Held prior to report from Bridging the Gap forums is completed; doesn’t invite all council members to attend; interrupted by protester ending presser; media, resident questions answered later

His proposed reform of demilitarizing the police is “so our officers can be seen as public servants not an occupying force.” – Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe

By Allen Payton

A press conference by Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe, was held Monday morning in front of City Hall, to announce his and Mayor Pro Tem Monica Wilson’s police reform proposals. Announced on his official Facebook page Sunday, it was shown live there, as well. He held it, today in time for what he’s labeled March as “Police Reform Month.” (See video beginning at the 6-minute mark)

Thorpe also invited District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica to participate, but did not invite Districts 1 and 3 Councilwomen Tamisha Torres-Walker and Lori Ogorchock. When contacted before the press conference, Barbanica said the mayor had invited him, last week to an event, today but didn’t tell him until yesterday what it was about. He heard from residents on Saturday morning that it was going to be a press conference on police reform. The councilman said he respectfully declined Thorpe’s invite.

Ogorchock also confirmed that she wasn’t invited and didn’t know anything about the press conference. When asked why he didn’t invite her, since she has asked several times to have bodycams and dashcams be placed on the council agenda, Thorpe said “Barbanica has been asking for them”. When pressed further he said, “Ogorchock could have held her own press conference if she really wanted to push for bodycams and dashcams.” Torres-Walker did not respond to an effort to reach her for comment.

During the press conference Thorpe said he didn’t know why Barbanica wasn’t there.

“Councilman Mike Barbanica was supposed to be here this morning to talk about body cameras and dash cams,” Thorpe said, and that he hadn’t heard from him. The mayor was later informed by the Herald that the councilman had sent him a message declining to attend.

Thorpe also introduced retired police officer and Antioch resident Con Johnson, who is part of the mayor’s Transition Team, advising on police reform. But he didn’t introduce Lucas Bowman, who said he is the mayor’s policy intern and a student at Stanford University where’s he’s taking a gap year from majoring in either political science or public policy. Bowman said his position is to look into whatever the mayor asks him to but that it’s not an official position and that he hasn’t been hired through City Hall.

Thorpe said the reforms are “Important measures that I’ll be proposing to the city council over the next few weeks. I’ll be working with the chief, city manager and police union.”

First, I’ll start by acknowledging…we did lose a resident who was in police custody,” referring to the death of an Antioch resident, Angelo Quinto following a 9-11 call and interaction with Antioch Police officers on Dec. 23. He died in the hospital three days later. The Antioch Police Department has yet to release any details about the incident. Later Thorpe said, “I learned about it the first week in January on social media and I reached out to the chief about that.”

He then spoke about the drive-by shooting in Antioch on Saturday night which injured a firefighter and paramedic.

“In my hour and a half conversation with the chief last night” he said “there is an 11-and-a-1/2-year-old daughter of the suspect who is still missing with her mother,” Thorpe stated.  “Community cameras did help” in the capture of the suspect. (See related articles here and here)

“Police reform has made it to the halls of Congress,” Thorpe then said, and that there are some government agencies that haven’t taken on the issue. “I’m saddened to say, in the area of police reform that’s Antioch. Luckily, the voters have more foresight than those who will divide us over political rhetoric of pro- and anti-police views.”

He then spoke of “common sense solutions…police reforms…so our officers can be seen as public servants not an occupying force,” and that the “reform measures are really a framework.”

Mental Health

“The first area is around mental health which has to be the focal point of our reforms,” Thorpe said. “We will seek to have a mental health crisis response team here, in Antioch.” That includes his plan to “have our officers and dispatch workers have mental health review each year.”

That includes the formation of a Mental Health Crisis Response Team, to have mental health professionals respond with police to 5150 calls.

Mayor Pro Tem Monica Wilson then offered prepared remarks about mental health issues on a national level and called for “reducing fatal police shootings in the United States,” and “treating the untreated.”

Wilson then spoke of local government dealing with “homeless related 9-11 calls” and “investing in community-based violence prevention” and to “invest in evidence-based programs that work” and “restorative justice school-based programs.”

“Without the financial investment…we will miss the moment to impact change,” she added.

Police Training

“Ongoing training is critically important,” Thorpe said. He proposed “we establish a training paradigm that is reviewed annually” that includes “implicit bias training, conflict resolution” and how to deal with “LGBT and gender nonconforming individuals,” among others.

Demilitarizing Police

His next proposed reform is on “demilitarizing our police,” saying “sometimes our local police department looks like an occupying force…tanks on our street.” Thorpe proposed an “immediate ban on purchasing military equipment.”

Police Accountability & Transparency

The next reform he spoke about was police accountability. Thorpe pointed out that it’s the mayor’s responsibility to place items on the agenda.

“If it never came back the former mayor decided to not bring it forward,” he said. “We will bring it forward in March.”

Thorpe spoke of having an independent review of “on-duty complaints of police – either in City Hall or establishing an independent” body to review complaints “within 120 days.”

“The police investigating their own department…not everyone believes that that’s fair,” he added.

He wants to “ensure when police officers conduct a stop they give their names and badge numbers and give out a card” with how complaints can be lodged.

Thorpe proposed forming a “council subcommittee on police oversight, first.”

“We will review and audit all police complaints,” he said. “We will proactively review our use of force policies. We can do it here and move those responsibilities over to an independent group.”

Hiring Policies

“We want to make sure that moving forward that all candidates who are currently under investigation will be disqualified from the process,” Thorpe said, as well as those lateral officers who have a history of citizen complaints. He mentioned requiring officers take an “implicit association test.”

His reforms include the hiring process for the chief of police, “that is open, transparent and inclusive of the community.”

Communications With City Officials

“Lastly, the first phase of police reform is…what the mayor and when the mayor and city council will be communicated to,” Thorpe stated. “We can’t be left to social media to find out what’s happening…(it) is simply inappropriate.”

“There will be more to come as we’re wrapping up the community conversations,” he added. “If anything that derives that is out of this framework then we will discuss those.”

Questions & Answers

Asked why the he held the press conference, now, before the report by CNA on the Bridging the Gap forums, Thorpe responded, “that was never intended to inform for police reform for what I’m proposing. We’re at the end. We’re going to hear it. But laying out this information, now is not premature.”

In response to a question about the mental health response team, Wilson said, “we looked at several models in Eugene, OR which has been taking place for the past 30 years. It’s a team that works with the police.”

The press conference was then interrupted by a man complaining that the mayor blocks people on Facebook. When the man wouldn’t stop yelling Thorpe abruptly ended the presser. He then took questions from members of the media and the public.

When asked, “where will the money come to pay for the crisis response team?” Thorpe responded, “That’s what we’ll discuss as policy makers. We have a $40 million budget reserve. All of this talk of defunding this and taking it from there has not come from council members. I believe there are plenty of funds.”

Asked if the Unhoused Resident Coordinator will be going out with police when they engage with homeless residents he responded the existing Community Engagement Team and the Crisis Response Team may be a combined. “We may disband the Community Engagement Team and have them handle issues with the homeless,” Thorpe stated.”

“Do you support turning on the police radios?” he was asked by Antioch resident Lacey Brown by telephone.

“That is something I believe the police department should have over them,” Thorpe responded.

Regarding the death of Quinto, Thorpe said, “I learned about it the first week in January on social media and I reached out to the chief about that.”

Thorpe’s Prepared Remarks:

“Since the murder of George Floyd, there has been a national and global awakening that has made the streets of our nation the epicenter for expression, frustration and hope including right here in Antioch.

Nationally, the awakening made its way to the halls of Congress, made its way to state legislatures, and made its way to many, many local jurisdictions throughout our state. With one notable exception, Antioch City Hall.

If our police department is doing the same things in five, ten, twenty years, we have failed as a city because we did not evolve with the times including our changing demographics.

Luckily, the voters have more foresight than those who seek to divide with “pro” and “anti” law enforcement political rhetoric.

