While working to increase ridership currently averaging on weekdays about 40% of pre-COVID figures
By Bay Area Rapid Transit District
As BART strives to increase ridership, which is averaging about 40% of weekday pre-COVID figures, BART fares will increase January 1, 2025, to keep pace with inflation so that the agency is able to pay for continued operations and to work toward restoring financial stability. BART’s current funding model relies on passenger fares to pay for operations.
Fares will increase 5.5 percent on New Year’s Day. The increase is tied to the rate of inflation minus a half-percentage point. It’s the second such increase – the first took effect January 1, 2024.
The average fare will increase 25 cents, from $4.47 to $4.72. BART’s fare calculator and Trip Planner have been updated with the new fares for trips with the date 1/1/25 and beyond. Riders can learn how the increase will affect their travels by entering a 2025 date for their trip.
“We understand that price increases are never welcome, but BART fares remain a vital source of funds even with ridership lower than they were before the pandemic,” said BART Board Vice President Mark Foley. “My Board colleagues and I voted in June 2023 to spread necessary fare increases over two years rather than catching up all at once. At the same time, we voted to increase the Clipper START means-based discount from 20 percent to 50 percent to help those most in need.”
The fare increase is expected to raise about $14 million per year for operations. Combined with the previous year’s fare adjustment, BART will use this $30 million per year to fund train service, enhanced cleaning, additional police and unarmed safety staff presence, and capital projects such as the Next Generation Fare Gates project.
Discounts available for those who are eligible
The regional Clipper START program is an important resource for low-income riders of BART and other Bay Area transit systems. The program is for adult riders with a household income of 200% of the federal poverty level or less. Administered by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, program participants receive a personalized Clipper card that cuts half the cost of fares on more than 20 transit systems.
Limited income riders get 50% off with Clipper START.
The RTC Clipper card is a version of Clipper created for passengers under 65 with qualifying disabilities to provide 62.5% off.
Regular, predictable increases a long-term strategy
January’s fare increase is the latest adjustment in a strategy to provide BART funding while providing riders predictable, scaled changes to the costs of riding. In 2004, BART first implemented this inflation-based fare increase program that calls for small, regular, less-than-inflation increases every two years, allowing fares to keep up with the cost of providing reliable and safe service.
BART is also much less expensive than driving on a cost per mile basis. The Internal Revenue Service standard mileage rate for driver is 67 cents per mile; BART riders pay an average of 27 cents per mile, 60% less than the cost of driving.
Outdated funding model
BART’s current funding model relies on passenger fares to pay for operations. Even with the fare increase, BART is facing a $35 million operating deficit in FY26 and $385 million in FY27. Since BART’s outdated model of relying on passenger fares to pay most operating costs is no longer feasible because of remote work, the agency must modernize its funding sources to better match other transit systems throughout the country that receive larger amounts of public funding. BART needs a more reliable long-term source of operating funding and continues to advocate at the federal, state, and regional levels for the permanent funding needed to sustainably provide the quality transit service the Bay Area needs.
Addressing BART’s ongoing financial crisis will take a variety of solutions including securing new revenue and continuing to find internal cost savings. BART costs have grown at a rate lower than inflation, showing we have held the line on spending. We have implemented a service schedule that better matches ridership, and we are running shorter trains, reducing traction power consumption and maintenance costs.
Founder and Director of Mau Loa Ohana dance studio in Antioch, Monique Castaneda’s love of life and personal relationship with God didn’t come to an end with her death. Monique passed away on November 23, 2024, at the age of 58 after a courageous fight with Polymyositis and B Cell Lymphoma, surrounded by loved ones who will continue to honor her legacy of sharing the Aloha Spirit and living their lives to the fullest.
Monique was born on May 5, 1966 in Oakland, California, graduated from Presentation High School in Berkeley and worked at Wells Fargo Bank retiring at an early age to be a full-time mother.
Monique lived a purpose driven life by uplifting those in need through dance and was a disciple for Christ sharing her love for God through praise and dance. She founded the annual “Hula Away The Cancer Ho’ike” in 2010 to fundraise for The American Cancer Society, Relay for Life and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital donating thousands of dollars for cancer research.
Her final show was held on October 12, 2024, at Antioch’s El Campanil Theatre.
Monique’s passions were her love for God, family, fashion, fitness, travel and Mau Loa Ohana. Her loving personality was contagious to everyone she met. The hula studio was her happy place and those that Walked-In, Hula-Out with the Aloha Spirit.
