Will discuss 18 other agenda items during special meeting next Tuesday

“There are some big shoes to fill.” – Reed said of the departing Forrest Ebbs

By Allen D. Payton

During Friday morning’s special Antioch City Council closed session meeting on a 4-0 vote Economic Development Director Kwame Reed was appointed acting city manager to replace Community Development Director Forrest Ebbs. He has held the position since March but announced last week he’s taking a new position as a Deputy City Manager with Modesto.

During the open session portion of the meeting, Assistant City Attorney Rachel Hundley reported out of closed session about the vote for Reed’s appointment. He fills the position held by City Manager Con Johnson who was placed on paid administrative leave March 17. Following the council’s closed session during their June 13th meeting, City Attorney Thomas L. Smith merely reported out regarding the item entitled entitled “Public Employee Performance Evaluation and Potential Action – City Manager”, that they had given him direction. That is expected to be an offer to Johnson to resign or face termination.

At Friday morning’s meeting during open session, Mayor Lamar Thorpe then requested a motion to adjourn the 18 items to a special meeting at 6:00 p.m. next Tuesday, June 27 before the regular meeting that begins at 7:00 p.m. The motion passed 3-0 with Mayor Pro Tem Tamisha Torres-Walker and District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock absent. Torres-Walker attended the closed session but as previously reported could not attend the open session due to previous commitments and Ogorchock is out of town at a League of Cities conference.

Reed has been in his current position with the City of Antioch since July 2, 2018 after working for both the City of Brentwood for almost 14 years as an Economic Development Senior Analyst and two years as an Associate Planner for the City of Oakley. Prior to that position, he worked for two years as a planner for the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission which operates the ACE Train. Reed has a bachelor’s degree in City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

He has been married for 26 years and is the father of two boys and a daughter.

When reached for comment Reed said, “I’m very excited for the opportunity. I’ve been around for a while. I’ve seen how things work. It’s a wonderful opportunity. It’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be tough. There are some issues that will be handled. I look forward to working with the entire council and getting community support, again, and the entire staff. I have good relationships with everyone and look forward to strengthening those and supporting them, as well.”

“Forrest has done a great job. I’m really going to miss him,” he shared about outgoing. “There are some big shoes to fill. We all wish him well. But when he announced he’s moving on, it was ‘wow’. We’re going to lose a good bit of knowledge when he departs.”

Immediately prior to the open session, District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica and Thorpe had a brief conversation in the back room behind the dais, with Hundley, which people in attendance at the meeting saw.

Asked about it Barbanica said, “Lamar was going to discuss an item about rent control but what I was telling him was there were only three of us there and that I had a conflict of interest, as I couldn’t vote on it, before as it could have a direct effect on my business.” The councilman is a real estate broker and property manager in Antioch.

“Any item that has come up regarding tenants, rent, etc. I’ve brought up with the city attorney about any potential conflict of interest,” he explained. “Because this meeting was going to be postponed, I didn’t have time to consult the city attorney and I couldn’t do that 30 seconds before the meeting. I told them I was going to recuse myself and Rachel agreed, and we’ll vet this out further before Tuesday night.”

The special Friday morning meeting adjourned at 10:35 a.m.  

In addition to an acting city manager, as reported by Thorpe at last week’s council meeting, the City currently has 87 vacancies, including the assistant city manager, 17 unfilled positions in the police department plus 35 officers on paid administrative leave pending the two investigations, an acting public works director, and soon an acting community development director on July 15 following Ebbs’ departure.

Five Antioch homes included

By Moorea Warren, Information Officer, California Department of Cannabis Control

Thanks to the continued dedication and collaboration of the Governor’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce (UCETF) 20 East Bay illegal indoor cannabis cultivators were shut down on June 20, and a total estimated value of over $15.3 million of illegal cannabis was seized.

