By Antioch Police Department

A HOLLY JOLLY DAY!

While we didn’t have Rudolph to cut through this morning’s fog, there was plenty of blue to light the way during the Antioch Police Department’s annual holiday giveaway.

More than 200 Antioch families were treated to new toys, groceries and fresh produce.

Some 30 police officers, APD Cadets and other volunteers jumped into action to organize, greet guests and hand out the goods.

Grateful families drove through the parking lot to receive a variety of food and toys ranging from dolls and puzzles to art kits and stuffed animals.

A lucky dozen won the drawing for children’s bicycles thanks to a donation from Bridge Marina Yacht Club.

And, speaking of donations, there was an abundance of toys thanks to Antioch Fellowship Church, Antioch High, Antioch Middle and Park Middle schools, Antioch Woman’s Club, Dr. Ali Shirani (DDS), Golden Hills Community Church, Holy Rosary Church, Sail Bible Study group, Trokiando Truck Club, VFW Antioch, Antioch PAL, Antioch Rotary, White Pony Express and countless wonderful community members and businesses.

Chief Tammany Brooks was hand to greet all visitors and said this is his favorite event.

“I look forward to this every year,” he said. “It brings joy to my heart to see the members of my APD family come together and help those in need. I’m honored to be part of this department and this community.”

The APD has been working for weeks to organize the drive-through event and implement safety procedures.

“Everything went really well,” said Lt. Tarra Mendes, who helped coordinate the day.

Thanks again to all who made this a joyful and giving day for our city and help make the season brighter for many families.

(Please note: All were wearing masks except for the brief time for some photo opps.)

See more photos on the APD Facebook page.

 

By Anthony Dorado

The Antioch City Council convened for a special meeting on Friday, Dec. 18, 2020 to vote on whether or not to approve the agreement with Shimmick Construction Co. and reject the bid protest from Overaa Construction Co. The council unanimously voted to approve the contract and resulting budget changes.

The city council voted to increase the total budget for the Brackish Water Desalination Plant to $110,000,000. The contract with Shimmick would amount to $91,023,450, which includes $86,689,000 for the base, plus a five percent contingency of $4,334,450. The 29-year-old company has experience in building 49 water resource projects ranging in budget from $2.7 million to $1.2 billion, ranking as one of the top companies in the U.S. for water and wastewater treatment, and dam construction.

Councilmember Lori Ogorchock expressed her own concerns and those of residents that the plant will result in tangible rate hikes. City Manager Ron Bernal ensured the council that this would not result in any rate hikes. He also stated that this would not cause any unforeseen costs in the future.

Funding for the project includes a Cal Department of Water Resources Desalination Grant of $10 million, a State Water Resources Control Board Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund award of $56 million, California Department of Water Resources Settlement Agreement funds in the amount of $27 million, and City of Antioch Water Enterprise Funds of $17 million. Bernal expressed pride in the project explaining how it will stabilize water rates and allow the city a greater consistency of water intake year-round, regardless of rising salinity levels.

Mayor Thorpe expressed hope that this project would prepare the City of Antioch to meet the coming challenges of climate change. However, the main problem is the saltwater intrusion into the Delta due to the movement of fresh water south, since Antioch’s intake is at the lowest elevation in the Delta. That will worsen with the construction of the Delta bypass tunnel, known as the Delta conveyance. (See related articles, here and here.)

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

By Monique Binkley Smith, Media Relations Manager, Sutter Health

Across the Sutter Health integrated network of care, we share the excitement and hope that comes with the first allocation and distribution of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. We have begun vaccinating frontline healthcare workers at our acute care hospitals, including Sutter Delta Medical Center where vaccination began on Thursday, December 17. Sutter requested the maximum allotment for our frontline healthcare workers and we will distribute the vaccine to them based on what we receive from the public health officials.

We have been actively working on plans for overall vaccine distribution, which includes infrastructure, staffing, equipment and supplies. We have assembled a task force of experts to work with state and local public health officials and plan for a staged approach to vaccine distribution across our integrated network, as manufacturing and distribution scales to meet vaccination needs across the U.S.

This first, very limited allocation of the Pfizer vaccine is being directed by county health officials, who are working closely with our local clinical and operational teams to plan for the allocation and distribution of vaccine at our acute sites.

