Today, candidate for County Supervisor in District 3, Doug Hardcastle announced he has received the endorsement of former State Senator and Contra Costa County Sheriff Richard Rainey and his wife Sue Rainey, former Mayor of both Walnut Creek and Moraga.

Richard served in the California State Assembly from 1992 until 1996 and then served in the State Senate from 1996 until 2000. In 1995, Mr. Rainey was named Legislator of the Year by the California Probation & Parole Correctional Association. Also, during the 1995-96 legislative session, Mr. Rainey served as Chairman of the Assembly Local Government Committee.

“We need a leader on the Board of Supervisors who knows that public safety must be the county’s top priority and is committed to being responsible with the use of our tax dollars. Doug Hardcastle has demonstrated that in his elected positions on the Oakley City Council and sanitary board. That’s why we support him for County Supervisor and encourage you to do the same,” the Raineys said.

Sue Rainey is a former Walnut Creek City Council Member and Mayor. Before moving to Walnut Creek. Rainey worked on the effort to incorporate the Town of Moraga and was on that town’s first council and served as Mayor. She was also a former elected director of the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District, is founder and president of the Contra Costa Sewer and Water Agency, and was a member of the Contra Costa County Local Agency Formation Commission.

Richard Rainey was hired by the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s department in 1964 and he was promoted through the ranks as a deputy sheriff, sergeant, lieutenant, and captain before he was elected County Sheriff in 1978. Mr. Rainey was appointed by Governor George Deukmejian during the 1980’s to the State Board of Corrections and the Board of Trustees of the Robert Presley Institute of Corrections. He served until 1992 when he was elected to the Assembly.

Following his service in the state legislature, Richard served as Director of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for Region 9 for both the Bush and Obama Admininstrations. Region 9 covers California, Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, the Territory of Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa.

“Having Dick and Sue Rainey’s endorsements means a lot,” Hardcastle said. “Their service to our county provided the strong leadership we needed in Contra Costa. I appreciate their support in my campaign for Supervisor.”

Doug Hardcastle was elected to the Oakley City Council in 2012 and recently completed a year as Mayor. From 2000 to 2012 he served as a Director on the Ironhouse Sanitary District Board, for which he served as President in 2010-2011. He currently serves on both the Transplan Committee and the Tri Delta Transit Board of Directors. Doug and his wife Lyn own Hardcastle’s RV in Oakley and have for over 40 years. Doug was selected Oakley Business Person of the Year in 2006. He’s a life-long resident of Contra Costa County. For more information visit www.doughardcastle.com.

Supervisor District 3 includes Oakley, Brentwood, Discovery Bay, Blackhawk, Diablo, Camino Tassajara, Bethel Island, Byron, Knightsen and a portion of Antioch. The election is on June 7, 2016.

By Devon Minnema

I’ve recently been in Nevada working for a Super PAC. While it was truly nice to be surrounded by coworkers who share my ideology (for the most part), it served as a reminder for why I believe what I believe. While moderates would probably like to label me a “libertarian,” I consider myself a conservative first and foremost. I have found, especially in speaking with voters during my time out of state, that few people truly understand what a conservative really is. Conservatives are not nationalists, nor are they budget busters, nor are they the so-called “moral majority.”

A conservative believes in Renaissance ideals; Freedom, equality, liberty, respect, and diplomacy. Unlike Donald Trump’s fallacious supposition that conservatism is about, “conserving our money, conserving our wealth,” it is in fact all about conserving order in the pursuit of those ideals. In America, this concept has been adapted to protect the Constitution, which is more than just a piece of paper, but rather the enshrinement of those ideals. Peaceful transition of power, restrictions on the influence of the federal government, and the protection of states’ ability to make their own laws and economic systems are key pieces in the Constitutional puzzle. This is why conservatives are so often constitutionalists as well.

Simply wanting smaller government or even good governance does not a conservative make. You must ask yourself why. Why do you want smaller government? Is it so you can enjoy freedom and liberty? Or is it simply because you don’t trust Democrats?

