Dear Editor:

During a debate with Assemblymember Susan Bonilla on KQED Forum, last week, State Senate candidate Steve Glazer claimed:

“I have not sent out any mail. And I’ve not put on any radio ads or TV ads.”

That’s quite unusual for any campaign – even one for City Council or a Water Board, never mind a State Senate campaign in a competitive district.

How can Glazer not spend a dime on voter communication that’s part and parcel to nearly all political campaigns?

Because he relies exclusively on independent expenditures by special interests in a too-cute-by-half strategy that flirts with the law.

Those interests are shattering all records. As of last night, they have spent a record $4 million on his campaign:

– LA Republican developer Bill Bloomfield has now spent $ $1,771,013.95 [$596,000 in the first election, $8,400 in direct contributions from Bloomfield and his wife and $ $1,119,149.36since the March 17 election]

– JobsPAC, described by the Sacramento Bee as a political committee funded by tobacco, drug, and oil companies, has spent $1,242,322.85 [$376,476.53 in the first election and $865,846.32 since March 17]

– Charter Schools IE has spent $856,375.39 [$175,207.09 in the first election and $681,168.30 since March 17]

– EdVoice has spent $710,685.79  [$36,794.93 in the first election and $673,890.86 since March 17]

– Govern for CA Action Committee has spent $11,549.84, all since April 29

– Koch Brothers affiliated Independent Women’s Voice has spent $8,600 since May 6.

Meanwhile, as for the candidates:

– Glazer has raised $255,500.00 since March 17.

– Susan Bonilla reported $749,501.69 since March 17.

So how does the Glazer strategy work? Simple. Glazer posts information on his Facebook page and website. And bingo – they instantly become mail pieces and TV ads. In the last few weeks, this has included “letters” from his wife, his daughter, and even Glazer himself that turned into direct mail pieces. This is a far cry from the days when IE’s typically took images off a candidate’s website; Glazer knowingly posts this information directly for IE use since he admits his campaign has no direct mail, TV or radio effort.

(Glazer’s patron saint, GOP LA developer Bill Bloomfield, even owns and operates the website www.steveglazer.com).

So don’t believe Glazer’s consultant-talk about “special interests.” Without them, he’d have no campaign. And he knows it.

Steven Maviglio, Spokesman, Working Families Opposing Glazer for Senate 2015

Working Families Opposing Glazer for Senate 2015 is sponsored by labor organizations.  Major funding by California State Council of Service Employees Political Committee and California Teachers Association Independent Expenditure Committee.  Not authorized by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate. 

By Acting Lieutenant Tom Fuhrmann, Antioch Police Investigations

On Monday, May 11, 2015 at 7:44 PM, Antioch Police Officers responded to the 4900 block of Ridgeview Drive on the report of a burglary in progress. The homeowner advised she was in the home holding her baby when she saw an intruder enter her home through an unlocked door.

She fled out of the front of the house with her baby. Upon fleeing she had left her four-year-old daughter behind in the house. Officers arrived, conducted an interior check of the residence and located the four-year-old at the top of the stairs. The child was directed to go outside to her mother as officers continued to check inside. The four-year-old daughter told her mother, who then alerted the officers that the intruder was hiding in the little girl’s bedroom closet. Upon checking the little girls bedroom, they located 21-year-old Antioch transient male, Demaria Lopez hiding in the closet.

Lopez would not comply with commands. A brief struggle ensued and Lopez was taken into custody without further incident. Lopez was transported and booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on charges of burglary and resisting arrest. There were no injuries to any involved.

Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to call Det. McManus with the Antioch Police Department at (925)779-6940. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.

There will be lots of positions to be filled!

WHAT: The Contra Costa County Fair will be holding a Job Fair and interviews on Saturday May 16^th. Applications and interviews will take place for the 2015 Contra Costa Contra Costa County Fair which will be held Thursday May 28^th – Sunday May 31^st . Available positions include but are not limited to: parking and ticket sellers, ticket takers, parking attendants, customer service representatives, janitorial staff, maintenance staff, security guards and more.