Voters recognized that “reform” is synonymous with progress, improvement, betterment, refinement and adaptation.

In that spirit, today, I am announcing a series of police reform measures that I am proposing as a major first step towards building a police department that every segment of our community can trust.

If looked at objectively, I am seeking to implement common sense solutions that will provide our police department with the necessary tools to do their job in a manner that will allow for our community to feel safe and respected, and equally, will allow for our officers to be seen as public servants and not an occupying force. At the end of the day, the police is the community, and the community is the police.

I firmly believe that police officers are public servants who enter a very difficult vocation where they put their lives at risk on a daily basis, however, it cannot be ignored there are major structural problems in law enforcement when the very members of the community that they are tasked with protecting are afraid of law enforcement.

Through these reforms, I am seeking to build a pathway that will bring us to a place where the community and the Antioch Police Department are partners in preventing and solving crime in our city.

Until then, we have much work to do.

Conceptually, these police reform measures are a framework to begin our work as policy makers.

1. Mental health has to be a focal point of our reforms and not just limited to how law enforcement responds to mental health distress calls but the actual mental health and wellness of our law enforcement personnel. Therefore, I’ll seek to:

a. Require an annual mental health assessment of police officers and dispatch workers

b. Establish a local mental health crisis response team (For that I’m handing over to Vice Mayor Monica Wilson to discuss a measure she’s been developing regarding mental response).

2. Establish a training paradigm, publicly reviewed/updated annually, built around the following principles: 1. Procedural justice; 2. Relationship-based policing; 3. Implicit bias training; 4. Crisis intervention, mediation, and conflict resolution; 5. Appropriate engagement with youth, LGBTQ, and gender nonconforming individuals, English language learners, individuals from different religious affiliations, and individuals who are differently abled; 6. De-escalation and minimizing the use of force.

3. Demilitarize the Antioch Police Department:

a. Ban the City of Antioch Police Department from purchasing and/or accepting military style equipment from federal, state and private entities.

b. Ban the City of Antioch Police Department from deploying any militarized equipment.

4. Increasing police accountability and transparency:

a. Equipping our officers with body worn cameras;

b. Outfitting our police vehicle with dash cameras;

c. Independent review of on-duty police officer complaints either by moving components of the current process out of the police department or establishing an office of police officer accountability (receive, investigate and resolve all civilian complaints against on duty police in 120 days).

d. Require that during all police stops, officers give civilians their name, badge number, reason for the stop and a card with instructions for filing a complaint.

e. Establishing an additional avenue to on-duty officers to report misconduct outside of the current process that requires officers to go directly to a supervisor and chain of command.

f. Establish an interim City Council Committee for Police Oversight (Committee of the whole) until the establishment of an independent police oversight commission, to:

i. Review and approve policy for the police department with community input and expertise.

ii. Review and audit police complaints.

iii. Review resolutions of disciplinary actions.

iv. Proactively review police use of force policies updating the community regularly.

5. Improving police hiring practices to ensure Antioch is not a stop for police officers with troubled pasts:

a. Establish a Chief of Police hiring process that is open, transparent and inclusive of the community

b. Consider incorporating Implicit Association Test (IAT) into hiring process

c. Lateral candidates who are currently under investigation for “excessive use of force” and/or ‘misconduct’ or have a sustained ‘excessive use of force’ and/or ‘misconduct’ complaint on their records will be disqualified from the process

6. And, establishing a notification system that clearly lays out what and when the Mayor, City Council, City Manager and City Attorney should be communicated to concerning major incidents related to the Antioch Police Department.

Today, we take a first step in giving the Antioch Police Department back to all of its residents.

It is my hope that my colleagues rise to the challenge and recognize that those who are fighting to stop us from having this conversation are already on the wrong side of history.”

Please check back later for any updates to this report. Wilson also agreed to send her prepared remarks which, once received, will be published verbatim.

Antioch’s new Councilwoman, Tamisha Torres-Walker and her supporters, including those from outside of our city, have been pushing to include the term “equity” in the City’s vision and goals, and want the council to establish a Human Rights and Racial Equity Commission, as well.

During last Saturday’s Vision and Strategic Planning session held by the council and city staff, Torres-Walker was asked to explain the difference between equity and equality. She basically said equality is the government giving each person the same thing while equity is giving more to one person who doesn’t have as much as another. The challenge is where does government get what it gives out? Taxpayers. So, what Torres-Walker is advocating is more redistribution of wealth. That’s pretty much the definition of socialism or even communism.

She used the example of a short boy standing next to a tall boy behind a fence, who are both trying to watch a game. Torres-Walker  said equality is the government giving each boy a box to stand on, which gives the tall boy a better view while the short boy still can’t see over the fence. Equity, she said, is giving the short boy two or three boxes to stand on to see over the fence.

Torres-Walker also mentioned later in the meeting that she wants the city “to make sure that the development of the waterfront that some of that equity or you know whatever revenue generation is spent to also revitalize some other parts of District 1” further defining the term as redistribution of city revenues. (See related article)

However, what our government in the U.S. is designed to do is offer equality of opportunity, that we all start off equal with regards to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, or in other words ownership of property. But what Torres-Walker is advocating for is equality of result. That’s unrealistic and simply unattainable. There is simply no way that government can or should ensure we all end off equal.

I would love to have that happen to me, too. Using equity, I can claim that it’s not fair Bill Gates has so much more money than me. Therefore, I need the government to take half of his money and give it to me. Then I could have a nicer car, bigger home and invest in all the various causes like he and his wife have done. I would also like some equity in the area of pro sports. I can claim it’s not fair that I didn’t and don’t get to play for the Oakland A’s, the San Francisco 49ers or Golden State Warriors and earn all the money the players on those teams do. I need the government to offer some special dispensation for older, out of shape guys like me, without as much talent as the other players, so I too, can enjoy playing and earn a nice living.

See how ridiculous that is? Where does it end?

Why shouldn’t I have half of Bill Gates’ money? It would mean we would be equal and achieved equity. But would that be fair? Of course not, because I haven’t earned it. Why shouldn’t I have been allowed to play professional sports when I was younger or get to play, now? Because I didn’t make the effort or have the talent to do so, and because I’m certainly no longer in shape. (Maybe I could be a designated hitter, as long as I wouldn’t have to run around the bases! LOL) Seriously, why then, should the government step in and attempt to balance the scales that I chose to leave unbalanced by my own life choices?

Why should the government give the short boy more boxes to stand on? Why don’t his family and friends do that for him? Or some nice “box for viewing sports” charity? We need to stop looking to government to solve all our problems and let it focus on what it’s designed to do.

I have and always will support the efforts of churches and charities to help, as Jesus said, “the least of these” and as the Disciple James wrote, “to look after widows and orphans in their distress”. But that’s through voluntarily helping others, not through coercion by a larger and more powerful government.

Of course, government must treat all of us equally in the provision of justice and services, and the City of Antioch needs to ensure all residents are treated equally and fairly, as well. When and where that doesn’t occur, it must be addressed. But that’s equality, which our government can guarantee, not equity which it can’t, in general.

However, if it’s the government that has caused the inequity, then it is government’s job to address it in very limited circumstances. I believe the only way equity should be addressed in our country is at the national level through the federal government, specifically in the area of reparations for descendants of slaves – who for generations were denied, due to laws and other actions by the government, their God-given, constitutionally-guaranteed rights to liberty, property and in many cases life, itself, as well as an education and to earn from their labors. The descendants of slaves need to be compensated with land – as ordered by President Lincoln’s Union Army General William Tecumseh Sherman but was later overturned by Lincoln’s predecessor, President Andrew Johnson, following the assassination – an asset that can be owned, used, earned from and passed on to future generations, which is a current, major challenge among African-Americans. That’s due to the fact their ancestors were denied the right to own property for 250 years because they were property! But that’s a discussion for another time.

