By Lieutenant D. Bittner #3252, Community Policing Bureau, Antioch Police Department

On Tuesday, Sept. 28, 21 at approximately 5:00 am, the APD SWAT Team assisted the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the service of two search and arrest warrants. The first search/arrest warrant was served in the 300 block of West 20th Street for Juan Manriquez (20 years old) and the second location was at the Twin Creeks Apartments, 1111 James Donlon Boulevard for Anthony Smith (28 years old) at 6:15 am.

Both of these subjects were wanted on a variety of firearm related charges. Investigators located illegal assault rifle parts, conversion kits and manufacturing tools at the West 20th Street house. Investigators located an illegal handgun with a fully automatic switch and ammunition at the James Donlon apartment. Both subjects were arrested without incident.

According not localcrimenews.com, Manriquez was also arrested by Antioch Police on July 18, 2020 for being an addict in possession of a firearm, and carrying “a loaded firearm while in a class prohibiting possession.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925) 778-2441. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Torres-Walker switches vote from August meeting

Could result in price increases for restaurants, residences; follows lead of Brentwood council

“We believe there are legal protections in place that prevent an arbitrary and immediate shutdown” – CRC spokesman. “The pressures are 50% below the allowable pressures.”

By Allen Payton

What was expected to be a non-controversial matter, turned into a denial on a 2-3 split vote by the Antioch City Council for the extension of a franchise agreement for an existing low-pressure, natural gas pipeline that runs through the city, during their meeting on Sept. 28, 2021. The 35-mile long, 12-inch pipe carries 1.8 million cubic feet of natural gas daily which is enough to supply about 9,000 homes. The result is the city will no longer be paid the annual franchise fee of $16,871.90. Pipeline franchise agrmt extension ACC092821

“I’m appalled that it took three meetings to be here,” said Mayor Pro Tem Monica Wilson.

“We have been working with the city staff in this manner and we have been prepared to speak on it. The format for the council meetings…have not allowed for that,” a California Resources Corporation (CRC) representative explained. “This is the first time we’ve been given the opportunity to speak.”

“Still, and no disrespect, after the process you went through the City of Brentwood, I would think you would have heard the concerns from council, heard from the concerns from the public,” Wilson continued. “I would think if you went through one city, and it was voted down you would have heard from the council in the next city.”

She added, “it’s a no, for me.”

“This is gas going to restaurants,” someone interjected.

“Environmental injustices exist all around us and they impact frontline communities the most,” Torres-Walker said. “We should also acknowledge that there are dangers under our feet. Moving forward with this extension is dangerous for any community. We need a just transition away from fossil fuels and for that reason I will be voting no on this, today.”

District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock asked about the $2 million not being enough.

“The pressures are 50% below the allowable pressures,” a CRC representative explained. “This is not like San Bruno. The volumes are very low. The natural gases are from sources that are flat and declining. If you believe in a transition…this is declining.”

“We assumed this would be non-controversial to continue doing what we’re doing,” he continued. “If there’s a movement to eliminate fossil fuels in Antioch, I suggest you cut off everyone, restaurants, schools.”

“I’m very concerned but at the same time, we turn our furnaces on, we cook with it,” Barbanica said. “It heats our schools, when we go to restaurants, etc. I’m not happy about it any more than anyone else. But there is a need for it every day.”

“What refinery do they go to?” Wilson asked.

“The Chevron refinery in Richmond,” one of the presenters replied.

“Do we get mitigation for that?” Wilson asked City Manager Ron Bernal.

“This is a lease agreement. We do get compensated for it,” Mayor Lamar Thorpe responded.

“Never mind,” Wilson said.

“On August 24, council listened to staff for an initial reading…extending the term for the franchise agreement,” Thorpe explained. “That was a three-two vote. Councilwoman Wilson and I voted no. The rest voted yes. This is now the third time we’ve heard this. Staff has given us ample time to do this. So, this is where we’re at, today.”

“Thank you for that reminder, mayor and not that many people showed up that day than showed up, today,” Torres-Walker said. “I believe I made the right vote, the first time.”

