Archive for August, 2020

Antioch Council approves $435,000 small business relief package

Wednesday, August 26th, 2020

$15,000 for outdoor dining in downtown Rivertown; $15,000 for Chamber of Commerce to administer

By Allen Payton

During their meeting on Tuesday, August 25, 2020, the Antioch City Council approved allocating $300,000 in CARES Act funds allocation of $300,000 in CARES Act funding and reprogramming of $120,000 in the Economic Development Department budget towards COVID-19 small business relief including $15,000 for the Antioch Chamber of Commerce for the purpose of administering the small business grant program.

Economic Development Director Kwame Reed provided the staff presentation.

The Business License Tax Relief will be allocated as a reduction or as a rebate (after the full cost of the renewal has been paid) of $100 on the renewal of existing Antioch businesses.

To be eligible for the relief the business must meet the qualifications below:

  • Have a current/active business license as of March 17, 2020
  • Have paid or will have paid for a renewal prior to March 16, 2021
  • Have no more than 50 employees
  • Do not have a national-brand affiliation

This is a one-time relief and only eligible to one owner per business.

Small Business Grants will be funded by the City’s CARES Act allocation. The CARES Act states that payments from the Fund may be used to cover costs associated with the provisions of grants to small businesses to reimburse the costs of business interruption caused by required closures. Businesses will be able to apply for $5,000 grants. This amount will allow 60 grants to be provided to support eligible Antioch small businesses.

To be eligible, business must:

  • Have a physical location in the Antioch city limits
  • Hold a current Antioch business license for one (1) year prior to January 1, 2020
  • No more than 25 employees
  • Demonstrate they were unable to operate due to the Shelter Orders or sales were down more than 25% from the previous quarter or the same quarter last year Priority will be given to retail, personal service businesses, restaurants, and businesses that have not received federal assistance (PPP, EIDL, etc.).

No public comments were received.

Mayor Sean Wright recused himself, since he’s both a small business owner and the COO of the Antioch Chamber of Commerce. Mayor Pro Tem Joy Motts then acted in his place in overseeing discussion of the item.

Councilman Lamar Thorpe said, “I’m excited about this, and particular that the Chamber plays a role. My only question is oversight. Where does that rest? I appreciate the Chamber. But they do have some ideologues, out there. So, I want to make sure the oversight is the city and not those who have a political agenda.”

“The economic program manager and I will have oversight of the funding,” Reed said. “The funding will come from the City not the Chamber.”

“I am happy to hear this will be for all businesses that fit the criteria not just Chamber members,” Wilson said. She then asked if members of the Economic Development Commission will be involved.

The EDC was the commission to develop the program and made a presentation on what they labeled the “COVID-19 Recovery, Retention, and Thriving Plan” to the City Council on August 11, 2020.

Reed responded that he will check with the EDC Chairman to decide. “But we don’t want to slow down the process.”

Wilson then asked about the timeline.

“Ultimately it will be two weeks once the information has been established and created,” Reed said. “We are pushing for the applications to be due early October.”

Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock thanked, “Kwame and the commission for doing this.”

She asked about those businesses, such as hair salons and barber shops, that aren’t open, “can they still apply and hold on to those funds?”

“Yes,” Reed replied.

Motts said she was concerned that all businesses receive the information. “Did you say a one-week application period?”

“Yes,” Reed responded.

“I’m going to request council will consider an amendment…and that is for an establishment for outdoor dining for downtown,” Motts then asked. “It’s $15,000 from the CARES Act in emergency funds that I’m asking for…for barricades. We have a private investor investing millions of dollars in downtown…we have some significant wins. It would be great if the city could support their efforts.”

Thorpe then asked about outdoor dining in downtown. “It seems to me they’ll have to block off some parking. I don’t think that will cost $15,000 to the city.”

“I’ve checked with the city manager and it does require the purchase of barricades,” Motts said. “It might require the closing of one of the streets. But, for the streets that are open, we have to make sure there are barricades.

Ogorchock then asked, “that’s going to be coming up on the agenda (under Item 11), can we be discussing this, now Attorney Smith?”

