To the editor:

As a neighborly follow-up to your posting wisely alerting people to be wary of opening a door to strangers, we have had kids going through our neighborhood asking to rake leaves. Having mowed lawns and shoveled snow as a youngster, I am never one to impede youthful enterprise.

Leave it to Beaver, though, is no longer the norm in these less than innocent times. Alarmingly, older kids are sometimes not far behind the avowed rakers. Somehow that makes you wonder.

Just like there is no such thing as a stupid question, there is no such thing as a stupid call to the police. Ask our men and women in blue to be vigilant and maybe drive by. This, after all, is a repeat of the common practice of kids ringing your bell collecting for a basketball league or some such extra-curricular activity. Truth be told, I not only habitually get puzzled at the private club they represent as it seems I have never heard of it.

Worse yet, given the burglary climate, I have bigger fears than contributing to a possible sham. It could be legit; it could be a set-up. It’s easy to feel guilty because we don’t want to doubt people asking for help, but preying on guilt can be a practiced art. Consider the studies that show that as much as 70% and upwards of beggars use their panhandled money for drugs.

You owe it to your family. Better safe than sorry.

I must confess that as a former New Yorker I have had to adjust to casual California where the doors rarely have peepholes and police locks (now called door jammers or braces) are uncommon. Those devices are poles, like long car clubs, that stick in the floor propped into the door. It would take a battering ram to force the door open.

New Yorkers take this stuff seriously and, obviously, jammers are far better than the useless door chain. Those decorative bracelets might stop a seven year old but they, and sorry to say, that $30 lock you are so proud of, are laughable to even a mere 130-pound crack addict with two good legs looking for their next fix.

Advice: If you are a woman and answer the door you might wish to yell upstairs, “honey, it’s some kids” -even if no male is home it sends a message you’re not to be messed with.

Incidentally, I met a fellow at the Golden Gate Bell Ringer and Boys Chorus concert last night who said that nine homes on his block had recently been burglarized. Five of them had previously shrugged off joining the local Neighborhood Watch group. Any wonder why they now sing a different tune?

Walter Ruehlig

By Harry Stoll

I parked in the lot by Antioch Lumber under a silverblue sky. On the glass river an outboard yellow boat was anchored facing upstream. Three still silhouettes held three poles, one facing aft one forward one facing the windblades spinning white across the river.

The eternal dog was let out of the eternal station wagon, his tongue hanging out looking forward to whatever was to be.

The waterhouse inlet was spiritual in its commonness under the slanting sun. The bridge rose in a shallow slight wiry arc across the eastern horizon.

I drove “downtown.” Outside Nature’s Bounty a Conestoga sat on the sidewalk. An animal cage lashed to it and totes and paper bags and blankets and clothes hanging haphazardly but with some definite grand plan. The undercarriage may have once been corporate.

I went in, the young counter woman said she couldn’t make me a sandwich they were soon to close. Only soup remained. Lentil curry. OK said I.

The wagonmistress of the Conestoga was there. I remembered her. Young, maybe once pretty but with a face scarred scared and red. I didn’t know the whereabouts of the soup spoons and she brought and offered them to me. I thanked her and tried for eye contact. Nothing. I believe I wrote about her several years ago in one of my river pilgrimages.

I drank the soup seated in my Caddie then headed a poetic west. The Antioch Radiator Company abandoned was still sinking one corner into the primordial muck. I passed the citadel PD, turned right toward the giant vise grips in the sky. Smacked down to the ground now. Storage units to go there.

“Conforms to the zoning for the area, the General Plan, the highest best use of the land, the Dead Hand, approval recommended with the findings of.”

I headed toward the civilized Hazel’s. To the south the sensuous folds of Diablo were dark when low and light when high.

On December 16 at 7:56 a.m. Antioch officers were called to the Riverview Motel at 3120 E 18th Street for a 52-year-old Martinez woman needing medical assistance. When the officers arrived on scene they found the female deceased from what appeared to be blunt force injuries.

Also in the room with the female was her estranged boyfriend, who was interviewed by Antioch Detectives. The motel room was in disarray, and it appears as if a violent struggle ensued. Detectives are interviewing witnesses and more information will become available at a later time.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Stenger at 779-6894.

