Nsimba Webster, #5

By Antioch Sports Legends

In Saturday’s FSC Championship game, Deer Valley High School’s twin brothers, Nsimba and Nzuzi Webster ‘14 will play for the Eastern Washington University Eagles against the North Dakota Bisons, 9:00 am.

On Monday January 7th, Antioch High School’s Najee Harris ‘16 will be in the CF Championship game at Levi Stadium as top nationally ranked, Alabama takes on the Crimson Tigers, 5:00 pm on ESPN 2.

Here are the backgrounds on our unprecedented three athletes from Antioch playing in National Championship games:

Nzuzi Webster, #6

Nsimba Webster, 5’10 180 lbs. – First Team WR in the Big Sky Conference, hauled in nine passes for 188 yards, and tied a EWU single-game playoff touchdown receptions record with four in the December 15th quarterfinals. The former MaxPreps All-Northern California QB’s regular seasons numbers at WR, 71 receptions, 1,099 yards, 15.48 YPR and 7 TDs.

Nzuzi Webster, 5’9 180, Honorable Mention at Corner Back in the Big Sky Conference, had an interception in the UC Davis quarterfinal game in the Eagles come from behind 34-29 win over UC Davis.

Najee Harris

Alabama’s Najee Harris, 6’2 230, the Tides second leading running back with 724 yards, on 108 carries and adding four scores. From the Bama website he “averaged a team-high 6.7 yards per carry with 17 of his carries going for 12-plus yards and 33 of his rushes resulting in a first down or a touchdown”.

That’s the rundown on these amazing young men with bright futures, let’s support them no matter the outcome, as it’s the character they represent to our community that makes them and ourselves victors.

Go Bama! Go Eagles!

The Antioch Sports Legends is located inside the Antioch Historical Society Museum, 1500 W 4th Street, Antioch and is open Wednesday and Saturday 1-4. Free admission. http://www.antiochsportslegends.com/

Police seek victim vehicle which also fled the scene

By Sergeant James Stenger #3604, Antioch Police Field Services

On Friday, Jan. 4, 2019 at approximately 1:35 PM, Antioch Police Dispatch started receiving calls about a shooting on 4th and K Streets. An Antioch Police Community Service Officer saw a suspect vehicle fleeing the scene and was able relay a description of the vehicle to responding officers. An Antioch Police Officer and Contra Costa County Sheriff Helicopter Star 3 located the suspect vehicle on L and 9th Streets fleeing the area.

The suspect vehicle was stopped and three adult males, 19, 20, and 21 years old, all out of the City of Alameda were taken into custody. A loaded semi-automatic firearm was located in the vehicle.

Evidence at the shooting scene connected the three suspects to the shooting. It appears that one of the three suspects fired numerous rounds into another vehicle, which also fled the shooting scene. The victim vehicle and any possible victims have not been located. The three suspects were booked into the County Jail in Martinez.

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.

National Labor Relations Board to hold legal hearing March 19 in Oakland

By Sean Wherley, Media Relations Specialist, SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West

The federal government recently indicted healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente for refusing to negotiate a contract affecting 85,000 employees in seven states and the District of Columbia, and for wrongly tying those negotiations to a ban on political activity against the company.

“The workers who have helped make this company so successful over the years now feel that their concerns are validated,” said Dave Regan, president of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West. “No longer can Kaiser Permanente claim it was trying to do right by its employees and patients by holding up bargaining and trying to stop workers from speaking out.”

Kaiser Permanente has until Jan. 11 to respond to the decision, and a legal hearing will begin March 19 in Oakland, according to the indictment released Dec. 28 by the National Labor Relations Board.

Kaiser Permanente employees filed a complaint in May 2018 because the company repeatedly canceled contract negotiations with the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, which comprises 11 labor unions in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Hawaii, Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. The coalition’s national agreement with Kaiser Permanente expired Sept. 30, 2018. The company had previously negotiated contracts with the coalition since 1997.

Last November, Kaiser Permanente settled a contract with a different group of labor unions that prohibits those unions from taking action against the company, whether through ballot initiatives, legislation or other public campaigns. Kaiser tried to apply the same condition to bargaining with the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions; however, the Dec. 28 indictment blocks that effort.

Kaiser Permanente’s refusal to bargain comes in the midst of a plan to outsource jobs to “save” money, despite the corporation reporting reserves of $30 billion and profits of $3.8 billion in 2017. In addition, the Kaiser CEO is paid more than $10 million annually, and 30 executives are paid more than $1 million a year.

Kelly Gonzales

By Allen Payton

The owner of Pacific Senior Care Services, an elder care placement agency, Kelly Gonzales has decided to open her own independent living home in Antioch.

