Kwame Reed was honored by the Antioch Chamber of Commerce, presented with a plaque by board member Mike McGill and was joined by chamber and city leaders during the State of Business luncheon on Oct. 25, 2022. Herald file photo.
By Allen D. Payton
On Friday afternoon, Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe issued a statement of support for new Acting City Manager Kwame Reed, the City’s Economic Development Director, who was appointed to the temporary position that morning. In addition, the Antioch Chamber of Commerce also issued a statement of support for Reed. He was appointed on a 4-0 vote of the city council during a special, closed session meeting. (See related article)
In the post on his official Facebook page Thorpe wrote, “Earlier today, the City Council appointed Kwame Reed as the city’s acting city manager until further notice.
Mr. Reed has been with the city of Antioch for close to 5 years in the role of Economic Development Director. He has a public sector career that spans more than 28 years. For most of his career, he has worked for cities in Eastern Contra Costa County. He has a degree in City and Regional Planning from Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo.
I want to personally thank outgoing acting city manager, Forrest Ebbs for stepping up to hold the ship steady while the city navigated some unexpected changes.
Congratulations on Mr. Ebbs’ recent appointment as Deputy City Manager for the City of Modesto.
I want to assure Antioch residents, our city employees, and partners that the City’s leadership remains focused and UNITED on our top priority of increasing our overall quality of life and ensuring public safety. Antioch’s government continues to be open for business and working for the people.
I have personally been briefed by all of our department heads and they continue to assure me that they are committed to this mission and that they will continue moving forward with clarity, and a focus on delivering key services.”
On the Chamber’s Facebook page was posted the “Antioch Chamber of Commerce Official Statement regarding appointment of Kwame Reed as city’s acting city manager:
Earlier today, the City Council appointed Kwame Reed as the city’s acting city manager.
‘On behalf of the Antioch Chamber of Commerce Organization, I’d like to congratulate the City of Antioch on the outstanding appointment of Kwame Reed as the Cities Acting- City Manager. There is no doubt in my mind that Kwame’s tireless work on behalf of Antioch’s Enterprise & Commerce Community is unmatched and that he is ready to take on this important Leadership role during such a critical transition period for the City of Antioch,’ said Daniel Sohn, President/ CEO for the Antioch Chamber of Commerce.
Last year, the Antioch Chamber presented Mr. Reed with an award for his results-oriented work on behalf of Antioch businesses in his capacity as Antioch’s Director of Economic Development.” (See related article)
Reed began is additional duties on Friday afternoon, as Ebbs returned to his position as the City’s Community Development Director and was heading out for a two week vacation before ending his time with Antioch on July 14.
Will discuss 18 other agenda items during special meeting next Tuesday
“There are some big shoes to fill.” – Reed said of the departing Forrest Ebbs
Kwame Reed. Source: City of Antioch
By Allen D. Payton
During Friday morning’s special Antioch City Council closed session meeting on a 4-0 vote Economic Development Director Kwame Reed was appointed acting city manager to replace Community Development Director Forrest Ebbs. He has held the position since March but announced last week he’s taking a new position as a Deputy City Manager with Modesto.
During the open session portion of the meeting, Assistant City Attorney Rachel Hundley reported out of closed session about the vote for Reed’s appointment. He fills the position held by City Manager Con Johnson who was placed on paid administrative leave March 17. Following the council’s closed session during their June 13th meeting, City Attorney Thomas L. Smith merely reported out regarding the item entitled entitled “Public Employee Performance Evaluation and Potential Action – City Manager”, that they had given him direction. That is expected to be an offer to Johnson to resign or face termination.
At Friday morning’s meeting during open session, Mayor Lamar Thorpe then requested a motion to adjourn the 18 items to a special meeting at 6:00 p.m. next Tuesday, June 27 before the regular meeting that begins at 7:00 p.m. The motion passed 3-0 with Mayor Pro Tem Tamisha Torres-Walker and District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock absent. Torres-Walker attended the closed session but as previously reported could not attend the open session due to previous commitments and Ogorchock is out of town at a League of Cities conference.
Reed has been in his current position with the City of Antioch since July 2, 2018 after working for both the City of Brentwood for almost 14 years as an Economic Development Senior Analyst and two years as an Associate Planner for the City of Oakley. Prior to that position, he worked for two years as a planner for the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission which operates the ACE Train. Reed has a bachelor’s degree in City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
He has been married for 26 years and is the father of two boys and a daughter.
When reached for comment Reed said, “I’m very excited for the opportunity. I’ve been around for a while. I’ve seen how things work. It’s a wonderful opportunity. It’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be tough. There are some issues that will be handled. I look forward to working with the entire council and getting community support, again, and the entire staff. I have good relationships with everyone and look forward to strengthening those and supporting them, as well.”
“Forrest has done a great job. I’m really going to miss him,” he shared about outgoing. “There are some big shoes to fill. We all wish him well. But when he announced he’s moving on, it was ‘wow’. We’re going to lose a good bit of knowledge when he departs.”
Immediately prior to the open session, District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica and Thorpe had a brief conversation in the back room behind the dais, with Hundley, which people in attendance at the meeting saw.