On December 12th Antioch Officers responded to the report of a prowler at a residence in the southeast area of Antioch. The resident reported that someone had forced open her side garage door.

Approximately 15 minutes prior to hearing the garage door being kicked in, the resident reported two male suspects were ringing her door bell, but she didn’t answer the door. These suspects were undoubtedly the ones who forced open the garage door and were planning on burglarizing the home. Fortunately, they left before committing the crime.

The resident was able to provide detailed descriptions of the suspects as well as the vehicle they were driving and their direction of travel when they left the area. This information was crucial for the responding officers and it assisted them in locating the suspects.

The vehicle they were in had been reported stolen. The suspects tried to elude the officer, but crashed the car and then fled on foot into the neighborhood. Responding officers established a perimeter and conducted a yard-to-yard search for the suspects. They were successful in apprehending one of the suspects who had an extensive criminal history.

The suspects in this case would have been further deterred had the resident taken the following steps when the suspect’s first rang the door bell.

Some people who go door-to-door are motivated for legitimate reasons, but others are motivated to commit burglaries or thefts. Here are some measures that will help curb these types of crimes:

When someone knocks at your door, always acknowledge you are home. Talk through the door without opening it. If you don’t answer, and it happens to be a criminal, they may attempt to break into your home.

You are not obligated to open the door for anyone. Identification should always be verified before opening the door. A wide-angle door viewer is necessary if you cannot see the person at your door. A service representative should have an appointment and should not just “show up” at your door.

Do not rely on a door chain for security. Partially opening a door equipped with a door chain is not a safe practice. The door is not secured. A door chain cannot withstand physical force. To ensure your safety, follow these simple steps:

Talk to the person through the door. If you don’t know the person, don’t open the door.

Ask the person what they need. If it is a car problem, offer to call their road service for them. If it is an accident, call 911 for them. The idea is to keep them outside and you make the call for them.

Ask them to stand by while you place the call. If the person(s) stays, it is a good chance that they are legitimate; however, if they leave quickly, they are probably up to no good.

As with any suspicious circumstances, information about the suspect is a great benefit to the police who are responding to locate the suspect. Take a good look at their face, clothing, any distinguishing features, direction of travel, other persons with them, vehicle, etc.

If the person leaves quickly, consider it to be suspicious and report the activity by calling Police Dispatch. You can call 911 if it’s an emergency or the non-emergency number (925) 778-2441 if an emergency doesn’’t exist.

If you have concerns about the person knocking on your door and are thinking about calling the police, err on the side of caution and make the call. It is better to pass the information on. It may just be the very piece of information the police need to stop an individual whose only purpose is to victimize you or your neighbor.

Remember, being aware, being observant and getting involved, will make our community safer.

Antioch Charter Academy II received a $10,000 grant in November from the Hershey Foundation. Colleen Dow, an employee of Hershey, chose the school as the receipient of the grant. Wednesday, December 14, at an assembly, Colleen presented the check with balloons and chocolate kisses for all. Colleen is a parent of one of the middle school students, Lance Dow. Students, parents and staff will be discussing possible ways to use the grant money. Photos courtesy of Jeannie Dubitsky.

By Walter Ruehlig

The Antioch 2012 Fourth of July Parade and Fireworks Planning Committee came to the City Council meeting on December 13th bearing both gifts and good news. The Committee presented the Mayor and Council members with t-shirts announcing “The Tradition Returns.”

Joy Motts and Martha Parsons, who have been beating the pavement tirelessly, also shared the good tidings that the Committee had received two corporate pledges and a foundation grant of a guaranteed minimum of five thousand dollars each, or fifteen thousand total, with a possible range of up to $25,000 coming from two of the sponsors.

The donors are in the midst of annual budgeting so won’t know the exact amount until March. We will temporarily keep their identity anonymous but traction for a full blown event now seems sure.