While I recognize we already have implemented forms of socialism at the state and national levels through health and welfare programs (some of which have had questionable results), the issue for the council members to determine is how much would such an effort cost the City of Antioch? The city budget has already experienced a $3 million reduction due to the COVID-19 orders, this past year and that in spite of Measure W’s one-cent sale tax that we the people voted for. This at a time we’re trying to increase the number of police on our force to continue to reduce crime in our city. Stepping back, the council actually would first need to show that inequity exists in the dispensing of city services. That burden frankly rests on the shoulders of Torres-Walker and her supporters who are advocating for the use of the term and the commission’s formation.

The mayor and council members need to be very careful with the terms they include in the City’s vision, mission statement, goals or any and all other documents, and be sure what they mean and that the public understands them. Because equity is such a loaded word, with a broad definition, that it could end up either costing us taxpayers a lot more money or take away funds from the more basic services the city needs to be providing that serve all of us, specifically police – the number one reason our city government was formed in the first place, because the number one reason government is instituted in America is to protect your rights from me and my rights from you – Code Enforcement, streets, water, sewer, landscaping, parks and keeping things clean. Plus, recreation.

I’d like to see the city improve and be great in those areas, first before taking on more programs and efforts with unknown price tags.

If the council members want to ensure children and other residents from low-income households get to participate in city recreation programs that are too expensive for them, then the council members can work with local charities or their own Antioch Community Foundation to provide subsidies or scholarships.

As for forming a commission, Torres-Walker doesn’t seem to realize we already have officials in place to address any human rights or racial equity issues – that she has yet to provide examples of – and she’s one of them. The City Council as a whole and any individual member can take complaints that any resident or business owner might have and address them on a case-by-case basis, just like a commission could do. If the complaints begin to be too many, then that can be brought before the council. If the complaints are mainly police related, then perhaps increase the role of the existing Police Crime Prevention Commission as has been suggested during the Bridging the Gap sessions. Or the council might just need to ensure whomever on city staff is causing the problems is replaced.

But unless and until there is clear evidence that such a commission is needed, it shouldn’t be formed as the Board of Supervisors recently did. Let’s see what their county-wide commission does and how they deal with such matters that come before them, first.

The council should not include the term equity in their vision, goals or any other guiding document for the City of Antioch nor form the proposed commission. If they do, the council members will be opening a Pandora’s Box of all kinds of potential increase to the size and scope of our city government and will most likely lead to a decrease in the basic services the city already is and should be providing which benefit all of us.

 

By Allen Payton

During their Vision and Strategy Planning sessions Friday night and Saturday morning, Feb. 12 and 13, the Antioch City Council members proposed spending more on current programs, creating new ones and spoke of including “equity” in their plans. Mayor Lamar Thorpe wants youth programs, not just youth recreation, funded; Mayor Pro Tem Monica Wilson wants a youth representative on each city commission; District 1 Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker pushed to include equity in the City’s goals and wants the city to pay for cleaning up trash and ensure food security in her district; District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica wants to double the size of Code Enforcement; and Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock proposed more senior housing projects.

They also heard from several members of the public, including residents of other cities, the word “equity” multiple times and that it isn’t but should be included in the City’s vision statement. One speaker used Oakland as the example of a city with the word equity in their vision statement. (See the City’s adopted 2019 Strategic-Plan-for-Antioch)

Friday Night Session (View here)

Much of Friday night’s session was devoted to the hired facilitator, Patrick Ibarra, laying the ground for their work on Saturday. But it also included the opportunity for council members to define their roles and those of the city manager and department directors. All the members but Torres-Walker offered their comments on those matters. However, she was much more vocal during Saturday’s session.

City Manager Ron Bernal also gave an overview of the city council’s accomplishments and actions over the past three years.

The session concluded with public comments. In addition to racial, social and gender equity, comments either submitted in writing or called in were about racial and housing justice, as well as downtown revitalization and taking advantage of the city’s waterfront.

Saturday Session (View here)

At the beginning of Saturday morning’s session, the consultant asked the council members for input on the vision and mission of the city.

“Local government isn’t to just sit there and move public policy but to give services,” said Torres-Walker “What services do we have the authority to do and advocate for? So, I’ve been appreciative of that type of my thinking because I’m new here. Being able to challenge those things we can’t do or don’t have the political will to do.”

“There’s been some shifts in who we say we are,” she continued. “People are demanding more dialogues around race and equity. It’s been a great demand. I think people are demanding a more robust conversation about those things especially here, in Antioch.”

“I also want to bring up another thing and that is we are volunteering,” Torres-Walker said, although council members now each receive $1,600 per month stipend plus medical benefits. “Most of work full time. It’s a thankless job, sometime. We are volunteering, trust me. People who are serving…are volunteering. Staff are being paid, and paid well in this city, to serve residents. And it’s our job as a council to work with Ron to make sure morale is up. Not everybody is here volunteering. Some people are here being paid and paid well to serve our community. I just wanted to make sure that was clear.”

“I want to make clear that most of us have been open to change,” Thorpe said. “Most of us don’t get caught up in the social media, stuff. We’ve gone directly to the public on certain issues. We’ve had opinion polls. That’s how we found out homelessness was a top issue with the public.”

“One of the things I use social media for is to get public input,” Barbanica said. “I ended up getting pages from people. It was at that point a tool to get input from people.”

“I saw that. Some of us do that, as well. I hope you don’t take that comment. The social media nonsense. He blogs and the newspaper articles and comments on there,” Thorpe said.

“I want to point out…Facebook. Not every resident can be engaged on Facebook,” Torres-Walker then said. “That doesn’t capture the entire need. It doesn’t capture the story of the entire community. Older people don’t use social media. And young people don’t use Facebook. Sometimes it just looks like getting out there in the streets and talking to people.”

“Like my teenage niece tells me, Facebook is for old people,” Wilson. “And social media is a double edged sword. Sometimes you have people attacking you and they’re from a city 50 miles away. You have to make sure you’re communicating with the community. Social media, yes, I agree, it’s important, but we have to learn how to use it. People use it more times than not to attack you. But you have to be careful with it because it’s a double-edged sword.”

“Cities are revisiting the content and the delivery system,” said the consultant. “Both in print. People still read that. How people are gathering their information and on all the different platforms. We’re way past websites. Some are conventional.”

“All those points are great points. What’s interesting is people want to hear from their elected officials. And it’s amazing when the city has a meeting about a particular issue, we had

“When council members had ad hoc meetings, I was blown away by the participation. Because council members were promoting their meetings,” Thorpe said.

“One thing I want to bring up is technology and service delivery. Since COVID, now we’re more proactive. More services are available online,” Ogorchock said.

Current Role of the Council

Ibarra then asked about “the current role of this council as a community builder. Is it just the continuation of the past? Are residents’ expectations rising or falling?”

“They’re rising. In the past it’s always been reactionary,” Barbanica said. “When you have businesses come into the community I thought never would. But cannabis businesses…had a tax base there that got us through this time. What is the forward-looking vision of this city with the participation of the community?”

“There are great roles for the council, at this time. There’s a great demand for advocacy…for resources. From that silent majority, from those who feel like they’re not heard,” Torres-Walker said. “It’s become more of a demand in Antioch over the past two to three years.”

“Local government is by nature a demand-based business,” said Ibarra. “Sometimes it was functional, water, sewer, roads. But…you also have an infrastructure…which is outside the traditional local government role.”

“Looking at the things we’ve been doing, I think we’ve been on a continual change. I’ve not been an advocate for cannabis. Is that on a money thing? No.  I don’t think we sit on our laurels,” Ogorchock said. “We’ve had influencers from outside our city. We need to find a way to get more involvement from our community. Council meetings people don’t attend… is it because us council members are pushing them more on social media? Advocacy. I think we’re starting that. It’s an exciting time. I think it’s a difficult time.” Ogorchock

“We definitely need to keep the out of the box thinking…finding comfort in discomfort,” Wilson said. Then referring to cannabis businesses she said. “at a time we received a bunch of push back. But pushing things people aren’t thinking about. Have we thought about hydro energy. We are at a time we have to push the envelope and thing outside the box. I would like to keep going in the direction…take the chance of moving our community in a positive direction.”

