Dear Editor,

I have followed the Antioch City Council for years (and I am certainly no stranger to the public comment podium). Experience teaches that the important issues facing our city are surprisingly complicated. Success requires being open minded, communication, intelligent decision making, and experience seeking solutions that are right for Antioch. Taking into account these vital qualities, and in light of the challenges facing our city, I am certain that the right person for Mayor of Antioch continues to be Sean Wright.

Sean Wright’s only political ambition is to be Antioch’s mayor; he is not using our city as a steppingstone for future political aspirations. In other words, he puts Antioch’s interests first. Mayor Wright is not beholden to any political party bosses, hence we need not worry about our city becoming a hobby horse for outside interests that will force Antioch down failed paths and someone else’s agenda. I have always been impressed with Mayor Wright’s in-depth knowledge of the issues, no doubt the product of his ability reach out and listen to people. His livelihood is here in Antioch, his children attend Antioch public schools, active in the Chamber of Commerce – these are just a few examples of how Sean Wright is deeply rooted in Antioch and committed to its success.

Especially important in these difficult times is that Sean Wright is transparent. There are no hidden agendas, no backroom deals, no maneuvering to pack the City Council with allies or employees, and no smear campaigns promulgating lies. Such antics will only serve to divide our city and call into question the motivations of their perpetrators.

I am voting to re-elect Sean Wright as Mayor of Antioch. With all sincerity I ask that you vote for him too. I guess you could say, “I like Wright.”

With Kind Regards,

Dr. Jeffrey Klingler

Antioch Resident (22 years)

Filed felony looting case, refers low-level drug cases to behavioral health care system for treatment

Dear Antioch Residents:

“The most dangerous untruths are truths slightly distorted.” Recently, Sean Wright, the Mayor of Antioch has made repeated distorted untruths about the District Attorney office policies, and about my record as your District Attorney. To have an elected official, make distorted truths, and then hide his head in the sand and refuse to learn the true facts is troubling to say the least. I take transparency and accountability very seriously, as any elected official should.

Facts matter. First, the Mayor bought a political smear hit piece from a biased website about looting. He never reached out to me to find out what my office guidelines actually require.  The guidelines do not prohibit the filing of any looting case – in fact, just recently, we filed a felony looting case. The truth is, my office guidelines assist prosecutors in making the distinction between thefts and burglaries that merely happen while we are in the pandemic, and lootings which are substantially motivated by a state of emergency. The guidelines are on the District Attorney website. I encourage you to read them. (See related article)

Second, your mayor attacked our office policies regarding low-level, stand alone drug cases. (See related article) What he fails to mention is that initially these cases are referred to the behavioral health care system for treatment. Please do not forget the failed policies of the War on Drugs. Arresting citizens for possession of small amounts of drugs, taking them to jail, and releasing them without treatment ensures that these individuals will soon be arrested again, and so the cycle continues. The aim of my office policy is to stop chronic patterns of arrest, to connect individuals to behavioral health services, to reduce the burden on the court system and law enforcement, and to allow prosecutors to focus on more serious and violent crimes. Of course, repeat offenders can be charged, diverted or suffer additional consequences.  As the chief law enforcement officer for the county, I take my oath seriously to protect the public. However, clogging our criminal justice system with low-level crimes does not deter crime nor find equitable solutions for our community. I am focused on common-sense solutions that are fair and equitable, and good for the entire community. 

Here are some items to keep in mind during this election season. We cannot let lies get in the way of the truth, even during campaign season. The mayor is making this a political attack against me in order to bolster his campaign for re-election, and to take swipes at his East Bay Times endorsed opponent, Lamar Thorpe. Stand on our own record Mr. Mayor, and please stop trying to bolster your platform by making distorted claims about our office policies. During the election season, we hear from elected officials about their vision for their community. Unfortunately, despite his message of unifying the community, your Mayor is trying to divide Antioch and use our office as a foil and create a controversy when none exists. Examine the facts. Facts matter.

Sincerely,
Diana Becton

District Attorney, Contra Costa County

Dear Editor:

The following letter was sent to our mayor and councilmembers in time for their next meeting, Tuesday night.

Mayor and Councilmembers:

In an effort to support and assist our restaurant owners in Antioch, I am proposing the City Council immediately adopt an emergency ordinance to support our small business restauranteurs.  How?