The Renaissance was much more than simply writers coming up with new political concepts. The Renaissance was a renewal in the Greek and Roman tradition of being at peace with our humanity. This also meant that you could be at peace with other’s humanity, whether you agreed with their interpretation of the world around them or not.

Our “Western Civilization” developed due to shared suffering under Roman Catholic rule after the fall of the Roman Empire. Rather than continue to live under the oppressive and corrupt ways of the Medieval Church and it’s approved monarchies, the Renaissance brought back the Greek and Roman interest in secular governance. Roman Catholicism preached that people needed to be ashamed of their humanity. Piousness and subservience to the church was the ideal. A life of comfort or success was seen as gluttony and greed, as any and all profit beyond what was needed for survival should be “given” to either the church or the church-approved ruler. The “Dark Ages” was a period of civilizational formation, where nomadic tribes fell into this shared experience in which tyrants and the occasional real leader would unite and/or subjugate them. It took approximately 1500 years for our civilization to realize that despots, with unlimited power over their subject’s lives, was not a very good idea.

The Renaissance was just as much a historical breaking point as it was an intellectual and scientific enlightenment. The educated members of this civilization were able to look back at the previous 1500 years and realize that not one kingdom had sustained prosperity for more than a few decades at a time. That was because rulers who had been easy on their people or stood up to the church in defense of their subjects were more often than not followed by a ruler who didn’t care about their living conditions or natural rights.

When our nation’s founders put together the Constitution, they knew that never before had a government been formed with the intention of protecting people’s rights rather than impeding upon them. The founders had already tried a straight representative democracy, but knew that it had been too chaotic and simply resulted in either the smaller states being trampled or the larger states being stifled.

Our country is special. It is not because our people are somehow inherently “better,” or that we have some secret “superior” values or even that there is any specific cultural difference, as many nations within Western Civilization share, to some degree, our values. Nor does it have anything to do with our soil. The area of the United States could just as easily be ruled by a despot as it could be a republic.

It is that our government was founded upon the idea of liberty and then that was anchored with the Constitution.

There is no threat nor technology that changes the importance of freedom.

ISIS is scary, and social networking makes it all the more apparent, but the anarchist movement of the 1800s was just as scary and that resulted in the assassination of a United States president. The Tripolitan Pirates declared war on us and actively captured and tortured American citizens but we didn’t give up our Constitution. The British invaded and burned Washington, D.C. and we still didn’t give up our Constitutional rights.

Despite our resolution to hold the Constitution sacred in the first half of our national history, we hail those presidents that amassed more power for themselves, or even broke the law. Democrats romanticize Franklin D. Roosevelt when he imprisoned American citizens and denied them due process, all in addition to abusing the Interstate Commerce Clause to the point of logical yoga. We hail Lyndon B. Johnson as a hero for the working class when his policies bastardized the 10th amendment and have kept the American south poor and uneducated for decades. We put Truman on a coin despite nationalizing an entire industry and shredding property rights as well as the aforementioned 10th amendment..

To invalidate even one piece of the Constitution is to invalidate the culmination of the sum experiences of Western Civilization and essentially say that “We know better.” Do you really have that much hubris that you would risk forcing posterity to live under tyranny. Invalidate the Constitution and you invalidate what made us great.

So go ahead, tell me that you have nothing to hide and that the FBI should force Apple to risk the cyber security and privacy of the entire country, but realize what you are saying by invalidating the fourth and first amendments. Go ahead and claim that presidents shouldn’t be required to get a declaration of war, as required by the Constitution, but realize the consequences of perpetual intervention overseas.

Conservatism isn’t about conserving wealth or conserving resources, it is about conserving freedom and liberty, the ideals that faux conservative politicians so quickly bastardize in the name of nationalism or national defense. If what you want is nationalism or military dominance, go ahead. Vote for the Hillary’s, and Trump’s, and Marco’s of this world. But true conservatives will be fighting to defend our rights, our Constitution, and not just the bits that are politically expedient.

