On May 22 at approximately 7:47 p.m., Antioch police received calls about a shooting victim in the 2300 block of D Street. When officers arrived, they located the victim, a 19-year-old Antioch man, on the sidewalk. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

On the evening of July 12, Antioch police investigators arrested without incident Antonio Esquivel, 21, a transient whose last known address was in Pittsburg, while he was driving in Antioch. The arrest was on a warrant charging him with murder in this case.

Later that night, detectives stopped Steven Abundis, 21, of Pittsburg, while he was driving in Oakley and arrested him without incident for a warrant charging him with murder in connection with this investigation. A detective discovered a loaded 9 mm pistol concealed in the driver’s side door panel of the car. Abundis was driving the vehicle that was used during the murder, according to police. He is the owner of the car.

A search warrant was then served on Abundis’ home where he resides with his parents. An AK-47 style assault rifle, a .22 caliber rifle and approximately one pound of marijuana were located on the premises. These items were identified as Abundis’ property. The murder weapon in this case is still outstanding.

Investigators interviewed both men throughout the night, and Esquivel confessed to shooting and killing the victim, according to police. According to Esquivel, he and the victim did not know one another. He claims to have thrown the pistol used in the killing in the trash somewhere on Buchanan Road in Pittsburg.

Esquivel said that in October 2010 there was a confrontation between two groups of people in the area of the Antioch downtown waterfront. Esquivel and the victim were members of the opposing groups. Esquivel claimed that the victim tried to throw him off the wall above the railroad tracks.

Esquivel was able to hold on to the rail. Esquivel’s friends came to his aid and one of them stabbed the victim. Investigators have confirmed that a confrontation did occur and involved the victim of the murder.

Abundis is denying being present at the scene of the murder and claims he had no knowledge of the crime.

Investigators were able to identify both men as suspects based on information received from the public. Abundis and Esquivel are friends, and known to associate with local gang members in the West Boulevard area of Pittsburg, according to police. Investigators are continuing to work toward determining whether or not they are actually gang members.

One key piece of evidence in this case was a tattoo that Esquivel received approximately two weeks after the murder. The tattoo on his chest reads, “No warning shots.” It is believed this was a way to memorialize the murder of the victim, although Esquivel denies that was the reason he got the tattoo.

Both men have been booked at the Contra Costa County Jail. Their bails are $1 million each. Additional charges involving gang membership, the assault weapon and possession for sale of marijuana and various other charges may be added in the future.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation should contact Detective Desmond Bittner at (925) 779-6939.

To the Editor,

Why is it that the state can’t get its educational priorities straight, since the “kids” are our future? It’s simple. Over 100 years ago we needed men and women to fill a need in industry.

These individuals didn’t have a need to know about money, only what they were getting an hour and how to pay their bills. School districts all over the country fell prey to the philosophy “push them through school so we can be a powerful economic force.” And in the pushing there wasn’t a need to teach them that they could be more than spokes on the wheels of prosperity, but a vital force to expand that success. So the study of money, how it works and how to use it was left out.

Now we are faced with a dilemma: our money is not money anymore (backed with gold) – it’s currency floating in value on the world market. Big business has shipped thousands, if not millions, of jobs overseas, or has sold out to foreign concerns that have no interest in supporting U.S. workers.

Is there any possible answer to fixing this? Yes, there is but it will be a work in progress for several years if we start now, decades if we don’t.

We need to not just look at our current system, but at a model that would first create an atmosphere of entrepreneurship. Students who have a vested interest in their own businesses would be able to do many beneficial things, like raise the tax base, contribute to the educational system and lower crime. They would leave a legacy for their posterity to build on in instead.

Students who are taught about having their own businesses would need, even want, to know more on how to grow it through an education about what money is and how to use it. Some of these same young business owners would start to fill the empty storefronts in town. They could give back to the school district with donations, mentoring, and time to help others find the “American Dream.” These future business people would able to hire others reducing crime and welfare in our city.