I am proposing that the City limit the amount that third party food delivery companies can charge our restaurants to 15% of the sales amounts.  Currently, food delivery services can charge as much as 30% to provide this service to people ordering from our restaurants.  This temporary measure will help support our local restaurants, cost the City zero to adopt and implement and help during this pandemic time as some people continue to order food delivered to them, instead of venturing out for pick up.

Large conglomerate restaurants can usually negotiate a smaller delivery charge, but our local business owners are at the mercy of the delivery firms, and their high charges.  Our local small restaurants are often dealing with a 20% to 30% charge

Longevity for this ordinance?  Why not have the ordinance terminate when the City Council and County lifts emergency orders related to the pandemic.  Restoration of normalcy seems vague at this point, and the ordinance to support our restaurants should not terminate prematurely.

This is a quick way to support our restaurants in Antioch.  As we approach the fall and winter, we need to be proactive in supporting our business community.  I am available to share my research with you, and expect our City leaders to be responsive in helping our small businesses, restaurants in particular.

Manny Soliz, Jr.

Former Mayor Pro Tem and Councilmember

Current candidate Antioch City Council District 1

P.S. I also support waiving late fees on Antioch business licenses, this year to help all businesses in our city.

 

Dear Editor:

How about you do a long story or set of stories and publish the salaries of the Antioch Unified 2,700+ employees collecting outrageous pay amounts while the children in the district are getting sub-par or no services. It’s all on TransparentCalifornia.com. The district has contractors “providing services” for special needs children through “distance learning”. Services for mentally handicapped children through a computer screen. Children that cannot talk and do not have fine motor skills to operate the computer.

Yet, these same contractors also work for doctor’s offices and provide in-person services through medical insurance. The kicker is medical insurance won’t pay for these services after three years old because the public schools are required under federal laws to provide it free. But they’re not providing it either, as Sec. 504 of the ADA requires.

https://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/2019/school-districts/contra-costa/antioch-unified/?page=1&s=-gross

Thomas Giles

Antioch

Only candidate to offer a vision for the people – The Bridge to a Brighter Future

Today, Thursday, October 8, 2020, Gabe Makinano, in fulfilling the slogan “Vision With Action” for his campaign for Mayor of Antioch, presents his Vision 2020 for Antioch to show what our city can have and become in the very near future, and what he will take action on during the next four years following his election. Vision 2020 Antioch by Gabe Makinano for Mayor

“It’s a leader’s job to provide the vision for the people to know the direction we are all heading, together and to take action to make it a reality,” said Makinano. “These are the items – many I find very exciting – that I will work to make happen, some of which build on plans that have already been in place for several years.”

“The problem is the two incumbents have been talking about doing things to make Antioch better, but they haven’t taken the necessary action,” he continued. “That’s what I offer, action. We must stop the foot dragging, playing political games and get things done that our people need, want, and will benefit them.”

“It will produce an upward spiral, not downwards as we’ve been on for the past four years,” Makinano added. “I’m releasing this vision on 10/8 because we must be ‘ten-ate-ious’ when getting things and not give up until they are. If you want action, not just talk, then I need your vote.”

Makinano’s vision includes a variety of items under the five areas he is focusing on during his campaign and will work on once elected: Increased Public Safety; Local, Quality Jobs; Education; Housing; and a Revitalized Rivertown – Antioch’s Historic Downtown.

Makinano will take his leadership skills, community connections and what he’s already been working on, along with the rest of the city council and staff to make the items in his vision a reality.

Vote Makinano for Mayor, the only candidate with a vision for a brighter future for Antioch and a plan to make it happen.

Gabe Makinano for Mayor of Antioch

The Bridge to a Brighter Future!

“Where there is no vision, the people perish” – Proverbs 29:18

It’s a Leader’s Job to Provide the Vision for the People to Know the Direction

We are All Heading, Together and to Take Action to Make it a Reality!

 

VISION STATEMENT

To ensure Antioch is a clean, safe, vibrant and diverse community

where all residents can live, learn, work, worship and play in

a positive, encouraging environment of unity and

to serve as an example of the type of City others desire to be.

 1. Increased Public Safety

Work with community leaders, law enforcement agencies, and all residents of our community to create a safe environment for all citizens in Antioch.

a. Hire More Police using Measure W funds as the people voted for to get to 2 Officers per 1,000 Population.

b. Require Diversity Training for each officer before being hired.

c. Bring back Community Policing with Officers on the Beat on foot or on bicycles in Highest Crime Areas of Sycamore and Cavallo. Include it in the field training of new officers to get to know the people they’re working to serve and protect.

d. Body Cameras for Every Officer.

e. Strengthen Role of the Antioch Police Crime Prevention Commission.