Barbanica made the motion to introduce by title only for reading only, and to receive public comment for the extension of the lease franchise agreement. Ogorchock seconded.

There was no further discussion and it failed on a 2-3 vote, with Wilson, Torres-Walker and Thorpe voting no.

Brentwood Council Also Votes Down Franchise Agreement Extension

In May 2021, the Brentwood City Council, on a 2-3 voted down that city’s franchise agreement extension. According to a May 14, 2021, report by CBS BayArea the Brentwood council also denied the renewal of a lease for the same long-operating natural gas pipeline even though only a small portion of the line runs through their city.

Questions for City Staff Go Unanswered

Bernal, Attorney Smith and Antioch’s Director of Public Works John Samuelson were asked, what are the implications of the council’s decision to oppose the extension to the franchise agreement for the California Resources Corporation’s natural gas pipeline? Does that mean CRC will have to route the products through another, existing line, or build a new one around Antioch? But they did not respond.

Pipeline Owner Has Rights

In addition, CRC was asked, “What are the implications from the votes by the Antioch City Council, tonight and that of the Brentwood City Council opposing the extension of the pipeline franchise agreement? Will you have to reroute your products through another pipeline or build a new one around Brentwood and Antioch?”

“CRC meets the financial and technical requirements necessary to continue operating the pipeline,” Richard Venn, Communications Director for California Resources Corporation, responded. “We look forward to continuing to work with the city and its staff on how we can continue to provide safe, reliable and affordable energy.”

Follow-up questions were asked of Venn, “how do you get around the council’s vote, last night?” and asked, again, “when the current agreement ends, does that mean CRC can no longer pump their products in the pipeline that runs through Antioch and the same for Brentwood?” In addition, Venn was asked, “or do PUC regulations allow you to continue to do so without the franchise agreements with the cities?”

“We believe there are legal protections in place that prevent an arbitrary and immediate shutdown, and we will continue to work with the city and its staff on the best solution,” Venn responded.

No Responses from California PUC

In addition, the California Public Utilities Commission was asked similar questions, “what are the implications of those decisions?” and “Does that mean CRC will have to route the products through another, existing line, or build a new one around Antioch and Brentwood?” In addition, they were asked, “does the PUC have the authority to overrule the councils’ decisions?” But no one from the agency responded prior to publication time.

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

By Allen Payton

Less than two months after Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe held a press conference in the Sycamore Square shopping center blaming the businesses and property owner, there for attracting crime to the center, the anchor tenant, QuikStop has closed. The convenience store, located at the corner of Sycamore Drive and L Street, had been in business for two generations serving the neighborhood for almost 30 years. (See related article)

At that time, Thorpe said, “I’m prepared to declare this site a public nuisance and require owners to take the necessary steps to mitigate issues that make it easy for criminal activity to occur on private property.”

Owner, Gorev Maahi Chauhan whose father first opened the business, said, “we closed on the 20th.”

“QuikStop ended their term,” he explained as the reason. “They already told us in January they were going to close the location.”

However, that’s not the end of the story or the store, as it’s just temporary and won’t remain closed.

“We are in contract to open it as something else,” Chauhan stated.

He said they “expect to reopen within a week to 10 days and rebrand the store.”

Takes final walk from APD Facility as staff members line up to say good-bye; Torres-Walker absent from council meeting during time they honored Brooks

By Allen Payton

During their meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021, the Antioch City Council honored recently retired Police Chief Tammany Brooks, who is taking a new position as Deputy Chief in Boise, ID. Brooks, who joined the online meeting, was also honored by Supervisors Federal Glover and Diane Burgis, as well as State Senator Steve Glazer who offered their remarks, and will present the outgoing chief with resolutions. The councilmembers then offered their remarks of appreciation, as well, with Mayor Lamar Thorpe pointing out Brooks was the city’s first African American police chief. District 1 Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker was absent during that portion of the meeting. She had previously posted her remarks about his retirement on her official Facebook page, which were included in a Herald article. (See related articles here and here)

Brooks then offered his thanks to the police department staff and the community. He said he leaves for Boise, Wednesday morning. Two members of the public also offered their comments, one thanking Brooks for and the other critical of his service.