Vaccination is voluntary and is offered at no cost to frontline workers. Frontline healthcare workers who are treating COVID-19 patients and high-risk groups will be prioritized. Generally, during this first phase, in accordance with guidance from public health officials, we will be offering vaccine first to frontline healthcare workers who are at the highest risk for exposure based on the care environment in which they work and the nature of their contact with patients.

Register here – Giveaway | grace-bible (gbfofantioch.org)

By Linsey Willis, Director of External Affairs, CCTA

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) today announced that Timothy Haile has been appointed to serve as its new Executive Director effective December 27, 2020.  Haile served as CCTA’s Deputy Executive Director, Projects since 2017 and has more than 23 years of experience in public works and transportation projects.

“I am pleased to announce the unanimous decision to promote Tim Haile to Executive Director,” CCTA Board Chair Teresa Gerringer said. “Tim’s dynamic thinking, leadership, proactive management style, technical acuity and ability to work in partnership with numerous stakeholders on large, multidisciplinary projects ensures CCTA’s continued success. Tim and I are both poised to begin our chapter at the helm of CCTA and we are excited to continue CCTA’s legacy as an innovative and collaborative agency.”

As CCTA’s Deputy Executive Director for Projects, Haile was responsible for the delivery of the capital improvement program, implementation of projects identified in CCTA’s voter-approved sales tax Measure J, development of a new Transportation Expenditure Plan, as well as other projects funded from grant or other outside sources. He managed CCTA’s innovation portfolio, including partnerships at GoMentum Station, multiple grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Innovate 680 program, and all aspects of program and project management.

Haile has been an active leader in the transportation industry and community, serving as the Communications Chair of the Transportation Research Board Managed Lanes Committee and Board Member of the California Transportation Foundation. A testament to his technical expertise in highway design, communication, and presentation skills, Haile served as an adjunct professor for the Highway Design Course at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona for over eight years. In 2014 he was named one of the “Top 20 under 40 Engineering Professionals in California” by Engineering News Record Magazine.

Prior to CCTA, he worked at Michael Baker International as the Inland Empire Transportation Manager, managing the overall transportation program for the region providing exceptional service to local agencies, stakeholders, and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). An expert in Caltrans design policies, procedures, and standards for transportation projects, he advised local agencies and stakeholders to navigate the complex project delivery process from project initiation through environmental, final design and construction.

Haile is recognized for his dynamic thinking, leadership, innovation, proactive management style, technical acuity and ability to work in partnership with numerous stakeholders on large, multi-discipline projects building consensus, developing solutions to complex challenges and recommending policies.

Haile is a registered Professional Engineer and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in 2003.

About CCTA

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) is a public agency formed by Contra Costa voters in 1988 to manage the county’s transportation sales tax program and oversee countywide transportation planning efforts. With a staff of twenty people managing a multi-billion-dollar suite of projects and programs, CCTA is responsible for planning, funding and delivering transportation infrastructure projects and programs throughout the County. CCTA also serves as the county’s designated Congestion Management Agency, responsible for putting programs in place to manage traffic levels. More information about CCTA is available at ccta.net.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

 

Householder elected president on 3-2 vote, Lewis elected vice president unanimously

By Anthony Dorado

During the Antioch School Board meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 16, Antonio Hernandez and Dr. Clyde Lewis took ceremonial oaths of office as the two newly elected trustees on the AUSD Board of Education. In addition, the board elected Trustee Ellie Householder as the new board president, Lewis as vice president, and Hernandez as liaison to the Contra Costa County School Boards Association. The Board also discussed plans to reopen schools in the fourth quarter of the current school year.

New Trustees Sworn In, Again

Hernandez and Lewis both took ceremonial oaths of office, as they were both sworn in formally in previous ceremonies. Hernandez stated that he is, “very excited to be here and to get to work.” He also expressed confidence in the diverse backgrounds of work and education that this Board brings to the community. Lewis thanked those who helped shape his educational development, his family, and expressed a similar enthusiasm about the work that lay ahead of them.

Members Elected to Board Positions

The Board also voted on the election of members to the assignments of President, Vice President, and Board Member Liaison to the Contra Costa County School Boards Association. While the election of Hernandez and Lewis to their respective assignments were straightforward and non-controversial, the election of Householder to Board President was not as smooth. Two public comments preceded the vote, both urging the Board to not consider Householder for the position

The first member of the public to comment complained that Householder had, “repeatedly used bullying tactics to get her way…,” and that she had, “violated numerous board policies, exhibited unacceptable behavior, and has verbally attacked other board members in meetings with her hateful remarks.” The speaker went on to express how Householder had used multiple social media accounts to encourage hate and violence and how she has encouraged students to act in like manner. Lastly, the speaker sought to reinforce her view by looking back to the protest Householder had engaged in outside of former Antioch Mayor Pro Tem Joy Mott’s residence in an effort to influence her vote on the acceptance of a DOJ COPS grant for additional School Resource Officers.