“I was thinking whether this fit within the scope of the discussion, but I hadn’t come to a conclusion,” City Attorney Thomas Smith said.

“This should come under the Waterfront Committee later in the agenda,” Ogorchock said.

“That’s just about dissolving the Waterfront Committee,” Thorpe stated. “I’m not sure if this fits within the scope of this discussion.”

“To the extent that this creates barriers to accommodate outdoor dining it would be legitimate for the discussion of the CARES Act,” said City Manager Ron Bernal.

“Given that, it can fall within that scope…the talk about the expense of $15,000,” Smith said.

“It’s not my desire to take away but to add,” Motts shared.

“To spend $15,000 to block off some parking spaces…but if it does, it does,” said Thorpe.

“I just wanted to add that as City Manager Bernal mentioned, if a business wants to apply for a grant for putting out barriers for outdoor dining they can,” Reed explained. “At this time, I don’t believe there has been any additional funding allocated for this particular venture.”

“This came out of a committee, out of our Waterfront Committee,” Motts explained. “We’re already half-way through August and this won’t happen until October. There will come a time when outdoor dining won’t be feasible. I think this request is pretty reasonable.”

Thorp then asked Bernal, “assuming a restaurant in downtown came to the city and asked to set aside parking spaces in front of their business, you have a right to do that, right?”

“Yes,” Bernal responded. “The cost Mayor Pro Tem Motts came up with is to put out water filled barrels in case cars might run into them. The cost of putting out barriers of about 120 feet in length is about $10,000. I put in another $5,000 for putting them out, as a conservative estimate.”

“I didn’t think we were going to go purchase barriers,” Thorpe stated.

“I’m personally fine with Joy’s recommendation,” he added.

“I’m fine with the idea of outdoor dining,” Wilson said. “With the recommendations that the Economic Development Commission brought forward that it doesn’t take away from that. I’m concerned if we carve away it will impact their recommendations.”

“If the $15,000 is in addition to not part of this funding from the CARES Act, I’m unclear about that,” said Attorney Smith.

“So, the increase in funding from $300,000 to $315,000 does exist in the CARES Act,” Bernal said. “Director Reed brought back a budget $60,000 more than what he had originally.” So, the council can add the $15,000 to the budget.

“My recommendation would be to increase it to $315,000,” Motts said.

“Is it something that we’re going to have to come back and look at,,,which restaurants are going to get it, or will it be out of the $5,000 grant?” Ogorchock asked.

“I believe this would be a separate thing,” Motts said.

Thorpe then said, “the resolution is for $315,000, we’re not taking it from anywhere else. With that I will make a motion.”

“I’m not done with my question,” Ogorchock said.

“You can’t continue once a motion is made,” Thorpe said.

“It doesn’t matter,” Ogorchock responded.

“Yes, it does matter,” said Thorpe.

“The city would actually go out and purchase the barricades,” Reed said. “It would be coming through the CARES Act that the city could utilize.”

“Thank you,” Ogorchock responded.

“I will read the motion,” Thorpe then said. He then moved approval of allocating $315,000 for the business relief program.

Ogorchock seconded the motion and it passed on a 4-0 vote.

St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa announces more paid, part-time employment and training

Wednesday, August 26th, 2020

Cycle 16 of Workforce Development Program

By Brian Boyle, Communications & Development Associate, St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County

The Workforce Development Program at St. Vincent de Paul is a paid jobs training program aimed at helping the unemployed re-enter the workforce and find stable employment. The 24-week Pittsburg, CA based program teaches members techniques to find a job, offering training in resume development, interviewing, and workplace success techniques in a supportive & compassionate environment. Mandatory orientation sessions for people interested in applying to the program will take place on 9/12/20 & 9/15/20 from 9:00 AM – Noon in Pittsburg. To register call (925) 439-5060.

The Workforce Development Program aims to help tear down the barriers that stand in the way of employment for individuals who have struggled to obtain and maintain employment. Participants are matched with mentors and take weekly classes to continue developing necessary workplace skills. A new class of participants are selected every six months.