A question was sent to Torres-Walker, while the meeting was being held, why she was absent during the time the council honored Brooks, if it was intentional to send a message or if she had something else she had to deal with at that time.

Brooks Honored by APD Staff

Last Thursday, Sept. 23, Brooks offered his final farewell remarks to the police department’s staff over the loudspeaker of a patrol car, in front of the Antioch Police Facility. He then took his final walk from the building he worked in for almost 26 years, while staff members, lining both sides of the sidewalk gave him an ovation. (See videos here and here)

Brooks’ Final Remarks to His Staff

“I consider myself truly blessed,” Brooks stated. “Not because I’ve had the honor to be a police officer for the past 26 years, but because I’ve been privileged to work alongside of the Antioch Police Department family.

During my time, here I’ve worked alongside some of the best in the business. I’ve learned so much over the years and am eternally grateful to everyone who has supported and encouraged me throughout my career.

It has been my honor to serve as your police chief. I worked to create a culture that valued compassion, accountability, professionalism and integrity. I tried to inspire, challenge, motivate, and most of all, support everyone to succeed and grow. Not by showing you how great I was, but by showing you how great you are and how great we are.

The success we’ve shared did not come through the absence of opposition or failure. But because of our persistence despite it.

Thank you for putting your trust in me to be your leader. I hope I gave this police department and this city as much as I received. I hope I made you proud.

Letting go of this place is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, and although this is not how or when I envisioned my time, here to end, I leave staying true to my authentic self, without compromising my values due to political pressures or agendas, and always doing what I thought was right and in the best interests of the police department and the city.

I leave on a positive note knowing this agency will continue to have a stellar reputation within our profession and the community we serve. With strong leadership in place and a culture second-to-none this police department and the residents of Antioch are in good hands.

Thank you everyone and know I will always love you.”

He finished by saying “Adam 1, 10-7OD,” his call sign and the code which means “out of service, off duty”.

A response was offered by Lead Dispatcher Nahleen Cloninger.

“Adam 1, the men and women of the Antioch Police Department want to sincerely thank you for your 26 years of selfless service to our department and the community – a career that started in 1995 when you were sworn in as an officer and culminating with you becoming our police chief in 2017.

Over the course of your career, you have demonstrated your excellent leadership qualities, a love for your profession and all of those around you. You promoted the spirit of family in the department and made Antioch PD a place people wanted to be.

You are one of the most respected and loved chiefs this department has ever had.

The loss of your presence will be immense. But your leadership has prepared us for the challenges ahead.

We will miss you and wish you the very best in your retirement and your new endeavors.

While you will be gone, your legacy will remain. Good luck and Godspeed.”

“We all love you and good luck,” another officer stated over the loudspeaker.

Brooks then walked down the sidewalk between two lines of the department’s staff.

“Nothing to see, here” he joked as he walked, then giving his final remarks. “Thank you all, very much. It has truly been my honor and I appreciate every single one of you. I’m going to shut up, now. Thank you all.”

Farewell Message from APD

In addition, the department’s staff posted their final comments to Brooks on the APD Facebook page on Monday, Sept. 27 along with a video with photos of both the ceremony and from throughout his career. (See video here)

“The women and men of the Antioch Police Department want to sincerely thank you, Chief Tammany Brooks, for your 26 years of selfless service to our department and the community. A career that started in 1995 when you were sworn in as an officer and culminating with you becoming our Police Chief in 2017.

Over the course of your career, you have demonstrated your excellent leadership qualities, a love for the profession, and all those around you. You promoted the spirit of family in the department and made Antioch PD a place people wanted to be.

You are one of the most respected and loved Chiefs this department has ever had. The loss of your presence will be immense, but your leadership has prepared us for the challenges ahead. We will miss you and wish you the very best in retirement and in your new endeavors. While you will be gone your legacy will remain, good luck and God speed.”

A final message from the department staff was offered at the end of their video, reading, “Thank you for being our Police Chief. We will miss you and wish you the very best in retirement and in your new endeavors. Good luck and God speed.”