Minnema is a 20-year-old college student and small business owner.

The 2016 Antioch Speedway schedule was just released, and it details a season that begins with March 12 and 19 playdays, followed by the season opener on March 26.  Racing is booked nearly every week from then through September 24 with a race to be announced on October 8.  Generally, there will be five divisions on race night with the occasional six division show.

Notable on the schedule are the 25 races currently listed for the B “Sport” Mods and 20 races for the Hobby Stocks.  Those two divisions will be doing the “heavy lifting” for the speedway as the next most races are booked for the A Mods (15).  Dwarf Cars, Wingless Spec Sprints and Limited Late Models all remain on the schedule.  On alternate weeks, Winged 360 Sprint Cars and Late Models will headline the show, and California Hardtops have been scheduled five times.  The BCRA Midget Lites make two appearances.

Details of purse and point fund money for Winged 360 Sprints and Late Models are forthcoming.  Last year, and despite some low turnouts, the Sprint Cars still paid $1200 to win and $150 to start.  This year’s schedule has 13 dates for the popular Winged Sprint Cars, five more than last year.

The real question is who will be supporting the class, and will car count increase?  Oval Motorsports has made a commitment to establishing this division at Antioch.  Defending champion Shawn Arriaga, past champion Art McCarthy, Dan Gonderman, Ricky Brophy and possibly two cars from the Haulot Racing Team are among those expected to return, and the potential is there to at least maintain 10-12 cars per race.

The Late Models, meanwhile, are coming off of a season in which they usually had no less than then ten cars throughout the 14 race schedule.  It’s not anticipated that this will change for this 11 race season, but who will be coming back is the question.  Jeff Decker, Chester Kniss, David Newquist and Mike Hynes are anticipated, along with cars from the Guglielmoni racing stables, Rob Norris, Dennis Souza, Danny Malfatti and Troy Foulger.

B Mods are being put to the test with a heavy schedule.  Ryland Racing is expected to return with defending champion Fred Ryland and his wife Patti Ryland both racing.  Chuck Golden, Al Johnson, Ron Brown, Trevor Clymens, Keith Brown Jr., Megan Ponciano and K.C. Keller are others to watch for.  We should be seeing a few rookies in the class, including Jeremey Jennings and a car from the Swank Racing Team.

Some of the biggest buzz centers around the Hobby Stocks as 2015 champion Kimo Oreta moves up to Limited Late Models. This leaves the race wide open, and one question centers around how much racing past champions Brad and Melissa Myers will do this year.  Jordan Swank is anticipated to be one of the front runners along with Michael Cooper, Danny Jones, Natalie Perry, Robert Niven and Frank Furtado.

Two past champions, Dan McCown and Chris Sorensen, and hard charger Chris Long are both anticipated to be on the highly competitive roster as well Steven Rogers, Chase Templeton, Mitchell Loccicere, Jim Robbins and at least one car from the Jennings Racing Team.  Also joining the fray are rookies like Billy Garner, Brent Curran, Guy Ahlwardt, Lindsey Buirch and Natalie Waldrop.  The fact is, the Hobby Stocks are poised for a big season since it appears as if the rules situation has settled down.

Speaking of rules issues settling down, the Wingless Spec Sprints should have a better season this year as well.  While champion Kyle Bakkie may not be racing as much as he concentrates on his studies, Rick Panfili, Alan Miranda, James East, Peter Carlotto and Jeremy Newberry are anticipated this season.

It gets better as Jimmy Perry III will be joined by his father, Jim Perry Jr., this year.  Perry Jr. and Perry III are both past champions and are first and third, respectively, on the division’s all time win list.  After a runner up season in Dwarf Cars, Adam Teves is moving up to Spec Sprints to make a run at top rookie honors.