2. Local, Quality Jobs

Work with Antioch Economic Development Commission, Economic Development Director, Antioch Chamber of Commerce Economic Development & Government Affairs Committee, and the private sector to follow and implement Antioch’s Downtown Specific Plan and County’s Northern Waterfront Economic Development Initiative Strategic Action Plan.

a. Antioch Tech Center – Create master plan to attract businesses for the 200-acre site set aside in 1998 near the Laurel Road/Highway 4 interchange between Slatten Ranch Shopping Center and the Antioch BART Station, for employment, including commercial office and high-tech businesses creating a Green Technology Cluster including Advanced Transportation Technologies. – Get our residents out of the commute to spend more time with their families and in our community.

b. Convention Center, Art Gallery and Visitors & Convention Bureau – work with private sector to build a hotel and convention center and establish a visitors and convention bureau to host business and art events and conferences in Antioch. Build a rotating restaurant on the top of the hotel with views of the river, hills and Mt. Diablo for a unique feature in our city.

c. Bring Back Manufacturing to Antioch for more, quality, high-paying jobs. Clean industry, using the reclaimed water from the Desalination Plant and the excess electricity generated by the solar-powered transit system extension to BART. Establish an Advanced Materials & Diversified Manufacturing Cluster, a Food & Beverage Processing Cluster, and a Biomedical/Biotechnology/Life Sciences Cluster.

d. Antioch Gateway Port deep water facility – take advantage of the Stockton Deep Water Channel and the BNSF railroad line, along the Wilbur Avenue corridor for shipping goods in and out of Antioch to and from all over the world, creating well-paying dock and shipping jobs. Truly making Antioch the Gateway to the Delta and World!

Location in Antioch:

e. Job Center at 18th & A Streets using the fiber optic cable network hub located there.

f. No More Cannabis Businesses – four is too many. No expansion citywide. It’s bad for other business and the city’s reputation to attract major employers and causes more police impacts.

g. Complete the BART Extension to Oakley, Brentwood, Discovery Bay, Byron, Byron Airport, Mountain House and Tracy, connecting Antioch to Livermore and Pleasanton and the California High Speed Rail system. Using a smaller, quieter, solar-powered electric system that can move commuters during the day and evening and move goods in and out of Antioch at night.

h. Complete the widening of Highway 4 (bypass/extension) to four lanes from Balfour Road to Marsh Creek Road for greater safety for commuters and trucks.

i. Build Route 239 – the long-planned 4-lane highway from the end of Highway 4 (bypass) and Vasco Road to Interstate 5 in Tracy, connecting Antioch to the rest of the Bay Area and Golden State, and for trucking products in and out of East County creating more local jobs and completing the beltway around Mt. Diablo. It’s been on the books for over 60 years. It’s time to work with our state and federal representatives to secure the funding and get it built. I will work to get Antioch a seat on the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, again.

j. Expand Byron Airport – for more commercial and freight flights, getting products manufactured in Antioch to the statewide, national and global marketplace quicker.

3. Housing

a. Homeless – Identify and implement long-term solutions to combat homelessness in Antioch, to get them off the streets, out of the encampments, out of the cold and wet of winter and heat of the summer. Work with the Community Outreach Center on E. 18th Street and other churches and non-profit organizations. Use all of the $500,000 the Council set aside last year. And no more hiring consultants!

b. Increased Home Ownership – Partner with both the private and public sectors to create a clear and achievable path for greater home ownership in Antioch.

c. Sustainable Development – Take decisive action to create sustainable housing and community development. Transit Villages surrounding and near the BART Stations, preserve hillsides, and protect habitat and the Sand Creek corridor.

d. Complete Mix of Housing Types – Ensure Antioch has a complete mix of housing types so our residents can remain living in our city throughout their lives.