An investigation spanning several weeks culminated in the operation led by the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC). There were 20 search warrants served by four units of officers and local and state partners, including the Department of Fish & Wildlife, the Department of Tax and Fee Administration, the California National Guard, and local law enforcement – five in Antioch (according to a witness two with addresses of 2460 and 2480 Stanford Way), three in Brentwood, two in Discovery Bay and ten in Pittsburg, resulting in the seizures of:

• 742 pounds of cannabis flower estimated valued of $1,244,762
• 17,121 cannabis plants estimated valued of $14,124,825
• 7 firearms (including 1 assault rifle)
• $24,197 in cash

Several of the locations were red-tagged for safety and code violations.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Barbanica says he and Torres-Walker can’t attend open session, Ogorchock can’t attend either, Ebbs says he will confirm; two say they weren’t consulted on meeting time, don’t know who is being considered for appointment

By Allen D. Payton

Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe has called a special meeting for this Friday morning, June 23, 2023 for the council to appoint another acting city manager and discuss, hear public comments and give staff direction on 18 agenda items requested by council members. But three of the council members can’t attend one or both sessions. According to District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica, he and Mayor Pro Tem Tamisha Torres-Walker will attend the closed session on the acting city manager appointment but not the open session to discuss the 18 items. District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock is out of town Thursday and Friday at a League of Cities conference as Antioch’s representative and can’t attend either session of Friday’s special meeting. (See agenda)

The meeting will begin at 10 AM with a closed session for the council to appoint an acting city manager to replace current Acting City Manager and Community Development Director Forrest Ebbs who announced, last week, his departure for a position as a Deputy City Manager in Modesto. He said his last day will be July 14. (See related article).

Then at 10:30 AM on Friday, during the open session, the council will discuss the following items, none of which have any details, including which council member requested the item, nor a staff report included. That’s in direct opposition to District 4 Councilwoman Monica Wilson’s complaint about having agenda items without staff reports during the last special council meeting on Tuesday, June 6. That meeting was called by her three council colleagues for which Mayor Lamar Thorpe was absent. (See related article)

Agenda Items for Special Meeting June 23, 2023

They are all listed as discussion item and the recommended action for each is for “the City Council discuss, receive public comments, and provide direction to staff.”

1. UPDATE ON THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT (ARPA) FUNDING

2. CONSIDERATION OF LIGHTING THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSING ON JAMES DONLON BOULEVARD

3. UPDATE ON PARK PERMITTING FEES

4. CONSIDERATION OF A FREE COMMUNITY EVENT AT PREWETT WATER PARK SPONSORED BY THE ANTIOCH POLICE DEPARTMENT

5. UPDATE ON CAMERA INSTALLATION ON CITY STREETS

6. DISCUSSION ITEM: CONSIDERATION OF A PRESENTATION BY WHITE PONY EXPRESS NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION (FOOD RESCUE AND GENERAL STORE)

7. HIGHWAY 4 AND L STREET GRAFFITI ABATEMENT AND CALTRANS COORDINATION

8. POLICE CHIEF ATTENDANCE AT CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS

9. ANTIOCH POLICE DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT OF OWN FLEET PURCHASING

10. EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER (EOC) UPGRADE AND UPDATE

11. CODE ENFORCEMENT SERVICES FOR THE DELTA FAIR BOULEVARD AREA

12. MORATORIUM ON NEW GAS STATIONS

13. JUST CAUSE EVICTION AND ANTI-TENANT HARRASSMENT ORDINANCE

14. MORATORIUM ON RENT INCREASES AND EVICTIONS

15. PRESENTATION ON CURRENT REPARATION EFFORTS

16. HUMAN RIGHTS AND RACIAL EQUITY COMMISSION

17. REVIEW OF THE CURRENT RENTAL INSPECTION ORDINANCE

18. IMPROVING CONNECTIVITY (WI-FI, INTERNET) FOR NEIGHBORHOODS HARDEST IMPACTED DURING THE PANDEMIC

Questions for Thorpe and Councilmembers

The following questions were sent via email Wednesday night to Thorpe and the other four councilmembers: “Why are you holding another special meeting at a time when most people cannot either attend or watch and give input because they’re at work, this time on a Friday morning?

Are the three of you council members – who called for the last special meeting on setting agendas – willing to refuse to attend and demand the special meeting be held when more members of the public can attend and offer input during public comment on each of the items?

Is this how you think the council meetings should be conducted? Do you not want public input before deciding on appointing another acting city manager and giving direction to city staff on the 18 items you all have requested be placed on the agenda?

