Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe speaks during his Unity and Healing Service on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. Video screenshot.
By Allen D. Payton
During Mayor Lamar Thorpe’s Unity and Healing Service held Thursday night, Nov. 30, five Antioch residents were awarded the Key to the City, Antioch’s highest honor.
Thorpe honored them “as symbols of unity in Antioch for others to emulate as we navigate a challenging period in our history.”
Held at the Antioch Community Center in Prewett Family Park, remarks were offered by the Rev. Kwang-il Kim of the Antioch United Methodist Church, Rabbi Peretz Goldshmid of Chabad of the Delta, and Instisar Malhi of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and the mayor.
About the event and honorees Thorpe shared, “It’s not a secret that it’s been a tough year for Antioch and sadly it’s not over. However, as we navigate through the challenges, I’m guided by the belief that if we’re open-minded, moments from this past year will make our community better and stronger in the long run. I know this because every day, quiet voices in our city work to unite people around the idea of healing members of our community who are hurting. Right now, our city is hurting and as such it’s important that we stand in unity to begin the healing of our city.”
He listed and described the recipients and their contributions to Antioch as follows:
Ricka Davis-Sheard
Ricka is the founder of SHARE Community an organization that brings showers and toilets on wheels to our neighbors without houses. Her efforts promote unity in our community and help heal individuals who are often denied dignity and compassion.
Flori Paniagua
Flori is the founder of Team Jesus Outreach Ministries an organization that brings groceries to struggling families. Her organization is now the largest food distribution center in East Contra Costa County.
Gerald “JR” Wilson Jr.
JR is the founder of Delta Veterans Group (DVG), an organization that supports military veterans. His efforts promote unity in our community and help heal veterans who are in need through events like Stand Down on the Delta.
Cassandra Quinto Collins
Cassandra is the mother of Angelo Quinto, who died in police custody in 2020 and is the founder of the Angelo Quinto Foundation. The foundation works to reform police policies throughout California. Her advocacy efforts have led to changes in local and state policy including the banning of the use of the term “excited delirium” by medical examiners and law enforcement personnel.
William and Mary Chapman
Mary is the co-founder and executive director of An Elderly Wish Foundation, an organization that enriches the final days of an elderly person who is terminally ill by making a life-long wish come true. Bill has been by Mary’s side helping realize these requests as a long-time board member of the organization.
The event seeks to support local families feeling the economic pressures caused by inflation
With families throughout the Bay Area feeling the economic pressures caused by high food and rent costs, Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe, Deeply Rooted and Makin Moves are proud to host the 4th Annual Turkey & Groceries Giveaway for Antioch residents on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023.
The turkey giveaway started during the COVID-19 pandemic because of the economic impact on families. However, as inflation continues to impact working families the mayor and his partners decided to continue the turkey giveaway for families during the holiday season.
According to the information on the eventbrite page, the event is already sold out.
About the City of Antioch: Antioch is located on the banks of the San Joaquin River in Northern California, just off of Highway 4 in Contra Costa County. With a population of over 120,000 people, Antioch has become the heart of Eastern Contra Costa County, offering a variety of employment, shopping, and vast recreational activities. The pace of development in Antioch has spurred activity for financial and insurance institutions, contractors, and other service-oriented businesses. Increased development has expanded job opportunities in schools, hospitals, and other local service sectors. Antioch is poised to capitalize on its location, skilled workforce, and fiscal strength.
Mayor Thorpe to host service in lieu of his annual State of the City address.
By Lamar Thorpe, Mayor of Antioch
Earlier this year Antioch was rocked by revelations of racism, federal indictments, and state investigations. Many members of the community were both shocked and hurt by the news. The revelations also brought about threats of violence. As a result, Mayor Thorpe postponed the annual State of the City address.
In lieu of the State of the City, Mayor Lamar Thorpe cordially invites residents to a Unity and Healing Service in collaboration with Rev. Kwang-il Kim of the Antioch United Methodist Church, Rabbi Peretz Goldshmid of Chabad of the Delta, and Intisar Malhi of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
As part of the event, Mayor Thorpe will be honoring several community members who represent the spirit of unity and healing with the Key to the City, Antioch’s highest honor. Award recipients will be announced a week before the event.