Furthermore, last year’s top rookie, Marcus Smith, was preparing a car for the new season when he landed the ride in Richard Basden’s #20 car, numbered in honor of the retiring division original Keith Shipherd.  Meanwhile, Smith’s car will be driven by two time champion Dan Gonderman.  Speaking of two time champions, Billy Macedo is anticipated for the coming season as well.

The A Mod roster should remain competitive.  Aaron Crowell should be ready out of the gate this year, which could put him in line for his second championship.  Five time champion Scott Busby may have something to say about that.  Other drivers to watch for include Bobby Motts Jr., 2014 titlist Carl Berendsen II, Trent Wentworth, Nick Viscusi III, Troy Foulger, Shawn DeForest, Josh Combs, Mike Salazar, Clay Twigg and Ed Daviess.

David Teves will return to attempt to defend his Dwarf Car championship, but he can expect a challenge from two time champion Danny Wagner and hard charger Mike Corsaro.  Ageless veteran Charlie Correia should also be back, while Kevin Miraglio is poised for a breakout season.  Other hard chargers like Kurtis Craig, Miranda Chappa, Thomas Leiby, Tim Reeder, Brian Gray, 2010 champion Jerry Doty and Josh Nelson will make this another strong season for Dwarf Car racing in Antioch.

Not to be forgotten in the equation is Limited Late Models, where Larry Damitz has won four of the last five championships and just may be the driver to beat.  As he has dialed in the car he debuted last season, 2013 champion Jim Freethy may have something to say about that, and Mark Garner will be out to improve on last season’s third place ranking.  John Evans will field the former Mike Hynes car, while Lori Brown, Eric Berendsen, Calvin Louis, Kimo Oreta, Jim Robbins, Gene Haney, John Keith, Ryan Cherezian and all time Limited Late Model feature win leader Mike Gustafson should also be on the roster.

The California Hardtops will get five races, making Antioch the track giving the Northern California vintage racing division the most races on dirt.  Mike McCann certainly assisted in the process of making this happen as he began discussions with John M. Soares.  CHA leader John Philbert was able to finalize the deal.  Rob Waldrop was the top dirt track racer last season in this group, driving for Bill McLaughlin, and he will be back this year.  Other drivers we’ll be anticipating this season include Tommy Thomson in the car he raced at Vallejo Speedway in the late 1970’s, Dan Williams, Ken Clifford, Jason Clifford, Dennis Armstrong, Jason Armstrong, Rick Ruiz, Dave Mackey, Larry Damitz and Doug Braudrick.

More details on the schedule should emerge, such as what is and isn’t sanctioned and any special races.  March 26 is the opener and will feature Late Models, Limited Late Models, B Mods, Dwarf Cars and Hobby Stocks.  As always, the schedule is subject to change.  What is not subject to change is the fact that the 19th season of Oval Motorsports promoting Antioch Speedway should offer lots of excitement for the racing fans out there.  The official www.ovalmotorsports.com website will be updated soon for Antioch Speedway information.

2016 Antioch Speedway Schedule

March 12 Practice

March 19 Practice

March 26 Opening Day Late Models, Limited Late Models, B Mods, Dwarf Cars, Hobby Stocks

April 2 Winged 360 Sprints, B Mods, Dwarf Cars, Hobby Stocks, BCRA Midget Lites

April 9 A Mods ($1000 to win), B Mods ($400 to win), Spec Sprints, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks

April 16 Late Models, Spec Sprints, Limited Late Models, A Mods, B Mods

April 23 Winged 360 Sprints, A Mods, B Mods, Dwarf Cars, Hobby Stocks

April 30 Late Models, A Mods, B Mods, Spec Sprints, Hobby Stocks, Hardtops

May 7 Winged 360 Sprints, Limited Late Models, Spec Sprints, B Mods, Hobby Stocks

May 14 Late Models, A Mods, B Mods, Dwarf Cars, Hobby Stocks

May 21 Winged 360 Sprints, A Mods, B Mods, Limited Late Models, Dwarf Cars, Hardtops

June 4 Late Models, B Mods, Spec Sprints, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks

