On Thursday, Contra Costa County, the Planning and Conservation League and Food and Water Watch, as well as two other Delta local agencies, Central Delta Water Agency and San Joaquin County announced they will file a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Met) over their plan to purchase several islands in the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary.

On March 14, 2016, Metropolitan Water District had filed a Notice of Exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act for the purchase of the Delta islands, claiming the purchase was for Delta habitat restoration purposes.

However, Met’s General Manager, Jeff Kightlinger, admitted to the press at the time of the island purchase announcement that the islands could facilitate building the $15.7 billion Delta tunnels project championed by Governor Brown by “reducing eminent-domain needs and providing a storage place for construction dirt.”

In addition, Mr. Kightlinger made additional public statements regarding the uses and benefits of the Delta islands that contradicted the CEQA exemption statement.

At a rally in Stockton in support of the lawsuit, Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director, Restore the Delta spoke.

“Based on this improper CEQA filling, we are calling on the Metropolitan Water District Board of Directors to reverse the bad vote that they made at their General Manager’s urging to purchase the Delta islands,” she said. “Clearly, the purchase of the Delta islands is Met’s attempt to anchor the Delta tunnels in our region so that construction could begin, despite the fact that the plan is still not approved or financed.

“The $175 million purchase price for the Delta islands does not count the costs to Southern California ratepayers for the inevitable litigation that begins with today’s filing,” Barrigan-Parrilla continued. “If Met loses in court, they will not be able to ever sell these islands for the same price. That means Southern Californian water users will become owners of a very expensive duck habitat hundreds of miles to the north. Met will also be on the hook for maintenance of hundreds of miles of Delta levees, an ongoing cost that will be paid year after year by Southern California ratepayers.”

“Our 35,000 members from throughout California agree there are better ways for Southern California water agencies to plan for their water future.  More than 7500 area residents have already signed letters that will be sent to Metropolitan Water District’s Board of Directors urging them to drop the Delta islands purchase and to instead invest the $175 million in solutions that build sustainability in Southern California like storm water capture and water recycling,” she added. “Met has already spent nearly $100 million on Delta tunnels planning, but the process at the State Water Board has recently ground to a halt, and there is no financial plan between Met and agricultural water districts, like the SEC fined Westlands, as to who will pay what proportion of the $15.5 billion construction costs.”

For more information on Restore the Delta and their efforts to stop the Delta Tunnels, visit www.restorethedelta.org.

Learn more about Opportunity Junction and the free job training, career counseling and college assistance programs it offers by attending an Open House on Tuesday, May 3, from 9 a.m. to noon at 3102 Delta Fair Blvd. in Antioch. Anyone interested in the programs — including neighbors, donors, friends and job seekers — can drop by to meet the staff, tour the facilities and enjoy light refreshments.

Job seekers who bring a resume will receive a free review and expert advice on ways to sharpen it, and those who sign up in advance will be entered into a raffle for prizes. Go to http://rsvpojopenhouse.eventbrite.com or call Eva at (925) 776-1133 to sign up in advance for the resume review or the Open House.

This event coincides with East Bay Gives Day, which is a regional day of charitable giving.

State Senator Steve Glazer released the following statement, this week, about the agreement the BART has entered with its labor unions:

“About 60 days ago, 40 state and local elected leaders joined me in sending a letter to the BART Board and their unions calling on them to take steps to restore the public’s trust in the financial management of the BART system.

Specifically, we asked that BART negotiate an extension to its labor contract that would ensure that the trains would keep running without a work stoppage for the next five years and to do so in a financially responsible way.

Given what we know today, this proposed agreement takes a positive step forward in delivering on those requirements. If approved by the unions and the BART Board, we can be confident that there will be continuous train operations for the next five years without debilitating strikes.

The BART unions and management should be commended for doing this.

Strikes are too debilitating for BART riders and commuters. That is why transit strikes are banned in New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Boston and San Francisco.

There is still much more that BART should do to raise the level of confidence in the financial and operational management of the system. And I encourage them to continue the momentum with these confidence-building steps.

They are:

1.  Do not apply these cost of living raises to highly-paid managers. Their pay should be based on merit, not a “Me Too” clause.

2.  Commit to undertaking a salary study before the expiration of the next contract so that that we can closely examine each position’s compensation with the marketplace.

3.   Set up a capital depreciation fund so that savings for repair and replacement is funded every year rather than in a balloon payment through new bond proposals.

4.  Present clear projections of retirement costs and how they will be funded.

5.  Support legislation banning future BART strikes.

6.  Explore ways to train replacement managers to operate the system in the case of future work stoppages.

The financial elements of this proposed deal are not what I would have negotiated. BART workers are highly paid and system financial needs are great. However, I respect the collective bargaining process, and even if I disagree with some of the financial terms, I appreciate that compromise is required to bring all parties together.

This proposed contract represents the start of a turnaround for BART. We were going down the tracks, these past few years, in a very negative direction. The actions today have stopped that negative train and we are now heading in a positive direction. Let’s keep that momentum going with the confidence building steps that I have outlined.”

Glazer represents most of Contra Costa County in the California State Senate.

Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Oakley) is among the sponsors of a special seminar for those who operate nonprofit, faith-based and other tax-exempt organizations in Contra Costa County.  The seminar will be from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, 2016, at the Brentwood Community Center, 35 Oak Street. It will feature speakers from State Board of Equalization, the

California Employment Development Department, the Franchise Tax Board and the California Association of Nonprofits.

“I know how confusing it can be to start or step into a nonprofit organization, especially if you are a volunteer,” said Assemblymember Frazier. “My hope is that this seminar will provide useful guidance for those whose main purpose is to help other people.”

Topics to be discussed include tax rules for fundraising and events; advocacy rules for nonprofits; funding sources; philanthropic foundations; property tax exemptions, and employment taxes.

Other sponsors of the free seminar include Fiona Ma and George Runner of the State Board of Equalization; State Sen. Steven M. Glazer; the City of Brentwood; the California Association of Nonprofits; and the East Bay Community Foundation.

Drop-ins are welcome, but registration is encouraged and can be done online at www.boe.ca.gov/sutax/nonprofitsched.htm.

By Sergeant Wisecarver, Antioch Police Special Operations Unit

On Thursday, April 14, 2016 at 9:35 am, Antioch Police Dispatch received reports of suspicious activity at a house in the 5400 block of Cherokee Way. Antioch Police Officers responded to the house to investigate the suspicious activity and found that this house had been converted into an indoor marijuana cultivation. The marijuana grow operation was determined to be illegal in nature.

The Antioch Police Department Special Operations Detectives were called out to the location. The detectives served a search warrant on the house. The detectives found a sophisticated marijuana cultivation operation to include over 200 mature marijuana plants. Evidence was collected from the location; however, there were no arrests made at this time.

This incident is still under investigation. Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to contact Detective Brogdonat (925) 779-6895.

Antioch author Sarah Sundin

Have you ever read a book where a character had your name? This is your chance to make that happen and help support the El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation at the same time.

Sarah Sundin is the author of eight historical novels, including Anchor in the Storm (coming May 2016). Her novel Through Waters Deep was named to Booklist’s “101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years,” and her novella “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” in Where Treetops Glisten was a finalist for the 2015 Carol Award. A mother of three, Sarah lives in Antioch, works on-call as a hospital pharmacist, and teaches Sunday School. www.sarahsundin.com

Sarah has offered to include five characters’ names in the first book of her Brothers of Liberation series, contracted to be published in spring 2018​.

To accomplish this as a fundraiser for El Campanil Theatre we will raffle 5 character’s names.

Each chance is $10.

You can either “win” the opportunity to use your own name, the name of a loved one (perhaps to honor a relative who served in WWII), or to create a name for a character.

In addition, each of the 5 winners will receive a signed copy of the book.

“I will need to retain some artistic control, which I would negotiate with the winners,” Sundin said. “For example, if the name is super-modern and wouldn’t fit in the 1940s or if the name is too similar to the hero’s name and would cause reader confusion we could discuss a solution.”

Proceeds from this raffle will be used to support the El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation facility management projects.

Raffle Tickets now on sale and available through April 30, 2016

$10 per chance. Donate $50 and receive 5 chances.

Chances may be purchased at the ticket office, by phone at (925) 757-9500 or online:  CLICK HERE. There are no convenience fees.

For more information visit www.elcampaniltheatre.com/sarahsundin.html.

Thank you for your support of El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation.

On Monday, Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11) issued the following statement on the agreement between Bart and the transit unions:

“I am grateful a tentative agreement has been reached between Bart and the transit unions. If approved, there will be no interruptions in services for  Bay Area commuters. I look forward to reviewing full details of the 5-year deal with an eye towards the long-term financial stability and sustainability of Bart. On the federal level, I will continue to advocate for meaningful performance standards for transit agencies to ensure the public is getting its value.”

Orinda City Councilmember Amy Rein Worth, who serves on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) as the representative of the cities of Contra Costa County, on Monday issued this statement following the announcement of a tentative agreement between BART management and labor leaders:

“This morning BART announced a tentative agreement with its labor unions to extend BART labor contracts until 2021.I am pleased to support this financially prudent agreement that provides security to BART workers and service reliability to the BART riding public.

BART is a critical part of the East Bay economy and is relied upon by hundreds of thousands of East Bay commuters.I am hopeful that this agreement portends a future without service disruptions not just for the next five years, but sets a tone for the future beyond as well.

The critical role of BART service goes far beyond those who depend on it for a ride each day, as we have learned; the East Bay highway and transit network is not able to replace BART during a strike or a service disruption, which is why this agreement is so important.

BART, its workers and the public now can focus on the important shared task of rebuilding the system as its major priority.

I am grateful to state Senator Steve Glazer and the other local elected leaders in the East Bay who urged both BART’s management and labor to keep faith with the riding public by negotiating a new labor contract that recognizes the fiscal needs of the system and ensures that trains will keep running on schedule throughout the system.”

However, State Senator Steve Glazer, a critic of BART spending and strikes by BART employees issued the following statement on the tentative agreement:

“I have just been given an outline of the proposed 2017-21 labor agreement. I look forward to reviewing the details of the agreement and its implications to commuters and taxpayers,” he stated. “I will be consulting today with the 40 elected officials who co-signed my letter urging that BART rebuild its public trust with concrete, fiscally responsible actions before the November elections when BART is expected to ask voters for a multi-billion dollar bond.”