Monique is survived by her loving husband, Raul; daughters Alexsandra and Kiana; son-in-law Gregory; grandson Oliver; Sisters Joyce and Tina; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Church window the arrested burglar broke using an axe on Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. Photos: Antioch PD
“But the righteous are as bold as a lion.”
Used axe to break in
By Antioch Police Department
When the pastor at First Family Church on Contra Loma responded to check an alarm in the early hours of Thanksgiving he was not expecting to confront a burglar, but that’s what happened. When the burglar saw his wicked deeds had been discovered he decided to fight with the pastor instead of repent. What he did not know was the pastor would win this battle of good and evil, and he held down the perp until APD arrived and placed the man in custody.
We are thankful today that the pastor was uninjured during this incident and hopeful that with amazing community members like we have been highlighting lately, we can turn the tide on crime in our city.
The axe in the photo was used to break a window on the church which is how the burglar entered.
The First Thanksgiving, reproduction of an oil painting by J.L.G. Ferris, early 20th century.
NOTE: This was first posted on the AntiochHerald.com on November 24, 2011. We re-post and update it each year.
By Allen D. Payton, Publisher
It was 403 years ago, this year, that the first Thanksgiving feast was celebrated by the Pilgrims and their Indian friends in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts.
Who were the Pilgrims?
Christian Protestants in England, became known as Puritans, because of their differences with the Church of England. Most remained within the Church of England, but a small group of Puritans, known as Separatists, who chose to leave the church, were persecuted for their faith. Around 1607 or 1608 about 300 Separatists left England and relocated to Holland.
Then in 1620, some of the Separatists chose to leave Holland for a place where they could be free to practice their faith. Along with adventurers, other colonists recruited by the venture’s financial backers and the ship’s crew, for a total of 102 people, the Separatists sailed to the New World on the ship the Mayflower.
It was William Bradford, who became their first governor, who gave themselves the label of Pilgrims, from the Bible verse in the book of Hebrews chapter 11, verse 13, which states “they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” He stated “They knew they were pilgrims, and looked not much on those things, but lifted up their eyes to the heavens, their dearest country.”
According to what became known as The Mayflower Compact, the voyage was “undertaken for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith and honor of our kind and country…to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia”
Instead, the voyagers first spotted land on November 9, 1620 and then chose to set anchor in Provincetown Harbor, Massachusetts on November 11.
“The Mayflower Compact was signed that day on board the Mayflower, which was at anchor in Provincetown Harbor. The document was drawn up in response to ‘mutinous speeches’ that had come about because the Pilgrims had intended to settle in Northern Virginia, but the decision was made after arrival to instead settle in New England. Since there was no government in place, some felt they had no legal obligation to remain within the colony and supply their labor. The Mayflower Compact attempted to temporarily establish that government until a more official one could be drawn up in England that would give them the right to self-govern themselves in New England.”(1)
They then settled across Cape Cod Bay at Plymouth, Massachusetts and only 53 of the Pilgrims survived that first winter, thanks to the help of the local Indians. But the following summer was good for them.
The First Thanksgiving Celebration
“After their first harvest, the colonists of the Plymouth Plantation held a celebration of food and feasting in the fall of 1621. Indian chiefs Massassoit, Squanto and Samoset joined in the celebration with ninety of their men in the three-day event. (2)
According to William Bradford, in his journal entitled Of Plimoth Plantation:
“They begane now to gather in ye small harvest they had, and to fitte up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health & strength, and had all things in good plenty; For as some were thus improyed in affairs abroad, others were excersised in fishing, aboute codd, & bass, & other fish, of which yey tooke good store, of which every family had their portion. All ye somer ther was no want. And now begane to come in store of foule, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besids water foule, ther was great store of wild Turkies, of which they tooke many, besids venison, &c. Besids, they had about a peck a meale a weeke to a person, or now since harvest, Indean corn to yt proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largly of their plenty hear to their freinds in England, which were not fained, but true reports.”
According to Edward Winslow in his bookMourt’s Relation : “our harvest being gotten in, our governour sent foure men on fowling, that so we might after a speciall manner rejoyce together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labours ; they foure in one day killed as much fowle, as with a little helpe beside, served the Company almost a weeke, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Armes, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoyt, with some ninetie men, whom for three dayes we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deere, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governour, and upon the Captaine and others. And although it be not always so plentifull, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so farre from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plentie.”
The First Official Thanksgiving Day
In 1623, the first official day of Thanksgiving was proclaimed by Plymouth Colony Governor William Bradford
Bradford’s Thanksgiving Proclamation:
Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as he has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.
Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.
–William Bradford Ye Governor of Ye Colony
Through the years, subsequent Thanksgiving Day proclamations were made and dates for celebrating it were set by Congress and various U.S. presidents.
1777 Proclamation by the Continental Congress
On November 1, 1777, by order of Congress, the first National Thanksgiving Proclamation was approved, and signed by Henry Laurens, President of the Continental Congress. The third Thursday of December, 1777 was officially set aside:
“…for solemn thanksgiving and praise. That with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts, and consecrate themselves to the service of their Divine Benefactor;… and their humble and earnest supplication that it may please God, through the merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and blot hem (their manifold sins) out of remembrance… That it may please Him… to take schools and seminaries of education, so necessary for cultivating the principles of true liberty, virtue and piety under His nurturing hand, and to prosper the means of religion for the promotion and enlargement of that kingdom which consisteth of ‘righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost’…”
First Thanksgiving Proclamation by the American Government
In 1789, it was President George Washington who issued the first Thanksgiving Proclamation by the American government:
WHEREAS, It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor;
WHEREAS, Both the houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”
Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted’ for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have show kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best. –George Washington – October 3, 1789
President Lincoln Makes it a National Holiday in 1863
Then in in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln established the last Thursday in November as the day of national with his Thanksgiving Proclamation:
Washington, D.C. October 3, 1863
By the President of the United States of America.
A Proclamation.
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.
No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People.
I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.
By the President: Abraham Lincoln
Since 1863, every President has issued an annual proclamation calling for the people of the nation to celebrate a national day of thanksgiving.
1941 Vote by Congress and President Roosevelt
But it wasn’t until October 6, 1941 that our federal government made it an official, national holiday, when Congress approved it.
“In 1939…the last Thursday in November fell on the last day of the month. Concerned that the shortened Christmas shopping season might dampen the economic recovery, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a Presidential Proclamation moving Thanksgiving to the second to last Thursday of November. As a result of the proclamation, 32 states issued similar proclamations while 16 states refused to accept the change and proclaimed Thanksgiving to be the last Thursday in November. For two years two days were celebrated as Thanksgiving – the President and part of the nation celebrated it on the second to last Thursday in November, while the rest of the country celebrated it the following week.
To end the confusion, Congress decided to set a fixed-date for the holiday. On October 6, 1941, the House passed a joint resolution declaring the last Thursday in November to be the legal Thanksgiving Day. The Senate, however, amended the resolution establishing the holiday as the fourth Thursday, which would take into account those years when November has five Thursdays. The House agreed to the amendment, and President Roosevelt signed the resolution on December 26, 1941, thus establishing the fourth Thursday in November as the Federal Thanksgiving Day holiday.” (3)
President John F. Kennedy’s Thanksgiving Proclamation, 1961:
OCTOBER 27, 1961 BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES A PROCLAMATION :
“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.” More than three centuries ago, the Pilgrims, after a year of hardship and peril, humbly and reverently set aside a special day upon which to give thanks to God for their preservation and for the good harvest from the virgin soil upon which they had labored. Grave and unknown dangers remained. Yet by their faith and by their toil they had survived the rigors of the harsh New England winter. Hence they paused in their labors to give thanks for the blessings that had been bestowed upon them by Divine Providence. This year, as the harvest draws near its close and the year approaches its end, awesome perils again remain to be faced. Yet we have, as in the past, ample reason to be thankful for the abundance of our blessings. We are grateful for the blessings of faith and health and strength and for the imperishable spiritual gifts of love and hope. We give thanks, too, for our freedom as a nation; for the strength of our arms and the faith of our friends; for the beliefs and confidence we share; for our determination to stand firmly for what we believe to be right and to resist mightily what we believe to be base; and for the heritage of liberty bequeathed by our ancestors which we are privileged to preserve for our children and our children’s children. It is right that we should be grateful for the plenty amidst which we live; the productivity of our farms, the output of our factories, the skill of our artisans, and the ingenuity of our investors. But in the midst of our thanksgiving, let us not be unmindful of the plight of those in many parts of the world to whom hunger is no stranger and the plight of those millions more who live without the blessings of liberty and freedom. With some we are able to share our material abundance through our Food-for-Peace Program and through our support of the United Nations Freedom-from-Hunger Campaign. To all we can offer the sustenance of hope that we shall not fail in our unceasing efforts to make this a peaceful and prosperous world for all mankind. NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOHN F. KENNEDY, President of the United States of America, in consonance with the joint resolution of Congress approved December 26, 1941, which designates the fourth Thursday in November of each year as Thanksgiving Day, do hereby proclaim Thursday, the twenty-third day of November of this year, as a day of national thanksgiving. I urge all citizens to make this Thanksgiving not merely a holiday from their labors, but rather a day of contemplation. I ask the head of each family to recount to his children the story of the first New England thanksgiving, thus to impress upon future generations the heritage of this nation born in toil, in danger, in purpose, and in the conviction that right and justice and freedom can through man’s efforts persevere and come to fruition with the blessing of God. Let us observe this day with reverence and with prayer that will rekindle in us the will and show us the way not only to preserve our blessings, but also to extend them to the four corners of the earth. Let us by our example, as well as by our material aid, assist all peoples of all nations who are striving to achieve a better life in freedom. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed. DONE at the City of Washington this twenty-seventh day of October in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and sixty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and eighty-sixth.
