Antioch Homeless Coalition founding members (Top L-R) Lacey Brown of Justice Advocates and Resources of East County, Nichole Gardner, (Bottom L-R) Andrew Becker and Mariah Williams, hold their first meeting. Video screenshot.

By Lacey Brown

I am so excited to finally share our first AHC (Antioch Homeless Coalition) meeting! (See YouTube video)

I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to work with Nichole Gardner of Facing Homelessness in Antioch, Andrew Becker with the non-profit Here Today Here Tomorrow, Inc. and Mariah Williams of ThisActiveArt, to create what I know will be an amazing opportunity for our City.

This is mostly introductory – watch the first few minutes to discover who we are, why we chose to start the AHC, and what our hopes are going forward!

Every other week for our meeting, an agenda will be put out with topics of discussion surrounding homelessness in Antioch and you will have the opportunity to participate in that discussion if you’d like to be a guest for something in particular! Our official website, along with an interest form you can submit, will be put out later this week.

On the “off” weeks when there isn’t a meeting, we will put out videos of those living on the streets in Antioch telling their stories in their own words. I’m looking forward to you all getting to know some of the amazing people we know and love here in this City.

If you know someone currently or formerly unhoused (or if that’s you!) who is interested in being a member of the coalition, please reach out and we can help to accommodate however possible.

If you have ideas for future agenda items and discussions (after watching this video and seeing what we already have planned,) please feel free to send them to any of us, or email antiochhomelessnesscoalition@gmail.com.

Looking forward to coming together and making a difference.

Expertise is in data gathering, but no experience developing a program; recruiting workers at $20 per hour for survey; focus is on people of color and impoverished residents

By Allen Payton

During the August 10th Antioch City Council meeting Urban Strategies Council (USC), a-not-for-profit social justice organization, was introduced and hired to design a mobile, mental health crisis intervention model for the City of Antioch, to address non-emergency calls using well-trained community respondents. Urban Strategies Council presentation ACC081021

According to city staff, some calls to 911 and the City’s non-emergency number are for situations that do not need a police officer to respond. To develop Antioch’s program public feedback is needed. USC is collecting input from Antioch residents who have experience with the 911 system or feedback on how the City addresses non-emergency 911 calls and community needs. This survey aims to understand community needs from the voice of the people most impacted.

According to USC’s presentation to the city council, the community resident survey is “focusing on most impacted residents – African-American, Asian-Pacific Islander, Latinx (Latino/Hispanic).” The presentation also shows they plan to have a pilot program developed by the end of this month.

According to Assistant City Manager Rosanna Bayon Moore, “USC is in the process of outreach for the City’s program design phase.  A survey is one of the many ways they are collecting information to inform the program design.”

USC has been recruiting workers to help with the survey, offering to pay $20 per hour this past week and next. One was sent to all staff at Antioch High School, according to Jon Davis who works for the school district.

According to their website, USC is “a regional research and advocacy organization dedicated to social, economic, and racial equity. We work to hold institutions and systems accountable to community needs.” Their “mission is to eliminate persistent poverty in the Bay Area by working with partners to transform low-income neighborhoods into vibrant, healthy communities.”

Their work focuses on the issue areas of Criminal Justice Reform, Boys and Men of Color, Economic Opportunity, Pathways to Career and College, and Violence Prevention. Regarding USC’s approach, they write, “In order to move the needle on persistent poverty, we need to change the systems that are currently ineffective, and so we focus  on reforming the systems that serve low-income communities.”

Asked why the organization was chosen and what experience they have in developing a non-emergency response system for a city, what does their mission have to do with developing a non-emergency response system, who suggested USC as the organization to hire for this, a staff or council member, and how much the City is paying them to develop the program and do the survey.

Bayon Moore responded Saturday evening with the following: “The City seeks to establish an effective mobile crisis intervention response program.  This initiative is supported by the entire City Council.  Staff’s work in this area is a high priority which is why the program is being overseen by the City Manager’s Office.

