The Contra Costa County Fair will be held at the Contra Costa Event Park, 1201 W. 10th Street in Antioch. For more information visit Contra Costa County Fair 2024 (contracostafair.com).

Antioch among 13 hospitals named by Newsweek as America’s Best Maternity Hospitals for 2024

By Antonia Ehlers, PR & Media Relations, Kaiser Permanente Northern California 

Kaiser Permanente Northern California hospitals are recognized as among the best in the United States for providing exceptional care to parents and their newborns, according to Newsweek magazine’s list of America’s Best Maternity Hospitals 2024.

Thirteen Kaiser Permanente Northern California hospitals received the prestigious designation: Antioch, Fresno, Redwood City, Roseville, San Francisco, San Jose, San Leandro, Santa Clara, Santa Rosa, South Sacramento, Vacaville, Vallejo, and Walnut Creek.

This is the fifth year Kaiser Permanente Northern California hospitals have been recognized for meeting rigorous standards for maternity care, such as low rates of elective early deliveries and following important safety protocols to protect new parents and their babies.

“Our Kaiser Permanente labor and delivery teams provide exceptional, high-quality care to help ensure these new parents and their babies have a healthy start,” said Carrie Owen Plietz, FACHE, president of Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California region. “We take pride in providing equitable, culturally responsive maternity care that provides our patients with the support they need in a nurturing environment.”

Last year, 40,566 babies were delivered at Kaiser Permanente Northern California hospitals.

Supporting the long-term health of newborns

The national designation was awarded to only 404 hospitals in the United States with more than 64 of those in California. Kaiser Permanente has a total of 29 hospitals that received the elite designation — the most of any U.S. health system.

Newsweek and Statista, one of the world’s leading statistics portal and industry-ranking provider, have partnered for the third time on this list, given that maternity care provided from pregnancy through birth and into postpartum is key to the long-term health of newborns and those who give birth.

“This recognition is a testament to the clinical excellence of our physician-led care teams, who provide expert and compassionate care and support to our patients throughout their entire pregnancy journey,” said Maria Ansari, MD, FACC, chief executive officer and executive director of The Permanente Medical Group. “We know the first step toward having a healthy baby is to have a healthy pregnancy, which is why we are committed to providing safe, equitable, comprehensive maternity care in a supportive, personalized way.”

Kaiser Permanente provides comprehensive pregnancy care

Kaiser Permanente Northern California has a long-standing commitment toward improving maternal health and the maternity care experience for our patients and members.

Our comprehensive prenatal care helps us understand patients’ health histories and lower the risk of complications. Members are supported to focus on their health even before pregnancy. If a pregnant patient has a high-risk pregnancy or a chronic condition such as high blood pressure or diabetes, we tailor their care – including providing remote monitoring tools – to reduce risks, helping to keep mom and baby safe.

At Kaiser Permanente Northern California, we also partner with new parents to ensure they have the birthing experience they desire through a coordinated birthing plan that addresses everything from their delivery preferences to whether they want to breastfeed.

Support for mental and emotional health is another important component of maternity care at Kaiser Permanente. Regular screenings for prenatal and postpartum depression are part of every care plan, so we can connect those who are struggling with the care and support they need.

Place flags at gravesites in Oak View Memorial Park Saturday, May 25 and attend the annual breakfast & ceremony Monday, May 27

On Hillcrest Avenue, offers new community room

“We are very local…But we are able to provide national capabilities. We are glad to be in the Antioch community.” – TCU President & CEO Kevin Miller

By Allen D. Payton

The leadership of Travis Credit Union was joined by Antioch officials and Chamber leaders for the grand opening and ribbon cutting of the new branch on Hillcrest Avenue. It replaces the branch previously located in the Terraces Shopping Center on Lone Tree Way near Sylvia’s Country Kitchen.  The event also celebrated the credit union’s twenty-year commitment to the city of Antioch.

Speakers included Travis Credit Union (TCU) President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Miller and Dena Rothmann, Managing Vice President, Retail & Branch Banking, Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe who proclaimed May 14th to be “Travis Credit Union Day” in the City of Antioch; and Mike Gabrielson, Board President of the Antioch Chamber of Commerce.

“We have been a part of Antioch for 20 years and this new branch reinforces our commitment to the city, its local businesses and residents,” said Rothmann. “Our top priorities are providing an outstanding experience to our members and helping them achieve their financial goals.”