Council Proclamation

Following is the council’s approved proclamation: Proclamation Honoring Chief Brooks ACC092821

PROCLAMATION HONORING

POLICE CHIEF TAMMANY BROOKS

FOR TWENTY-SIX YEARS OF DUTIFUL SERVICE

TO THE CITY OF ANTIOCH

WHEREAS, Tammany Brooks was first hired by the City of Antioch as a Patrol Officer

in December of 1995, launching a professional journey through the ranks of the

Antioch Police Department that reached the apex of Police Chief;

WHEREAS, Chief Tammany Brooks’ commitment to the community and natural

calling to lead have been demonstrated over decades as a Police Corporal from

2002 to 2005, Police Sergeant from 2005 to 2012, Police Lieutenant

from 2012 to 2014, Police Captain from 2014 to 2017,

and Chief of Police from 2017 to 2021;

WHEREAS, Chief Tammany Brooks earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public

Administration from the University of San Francisco and a Master’s

degree in Leadership from St. Mary’s College;

WHEREAS, Chief Tammany Brooks is a graduate of the Senior Management

Institute for Police (SMIP), as well as the Federal Bureau

of Investigations National Academy – Class 263;

WHEREAS, Chief Tammany Brooks is honored and revered by the Antioch Police

Department for his unwavering support and recognition of the rank and file

as family and the sincere mission to protect and serve, as well as

improve the quality of life for all of Antioch’s residents;

WHEREAS, Chief Tammany Brooks is a dedicated public servant who has earned

the respect and admiration of City employees, peer agencies, community

stakeholders and Antioch residents for his ability to leverage

resources, collaborate, cooperate, and innovate;

WHEREAS, Chief Tammany Brooks emphasized and enhanced Police and

Community relations through meaningful programs like the Citizens

and Youth Academies, as well as hosted events like the Halloween

Haunted House at the Police Department, Holiday Food

Drive and Adopt-a-Family; and

WHEREAS, the City of Antioch wishes to recognize Chief Tammany Brooks

for 26 years of professionalism and service to the people of Antioch,

and express its heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for

his many contributions upon retirement.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, LAMAR A. THORPE, Mayor of the City of Antioch,

do hereby honor Police Chief Tammany Brooks for twenty-six years of

dedicated public service to our community, and wish him a

healthy and fulfilling next chapter.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Acting as city council, the members will vote on the recommendation at a future council meeting; postpones other items to future meeting

“…this is a good policy, this is a reasonable policy, it is a common-sense policy,” – Chair Torres-Walker

By Allen Payton

During the Antioch Police Oversight Standing Committee meeting, consisting of all five council members, Tuesday afternoon, they voted to recommend to themselves at a future council meeting, a policy banning restraints that could cause positional asphyxia. However, before final adoption, they agreed to meet and confer with the Antioch Police Officers Association (APOA), and bring back two copies, the one adopted Tuesday and a red-lined copy with any changes that might be proposed. Proposed Positional Asphyxia Policy ACC-POSC 092821

Due to time constraints, the committee postponed discussion of the other two items on the agenda, the process for hiring a new police chief, and the department’s use of force policy. (See related article)

Policy Banning Positional Asphyxia

They received reports from Acting Police Chief Tony Morefield, with Lt. Joseph Vigil in attendance, on the proposed restraint ban policy.

“Does this interpretation in anyway prevent officers from performing their duties?” asked District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica.

“There is language in this policy that will create complications with officers on the ground,” Morefield stated.

“Prone handcuffing is going to be…a potential issue,” Barbanica said. “That stood out to me…if the policy stays as is.”

He suggested a meet and confer with the APOA and to tighten up the language.

“We arrived at the language…allowing officers, as reasonably necessary, to use prone handcuffing,” Morefield said. “It’s always about keeping the public safe, officers safe.”

“We will meet with the POA before the final copy comes before the council,” City Attorney Thomas L. Smith said.

“How does PD develop a policy, normally?” Ogorchock asked.

“There are usually two mechanisms for developing policy. Although Lexipol offers standardized policy, all our policies are custom-made,” Morefield responded. “Lexipol provides updates. Any time there is a change in law, we will accept those updates. There’s also best practices. But is that the way we do business in Antioch?”