The second public speaker offered a sort of apology as they confessed that they had encouraged their family to vote Householder for Antioch City Clerk under the assumption that the appointment would disqualify her for participation on the board. The speaker went on to explain how they felt it was a total conflict of interest to see her as both the city clerk and a trustee on the school board as the Antioch City Council voted to rescind the DOJ grant for additional SROs. Householder had previously been censured by the Board in September on account of her not holding herself to the “highest standards of ethical conduct” for comments on social media.

Nevertheless, as the Board cast their votes, Householder was elected to president on a 3-2 vote, with Trustees Mary Rocha and Gary Hack voting against. In making his motion to elect Householder as board president, Hernandez mentioned her experience in distance learning and how that experience would be vital to the Board moving forward through this pandemic. Neither Rocha nor Hack voiced their reasoning behind the dissenting votes.

Plans to Reopen Schools

Trustee Anello brought forward a resolution to remain in distance learning through the end of the third quarter (April 16, 2021). While the Board unanimously voted in the affirmative on the resolution, it was not without concerns. Lewis expressed his concern with the mental health of students affected by the social isolation that has come about as an inevitable result of distance learning. Superintendent Stephanie Anello ensured the Board that training was underway district wide to provide emotional support for struggling students.

Associate Superintendent Christine Ibarra explained how all the secondary administrators partnered and were trained by the Sandy Hook Promise Initiative in the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System. This system would allow students or teachers to report signs and symptoms of depression and suicide and empower the teachers and police to partner together with the parents and students to give support. She also stated that surveys were being drafted and ready to be sent out to students, teachers, and parents inquiring into the success of distance learning and how they might improve.

A number of public comments were received and voiced in support of the decision to postpone reopening until April 16. Antioch citizen Amy Law said that she, “100% supports Anello’s plan to reopen schools in April.”

Other Matters

In other action, the Board approved the first interim report and the 2020-2021 budget overview for parents as well. The Antioch Education Association’s (AEA) initial contract proposal to AUSD and the initial proposal to the AEA were also approved.

 

 

 

 

Reads unedited profanity laced email during Tuesday meeting

Unlikely radioactive material dumped at Keller Canyon Landfill in Pittsburg

Prioritize teachers for COVID-19 vaccine

By Daniel Borsuk

Supervisor Karen Mitchoff, choking back tears after receiving an emailed death threat and listening to an avalanche of protests to her proposal to boost county public health fines on small businesses violating COVID-19 orders, requested the idea be dropped at Tuesday’s Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors meeting.

Supervisors earlier heard from a number of anonymous callers, presumably restaurant owners largely hit by county health inspections and penalty fines.  Most of the speakers protested that the current fines of $250 for the first offense, $500 for the second offense and $1,000 for each additional violation within one year of the initial violation were too extreme.  If a violation continues for more than one day, each day is treated as a separate violation.

At the Board’s December 8 meeting, Mitchoff had proposed the county dramatically increase fines in order to send a message to businessowners thinking of violating county ordinances.  At that meeting the supervisor had said, “I would like to see, $10,000, $15,000, and $20,000 fines.  We have to do something different.  If they want to stay open and spread COVID they have to pay the price.”

Prior to receiving the threatening email or listening to anonymous businessowners torpedo her proposal Tuesday, Mitchoff said “If we do not do something, we’ll lose credibility.  I see many businesses in Concord and Pleasant Hill obey county orders and are closed, but restaurants in Danville are open.”

A group of Danville and San Ramon restaurant owners have stirred up most of the protests.

“We receive 13 complaints a day including customers not wearing masks or not social distancing,” Contra Costa County District Attorney Dianna Becton told the supervisors.  The DA has assigned two inspectors for health code violations.

“Small businesses are really suffering,” said Supervisor Diane Burgis of Brentwood, who said one small busines owner pleaded with her for help because he had difficulty paying his property taxes.  “I am not going to support higher fines.  I am not in support of higher taxes. It won’t work.”

