Antioch Police, Contra Costa Sheriff’s Deputies and CHP Air Unit thwart burglars

By Antioch Police Department

Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020 at about 9:07 am, APD officers were dispatched to a residence near Mt. Isabel and Rogers Canyon Roads to investigate a burglar alarm. When the first officer arrived, he saw two individuals exiting the residence that appeared quite shocked at his presence. Both ran from the scene and a containment perimeter was quickly established by additional responding officers.

A yard-to-yard search was conducted with the assistance of a canine from the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office and air support from CHP – Golden Gate Division.

During the search, a car was seen exiting our perimeter with both suspects inside. The CHP Air Unit kept eyes on the vehicle and directed officers to where it was headed. Officers stopped the vehicle at a gas station near Lone Tree Way and Golf Course Road, where both suspects were taken into custody.

Officers recovered two firearms that were discarded by the suspects during their flight, including an AR pistol and a .40 caliber handgun. A 20-year-old male from Oakland was sent to the County Jail for residential burglary, parole violation, and gun charges. A 16-year-old male was sent to Juvenile Hall for residential burglary and gun charges.

APD would like to thank area residents who assisted us, and for their patience while we searched for the suspects. We would also like to thank the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office and CHP Golden Gate Air Operations for their assistance! APD is committed to keeping your neighborhoods safe and appreciate the partnership we have with our community.

#antiochpdca

 

Honor 2020-21 Antioch Veteran of the Year and Veteran for Lifetime Achievement

By Allen Payton

The residents of Antioch, under the lead of J.R. Wilson and the Delta Veterans Group, honored local veterans during a unique, drive-in Veterans Day Celebration Wednesday morning. Bill Ridle was announced and introduced as the 2020-21 Antioch Veteran of the Year and Jimmy Bean was honored with the Veterans Lifetime Achievement award.

In addition, Tom Menasco was honored for his volunteer service with the Veterans Banner program.

Those in attendance, sitting in their cars, showed their appreciation by honking their horns.

Dr. Dan Helix, Major General (Retired) of the U.S. Volunteers, the honor guard that officiates funerals of U.S. military veterans, provided the following keynote speech:

Veterans Day 2020

By MG Dan Helix, USV (Ret.)

How great is it that we finally get to celebrate this new memorial? Looks good, doesn’t it? And I would like to personally thank Mayor Sean Wright, Mayor-elect Lamar Thorpe (Navy Veteran) and the entire City Council of Antioch in allowing the vets of this city to be so involved in the undertaking of building this tribute.

Let me start out today with a famous quote:

I did my fact checking on this quote, and it is now widely debunked as actually to have been said by the first President, George Washington, but this is one of those cases where if he didn’t say it – he should have because this is the Quote:

“The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation.”

That was just too good to pass up.

It is an honor for me to speak to you today and represent the 21.8 million veterans in this country on this occasion. (and those are just ones we have with us today) 21.8 million veterans may sound like a lot, until you dig a little deeper into the math. There are 326.7 Million people in this country which puts the percentage of those who ever served in one of our country’s uniforms, and that includes the vets of War II and Korea and Viet Nam up through the current Action in Iraq and Afghanistan, at 6.7%. My dad used to say that only one in 10 Americans ever served in a uniform and the other nine are glad they did. Can’t say that anymore. 6.7%. And that dwindling percentage of the population has special knowledge of what it takes to complete the sacrifice of raising one’s hand swearing to protect and defend the constitution of the United States, and in turn the citizens of this great country. This day is not about politics. This day is not about a Commander in Chief, this day is not about elected officials. This day is about the willingness of a relatively small group of United States citizens who, despite the inherent dangers involved, who refuse to let down the guard necessary to maintain a safe, democratic, and free country.

Today we celebrate those who put others first for the sake of that freedom. While it may true that not everyone has a purely altruistic reason for raising their hand, signing the blank check of their lives over to the people and ideals of this great country, no one escapes that deep sense of the sacrifice once they have completed their term of service, be it three years or a whole career.