“When developing a policy from scratch…speaking of the bodyworn camera policy, patrol, records, investigation and dispatch, we did a nation-wide search for existing policy on the matter,” Morefield explained. “We found the best policy on that we could. We also had a representative from POA sit in on that. We adopted the best policy we could find that’s best for our agency. We run that policy against several criteria, public safety, officer safety, best practices, law and liability.”

Public Comments Get Emotional

Some public comments wanted more public input for development of the policy before it is adopted.

Comments included those by his father, mother, sister and other family members.

His father said all bodyweight restraints should be banned “unless there’s a high-level threat”. Quinto was attacking his mother at the time his sister called 9-1-1 and she said he had a hammer in his hand which she took from him.

His mother, speaking through tears during her call-in comments, said the proposed “policy is inadequate” and that if the restraints mentioned in the proposed policy had not been used “my son would still be alive.” She ended her comments crying heavily. Quinto’s sister spoke, next while the cries of her mother could be heard in the background. She agreed with the policy in general but wanted changes to it, saying that even Lexipol had challenges with some of the policies developed using their online sample policies.

They and others continued the disproven accusation against four Antioch officers that Angelo Quinto died as a result of a knee-to-kneck restraint. He died in the hospital three days after the incident. According to the coroner’s report, “a full examination of the neck revealed there was no evidence of strangulation or crushed airway” and that “there were no fractures of the skull, torso, or extremities.” Finally, the Coroner’s Office stated, “Although the decedent had injuries consistent with a struggle with his family and law enforcement, none of the injuries appeared to be fatal.”

During a March 2nd press conference, then-Antioch Police Chief Tammany Brooks said, “at one point during the handcuffing, an officer did briefly – for a few seconds – have a knee across a portion of Angelo’s shoulder blade. This is a common control technique taught at CA POST approved Police Academies for prone handcuffing.  At no point did any officer use a knee or any other body part to gain leverage or apply pressure to Angelo’s head, neck, or throat, which is outside our policy and training.” (See related article)

In addition, according to a KTVU News report, Quinto “succumbed to excited delirium and prescription drugs during the physical altercation with officers, the Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office.”

The family has filed a wrongful death suit against the four officers and the City.

Council Discussion and Vote

“I will say that given that this process has never existed in the City of Antioch, before, this is a good policy, this is a reasonable policy, it is a common-sense policy and was developed in collaboration,” Tamisha Torres-Walker said. “I’m pretty impressed at how far we’ve been able to come with this particular policy.”

Mayor Lamar Thorpe spoke next. ‘This is new for the City of Antioch so, I’m very pleased at the engagement with this council.” He called for “a real police oversight commission that is independent of the council.”

Thorpe then moved approval of the draft policy.

“I’ll second, but I have some clarifying questions,” Mayor Pro Tem Monica Wilson said.

“We all agree we need a policy on this. Although good work has been done on this, it feels like it has been rushed. Before we decide, I’d like to meet and confer with the APOA, then come back,” Barbanica stated. “Are we really meeting and conferring or just satisfying the rule? I appreciate, again the work that was done. I just think we need some language cleanup.”

“If we did move it forward to council, after we meet and confer, we would bring back two copies, one red-lined…that would include any edits we’re recommending,” Attorney Smith said. “Plus, the version you pass, today.”

“I would be OK with that,” Barbanica responded.

“Going back to the recovery position, you stated either side or seated. When is the judgement made for when you bring someone to side or seated position?”

“Preferably we get someone to a seated position,” Morefield responded. “It really comes down to compliance. More folks we get into handcuffs, the quicker we get to the seated…recovery position. It’s too easy to stand up. We get them on their stomach, on their side, then seated then standing.”

Thorpe then said, “I’m ready to vote. I’m fine with the redlining and bring back to council.”

The motion passed on a 5-0 vote.

Moved Other Items to Next Committee Meeting

With the meeting getting close to 5:00 p.m. when the council’s closed session was to begin, before the regular meeting at 7:00 p.m., the members voted to postpone the remaining items to the next standing committee meeting, which is scheduled for the fourth Tuesday of October.