Later, Mitchoff caved into the public protests and especially upon receiving a sort of “interesting”, profanity-laced message during the meeting that she received from Ricky Gunz and read verbatimm:

“F— you Bi—. Sleep lightly. There are some bad people out there.  Karma is a motherf—r.  Keep trying to fine business and see what happens.”

“We hear the pain and the frustration,” said Supervisor John Gioia of Richmond. “It is all about saving lives and slowing the spread of COVID-19 to the 15 percent intensive care unit (ICU) capacity level.  We’re trying to save ICU capacity.”

Earlier supervisors learned from Contra Costa County Public Health Officer Dr. Chris Farnitano that Contra Costa had 181 COVID-19 patients in local hospitals, but more crucially, 133 patients were occupying ICU beds.  There are a total of 183 ICU beds in the county.

“That’s a significant increase,” said Farnitano. “Our case rate is 36 cases per day.  December will be our deadliest month.  Of 500 patients, five will die of COVID19,” he warned.

Keller Canyon Landfill Probe: “Unlikely that radiological materials were disposed of at Keller Canyon”

Supervisors also voted 5-0 to accept a two-page report on an investigation whether any radioactive materials from the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard were transported to the Keller Canyon Landfill in Pittsburg.  The report, prepared by TRC Solutions, Inc. was initiated after news reports initially published on April 21, 2018 in the San Francisco Chronicle and later picked up by other news outlets including the Contra Costa Herald about allegations of improper dumping of radioactive materials had occurred in the landfill.

“TRC’s forensic audit started in October 2018 and concluded in May 2019.  Documents reviewed by TRC included special waste authorizations, soil analytical data reports, Hunters Point work plans and reports, Standard Operating Procedures, portal monitor calibration records, and landfill data to ascertain if radiologically contaminated materials were received by KCL from Hunters Point Naval Shipyard.  In addition, site visits were performed at both KCL and HPNS in April 2019,” the report stated.

“Based on this review, of data, reports, logs, interviews, and site visits, it is concluded that it is very unlikely that radiological materials of concern (i.e., radionuclides specific to Hunters Point contaminations and in exceedance of background) were disposed of at Keller Canyon. To obtain certainty that no radiologically contaminated material from Hunters Point was received at Keller Canyon, limited environmental field sampling could be performed at Keller Canyon.”  Republic Services of Contra Costa operates the landfill.

Pittsburg City Manager Garret Evans said the city will continue to monitor the landfill based on the history of landfill’s previous issues about allegedly poor inaccurate data about air monitors and lead.

“Keller Canyon has been very cooperative.  This has been an important and thorough study that has gone through several community meetings, “said Supervisor Federal Glover of Pittsburg, whose District 5 includes the landfill.

Resolution Prioritizes Private and Public Teacher Receive COVID-19 Vaccines

Supervisors passed a resolution urging Gov. Gavin Newsom, the California Department of Public Health and all other state health officials to ensure that all public, parochial and private classroom teachers and staff receive the COVID-19 vaccine at no cost in order to assist school officials to reopen schools when it becomes safe to do so.

Two Cannabis Community Benefit Agreements Approved

Supervisors approved the community benefit agreements with two cannabis retail outlets – The Artist Tree V storefront commercial cannabis dispensary in El Sobrante and the Authentic 925 in Pacheco.  The two items acted on consent items.

The actions mean applicants for the two businesses are nearing approval of use permits whereby the owners will be required to pay the county community benefit taxes based on prospective retail sales.  In the case of SGI Pacheco, doing business as Authentic 925, the county will receive on an annual basis, $150,000 or 1.5 percent of the business’s gross profits, whichever is greater.

In the case of The Artist Tree V, the community benefit is based on percentages of annual gross sales of 2 percent or 3 percent depending on whatever will be gross sales during the operating year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over 220 public comments, mostly in favor of rescinding the grant, of which about 80 were the same repeated message

By Anthony Dorado

During their Tuesday, Dec. 15 meeting, the Antioch City Council voted on a split, 3-2 vote to rescind the previous 3-2 vote to approve acceptance of a U.S. DOJ COPS Hiring Program Grant of $750,000 for six School Resource Officers (SRO’s). The council also approved of a series of virtual roundtable discussions on a broad range of topics pertaining to policing and racial disparities within policing. CORRECTION: In addition, the council discussed a $50 million budget increase for the Brackish Water Desalination Plant increasing it to $110 million, and the first construction contract of $87 million. But that was postponed until next Tuesday night. (See related article)

Rescind Grant for SRO’s

The most controversial item on the agenda was the reconsideration of the U.S. DOJ COPS Hiring Program Grant that would have provided for six new School Resource Officers in the City of Antioch. This appeared to be the only matter that the Council held split views on. While Council Members Barbanica and Ogorchock saw this as an important step towards building trust between the youth and the police, Mayor Lamar Thorpe, Mayor Pro Tem Monica Wilson, and Council Member Tamisha Torres-Walker did not believe this would adequately address the problem of youth violence and educational failure.