So we continue the celebration, today, with our family and friends, of giving thanks to God for his provisions to us personally and to our great nation, even in spite of our current economic challenges.
Presented by City of Antioch and Celebrate Antioch Foundation
Join us for the annual Holiday Delites Celebration in Antioch’s historic, downtown Rivertown on Saturday, December 7th! This event features the community’s illustrious holiday parade on W. 2nd Street at 5:00 p.m. filled with live performers and moving floats, family photo opportunities with Santa, cookie decorating, lighting of the City Christmas Tree, a possible lighted boat parade on the river by local yacht clubs, and much more!
Visit the Sip and Shop Artisan Faire on G Street from 1:00pm-5:00pm hosted by the Celebrate Antioch Foundation. You and your family won’t want to miss this!
Please Note: The evening parade and tree lighting is tentative based on weather. In case of heavy downpour on December 7th, the event will unfortunately be cancelled.
Sign your group up to light up the night with your festive floats, bright costumes, and holiday spirit. Let’s make this celebration the brightest yet! Become part of the magic that is Holiday Delites by visiting antiochca.gov/holiday-delites.
Mark your calendars for the annual Newberry’s Block Toy Drive. Sunday, December 8. 11:00 am-3:00 pm at Lumpy’s Diner, 5891 Lone Tree Way in Antioch.
Please bring an unwrapped gift or $20 donation. Your generous donation will bless underprivileged kids around our area this Christmas season.
Newberry’s B.L.O.C.K. is the nonprofit organization formed by former American professional football player and center for the 49ers, Jeremy Newberry, Benefiting Leagues Offering Children Kindness. It provides underprivileged children the opportunity to participate in sports by sponsoring scholarships and equipment to youth programs
Climate Action & Resilience Plan proposed actions chart. Source: City of Antioch
Mitigations include reducing Vehicle Miles Travelled, expanding bicycle and BART ridership but encourages telecommuting, expand bus system, moratorium on gas station construction, natural gas ban in new construction, growing own food through community gardensand the “Hight Priority Action” of urban farming, plus, buying second-hand items, reducing air travel
“GHG emissions have fallen since 2018” – City staff report
By Allen D. Payton
Even though greenhouse gas emissions have decreased in Antioch over the past several years, according to the staff report on item #6J on the Consent Calendar for tonight’s Antioch City Council meeting, residents and businesses aren’t doing enough to meet state goals. In response, the council is being asked to approve the 2025-2030 Climate Action & Resilience Plan (CARP). The report states, “In 2022 the State of California passed AB 1279 (known as The California Climate Crisis Act), mandating that emissions statewide must fall to 85% of 1990 levels by 2045. The City must update its climate goals to reduce emissions in accordance with State law.” Adopting the plan “at this time allows the City to link it to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Five-year Consolidated Plan, giving some programs identified in the CARP a possible funding source for the next 5 years.”
Chart shows greenhouse gas emissions have decreased in Antioch from 2018 to 2022. Source: City of Antioch
Furthermore, the staff report reads, “In 2010, the City adopted its first Climate Action Plans (CAPs). These CAPs, and subsequent CARP’s, included greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reports from 2005-2022. GHG emissions have fallen since 2018, according to inventories conducted as a part of this CARP update (Fig. A). This document is the second edition of the CARP, which incorporates resiliency into climate work. By incorporating resilience into the climate plan, implementation work is eligible for federal Community Block Development Grant (‘CDBG’) funding.”
Proposed Mitigations
The proposed mitigations to reduce GHG’s in Antioch are as follows:
Transportation Emissions – “encouraging the shift away from single occupancy internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles” and “to reduce total Vehicle Miles Traveled” which is known as Mode Shift.