Why isn’t there a list of the names of the proposed candidates for the acting city manager appointment included in the agenda so members of the public can offer an educated opinion on who they want you to appoint? Who are you considering? Will it be a current staff member or a retired, professional, former city manager as is done for acting and interim city manager appointments in other cities?”

Three Members Can’t Attend Open Session

“I was never even asked about the time, other than I had to call the city manager, yesterday to find out if we were having a special meeting and if so, when it would be. He told me, ‘yes, it was scheduled for Friday morning at 10 AM’,” District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica responded. “I also spoke to the city attorney, earlier in the week asking if a special meeting was going to be held. But it hadn’t yet been scheduled.”

“I just spoke to Tamisha and she wasn’t consulted either about the time for the special meeting,” he continued. “Nor were we given a list of potential candidates for the acting city manager appointment. Neither of us will be attending after the closed session.”

“I advised the city manager that I will be leaving after the closed session due to work commitments,” Barbanica added later.

Ogorchock responded Thursday morning with, “The mayor can call his special meetings when he chooses to do so. With that being said I would hope that he would reach out to all council members to see how the time would fit into their schedules. I could have attended a 5:00 p.m. meeting as I will have returned from my policy committee meeting for the League of California Cities.”

“Since we are reviewing the 6-month list and some of the items were requested by me, I feel it is inappropriate to hold a special meeting when one of the council members cannot attend, especially if there will be another appointment of an acting city manager,” she continued. “All council members should have input on who they would want to see hold this position as we did when Director Ebb’s was given the title and responsibilities of Acting City Manager. This item could and should have been put on Tuesday’s agenda, that is only a couple of days to hold off on this item this is not an urgency item.”

Asked again if she had been provided with a list of potential candidates for the acting city manager appointment, either Ogorchock responded, “I’ve not been told anything. I have no idea who is being considered nor do I know who is wanting the additional responsibility of being the next acting city manager. I had no idea this was going to be on the special meeting agenda.”

Ebbs: Acting Manager Appointment Different Than Permanent Hire

Asked why a list of potential candidates for the acting city manager appointment wasn’t provided to the public or all council members, Ebbs said, “It’s considered a personnel interview. A candidate list won’t be provided to the public.”

“The entirety of the issue is discussed in closed session,” he continued. “When you appoint a permanent city manager, cities have a public process. But an acting city manager appointment is under different rules. They can always continue it.”

Ebbs also said he would be confirming with the council members who will and won’t be in attendance.

UPDATE: Ebbs later said he informed the council last week that he will end his time as acting city manager on Friday at 5:00 p.m. as he will be on a vacation over the next two weeks that has been planned since January, but he’ll remain as Community Development Director until July 14.

The meeting begins at 10:00 AM in the Council Chambers at City Hall at 200 H Street in historic, downtown Rivertown, before the council members adjourn into Closed Session. They will return to the chambers for the City Attorney Thomas L. Smith to report out any action they’ve taken including the name of the person they’ve appointed acting city manager, should that occur. The meeting can also be viewed via livestream on the City’s website and on Comcast Cable Channel 24 and AT&T U-verse channel 99.

Police use taser to subdue suspect

By Allen D. Payton

According to Antioch Police Department PIO, Corporal Price Kendall, on Saturday, June 17, 2023 at approximately 5:10 pm, the reporting party and victim, a 22-year-old male, was approached, at 300 L Street in front of the APD Lobby, by an unknown 47-year-old male on a bicycle who appeared to be intoxicated. The unknown male brandished and threatened the victim with a large, kitchen-style knife before riding away on his bicycle. Officers were flagged down as they happened to be in the area and the victim reported the crime to them.

The unknown, older male was found in the surrounding neighborhood along K Street near W. 3rd Street. When officers located the suspect, he was still armed with the knife, and he was in possession of an aluminum bat. Officers tried to detain the man, but he attempted to flee and a short foot pursuit followed. The suspect was detained after officers used their taser device to subdue him.

According to Art Ray of Bay News Video, “Fire Department personnel from Engine 81 evaluated the handcuffed suspect who was then taken into custody.”