Fair Management and Department Supervisors are looking for people with a strong work ethics and a high level of customer service who want to be part of the Contra Costa County Fair event. Interested applicants must bring their photo ID and a social security card to the Job Fair. Applications will be available to fill out on-site or are available on-line in advance at www.contracostafair.com

WHEN: Saturday, May 16^th from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

WHERE: Contra Costa County Fairgrounds Office, 1201 West 10th Street, Antioch, CA 94509

WHY: Each year the Contra Costa County Fair hires roughly 50 – 100 people to work at the annual event, not including the local employees hired directly by our individual food vendors, carnival providers and Livestock department.

We are looking for top-notch workers who believe in keeping the Contra Costa County Fair a place where families can expect superior customer service. The goal with the Job Fair is to create a greater level of awareness among Contra Costa County residents that these job opportunities exist at the Contra Costa County Fair. The fact that we are hiring hard working local residents creates a big opportunity for those looking for work.

Says Susan Bonilla campaign received the same funding from the Koch Brothers as does IWV: zero

WASHINGTON, DC – Independent Women’s Voice (IWV) would like to correct the record as certain false statements about IWV, that were deliberately not checked with us for accuracy, are being floated in a desperate bid to create an issue where there is none.

Those false statements are that

a) IWV is a Koch proxy group and receives funding from the Kochs.

b) IWV made a TV ad buy in the May 19th CA SD-7 special election.

c) IWV is violating its non-profit status by making a political expenditure.

None are true. Sadly those special interests – the same ones that wanted the BART strike and prefer sex-offender teachers over children, and who are supporting Assembly member Susan Bonilla — want headlines and a bogeyman in order to distract from themselves and their opposition to Steve Glazer’s independence from such interests.

What Koch Funding?

In the summer of 2009, IWV received funds from the Center to Protect Patient’s Rights (CPPR) to do education on the health care issue as it affected women, particularly women with cancer.

That 2009 funding was reported on CPPR’s 2010 filings and is the basis for claiming that IWV is a Koch entity, since CPPR eventually seems to have become a vehicle for Koch funding.

But CPPR did not become a Koch entity until sometime in at least 2010, when its director started working for the Kochs, well after IWV’s work was done and complete.

IWV, a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization, contrary to allegation, has never received any funding from the Koch’s or from any Koch-related entities. We wouldn’t mind receiving some, but we don’t seem to be their cup of tea.

What TV buy?

As for the short video we made to shine some light on Susan Bonilla’s track record, there is no TV buy – the distribution is simply digital. Oh, and if you want to read why we support Steve Glazer, (think anti-special interests and fiscal responsibility), you can see that too.

What rule violations?

IWV is a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization, and as such is permitted to make political expenditures. We are not a Single Purpose Committee, much as the Bonilla campaign might wish we were. We care about ethics and about fiscal sanity, and so are working, independent of any campaign, to educate people both for Steve Glazer and against Susan Bonilla and the special interests she represents – all while accurately and scrupulously following the laws as established by the Fair Political Practices Commission.

It is sad that the Bonilla campaign is so desperate for sympathy and attention, and so short of an appealing track record, that they would manufacture wholesale charges to throw at Independent Women’s Voice. Really, isn’t it time politics got out of that gutter?

Independent Women’s Voice is a 501(c)(4) nonpartisan, nonprofit organization for mainstream women, men and families dedicated to promoting limited government, free markets, and personal responsibility. IWV is an affiliate organization of the Independent Women’s Forum. For more information visit www.iwvoice.org.

See the news released from Bonilla’s campaign regarding their complaint against IWV, here.

Orinda, CA— In a statement late Monday evening, BART Board President Thomas Blalock acknowledged that BART personnel illegally engaged in campaign activities on behalf of Senate candidate Susan Bonilla in the May 19th State Senate special election.

“BART claims they were fooled by union leaders in approving these ‘meetings’,” said Orinda Mayor and Senate candidate Steve Glazer.

“But they ignored the fact that many of these gatherings occurred in open work areas with election posters and flyers and under the watchful eye of management.”

The Glazer for Senate campaign released photos of BART workers engaged in rally-type events and advocating for the election of Bonilla. There was also a photo of workers in a classroom listening to union leaders while a video featuring Bonilla was being shown on BART-owned audio-visual equipment. Union leaders featured in numerous pictures included BART Chapter President John Arantes and BART Concord Chapter President Dan Jameyson.