“Now everyone is jumping on the cannabis bandwagon,” she said.

“Too late for them,” Thorpe interjected.

“Why don’t we try to be a leader in the next industry?” Wilson asked.

“It’s not a bottomless checkbook. So, we have to prioritize those things with what’s going to benefit the community,” Barbanica said. “The pie is only so big.”

“I like that point…because it isn’t a bottomless checkbook,” Thorpe said. “But I feel our role changed post-Measure W. We took a mind shift that we’re not just going to fund one department. It allowed council members to start looking at…homeless services and youth programs. Not just parks and recreation. The community was already there. It just took time for government to catch up.” (But what has the city actually done for either the homeless or youth programs?)

Vision Statement

The City’s current Vision Statement reads, “Antioch is a desired destination in the Bay Area: Building on our historic legacy, creating bright opportunities for families to grow, offering places to play, enabling businesses to thrive and cultivating a unique downtown experience.”

Speaking about it, Barbanica said that, while the downtown area is important. “We have a broader city”.

“I don’t see anything in there about building healthy communities,” said Torres-Walker. “It felt like a hotel commercial. It is kind of dry. But I know everyone did the best that they could.”

“I remember when we were doing this…someone told me a camel is a horse built by a committee,” Wilson said. “I don’t know our vision by heart. We were using the Chamber’s vision. It can be more inviting.” But she wanted more public input, first.

“I kinda just went back to the first page of the Strategic Plan…opportunity lives here, enhance, transform, revitalize,” Torres-Walker said. “I’m wondering if that’s what drove the words going into the mission. The whole opportunity lives here means something and I’m hoping to hear from council members who’ve been here, longer and could the vision expand on what that means. We can’t wordsmith, today but

“Opportunity actually came from the community, from focus groups,” Thorpe said. “Some people had more of an opinion about our vision than others.”

“There’s an actual intro to the actual mission and vision…and it actually has words…thriving community…bright future…high quality of life,” Torres-Walker pointed out. “I think, yeah…some of those words…a community where you want to be could trickle down to be the words of a new vision statement.”

“Maybe use this as a baseline, or starting from scratch,” said the consultant. “There are a lot of ways communities create visions…rather than checking boxes.”

“If you look at the efforts under our branding…it required people to look introspectively,” Thorpe said. “So, it’s something around this word opportunity…things that already exist that we could work with.”

“Your brand is your reputation and what you’re trying to aspire to,” the consultant said. “Maybe we could have more opportunity to do outreach.”

Mission

The City’s current Mission Statement is, “To deliver quality services with integrity, excellence and innovation.”

“The vision is where you’re going the mission is how you get there,” said the consultant.

“A suggestion…would be to have some kind of competition,” Ogorchock said. “Wouldn’t it be fun to adopt it from some kind of competition? It’s not about us five but the community.”

“Isn’t a mission statement longer than a vision statement?” she asked.

“Less is more…it should be compelling. If people can’t remember it then it’s less effective,” the consultant.

“I personally don’t see a problem…I think it’s clear,” Torres-Walker said. “What I want to get into is the values.”

Values

The council then discussed the City’s values. Currently they are listed as, Integrity, Honesty, Respect, Diversity, Transparency, Innovation, Fiscal Responsibility and Accountability.

“We draw strength from these in our personal lives…they are the thread that binds us, together,” Ibarra said.

“A lot came up around the county’s commission on Racial Equity,” said Torres-Walker. “So, I was just looking at these values and think racial values or at least equity should be in there. Stuff like belonging came up, justice came up. Just a couple words. Equity is not in the strategic plan. I don’t think it’s in there, once.”

“I would say that values like integrity, honesty and respect all mean the same,” Thorpe said. “I don’t recall why we called them out like that. And transparency. You can’t be transparent without integrity. I think we need to call out things like the environment, as well…environmental sustainability.”

Equity Defined

“When we’re looking at this and saying racial equity, how does that change from equality for everybody,” Barbanica asked Torres-Walker.

“Equality doesn’t always mean equity,” she responded. “A difference between inclusion…for those who have not had access whether to service or rooms…like BIPOC, Black, indigenous, people of color community. And I want to point out poor people, as well. Poor people need to know they have equity. If you’ve ever done educational organizing…there are two children both trying to see a game…behind this fence. The taller child has a better view. What does society do? We give a crate to each. But the short child still can’t see over the fence. Then we have equity, and we give the shorter child two or three crates so the shorter child can have the same view. So, that’s the difference between equality and equity.”

“On the equity, it’s kind of open, so wouldn’t it be more fair to say racial and social equity?” Ogorchock asked. “Equity is very open. Two words I’ve also written down are diverse and inclusionary.”

“I would say that diversity and inclusion are included in equity,” Thorpe said. “But when you stop short at diversity…you miss the mark on equity and who has access to what. Who has access to community parks? Who has access to participate in the astronomical costs of our parks and recreation programs? So, diversity can almost be dangerous as it hides what is systemically wrong in some of our institutions.”

Hot Topics

“These are issues brought up to me by the mayor and council in our pre-session phone calls…to ask your perspective. You’re not voting on these,” said Ibarra. “Some of these were mentioned by several of you.”

Youth Programs and Services

“Being very inclusionary…when youth are voicing their opinions…making sure their voices are heard,” Wilson said. “I’ve said we should have youth voices on all of our commissions.”

“Youth programming, we shouldn’t cconfuse it with some sort of parks and recreation. What we wanted is a city that’s meeting the needs of all of our youth at all levels,” Thorpe said. “This has to do when police interact with our youth. When we do summer hiring of youth.”

“Youth development is totally different than providing a program that youth can go to…it’s about next generation leadership in the city,” said Torres-Walker. “And when young people own the community they live in, they protect it and aspire to lead it, someday. So, it’s about who we invite in the community. We have high population of foster youth in the community. We have a lot of youth who have experienced trauma. We have homeless youth. You may not see them but they’re there. We have a lot of youth in Antioch affected by the justice system. So, I think that it’s a bigger discussion than just programs. And I’m hoping we can get more youth voice involved in the process.”

“I agree, we need to do something in our community, if you look back years ago, we always had something for the youth to do,” Barbanica said. He spoke about the Youth Center in Concord, funded by developer Ken Hoffman that included activities and tutoring. “We have CVS on Somersville that’s been empty forever. A lot of these kids didn’t have funds for these programs. But there was enough money for them. Why can’t we have things like that?”

“You have capacity issues, time, staff and money,” Ibarra said. “You have partners. Some of these are your role. Is it about expanding the role going forward?”

“So that there’s context, the city has been working on this issue and we’ve been putting the pedal to the metal as hard as we can,” Thorpe shared. “We’ve hired a youth services network manager…we passed Measure W. So, the city is dedicated to youth programs. It was a clear mandate by the citizens of Antioch. This is a citywide effort that we’re committed to youth development in coordination with the school district.”

“I just want to caution us to be careful…when we create programs and services, we sit down with youth and ask them what they want,” Wilson added.

“We want to make sure…the services are so important for our youth, to make sure they have WiFi,” Ogorchock added. “We have good number of group homes. How can we be of help to the youth in those group homes? We need to make sure they continue after COVID.”

Downtown

“People have called the downtown the living room of the community,” Ibarra said.

The council then discussed what they defined as downtown.

“I think it as the waterfront,” Barbanica said.

“For me there’s the downtown and then there’s the waterfront,” Wilson said. “The waterfront runs from Oakley to Bay Point.”

“When I think of downtown, I think of Rivertown,” she added.

“Me being an old timer, here, it’s 10th Street north to the water from L Street to A,” Ogorchock said.

“The Downtown Strategic Plan, it’s what Lori said,” Community Development Director Forrest Ebbs said. “From 10th Street north, and Auto Center Drive to A Street.”