Louise passed on September 4, 2023; weeks shy of her 98th birthday. Louise was born in Arvada, Colorado, the first of four children. She and her husband Lauron met in the Chemical Engineering department at the University of Colorado. After years in Washington, Oregon and Southern California they moved to Antioch, with Lauron working for Crown Zellerbach and Louise raising their three daughters, Leslie, Linda, and Lori.
Louise became a substitute teacher and in 1964 she was appointed to the Planning Commission, where she remained until she won a seat on the City Council in 1968. She became the first woman mayor of Antioch in 1970-1971, and again in 1975-1976, a groundbreaking role model for future generations of young women. In addition to the City Council, Louise served as Chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG). She was also appointed to the Seismic Safety Commission and was an independent contractor for environmental protection at Caltrans.
In 1966 Louise obtained her pilot’s license and in 1969 she and Lauron flew the family in a six-seater Cherokee on a tour of the United States. After retirement they loved to travel and were proud of the fact, they had visited all seven continents. Later Louise and Lauron relocated to Sonora, California, where they resided for over 20 years. They loved exploring the Eastern Sierras and she was involved in the local arts community and became a prolific oil painter, often painting scenes of the Sierra foothills.
Louise was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Lauron, her sister Bobbie & brother-in-law Tom Warfield. Louise leaves behind daughters Leslie Lum, Ollie Linda Anderson & Lori Brown, her sister Billie Homberg & nephew David (Donna) O’Bryan and niece Donna Ruth (Todd) Schutz, brother Tony (Joie) Price, nephew Bill (Linda) Warfield, and niece Debra (Blue) Bergmann. She will be greatly missed.
Former Antioch Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Frank L. Stone, his dog Rambo and the plaque in his honor at the Antioch Animal Services building. Source: Antioch Animal Services
By Antioch Animal Services
We are saddened to learn of the passing of Frank L. Stone at 96 years of age on Wednesday, October 25th in Palm Springs, FL. Frank was instrumental in the planning and construction of the Animal Shelter here at 300 L Street, which was dedicated to him in 1994.
Frank, a Tennessee native, lived in Antioch during his career and retirement from PG&E. Frank was an active member of the community and a huge animal lover from his dog Rambo (pictured) to his last dog, Rita, Frank was never without a canine companion. He was a part of the Antioch City Council and Mayor Pro Tem for two terms. He was also a founding member of the Association of Responsible Citizens formed in 1978 and a founding member and first Treasurer for Friends of Animal Services formed in 1979.
In 1994 during the dedication of the new Animal Shelter, former president of Friends of Antioch Animal Services, Barbara Sobalvarro, fondly recounts what her “friend” Frank said, “A City that does not care about its children, older people or animals, is a City without a soul.”
We are so thankful for Frank’s service to his Country as a naval officer, to his City as a Councilman and to the people and the animals of Antioch as a voice for the voiceless. He was a true friend to all.
Photo of sideshow at Lone Tree Way and Deer Valley Road Sunday morning, Sept. 24, 2023. Photos by Allen D. Payton
Torres-Walker, Wilson concerned about punishing bystanders, more concerned with single car “spinouts”
“…when we can’t even trust them, not all but some, to do their current job without bias, I just don’t know if this is the particular right direction to go in.” – Mayor Pro Tem Tamisha Torres-Walker.
By Allen D. Payton
After hearing from a few speakers during public comments the Antioch City Council discussed developing an ordinance to ban bystanders at sideshows, during their meeting on Tuesday, October 24, 2023. The mayor and two council members support moving forward, while two were concerned with criminalizing spectators. (See 3:03:40 mark of council meeting video)
Speaking to one resident who suggested prevention over punishment Mayor Pro Tem Tamisha Torres-Walker said, “This has been an amazing night. People in this city continue to surprise me. I totally agree with a lot of your comments. There are already traffic laws that need to be enforced that aren’t being enforced and we all know why but we won’t go there.”
“Spinouts are not large-scale sideshows with 100 or 200 spectators,” she continued. “That is the daily experience in this city for the majority of residents, not large-scale sideshows. What are we going to do about that?”
The District 1 councilwoman then shared concerns about banning spectators and the police response.
“Even passing a policy that will criminalize the simple spectator, give the authority to someone in law enforcement to decide who’s a spectator and who’s not spectator when we can’t even trust them, not all but some, to do their current job without bias, I just don’t know if this is the particular right direction to go in,” said Torres-Walker.