“I appreciate BART’s swift investigation and confirmation that there is widespread illegal campaign activities throughout BART workplace facilities,” said Glazer. “While I had photographic evidence at three locations, I believe these activities are even more widespread.”

“BART claims that they were fooled by the union and approved ‘meetings’ during break time. BART fails to acknowledge that many of these so-called meetings took place in open areas with campaign posters and flyers and under the watchful eye of management.”

“BART implies that only future campaign activities will be subject to disciplinary action, ignoring the fact that professional union organizers made false statements about the purpose of these ‘meetings’ at numerous places and times.”

“I reiterate my call that a full inquiry needs to be conducted by an independent party to ensure the fairness of the review. Given my criticism of management’s role in these activities, the BART Board of Directors should insist that the investigator be in a position to hold both union members and managers accountable.”

“I know there is resentment by BART unions and management for my criticism of their involvement in the eight days of strikes in 2013. These actions by the union and management resulted in exorbitant pay raises in an agency that claims that it has no money for train, station and technology upgrades. But that is no excuse for allowing this illegal conduct at numerous BART facilities and a cursory investigation.”

In press interviews, Union President Pete Castelli claims that if any campaign activity occurred, it was the result of spontaneous individual conduct. He ignored the obvious fact that Union organizer Dan Jameyson was in every ‘spontaneous’ campaign picture even though he is not on work assignment at any of the three work areas or various work shifts. BART’s preliminary findings dispute this.

“If union leaders show this type of disdain for following the rules and being truthful, it is not a surprise that the collective bargaining process broke down and eight days of debilitating strikes occurred,” Glazer added.

Glazer is Mayor of Orinda and a Trustee of the California State Universities. He is competing in a special Senate runoff election that ends on May 19th. He was the top vote getter in the primary, leading his second place finisher by more than 10,000 votes. The Senate District includes most of central and eastern Contra Costa County as well as the cities of Livermore, Pleasanton and Dublin in Alameda County.

New Smart & Final extra! store to hold Grand Opening in Antioch, Thursday, May 14

We’re excited to bring a convenient new way to shop to the neighborhood with the Grand Opening of the new Smart & Final extra! supermarket and warehouse, in Antioch.

Beginning at 7:00 A.M. on Thursday, May 14, you can save on everything from your weekly groceries to club sizes and specialty items, and grab restaurant quality produce and meats – all in one place at low prices – and with no membership fees.

Shoppers will receive a complimentary reusable shopping bag, while supplies last on May 14th, 15th & 16th. Limit one bag only per customer with purchase.

The store is located on the outside of Somersville Town Center at 2638 Somersville Road.

National Police Week this year is May 10 – 16. Unlike some cities who are giving their cops a hard time, Antioch residents are pleading for more cops. Unfortunately this is the current staffing situation according to a report given to Council by Police Chief Cantando.

STAFFING:

102 authorized sworn positions including the Chief.

87 full time positions are filled

12 sworn vacancies

3 recruits began the police academy on January 26th

They are set to graduate July 24, 2015

1 lateral officer candidate is in background process

1 entry level applicant is in background process

2 entry level applicants will begin the police academy on May 18^th.

The Chief reported that violent crime is down 13.6%, property crime down 6.6%, arson down 57.1% and total arrests up 21.3% (juvenile arrests down 20.7% and adult arrests up 20.5%)

Supervisor Glover healing from transplant surgery

NOTE: Due to the fact that County Supervisor Federal Glover, whose term is up in December 2016, has been critically ill, recently having had a heart and kidney transplant, I decided to research what would occur if a county or city council member were to become deceased or critically ill.

According to the county’s media person. county counsel advised her that being a general law county, means that if county supervisor is absent due to illness he/she continues to hold the seat, no matter how long the illness continues. If a vacancy occurs in the Board of Supervisors, by death or otherwise, the Governor has the responsibility to fill the vacancy. The appointee holds office until the election and qualification of a successor.

No special election is called. It takes place during the election cycle prior to when the original office holder’s term ends. (Charter cities can establish their own rules for filling a vacancy.) Fortunately, County Supervisor Federal Glover is said to be recovering quickly.

In Antioch in these situations the council would declare the seat vacant and either appoint a registered voter in Antioch to fill the position or call for a special election to fill the remainder of the term.