“We’ve heard things in the past like ‘a destination’, ‘an experience’,” Thorpe said. “I’m not always clear that we’re clear about the policies that need to be enacted.”

“I would love to see more use of the river,” Barbanica said. “We have this huge resource. We could have a river walk down there. A beach has been proposed. My thought is we drive shops and businesses down there. But we have a night life…where people can walk and there’s dining and entertainment.”

The city’s current riverwalk, known as the promenade and approved by the city council in the 1980’s, runs from the circle at the end of G Street to the circle next to the Veterans Memorial at the end of L Street, and includes the zig zag into the circle at Waldie Plaza. It also runs from E Street toward A Street where the white metal barrier runs next to the sidewalk.

“The river is a gem. The downtown is a gem,” Ogorchock said. “We need to do infill projects down there. Things are happening down there. You can see the change. You can feel the change. I enjoy being down there and walking around. It’s just a huge asset and one we need to monopolize on.”

“There was some confusion,” Wilson said. “Maybe even four or five years ago, there was a push of being the antique destination. Some are still there but most have moved on. The dining district that’s being created…we’re starting to see some livelihood down there. That seems to be the target industry. We also need to hear from people who live there, from District 1, what you want to see. We don’t want to put a dining district down there and not have people come, they can’t afford. We want it to be somewhere everyone can go. Some of our brokers are working, some are just sitting on the property. We also need…the properties owned by outside folks, we need to light a fire underneath them.”

“I just would like to acknowledge everything 10th Street north is downtown…is set for revitalization,” Tamisha-Walker said. “We have a document here that seems to be hyper-focused on housing development, recreation centers, walkability, WIFI accessibility, where people can go, have coffee and hang out. I’d like a place like that so I can stop having to go to Walnut Creek. Safety…it’s not a consensus that it’s safe down there.”

“There’s areas with trash, blight and folks not feeling safe. It’s not the revitalization of the entire downtown,” she continued. “It’s good to have that geographic context. What is the trickle-down effect? In order to get to the waterfront, you have to drive through Cavallo, East 18th Street, you have to pass by the Sycamore corridor. You have to feel safe doing it.”

“I see Sycamore in there, but nothing about E. 18th, Cavallo,” Torres-Walker continued.

“There needs to be more intentionality, because these are commercial zones,” Thorpe said. “I think in the past we’ve just waited for the private sector to come along and fix some of these issues. I think it would be nice…that we dig up some of those old reports and maybe go through them as a community, as a council, what are opportunities…that we can invest in, that we can prioritize? There are policies like form-based zoning that will cut through the red tape. We have to be intentional about them. We can’t just keep saying them.”

“Under the Goal 6…there is a line where it says the waterfront offers an opportunity for growth,” Torres-Walker said. “For the entire city?”

“When we say growth, I think we mean economic growth,” Thorpe responded.

Homeless

“There were funds a couple years ago that were dedicated to help folks get off the street. Those funds are just now starting to be used,” Barbanica said on the issue of homeless. “Do we have programs where we provide vouchers…or bridge housing?”

“When I’m looking at the current, strategic plan, homelessness is mentioned once, in the downtown revitalization” Torres-Walker said. “It should be under public safety. It’s a safety issue. It’s a public health issue. When we only put it in downtown it seems like it’s not an issue throughout the city.”

“For a long time, we believed homelessness was an issue the county needed to deal with,” Thorpe responded. “There was a lot of concern that unhoused residents impeded on economic growth. It was the wrong approach. We were naïve in our thinking. Demands from the public around homelessness…we are in a different place, today.

“When you take the entranceways to our downtown, you literally have to drive over homeless encampments,” he added.

“If we’re going to update this…it will help staff if things are placed where they need to be,” Torres-Walker said.

“We need to be clear about public safety. Some folks think it’s only about police, and some are asking ‘why are we criminalizing homeless,’” Thorpe said.

“I agree we do need to expand the definition of public safety,” Torres-Walker said. “We have mismanaged the police department and have criminalized homeless and used enforcement tactics.”

“There’s a lot of compounding issues going on with homeless residents,” Wilson said. “We need to make sure the right resources and individuals are going out.”

“I’d like to see the city continue involvement with the county mental health evaluation team…to help people get into programs that they need,” Barbanica said.

“That goes back to having the 2-11 program, so people don’t have to wait,” Ogorchock said.

Senior Housing

“Currently, in the city we don’t have a lot of senior or affordable housing,” she then said. “We have two housing projects within the city that are based upon their aggregate income. Housing for seniors are going up like our mobile home parks. The rent is going up and astronomical. They have to think about other things other than paying for their housing. They’re the number one residents becoming homeless, right now.”

“Investment in some sustainable, anti-displacement policies might benefit this city,” Torres-Walker said. “Seniors are becoming a large part of the homeless population and affordability is an issue. Anti-displacement policies help keep people in their homes, for fixed and low-income residents.”

“Housing overall is an issue,” Thorpe said.

Beautification

“The next issue is beautification. Several of you brought that up. It was brought up, last night…the condition of parts of town,” said consultant Ibarra.

“A lot of that is being worked on…they’re doing a phenomenal job,” Ogorchock said. “We’re doing the murals. We’ve done the art on the utility boxes.”

“Hopefully we can get all the parks up to where they need to be,” Barbanica said.

“The way your community looks and feels has a lot to do with if you feel safe,” Torres-Walker said. “You can  hit the corner and there’s trash and abandoned cars that have been there for weeks. Then on another corner it’s cleaned. Do we have street sweeping in this city? Do we have garbage cans on the corner somewhere? We have illegal dumping. There needs to be policy on that. We also need to have parking enforcement, in real time to get some of the abandoned vehicles.”

“But, I think beautification can be a source of community pride, particularly in my district,” she continued.

“When you exit some of our freeways it looks terrible. I think we’ve done minimal. I would never give anyone a high-five, yet,” Thorpe said. “I appreciate it. But we can do a lot more. The issue of the cars is very frustrating.”

“In fairness to staff, we have a Code Enforcement team that is reactive,” he continued. “We are complaint-driven. We need to have a serious conversation on prioritization. I hate when people come here for the first time and people see trash on A Street…and on the way to Lone Tree Golf Course they see broke down cars on Lone Tree.”

“We do have street cleaners. But we don’t have notices that says don’t park here on particular days,” Thorpe said.

“There has to be ways to hold property owners accountable,” Torres-Walker said. “There’s just some nuisance properties. I’ve actually had questions around, who in the city meets with property owners. Properties where there’s always trash. You have absentee owners…and then you have property owners who don’t mind paying a fine.”

Code Enforcement

“On those things we’ve just raised, you have to have community buy in or it’s not going to change,” Ogorchock said. “Those street sweepers are not out there to pick up people’s garbage. If council wants to bring back during budget time to have more parking enforcement, I’m the first to say, ‘hell yeah’.”

“You’re going to have people who do dumping,” she continued. “I’ve had to call Republic Services. We need

“We are the second-largest city in the county, and we have seven people who are out for 114,000 residents…in Code Enforcement,” Barbanica said. “I believe over the next 14 months double the size of Code Enforcement…to be proactive.”

“Give the Code Enforcement officers a tablet so they can stay out in the field and do their reports instead of having to come back to the office,” he continued. “We are undersized and understaffed.”

“We need to take another look at ‘See, Click, Fix,’” Wilson said. “I think we’re having trouble with the real-time with that. Maybe we have to look at another program…take a second look at that technology.”

“There was a church or small organization going around and cleaning up the trash,” Torres-Walker said. “There are other communities with these streets teams…which the city pays. It provides a handful of jobs, job training…cleaning up the community. They could also just show some folks that we are being…proactive and not just reactive.”

“We used to have under Code Enforcement a housing officer…I think it was a HUD officer,” Ogorchock said.

“We used to use HUD funding for Code Enforcement,” said Ebbs. “We now have funding from Measure C.”