Space is limited and RSVP is required. ~~ CLICK HERE TO RSVP ~~

By Allen D. Payton

The Deer Valley High School Class of 2023 graduates, family and friends celebrated their shared accomplishment on Friday morning, June 9th. After entering with their teachers to the traditional playing of Pomp and Circumstance, inside the Los Medanos College football stadium, where the ceremonies were held due to the new turf field being installed in Wolverine Stadium, the graduates were welcomed by teacher and cross-country coach, Michael Green and enjoyed a performance of the National Anthem by the Divine Voices.

They then heard from their first-year principal, Casey Lewis.

“Your journey made the days many,” he said speaking of the COVID pandemic. “Value you those you trust the most. Value those moments. Let them know you care. You don’t have to be great to get started. But you have to get started to be great.”

“It has been an absolute honor to be your principal especially this class which was my first class. So, stay classy,” he added.

Antioch School Board Area 3 Trustee Dr. Clyde Lewis (no relation to the principal) spoke of the “Wolverine spirit”.

“People who exhibit the Wolverine spirit are typically fearless and are not intimated by anything,” he said. “They are risk-takers and are so focused on their pursuits that the thought of failure does not stop them from their mission. Being a Wolverine means being a spirited, bold trendsetter who goes against the grain to accomplish their goals.”

Senior Class President Heather Galiwango then spoke to her classmates saying, “13 years. It’s been 13 years that the government mapped out a road for us. It seems as though our whole lives revolve around school until we got to high school. Then we overworked ourselves.”

“We’ve overcome a pandemic. We became the first class to have personalized parking spots,” she shared to cheers from the graduates. “Your successes as Deer Valley Wolverines are so impressive. Always know I’m rooting for you in your little corners.  Thank you and congrats.”

“At the beginning of this year I couldn’t wait to graduate. Now that I’m here, I feel the opposite,” said Valedictorian Ryan Cao. “Throughout my entire life I’ve always longed for the next chapter of my life. I didn’t spend enough time with my friends…and especially my grandfather.”

“Don’t let anyone question your talent or ability,” he continued. “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. Cherish what you have in the moment.”

Principal Lewis introduced the Class of 2023 to Associate Superintendent of Educational Services Christine Ibarra who accepted the class for completing the requirements set forth by the Antioch Unified School District.

“Henceforth you are to be considered graduates and alumni of Deer Valley High School,” she said to cheers.

The Deer Valley Choir and Divine Voices who sang the National Anthem at the beginning of the ceremonies then performed “A Blessing” and “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday”.

Math Department Chair Maria McClain and Math Instructor Jessika Tate read the names of the graduates as they received their diplomas by Dr. Lewis and Ibarra, first to the ASB and Class Officers, Valedictorian and Salutatorians then the rest of the graduates, as friends, families and classmates cheered.

Class President Galiwango led the class in the turning of the tassels before they celebrated with hugs and tossing of their caps, before the recessional song of “It’s About Da** Time” played.

See the video of the graduation ceremonies by DVTV.

Congratulations, graduates. Make Antioch proud!

By Allen D. Payton

During the Antioch Juneteenth Celebration event a few years ago, I shared the fact with a few people, mainly youth, in attendance, that Juneteenth and the ending of slavery in the U.S. was the result of the efforts of the Republican Party, and some of them were shocked and even argued with me. I was surprised they hadn’t learned that in their history classes in school. So, here’s a little history about the day and celebration.

Deriving its name by combining June and nineteenth – Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. But while it became a national holiday in 2021 through a bill by a Democrat U.S. Senator and signed into law by Democrat President Joe Biden as the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, the day it celebrates occurred thanks to the Republican Party. Known as the Grand Old Party or GOP, the party was formed in 1854 to fight the expansion of slavery into the Western territories and ultimately abolish it. Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican to be elected president and under his leadership fought and won the Civil War to end slavery in the United States.

It’s the main reason the first Black U.S. Senators and Members of Congress were Republican, virtually all Black Americans voted Republican until the 1936 and the GOP continued to receive a large percent of the Black vote well into the 1950s and 1960s. A few other facts  you might find surprising is that it was Republicans who founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on February 12, 1909, the 100th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth and reparations were originally a Republican idea. It was Union Army General William Tecumseh Sherman who issued Special Field Orders No. 15, giving 40 acres of land to freed slave families and later ordered the army to lend mules for the agrarian reform effort, as a means to provide for themselves and own an asset to pass on to future generations. It was reversed by Democrat Andrew Johnson, who became president following Lincoln’s assassination and issued a proclamation that returned the lands to southern owners.