June 11 Winged 360 Sprints, Spec Sprints, A Mods, B Mods, Hobby Stocks

June 18 Late Models, Winged 360 Sprints, A Mods, B Mods, Dwarf Cars

June 25 Winged 360 Sprints, Spec Sprints, B Mods, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks, Hardtops

July 9 Late Models, A Mods, B Mods, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks

July 16 Winged 360 Sprints, Spec Sprints, B Mods, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks

July 23 Late Models, Spec Sprints, Dwarf Cars, B Mods, Hobby Stocks

July 30 Winged 360 Sprints, A Mods, B Mods, Limited Late Models, Dwarf Cars, Hobby Stocks

August 6 Winged 360 Sprint Cars, A Mods, B Mods, Dwarf Cars, Hobby Stocks

August 13 Late Models, Spec Sprints, A Mods, B Mods, Limited Late Models, Dwarf Cars

August 20 Winged 360 Sprints, BCRA Midget Lites, Limited Late Models, B Mods, Hobby Stocks, Hardtops

August 27 Winged 360 Sprints, Spec Sprints, A Mods, B Mods, Hobby Stocks

September 3 Late Models, Spec Sprints, A Mods, B Mods, Dwarf Cars

September 10 Winged 360 Sprints, A Mods, B Mods, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks, Hardtops

September 17 Late Models, Winged 360 Sprints, A Mods, B Mods, Dwarf Cars, Hobby Stocks

September 24 Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Spec Sprints, Limited Late Models, B Mods, Dwarf Cars, Hobby Stocks

October 8 To Be Announced

* Schedule Subject To Change

Grocer gives first percent of net profits to support local nonprofits

On Wednesday, February 17, 2016 Smart & Final, the value-oriented food and everyday staples retailer, announced the launch of its new giving campaign, First Street First Percent, which donates the first one percent of net profits from the sale of its First Street® private label brand products at its US-based Smart & Final banner stores in California, Nevada and Arizona to the Smart & Final Charitable Foundation™ to support local nonprofits.

“Smart & Final has a long history of giving back to the communities we serve,” said Smart & Final CEO Dave Hirz. “With our new First Street First Percent program, we are taking our community commitment to the next level.”

First Street, Smart & Final’s flagship private label brand, features more than 2,000 quality products and represents over 23 percent of Smart & Final’s total sales. Customers can find First Street® products across most categories throughout the store, from grocery, frozen and dairy to packaging and cleaning products.

Starting today, Smart & Final customers will see signage throughout the store that provides information about the First Street First Percent program and showcases how their purchase of First Street products can benefit local communities.

“Now when customers buy First Street products, our premier private label brand, they will be giving back to local communities through our Smart & Final Charitable Foundation,” Hirz added.

Through the Smart & Final Charitable Foundation, funds generated will support local nonprofits, e.g., food pantries, Little Leagues, Boys & Girls Clubs, the American Heart Association, Special Olympics, Olive Crest, local schools and many more.

“Buying First Street products will mean better playgrounds, more music in schools, more new uniforms and more meals for friends and neighbors in need,” Hirz continued.

Throughout the years, the Smart & Final Charitable Foundation has donated millions of dollars to causes and organizations focused on four key areas – health and wellness, education, hunger relief, and team sports and youth development.

Recipients of donations range from local Little Leagues and Boys & Girls Clubs to food pantries and organizations such as The American Heart Association, Olive Crest and the Special Olympics. In 2015, the Smart & Final Charitable Foundation gave more than $900,000 to community organizations in California, Arizona and Nevada where the company has stores.

When customers purchase First Street products, which range from grocery, frozen and dairy products to packaging and cleaning, they will be contributing to the development of more playgrounds, more school uniforms, and increasing the amount of meals available to people in need in their local communities.

For more information about First Street First Percent, visit www.smartandfinal.com/firstpercent.

