Diane Burgis takes helm as Chair, Ken Carlson to serve as Vice Chair

By Kristi Jourdan, PIO, Contra Costa County

(Martinez, CA) – The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors held its annual reorganization meeting Tuesday at the County Administration Building, ushering in a new chapter of leadership. District 3 Supervisor Diane Burgis was sworn in as Chair, and District 4 Supervisor Ken Carlson assumed the role of Vice Chair. Their oaths of office were administered by the Honorable Edward G. Weil, a Contra Costa County Superior Court judge.

Supervisor Burgis represents the 222,000 residents of District 3, which includes a portion of Antioch, plus, Bethel Island, Brentwood, Byron, Discovery Bay, Knightsen and Oakley. First elected in 2016 and reelected in 2024, she serves on over 30 local and regional committees, including as Chair of the Legislation Committee, and the Internal Operations Committee. She also leads California’s Delta Protection Commission and serves on the State’s Delta Stewardship Council.

“At a time when our communities are facing complex challenges, I look forward to advancing solutions that strengthen emergency preparedness and public safety, expand access to mental health services, and ensure County government remains responsive, equitable, and accountable to the residents we serve,” Chair Burgis said.

Supervisor Carlson represents District 4, which includes the cities of Clayton, Pleasant Hill and a majority of Concord and Walnut Creek. He brings a strong background in public service and community engagement, with a focus on equity, mental health, and public safety.

“Serving as Vice Chair is an opportunity to help guide the County’s work with stability, collaboration, and a clear focus on results,” said Vice Chair Ken Carlson. “Alongside Chair Burgis and the full Board, my focus will be on delivering practical solutions that support public safety, promote mental health and well-being, and reflect the values of the diverse communities we represent.”

Chair Burgis and Vice Chair Carlson will lead the five-member Board, which oversees a $7.16 billion budget and serves 1.2 million residents across Contra Costa County.

For more information about the Board of Supervisors, visit: https://www.contracosta.ca.gov/9970/Board-of-Supervisors. For more information about Supervisor Diane Burgis, visit: https://www.contracosta.ca.gov/6437/District-3-Supervisor-Diane-Burgis. For more information about Supervisor Ken Carlson, visit: cccounty.us/Carlson.

By City of Antioch

Join us for an important community conversation about human trafficking. We’re screening “Buying Her,” a powerful documentary exposing the realities of human trafficking in America. This is a chance to learn, connect with local advocates and take action.

Friday, January 23 | 6:00 PM

El Campanil Theatre, 602 W. 2nd Street, Antioch

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

• Panel discussion with local experts & service providers
• Q&A session

Why this matters:

• Raise awareness about human trafficking
• Educate on warning signs & prevention
• Inspire action for change

If you or someone you know needs help:

National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888

RSVP: bit.ly/screeningbuyingher

Together, we can make a difference.

Presents it to Pastor Damon and Shantell Owens of Genesis Church

During their meeting on Tuesday night, January 13, 2026, the Antioch City Council unanimously approved the following proclamation honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and presented it to Pastor Damon and Shantell Owens of Genesis Church in Antioch. District 1 Councilwoman Monica Wilson was absent. But first, Pastor Owens spoke followed by District 1 Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker sharing his bio and her experience working with him in her district.

WHEREAS, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. taught us that we are ultimately measured not by where we stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but by the stand taken during times of challenge and controversy;
WHEREAS, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy reminds us that moral leadership does not require a person to be in elected office or hold a position of power. Instead, exercising moral authority requires the will to do the right thing;
WHEREAS, Dr. King helped transform how our country saw itself and its future, providing a framework for how each of us can shape the future and working toward something better;
WHEREAS, The King Center has declared their theme for 2026 is ‘Mission Possible 2: Building Community, Uniting a Nation the Nonviolent Way’. This theme defines the 2026 King Holiday Observance events and programming while serving as a compass for all the work accomplished this upcoming calendar year and beyond; and
WHEREAS, Antioch’s Recreation Department has planned for Martin Luther King Jr. Day to spend “a day on, not a day off,” encouraging all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. Let’s work together to build a stronger Antioch!
Participate on January 19, 2026, from 9:00 am-3:00 pm at the following Locations: Antioch Community Center, Antioch Skatepark, and Antioch High School Theatre. (See related article)
NOW, THEREFORE, I, RON BERNAL, Mayor of the City of Antioch, do hereby proclaim January 19, 2026, as “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.” and call on all of us to gather strength from Dr. King’s legacy and use our moral authority to push for a more equitable city, state, society and world.
JANUARY 13, 2026

RON BERNAL, Mayor

To expand respite care

By Nikki Lopez

Caregiver OneCall, an Antioch-based nonprofit, will host the All Our Love for Caregivers Gala on February 26, 2026, bringing together community leaders, advocates, and supporters to raise funds and awareness for caregiver support and expanded respite care across East Contra Costa County and the greater region. The event will be held at Center Concord, 5298 Clayton Road.

