(L-R) Kaira Nwamuo with her Top 3 medal, Jasmine Gonzales wins All Around, and Josette Walker and Jasmine celebrate their victories on the podium. Photo source: JGYC Facebook page.
Jasmine Gonzales wins All Around National Champion
Train at the Josephine Guzman Youth Center in Somersville Towne Center
By Ana Walker
Three girls from the Empower Gymnastics Academy team in Antioch recently placed first in two competitions, second in one and third in another at the National Gymnastics Association (NGA) National Championships in Anaheim, CA.
Academy owners Mike and Natalie Guzman run the competitive team at the Josephine Guzman Youth Center’s (JGYC) which offers a recreational gymnastics program for girls. It is named for Mike’s mother and located inside the Somersville Towne Center in Antioch.
The Academy’s Gold and Platinum levels compete throughout California to qualify for the Western Regional Zone Championships in Reno, last month and this year they qualified for Nationals. The team competes in four events – bars, beam, floor and vault.
Antioch gymnasts Josette Walker, Kaira Nwamuo and Jasmine Gonzales relax and ready to compete on the mat at the Nationals competition last weekend. Left photo: Ana Walker. Right photo: JGYC
Three girls from the Academy’s Gold level, Jasmine Gonzales, Josette Walker and Kaira Nwamuo, competed against girls from 27 states, Puerto Rico and Canada. They received first place on the floor routine, first place on beam routine with highest score of the meet, second place on bars and third place on vault.
A post on the JGYC Gymnastics Facebook page on June 11, 2024, reads, “This weekend was a success!!! Our Gold & Platinum competed in Anaheim at NGA Nationals & absolutely rocked it!!!
Jasmine – Beam National Champion & All-Around National Champion!
Josette – Floor National Champion!
Congrats to our champions.”
In gymnastics the athletes get individual and team scores. Beam Queen award was given to Josette and Jasmine for scoring 9.7 or higher on beam (out of 10). All three girls earned the Top Three spot as an Empower Team together. In the meet there was no placement but rather Top 3 or Top 5.
Josette received floor champ and Jasmine received all around champ
The two winners have been invited to the National team camp in Tennessee which is offered only to the top 30 girls.
To learn more, to try out for the team or visit the gym, call (925) 350-0215.
Joins the other Assemblymembers representing Contra Costa: Wilson, Bauer-Kahan and Wicks, who support offering up to 20% for down payment or closing costs, not to exceed $150,000
By Allen D. Payton
A bill to make illegal immigrants eligible for the California Dream for All Shared Appreciation Loan Program, which provides up to 20 percent of downpayment assistance to prospective homebuyers, passed the State Assembly last month on a vote of 56-15. All four Assemblymembers representing Contra Costa County voted in favor of Assembly Bill 1840, including Tim Grayson (D-15), who represents Antioch, Lori Wilson (D-11), Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-16) and Buffy Wicks (D-14).
Wicks also voted for the bill, authored by Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula (D-31), as a member of the Assembly Appropriates Committee.
AB1840 Assembly Floor vote on May 21, 2024. Source: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
According to CalFHA, “The Dream For All Shared Appreciation Loan is a down payment assistance program for first-time homebuyers to be used in conjunction with the Dream For All Conventional first mortgage for down payment and/or closing costs. Upon sale or transfer of the home, the homebuyer repays the original down payment loan, plus a share of the appreciation in the value of the home.”
The program offers up to 20% for down payment or closing costs, not to exceed $150,000 and is not on a first come, first served basis. The homebuyer must register for a voucher and a randomized drawing will select registrants who will receive the voucher. The program requires at least one borrower be a first-generation homebuyer and all borrowers must be first-time homebuyers.
According to the Legislative Counsel’s Digest, “Existing law establishes the California Housing Finance Agency in the Department of Housing and Community Development, and authorizes the agency to, among other things, make loans to finance affordable housing, including residential structures, housing developments, multifamily rental housing, special needs housing, and other forms of housing, as specified. Existing law establishes the California Dream for All Program to provide shared appreciation loans to qualified first-time homebuyers, as specified.
Existing law establishes the California Dream for All Fund, which is continuously appropriated for expenditure pursuant to the program and defraying the administrative costs for the agency. Existing law authorizes moneys deposited into the fund to include, among other moneys, appropriations from the Legislature from the General Fund or other state fund.