“If we had just a couple housing officers dedicated, just doing housing issues,” Ogorchock said.

“Parking enforcement is a contract, but they don’t have tablets in the cars,” she continued.

“Paying people to pick up the trash, it’s still not teaching the homeowners or the tenants to be responsible for their trash,” Ogorchock stated. “If you pay someone to do it, people are going to continue to throw trash. The church groups go out on Saturday. By Sunday the place is a mess. They go out,  out of the kindness of their heart. If you don’t change the mindset you won’t change the mindset.

“I don’t think it’s an either or, I think it’s a both and,” Torres-Walker responded. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you all participate in the clean ups each year. These are just some ideas. But continuing to volunteer to pick up after people…there is a benefit. You have to create that environment to understand Republic Services. Some people don’t know what pickup services they have available to them. There’s a disparity, if I’m a renter and want to get rid of a large couch. These multi-family residents don’t have the same access to services.”

“If graffiti is called in through See, Click, Fix, I want it cleaned up within 24 hours,” Barbanica said. “If you leave graffiti up there, more is coming.”

“We’re already paying people to pick up trash. We have an Abatement Team,” Thorpe said. “We have four people on our Abatement Team.”

He then suggested looking at the contract with Republic Services about service for multi-family residents.

Zoning

“In looking for more mixed-use development…in looking for ways to grow up not grow up,” Thorpe said, as the only council member

“I think economic growth is tied into downtown revitalization, and into beautification and the zoning I was talking about,” Thorpe said.

“We have it on the south side of town,” Ogorchock mentioned.

“We have a lot of property in southeast…that’s zoned incorrectly, and mainly zoned commercial,” Thorpe added.

Somersville Corridor

“We’re going to have to repurpose a lot of this land,” Barbanic said. “That area draws in more of a dumping ground. We need to rethink what are we going to do with these shopping centers. We have a great location…for senior housing.”

“I don’t think we’re going to see a rush to bring back a mall,” he continued. “I’m not talking about high-density housing. There would be less of a footprint in there. We just let this land sit, and sit, and sit and it’s attracted a lot of dumping. That area needs to be repurposed.”

“Since we don’t own those properties, it’s kind of hard to put into play, but we can go back to the owners and encourage them to do it,” Ogorchock said. “There was a housing project…on the Chiu property. That was voted down. We need to go back to the table and meet with these owners and see what we can do to spur growth in that area.”

“I know we don’t own the land. So, if we have a developer who could look at that…and see if they are interested in working with the city to develop that,” Barbanica said.

“Kaiser has that medical facility over there and how do we work with that?” Wilson asked. “How do we take advantage of that in talking with potential brokers. Maybe we look at some dual benefit…working with the senior community.”

“We control the zoning, the five of us,” Thorpe pointed out. “For a developer to have to go through a process to get final approval, that’s a risky proposition. So, if we want to look at things…we have to look at form-based zoning…to eliminate the red tape. There are housing bonuses that we can look at to incentivize developers.”

“We are about to embark on a General Plan update that will encompass everything that’s been brought up,” Ebbs said. “We anticipate this to be a two- to three-year process. It will be about infill and reinvestment. This is number one on the Planning Divisions workplan, right now.”

Before taking a lunch break Ogorchock asked that public safety be added to the list of issues to discuss.

“Also, access to healthy and affordable food options…in my district,” Torres-Walker said as another issue to be added to the list.

Partnership With Schools

“I would say expand it and I think we have new, strong leaders at the school district, and we’ll be able to work more on that,” Thorpe said.

“To date I don’t think they have anyone assigned to that committee,” Ogorchock said. “I’m just waiting for the school board to appoint two trustees.”

Torres-Walker asked about the purpose and role of the City-Schools Committee.

“I felt like the city had no authority to addressing school policy, that’s the authority of the school board,” she said. “We are two separate powers, and we can work together…what are safe schools. But as far as policy and budget those are two separate things.”

“Some of us don’t know what you mean by school policy,” Thorpe said.

“In most recently, it was with the SRO’s. I don’t think it was the city’s role to vote. It should be the school board to go after funding. Not necessarily us taking the lead on that as a council,” Torres-Walker responded.

“I’m not necessarily sure how you’re describing events…as what happened,” Thorpe said. “In the past we’ve had a majority of council members who supported SRO’s…and that was the sentiment among a majority of school board members. So, we didn’t just go out and do it.”

“I do think the timing…that’s how I mean about administrative decisions having political impact and that was horrible,” Thorpe said.

“It started out as an ad hoc committee, then became a standing committee,” Ogorchock said. “We want to work with the district. Now we have Tasha Johnson working on youth programs. So, we need to work with the district on that.”

“We have nothing to do with their policy and they have nothing to do with our policy,” she added.

“When I was first on the council I was appointed to that committee and really it’s just about how the two entities can work together,” Wilson said. “Because there was a lot of miscommunication and misfires.”

“I was supportive of creating this committee…but I had some hesitations because I wasn’t sure what the outcomes and the goals were,” Thorpe added. “So, I’m hoping there will be a greater focus on that.”

Public Safety

“Community cameras, tasers, cameras on the cars,” Ogorchock mentioned.

“I could email my comments if that’s helpful.

“I want to go back up to police reform is not the same as public safety. We so far have talked about the training side of things. Public safety is more about keeping the community safe. There are more that makes a community safe. Like food safety. Like green space.

I want to push back on public safety, it doesn’t just mean policing,” she added.

Food Security

“When I first moved here we had two grocery stores within a 10 to 15 minute walking distance,” Torres-Walker said. “Food should be a priority for the city, not just in my district. What is the commitment? I can go to three or four liquor stores. But only Dollar General for food.”

She asked about a farmer’s market and what the city can do about the issue.

“We need to look at this in a totality in how we create a healthy environment,” Wilson said, also mentioning health.

Environment

“We should have added the environment. Shame on us,” Thorpe said. “We should always be talking about the environment. Every decision we make should take into account the environment. And equity, frankly. Just to get everyone thinking about these things…and our General Plan update the environment has to be central to that.”

Seven Goals & Specific Objectives

“Who else is addressing these issues besides the city? You have capacity issues,” Ibarra said. “Who else might be positioned? We have talked about what more we want the city to do and haven’t talked about what less we want the city to do.”

“That will be brought back to you at a future council meeting. The seven goals you have…are pretty solid,” he continued. “The master list of potential objectives. What do you think needs to be added or given more emphasis?”

“On financial stability I would like to hear from our City Treasurer Lauren Posada,” Wilson said.

“I think the main thing that’s been discussed is the partnerships” in getting others to help pay for services, Posada offered.

“I would like a Youth Center, Somersville/Buchanan senior housing,” Barbanica said. Regarding a youth center he said, “we’d have to fund that, the majority, from the outside. I’d love to see that in the Somersville area.”

“I don’t believe the best days of that part of town are in our rearview mirror,” he continued. “I think there are things we can do in that area.”

“The growth of Code Enforcement over the next 12 to 18 months. I’d like to see we double that,” Barbanica stated.

“More youth involvement on our boards and commissions, between the ages of 16 and 24,” Wilson said.

“I’d like to invest in a mental health team…to go out and know how to work with someone who is working with trauma and mental illness, but that person would still have a line of communication with our police department,” she continued.

“This seems like it’s all over the place,” Thorpe interjected. “Are you asking for us to fit things into the seven goals or additional goals?”

“Potential objectives underneath those goals,” Ibarra responded. “Instead of trying to shoehorn it in, right now, I would work on it and (City Manager) Ron (Bernal) would work on it, then polish it up and bring it back to you.”

“Some of these are policy areas,” he continued. “What we’re trying to do is put it up on the list…to have a broader discussion, later. Talking about it, now doesn’t mean something is going to be done about it.”

“I want to go over the goals, first and make sure there’s consensus for these things,” Thorpe then said.

On the goal of Ensuring Financial Stability Thorpe said, “I think we still need this.”