District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica then said in response to a public comment, “First off, Bots Dots do not work. If you want proof of that…go to Blue Rock and Lone Tree. They do not work. Also go to James Donlon and Somersville. All the Bots Dots are literally covered in rubber. In District 2 we have, it seems almost a weekly event, now. Two weeks ago, they actually destroyed city signage, there. There was so much debris in the roadway that cars couldn’t drive through there. It took two city workers almost two hours to clean it up.”
“Most of this is occurring from people coming to the city from outside the city creating the issues then leaving our city,” he continued.
In response to a few residents who suggested providing a safe space for sideshows Barbanica stated, “I’m not really interested in saying as Antioch taxpayers why don’t we go ahead and develop a site for out-of-town people. It’s ludicrous.”
A large-scale sideshow causes a traffic backup in both directions on Lone Tree Way early Sunday morning, Sept. 24, 2023.
In response to Torres-Walker’s concerns he said, “Police officers are paid all day long to make determinations all day long. We’re issuing an infraction citation, here. We have been doing a lot of work trying to identify where these events occur. We’ve tried to prevent them. We’ve tried to cite people. A local business tried to do one and it ended in a shooting.
“I’m all for this ordinance,” he concluded.
“I too am for this ordinance,” District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock said. “I’m not sure about the spectator side. I’ve had several residents call and they were afraid for their lives as they were stuck in them.”
She then mentioned a sideshow that she witnessed.
“I think it is a safety issue and I’d like to see this going forward,” Ogorchock concluded.
Police arrive at the scene of the sideshow on Sunday morning, Sept. 24, 2023.
District 4 Councilwoman Monica Wilson said, “How do we tell who is a bystander and who isn’t? I see more burnouts. We need to work on this more. But I would like to see some type of ordinance. It’s like a cat and mouse. The bystander ordinance gives me great pause.”
“Thank you, Councilwoman Ogorchock for describing a spectator, because at that point, you were,” Torres-Walker said. “When we say, ‘all these people are not from Antioch’ is just not true. If you’re in your city, you probably organized it…people who navigate the city. When these events break up how do they know which way to go…to get to the freeway.
“This isn’t a race issue, because most likely when you go to one of these events most of the people probably look like Councilman Barbanica and Councilwoman Ogorchock,” Torres-Walker continued.
She spoke about prevention and again asked what to do about spinouts saying, “I see my neighbors do it before they pull in their driveway.”
Police arrest a driver of one car and confiscate a gun from inside following the sideshow on Sunday morning, Sept. 24, 2023.
Mayor Lamar Thorpe then weighed in saying, “We can certainly bring back the burnouts at a later time. I specifically asked if we can do roundabouts…and it didn’t go anywhere and what we got was a recommendation from staff for dots…and we went along with it.”
“I’m for this,” he continued. “I am for prevention. We’ve done a great job on prevention. But our traffic division has been decimated due to the racist text scandal. Second, there have been places that have hosted sideshows that have been fairly successful. But we did have the one…that ended on Cavallo. They’re still doing some and it seems to be controlled, so it’s working. I wish the fairgrounds would get involved with the racetrack but that’s not our jurisdiction.”
“I’m for this and I don’t have a problem with spectators,” Thorpe shared. “The police are doing a good job using cameras. I hear those concerns, but I think we should use all aspects.”
“It appears we have consensus,” Barbanica stated.
“There are a lot of things you can do to determine who is a spectator,” said City Attorney Thomas L. Smith. “But you guys can determine what is the right way to handle the bystander situation.”
Antioch Councilman Mike Barbanica, State Senator Steve Glazer and Assemblyman Tim Grayson are working to get help from the CHP for the Antioch’s depleted police force.
Send joint letter to Governor seeking aid in addressing public safety crisis amid ongoing police scandal
Follows on Councilman Barbanica’s requests of county police chiefs, CHP, Sheriff’s for assistance
ByAllen D. Payton
In early August, Antioch District 2 City Councilman Mike Barbanica asked the City of Antioch to look into getting more help from both the CHP and the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office after sideshows got out of hand.
Earlier this month, Barbanica, Acting City Manager Kwame Reed, Acting Police Chief Joe Vigil and two other police chiefs from the county held a meeting but “Vigil said, ‘we don’t need anything’,” the councilman stated.
