17th in city since Sept. 2nd, first since council approved Violence Reduction Initiative
By Lt. Matthew Koch #3018, Antioch Police Field Services Division
On Tuesday, November 05, 2024, at approximately 12:42 PM, Antioch police officers responded to reports of shots fired in the area of Sycamore Drive and Peppertree Way. Officers arrived on scene and located evidence of a shooting in the 2100 block of Peppertree Way. While officers canvassed the scene, an 18-year-old male victim arrived at a local hospital suffering from a gunshot wound.
Through the investigation, it was determined the victim was at the scene of the shooting. The 18-year-old victim is in critical but stable condition and is expected to survive. This case is in the preliminary stages and the names of the parties involved are not being released at this time.
The shooting is the 17th in the city since September 2nd which claimed the lives of two men. It’s the first since the council approved the Violence Reduction Initiative paying up to $200 per hour for overtime to outside agency officers and for the use of their equipment and focused on both the Sycamore corridor and Cavallo Road neighborhood. The initiative is designed to assist the “understaffed, overworked police department”, according to District 1 Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker in whose district 16 of the shootings have occurred.
By Brooke Converse, PIO, Contra Costa County Library
The Contra Costa County Library is piloting a new program designed to give patrons access to the Concord Library on Sundays when the branch is normally closed. Patrons who sign up for the service in advance will be able to enter the Concord Library between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Sundays beginning December 1. There will not be any staff on site, but two security guards will be present to ensure that only patrons who have signed up for the service are entering the library.
Patrons can browse the collection and check out books, return items, pick up holds, connect to Wi-Fi, and use the space for studying or reading.
“We know our patrons would like the libraries to be open more and especially on Sundays,” said County Librarian Alison McKee. “We don’t have the budget to staff the libraries on Sundays, but this pilot offers an alternative solution that, if successful, could expand to other branches in the future.”
“The Library is such an important resource in our communities,” said District IV Supervisor Ken Carlson. “Having self-service hours on Sundays will give more people the opportunity to use libraries more often.”
To sign up for the service, patrons must have a library card in good standing, a valid ID, attend an in-person orientation, and sign the user agreement. Approved patrons will scan their library card at the door and use a unique PIN code to enter.
The Library will assess the pilot program after six months and consider expansion.
“We are very excited to have a pilot program on Sundays that rewards our residents with self-service, which goes with our spirit of being in concordance with one another to build a community with trust and cooperation,” said Concord Mayor Edi Birsan.
Services not available will include computers, printing, scanning, and photocopying, restrooms, LINK+ pickups, and returns, use of the community meeting room, and the Friends bookstore.
The first open Sunday will be December 1, but patrons must sign up for the service in advance. Sign-ups are available now. To get started visit, ccclib.org/self-service-sundays.
Antioch resident Gabriel Ryan Henry arrested on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. Photo: Benicia PD
Has history of arrests dating back to 2014, twice for shoplifting less than $950; already out of custody
By Benicia Police Department
During the late night hours on Sunday, Nov. 3rd, officers made contact with a driver for multiple vehicle code violations in the 1900 Block of E. 2nd Street. During the initial conversation officers noticed a meth pipe visible in the vehicle. Upon further search, the suspect, 48-year-old male out of Antioch, Gabriel Ryan Henry was found to be in possession of methamphetamine.
Also found were Norco pill (without prescription), burglary tools, multiple plastic bottles smelling of gasoline, a collection of flexible hoses, bolt cutters, and approximately $500 of stolen groceries from the Benicia Safeway. The suspect’s car was impounded, and he was arrested and booked into County Jail without incident.
The five-foot, nine-inch tall, 230-pound Hispanic suspect was charged with the following crimes:
According to localcrimenews.com, Henry’s bail was set at $7,500 and has a history of arrests by dating back to 2014 by multiple agencies including Concord PD, Walnut Creek PD, Clayton PD, Dublin PD and the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office. He was charged with a variety of crimes including petty theft, drug possession, receiving or concealing stolen property and shoplifting.
The Antioch Herald endorses the following candidates: (Upper left) Olga Cobos-Smith for Antioch School Board Area 4 Trustee, (bottom left) Lori Ogorchock for Antioch City Treasurer, (center left-right) Ron Bernal for Mayor, Don Freitas for City Council District 3, Scott Bergerhouse for Antioch School Board Area 3 Trustee, Louie Rocha for City Council District 3 together at the 2024 Antioch Sports Legends Hall of Fame Gala (Source: Louie Rocha Facebook page) and Mike Barbanica (upper right) for County Supervisor District 5.
Presented by City of Antioch12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Are you up to date with the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA)? This act protects people with disabilities from discrimination in housing and employment. Whether you’re a landlord, agent, tenant, or just interested in fair housing, this session is for you!
What to Expect: Gain insights on FEHA, learn how to stay compliant, and understand your rights and responsibilities.
For more information or compliance questions, reach out to our Housing Specialist at (925) 779-7017.
Join us to help create a fairer, more inclusive community!
Note: This session is for informational purposes only and does not provide legal advice.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Friday, Nov. 2, 2024, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) issued the following statement after the Department of Commerce announced that the CHIPS for America Design and Collaboration Facility (DCF), the official headquarters of the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC), will be established in California. Earlier this year, Padilla led the entire California Democratic delegation in urging Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to establish the NSTC headquarters in California.
The DCF in Sunnyvale, California, will be a colocation of the NSTC headquarters and the flagship design hub from where all NSTC R&D work will be coordinated. The headquarters will serve as a site to host NSTC member and semiconductor ecosystem convenings, NSTC programmatic activities, the Workforce Center of Excellence, the future investment fund, and more. The national design facility will include the NSTC Design Enablement Gateway and an institution for design research focused on chip design, electronic design automation, hardware security, and chip system architecture.
“California is the clear choice to lead NSTC’s semiconductor innovation and R&D. Our state has built a world-class innovation economy and has been at the forefront of the semiconductor industry for decades. We are uniquely positioned to leverage our R&D, manufacturing capacity, and end-users to drive this industry forward.
“Establishing the NSTC headquarters in California will capitalize on our state’s unparalleled assets to grow a highly skilled workforce and develop next-generation advancements. I am confident that this CHIPS Act funding will propel emerging technologies and protect America’s global semiconductor leadership, all while bringing good-paying jobs to our state.”
Santa Clara County alone holds 20 percent of all semiconductor utility patents granted in the last decade, and California is home to more semiconductor R&D, design, intellectual property (IP), and electronic design automation (EDA) firms than Texas, New York, and Oregon combined – with over 175 companies operating out of Silicon Valley. The design facility is one of three planned major NSTC centers. The Department of Commerce recently announced the Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Accelerator in New York, and said a Prototyping and NAPMP Advanced Packaging Piloting Facility is still forthcoming.
In April, Padilla, Senator Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.-18), and Representative Doris Matsui (D-Calif.-07) led the entire California Democratic delegation in urging Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to establish the NSTC headquarters in California. The letter came after Padilla and Governor Gavin Newsom issued a statement rebuking the CHIPS Program Office’s (CPO) cancellation of the third CHIPS Act Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for advanced commercial research and development facilities in the United States.
In 2022, Senator Padilla and Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) sent a letter urging Senate leadership to support provisions in the final version of the United States Innovation and Competition Act that would require semiconductor companies receiving federal assistance for research, design, and manufacturing to invest in a more diverse workforce and improve procurement from minority-, veteran-, and women-owned businesses. Padilla and Warnock applauded the passage of one of these provisions through the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act later that year.