Multicultural literacy is a centerpiece of our approach to program design that cannot be ignored or minimized in terms of importance.  This includes but is not limited to being aware and mindful of all resident needs, including our neighbors who may not participate in conventional public processes.

Urban Strategies Council was selected by a multi department interview process that included PD.  The engagement threshold is within the City Manager’s signature authority.

I suggest you take a closer look at USC’s professional skills and capabilities.  The August presentation I’ve already shared includes a link to materials that describe their prior work and Antioch’s actual scope of work, again, including but not limited to a survey.”

In response, some questions were repeated, and further questions were asked of Bayon Moore late Saturday night, including “how much is the contract for with USC? If they do have any experience developing a non-emergency response program/mobile, mental health crisis intervention model, can you please provide that information or point to where it can be found on their website? What does their mission have to do with developing a non-emergency response system? Why is this focused on people of color and impoverished residents? Is the effort of the survey and entire response program focused on them as is USC’s mission and focus areas? Also, how does USC know, as it shows in the presentation to Council on Aug. 10th, without first surveying Antioch residents, that ‘African-American, Asian-Pacific Islander, Latinx’ are the ‘most impacted residents’ of our city? Do they have some previously gathered data to support that claim? Were any other organizations considered for the project that might have more or any experience developing and implementing one in a city? Finally, without having to take the survey, can you please provide a list of the questions they’re asking?”

Questions were also sent Saturday afternoon to David Harris, President and CEO of USC, asking what experience they have in developing a non-emergency response system for cities and how would a system in Antioch fulfill his organization’s mission. He was also asked, without first surveying Antioch residents, how can he claim, as it shows in his presentation, that “African-American, Asian-Pacific Islander, Latinx” are the “most impacted residents” of our city, and does he have some previously gathered data to support that claim. Finally, Harris was asked if it was one of the city staff or council members who contacted him for the presentation and contract with the city, and if he was still recruiting workers for this next week. He did not respond before publication time, early Monday afternoon.

Harris called late Monday afternoon and agreed to call back later that evening following his organization’s board meeting, or the next day, but did not.

The survey is anonymous and confidential and takes seven minutes to complete.

English/Inglés: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Antioch_2021

Spanish/Español: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Antioch_Spanish

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Antioch District 1 Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker speaks as Mayor Pro Tem Monica Wilson (far right) and others, including representatives of Contra Costa County’s chapter of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment listen at the press conference on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021. Photo from her official Facebook page.

Hold press conference to ask Mayor Thorpe to place tenant anti-harassment and just cause for eviction policies on next meeting agenda; fail to invite local media; council members and mayor refuse to answer questions about the proposals

By Allen Payton

On Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021, Antioch Mayor Pro Tem Monica Wilson and District 1 Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker held a press conference to highlight claims of Antioch renters getting harassed by their landlords and facing eviction, and call on Mayor Lamar Thorpe to place both an anti-harassment and a just cause for eviction ordinances on the next council meeting agenda. The councilwomen did not invite local media to attend.

A KTVU FOX2 news article from the press conference reports, “they were joined by members of Contra Costa County’s chapter of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, which has campaigned for similar tenant anti-harassment ordinances in other cities.” A similar anti-harassment ordinance was adopted by the Los Angeles City Council in June. According to the ordinance, “violation of the ordinance can be either a criminal misdemeanor (up to 6 months in jail or a $1,000 fine for each offense), or a civil violation (damages, rent refunds for reduction in housing services, reasonable attorney’s fees and costs, fine of up to $10,000 per violation, or tenant relocation)”.

Tenant protections against eviction, rent increases and late fees ended in Contra Costa County on Sept. 30. The Board of Supervisors on a 2-3 vote chose not to extend the protections. (See related article)

The state’s protections also ended Sept. 30.

KTVU also reported Thorpe said, “I personally have concerns with Antioch tenants being harassed, especially during the pandemic, so conceptually, I agree with these protections.”