Participants gain paid, part-time, (22.5 hours per week), work experience in a St. Vincent de Paul thrift store or SVdP’s trucking and transportation department. Additional training in retail operations include cash register operations, inventory display and optimization, and warehouse operations.

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen millions of people suddenly find themselves out of work. In these hard times, it is more imperative than ever that applicants gain skills to be competitive in the job market. The Workforce Development Program at St. Vincent de Paul seeks to address that need, and prepare participants for the realities of the working world.

St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County has provided safety-net services in the county for over 56 years, serving 81,000 people annually and distributing over $1M of direct financial assistance and over $1.5M of in-kind aid. Over 750 SVdP volunteers and a small staff lead operations in Contra Costa including the SVdP Family Resource Center in Pittsburg, 28 branches and 3 Thrift Stores. One of the largest charitable organizations in the world, St. Vincent de Paul is an international, nonprofit, Catholic lay organization of more than 800,000 men and women who voluntarily join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to the needy and suffering in 155 countries on five continents.

Contact: Barb Hunt, Development Director

(925) 330-6732

St. Vincent de Paul Society of Contra Costa County

2210 Gladstone Dr.

Pittsburg, CA 94565

b.hunt@svdp-cc.org

www.svdp-cc.org

Antioch Council changes homeless coordinator position from consultant to city employee

Wednesday, August 26th, 2020

Position still not filled 11 months after creating it.

By Allen Payton

From the Antioch Homeless Encampment Task Force Facebook page.

After approving a resolution 11 months ago to allocate up to $120,000 to hire an Unhoused Resident Coordinator as a consultant, during their meeting Tuesday night, Aug. 25, 2020, the Antioch City Council approved changing the position to a part-time city employee, instead. The change allows City Manager Ron Bernal to hire someone to fill the position, rather than send out another request for proposal (RFP).

The city had put out an RFP last fall, but only received one response, which was from Focus Strategies. The council awarded them the contract on January 28, 2020 in the amount of $73,500.

But the organization’s president, Megan Kurteff-Schatz, said they don’t do the hands-on work that the city was looking for in a coordinator.

“They won’t be able to do everything in the RFP. But they’re very capable,” said Nickie Mastay, City Finance Director, during the January 28th meeting.

So, one of the tasks assigned to Focus Strategies by the City Council was to work with staff on the Unhoused Resident Coordinator class specification. The salary range and part-time annual cost of the position was reduced by $20,000 to $100,000 maximum, but at the same rate of $50-$60 per hour. The coordinator will be under the general direction of the City Manager or the City Manager’s designee.

Mayor Pro Tem Joy Motts said, “as homelessness continues to be a problem in our community…I just think, I want to make a comment, how important this is to have a person on staff, even part time…helping people to transitional housing.”

Councilman Lamar Thorpe then made the motion to approve the motion.

Far too much of our city manager’s time has been spent…this position will have someone specifically focused on this…I think this is well worth the investment,” Mayor Sean Wright said.

The motion passed on a 5-0 vote.

Asked if he had someone in mind for the position or if it will be advertised, and if so when he hoped to have the person on staff, Bernal responded, “This will be advertised and go through the normal hiring process. I don’t have a time frame at this time but want to move on this as quickly as HR can facilitate.”

Antioch projects tax revenue decrease of almost $3 million, council will have to adjust budget

Tuesday, August 25th, 2020

$1.1 million drop in 1% sales tax revenue from Measure W

By Allen Payton

During the budget workshop on Tuesday night, the Antioch City Council was presented with the 2020-21 Budget Update from staff showing a projected decrease of $2,960,435 in tax and other revenue. That includes a decrease in regular city sales tax revenues of $1,671,239 and a decrease in the 1% sales tax from Measure W of $1,105,833, and a $270,196 drop in property tax revenue.

According to the staff report, “as of May, California has had a 20.1% decline in sales tax revenue. The financial implications are still a moving target for the City with a lot of uncertainty and no end date for the crisis in sight.”

Antioch’s projected drop in Measure W sales tax was 7%, but the City only experienced a 5.2% decline in both sales and property tax revenues, from a budgeted $62,447,821 to a projected $59,200,553.