You know, it is common today for folks to tell us vets, when we are wearing a hat or a shirt identifying us as proud military veterans, to say “thank you for your service”. And while that is appreciated, usually because it is quite apparent that it is sincere, I find it peculiar that the group that says it more than any other is the vets themselves, one to another. I have been in several states that are very outwardly friendly toward to the military and vets, and in one state, when were out for a meal as a unit, in unform, we ran up a $300 bill. When I went to pay the bill, the cashier told me it was all taken care of, and “thank you for your service”. Wow, that was nice. But later that day, still in uniform, as I passed by a Viet Nam vet as I could see from his 4^th Infantry Division hat, he looked at me and said, “Thank you for your service, sir”. All I could think of was “wow, that came from a place few could claim”. The tide has turned since the time when I was going to college. In fact, I think I know when it started to turn.  In 1983, there was still backlash at our Viet Nam vets, though it was subsiding from the mid 70’s, it was still apparent, especially where I got my commission from, the only university in the country that got combat pay – UC Berkeley.  (a little vet humor there) But seriously, things were turning from vilifying those that were simply following orders, many of whom had no choice because they were drafted.

In October 1983, American forces went to Grenada to liberate many American citizens that were going to medical school there and had been taken captive by the Cuban Army.  They were successful. The next day the Daily Cal newspaper ran a headline saying, “Thank God for the U.S. Army Rangers and the United States Marine Corps”. Clearly, they identified as students, that our forces saved lives and freed innocent people from the attempt of a tyrannical dictator to assert his will and greed in a place he thought would be inconsequential to the US. But he miscalculated the will of a free country to protect its own.

Now, I have to insert a personal story here. I was the Battalion Executive Office, less than two months away from commission when this happened. When it first happened I was called and told not to come into the unit in uniform, but rather “mufti” – civilian clothes. It was then we learned of the headline I just spoke of, and the COL decided we would conduct training as usual the next day.

The next, at the beginning of training, as I was in front of the battalion formation, I noticed a rather “non-military” appearing individual off to my left. I gave the command for the unit commanders to move their units out to training, they saluted me, I returned their salute, and this guy starts walking towards me. Well, from my previous experience on campus… I thought –  uh oh –  here it comes. My three Company Commanders saw this too and they started running towards me, thinking I was going to get myself into trouble. When this bearded individual with rather long hair, a tie dye shirt and sandals got within about ten feet of me he stopped. As I braced for the torrent of profanities that usually accompanied this proximity of Berkeley students this guy said “Man, I wouldn’t do what you do for a million bucks, But I sure am glad you’re doing it.” I mumbled a shocked, “Thanks” and turned around and went on his way. When my 3 Company Commanders got to me it was all over and they asked what he said. I just shook my head in disbelief. In my experience, that is when it turned. Now, my little story might sound a bit myopic, but I do not think it is unique. America has come around to understand that its service members and veterans 1. Answered a call bigger than themselves, 2. All of us come back changed, and that in and of itself is a sacrifice, and 3. Some of what we do has nothing to do with personal agreement or disagreement –  we follow orders, and that is what signed up to do –  for the sake of freedom, for the sake of others, for the sake of our democracy and its citizens.

This is what Veterans’ Day is all about. Selfless, sacrificial service for ideals that this country still stands for.

One last thing. I do not know if you are aware how involved with serving homeless vets the VSO’s of the area are. I have to give a shout out to my comrades in the VFW, American Legion DAV and especially the leadership of JR Wilson and the DVG. These organizations have banded together to help out so many veterans with life sustaining assistance. And the service they provide to getting homeless veterans off the street is impressive. My day job is as a Case Manager for Shelter, Inc, an organization that is very involved with housing homeless vets, and several times when it looked as though a vet was not going to be able to get housing or something needed in order to get housing, these organizations have come through doe so many. Claude Battaglia with Independent Living Resources  should be included in that group, as well.