One suspect still at large; shooting causes nearby Park Middle School locked down temporarily

By Antioch Police

On Tuesday, Sept. 28, 202, at 10:53 AM, Antioch Police Department Dispatch received multiple phone calls of a shooting in progress at the Antioch Water Treatment Plant at 401 Putnam Street. While officers were in route to that location, additional callers reported an armed robbery that had just occurred at a business in the 2200 block of A Street. Officers eventually learned that three males robbed the business on A Street at gunpoint and then fled in a black sedan. A victim of the initial robbery chased after the suspects in his vehicle, when the suspects began shooting at him. The victim followed the suspect vehicle into the water treatment plant, where further shots were fired.

The three suspects fled on foot through the water treatment plant to Lone Tree Way, where two of them were apprehended by Antioch Police Officers. Park Middle School was placed on lockdown for approximately 30 minutes while officers conducted an extensive search of the area for the third suspect. At no point was there any indication that the suspects were ever on school grounds. No one was injured as a result of the gunfire, and it appears the suspects inadvertently ended up in the water treatment plant as they were trying to flee from the pursuing victim.

All of the stolen property, along with two firearms, were recovered by officers on scene. One subject, Isaiah Taylor, age 22, was booked into County Jail for armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. The 17-year-old male suspect was booked into Juvenile Hall for armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. The third suspect was described as a young black male wearing a black hooded sweatshirt. That suspect is still outstanding.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925) 778-2441. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

 

AUSD rankd 248 out of the 287 districts included that enroll 72% of students from over 1,000 districts in California; statewide results show over half of all third graders, 3+ million, reading below grade level

“…the primary drivers are district focus on reading, management practices, and curriculum and instruction choices.” – report

No ideas to address situation shared by district’s trustees

By Allen Payton

As the Antioch school board president and trustees continue to participate in a power struggle for control of the board and an internecine Robert’s Rules of Order battle, 76% of the district’s third graders are reading below grade level. That’s according to the California Reading Report Card, which ranks districts based on their effectiveness in teaching reading by 3rd grade. It is produced by the California Reading Coalition and includes data from the 2017-18 and 2018-19 school years, since no testing took place in 2020.

In addition, the report shows 73% of the district’s third graders are “High Need Students”.

According to their website, the California Reading Coalition, founded this year, “is made up of educators, advocates, researchers, and policy makers committed to improved reading outcomes for all California students.” They “support school districts and advocacy groups in focusing on the California reading crisis and working to improve curriculum, instruction, teacher development, and ultimately outcomes for every student.”

According to the report, “The clear message is that it is not the students themselves, or the level of resources, that drive student reading achievement – the primary drivers are district focus on reading, management practices, and curriculum and instruction choices.  The Top 30 Districts come in all types: urban, rural, and suburban, across 10 different counties, with high-need students levels ranging from 39% to 96%.  Any district can succeed at teaching reading.”

The organization offered additional details about their research and report:

“Key Findings (read the presentation for more)

Top districts had double the percent of students* in our analysis at grade level vs. low-performing districts (50% vs. 25%), serving similar students and with lower funding.  On average high performing districts have a similar share of high-need enrollment (62% vs. 75%), while low performing districts have higher funding levels ($14 thousand per pupil vs. $12 thousand). There are top performing districts with over 90% high-need enrollment, and low performing districts with less than 20%.

​A surprising finding is that none of the top performing districts are located in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Bay Area contains nearly half of the lowest performing districts, including large districts like San Francisco Unified, Oakland Unified, and West Contra Costa County Unified.  By contrast, Southern California has 80% of the high performing districts, led by Los Angeles County, where over half of all ranked districts are in the top 20% statewide. Fresno County is also a standout, with 4 of the top 30 districts (including 2 of the top 5), while making up only 1% of all ranked districts.

How the Rankings Work

Districts are ranked by the percent of socio-economically disadvantaged (SED) Hispanic/Latino (Latinx) students who “meet or exceed” grade level for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) 3rd grade ELA test.  We combined the two most recent CAASPP cycles (2017-18 and 2018-19; no testing took place in 2020) to account for variation between years.