Develop a Mobility Plan for Antioch
Expand bicycle ridership
Increase BART ridership
Expand current bus system
Work to make downtown more accessible by active transportation and public transportation
Expand bus from BART Station to Antioch’s downtown Rivertown
Continue L Street improvements such as implementation of bike lanes, bus shelters and signal timing
Work regionally to encourage telecommuting options where appropriate (which reduces the need for BART and bus ridership).
Transportation Electrification
Strategically expand EV charging stations
Install charging stations in commercial centers, downtown and in community centers.
Support residents with financing home charger installation with information about rebates.
Support installation of EV chargers in multifamily complexes.
Provide financial incentives and support outreach for programs and policies that encourage the switch to EV.
Implement the purchasing guide for switching the city fleet to EVs by 2029.
Continue advocating for gas station construction moratorium or consider adding the requirement to install EV charging stations at any new gas station.
Electricity Use
While Antioch’s total electricity use has remained more or less consistent since 2005 except for a spike in 2020 and 2021 – during COVID – electricity-related emissions have drastically decreased from 52.7% to 20.3% between 2005 and 2022. This can be attributed to the decreasing share of carbon-based fuels, such as natural gas, that powers PG&E electricity.
Natural Gas Use
Consumption of natural gas in commercial and residential facilities decreased modestly between 2005 and 2017, and since 2018 has remained largely steady with a slight uptick in 2022. Electrical appliances have slowly begun to replace natural gas-powered appliances in some homes, and household solar energy projects have also reduced the share of natural gas in total energy use.
The California Air Resources Board passed a regulation in 2022 that mandated phasing out gas appliances in the state starting in 2030. The City of Antioch can help support this transition through assisting residents with signing up for rebates and continuing to promote organizations such as the Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN), which focuses on on energy, water and greenhouse gas reduction.
Residential Energy Proposed Actions
Energy Efficiency Improvements in homes
Continue outreach for BayREN home improvement rebates
Support Contra Costa County’s Weatherization Program
Encourage Fuel Switching from natural gas to electricity
Consider a natural gas ban in qualifying new construction.
Explore the requirement electric panel upgrades during major renovations or during home sales.
Explore the use of battery storage in tandem with solar.
Partner with organizations like Bay Area SunShares for discounts and Grid Alternatives, formed ‘to build community-powered solutions to advance economic and environmental justice through renewable energy” for expansion of solar installation in Antioch homes and businesses.
Expand outreach to landlords and contractors about electrification.
Continue on bill financing (OBF) and metered energy efficiency, that, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, is an option in which a utility or private lender supplies capital to a customer to make energy efficiency improvements and is repaid through regular payments on an existing utility bill.
Commercial Energy Proposed Actions:
Increase participation in the Green Business (SMB) program
Help the program conduct outreach
Consider additional incentives
Encourage energy audits in commercial buildings
Expand participation in BayREN business programs.
Expand outreach to business owners and contractors about electrification and its benefits.
Incentivize local renewable energy projects.
Source: City of Antioch
Waste
Waste makes up a small fraction (6.1%) of Antioch’s greenhouse gas emissions but have the potential for quick impact. Since 2005, the tonnage of total waste has decreased substantially, though most of the reductions were accomplished by 2010 and waste related emissions have decreased by nearly 29% since 2005.
Organization waste as a percentage of total waste has declined slightly, also reducing emissions. When organic waste is put in the trash bin and joins the landfill, its decomposition lacks oxygen and leads to methane release. Methane is a short-lived but incredible potent greenhouse gas in the atmosphere and is 28 times more powerful at trapping heat than carbon dioxide.
California’s SB 1383 requires every jurisdiction to provide organic waste collection services to all households and businesses. (See related article) Antioch’s composting program has helped reduce the share of organics in landfill by storing decaying matter in productive soil.
Proposed Actions:
Expand awareness and reach of commercial and residential composting program
Provide more community outreach into h ow to correctly sort waste (what should be put in compost, recycling, landfill and what is hazardous waste).
Hire part-time staff to work primarily on outreach for the program with a focus on community events.
Examine urban farming as a way to work toward a circular economy through local use of compost generated from local organic waste.
City and Waste Hauler coordinate to provide more frequent community compost giveaway offerings for residents to improve their garden soil health for growing their own food. Currently there is one annual event.
City encourages and funds the creation of more community gardens throughout Antioch, especially in low-income, food-insecure neighborhoods that create their own compost for food waster and/or receive compost from the City’s Waste Hauler (Republic Services).