Council Member Mike Barbanica stressed his own personal relationship with an SRO growing up, detailing how they would, “play football together,” and how it was overall a, “positive experience.” He also detailed his time interviewing particular administrators and teachers in the area and expressed how he had not spoken with a single one of them that was against receiving this grant. Thorpe however recounted his own time as a schoolteacher and stressed the importance of, “not treating our young people with contempt,” and joining Wilson and Torres-Walker in the opinion that the community and schools should focus on greater mental health support and not policing.

In addition, the cost for the six SROs would not be completely covered by the grant. It would provide a total of $750,000 over the course of three years, at $250,000 each year. The city council and the Antioch School Board agreed that they would split the cost 50/50, but the net cost to the city by would be in excess of $2,000,000 for the fourth year as part of the agreement with the DOJ. The council members who opposed the grant did not believe it was money worth spending on the six additional police officers for the department.

While the Council may have been split, the community members voicing their opinions were not so divided. This particular item received 227 public comments, the vast majority were in opposition to the addition of SROs on the Antioch campuses, and about 80 of the comments were the same message verbatim. In the end, the community opinion alongside the opinion of the new council majority prevailed, and the resolution to rescind the grant was passed on a 3-2 vote, with Thorpe, Wilson and Torres-Walker voting in favor, and Ogorchock and Barbanica voting against.

Desalination Plant Budget Increase & Contract Approval Postponed

The second item on the agenda was the aforementioned approval of a budget increase on the Brackish Water Desalination Plant. While the City Council appeared ready to cast their votes on the matter, John Samuelson, the City Engineer for the City of Antioch, requested that the Council vote to postpone the matter to a later date and meeting on account of a further consideration of the bid protest against Shimmick Construction Company Inc. brought forward by Overaa Co.  The Council unanimously voted to postpone the vote to a later date to be determined.

Bridging the Gap Roundtable Discussions

The third item on the agenda was a serious of roundtable discussions, entitled Bridging the Gap, that are planned for 2021. These virtually held roundtable discussions, begun earlier this year, are intended to give Antioch residents the opportunity to voice their opinions on their own experiences and understanding of racial relationships and conflict within the realm of policing. The goal is to raise awareness of racial disparities within policing, to foster community engagement and unity, and to shine a light on the steps needed to move forward towards racial equity. They will be hosted by CNA, a non-profit 501(c)(3) with professional experience assisting public agencies in the realm of public safety services.

The council all voted in the affirmative, but not without particular hesitations. Barbanica was the first to voice his hesitation that this would turn out to be an, “academic exercise that led nowhere,” and Wilson also joined him in her concern that this would simply be a, “dog and pony show that led to no results.” While Ogorchock, Torres-Walker and Thorpe agreed, they decided they would nevertheless give the process a chance, as well. The dates for the roundtable discussions have yet to be specified, but are expected to be held sometime in early 2021. The council voted in favor of the series of online community meetings on a 5-0 vote.

Increase Council Chamber Remodel Budget to $1.9 Million

In other action, the council authorized a third amendment increasing the contract with Saboo Inc. for the City Hall Council Chambers Remodel by $147,983.84 totaling the contract to $1,862,008.15. This contract would utilize Public, Educational, and Government (PEG) funds. Accepting work and authorizing a Notice of Completion. This agenda passed with unanimous consent, concluding in a 5-0 vote in the affirmative.

Council Committee Appointments

The fifth and final item on the agenda was the appointment to City Council and Ad Hoc Committees. Thorpe appointed Barbanica and himself to the transitional housing committee stating that he would begin meeting mid-2021 once they had worked through some housing proposals for the homeless. Wilson will remain on the Cannabis Committee. Torres-Walker also expressed interest in participating on the Cannabis Committee. The City – School Board Committee appointments were left to be dealt with after the school board elects their new leadership, which is expected at their meeting, tonight. All appointments were approved on a 5-0 vote by the council.