The lit Beacon at the top of Mt. Diablo. photo by Clayton Worsdell

On December 7th, Mount Diablo’s Beacon will be relit by survivors of Pearl Harbor.

“The Beacon lighting is a tribute to those individuals that lost their lives at Pearl Harbor”, says Earl “Chuck” Kohler, one of the few remaining survivors in Contra Costa County.  However, the ceremony is also an opportunity to honor the survivors.  When those who experienced Pearl Harbor are gone, the history is lost with them.

We invite you to attend the ceremony to pay tribute to and honor our veterans.

Pearl Harbor surviving veterans light the Beacon atop Mt. Diablo. photo by Charla Gabert

The Sons & Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors, Chapter 5 are pleased to co-sponsor this 52^nd Annual National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Ceremony with Save Mount Diablo. Presentations will be made by the few remaining local Pearl Harbor survivors, Mount Diablo State Park, David Behring (President of Wheelchair Foundation), as well as Save Mount Diablo.

The Beacon on Mount Diablo was originally installed and illuminated in 1928 to aid in trans-continental aviation. It is one of the four guiding beacons installed along the west coast by Standard Oil of CA and is the only one known to still be operational.  After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Beacon’s light was extinguished during the West Coast Blackout, for fear it may enable an attack on California.  It stayed dark until Pearl Harbor Day 1964, when Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz relit the Beacon in a commemorative ceremony and suggested it be illuminated every December 7th to honor those who served and sacrificed. Since that day, Pearl Harbor Veterans and their families have gathered every December 7th to see the Beacon light shine once again.

What:  Save Mount Diablo, the Sons & Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors Association and California State Parks will light the “Eye of Diablo”, the Beacon atop Mount Diablo to memorialize Pearl Harbor Day. As the number of Survivors has decreased over the years, the number of people attending the ceremony in honor of these heroes has increased, including many sons and daughters vital to organizing the service.

When: Monday, December 7th, 2015, 3:45pm, lighting at 5pm

Where: The ceremony and lighting will be held at California State University, East Bay Campus, 4700 Ygnacio Valley Road, Concord, CA

Access:  Parking is available on Campus and the ceremony will be held in the Oak Room (with extra seating in the Redwood Room)

For more information about the Beacon Lighting Ceremony: please visit http://www.savemountdiablo.org/activities_events_beacon.html or contact Save Mount Diablo’s office at (925) 947-3535

Save Mount Diablo is a non-profit 501(c)(3) conservation organization, which has been preserving lands on and around Mount Diablo and educating the public to the mountain’s natural values since 1971.  Preserved lands have increased from 6,788 acres in one park to more than 110,000 acres in more than 40 parks and preserves.  Save Mount Diablo continues to preserve, defend and restore the remainder of the mountain for people and wildlife to enjoy. Contact: Save Mount Diablo, telephone: (925) 947-3535, fax: (925) 947-0642, 1901 Olympic Blvd., Suite 320, Walnut Creek, CA 94596; www.SaveMountDiablo.org.

The Antioch Police Department is excited to announce the 66th installment of the Neighborhood Cleanup Program. This is a collaborative community effort which involves active participation from The Antioch Police Department Crime Prevention Commission; Neighborhood Watch Program; Volunteers in Police Service; community volunteers and the Public Works Department.

Collectively, “We”, everyone who works and lives in the City Antioch, can make a difference and improve the quality of life. It’s our community and it’s our chance to make a difference.

The City of Antioch Neighborhood Cleanup program is not just for residential neighborhoods. It is a program that will change venues on a monthly basis and it will include business and commercial areas as well. Neighborhoods that are free of trash and refuse are inviting, and a clean community instills a sense of community pride.

The 66th Neighborhood Cleanup event will occur on Saturday, December 5th  from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Prewett Family Park on Lone Tree Way. 

Volunteers will receive instructions and the equipment necessary to accomplish the goal. The targeted area is within walking distance.  Excluding inclement weather, future Neighborhood Cleanup events are scheduled for the first Saturday of every month and the locations will be announced in advance.

Remember, cleaning up your neighborhood can make life better for your family, your neighbors and your community.

By Lieutenant Don LaDue, Field Services Bureau Commander, Antioch Police Department

On Thursday, December 3rd, 2015 at approximately 3:16 PM, Antioch Police Officers were dispatched to the intersection of Buchanan Road and Del Oro Circle for a single vehicle collision.  Officers arrived on scene and located a vehicle that had left the roadway and collided with a tree.

Contra Costa Firefighters arrived on scene and had to extricate the driver from the vehicle.  The driver, and sole vehicle occupant, was transported to a local trauma center with major injuries.