This bill would specify that an applicant under the programwho meets all other requirements for a loan under the program, including, but not limited to, any requirements imposed by the Federal National Mortgage Association or other loan servicer, shall not be disqualified solely based on the applicant’s immigration status.
By expanding the persons eligible to receive moneys from a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation. The bill would recast the fund so that appropriations from the Legislature from the General Fund or other state fund are deposited into the California Dream for All Subaccount, which the bill would create and make available upon appropriation by the Legislature for specified purposes.”
AB 1840 is now up for votes by the State Senate Housing and Judiciary Committees before a possible vote on the floor.
Former Antioch Police Officer Matthew Nutt was prosecuted by the Contra Costa District Attorney’s office but found not guilty and acquitted on Thursday, June 13, 2024.
Took jury an hour to find Matthew Nutt not guilty
“Officer Nutt did exactly what he was trained to do and what the law allows him to do in order to control a man wanted for a serious and violent crime,” defense attorney Nicole Pifari
“All the glory to God” – Matthew Nutt
Appealing his termination, City agrees to arbitration
By Allen D. Payton
A year after being terminated then charged with misdemeanor assault during a 2022 traffic stop incident, former Antioch Police officer Matthew Nutt was acquitted by a jury on Thursday, June 13, 2024.
As previously reported, in May 2023, Nutt was terminated from his employment as the result of an internal investigation into his use of force against an individual during a traffic stop on July 1, 2022. During the incident, Mr. Nutt learned the driver of a vehicle stopped for not displaying license plates had an outstanding felony warrant for shooting at an inhabited dwelling or occupied vehicle and conspiracy. Upon placing the individual under arrest, he refused to sit in the back of a police vehicle and displayed physical resistance. Mr. Nutt used force against the arrestee, consisting of a series of punches and kicks, along with knee and elbow strikes.
Nutt was represented by attorney Nicole Pifari, a partner in the Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver, PC Legal Defense Group, whose lead partner, Mike Rains, represents the Antioch Police Officers Association. According to her bio, “She has successfully defended police officers from criminal prosecutions in both state and federal court, and also represents officers around the state facing administrative investigation, disciplinary appeal, or the trauma of involvement in critical incidents.”
Pifari issued the following statement about the acquittal: “Antioch Police Officer Matthew Nutt Found Not Guilty
Today, after one hour of deliberation, a Contra Costa County Jury acquitted former Antioch Police Officer Matthew Nutt at the conclusion of a one-week trial. Nutt was charged with misdemeanor assault after using force while arresting a man for a felony warrant. He was represented at trial by Nicole Pifari of Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver, PC.
The call originated with a traffic stop where the passenger in the car had a warrant for two felonies related to a drive by shooting. After being handcuffed, the suspect tried to run, then began to resist, leading to a physical struggle at the door of the patrol car with two officers. At well over 300 pounds, the suspect was overpowering the officers when Nutt used a series of body strikes to gain his compliance.
“First and foremost, we are incredibly grateful to the jury for their work. I remain perplexed by this criminal filing. In my opinion it was nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction to the video. The prosecution failed to call a single percipient witness with the most glaring omission being their failure to call the shooting suspect. Basically, the prosecution tried to ruin a decorated police officer and veteran’s life without any evidence,” said Pifari.
“Officer Nutt did exactly what he was trained to do and what the law allows him to do in order to control a man wanted for a serious and violent crime,” Pifari added.
“All the glory to God,” Nutt added.
When reached for comment about the acquittal Rains said, “I knew the case. I was talking with Nicole about it, the motions before trial and the way the case was going to be prosecuted by (Chief Contra Costa Assistant District Attorney) Simon O’Connell. I had seen the video and we discussed it.
“I couldn’t believe that Simon thought he could ever get a conviction on this case without even offering up a use of force expert who said the use of force was unreasonable,” Rains continued. “He apparently thought he was going to put the video up there. He called a video guy (to testify) who said he was asked to look at the punches that Nutt delivered to the victim.”
“Nicole appropriately asked the video expert, ‘Were you asked to look at what the alleged victim was doing to prompt the officer to do what he did?’ He said, ‘no, I wasn’t asked to do that’,” Rains stated. “To freeze the frame showing what Officer Nutt did and not freeze a frame showing this guy kicking at the officer and refusing to get into the car was entirely misleading. This is a prosecutor who doesn’t care about showing the truth to the jury and they saw it very clearly.”