Also, according to the staff report, the council will be asked to adjust the budget in the future. The City operates on a two-year budget. The next one will be approved in June 2021.

Two men seriously injured in Antioch hit-and-run Monday night, driver arrested

Tuesday, August 25th, 2020

By Sergeant Ted Chang #4362, Antioch Police Traffic Unit

On Monday, Aug. 24, 2020 at approximately 11:34 PM, an Antioch Police Officer came upon a major traffic collision between a large pickup truck and a small sedan at the intersection of Deer Valley Road and Asilomar Drive. Several witnesses advised the driver of the pickup truck ran the red light and collided into the sedan in the intersection. The male driver and female passenger of the pickup truck fled on foot. Officers conducting an area canvass located the suspect male and female a few blocks away. The 29-year-old male was placed under arrest and sent to County Jail.

The male driver and passenger of the small sedan, ages 24 and 25, were trapped in their vehicle with serious injuries. Con-Fire responded and took over 30 minutes to extricate them from the vehicle. Both were transported via helicopter to an area trauma center for treatment. Both were admitted with one still listed in critical condition.

The Traffic Unit was called out and took over the traffic collision investigation.

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.

Antioch welcomes Rosanna Bayon Moore as New Assistant City Manager

Tuesday, August 25th, 2020

With over 9 years of service as a City Manager, Moore is known as a seasoned and highly regarded professional who gets things done for the community. 

Rosanna Bayon Moore. Photo courtesy of City of Antioch.

By Rolando Bonilla, Public Information Officer, City of Antioch

Antioch City Manager Ron Bernal announced today that Rosanna Bayon Moore will be joining Antioch in late September to serve as Assistant City Manager.  Bayon Moore is the first Assistant City Manager the City has hired since Ron Bernal took over as City Manager in 2017.  Bayon Moore will serve as an integral part of the City team and provide critical support and leadership for City Council priority projects. She will start her new position on September 28.

“I am thrilled to have Rosanna join our team.  She will provide essential leadership and support to the City in moving community projects and the City Council’s priorities across the finish line.  She is a seasoned local government professional and will be a great addition to our leadership team and the community,” said Bernal.  “Her proven track record as a City Manager in getting things done and delivering on challenging projects with limited resources makes her a great match for the City of Antioch.”

Bayon Moore has served as City Manager for the City of Brawley in Imperial County for the past nine years.  During this time, she led the City through significant financial challenges. Bayon Moore expanded quality housing and enhanced the community infrastructure with the addition of a new Fire Station, a new Emergency Operation Center, numerous facility and transportation improvements, and a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant.  Before joining the City of Brawley, Bayon Moore focused on community development efforts in both the public and private sectors including work in New York, San Francisco and Oakland. According to her LinkedIn profile, she served as Regional Affairs Officer for the Southern California Association of Governments, Vice President for Planning and Operations for an engineering firm, and Senior Planner and Chief Operating Officer for a commercial and residential investment, construction and development company.

She describes herself as, “High performance, collaborative management style. Experienced in diverse environments in which planning, engineering and public administration intersect. Well versed in policy analysis, financial management, public affairs, intergovernmental relations, community engagement. Excellent written and verbal capabilities.”

“The City’s community values of integrity, diversity, respect and accountability are a great attraction,” Bayon Moore said.  “It is also clear that quality of life for all residents is front and center as the City works to responsibly cultivate a climate where businesses thrive.  I am honored to join the team and become part of the community of Antioch with my family.”

Bayon Moore is excited about the move to Antioch and will be joined by her husband Dean Syrengelas, a resource teacher, and her younger son Demetrios “Jimmy” who will be a high school sophomore.  Her older son Vasilios is a college freshman at Marshall University in West Virginia, where he will be playing soccer in addition to his studies.

Bayon Moore holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and English from the U.C. Berkeley, a Master of Public Administration degree from Columbia University and is an alum of the Northern California Coro Fellows Program.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Antioch forms new Problem Oriented Policing “POP” Team, makes arrest for drugs, illegal gun

Monday, August 24th, 2020

Drugs, illegal gun and $3,000 taken from suspect by Antioch’s new POP Team. Photo by APD.