 4. Education

My first-hand experience working with local school campuses has given me unique insight to the issues facing our students and teachers on a daily basis. My plan is to establish regular meetings between city council, school board, and parents to collaborate on safe and academically-enriched opportunities for all students. Identify new resources to generate education-related programs, such as civic engagement activities including intern/extern/apprenticeship programs for eligible students. An improved education helps students, improves our economy and home values.

a. 4-Year Private College in Antioch – raise the education level in our community, improving the educational opportunities for our youth in a multi-disciplinary, 4-year, private, liberal arts college, while improving the culture as well as property values.

b. Job Training – work with local businesses and Los Medanos College for job training and retraining for Antioch workers.

c. Antioch YES – Youth Employment Services – for after school and summertime jobs, internships and apprenticeships with local businesses and at City Hall. Work with Antioch Chamber of Commerce and Central Labor Council to establish a website and database for local businesses and students to use to offer or apply for and fill the positions.

d. Teach Antioch History in our schools. Work with the Historical Society Museum.

e. After School Education Programs – like Math Intensive Program and mentoring programs for students.

5. Revitalized Rivertown – Antioch’s Historic Downtown

Find creative ways to procure long-term investment and revenue to enhance the development of the waterfront. Seven ferry boats, historical artifacts and vessels, family attractions, and beautification programs. These changes aid to the creation of an infrastructure that attracts business.

a. Remove the Dilapidated House on the Water at the end of A Street. It’s Rivertown not Shantytown!

b. Sell the 9 City-Owned Parcels that are part of the exclusive negotiations with one developer for the past 5 years, including the old lumber company lot. Get it done!

c. High-End High-Rise Condos with river views on the former Cannery Site next to A Street on the east end.

d. Rezone Property on West 2nd Street between I and L Streets for high-rise condos and apartments with river views.

e. Obtain Ownership of the Hard House from the State – for a non-profit to revitalize the home of Antioch’s first mayor on First Street.

f. Implement Antioch Downtown Specific Plan – expanded park at Waldie Plaza, and allow new buildings facing the river, etc.

g. Antioch Sesquicentennial Celebration – 150th Anniversary of Cityhood 1872-2022. Re-establish the City Council subcommittee recently dissolved for events and activities celebrating our city’s rich history in Rivertown and citywide, all year long.

h. Bring Back July 4th Fireworks to Rivertown – shoot them from a barge on the river like used to happen. Work with Celebrate Antioch Foundation.

i. Rename Streets to Rivertown – as in the 1996 Antioch Economic Plan to promote Rivertown on Highway 4 with such names as Rivertown Drive, Smith’s Landing Way, Marina Parkway, or Veterans Blvd. in time for July 4, 2022.

j. Arched Entranceway Signs – 3 signs at A & W. 6th Streets, L & W. 10th Streets, and 4th and Auto Center Drive.

k. Smith’s Landing Pier-39 type attraction over the water from H to F Streets, with an outdoor amphitheater, Ferris wheel, carousel, shops and food vendors.

l. New East Antioch Marina at Roger’s Point and the former Tommy’s Harbor with big boat berths.

m. Historic Boats for rides throughout the Delta and to and from San Francisco and other stops in the Bay Area.

n. Ferry Stop next to Riverview Lodge and Amtrak Station – part of the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transport Authority (WETA) for commuter line to Martinez, Richmond and San Francisco. – From the WETA 2016 Strategic Plan: “changes in technology and the limited ability to build out other modes may warrant reconsideration of ferry service in the future in communities such as Martinez, Benicia, Rio Vista, Antioch or Discovery Bay. Demand for these services is steadily increasing, and WETA is prepared to work with regional stakeholders to identify and develop cost-effective options for serving travelers in these corridors.”

 

By Sergeant Ted Chang #4362, Antioch Police Traffic Unit

On Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020 at approximately 10:10 PM, police dispatch received a call of a vehicle versus pedestrian collision on E. Tregallas Road near Garrow Drive. Police and medical personnel responded immediately and located a 68-year-old Antioch resident nonresponsive and suffering major injuries. He was immediately transported to an area hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

The driver of the involved vehicle remained on scene and was cooperating with the investigation. Drugs and alcohol do not appear to be a factor in this collision. The Antioch Police Department Traffic Unit responded and took over the investigation.

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.

By Linsey Willis, Director of External Affairs, CCTA

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority proudly announces a new partnership with the Minnesota Department of Transportation– an agency dedicated to advancing transportation technology research – to share knowledge and testing facilities in an effort to advance safer, smarter, more efficient transportation networks that not only benefit both California and Minnesota, but can inform transportation technology implementation across the United States.

