Public Works Department, we received word, Monday that our plan has been approved and the City will move forward with going out to bid to construct these barriers.

That is what city leaders are supposed to do: Listen to the residents they represent and look for real-life solutions to problems that affect people’s lives. If elected as your District 2 City Council

representative, that is the kind of action-oriented leadership you can demand and expect of me.

We need to Get Antioch Back on Track so our residents can be proud of the city in which we live. I am ready and able to take on this task and would be honored to have you join me.

Mike Barbanica

mikebarbanica@gmail.com

Cell (925) 584-8121