Asked about it Barbanica said, “Lamar was going to discuss an item about rent control but what I was telling him was there were only three of us there and that I had a conflict of interest, as I couldn’t vote on it, before as it could have a direct effect on my business.” The councilman is a real estate broker and property manager in Antioch.
“Any item that has come up regarding tenants, rent, etc. I’ve brought up with the city attorney about any potential conflict of interest,” he explained. “Because this meeting was going to be postponed, I didn’t have time to consult the city attorney and I couldn’t do that 30 seconds before the meeting. I told them I was going to recuse myself and Rachel agreed, and we’ll vet this out further before Tuesday night.”
The special Friday morning meeting adjourned at 10:35 a.m.
In addition to an acting city manager, as reported by Thorpe at last week’s council meeting, the City currently has 87 vacancies, including the assistant city manager, 17 unfilled positions in the police department plus 35 officers on paid administrative leave pending the two investigations, an acting public works director, and soon an acting community development director on July 15 following Ebbs’ departure.
Illegal weed seized and red tagged house on Stanford Way in Antioch on Tuesday, June 20, 2023. Top photos by CA Dept of Cannabis Control. Bottom photo by Antioch resident who chose to remain anonymous.
Five Antioch homes included
By Moorea Warren, Information Officer, California Department of Cannabis Control
Thanks to the continued dedication and collaboration of the Governor’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce (UCETF) 20 East Bay illegal indoor cannabis cultivators were shut down on June 20, and a total estimated value of over $15.3 million of illegal cannabis was seized.
An investigation spanning several weeks culminated in the operation led by the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC). There were 20 search warrants served by four units of officers and local and state partners, including the Department of Fish & Wildlife, the Department of Tax and Fee Administration, the California National Guard, and local law enforcement – five in Antioch (according to a witness two with addresses of 2460 and 2480 Stanford Way), three in Brentwood, two in Discovery Bay and ten in Pittsburg, resulting in the seizures of:
742 pounds of cannabis flower estimated valued of $1,244,762
17,121 cannabis plants estimated valued of $14,124,825
7 firearms (including 1 assault rifle)
$24,197 in cash
Several of the locations were red-tagged for safety and code violations.
Barbanica says he and Torres-Walker can’t attend open session, Ogorchock can’t attend either, Ebbs says he will confirm; two say they weren’t consulted on meeting time, don’t know who is being considered for appointment
By Allen D. Payton
Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe has called a special meeting for this Friday morning, June 23, 2023 for the council to appoint another acting city manager and discuss, hear public comments and give staff direction on 18 agenda items requested by council members. But three of the council members can’t attend one or both sessions. According to District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica, he and Mayor Pro Tem Tamisha Torres-Walker will attend the closed session on the acting city manager appointment but not the open session to discuss the 18 items. District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock is out of town Thursday and Friday at a League of Cities conference as Antioch’s representative and can’t attend either session of Friday’s special meeting. (See agenda)
The meeting will begin at 10 AM with a closed session for the council to appoint an acting city manager to replace current Acting City Manager and Community Development Director Forrest Ebbs who announced, last week, his departure for a position as a Deputy City Manager in Modesto. He said his last day will be July 14. (See related article).
Then at 10:30 AM on Friday, during the open session, the council will discuss the following items, none of which have any details, including which council member requested the item, nor a staff report included. That’s in direct opposition to District 4 Councilwoman Monica Wilson’s complaint about having agenda items without staff reports during the last special council meeting on Tuesday, June 6. That meeting was called by her three council colleagues for which Mayor Lamar Thorpe was absent. (See related article)
Agenda Items for Special Meeting June 23, 2023
They are all listed as discussion item and the recommended action for each is for “the City Council discuss, receive public comments, and provide direction to staff.”
1. UPDATE ON THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT (ARPA) FUNDING
2. CONSIDERATION OF LIGHTING THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSING ON JAMES DONLON BOULEVARD
3. UPDATE ON PARK PERMITTING FEES
4. CONSIDERATION OF A FREE COMMUNITY EVENT AT PREWETT WATER PARK SPONSORED BY THE ANTIOCH POLICE DEPARTMENT
5. UPDATE ON CAMERA INSTALLATION ON CITY STREETS
6. DISCUSSION ITEM: CONSIDERATION OF A PRESENTATION BY WHITE PONY EXPRESS NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION (FOOD RESCUE AND GENERAL STORE)
7. HIGHWAY 4 AND L STREET GRAFFITI ABATEMENT AND CALTRANS COORDINATION
8. POLICE CHIEF ATTENDANCE AT CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS
9. ANTIOCH POLICE DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT OF OWN FLEET PURCHASING
10. EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER (EOC) UPGRADE AND UPDATE
11. CODE ENFORCEMENT SERVICES FOR THE DELTA FAIR BOULEVARD AREA
12. MORATORIUM ON NEW GAS STATIONS
13. JUST CAUSE EVICTION AND ANTI-TENANT HARRASSMENT ORDINANCE
14. MORATORIUM ON RENT INCREASES AND EVICTIONS
15. PRESENTATION ON CURRENT REPARATION EFFORTS
16. HUMAN RIGHTS AND RACIAL EQUITY COMMISSION
17. REVIEW OF THE CURRENT RENTAL INSPECTION ORDINANCE
18. IMPROVING CONNECTIVITY (WI-FI, INTERNET) FOR NEIGHBORHOODS HARDEST IMPACTED DURING THE PANDEMIC
Questions for Thorpe and Councilmembers
The following questions were sent via email Wednesday night to Thorpe and the other four councilmembers: “Why are you holding another special meeting at a time when most people cannot either attend or watch and give input because they’re at work, this time on a Friday morning?