Our preliminary investigation indicates that the victim was traveling W/B on Buchanan Rd when he lost control of his vehicle at a slight bend in road.  The victim’s vehicle left the roadway and collided with a large tree.  Speed and inclement weather appear to be factors in this collision. It is not known at this time if alcohol was a factor.

Anyone who may have witnessed the collision is encouraged to contact the Antioch Police Department at (925) 778-2441.

By Nick Goodrich

The Antioch City Council voted on Tuesday, November 24th, voted against the growing of marijuana for personal medical use in Antioch, was made during Tuesday’s meeting. State laws regarding marijuana cultivation will go into effect in March of next year, necessitating action by the City to either regulate or prohibit cultivation if it wants to retain its right to prohibit growing inside Antioch city limits.

If a city has not adopted an ordinance on the issue by March 1, 2016, it will be subject to state decisions on the matter. Concerns of security and crime issues weighed heavily in the discussion, with several Antioch residents speaking out in favor of prohibition; the notion of possible growing operations next door, small in size though they may be, proved disconcerting to many, as the presence of such operations could increase the risk of theft to the surrounding homes.

Police Chief Allan Cantando also expressed his concern before the Council about the possibility of regulated cultivation in Antioch, citing an increased crime risk and undue burden on the Antioch Police Department. Cantando reminded the Council that some past thefts in Antioch involving marijuana have resulted in homicides, and he is reluctant to support city measures that could possibly increase this trend. In addition, he said, other legal drug uses in Antioch, such as methodone, have tended to attract undesirable people and behavior to the area.

The issue also raised moral questions about restricting a medical user’s access to cannabis that may be an important part of the user’s treatment. The Council emphasized that the option to increase or decrease restrictions on cultivation should be left open if future considerations call for such action.

Following the discussion, the City Council voted unanimously to direct city staff to prepare an ordinance prohibiting marijuana cultivation in Antioch. Chief Allan Cantando saw the decision as an important move for the well-being and effectiveness of the APD, with the added benefit of remaining in accordance with federal marijuana laws.

“We’re trying to reduce response times and increase arrests,” he said. “This would be a burden to our department.”

Use of One-Time State Funds

The council also voted on the allocation of $883,175 received from the State of California. In June of this year, the State reimbursed the city of Antioch for nearly $800,000 for previous unfunded State mandates. The money was placed in the General Fund, where it collected interest before being brought to the Council.

The City Council directed that half of the $883,175 be applied to unfunded liabilities for the Police Supplementary Retirement Plan, as mandated by a Council decision earlier this year. That decision called for a minimum of 50% of all one-time monies received by the city to be allocated to unfunded liabilities. City Council considered several options for the use of the remaining money, including a Habitat Conservation Plan, an L Street redesign project, funding for the Antioch Historical Society’s Fire Truck Display Project, funding sister city activities, and funding an after-school library program at Deer Valley High School.

The City Council voted unanimously to fund the Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), which establishes requirements for development projects that convert natural habitats into urban areas. Antioch was offered the opportunity to receive a Section 6 Federal Grant from the US Fish and Wildlife Services, worth more than $688,000, to pay for the HCP. In return, the city was required to pay only $229, 377, and can recoup money up to that amount from future development projects in the city. Antioch had previously been the last remaining city in East Contra Costa County to not participate in an HCP.

In a 4-1 vote, with Council Member Monica Wilson voting no, the Council also approved funding in the amount of $20,000 for the Antioch Historical Society’s Fire Truck Display Project, which was approved by the city last month. The project will add an additional building to the Historical Society Museum to house and display the Society’s antique 1927 Ford Model T fire engine, recently acquired from the city. In October, Mayor Wade Harper expressed his intent to offer funding for the project, and followed through this month with the support of most of the council.

In addition, the Council, in a 3-2 vote, with Wilson and Mayor Pro Tem Lori Ogorchock voting no, granted funding to Deer Valley High School’s after school library program, matching the $4,300 it has provided the program in recent years.

$500 was also allocated to fund activities with Antioch’s sister city, Chichibu, Japan. However, funding for the L Street redesign project fell short, on a 2-3 vote, with only Harper and Council Member Mary Rocha voting yes. The Council will revisit the project at a later date, with the goal to convert L Street into a “lovely, tree-lined parkway”, according to City Manager Steve Duran.

The next Antioch City Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 8 at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at City Hall between West 2nd and 3rd Streets in downtown Antioch. Council meetings can be viewed on Comcast local cable channel 24 or via live streaming on the city’s website at www.ci.antioch.ca.us.