By Antioch Police

Did you know APD has a newly formed Problem Oriented Policing unit known as the “POP Team?” Their focus is crime reduction in areas of our city identified through police investigations and from citizen complaints, while seeking long-term solutions through enforcement, outreach and community involvement (that’s a mouthful!).

A short time-ago our POP Team was patrolling a motel parking lot near East 18th Street and Cavallo Road to address complaints of human trafficking, drug sales, and stolen vehicles. They spotted an individual (who they knew was on parole for manslaughter) and stopped to check on him. Said parolee decided he did not want to comply with the terms of his early release, which require him to submit to compliance checks by law enforcement. Instead, he tossed a pistol under a parked vehicle and tried to run away. I can personally attest to every single member of this team (including the sergeant) utilizing our own APD gym on a regular basis (and never skipping cardio), so his attempt was quickly thwarted.

Once officers got their bracelets on him, a search revealed he was in possession of approximately 23 grams of cocaine and around $3,000. When they recovered the discarded pistol, it was revealed the serial number had been scratched-off, which is a condition commonly found with stolen firearms. The arrestee is currently on his way to the County Jail, and you better believe we’ll be sending the gun to the Crime Lab to cross-check against any open cases (and to see if they can restore the serial number).

This incident highlights one of the ways APD (specifically our new POP Team) will work to reduce crime in our city, including patrolling areas in need, having a working knowledge of recently released offenders, and conducting street-level investigations. If you have a tip on something that needs our attention, you can send us a text to CRIMES (274637) with the keyword ANTIOCH in the body of the text. All texters remain anonymous unless you choose to give us your contact information.

Together we can work to keep Antioch safe and stay #AntiochStrong. #APDPOPTeam

 

Contra Costa now accepting applications for in-person elementary school classes

Monday, August 24th, 2020

Public and private elementary schools (TK – 6th grade) in Contra Costa County can now submit applications to allow in-person instruction at their campuses. In accordance with state guidelines, waivers may be granted “when requested by a local superintendent (or equivalent for charter or private schools), in consultation with labor, parent and community organizations. Local health officers must review local community epidemiological data, consider other public health interventions, and consult with the California Department of Public Health when considering a waiver request.

School districts will be asked to detail how they would safely conduct in-person classes and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Applications will go to the Contra Costa County Office of Education for an initial review before being sent to Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) for further analysis.

CCHS and the County Office of Education have developed a checklist with safety measures schools must take in order to reopen. These measures include:

  • A plan for testing of students and staff with COVID symptoms. Schools must also show they have a plan for periodically testing asymptomatic staff members.
  • Each school must identify a person to help CCHS with contact tracing efforts if there is a positive case
  • Showing how shared surfaces will be regularly cleaned and disinfected and how use of shared items will be minimized.
  • Proper use of face coverings
  • How students will be kept in small, stable, groups with fixed membership that stay together for all activities (e.g., instruction, lunch, recess) and minimize/avoid contact with other groups

Review by local and state officials will take approximately ten days. The state will make the final decision to approve or deny requests. Schools in counties such as Contra Costa that are on the state’s COVID-19 monitoring list can’t reopen unless granted a waiver by local and state health officials.

“We feel like we’ve reached a point where it makes sense to consider requests from elementary schools to reopen,” said Dr. Chris Farnitano, health officer for Contra Costa County. “Our role will be to ensure that schools have a solid plan in place to protect their students and staff and show us how they will work with the health department when there is a case to prevent further spread of the virus.

The state outlined the waiver process for elementary schools two weeks ago. CCHS did not immediately begin accepting waiver applications because of the increasing prevalence of COVID-19 in our community at the time.

Since then, the situation has stabilized enough to begin reviewing school-waiver applications, said Dr. Farnitano. Case rates and COVID-related hospitalizations, for instance, have leveled off in August after spiking in July.

While school districts are invited to apply, waiver requests may not be granted if the plan does not meet state or local health requirements, or if data show worsening conditions in the community. Some districts may choose not to submit an application if they cannot meet the requirements outlined in local and state guidelines. Middle schools and high schools are not eligible for waivers.