I am proud of the Veterans in East County who have made sure that No Man (or Woman) Is Left Behind. And how nice it is to be in a community that joins with us, as wonderful support and encouragement to be a part of the solution for those veterans who have fallen on difficult times.

So on this Veterans day 2020, On behalf of those who proudly served you, the American citizen, as many of you have Thank you for your service, let us say back to you, Thank you for your support.

God Bless you, God bless our military and veterans and God Bless America.

Please check back later for more photos and videos of the ceremonies.

 

To be honored, again today during drive-in Antioch Veterans Day Celebration

This is part of a continued series of the annual community awards by the Antioch Chamber of Commerce.

On Friday night, Sept. 24 the Antioch Chamber of Commerce held its Gala Dinner, this year virtually, and honored the city’s most outstanding residents and organizations with their annual awards.

Just because active duty may have ended doesn’t mean those that have protected our freedoms stop serving. Such is the case with the Veteran of the Year award. Award recipients remain heavily involved and active in the community.

Veteran of the Year – U.S. Army, Vietnam Veteran, Past Galt VFW Commander, and current Antioch VFW Post 6435 Commander, Denny Hollison

Born in Des Moines, Iowa on January 29, 1947, to a large family and raised between Los Angeles and Galt, CA, Jimmy “Denny” Hollison joined the United States Army as a Heavy Truck Operator and was sent to South Vietnam in 1968. Denny was stationed with the 101st Airborne Division (2nd BN, 502nd Inf. Division) as a “Road Warrior”

In 1970 Denny became a Life Member of the VFW and in 1972 Denny served as the Galt VFW Commander, and was a High School Football Coach for Galt and Livermore, CA. Denny Hollison became the Antioch VFW Post 6435 Commander in 2016 and still serves the post in that capacity.

He takes great pride, in being a member of the Antioch VFW Post 6435 where he gives back to the community and helps veteran’s in need. Denny is a constant advocate for the veteran’s here in the City of Antioch! He has served as the Security Coordinator for Contra Costa Counties Homeless Veteran “Stand Down on the Delta” since 2015.

Denny and his wife Diane Marie Hollison have three children, Sara Ruegg Hollison, Paul D. Hollison and Kyle Gottwald.

The 2020-21 Antioch Veteran of the Year along with the Veteran of the Year for Lifetime Achievement will be announced and honored, today at the drive-in Antioch Veterans Day Celebration which begins at 10:00 a.m. at the marina, foot of L Street. (See related article).

Park Ridge subdivision park, Valeriano and Guiseppina Jacuzzi Knolls Open Space

By Allen Payton

One of the family members that helped develop the Jacuzzi name into a global recognized brand in the hot tub business, and his wife, will have their legacy of farming and land ownership in Antioch honored with the naming of a 25-acre open space inside a new home subdivision off the future extension of Laurel Road. The city council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve the Valeriano and Guiseppina Jacuzzi Knolls Open Spacee and Park Ridge subdivision park. Park Ridge park & Jacuzzi Knolls Open Space ACC11-10-20

The 525-unit new home project by Davidon Homes will feature both the 8.22-acre park in the Park Ridge development. It will also have a trail to connect to the Delta de Anza Trail as well as the Jacuzzi open space.

The park will include a dog park and is expected to be completed by first quarter of next year a representative of Davidon Homes shared.

“Exciting for Antioch exciting for the project,” Mayor Sean Wright said following the presentation.

“It looks like it’s a beautiful park with a lot of open space. So, thank you for that,” said Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock. “The only ask is that the playground structures be all access. I just want to make sure it’s put into the resolution so that it gets done.”

“It’s a beautiful park and what a great amenity to the subdivision,” added Mayor Pro Tem Joy Motts who followed her comments by making a motion to adopt a resolution of approval for the park and open space.

The council then voted unanimously 5-0 approving the motion.

Valeriano and Guissepina Jacuzzi and Family History, and Ties to Antioch

According to former Antioch Mayor Joel Keller, the Jacuzzi family members started in Antioch and East County about 100 years ago. They were farmers, and then some family members left for Sonoma County and entered the vineyard and wine business.