About Smart & Final

Smart & Final Stores, Inc. (NYSE: SFS), is a value-oriented food and everyday staples retailer that serves household and business customers. The Company is headquartered in Commerce (located in Los Angeles), CA, where it was founded 145 years ago. As of January 3, 2016, the Company operated 276 grocery and foodservice stores under the “Smart & Final,” “Smart & Final Extra!”  including their location in Antioch, and “Cash & Carry Smart Foodservice” banners in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, and Idaho, with an additional 15 stores in northern Mexico operated through a joint venture.

Smart & Final Charitable Foundation, located at 600 Citadel Drive, Commerce, CA 90040, is a nonprofit charitable organization that donates to local charities and other non-profit organizations. No part of the purchase price for the First Street First Percent program may be deducted as a charitable contribution.

HIGHWAY LANE CLOSURES:

State Route 4:

There will be highway lane closures in the westbound direction of State Route 4 between Railroad Avenue and Contra Loma on Monday through Friday from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.

There will be highway lane closures in the eastbound direction of State Route 4 between Bailey Road and Contra Loma on Monday through Friday from 4:30 am to 12:00 pm.

There will be highway lane closures in the eastbound direction or State Route 4 between A St. and Hillcrest Ave. Saturday morning from 12:00 am to 5:00 am.

State Route 160:

There are no highway lane closures of State Route 160 planned for this week.

RAMP CLOSURES:

There will be a ramp closure at the Hillcrest Ave. eastbound on ramp Saturday morning from 1:00 am to 5:00 am and Sunday morning from 1:00 am to 6:00 am.

For questions or comments please send e-mail to info@4eastcounty.org.

Will decide on argument against card room ballot measure, to make City Treasurer appointed position

By Allen Payton

Following the Antioch City Council decision, at their last meeting, to place a card room initiative on the June ballot, they will consider removing two of the three proponents from city positions. Lamar Thorpe and his wife Patrice Guillory are listed as proponents of the card room initiative and in a letter to the editor, Thorpe admitted he’s a leader in the effort. Thorpe is a member of the Antioch Economic Development Commission, and both he and Guillory were selected by Council Member Monica Wilson as two of her three Standby Council Members.

Also in Thorpe’s letter he stated that one of the council members had signed the petition to place the measure on the ballot. Wilson later revealed that she was the one who had signed the petition.

On Tuesday’s Antioch Council meeting agenda, item 7 is listed as “Council Member Wilson Alternates for City Council Service” and reads “It is recommended that the City Council receive Council member Wilson’s notice that she is removing Lamar Thorpe and Patrice Guillory as alternates to serve in her place on the City Council if she is unable to fulfill her duty as a City Council Member in times of declared emergencies.”

Standby Council Members or alternates serve in the place of elected City Council Members in times of declared emergencies when the Council Member is either dead or unavailable.

Wilson submitted a letter on Tuesday, February 16 stating “I am giving notice that as of today…Lamar Thorpe and Patrice Guillory are no longer my alternates for city council.”

Then, under item 8 of Tuesday night’s council meeting agenda, listed as “Removal of Economic Development Commission Member,” it reads “It is recommended that the City Council ratify Mayor Harper’s desire to remove Lamar Thorpe from the Antioch Economic Development Commission effective immediately.”

The city staff report states “Mayor Harper would like to have Lamar Thorpe removed from the Economic Development Commission due to Mr. Thorpe’s involvement with the Card Room Initiative, which is sponsored by the California Grand Casino in Pacheco, California and is in the electoral process in the City of Antioch.”

Both Wilson and Harper have announced their intention to run for County Supervisor in District 3 in the June election.

Also on the agenda, the Council will determine if it wants to submit an argument against the card room ballot initiative, as well as include a separate measure to change the City Treasurer’s position from elected to appointed. That move will save the city approximately $22,400 per year and is in response to a suggestion by current City Treasurer Donna Conley.

The Council meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, at 3rd and H Steet, and can be viewed on Comcast Local Cable Channel 24 or via live stream on the city’s website at www.ci.antioch.ca.us/CityGov/citycouncilmeetings.htm.