“I’m good with this document,” Ogorchock said.

“I’m fine with it. I read through all of it,” Barbanica said.

Goal #2 – Public Safety – Law Enforcement, Water System

“I’m fine with it,” Barbanica said.

“I’m good with it,” Ogorchock added.

“I think I made it clear, previously that public safety encompasses a lot more than just law enforcement,” Torres-Walker said. “We talked about housing. We talked about access to food. We talked about environment and racial equity. All of those things contribute to making people feel safe. When I look at this document it centers around police. Just maybe expanding what public safety means, expanding on this.”

Goal #3 – Support Sustainable Economic Development

“I’ll just add that one of the things missing in economic development is the word invest,” Thorpe said. “If these things are going to happen, we have to invest. This assumes the private sector is magically going to get here and it just hasn’t. It can be a host of things, bond measures…we have to look at all these things. Unless we’re going to invest in them, they’re not going to happen.”

Goal #4 – Promote Community Pride

“When I looked through this, it sounded more like PR,” Torres-Walker said. “I saw one bullet point on community engagement. Events was in there. I like the idea of murals and what they can mean for culture and around community pride. They can also allow for cultural content.”

“Maybe bullet point four can be encompassing of arts and culture to help build community pride,” Thorpe said.

Goal #5 – Strive to Be a Healthy Community

“Can I offer a healthy community framework?” Torres-Walker said. “It’s a lot different than recreation.”

“It encompasses safe and healthy homes, adequate employment, transportation, physical activity and nutrition,” she continued. “In this strategic plan it seems to be more inclusive of…like recreation programs, parks and trails and those things. There seems to be things that are missing. Maybe we could expand on this goal, as well.”

Goal #6 – Support Historic Downtown Revitalization

Wilson reiterated Torres-Walker’s call to improve the entrances to the waterfront. “Some of the areas we drive through to get to downtown and the inclusivity with that,” she said.

“Yeah, just some intention to make sure that the development of the waterfront that some of that equity or you know whatever revenue generation is spent to also revitalize some other parts of District 1, which I guess is old Antioch. Especially the Cavallo and Wilbur, East 18th and A Streets, the Sycamore corridor,” Torres-Walker responded. “There’s just a lot that we need to consider investing in the whole downtown rather than just near the water.”

Goal #7 – Promote Sustainable Development

None of the council members commented on this goal.

More Ideas

The council members then revisited the issues they previously discussed to add to them.

Barbanica spoke about job training and developing a program that incentives business to employ unhoused residents. “Maybe with business licenses,” he said.

“What I would like to see is clear community benefits agreements with developers and partner. Clear local hire guidelines and commitments in all city contracts,” Torres-Walker said. “I would like to see us explicitly and clearly take on race and racial equity in this city and I already proposed us look into the establishment of a human rights and racial equity commission…hopefully we can discuss where it might fit in our new-found goal to address racial and social equity as city leaders.”

However, her proposed goals, as with the goals and vision, have yet to be adopted by the council.

“I would like to see us work with our partners, labor unions,” Torres-Walker said. “How do we work with labor partners and our potentially our neighbor, Pittsburg and their free apprenticeship program, and how our residents and the next generation of labor can still access those jobs that are still good jobs? And some anti-displacement policies around keeping in their homes, their apartments and community.”

During a break the online video feed had cut out. When it started again Torres-Walker could be heard halfway through some remarks saying, “Antioch does not have its own fire department. So, I’m interested in exploring that conversation.”

“We dropped off of Comcast,” Bernal then said. At City Attorney Smith’s urging, the council decided to wait until it was back on before beginning again, so the public could watch.

The council and staff then resumed their meeting about 15 minutes later at 2:00 p.m. and spent another hour discussing matters and hearing more public comments.

Please check back later for more information from the final hour of the session.

Will discuss during this weekend’s Vision and Strategic Planning Workshop; Thorpe won’t commit to placing police tasers, bodycams, dashcams on future agenda; Torres-Walker shares thoughts, refuses to apologize for video comments against Antioch police

By Allen Payton

During the Antioch City Council’s regular meeting on Tuesday night, Feb. 9, 2021, they discussed Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker’s proposal to establish a city Human Rights and Racial Equity Commission.

“Ms. Walker if you have anything you’d like to talk about. At this point we’re just talking about this conceptually,” Mayor Lamar Thorpe said to introduce the matter.

“I brought this forward when I first came to the council because there seems to be a great disparity in how many people are treated in the community, the BIPOC community, which is Black, indigenous and people of color” Torres-Walker said. “There doesn’t seem to be any place to go to have your complaints heard.”

“I’m grateful that this is brought forward today,” she said, then read from a prepared statement.

“We should all be able to envision a society…where everyone’s human rights are protected. I would think about this…Commission mission to be…to create a culture of human rights and equity in our city…by exposing structures of discrimination of education…and litigation,” Torres-Walker read.

“I really think a commission like this can really help our community,” she continued. “Housing is a human rights issue. Racial justice is a human rights issue.”

She spoke of “green space and quality education. I’m hoping we can take the lead in Antioch, all of us to establish this commission. To that end I’m asking that the council direct city staff to research and bring back a proposal…. covering the potential mission…in the next 60 days.”

(A request to Torres-Walker was made for her entire prepared remarks. If and when those are received they will be added to this report).

During public comments on the item, Antioch resident Sal Sbranti wrote in opposition to the formation of the commission but then volunteered to serve on the commission to ensure accurate data be used.

Mayor Pro Tem Monica Wilson then said, “I understand the City of Martinez has already moved forward on this kind of commission. I think all of our commissions should have, and that’s a youth member part of it.”

“A lot of good points,” she continued. “I would like to see what staff brings back to us.”

Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock then spoke of the council’s Vision and Strategic Planning sessions scheduled for this Friday and Saturday.

“Would it not be more productive to have this be part of that?” she asked. “Maybe this is something that comes from the districts. We have staff working on the CNA, on the Visions and Strategy. How do we direct staff to work on this?”

“This is where I wanted to interject,” Thorpe then said. “This is a conceptual idea. If we want to talk about this, that’s fine. Who composes it? That’s fine and dandy. But giving staff more work to do. Discussing goals and outcomes is important. So, if we do give direction to staff, we need that before we come back.”

Another member of the public, Pittsburg resident Victoria Adams, President of the NAACP East County Branch said, “I do concur with Councilwoman Torres-Walker. I would like to see you placing this type of commission, here in Antioch. I believe it’s sorely needed. I would love to be a part of it. The idea is for all to work together to ensure equity across the board.”

Torres-Walker then said, “I could see this being a part of the Vision and Strategic Planning process. Our Mission, Vision and Values doesn’t mention racial equity, racial justice.”

“This planning process could take longer than just an update,” she continued. “This is very meaningful to the community. We have to take it seriously and I do. I get that staff can be overworked. But I trust they could bring us back some information and we could all participate in the gathering of this information.”

Councilmember Mike Barbanica then said, “We don’t know what this really looks like. We can then start talking about what does this look like in other communities.”

“I was thinking about some of the great new staff that we have. On homelessness we have a new Unhoused Resident Coordinator,” Thorpe said. “I think we have the quality staff to put something like this together. This is my pet peeve about ad hocs…which is where we got things ready to bring back from staff. I will say that April is dedicated to some of these types of issues, related to homelessness, human rights. I think we can talk about this in strategic planning. But I see bringing this back in April. But we need to talk about outcomes and not just set up another commission.”

“So, are you good with that, that we have more discussion about this at strategic planning then bring back something in April,” he asked Torres-Walker.

“Yes,” she replied.

“Is everyone else good with that?” Thorpe asked. “I see everyone nodding their head.”

“I think it’s important council members do their own homework…so staff doesn’t start from scratch,” he added.

Approve New Park Maintenance Contract

In other action, the council approved on a 5-0 vote a new parks maintenance contract replacing the current contractor, with whom city staff cancelled the current contract effective Wednesday, Feb. 10th, for lack of performance. The contractor disputed that in comments before the council made their decision.