“When they moved to Antioch is when they worked on their pump and started the Jacuzzi hot tub business,” he shared.

“The family still owns many acres of land in both Antioch and Brentwood,” Keller added.

Valeriano Jacuzzi was born on December 16, 1887 and died in 1973. Guiseppina, known as “Pina”, was also born on December 16, but in 1898. The year of her passing could not be found in a search prior to publication time.

According to the history of the Jacuzzi family on the Jacuzzi Vineyards website, “The Jacuzzi trek to America started in 1907, when Valeriano and Francesco Jacuzzi, the second- and third-born sons of Giovanni and Teresa Jacuzzi, immigrated to Washington to work on the railroad. A warmer climate beckoned and the pair eventually made their way to southern California. Years later, they were joined by four other brothers and eventually all went to work in the aviation industry. Soon they would make American history.

In 1911 their father, Giovanni, a skilled wood worker and vineyard farmer joined them. Two weeks was enough to convince him that his sons would never go back. He then returned to Italy with Valeriano to gather up the rest of the family.”

According to the Jacuzzi Wikipedia page, “Jacuzzi Brothers was founded in 1915 by seven Italian brothers from Casarsa della Delizia in Northern Italy, led by Giocondo Jacuzzi and Candido Jacuzzi. The company made wooden propellers under military contracts” at their location on San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley.

According to the vineyards’ website, “World War I intervened and the trip was delayed until the war’s end. During this time, Valeriano had met Giuseppina and fell in love, married and had their first child. Valeriano’s new family, parents and remaining siblings departed from Italy in 1920.

Soon after their arrival in early 1921, Valeriano started working with his brothers at their Jacuzzi Brothers factory. A tragic crash, over Modesto, of Jacuzzi’s first enclosed monoplane took several lives, including that of Valeriano’s brother, Giocondo. At this time, Giovanni asked his sons to cease making planes. Valeriano moved his family to Northern California and purchased a 161-acre farm in (Antioch) Contra Costa County.

During the depression, Valeriano, with help from his older children, planted a portion of the open farm fields with grapes and in 1936 he applied for a license to make wine for home consumption.

“In 1937, Valeriano returned to work with his brothers at Jacuzzi Brothers, Inc…where they manufactured water well pumps and eventually, the bath and spa that bears their name.”

Valeriano’s grandson, Fred Cline started Cline Family Cellars in 1982 in Oakley, making his first vintages from original plantings some of which dated back to the 1880’s. Those vineyards can still be seen, today along the north side of the city next to the railroad tracks.

“Cline opened Jacuzzi Family Vineyards in 2007 as a way of honoring his beloved grandfather Valeriano Jacuzzi. As a teenager and young man, Fred was taught by Valeriano how to tease magic from the soil” and “the fine art of old-world winemaking.” Two of the wines sold by  Jacuzzi Family Vineyards are named Valeriano and Guiseppina as tributes to his grandparents.

According to the Jacuzzi hot tubs company website, “the Jacuzzi brothers revolutionized the pump industry by developing a pump for orchards. Many inventions later…when a young Jacuzzi family member was stricken with rheumatoid arthritis, the brothers designed a pump that could be submerged in a bathtub to provide pain-relieving hydrotherapy treatments,” creating a hydromassage pump. “In 1968 Jacuzzi created the world’s first integrated jet whirlpool bath” and “the portable hydrotherapy pump turned any normal bathtub into a relaxing and rejuvenating hydro-therapeutic spa and changed the lives of people around the world.”

In 1979, the Jacuzzi family sold the business (and the name) to a large corporate conglomerate, and Valeriano and Guissepino’s son Remo remained president of Jacuzzi Brothers until 1982. Remo Jacuzzi started and owns Jason International, a  hydrotherapy company named from a combination of Jacuzzi and the word “son”.

Now, the 25-acre open space in Antioch will bear the Jacuzzi family name, specifically as a legacy to one of the inventive, hardworking farmer and vintner brothers, Valeriano and his bride, Guissepina, who have added to Antioch’s rich history as the county’s oldest city.