Caregiver OneCall was founded to support unpaid family caregivers who provide daily care for loved ones with dementia, disabilities, chronic illness, or complex medical needs. While caregiving affects families of all ages and backgrounds, many caregivers experience exhaustion, isolation, and burnout with little access to relief or guidance.

Funds raised through the gala will directly support expanded respite services, caregiver training, and real-time support for caregivers. Respite care allows caregivers temporary relief so they can rest, work, attend appointments, or simply recharge, helping prevent burnout and family crisis.

The evening will be celebratory while centering on the serious realities caregivers face. The program will feature lived caregiver stories and the recognition of individuals who have made a meaningful impact on caregivers and families in the community.

The gala will be emceed by Dave Clark of KTVU, longtime Bay Area media personality and caregiver advocate. Christina Irving of Family Caregiving Alliance will deliver the keynote address, sharing insights on the importance of caregiver support and policies needed. Debbie Toth, CEO of Choice in Aging, will be honored for her leadership and dedication to aging, individuals with disabilities, and caregiver services. The evening will also include a special musical performance and caregiver story shared by Anastacia Downey, award-winning Bay Area neo-soul artist and caregiver.

While rooted in Antioch, Caregiver OneCall serves caregivers throughout the region through partnerships with community organizations, ensuring caregivers are supported, informed, and never left to navigate care alone.

Community members, caregivers, leaders, and philanthropists are invited to attend, learn more about the importance of respite care, and support an organization strengthening families across the region.

Event Details

Event: All Our Love for Caregivers Gala

Date: February 26, 2026

Location: Center Concord, 5298 Clayton Road

Organization: Caregiver OneCall

Purpose: Fundraising and awareness to expand respite care and caregiver support

Service Area: East Contra Costa County and surrounding communities

Get your ticket: www.caregiveronecall.org

24/7 Free Support Line: 833-927-6599

Held on $2.92 million bail

Police share latest condition of victim

By Lt. William Whitaker #6155, Antioch Police Investigations Bureau

On Monday, January 12, 2026, Ryan Hardy, the suspect in the shooting of an 11-year-old girl in Antioch on January 5th, self-surrendered to the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office.

As a result of the continued investigation, detectives have determined that the victim and her family were not involved in any criminal activity at the time of the shooting. The shooting appears to have occurred because of a misidentification of the intended target. The case is expected to be filed with the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office later this week.

As previously reported, on Monday January 5, 2026, at 12:38 PM, Antioch Police Department officers responded to a report of shots fired in the parking lot of the Delta View Apartment complex located at 3915 Delta Fair Boulevard. While officers were responding, they learned that an 11-year-old girl had sustained a gunshot wound to the head while inside a vehicle in the apartment complex parking lot. 

On Jan. 7th, police identified Hardy and encouraged him to peacefully surrender.

Asked about the condition of the girl, Lt. Whitaker responded, “She is trending in the right direction. She is stable, staring to regain her sight and can walk. It will be a long road of recovery, but she is alive.”

Previously, he shared that “the bullet is lodged in her head and they’re trying to monitor to her to decide if they’re going to remove it or leave it.” Asked if the doctors had made a determination, Whitaker responded, “They are leaving it in for 90 days and will then reassess.”

According to the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office, the 23-year-old Hardy is being held on $2.92 million bail, currently in San Francisco County Jail #2.

The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to contact Antioch Police Detective John Cox at (925) 481-8147 or via email at jcox@antiochca.gov.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

During first meeting of the year

By Allen D. Payton

During the first regular meeting of 2026, Tuesday night, Jan. 13, the Antioch City Council will discuss three options for opening warming centers during severe cold spells, including relying on the County, partnering with faith-based and community organizations or a City-funded warming center.

The council will first hold a Closed Session on three matters, the recruitment of a new City Attorney, significant exposure to two potential lawsuits and conference with labor negotiators regarding contracts with various City employee groups.

In addition, during the regular meeting the Council will review the Council 90-Day Request List Items submitted through November; appoint a City representative to the Contra Costa County Library Commission through June 2029; consider  approving the proposed 2026 City Council 6-Month Priorities to guide policy direction; discuss approving a waiver of “City-only” building permit fees, up to $50,000, for Loaves & Fishes of Contra Costa (LFCC) for renovations to their property located at 408 O Street; and forming a General Plan Advisory Committee that could include Councilmembers, Planning Commissioners and representatives from the community.