The Committee, which has been meeting monthly, is chaired by Louis Green, Allen Payton and Walter Ruehlig. Logistics is being handled by Tim Forrester and Wayne Harrison; corporate fund-raising by Joy Motts and Martha Parsons; citizen fund-raising by Jim and Earlene Lantier; Kids Zone activities by Jeff Warrenburg; food by Robin Agopian; note-taking by Carole Harrison; meeting venue by Connie Kumar of Ricks on Second; promotion by Al Mason and Kerry Motts.

The Committee has set a deadline of January 15th to raise, via corporate and foundation donations, half the 60K funding needed for a full-blown event and then kick-off a citizen donations campaign. More details will follow regarding needed community support.

T-shirt, Glo-sticks and youth-group run soft beverage sales the day of the event will generate additional money for future celebrations. The intention, though, is to be in the black before then. The fireworks bill runs 20K, barge 5K, police holiday coverage 16K, city set-up/clean-up 3K; with incidental costs of promotion, sound system, stages, etc.

The goal is to bring back this celebration, now privately funded, as Antioch’s preeminent, signature civic event. Plans are emerging for a classic car show, eating contest, ten food booths, multiple bands, kids zone, parade with Clydesdale horses, and a grand finale fireworks show.

Past events used to generate crowds of fifteen and twenty thousand. We hope to rebuild to, and then surpass, that figure and to put our city on the map as a premier family fun Fourth of July celebration.

If you have fundraising or event ideas to share, or perhaps an interest in joining the Steering Committee, contact Walter Ruehlig at (925) 756-7628 or walter.ruehlig @gmail.com.

I don’t want to sound like the Grinch who stole Christmas, but I find it ironic that BART, which is planning a future ballot measure to ask voters in 3 counties to approve a $651 million dollar parcel tax to replace aging train cars, last week gave commuters more than 65,000 vouchers for free round trip rides. (Last year BART distributed 60,000 free round trip vouchers.)

Because, like Ben Franklin I believe “A penny saved is a penny earned”, I object to taxpayer-subsidized public agencies acting like Santa Claus and handing out thousands of dollars of freebies. Therefore, I decided to query BART as to the actual cost of their holiday shopping promotion.

I was subsequently informed that this year’s holiday promotion cost BART approximately the same as last year’s promotion, e.g. $25,000 to print the vouchers, hire the street teams to hand them out and other associated costs, and that the promotions were designed specifically to increase leisure ridership as the vast majority of riders use it solely during weekdays to get to and from work.

BART’s communication officer also told me that “last year’s promotion didn’t cost us anything, rather it made money. This is for two reasons: as I mentioned, not all trips taken with the free tickets would have been made without the incentive because those people normally would have been making the trip in a car. We’re not losing money because that person would have been driving anyway.

“Second, many of the riders using free tickets last year brought along companions who paid full fare. In fact, 36% of those riding last year did so with an average of 1.82 fare-paying companions, thereby adding to our revenue Even using the conservative numbers (total expenditure for last year’s promotion $24,207.59), the program made its money back and 28% in additional revenue.”

Frankly, I’m having a hard time following BART’s logic. BART has a history of inaccurate financial projections and a problem increasing ridership. BART does, however, know how to wage strong public relations campaigns.

Although one of the latest got called out on the carpet after the Bay Citizen ran an article on September 15th entitled “BART Promises to Stop Faking the News”. The reporter noted that BART Board President Bob Franklin promised the embattled agency would stop trying to push fake news, referring to a clumsy media manipulation strategy hatched by former BART spokesman Lindon Johnson who had tried unsuccessfully to recruit loyal passengers to attend a press conference and read from a BART-friendly script he wrote.

Although he spent public funds on limos to ferry the loyal passengers, none showed up. Franklin said the agency decided to never do that again. However, Johnson’ s direct boss Jennifer Barton said it was not the first time the public agency had given loyal customers “talking points” to use with the news media.

Let’s hope BART turns a new leaf in the New Year.

———————-

Original column:

I find it ironic that BART, which continually cries poor mouth, last week gave commuters more than 65,000 vouchers for free round-trip rides to lure them to take transit to do their Christmas shopping.