On her official Facebook page, on Oct. 12, Torres-Walker posted the following statement about the effort with photos from the press conference, including three people who spoke, besides the two councilwomen.

“Antioch had the highest rate of evictions out of any Bay Area city during the pandemic, and researchers are predicting it is likely to be a hotspot for evictions after the statewide eviction moratorium lifts. Sadly the highest concentration of evictions in Antioch has been in District 1.

In September I requested that an anti-displacement policy be brought to the council for immediate action as Statewide and County-wide moratoriums were coming to an end and renters facing eviction were calling on us as city leaders to do something. I was honored to have the support of mayor pro tem Monica Wilson who back up that request last month stating that she as well wanted to see policies around anti-landlord harassment and just cause evictions to be brought to the council.

In July I met with over 20 residents in the River Town [sic] area who were facing eviction and devastated about their family’s future I met with even more residents in the Sycamore community who had the same concerns that their families would end up on the streets.

The government assistance that was promised to make renters and landlords whole has been slow to reach the ground, slow to meet the need, and moratoriums have only been a band-aid for a larger issue around housing access and affordability in the region.

Proposed policies:

Anti-Harassment Ordinance

An anti-harassment ordinance defines certain bad-faith landlord behaviors as unlawful harassment. Tenants can then enforce their rights against landlords who engage in these behaviors. Harassment can include lack of repairs, a landlord not taking care while doing construction or other repairs, discriminatory behavior like sexual harassment, racial discrimination, or disability discrimination, a landlord threatening to report tenants to immigration authorities, a landlord threatening violence, and other behaviors designed to make tenants’ lives more difficult or cause them to leave their homes. If a tenant wins in court, their landlord will pay damages and their attorneys’ fees.

Harassment of tenants is a way for some landlords to circumvent other legal tenant protections. When some landlords can’t legally evict a tenant to raise the rent, they will instead harass the tenant until they have no choice but to leave their home. This makes existing tenant protections less effective.

An anti-harassment ordinance removes the financial incentive for harassment by adding penalties for bad actor landlords. Landlords who don’t harass tenants don’t need to worry about the anti-harassment ordinance because they won’t need to change their behavior to comply with it. Instead, an anti-harassment ordinance promotes neighborhood stability and safe and healthy housing.

Just Cause Supplements

Tenants also need effective eviction protections to remain in their homes. The statewide just cause for eviction law, AB 1482, contains several eviction loopholes that allow landlords to evict tenants for ‘no-fault’ reasons and then re-rent the unit at a higher rent once the tenants have been forced out. To prevent unscrupulous actors from using these ‘building clearing’ loopholes, a city can pass a “just cause” supplement.

‘No fault’ evictions can happen to tenants who are paying their rent and complying with their lease. ‘Substantial renovation’ and ‘removal from the rental market’ are examples of two ‘no-fault’ types of evictions that, unless regulated, can result in tenant displacement.

Under the substantial renovation loophole, a landlord can evict a tenant under state law to remodel their unit, and the tenant has no right of return. In contrast, under a local just cause supplement, a tenant may only be required to temporarily move out, once the landlord has secured all necessary building permits, and can return at the same rent amount once the repairs are made.

Similarly, under the ‘withdrawal’ loophole, state law allows a landlord to evict a tenant to remove a property from the rental market for an unspecified amount of time. But under a local just cause ordinance designed to prevent unfair evictions, the removal must be long-term (ten years), give the tenant additional notice, and allow the tenant to return at the same rent if the property is re-rented.

These ‘building clearing’ loopholes, when used by unscrupulous actors, can put entire neighborhoods at risk. However, the loopholes can be easily closed under an ordinance to stop pretextual evictions and prevent displacement.”