Warming Centers

According to the City staff report for the item, #7 on the agenda, the Council will discuss three options for warming centers:

Option 1: Rely exclusively on Contra Costa County’s warming center program, acknowledging that no guaranteed warming center location currently exists in Antioch.

Option 2: Direct staff to pursue partnerships with faith-based or community organizations to explore shared staffing, resource-sharing, or cost-sharing models for warming center operations.

Option 3: Direct staff to further evaluate a City-funded warming center, recognizing the staffing, cost and operational challenges identified above. Nightly expenses would range from $3,500 to $4,500.

Contra Costa County opens warming centers during severe cold spells based on National Weather Service (NWS) criteria, which specify predicted temperatures at or below 32 degrees for three straight days. When County warming centers are activated, City staff coordinate with the County to support advance community notification.

While the County has confirmed it will activate centers during qualifying conditions there are currentlyno guaranteed or identified warming center locations in East Contra Costa County, including Antioch. As a result, Antioch residents may need to travel outside the immediate area to access County-operated warming centers when they are activated.

The Public Safety and Community Service Department (PSCR) has activated a hoteling-based emergency placement program. This Emergency Motel Voucher Program (EMVP) is a separate, non-congregate emergency response strategy designed to address life safety risks during severe weather events, particularly when congregate warming center options are unavailable, inaccessible, or not appropriate for certain individuals. EMVP does not replace warming centers, but instead provides a focused, referral-based option for high-vulnerability individuals during qualifying conditions.

In the absence of a County-operated warming center in Antioch, City staff has explored whether local churches or community organizations were independently operating public warming centers. None were found to operate public warming centers. However, one Antioch-based church has recently expressed willingness to activate a warming center if the City provided funding for staffing, supplies, and operations. Another option is for the City to work with local faith-based organizations to jointly explore partnership models, shared-resource approaches, or cost-sharing options, which might be more sustainable than a City-operated center.

Another option considered is for the City of Antioch to operate its own warming center based on activation criteria established by the Council, such as when temperatures fall below 40 degrees or other local thresholds. However, this option is not recommended due to staffing limits and high estimated costs. All responsibilities would be managed through overtime, with estimated nightly expenses ranging from $3,500 to $4,500.

Meeting Details

The Closed Session begins at 5:00 p.m. and the regular meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall located at 200 H Street in Antioch’s historic, downtown Rivertown. It can also be viewed via livestream on the City’s website and the City’s YouTube Channel, on Comcast Cable Channel 24 or AT&T U-verse Channel 99.

See complete meeting packet.

The Antioch Lapidary Club will hold its annual Jewelry, Gem & Rock Show at the Contra Costa County Event Park (fairgrounds) on Saturday and Sunday, February 21 and 22, 2026. (See flier for details)

The club is dedicated to education and conservation of our resources. We cordially invite you to experience the fascinating and little-known world of lapidary. Lapidary is the art of cutting and shaping all manner of rocks, minerals, fossils and gems to create beautiful art forms. The Antioch Lapidary Club is looking for new members with a curious mind and willingness to discover the many sides to this skill.

This is a hands-on, involved club and all new members are welcome, as well as curious guests.
Our club reaches out to schools and youth groups to educate children about the fascinating world we live in! We also host Shows and Rock Swaps to let Rockhounds from all over California (and beyond!) to come together.

To learn more about the club click here. Although our club takes field trips out into the field to collect precious and semi-precious stones, we also make sure to respect both the land and the wildlife that has to share space in the area.

At gas station early Monday morning

By Lt. Michael Mellone, Field Services Division, Antioch Police Department

On Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at 1:11 a.m., Antioch Police Department officers responded to the ARCO at 3300 Hillcrest Avenue for a report of a disturbance. Upon arrival, officers located a 17-year-old juvenile suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. The juvenile was transported to an area hospital for medical treatment, and his condition is not considered life-threatening.

The victim’s identity is not being released.

This incident is being actively investigated by APD detectives. Investigators are conducting follow-up interviews, collecting and analyzing evidence, and reviewing available video and other investigative leads in an effort to identify and locate all involved parties. The investigation into this incident remains ongoing. To protect the integrity of the investigation, the Antioch Police Department is not releasing additional details at this time.

Anyone with information related to this case is encouraged to contact the Antioch Police Department Investigations Unit at (925) 779-6926. You may also email information to tips@antiochca.gov. Tipsters may remain anonymous.