Expand food rescue programs
Assist food rescue organizations in working with more restaurants (and other edible food generators) to maximize donation of all edible food.
Partner with homeless shelters to provide food from rescue efforts.
Campaign to reduce single-use plastics to reduce waste and plastic pollution.
Increase education efforts to the public on the many ways that plastic is harmful and how to use less of it, especially single-use plastic.
Consumption Based Inventory
Consumption-based emissions are those that are released in the production of all goods that are consumed by a community. The report shows a chart that includes food consumed, electricity, natural gas and vehicle fuel use, appliances, entertainment equipment and clothing purchased and services.
The report states, “The scale of Antioch’s contributions to global greenhouse gas emissions is significantly higher when taking a more holistic approach to a community’s carbon emissions…the community can strive to be more conscious about consumption and travel patterns. Purchasing locally produced goods…can lower the emissions associated with the transportation required to move goods across counties, states and countries. Reducing air travel can also drastically reduce a household’s carbon footprint.
Proposed Actions:
Encourage residents to buy items second hand whenever possible, to reduce overall emissions from consumption.
Support programs such as fix-it clinics, maker spaces and sharing networks.
Community Engagement
Youth Engagement Proposed Actions Include:
Encourage AUSD to incorporate topics about climate change, environmental resilience and green technology into the curriculum beginning in elementary schools. Antioch High School is already a leader in incorporating sustainability into the curriculum.
Bike Path Challenge – support students in designing and developing a bike path from Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve to the downtown waterfront area.
Prepare the Antioch workforce for a changing climate
Invest in workforce training programs for construction, green building, electricians,
mechanics, advanced manufacturing and PV installers.
Provide opportunities for low-income residents to acquire living wage jobs
Reduce commuting times for Antioch residents and workers
Retain and expand small local businesses, which are hubs for jobs, critical infrastructure and community resilience.
Proposed Actions Include:
Establish local preference policies in procurement guidelines.
Work with Northern Waterfront Economic Development Initiative (NWEDI) on strengthening an equitable local green economy with local jobs and effective workforce development programs.
Partner with educational institutions to promote green career pathways and provide professional experiences to students in building, planning and conservation.
Economic Security and Equity
The report states, “The heat-or-eat dilemma already faced by low-income families by may soon become a ‘cool-or-eat’ dilemma during the summer months. Damages related to flooding, which will occur in neighborhoods with higher levels of low-income residents, put further strain on household finances and health.
In these ways, Antioch’s low-income residents are most vulnerable to the projected effects of climate change. The City should develop the capacity to aid and support low-income neighborhoods in responding to these challenges.”
Source: City of Antioch
Proposed Actions
Hire low-income community representative to better understand the needs of low-income neighborhoods and more effectively conduct engagement efforts
Develop guidelines to encourage urban farming and home gardening in the Antioch community
Center equity in consideration of climate policy and programming.
Benefits include:
Equity:
Provide increased economic opportunity for low-income communities and communities of color
Build trust between the City of Antioch and low-income communities and communities of color
Improve the health of low-income communities and communities of color
Improve the qualify of life for unsheltered persons.
Public Health:
Improve outdoor and indoor air quality
Reduce health events related to extreme heat
Resource Conservation:
Improve sustainability by reducing use of finite resources
Water
Energy
Single-use plastics
Transportation Goals:
Reduce the Vehicle Miles Travelled in the Antioch community through encouraging transportation mode shift
Reduce emissions impact of Vehicle Miles Travelled through vehicle electrification
Energy Goals:
Increase fuel switching from natural gas to electricity
Increase energy security by reducing energy demand
Reduce the impact of electricity use on greenhouse gas emissions
Waste Goals:
Begin building the system to transform Antioch into a low carbon, low waste community and contribute to a circular economy
Gather community engagement and support for a circular economy
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “A circular economy keeps materials and products in circulation for as long as possible. A circular economy reduces material use, redesigns materials and products to be less resource intensive, and recaptures ‘waste’ as a resource to manufacture new materials and products.”
Community Development Goals:
Strengthen Antioch’s social and economic systems to promote resilience
Remove barriers to economic, political and social participation in low-income communities and communities of color
Expand engagement between the City of Antioch and the Antioch community
The Antioch City Council’s regular open session meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 200 H Street in historic, downtown Rivertown. The meeting can also be seen via livestream on the City’s website or viewed on either Comcast local cable channel 24 or AT&T U-verse channel 99.