 

Walker expands lead over Motts in Council District 1;

Davis’ lead shrinks to 50 votes over Posada for Treasurer

By Allen Payton

In a surprise update on Tuesday afternoon posted on the Contra Costa Elections Division website, the race for Antioch City Clerk has flipped with Antioch School Board Trustee Ellie Householder pulling into the lead by just 30 votes, with 11,323 to incumbent Arne Simonsen’s 11,293 votes. She had previously conceded the election, last week, congratulating Simonsen on what was believed to be a victory. (Please see related article)

UPDATE: Asked if she was surprised by today’s update and if she wins will she step down from the school board, Householder responded, “I am happily surprised! And no, I won’t step down.” If Householder ends up winning, she will probably be the first elected official in Antioch history to hold two elected offices at the same time. (The Herald will have to research that).

However, not all the votes in the county have been counted, yet and another update is expected on Friday by 5:00 p.m. elections office staff told the Herald. Antioch Councilman and Mayor-elect Lamar Thorpe shared the figure of 10,000 votes left to be counted.

When reached for comment to confirm that figure Assistant Registrar of Voters, Scott Konopasek said, “we expect about 10,000 votes are left to be counted countywide for the whole election, plus about 5,000 provisionals.”

“The 10,000 are mostly ballots that are damaged that have to be duplicated,” he continued. “We’re getting ballots that were dropped off in other counties.”

Ballots can continue to arrive until November 20th and still be included in the county including military ballots.

“I’s not just military, it’s all ballots,” Konopasek said. “We aren’t going to report the provisionals until the 20th. They still have to be processed.”

“Then there are about 2,000 military ballots that were faxed to us, which have to be duplicated. But those are included in the 10,000,” he continued. “On the 20th, we will count all the provisionals and we should be 99.9% completed.”

Asked why the update today, Konopasek responded with a bit of joviality, “We’re taking tomorrow off for Veterans Day. I’m a veteran and I don’t work on Veterans Day!”

In the Antioch City Council District 1 race, newcomer Tamisha Walker expanded her lead to 191 votes over incumbent Joy Motts. Walker now has 2,788 votes over Motts’ 2,597. The head had previously been just 12 votes as of the first semi-official update last Friday afternoon. (See related article)

In the City Treasurer’s race, appointed incumbent Jim Davis’ lead was cut to just 50 votes over challenger Lauren Posada. It’s the second time the gap has closed, beginning with 1,075 votes difference as of Election Night, then down to 764 between the two as of last Friday’s update. Davis now has 20,679 votes to Posada’s 20,629.

No other significant changes occurred in the other races for Antioch City Council with Mike Barbanica’s lead over former Councilman Tony Tiscareno’s lead dropping by just six votes to now 666 in the District 2 race, and Councilwomen Lori Ogorchock and Monica Wilson winning handily in Districts 3 and 4, respectively. While Ogorchock’s lead dropped by 115 votes to just 550 over newcomer Nichole Gardner, Wilson increased her lead by 844 votes to 3,169 over Police Crime Prevention Commission Chair Sandra White in her first campaign for public office.

In the mayor’s race, Thorpe continued to increase his lead by another 1,080 votes over incumbent Dr. Sean Wright. The lead is now 4,569 votes, now with 19,363 for Thorpe to 14,794 for Wright.

“No (Antioch) mayoral candidate has won with more than 15,000 votes,” Thorpe mentioned.

So, three of the current incumbents will return for another term, Wilson for just two years as her seat will be up for election in 2022, as will the District 1 seat.

In the Antioch School Board races there were no changes, as Antonio Hernandez expanded his lead in Area 1 over incumbent Trustee and Board President Diane Gibson-Gray, and Clyde Lewis expanded his lead over incumbent Trustee Crystal Sawyer-White.