Back to Juneteenth, it was on June 19, 1865 that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, a Republican career U.S. Army officer, arrived at Galveston, Texas  announcing that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free.

It was a little over two months after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in Appomattox, Virginia, setting in motion the end of the war. A wave of Confederate surrenders followed. As a practical matter, the war ended with the May 26 surrender of the Department of the Trans-Mississippi, but the conclusion of the American Civil War lacks a clear and precise historical end date. Confederate ground forces continued surrendering past the May 26 surrender date until June 23. 

It was two and a half years after President Lincoln signed his Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863 freeing all slaves in Confederate states. Granger issued General Order No. 3 further informing Texas – the most remote state of the former Confederacy – of, and enforcing the proclamation, just two months after Lincoln’s assassination.

When issued, the Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the arrival of Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.

Later attempts to explain this two-and-a-half-year delay in the receipt of this important news have yielded several versions that have been handed down through the years. Often told is the story of a messenger who was murdered on his way to Texas with the news of freedom. Another is that the news was deliberately withheld by the enslavers to maintain the labor force on the plantations. And still another, is that federal troops actually waited for the slave owners to reap the benefits of one last cotton harvest before going to Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. All of which, or neither of these versions could be true. Certainly, for some, President Lincoln’s authority over the rebellious states was in question   For whatever the reasons, conditions in Texas remained status quo well beyond what was statutory.

Juneteenth has been celebrated in Texas since 1866, at first involving church-centered community gatherings in Texas. They spread across the South and became more commercialized in the 1920s and 1930s, often centering on a food festival. Participants in the Great Migration brought these celebrations to the rest of the country.

Happy Juneteenth, a holiday of freedom that we can all recognize and celebrate, while honoring those who fought and died to make it a reality!

Information also sourced from Juneteenth.com and the book From the Deck to the Sea: Blacks and the Republican Party.

By Selena Cedano & Allen D. Payton

The 413 graduates of the Antioch High School Class of 2023 celebrated with their family and friends inside Eells Stadium Friday morning, June 9. They filed in to the traditional sounds of Pomp and Circumstance followed by a performance by the Music Masters, led by Director Katelyn Mason, of the National Anthem and “Not to Say Goodbye”.

ASB President, and 2022 Antioch Youth of the Year, Mateo Ismael Castro offered welcoming remarks. “Just remember, even though we go our separate ways we remain in each other’s hearts and always hold the ones you love in your heart. Hold them dearly,” he said. “Cherish the people around you because tomorrow is not promised, and hate can’t be taken back. Always be kind, hug each other and love one another. Laugh with your loved ones. Take breaths, smile when you can and always tell that person you love them. Never stay mad at each other because tomorrow everything can be gone.”

He was followed by Principal John Jimno in his first year in the position.

“Keep going in life. We are so proud of your achievements and accomplishments throughout these past years,” he shared.

Valedictorian Ruben Sandoval Ruiz offered encouraging comments to his classmates.

“Stand together through tough times,” he said. “Be your best self. Love yourself. Take challenges. Be brave.”

Salutatorian Zachary David White reflected on their four years in high school.

“The pain of the pandemic made us. The growth changed us,” he stated. “Stay positive in life even when it’s hard.”

Area 5 Trustee Mary Rocha officially acknowledged the class on behalf of the school board.

“Life is full of surprises. Take it as it comes. Be wise”, she said.

Before accepting the class for meeting the state and district requirements to graduate, Superintendent Stephanie Anello said, “No dream or goal is ever too big for what you can accomplish. Think big. Reach high.

Senior Class President Carol Cervantes spoke last before leading the graduates in the turning of their tassels. “When we are down in our time of need, be a friend,” she said. “Be kind in a big world.”

The graduates then celebrated their shared accomplishment with hugs and a few tossing their caps, as family and friends cheered.

See video of the graduation ceremonies on the AUSD YouTube Channel.

Congratulations, graduates. Make Antioch proud!