​Our rankings are based on one particular student group – SED Latinx 3rd graders (for a more detail, visit our ‘Why Latinx 3rd Graders?’ page). District comparisons must focus on specific sub-groups – an “apples to apples” comparison. Not only do SED Latinx students make up 43% of California K-12 enrollment, they are also less likely to have outside learning supports than families with more resources, higher educational attainment, and more English literacy. Results for these students therefore help us see how effectively schools teach reading, separate from the contribution from parents and outside resources. We believe that better results for these students almost certainly mean better reading instruction for all.

The rankings include districts with 100 or more SED Latinx 3rd graders.  This provides a larger sample for each district, less susceptible to year-to-year variation.  These districts make up 287 of California’s over 1,000 school districts, and enroll 72% of all students.

For data sources, visit our Sources & Notes page.”

——-

Comparison With Neighboring Districts

Neighboring districts scored better than Antioch, but not by much, with Brentwood Union Elementary having the fewest third graders reading below grade level at 64% and the lowest percentage of high need students at 31%.

In Pittsburg Unified 66% performed below grade level and 76% were high need, and in the Oakley Union Elementary School District 73% of third graders tested below grade level and 47% were high need.

Questions for AUSD Trustees, Superintendent & Staff

The following questions were sent to the five Antioch School Board trustees and Superintendent Stephanie Anello, on Friday.

What is being done to rectify this situation? What ideas, programs or suggestions have any of the trustees proposed during their terms on the board? Have any been approved and implemented? If so, what are the results? If so or if not, what do you propose be done?

Since education begins at home, what is being done to work with the parents or guardians of the students reading below grade level to help them?

For the Hispanic/Latino students, is it a matter of Spanish being the primary language at home? How many ESL students are there in the district, please?

Have there been any efforts to work with Rocketship Delta Prep to learn what their best practices are which, according to their reports, show significant advancement among their students and in just one school year, and implement them in district schools?

On whom does the responsibility lay for this, the board, superintendent, principals, teachers and/or parents?

Are there subject matters being taught in the classroom that aren’t required that take time away from focusing on reading skills?”

In response, Board President Ellie Householder wrote, “Answers to most of your data questions (i.e. demographics) can be found via Data Quest: https://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/” and “In terms of the nuanced and programmatic questions, I refer to District staff.”

However, that website only answered the question about how many third-grade English learners are in the district. The answer is 300 out of all 1,224 for a total of 24%. Householder did not share what ideas she has proposed or answer the other questions, so they were resent to her.

Board Vice President Clyde Lewis responded, “Thank you for pointing this out. These numbers should receive the attention and plans should be developed to address them. I believe that by working with those on the ground and listening to educators, we can work with parents to develop sound strategies.”

Anello was out of the office both Friday and Monday,  Sept. 24 and 27 An automatic response referred to Associate Superintendent Christine Ibarra and Deputy Superintendent Jessica Romeo. They were then sent the same information and questions after work hours on Monday.

9/30/21 UPDATE: AUSD Responds – Following are the Herald’s questions repeated and the answers from Associate Superintendent Christine Ibarra:

Q – What is being done to rectify this situation? What ideas, programs, or suggestions have any of the trustees proposed during their terms on the board? Have any been approved and implemented? If so, what are the results? If so or if not, what do you propose be done?

A – AUSD is heavily invested in a computer adaptive instructional program known as iReady.  All students in grades K-8th participate in this research-based program.  This program provides three diagnostic assessments per year and produces individualized placement levels in reading.  The students then engage in a pathway of instruction that is both done within the computerized program itself and supported by intervention prep teachers on campuses with direct instruction that is tailored to the individual levels and needs of each student.  Since this is our third year utilizing this program, we have data that shows significant growth in students’ reading levels and abilities at all grade levels even during distance learning.

Furthermore, AUSD has provided every elementary school with a full time intervention teacher who works with small groups providing intentional and targeted support in areas of need, specifically in fluency skills and reading comprehension. These intervention teachers utilize a wide array of differentiation strategies and support to ensure their time with student groups is maximized for the greatest impact on student growth and achievement.