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Retail stores 100 people or 50% max;

Gyms reduced to 10% capacity;

Office workspaces must operate remotely;

No changes to indoor worship, theaters from previous order

In response to evidence that COVID-19 is spreading rapidly in Contra Costa, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) today moved the county back into the red tier of its Blueprint for a Safer Economy, restoring more safety requirements to slow the virus and save lives.

The state’s action today adds these additional requirements, effective starting Friday, Nov. 13 in Contra Costa:

• Retail stores that operate indoors must scale back their maximum occupancy to 50% or 100 people, whichever is lower.
• Indoor shopping malls must reduce their occupancy and reduce the occupancy of food courts to 25% or 100 people, whichever is fewer.
• Office workspaces must operate remotely.
• Higher education institutions must keep indoor lectures and student gatherings to 25% occupancy or 100 people, whichever is fewer.
• Gyms and fitness centers must scale back their indoor occupancies to 10%.
• Communal indoor pools must close.
• Indoor family entertainment centers, such as bowling alleys, must close their indoor operations. Amusement parks cannot operate.
• Most live outdoor theatrical, musical or artistic performances are prohibited.

The average daily number of new, confirmed COVID-19 is on the rise in Contra Costa, and across the Bay Area and the U.S. Health officials urge county residents to consider how they are protecting themselves and their families from the virus, and what they can do to make the holiday season safer.

“The most critical way to protect against COVID-19 is to wear a face covering whenever you are near people who do not live with you, and whenever you go in a building that is not your home,” said Dr. Chris Farnitano, Contra Costa Health Officer. “Face coverings help prevent people who do not know they are infected from spreading the virus to others. My mask protects you. Your mask protects me. Masks also provide some direct protection for the wearer.”

Most new COVID-19 cases in Contra Costa are spread within the home, with an infected member of a household passing the virus to people with whom they live. Face coverings in public reduce the risk of bringing COVID-19 into the home, where people usually do not mask or practice physical distancing.

Data from Contra Costa show that the average daily number of newly identified COVID-19 infections has risen steadily since the county entered the orange tier of the state’s plan on October 27.

On Tuesday, the 7-day average, per-capita number of new cases (the “adjusted case rate”) was 5.3 in Contra Costa, higher than permitted for counties in the orange tier for a second consecutive week. That triggered the county’s shift back into the more restrictive red tier, effective today.

Other data show an alarming rise in local cases. On Nov. 8, for example, there were 46 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Contra Costa – the highest one-day total since September.

In response to the data, Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) issued a local health order last week that restored red-tier safety restrictions for a number of businesses and activities, though the county remained in the orange tier at the time.

Those changes remain in place today, including requirements for reduced occupancy during indoor worship services and for indoor dining and movie theaters, and the closure of bars that do not serve meals with alcohol. Cardrooms are required to operate outdoors only.

The tier change does not affect the ability of schools to reopen for in-person instruction, following state and local health guidelines. Outdoor playgrounds may also remain open.

Visit cchealth.org/coronavirus for local information about COVID-19. For questions about details of state or local health orders in Contra Costa County, visit our online FAQ or call 1-844-729-8410.

 

Fight began over a woman friends say

By Antioch Police Department

On Thursday, November 5, 2020, at about 4:06 pm, 40-year-old Curtis Gaines and 32-year-old Steven Wade were involved in a physical fight in front of 9 W. 20th Street in Antioch. After the fight was over, Wade went to his car and retrieved a pistol. Wade fired one round at Gaines, hitting him in the lower torso. Gaines was transported to a local hospital where he was declared deceased. (See related article)

The Antioch Investigations Unit, Special Operations Unit, and Problem Oriented Policing Unit tracked Wade to a residence on Poplar Drive in Concord, where he was taken into custody without incident.

According to people who knew both men, they were ex-brothers-in-law and the fight began over an issue with a woman.

On Monday, November 9, 2020, this case was presented to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office and Wade was charged with murder, along with an enhancement for use of a firearm. He was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Wade is currently being held at the Contra Costa County Jail with bail set at two million dollars. #antiochpdca

Allen Payton contributed to this report.