“It’s a project for the community, focusing on the needs of Antioch residents with limited income, looking for a stable place and some care,” she said. “It will open on January 15th.”

The independent living facility for adults will be staffed by a certified nurse assistant who will be providing some care as needed. The home offers four bedrooms.

Gonzales launched Pacific Senior Care Services LLC in 2014 to help seniors and families by providing a resource to make the right choices, while offering many services for the senior community.

Her company won the 2018 Spectrum Award for excellence in customer service and earned a rating of five out of five stars. The coveted service award was presented City Beat News.

Also, Gonzales was honored with another award at the beginning of 2018 from Global Health and Pharma News, as the Best Senior Care Services Provider 2018 – San Francisco Bay

“It’s impossible for me to forget all the extraordinary people who have played a role in my life since we opened Pacific Senior Care Services,” she said. “I want to thank each one for helping me pursue this project, and giving me the support and guidance to make this vision come true. I am so honored, humble and grateful.”

For more information about the company, visit www.pacificseniorcareservices.net. 

APD currently has 86 full-duty officers working

By Allen Payton

During their Dec. 11 meeting the Antioch City Council agreed to temporarily increase the budget to allow for the hiring of six more officers than the 104 currently budgeted.

Antioch Police Chief Tammany Brooks said it will be “a temporary, but effective solution..in our attempt to reach full staffing of our police department.”

The department has hired 61 officers since     Measure C passed in 2013, but 44 officers have left the department either through retirement or other   reasons. But, only 10 of the additional 17 officers were funded by the sales tax revenue from the half-cent measure.

“The department is currently at 99 sworn officers,” he shared. The department has enough officers in the academy to reach the 104 in the current budget.

However, that figure includes six currently in a field training program.

“We have another seven who are unable to work due to injury” and other reasons, Brooks explained. “We only have 86 full-duty officers which includes me, all the way down to the latest officer we swore in, yesterday,”

“Working at this lower capacity puts a huge strain on the officers working,” he stated. “I don’t want to lose the people currently we have in the recruiting pipeline. It takes six months for the process “for them to become a sworn officer in our department”

The purpose of this is to overhire above the 104 authorized as a temporary measure,” Brooks reiterated.

Mayor Pro Tem Joy Motts said, “My thought process was with Measure W passing we would be allocating funds for hiring more police.”

“Does this change the budget allocation to 110? Is it temporary or permanent?” she asked.

“No. We won’t be at 104 until May,” City Manager Ron Bernal explained. “Currently we’re asking to make job offers to more than 104.”

“We’ve never reached that point in this fiscal year. We have salary savings to achieve that mark,” Brooks shared.

“This is essentially cost neutral from being at the 99,” Motts stated.

“That’s correct,” Brooks responded.

“The public are going to start seeing more officers on the street,” Councilwoman Monica Wilson stated. “I definitely would like to support that.”

“Attrition in the department…affects patrol” as personnel are promoted in rank,” Brooks explained. “That will allow us to put more officers on the street,” he added.

I pushed for 108 because 104 won’t get us to 104,” Mayor Sean Wright said. “I look forward to when we get to that 104th and we have a celebration. It’s been a long-time coming. It’s not been for a lack of trying.”

Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock then made a motion to approve the temporary budget increase to 110 officers and the council voted 4-0, with Councilman Lamar Thorpe absent.

But, still turn in that overdue book, please

As part of the Contra Costa County Library’s continued efforts to improve access, balances on all library accounts have been cleared. This move goes hand-in-hand with the elimination of fines announced last month. As of January 1, 2019, all library cards are returned to good standing and patrons who may have been staying away from the library can come back and enjoy all the services the library has to offer. With accounts now cleared, the Library hopes to see patrons returning all the overdue items they were afraid to return due to fines.

“No matter how old, no matter why it was late, we want you to bring it back. No questions asked,” said County Librarian Melinda Cervantes.

Library staff will evaluate all returned items for relevance, condition and popularity so that materials may be reintroduced to the collection.

Patrons previously blocked from library services will once again be able to check out books, magazines and DVDs and use all the online services available through ccclib.org. Moving forward, the Library will no longer charge daily overdue fines on library materials. Checkout periods will remain the same and charges for lost or damaged books will still apply.

“Yes, you still need to return library materials. That hasn’t changed,” said Deputy County Librarian Nancy Kreiser. “But when your schedule is hectic, or you need another day or two to finish a great book, you can do so without worrying about late fines.”

The elimination of fines and clearing of all accounts, helps to meet the Library’s goal of removing barriers to access and making it easy, equitable and enjoyable for everyone.