“We have 23 branches, and this is the newest,” Miller shared. “TCU started by serving those who serve,” at Travis Air Force Base near Fairfield. Federal legislation changed regulations from serving one group of people to a community which is defined more broadly as a county. Travis entered Contra Costa County when Metro 1 CU joined us.”

TCU now has 250,000 members in 12 counties and is the twelfth largest credit union in the state.

“We’ve been focusing on how we expand services in East County. Over the next several years we plan to expand further in the county,” he continued. “The team here, in Antioch, is very well known in the community and active in the Chamber. We are very local when it comes to the people who work here. But we are able to provide national capabilities. We’re glad to be in the Antioch community.”

“The democratization of technology has benefited the credit unions allowing us to be faster, provide better experiences and be competitive with the banks,” Miller explained. “People want a great physical environment, online environment and want someone to answer the phone when you call. It has required us to rethink what we do and how we do it and rewire the organization to make it better for the members.”

During the ceremony, a donation check from TCU for $10,000 to Opportunity Junction was presented by Miller to the organization’s CEO Brianna Robinson. The Antioch-based non-profit helps motivated Contra Costa County job seekers develop the skills and confidence to launch careers that lead to financial security.

Certificates of Recognition were presented to Miller from the offices of Congressman John Garamendi and Contra Costa County District 3 Supervisor Diane Burgis.

Also, in attendance were Antioch Councilwomen Lori Ogorchock and Monica Wilson, and Antioch residents Marivel Branco, Hillcrest Branch Manager, Jennifer Victor, TCU’s VP of Branch Sales & Service and Tim Truesdale, Chair of TCU’s Supervisory Committee.

“We offer the community room at our new location for non-profit organizations to hold meetings, and for Travis to offer financial seminars and provide education to local individuals and businesses,” said Branco.

The new Hillcrest branch also features an innovative open concept layout meant to foster connection and meaningful financial conversations between the experienced staff and its members.

Besides checking and savings accounts they offer credit building, home and car loans, business credit cards, lines of credit, retirement planning and more.

“Stop by and see us to open an account and let us help you meet and achieve your financial needs and goals, today,” she added.

Victor, who has been with the credit union for 16 years and previously served as the Terrace Center Branch manager said, “TCU is excited to continue be a part of the Antioch community with our new branch facility. Our number one focus is to help residents be financially educated and sound.”

About the volunteer Supervisory Committee Truesdale shared, “If we were a bank, it would be an Audit Committee and we work with senior management and internal audit department, and outside auditors.”

About the new branch he said, “We’ve been working on that for the last three years. It was a lovely morning. You couldn’t ask for a better day to hold our grand opening and ribbon cutting.”

“The people at the branch came over from the Terrace Center branch on Lone Tree Way and can help members with financial services,” he continued. “I want to reiterate the fact of the community room for those who need a place to meet in town. That was a concern of our employees from before. We didn’t have to add that square footage but I’m glad we did to serve the community.”

To support financial success in the Antioch community, TCU is running two promotional offers. Members can invest in a special certificate available only in the new Antioch branch for 5.1% APY for nine months. Also available is a $350 free checking bonus for those who open their first Free Checking or Access Checking account and deposit at least $500 a month for three months into the account within 120 days of account opening through qualified direct deposit transactions.  

The new branch is located at 3500 Hillcrest Avenue and joins its sister branch in the Slatten Ranch Shopping Center in Antioch.

About Travis Credit Union 
Travis Credit Union, based in Vacaville, Calif., has been recognized at the federal, state and local levels for its longstanding financial education and financial advocacy efforts. In 2022, TCU was once again selected as a Best-In-State Credit Union by Forbes. It has also earned the U.S. Air Force Distinguished Credit Union of the Year award in recent years. Founded in 1951 on Travis Air Force Base, TCU today serves 12 Northern California counties. It is the twelfth largest credit union in California, with 250,000 members and $5 billion in assets. To learn more about TCU visit www.traviscu.org.

Almost $1,700 of merchandise

By Antioch Police Department

Antioch police officers target would-be thieves in the Target store at 5769 Lone Tree Way. On May 9th, Officer Lara and worked with Loss Prevention Officers to arrest a man who has shoplifted several times from the store. The man stole video games and other merchandise worth nearly $1,000. Later that day, Officer Carpenter stopped another individual attempting to leave the store with more than $700 worth of merchandise.

We are proud of the collaboration between our officers and Loss Prevention to deter shoplifters. Would you like to join Officers Lara and Carpenter in keeping Antioch safe? Visit joinantiochpd.com to learn about our excellent pay, benefits, and hiring incentives. Together, we can make a difference.