In addition, AUSD has an MOU with UC Berkeley’s California Reading and Literacy Project for the 2021-2022 school year.  This partnership provides professional learning for all teachers TK-6th grade specifically focused on developing teachers’ content knowledge and expanding their teaching strategies guided by the state-adopted frameworks, content standards, and the science of reading.

Read 180 is a research-based program being reintroduced to AUSD intended for secondary students who are performing two or more years behind grade level in Reading.

AUSD is also heavily invested in the AVID programming and professional learning community which has provided hundreds of teachers across all grade levels with outstanding workshops focused on critical reading strategies across content areas so that all teachers have tools and supports to support reading levels at any grade level.  This summer alone, we had 50 teachers attend virtually.

The iReady program, Read 180, the AVID program, and the UC Berkeley partnership are Board approved contracts and the intervention teaching positions were board approved via the LCAP and Expanded Learning Opportunities grant.

Q – Since education begins at home, what is being done to work with the parents or guardians of the students reading below grade level to help them?

A – We provided ongoing trainings and support during school closures remotely in both English and Spanish. The parent trainings were not only for technology support efforts but were designed to also increase parents’ capacity to support their students at home and in their academics.  iReady specifically provided parent institutes that were widely attended virtually.  Since returning to in-person learning, we have worked closely with our District English Language Advisory Committees (DELAC) as well as our Parent Advisory Committees (PACs) and Site Councils from all schools across the district to assess what parents need and are interested in engaging in to support their students’ academic achievement.  Most, if not all of our elementary and middle schools, host parent training nights focused on both literacy and mathematics and are working to determine how to continue that effort with COVID-19 protocols in place this year.

Q – For the Hispanic/Latino students, is it a matter of Spanish being the primary language at home? How many ESL students are there in the district, please?

A – AUSD currently serves 2,687 English Learners (EL) and has over 450 students being tested to determine their English Learner status as of today.  Although Spanish is the largest group of English Learners’ population in AUSD, we have over 30 different languages spoken within our EL population.

Q – Have there been any efforts to work with Rocketship Delta Prep to learn what their best practices are which, according to their reports, show significant advancement among their students and in just one school year, and implement them in district schools?

A – The AUSD Educational Services department meets annually with Rocketship and reviews their programming efforts as required. Best practices are shared and exchanged during those meetings.  Since we have not had summative state data results in the last two years, the conversation has not been directly about the improvement of test scores.  In the 2019 CAASPP, AUSD students performed higher in English Language Arts.

Q – On whom does the responsibility lay for this, the board, superintendent, principals, teachers and/or parents?

Are there subject matters being taught in the classroom that aren’t required that take time away from focusing on reading skills?

A – Educating students and ensuring students have all the supports and opportunities they deserve and require is a collective responsibility.  When we can work together to that end, we will see students reach their full potential.

 

120.2 hours of work to determine all her complaints against police officers during Dec. 2020 traffic stop of her sons were baseless

By Allen Payton

The cost to the City of Antioch for the outside investigation demanded by District 1 Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker into the incident between police, her sons and her last December was $44,610 the city attorney’s office revealed, Monday. In addition, they reported it consumed a total of 120.2 hours for the investigator, billed at $420 per hour, a writer/editor billed at $180 per hour, and an intern, billed at a rate of $120 per hour, to complete their work. A breakdown of their individual costs was also requested of the city attorney’s office.

The investigation, conducted by Oppenheimer Investigations Group, focused on what started as a traffic stop by two Antioch Police officers of Torres-Walker’s two sons, an adult and a 13-year-old, riding a dirt bike and ATV quad illegally on city streets, on December 29, 2020. The older son fled the scene, for which he was later charged with evading police and is still pending. He went home and returned with his mother. Things then escalated with accusations by Torres-Walker against the officers, and continued with an online, profanity-filled video rant against the officers and the department.

The investigation determined that all the councilwoman’s complaints against the two officers were either unfounded or not sustained, according to the executive summary of the report, which was released earlier this month. (See related article)

Ironically, Torres-Walker is now the chair of the city council’s Police Oversight Standing Committee which has its next meeting Tuesday afternoon. (Please see related article)