Questions for Councilwomen, Mayor

Questions were sent to the councilwomen and mayor early Friday morning asking, what landlords are harassing tenants? In apartments or single-family residences? How many and which tenants were or are being harassed? What do they mean by harassment? Requiring they pay their rent or face eviction? Or was their rent raised or late fees assessed illegally up until Sept 30 when the county protections for tenants ended? Did any of you, including Mayor Thorpe, speak with any of the landlords to get their side of the story? Was it anything to do with COVID that the tenants couldn’t pay their rent or some other reason the tenants were facing eviction?

In response to Torres-Walker’s Facebook post more questions were asked, including, what can the City of Antioch actually do to enforce such an ordinance? Can a general law city, like Antioch, adopt and enforce a just cause evictions ordinance (like Los Angeles, which is a charter city)? Do you have a sample of one you can provide? Would the city sue the landlord or help the tenant sue their landlord? Can the city fine the property owner?”

In addition, Saturday night, questions were posted below the photos on Torres-Walker’s Facebook post asking who are the other that spoke during the press conference and appear in the photos and what did they say.

Thorpe responded Friday morning, but only with “Please remove me from this discussion. This press conference was put together by these two Council members not me. They have requested these items come before council so let’s be cognizant of the Brown Act.”

The same questions were then immediately resent to just the two councilwomen, and a separate email was sent to the mayor.

The questions were resent, again early Sunday morning, Oct. 17 to the councilwomen and mayor, in two separate emails. As of Sunday night, none of the three had responded to the questions from the Herald.

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Carjacking suspects stopped their car on Golf Course Road near the Lone Tree Way intersection, and fled the scene on foot, Saturday morning, Oct. 16, 2021. Photos by APD.

Armed with AR-15 style weapons and Glock; multi-agency effort with help from APD K9 Purcy

By Sergeant Brian Rose #4309, Antioch Police Field Services

APD K9 Purcy helped apprehend the suspects.

On Saturday, October 16, 2021, at approximately 10:45 a.m., officers from the Antioch Police Department located a vehicle that had been recently stolen during a carjacking that occurred in the City of Concord. APD officers were aware of the fact the suspects in the carjacking were armed with AR-15 style weapons, and a Glock handgun. When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver failed to yield, and a vehicle pursuit ensued.

The driver recklessly drove through Antioch streets, and when they reached the intersection of Golf Course Road and Lone Tree Way, the vehicle’s occupants fled from the car on foot. Three occupants were apprehended shortly after fleeing from the car. APD K9 officer Purcy helped in their apprehension.

The Antioch Police Department would like to send a heartfelt thank you to the California Highway Patrol – Golden Gate Division air support team, as well as the Pittsburg and Brentwood Police Departments who assisted during this incident. We would also like to thank our wonderful citizens for your support and assistance as we work together to keep our community safe.

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.

Catalytic converter thief caught and converter found in his van Wednesday night, Oct. 13, 2021. Photos: APD

By Antioch Police Department

The suspect’s van. Photo: APD

Last evening, APD Night Shift officers received a call reporting an individual attempting to steal catalytic converters from a fleet of vehicles at a local business. When Officers Desiderio and Mullholland arrived, they located two power saws near the fleet of vehicles, but the suspect was nowhere around. The business owner showed officers a video of the suspect’s van pulling into the parking lot. Officers Desiderio and Mullholland checked the surrounding area and located the unoccupied van parked at a nearby gas station.

Officers waited around the corner and saw the suspect return to the van. During a traffic stop, they discovered he was wanted out of San Antonio, Texas, for an aggravated assault. Officers also found a catalytic converter and saw blades inside the van. The suspect was arrested on theft charges, along with his out of state warrant, and given a one-way trip to the County Jail in Martinez.

Catalytic converter theft remains a HUGE problem around the nation. Hybrid vehicles (especially the Toyota Prius), Ford F-150s, and fleet vehicles seem to be targeted the most. An experienced thief can remove a catalytic converter in less than two minutes.

There are steps you can take to help prevent yourself from becoming a victim of this expensive crime. Check out this link from the California Bureau of Automotive Repair for some tips:

https://www.bar.ca.gov/…/Smog…/Catalytic_Converter_Theft