Monte Dean Albers, son of Robert Albers and Pauline Bloom Albers, was born on November 24, 1939, in Eugene, Oregon, died peacefully in his sleep on May 7, 2024, in Brentwood, CA at the age of 84.

Monte attended the University of Oregon, lived an adventurous life, moving first to rural Idaho, then to Houston, Texas and settling finally in California. He went to work for United Airlines where he continued to work for the next 37 years.

Monte met his wife Lucia in San Francisco and together they built a house in Brentwood, California where they have lived since 1987.

He retired from United and dedicated his life to his olive ranch where he enjoyed taking care of the olive trees and producing virgin, kosher olive oil.

Monte will be remembered for his kindness and never-ending love of jokes. He is survived by his wife Lucia, his daughter Elizabeth (Alan); son Monte (Michael); grandchildren, Alan, Erick, Ryan, Scott, Stephanie, Joseph and Jackson, as well as daughters Debbie, Dianne and Darcey from a previous marriage and their children and grandchildren. In addition to his parents, Monte was also preceded in death by his sister Judy Albers.

A memorial service for Monte will be held at Higgins Chapel in Antioch, California on Thursday, May 23 from 9:30 to 11:30 am followed by a private interment.

“…contains challenging financial choices for the Governor and the Legislature…”- Malia Cohen

Fiscal year-to-date revenues still trend below expectations

SACRAMENTO — California State Controller Malia M. Cohen today, Friday, May 10, 2024, issued the following statement in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s May budget revision:

“This morning, Governor Newsom released the May Revision to his proposed 2024-25 State Budget. The blueprint to address the remaining shortfall contains challenging financial choices for the Governor and the Legislature to maintain the state’s commitment to protecting essential programs and services and continuing critical investments in the state’s future.”

“As the state’s chief fiscal officer, it is my job to ensure the state has sufficient cash to pay our bills and to make certain that expenditures are transparent, accountable, and align with their intended purpose and expected outcomes. My office stands ready to assist both the Governor and the Legislature as they make their final push to finalize and approve the 2024-25 budget.”

In addition, Cohen today released her monthly cash report covering the state’s General Fund revenues, disbursements and actual cash balance for the fiscal year through April 30, 2024. The state ended April with $95.8 billion in unused borrowable resources, while fiscal year-to-date receipts continue below estimates contained in the 2024-25 Governor’s proposed budget.

The Governor’s Budget estimated that the state would collect nearly $16.3 billion in personal income taxes in April. As shown on the State Controller’s Office April 2024 Personal Income Tax Tracker webpage, the state exceeded the revenue target by approximately $150 million.

“With April personal income tax revenues just tracking with the most recent budget estimates, fiscal year-to-date revenues continue at lower-than-expected levels,” said Controller Cohen. “The high level of borrowable resources is due in large part to the $26 billion the state has prudently built up and reserved for rainy days and economic uncertainties. Maintaining enough cash to cushion against economic downturns has been one of California’s strengths in its credit ratings, and ensures the state will continue to meet its payment obligations.”

Fiscal year-to-date receipts through April were $169.8 billion, nearly $4.8 billion below the Governor’s Budget estimates, or 2.7 percent. The state’s cash position is $7.6 billion better than expected with disbursements of $184.9 billion for the fiscal year nearly $12.4 billion, or 6.3 percent, less than proposed budget projections.

As the chief fiscal officer of California, Controller Cohen is responsible for accountability and disbursement of the state’s financial resources. The Controller has independent auditing authority over government agencies that spend state funds. She is a member of numerous financing authorities, and fiscal and financial oversight entities including the Franchise Tax Board. She also serves on the boards for the nation’s two largest public pension funds. Follow the Controller on Twitter at @CAController and on Facebook at California State Controller’s Office.

“A Vision for Water-Based Transportation and Emergency Response on the San Francisco Bay”

By Allen D. Payton

The Bay Area’s Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) board adopted the 2050 Service Vision and Expansion Policy during its meeting on Thursday, May 9 and the plan includes a future, possible station for Antioch, as well as one each in Pittsburg, Martinez and Hercules. Also included is an additional route for the existing terminal in Richmond, which currently offers WETA’s only ferry service in Contra Costa County.

The plan includes two tiers, with the four additional Contra Costa terminals in Tier 2 which will be added based on demand and current, technological barriers to service. The Vision includes one route between the San Francisco Ferry Building to the Hercules terminal and a separate route to and from the Antioch, Pittsburg and Martinez terminals.