“The trial only took a few days. It didn’t take the jury long, only an hour to reach a verdict,” Rains shared. “Thats because Simon O’Connell is such a poor prosecutor.”
“Nicole put Nutt on the witness stand. He’s an honest man. The jury believed what he said, and they came back with a unanimous not guilty verdict” Rains continued. “It was a slam dunk win for the defense and what amounted to a condemnation by the jury of Simon O’Connell, (DA) Diana Becton and the District Attorney’s Office for bringing this case.”
Termination Based on Department Policy, Not the Law
According to the Antioch Police Department, Mr. Nutt’s application of force triggered an automatic review of his body-worn camera footage. The reviewing supervisor had concerns about what was depicted in the video and believed Mr. Nutt may have violated Antioch Police policies governing use of force. The supervisor communicated his concerns through official channels, and an internal review was initiated. Mr. Nutt was placed into an assignment with no direct public contact.
After a thorough investigation, Mr. Nutt was sustained on four (4) use of force policy violations, including using unreasonable force, failure to de-escalate, and failure to use alternative tactics. Chief Steven Ford reviewed the findings of the investigation and terminated Mr. Nutt from his employment with the Antioch Police Department on April 21, 2023.
Asked if Nutt’s termination by the department was included in his prosecution, Rains said, “I don’t believe that came in. The administrative side of the case is not usually brought into a criminal case.”
“It’s not based on a violation of the law but only looks at the department policy,” he continued. “The department standard for discipline would be the mere preponderance of the evidence. Understand, a jury can only convict on a crime beyond a reasonable doubt. So, it’s a different standard.”
“The only reason Matthew Nutt was terminated is because it was in the heyday of the text scandal and I know there was immense pressure on Chief Ford,” Rains stated. “I don’t think he wanted to terminate this young man.”
Termination Appealed Will Go to Arbitration With City
“We’ve appealed his termination and have agreed to go to arbitration,” he added.
Asked when that will occur, Rains said, “We don’t have it scheduled yet. We were waiting for the criminal case to end.”
UPDATE: DA’s Office Responds
In response the DA’s Office PIO, Asregadoo wrote, “Though the verdict was not in our favor, we acknowledge the importance of a jury trial in ensuring a fair and impartial legal process.”
The historic Belshaw Mansion sits at the corner of E and W 7th Streets in Antioch’s downtown Rivertown District. Source: BelshawMansion.com
130-year-old home is a Bay Area prized jewel; former home of State Senator, State Assemblyman
Exclusive to the Herald
A view of the E Street side of the mansion.
The Belshaw Mansion, in Antioch’s historic, downtown Rivertown District, built in 1894, is celebrating its 130th anniversary this year. Now, after being owned by the Costello family for the last 27 years, the stunning house, one of the most iconic homes in the city and one of the Bay Area’s finest treasures, is for sale.
There’s quite a history behind it. The mansion was originally built for and owned by State Senator Charles Belshaw and then Assemblyman Robert Easley and it has played host to numerous community events.
Located at 705 E Street on the corner of W. 7th Street, it is one of the Bay Area’s most historic homes.
What makes it so historic?
First, its age and then its size, which proudly boasts 4,492 square feet of living space on approximately a 10,000 square foot lot. In fact, years back, the Belshaw Mansion took up the entire city block.
A simple drive downtown, and you cannot miss its presence. It rises to the top, showcasing its Victorian classic and Tudor-design accents. And finally, its historic greatness. The Belshaw Mansion has hosted numerous civic gatherings and tours for residents and dignitaries from other parts of the country.
To learn more about this historical gem in the Bay Area, a few questions were asked of former Antioch Councilwoman Elizabeth Rimbault, a former president and managing director of the Antioch Historical Society and local real estate appraiser. She has written and had articles published about the Belshaw Mansion in the past.
Asked why she believes the Belshaw Mansion is so historic Rimbault replied, “The Belshaw Mansion is one of the earliest homes in Antioch. It was designed and crafted in grand style by some of the original settlers of Antioch. It was custom-built with great care and detail and has continued to shine with its unique beauty for many years. Even though it was built in the 1890s, many people today cannot believe just how magnificent this home truly is.”