Are the three of you council members – who called for the last special meeting on setting agendas – willing to refuse to attend and demand the special meeting be held when more members of the public can attend and offer input during public comment on each of the items?
Is this how you think the council meetings should be conducted? Do you not want public input before deciding on appointing another acting city manager and giving direction to city staff on the 18 items you all have requested be placed on the agenda?
Why isn’t there a list of the names of the proposed candidates for the acting city manager appointment included in the agenda so members of the public can offer an educated opinion on who they want you to appoint? Who are you considering? Will it be a current staff member or a retired, professional, former city manager as is done for acting and interim city manager appointments in other cities?”
Three Members Can’t Attend Open Session
“I was never even asked about the time, other than I had to call the city manager, yesterday to find out if we were having a special meeting and if so, when it would be. He told me, ‘yes, it was scheduled for Friday morning at 10 AM’,” District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica responded. “I also spoke to the city attorney, earlier in the week asking if a special meeting was going to be held. But it hadn’t yet been scheduled.”
“I just spoke to Tamisha and she wasn’t consulted either about the time for the special meeting,” he continued. “Nor were we given a list of potential candidates for the acting city manager appointment. Neither of us will be attending after the closed session.”
“I advised the city manager that I will be leaving after the closed session due to work commitments,” Barbanica added later.
Ogorchock responded Thursday morning with, “The mayor can call his special meetings when he chooses to do so. With that being said I would hope that he would reach out to all council members to see how the time would fit into their schedules. I could have attended a 5:00 p.m. meeting as I will have returned from my policy committee meeting for the League of California Cities.”
“Since we are reviewing the 6-month list and some of the items were requested by me, I feel it is inappropriate to hold a special meeting when one of the council members cannot attend, especially if there will be another appointment of an acting city manager,” she continued. “All council members should have input on who they would want to see hold this position as we did when Director Ebb’s was given the title and responsibilities of Acting City Manager. This item could and should have been put on Tuesday’s agenda, that is only a couple of days to hold off on this item this is not an urgency item.”
Asked again if she had been provided with a list of potential candidates for the acting city manager appointment, either Ogorchock responded, “I’ve not been told anything. I have no idea who is being considered nor do I know who is wanting the additional responsibility of being the next acting city manager. I had no idea this was going to be on the special meeting agenda.”
Ebbs: Acting Manager Appointment Different Than Permanent Hire
Asked why a list of potential candidates for the acting city manager appointment wasn’t provided to the public or all council members, Ebbs said, “It’s considered a personnel interview. A candidate list won’t be provided to the public.”
“The entirety of the issue is discussed in closed session,” he continued. “When you appoint a permanent city manager, cities have a public process. But an acting city manager appointment is under different rules. They can always continue it.”
Ebbs also said he would be confirming with the council members who will and won’t be in attendance.
UPDATE: Ebbs later said he informed the council last week that he will end his time as acting city manager on Friday at 5:00 p.m. as he will be on a vacation over the next two weeks that has been planned since January, but he’ll remain as Community Development Director until July 14.
The meeting begins at 10:00 AM in the Council Chambers at City Hall at 200 H Street in historic, downtown Rivertown, before the council members adjourn into Closed Session. They will return to the chambers for the City Attorney Thomas L. Smith to report out any action they’ve taken including the name of the person they’ve appointed acting city manager, should that occur. The meeting can also be viewed via livestream on the City’s website and on Comcast Cable Channel 24 and AT&T U-verse channel 99.
According to Antioch Police Department PIO, Corporal Price Kendall, on Saturday, June 17, 2023 at approximately 5:10 pm, the reporting party and victim, a 22-year-old male, was approached, at 300 L Street in front of the APD Lobby, by an unknown 47-year-old male on a bicycle who appeared to be intoxicated. The unknown male brandished and threatened the victim with a large, kitchen-style knife before riding away on his bicycle. Officers were flagged down as they happened to be in the area and the victim reported the crime to them.
The unknown, older male was found in the surrounding neighborhood along K Street near W. 3rd Street. When officers located the suspect, he was still armed with the knife, and he was in possession of an aluminum bat. Officers tried to detain the man, but he attempted to flee and a short foot pursuit followed. The suspect was detained after officers used their taser device to subdue him.
According to Art Ray of Bay News Video, “Fire Department personnel from Engine 81 evaluated the handcuffed suspect who was then taken into custody.”