Let’s take a look at what the hit was to BART’s budget. A ONE-way trip ride from Walnut Creek to Montgomery Street Station in San Francisco is $4.75, a ONE-way trip from Pittsburg/Bay Point to San Francisco is $5.95.

The vouchers were for ROUND-trip rides. Using the single fare rate, a round-trip voucher from Walnut Creek to Montgomery Street Station would be $9.50 ($9.50 times 65,000 is $61,750). A round-trip voucher from Pittsburg/Bay Point would be $11.90 ($11.90 times 65,000 is $77,350.)

I know that senior fares and clipper cards are cheaper than the above quoted rate, but that’s not the point. A taxpayer-subsidized transit system shouldn’t be acting like Santa Claus and doling out thousands of dollars in a vain hope to increase ridership.

The BART board of directors, which includes former Antioch mayor Joel Keller, should be ashamed of themselves.

By Mary Nejedly Piepho
District III Supervisor
Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors

Many may remember the fierce water battle days of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. These battles culminated in the California State Legislature passing legislation that authorized the construction of a Peripheral Canal that would have had significant negative impacts on Contra Costa County, the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta and the San Francisco Bay.

Some involved in those water policy negotiations are still around, like former county supervisor Sunne Wright McPeak, retired state legislator Daniel E. Boatwright, Governor Jerry Brown and Congressman George Miller. Unfortunately others are not around, like my dad the late state senator John A. Nejedly.

In 1982 a grass-roots effort ultimately defeated the Peripheral Canal by a state-wide voter initiative. While that battle was won on behalf of the Delta and good public policy, the interest and focus of those who sought our water to begin with never went away.

In 2009 the California State Legislature again took up the issue of water supply and reliability for all Californians by convening an Extraordinary Session to focus solely on water. The culmination of this legislative session was the creation of SBX7-1, a comprehensive package reforming governance of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and related aspects of statewide water management.

It became clear the Delta and our local interests were in the cross-hairs of Southern California and Valley interests. A water grab was once again at play. The five Delta County Coalition (DCC) was formed to enhance our advocacy and we have been working feverishly ever since. Our goal is to interject local interests into the development of any policy related to our Delta.

We sought and won in the SBX7-1 legislative language protections for the Delta “as a place”, reduce reliance on the Delta, establish “co-equal goals” and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy, restructure the Delta Protection Commission to better represent local government and stake-holders, promote regional self-sufficiency, and designate the Delta as a National Heritage Area.

“‘Co-equal goals’ means the two goals of providing a more reliable water supply for California and protecting, restoring, and enhancing the Delta ecosystem.” (CA Water Code §85054)

We did not succeed however on gaining meaningful representation (we sought 3 Delta seats) on the newly formed Delta Stewardship Council (DSC), but we did get a seat for the chair of the Delta Protection Commission (DPC).

We sought legislative oversight over the newly formed Delta Stewardship Council and the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). This request was important for us because the power behind water is money and votes. In this regard, northern California is in a very vulnerable position. Unfortunately, this good public policy request was denied.

The five Delta Coalition sought oversight that had direct accountability to the public and the taxpayer. The DSC operates under a public meeting format, but the sitting members are appointed by the Governor and legislature. What the DSC ultimately decides to do under their legislated authority, which includes development of a Delta Plan to “guide state and local actions in the Delta in a manner that furthers the co-equal goals of Delta restoration and water supply reliability”, is final. Whether we like it or not.

This is extremely relevant, particularly since the DSC also has the authority to hear appeals with regard to determinations that the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) has met its legal standards under Water Code Section 85320.

Here is the kicker. The BDCP is the Peripheral Canal of the 21st Century. The BDCP is project based, i.e. canal construction, and is paid for principally by Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Kern County Water Agency, and Westlands Water District to the tune of $240 million dollars. A third is paid for by the federal government (which means me and you). This is only for the cost of permits and does not include any construction or mitigation expenses. The BDCP provides 50-year operating permits under the state and federal Endangered Species Acts.

There is no question that our Delta is at risk and needs our help. It is time for us to work together and perform as our citizens deserve. We must first begin with identifying what the Delta and Bay need to get healthy and stay that way. Until then, the fight will continue.