And yet we struggle with outdated early 20th century concepts of money. We need to revisit the late 19th century to see that most people had farms and knew enough about money to calculate the worth of their crops. Some farmers had stores in town to highlight their specialties so that people wouldn’t have to make the trip out of town. This concept has been the backbone of the successful small business person. Why not let our future generations regain the greatness we have lost?

Jack Yeager
Candidate for Antioch Board of Education

On July 11, 2011 at 6:56 p.m. Antioch police received a call about an injury accident involving a bicyclist at the intersection of Hillcrest Avenue and Bellflower Drive. When officers arrived they found a 23-year-old Antioch woman on the ground who appeared to have a serious head injury.

Several witnesses said the bicyclist had been traveling southbound on Bellflower Drive at a high rate of speed. As she approached the intersection of Hillcrest Avenue, she failed to stop and continued across Hillcrest Avenue until colliding with the center median and was thrown from the bike.

There were vehicles traveling in both directions on Hillcrest Avenue, but she did not hit any of them. She was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. She was transported by helicopter to a local hospital where she is in critical condition.

A staff report to the Antioch City Council, which will be meeting on July 12th, presents the council with a resolution to extend the council’s prior resolutions encouraging each City of Antioch elected official (mayor, city council member, city treasurer and city clerk) to voluntarily agree to an irrevocable 10 percent reduction in their salaries and a $100 monthly decrease in their auto allowance for the fiscal year 2011-2012.

Prior to the November 2012 election, the council could revisit whether it wants to rescind the resolution and make any changes in compensation permanent by ordinance.

The staff report points out that the maximum council salary is determined by a statutory formula based on population or by increases of no more than 5 percent for each calendar year from when the last salary adjustment was adopted pursuant to an ordinance. While Antioch, a general law city, can not reduce the salaries of council members during their current terms of office, an increase for all council members can occur when one or more is eligible for a salary increase because of starting a new term of office.

The report does not address the recent Contra Costa County Grand Jury Report (2010-2011) which found that 8 of the county’s 16 cities spend more than the countywide average of $39,377 for salary and meeting fees. The cities are: Antioch, Concord, Danville, Hercules, Martinez, Richmond, San Pablo and San Ramon.

The Grand Jury also found that 12 cities and 9 special districts prove health care benefits, and 12 cities and 3 special districts provide pension benefits with potential long term financial implications. Antioch provides both health benefits and pension benefits to elected officials.

Antioch, mandated to reply, responded to the Grand Jury report by saying the city partially agreed with the findings regarding salary and meeting fees but questions the value of a simple mathematical average for cities with varying populations.

The City also agreed that, in order to increase transparency, it would combine council compensation and benefits and include that document in its annual review and in the future will review its policy of pension or deferred compensation for Council members. The staff report for the July 12th meeting, however, doesn’t address the council’s health and pension benefits.

By Tami Barrera

The biggest change that students and staff returning to the Deer Valley High campus will experience this year is the appointment of a new principal, Kenneth Gardner. He wants the students, staff and parents to know that he will listen to what they have to say and is willing to implement ideas that will work toward educational achievement.

Gardner served 20 years in the Air Force, including four years of active duty as an air traffic controller and 16 in the reserves in security forces. He retired with the rank of major. He also has served 20 years as a police officer in Southern California.

His most recent experience is as principal at Vista Continuation School, which has more than 300 students, where he was also overseer of the student welfare attendance. While at Vista he found himself missing the organized chaos of high school, leading him to apply for the Deer Valley job.

Before that he worked at De Anza High School in Richmond for three years, and served on the Student Attendance Review Board and was the district’s designated hearing officer.

Principal Gardner was chosen from 37 candidates who were interviewed by a panel of parent and community representatives along with district members.

Former Deer Valley Co-Principal Scott Bergerhouse was amongst the candidates, but was instead appointed vice principal of Black Diamond Middle School. Deer Valley’s other former co-principal, Clarence Isadore, is now the principal of Carmen Dragon Elementary.