Asked what makes it so unique that it is often referred to as a mansion, she shared, “Because of the size of the house, when you see it from the street, it is overwhelming as it is huge. It certainly catches your eye. It has various rooms and levels everywhere you turn. The moldings have an original look, and the hardwood floors are exceptional – they no longer make homes like this. The size of the dining room and foyer area is quite impressive, and it has been the location for many parties and gatherings. It originally had a dumbwaiter that went up to the second level — just one of many unique characteristics of this grand property.
A view of the W. 7th Street side of the house.
Rimbault was also asked, considering all the new developments in southeast Antioch and other communities, what type of family or families might be interested in the Belshaw Mansion. She responded, “It is suitable for several different families. To start, someone who appreciates history and loves beautiful items from the past or someone who is looking for an oversized home with plenty of living space, high ceilings, and numerous rooms and bathrooms will love this home.
Also, in today’s world, as housing prices continue to soar, it’s an excellent selection for multi-generational living. I have been in the home when one family had it as separate units for various families and another family had it as a single-family home. It has the flexibility to suit either scenario as it has numerous bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms, kitchens, entrances, parking, and amenities.”
From her previously written articles about the Belshaw family, Rimbault was asked what she knew about Charles and his relatives and why they are so prominent in Antioch’s history. She said, “The Belshaw family is one of the most well-known families in Antioch’s history. They had mercantile stores and were involved with the mines, railroad, wharf, and city water development. Charles Belshaw, for whom the house was built, was a prominent State Senator who represented the district at the Capitol.”
Asked for any additional thoughts and information about the Belshaw Mansion Antioch residents should know about and appreciate, Rimbault shared, “Its early history is with people involved in and familiar with state politics, and having been used to entertain dignitaries and local people simply adds to the charm of this home. Originally, the Belshaw Mansion was enjoyed by political families, first the Belshaws and then the Easleys, which is very interesting.
For more information and regular updates about the Belshaw Mansion, visit the home’s website at www.thebelshawmansion.com.
Dave Costello, the owners’ son, and Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
Watch the 2024 Antioch High School graduation on CoCoPanther TV YouTube Channel and the special performance of the National Anthem on electric guitar by graduating seniors Joshua Llanes and George Villalobos on the Antioch Herald YouTube Channel. See photos and details, here.
U.S. News analyzed 400,000 survey responses from residents and their family members at more than 3,500 senior living communities nationwide to compile their 2024 rankings. The top-rated communities for each level of care have been rated Best Senior Living in their categories. TreVista is managed by Agemark Senior Living. Seventeen Agemark Senior Living communities were named to the U.S. News and World Report’s Best Senior Living list for 2024.
TreVista is led by Executive Director Alberto Maldonado, and features a team of exceptional leaders and caregivers. Previously owned and managed by another company, the building was purchased by current ownership, including Agemark, in 2017, and given a full-scale remodel. The community features a variety of apartment floorplans in both assisted living and memory care, beautiful common spaces, a spacious dining area, gorgeous outdoor courtyards that featured covered seating and a water feature, an in-house salon and much more. Residents of TreVista enjoy a variety of life-enriching activities, delicious chef-prepared meals and care provided by a loving and empathetic team. More than 125 residents call the community home.
Free vaccinations, preventative care, microchips, harness fittings, cat & dog food; Resources for veterinary services, including affordable spay/neuter and Amnesty for late dog license renewals
Pet vaccinations are an extremely important part of their health and wellbeing. By teaching your pet’s immune system how to recognize and fight off diseases, they can prevent or lessen the severity of illnesses. That’s why Joybound offers free, monthly pet vaccination clinics, held at various locations in Contra Costa County!
At these clinics, dogs and cats can both receive rabies vaccines, dogs can receive a DHPP vaccine (which protects against Canine Distemper Virus, Canine Hepatitis, Canine Parainfluenza, and Canine Parvovirus), and cats can receive a FVRCP vaccine (which protects against Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, and Panleukopenia).
Plus, both dogs and cats can be administered with free pet microchips.
All patients will be seen first-come, first-served.
Pet guardians must be Contra Costa County residents.
Pet guardians must be at least 18 years of age.
Animals are not given full health or wellness exams at these clinic, only vaccinations and preventative care.
Please bring prior vaccine records.
Dogs must be on a leash and cats must be in carriers.
All pets must be at least 6 weeks old.
Feral cats or community cats will not be served.
Joybound People & Pets reserves the right to refuse service to anyone.