“Grayson’s office offered help. The chiefs told Vigil you don’t have enough staffing,” Barbanica continued. “I spoke to the city manager. We have a commitment from the county police chiefs that they are ready to assist and provide personnel. The city manager is putting together a plan, and the police department will get assistance for traffic enforcement.”
“I personally met with the Chiefs of El Cerrito and San Pablo, who are the president and VP of the county chiefs association and they are working with Acting Chief Vigil who has assigned Sgt. Rob Green to work with surrounding agencies and traffic enforcement. I had two meetings with Assemblyman Grayson that were very productive. He has assured any help we need out of Sacramento, cutting red tape, he’ll be happy to help with.”
Following up on Barbanica’s request, according to a press release from State Senator Steve Glazer’s office, he and Assemblymember Tim Grayson sent a joint letter to Governor Gavin Newsom today, Wednesday, October 25, 2023, seeking assistance for the city of Antioch’s police force, decimated by years of FBI and local investigations.
The investigations into Antioch’s police ranks have eroded local officers’ ability to maintain public safety in the city, according to Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe in an interview on Senator Glazer’s Podcast, Table Talk.
Senator Glazer also spoke with California Highway Patrol Commissioner Sean Duryee about the public safety crisis and the request.
“The City of Antioch is struggling with public safety right now, and the CHP can help,” Senator Glazer said.
According to the press release by Vivian Bossieux-Skinner, Glazer’s Press Secretary, Mayor Thorpe, a guest on Senator Glazer’s latest episode on his podcast, Table Talk, said, “we have about four or five officers at any given moment patrolling our streets,” in a city of 120,000 people.
Mayor Thorpe said the low numbers of police officers on duty at any given time means police response times can be excessively long depending on the crime being reported. Thorpe said more than half of the 87 city-authorized officers are on leave because of the investigations into the force, leaving just over 40 officers to patrol the city.
“We can use the help because it would drastically reduce time in which an officer can respond to a crime,” said Mayor Thorpe on Table Talk.
These safety concerns were echoed by Mayor Thorpe on Senator Glazer’s Table Talk; the two areas that were decimated as a result of the racist text messaging scandal were traffic and investigations. “And so, it has had real impacts on the community in terms of keeping them safe,” Thorpe said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has already assigned CHP officers this year to cities that request the help; the City of San Francisco has had CHP assistance in dealing with the Fentanyl crisis since May and Oakland has had CHP help since August in dealing with road-related incidents to give City police officers more time to focus on solving violent crime.
Rendering of E. 18th St West Warehouse Project with the proposed name of Antioch Gateway. Source: DECA Company.
Will also allow for light manufacturing
By Allen D. Payton
During their meeting on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, following public comments mostly by local union workers in support of the warehouse projects on E. 18th Street, the Antioch Council had a few questions and comments. The project is owned by the San Francisco-based DECA Companies.
“I didn’t want large truck traffic going westbound into the city,” District 3 Councilman Mike Barbanica said. (See related article)
“The conditions of approval require signage to direct trucks to go east to 160,” said the project developer’s representative.
“Are these regulatory signs or suggestion signs?” Barbanica asked.
Where the signs go, what the verbiage will be and the regulatory aspect will be determined in discussions with city staff, the project representative shared.
District 4 Councilwoman Monica Wilson’s only concern was regarding the landscaping, that it be drought tolerant.
“Everything post-colonialism is evasive in this country. A little-known fact, Goldilocks broke into a house, ate all they food, destroyed they property and refused to leave. Just wanted to point that out. I think it is important, as we look to the future to work locally. It’s important to a person’s quality of life,” said Mayor Pro Tem Tamisha Torres-Walker said.
In response to comments by members of the public about being able to work locally instead of traveling to job sites on Highway 4 she said, “It’s probably one of the worst freeways in the East Bay according to my experience. Capitalism demands that people be poor so that other people could be rich. We can make sure that industry comes to the city to make those jobs a reality.”
District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock said, “I like these sites because of the local hire.”
Referring to the union workers who spoke in favor of the project, tonight she said, “it gives them back their quality of life by being at home.”
“Did we resolve the native plant thing?” Mayor Lamar Thorpe asked.
“We made a commitment we would improve our native plant species,” the developer’s spokesman said.
All five motions on the E. 18th Street East Warehouse Project passed on 5-0 votes.
The council also approved all five motions for the West Warehouse Project on 5-0 votes.