With the commitment and support of the students, parents and staff, Gardner is confident that the successful path marked out by Isadore and Bergerhouse will continue.

To the editor:

I have been following BART since it started about 40 years ago. How did we get e-BART? I don’t ever remember a session where the locals had any input. I know we were in on many meetings to hear what was being done, but never were we in on the plans for construction.

Why are there two rail lines between Antioch and Pittsburg? One should do, and be about 3 million dollars cheaper. Why are there two rail sizes involved?

I am asking questions because I don’t know the answers. I see no reason why we can’t have one line connection to Pittsburg. I don’t expect that much traffic. I thinks it’s time to stop everything and start over again.

Bob Oliver

On July 8 beginning at 11 p.m. the Antioch Police Department and REACH Project, Inc. collaborated in a Curfew Sweep in Antioch. This program is designed to reduce the number of minors being out after curfew.

The program is intended to be supportive rather than punitive. The City Ordinance generally prohibits minors (under the age of 18 years) from being in any public area between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. seven days a week. The ordinance was adopted to promote safety of the City’s youngest most venerable residents from becoming participants or victims of crimes.

Officers from the Antioch Police Department detained a total of 37 minors. They were brought to the processing center at the police department and turned over to the staff of the REACH Project where the minors were counseled and released to their parents or guardians. Follow-up juvenile diversion services will be provided by REACH addressing decision-making skills and training, understanding youth and the law and applying principles of restorative justice.

This program was a success and future programs will be scheduled throughout the summer in an attempt to further reduce number of minors out after curfew and increase the accountability and responsibility of both the minors and their parents or guardians.

By Ed Diokno, Policy Analyst, Office of Supervisor Federal Glover

Redistricting is the redrawing or adjusting of electoral district boundaries following the federal Census to account for population shifts and growth during the previous decade. The redistricting process is governed by the U.S. Constitution, State and federal law.

California Elections Code § 21500 requires the County Board of Supervisors to adjust the Supervisorial district boundaries every ten years following the federal Census so that the districts are as “nearly equal in population as may be” and comply with the Voting Rights Act. This year, the Board of Supervisors is required to redistrict the five Supervisorial districts using 2010 Census data. The County’s redistricting process will include broad opportunity for public review and input.

Contra Costa County is committed to an open and transparent redistricting process by hosting community workshops throughout the County, providing all maps and data on-line, and potentially the ability to create redistricting options on-line.

The 2010 Census revealed that Contra Costa County has 1,049,025 residents. Extracts of the data for California, counties, places (incorporated cities and Census Designated Placed or CDP) and census tracts are available on the Demographic Research Unit website.

American FactFinder will also provide on-line access to more Census 2010 results.

July 12, 2011: Continuation of Board of Supervisors Public Hearing on Map Proposals.
The Board of Supervisors will continue the Public Hearing to Consider Proposal to adjust the boundaries of county supervisorial districts based on the 2010 Census at 11:15 am on July 12, 2011.

These are the 3 options being considered for the new Contra Costa County supervisors’ districts. Most likely there will be further revisions and proposals.

Proposal 15:
http://64.166.146.155/docs/2011/BOS/20110712_154/8406%5FDraft%5F11x17%5FProposal%5F15%2Epdf
Proposal 16:
http://64.166.146.155/docs/2011/BOS/20110712_154/8406%5FDraft%5F11x17%5FProposal%5F16%2Epdf
Proposal 17:
http://64.166.146.155/docs/2011/BOS/20110712_154/8406%5FDraft%5F11x17%5FProposal%5F17%2Epdf

The Redistricting Board item is listed as D.4 on the Agenda. Please follow the link to view the Board’s Agenda. http://64.166.146.155/agenda_publish.cfm#ReturnTo0. You may also find this information on the website at www.ccredistricting.org

Publisher’s Note: You can view the Contra Costa Citizens Redistricting Task Force plan, labeled Concept 6, which garnered the most support throughout the recent public process, by clicking  here and the data for the map by clicking here.