The Vision explains that first, “WETA will enhance existing route frequency to continue growing markets for all-day service.” Then, “WETA will expand by implementing the Tier 1 projects from the map including regional priority projects such as those included in regional plans – including Mission Bay and Treasure Island to the San Francisco Ferry Building, Berkeley to San Francisco, and Oakland to Redwood City.”

That will be followed by WETA exploring “development of Tier 2 projects from the map to further expand the reach of the ferry system as market demand matures and technologies evolve to overcome current barriers to operating service.”

In the plan, “WETA will provide at minimum three types of service on the ferry network: Local service consisting of short distance trips connecting dense urban hubs; Regional service consisting of medium and long-distance trips connecting activity centers; and Special Event service to major venues with existing terminals.”

In addition, “WETA will electrify the ferry system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

According to their website, “Water transit is a vital part of life in the San Francisco Bay Area. WETA has been developing a shared vision of the San Francisco Bay Area ferry system in 2050, including the level of service and extent of WETA ferry operations and emergency response.

This ‘Service Vision’ informs how WETA operates in the future and what changes will need to be made to get there. The vision will serve as the foundation of WETA’s Business Plan, which will present the specific strategies and actions required to achieve the 2050 Service Vision. Strategies and goals are divided across six Focus Areas.

This service visioning effort is a unique opportunity to re-imagine water transit and address emerging priorities concerning the environment, equity, economic development, emergency response and quality of life throughout the Bay Area.”

According to the staff report for the agenda item #11, the plan was “developed to define a long-term service vision based on input from agency stakeholders, the public, and other parties with an interest in the future of the agency. The goal of this project is to create clear direction for the agency and its staff concerning future expansion efforts, prioritize the use of limited funds, identify resource needs, and help build a broad coalition to advocate for future investment in the regional ferry network. The WETA Board received a presentation on a draft Policy at its last meeting in April 2024. Following that meeting, staff incorporated comments from Directors into the final 2050 Service Vision and Expansion Policy—including more detailed information about emergency response and first/last mile connections.

During an initial stakeholder and public outreach effort in 2021, staff identified six focus areas

for consideration in the Business Plan. These include:

1. Regional Ferry Network

2. Emergency Response

3. Environmental Stewardship

4. Community Connections

5. Organizational Capacity

6. Financial Capacity

At Business Plan Workshop #1 held in August 2022, the Board identified a set of network expansion concepts for consideration in defining a 2050 Service Vision. Staff undertook a technical evaluation of these concepts and conducted broad stakeholder and public engagement to create a proposal to develop a draft 2050 Service Vision that was presented to the Board during Workshop #2 in April 2023.

Upon receiving direction from the Board to look more broadly at opportunities to expand the ferry network, staff worked with its consultant team to incorporate this feedback into an updated draft 2050 Service Vision and set of feasibility criteria for future expansion projects.

The draft service vision and feasibility criteria were refined upon review with key project stakeholders, the Community and Business Advisory Groups, and the WETA Business Plan Subcommittee. A consistent source of feedback during the outreach process was support for a WETA pilot program to test the feasibility of new technologies and emerging markets. The product of this process is the final 2050 Service Vision and Expansion Policy.”

The Vision also includes Terminal Rehabilitation & Replacement, improvements to Terminal Access, encouraging Transit-Supportive Land Uses in close proximity to eachcandidate ferry terminal, and Emergency Response. “WETA serves as the coordinator of water-based emergency response activities in the Bay Area in the event of a major disaster or disruptive event. In this capacity, WETA will work closely with the California Office of Emergency Services and/or the United States Coast Guard and will be directed to perform activities coordinated on a regional and state-wide basis. These include deploying WETA’s fleet resources to evacuate dangerous areas, to move first responders, and to deliver needed supplies. WETA will coordinate with other regional maritime partners to add to this fleet response, and terminal facilities must have sufficient capacity and facilities to accommodate these partner vessels. All new expansion terminals must be designed and built to Essential Facilities Standards. Emergency service to individual terminals will be guided based on state and regional direction.”

In addition to Thursday’s meeting, WETA held a public Board of Directors workshop on the 2050 Service Vision in April. The service vision evaluation memo and presentation slides are available, here:

• Service Vision Evaluation Memo
• Presentation

Here’s the public survey summary report, first published in May 2023.

To learn more about the project, visit Bay Ferry 2050 microsite where you can subscribe to updates, share your feedback and more.