“These new policies introduce an ongoing amnesty,” said Cervantes. “It allows everyone regardless of age, location or ability to pay, the opportunity to have continued access to the library.”

For more information on the elimination of fines including Frequently Asked Questions, please visit ccclib.org.

Make community service part of your New Year’s resolution! Our 96th neighborhood cleanup event is scheduled for January 5, 2019 from 9AM-11AM. Join our VIPS, Police Department staff, and other civic minded community members as we clean up the neighborhoods around Fremont Elementary School (See map, below). We hold our neighborhood cleanups the first Saturday of each month barring foul weather. Hope to see you there and be part of the change you want to see in Antioch.

Bay Bridge Toll Plaza photos taken 9 /16 & 18/13. Karl Nielsen Photography, www.karlnielsenphotography.com, (805) 570-3395

First of three voter-approved increases

The Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) reminds drivers that several important changes take effect Jan. 1, 2019, at the region’s seven state-owned toll bridges. These include the first of the $1 toll increases approved last year through state Senate Bill 595 and confirmed by voters through Regional Measure 3 in June 2018. This will mark the first toll hike at the state-owned toll bridges since 2010. Additional $1 increases will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2022, and on Jan. 1, 2025.

Regular tolls for two-axle cars and trucks (as well as for motorcycles) at the Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael and San Mateo-Hayward bridges will rise to $6 from the current $5 on Jan. 1, 2019.

At the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, regular tolls will climb to $7 from the current $6 on weekdays from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. During weekday off-peak hours from 12 midnight to 5 a.m., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and from 7 p.m. to midnight, Bay Bridge tolls will rise from $4 to $5; and on Saturdays and Sundays, Bay Bridge tolls will increase to $6 from the current $5.

Tolls for vehicles with three or more axles also will rise by $1 on Jan. 1, 2019, at all seven of the state-owned toll bridges: to $16 for three axles, $21 for four-axles, $26 for five axles, $31 for six axles, and $36 for combinations with seven or more axles.

Senate Bill 595 continues the peak-period toll discount for motorcycles, carpools and qualifying clean-air vehicles crossing any of the state-owned toll bridges on weekdays from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The discounted toll is scheduled to increase to $3 on Jan. 1, 2019, from the current $2.50. To qualify for this discount, carpoolers, motorcyclists and drivers of qualifying clean-air vehicles must use FasTrak to pay their tolls electronically and must use a designated carpool lane at each toll plaza.

Senate Bill 595 also established a 50-cent toll discount for two-axle vehicles crossing more than one of the state-owned toll bridges during weekday commute hours of 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. To be eligible for the toll discount, which is to be applied to the second toll crossing of the day, motorists must pay their tolls electronically with FasTrak. Carpools, motorcycles and qualifying clean-air vehicles making a second peak-period toll crossing in a single day will qualify for an additional 25-cent discount off the already-discounted carpool toll. The two-bridge discount will not be available to drivers who use cash to pay their tolls.

New FasTrak customers can obtain toll tags at hundreds of Walgreens and Costco stores around the Bay Area. A complete list of participating locations — as well as an online enrollment and registration feature — is available on the FasTrak Web site at bayareafastrak.org. Customers also may enroll in the FasTrak program by phone at 1-877-229-8655; by calling 511 and asking for “FasTrak” at the first prompt; or in person at the FasTrak customer service center at 375 Beale Street in San Francisco. Operating hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. FasTrak can be used in all lanes at all Bay Area toll plazas.

On Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018 BATA formally approved the new toll schedule through adoption of BATA Resolution No. 128 at its regular December meeting. The Authority today also adopted BATA Resolution No. 129, which authorizes arrangements for the escrow of Regional Measure 3 funds pending the resolution of two lawsuits challenging state Senate Bill 595 and Regional Measure 3. Both lawsuits are pending in Superior Court in the City and County of San Francisco. Under BATA Resolution No. 129, the Regional Measure 3 toll increases, when collected, will be placed into an escrow account managed by an independent trustee. Following a process similar to voter-approved sales tax measures that face legal challenge, these funds will be transferred at least once each week from BATA to a Union Bank (Mitsubishi United Financial Group – MUFG) trust account, where the funds will be managed by a bank trust officer until final resolution of all litigation. Once the BATA legal team certifies there is a final resolution, the Authority will be asked to release the escrow. If BATA prevails in the litigation, the funds will be applied to BATA-approved programs. If BATA should lose the litigation, the funds will be reimbursed to tollpayers.

BATA, which is directed by the same policy board as the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), administers toll revenues from the Bay Area’s seven state-owned toll bridges. Toll revenues from the Golden Gate Bridge are administered by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, which joined with BATA to operate a single regional FasTrak customer service center in San Francisco. MTC is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.