New Antioch Police Officers, Jason Erickson, left and Kelly Inabnett, right, with Chief Allan Cantando following their oath of office ceremony on Monday, November 30, 2015

New officer Kelly Inabnett is given his oath of office by Antioch Mayor Wade Harper.

By Allen Payton

At a brief ceremony at the Antioch Police Facility, on Monday afternoon, November 30, two new Antioch Police Officers were given their oath of office by Mayor Wade Harper.

The officers were then given the opportunity to share a few words.

“I’m excited to come this way,” said Officer Kelly Inabnett, a lateral transfer from the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department. “I have a lot of friends here who have said this is a great Dept to work for. I want to thank my wife for her support.”

Officer Jason Erickson who is a lateral transfer from the Kern County Sheriff’s Department said, “I want to thank my parents and friend (who were in attendance) in this big change of moving here from Bakersfield. I would like to thank the APD for giving me the opportunity to become a police officer.”

Chief Allan Cantando then shared his thoughts.

New officer Jason Erickson takes his oath of office administered by Mayor Harper on Monday, November 30, 2015

“These two officers are now part of the Antioch Police family,” he stated. “I will tell you that I could not be any prouder of the men and women who work for the Antioch Police Department. Going through the field training in this department, I think it’s amazing.

He then spoke to the families of the new officers.

“They’re going to develop relationships that will probably last a lifetime,” Cantando shared. “I want to thank the families. As they continue to move on with their careers they’re going to learn a lot here. They’re embarking on a career that is more challenging today.
“We haven’t lowered our standards in order to hire more,” he added. “The background check these gentlemen have gone through is extensive and you should be proud of that.”

That brings the total of sworn officers in the department to 95.

By Allen Payton

The November 9th court date for Contra Costa County School Board Trustee Jeff Belle at which he was to be arraigned for lying on his ballot statement in last year’s election, was postponed due to a motion filed by Belle’s attorney.

Belle filed a demure to dismiss the charge against him, claiming the District Attorney’s office did not adequately state the crime that he committed, Deputy District Attorney Steve Moawad explained.

The DA’s office responded and the hearing on Belle’s motion, which would dismiss the case, is set for this Friday, December 4 at 1:30 PM in Department 29 in Martinez.

In his candidate statement Belle stated he had a college degree, but had not yet obtained one, at that time. He faces a maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine.

By Barbara Zivica

You’ve probably been hearing about the Antioch School Districts search for  a new school superintendent. Dr. Donald Gill, whose contract ran through June 30, 2017, announced in September that he would be leaving at the end of June 2016.  Don’t know the details of  his contract with the district but the board voted 4-0 to put him on paid leave until the end of June. So, now he can spend more time with his family in San Diego.  How generous.

What I didn’t know and perhaps you didn’t either is that his family lives in San Diego and he has been commuting there every weekend the whole seven years the district employed him. Unbelievable.  What was the board thinking?  Couldn’t they hire someone from this county or at least a nearby one like Alameda?  The fact that he didn’t relocate here shows that his heart was elsewhere.

The school board also, now minus Barbara Cowan who also resigned in September, appointed Associate Superintendent for Educational Services Stephanie Anello as interim Superintendent during their search for a new superintendent.

The board did, however, decide to appoint Fernando Navarro, one of eleven candidates,  to the school board  as of December 9th .   He will serve the rest of Barbara Cowan’s term which ends December 2016.

I like Mr. Navarro’s  statement in regard to wanting the district to get back to basics, with additional emphasis on science and history and stop using students as “social engineering guinea pigs”.

Well said Mr. Navarro.  I’ll be keeping my eye on you.  Perhaps you can also influence the school board when it comes to selecting a new superintendent.  They’ve made a number of mistakes to date to the detriment of student scores.