MnDOT’s Connected and Automated Vehicle team is actively working to advance research and deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems, Connected Vehicle applications and Autonomous Vehicle technologies with the help of MnROAD–the state’s cold weather pavement testing facility. MnROAD has over 50 unique test sections on several roadways, including two 3.5-mile, high-speed corridors on Interstate 94 and a 2.5-mile, low-speed, closed access road. MnDOT also partners with Camp Ripley, a military and civilian training facility operated by the Minnesota National Guard, which has a 4.3-mile emergency vehicle operations course. With some of the most extreme weather conditions in the nation, Minnesota offers testing simulations that cannot be replicated elsewhere, which provides unique opportunities to test the safety features of CV and AV technologies.

Through this partnership, CCTA will have access to MnROAD facilities and likewise, MnDOT will have access to GoMentum Station in Concord, California – one of the largest secure connected and automated vehicle proving grounds in the country. GoMentum Station augments MnDOT’s testing with varied terrain, and real-life infrastructure including roads, bridges, tunnels, intersections and parking lots provide the environment needed to accelerate testing of the first and last mile applications, and the ability to safely test technology to its limits. CCTA also has many long-standing research and manufacturing partnerships that offer coordination opportunities for MnDOT.
“With this new collaboration, we’ll be able to test in conditions that just can’t be replicated here in Contra Costa,” stated Randy Iwasaki, Executive Director of CCTA. “Our partnership with a state agency like MnDOT will open new doors to shared research opportunities for a small agency like ours, and it’s exciting to be partnering with an agency that has similar goals in the arena of connected and automated vehicle technology.”

“Minnesota is excited to partner with one of the nation’s leading institutions in this work as we explore innovations in smart mobility, connected and automated vehicles and how advancing technologies are impacting communities,” said Kristin White, MnDOT CAV-X Executive Director. “Through collaboration and information sharing, we’re committing to learning from CCTA, sharing best practices and together advancing research that supports our regions and national goals. We believe this partnership can be a model for other regions to advance smart mobility.”

About the Contra Costa Transportation Authority

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) is a public agency formed by Contra Costa voters in 1988 to manage the county’s transportation sales tax program and oversee countywide transportation planning efforts. With a staff of twenty people managing a multi-billion-dollar suite of projects and programs, CCTA is responsible for planning, funding and delivering critical transportation infrastructure projects and programs that connect our communities, foster a strong economy, increase sustainability, and safely and efficiently get people where they need to go. CCTA also serves as the county’s designated Congestion Management Agency, responsible for putting programs in place to keep traffic levels manageable. More information about CCTA is available at ccta.net.
Background on MnDOT CAV Program

MnDOT’s Connected and Automated Vehicle Office (CAV-X) was launched in 2018 and is now one of the nation’s leading tech startups and idea incubators within state government. Building off its strong history in Intelligent Transportation Systems research, CAV-X advances research, policy, planning and strategy to help the Midwest prepare for the changes that advancing technologies will bring. This multi-disciplinary team combines the fields of law, policy, engineering, planning, and communications to develop strategic partnerships that advance the state’s goals to build a safe, equitable, accessible, healthy, and sustainable transportation system. CAV-X oversees over 100 projects in research, deployment and development with more information found at mndot.gov/automated.

About GoMentum Station

GoMentum Station in Concord, California is owned and operated by AAA, and it is the autonomous vehicle testing facility where the Contra Costa Transportation Authority leads and facilitates collaborative partnerships among multiple automobile manufacturers; original equipment manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers; communications suppliers; technology companies; researchers and academia; public agencies and other partners. At GoMentum Station, technology, innovation and commercialization will converge to define the next generation of transportation network infrastructure. More information about GoMentum Station is available at gomentumstation.net.

By Greg Heckman, Director of Marketing, Maya Cinemas

We are really happy to let you know that Maya Cinemas Pittsburg will finally reopen on Friday!

We will be following all state and county regulations including social distancing, required masks in theater until seated, plexiglass shields at all points of sale as well as all employees wearing masks and gloves at all times. We will also be ramping up cleaning and sanitization with dedicated “Clean Team” staff.

There are some new programs you will see at Maya. VIP Screenings will let you rent your own auditorium for 10-20 people, $3 Classics and Date Night Mondays with a special deal for 2.

Of course, we will open with Tenet as well as several new features, some classics as well as Halloween movies.

Maya Cinemas is located in the Century Plaza Shopping Center on 4085 Century Blvd in Pittsburg.

We’re open Friday and creating a safe environment to see a movie!