Angelo Ninoamaya

By Acting Lieutenant Thomas Furhmann, Antioch Police Investigations

At approximately 11:50 PM on Monday, November 30, 2015 the Antioch Police Department was made aware of a possible robbery with a shot being fired at the 7 Eleven located at 4901 Lone Tree   Way.  The 911 caller was following a vehicle that had just left the scene.  Shortly thereafter the citizen lost sight of the vehicle.  An Officer responding relocated the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop on the suspect vehicle.  Both occupants were taken into custody without incident.  Evidence of the crime was located in the vehicle.  Both suspects were identified as those responsible in the robbery/shooting.

Additional responding officers went to the 7-Eleven where they found a clerk had been shot during the robbery.  The 20-year-old, male clerk was transported to an area hospital where he is listed in critical condition.

Arrested was Angelo Ninoamaya, a 20-year-old male from Pittsburg.  Ninoamaya was booked into the Contra Costa County Jail on charges of Attempted Murder, Robbery, Burglary, Conspiracy and Accessory.  He is being held on $1,220,000 bail.  Ninoamaya has no prior convictions.

Also arrested was Rebecca Hernandez, a 19-year-old female from Pittsburg.  Hernandez was booked into the Contra Costa County Jail on charges of Attempted Murder, Robbery, Burglary, Conspiracy and Accessory.  She is being held on $1,220,000 bail.  Hernandez has no prior convictions.

Rebecca Hernandez

At approximately 11:00 AM today, Antioch Police Detectives served a search warrant on Ninoamaya’s residence on Woodborough   Place in Pittsburg where additional evidence was recovered.  We are working closely with the Pittsburg Police Department on this case and looking to see if there is a possible link to a similar robbery that occurred in their city earlier Monday.

Investigators will be presenting this case to the Office of the District Attorney later this week.  No further information will be released at this time.

Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to call Detective Colley with the Antioch Police Department at (925) 779-6922. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.

By Alissa Friedman, Executive Director

Giving Tuesday was founded in 2012 as a global day of giving back. Last year, more than 30,000 organizations in 68 countries came together to participate. This year, on December 1, 2015 Opportunity Junction is participating, too! Will you join us to Give Opportunity?

Give Opportunity & Double Your Impact

Our goal: With $25,000, we can help a training class of 20 achieve certification as Microsoft Office Specialists within 12 weeks.

Every gift donated by December 31 will be matched (up to $20,000) thanks to the generosity of the Anonymous Fund at the East Bay Community Foundation.

We invite you to join us to Give Opportunity on December 1.

Make a donation: Every dollar makes a difference and helps Opportunity Junction fight poverty.

Flex your networking power: Share our Facebook posts and tweets leading up to and on #GivingTuesday.

RSVP: Let us know you are participating on our Facebook event page.

Learn more: http://www.opportunityjunction.org/giving-tuesday

Thank you for your continued support and for being a part of Giving Opportunity this holiday season.

Rehabilitation Services of Northern California (RSNC) has joined #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that celebrates generosity worldwide. Occurring this year on December 1st, #GivingTuesday is held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and inspires people to collaborate in improving their local communities and to give back in impactful ways to philanthropies they support.

This will be RSNC’s first #GivingTuesday, and our goal is to raise $5,000 to continue to provide live music therapy for an entire year, create awareness of RSNC, which operates the Bedford Center in Antioch, and to gain volunteers.

Those who are interested in joining Rehabilitation Services of Northern California’s #GivingTuesday initiative can visit www.rsnc-centers.org/givingtuesday/.

About Rehabilitation Services of Northern California

Since 1949 RSNC has been a nonprofit partner removing barriers to independence for the frail and disabled. Giving much needed respite to our hero caregivers and their families, and providing nursing, physical, speech and occupational therapies, social work, a healthy meal and most importantly a sense of community all disguised as FUN, which enables our beloved participants to remain vibrant and independent. Our centers are all about avoiding unnecessary hospitalizations and premature placement into skilled nursing facilities. RSNC is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation.

To learn more about Rehabilitation Services of Northern California and our goals for #GivingTuesday, please visit: www.rsnc-centers.org, www.facebook.com/RSNC1949, or www.twitter.com/RehabServicesNC.