Future Agenda Items

“Tasers and community cameras, will that be part of the conversation in March?” Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock asked during the Future Agenda Items portion of the meeting. “Do you have a date for when that will be on the agenda?”

“No. Not for those items. I will speak to (City Manager) Ron (Bernal),” Thorpe responded. “That’s if I decide to bring it back.”

“I asked for a Code of Conduct from the council. That was about the League (of Cities),” Ogorchock explained, responding to something Thorpe had mentioned during his Mayor’s comments, earlier in the meeting, “But I asked about the other action, what is the new norm for this council, what’s acceptable. We can discuss that at the Feb. 16 meeting.”

“I agree with you. I don’t think we need to bring it back as a separate item,” Thorpe said in response

Regarding Torres-Walker’s video, during the council’s Jan. 12 meeting, Ogorchock said, “I believe there should be accountability and consequences for these actions, and I will be asking that council add an agenda item to discuss any course of action deemed appropriate.” (See related article)

“I know we’re bringing bodycams back in March…it’s an all-inclusive package,” Barbanica said.

“My request is that when that comes, all of those items are included in one conversation, one agenda item…bodycams, dashcams, incarceration cams, tasers.”

“I will take that under consideration for March and then I’ll let you know what I decide,” Thorpe responded.

Torres-Walker Speaks Out, Refuses to Apologize

“I would like to say to the community, I’m very well educated,” Torres-Walker said during Council Communications at the end of the meeting. “I’m the head of a countywide organization. I’m a homeowner. I have traveled…even out of this country.”

“I am a great mother. My sons are amazing. Sometimes kids make mistakes. I represent youth. That is what I bring to the table,” she continued. “I have been silent because I’m very thoughtful. I’ve no intention of apologizing. I deserve quality policing.”

“I think it’s unfortunate to be called a nig**r, bi**h, hood rat,” Torres-Walker shared. “I’ve had people come to my house. You have to reflect on your own behavior and consider a higher standard.”

“We all have to get out from behind our keyboards…instead of making assumptions of who we are and what we have to bring to the table,” she concluded.

The council then voted 5-0 to adjourn the meeting.

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Part of Black History Month

During last night’s meeting the Antioch City Council adopted a resolution honoring the city’s first African American, declaring yesterday, February 9, 2021 as Thomas Gaines Day in Antioch. Following is the text of the resolution: Thomas Gaines Day resolution 020921

CELEBRATING THOMAS GAINES DAY IN ANTIOCH

FEBRUARY 9, 2021

WHEREAS, Since the beginning of Antioch in the 1800’s our community has become home for new residents from around the world; and

WHEREAS, In the 1860’s an emancipated slave named Thomas Gaines came to Antioch and worked as a laborer on the Antioch docks; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Gaines was the only African American resident of Antioch between 1860 and the 1940’s; and

WHEREAS, He lived in a red brick shack on the waterfront in the back of the Antioch Lumber Company; and

WHEREAS, On February 28, 1875, Thomas Gaines became a member of the First Congregational Church by profession of faith; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Gaines was highly regarded around town for his noble work and his caring attention towards others – he regularly walked women and children home from church for safety; and

WHEREAS, Today Antioch celebrates a rich cultural heritage and inspiring diversity, and collaborates with several community partners to recognize Black History Month in February with special events and impressive exhibits.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, LAMAR THORPE, Mayor of the City of Antioch, do hereby proclaim February 9, 2021, as “THOMAS GAINES DAY” during Black History Month and the Black History Month Exhibit Days and I encourage all citizens, schools, and organizations to learn more about Antioch’s cultural history, Black History Month, and Thomas Gaines, the first African American resident.

 

Council Code of Conduct, how $500,000+ for homeless was spent to be discussed at special meeting Feb. 16

By Allen Payton

During their meeting on Tuesday, January 26, 2021 the Antioch City Council unanimously approved a 45-day moratorium on additional cannabis business applications and voted to include Sand Creek Road in the list of roads that qualify for regional fee funding for construction. They also approved a resolution recognizing February as Black History Month. (See resolution at end of article)

CORRECTION: Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock asked why Mayor Lamar Thorpe was nominating two residents for appointment to the two, full-term seats on the Sales Tax Citizens Oversight Committee, before the application period had closed. The slightly heated exchange included City Clerk Ellie Householder interjecting that “we are trying to fill the seats since they have a report due in April.” Ogorchock also wanted to know why not all the applications were being provided to all council members. Thorpe said Ogorchock was out of order and explained that the application period for the short-term vacancy was still open, but that the application period for the two, full-term seats had closed and that as an elected mayor he had the authority to bring forward just those applicants he chose to nominate to boards, commissions and committees. Ogorchock pointed out that it requires a vote of the council to approve. Thorpe further explained that if the council didn’t vote for one of his nominees he would have to nominate someone else.

Following the brief dust up, both nominees were approved on 5-0 votes.

Approves Moratorium on Cannabis Business Applications

The council also approved a temporary moratorium on accepting additional applications for cannabis businesses.

The intent of the moratorium is to reduce the threat of oversaturation of cannabis businesses in the “green zone” and would be in effect for 45 days, according to City Attorney Thomas Smith. The council can extend the moratorium for up to two years, after that.

“I asked this to be brought forward,” said Mayor Lamar Thorpe. “Oversaturation is a huge issue.”
He didn’t want more applications to come through while the council’s Cannabis Committee and staff studied other options, including “creation of additional cannabis business overlay districts within the City,” according to the city staff report.

Two speakers spoke against it, both representing another cannabis business, Element 7. Christopher Bloom and his associate both suggested the council allow businesses that have already submitted applications, but not allow new applications. They said they had already been working with the city for a year on their application.

“This does not impact current applications,” said Thorpe.

“What this does is, it allows applications that have been deemed complete to move forward,” Smith said. “If we decide to allow applications in progress that are not deemed to be complete, we can tweak the language. It sounds like there are some other folks who are in the pipeline…you can make the adjustment in the motion.”

“They are close to completing their application,” Community Development Director Forrest Ebbs said referring to Element 7.

“I think that’s fair, those applications that have been received by this date,” Ebbs said, responding to Thomas.

“Received and in progress,” Thorpe reiterated.

“What constitutes an urgency item? Why is this an urgency item?” asked Ogorchock.

“There could not only be a threat to viability of those businesses during the COVID pandemic,” Thomas replied. “But also impact the social equity non-profits. If you feel this is a threat to the economic welfare to the Antioch community then you can vote in favor.”

“Have we had businesses in the community, during COVID that have been reporting they are struggling?” Councilman Mike Barbanica asked. “There are three other areas in the city that we are considering turning into green zones.”

“Remember it’s not just the businesses that are already approved, but the additional businesses and their social equity commitments,” Thomas said.

“As the Cannabis Committee is working on their recommendations…we pause, because in our current locations we are going to see saturation,” Thorpe explained. “There are no other places in the green zone. So, it’s just a pause as the Cannabis Committee looks to other areas. There may not be other areas.”

“This would only affect retail,” Barbanica clarified.

“Not manufacturing, not cultivation or research and development,” Thorpe explained.

Asked by Ogorchock if there was a maximum number of cannabis businesses allowed in the overlay district, Ebbs responded, “We don’t have a maximum number we have a separation requirement. That’s when we’ll max out. We’re getting close.”

“Practically speaking, yes” there is a limit. “We draw a 600-foot radius,” he explained.

“But that’s not preventing an applicant submitting a General Plan amendment,” said Thorpe.

“Correct,” Ebbs responded.

On motion by Mayor Pro Tem Monica Wilson and seconded by Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker, the urgency ordinance was unanimously approved by the council.

Vote to Include Sand Creek Road in Regional Funding Program

In other action, the council voted 5-0 to include Sand Creek Road between Highway 4 and Deer Valley Road in the East Contra Costa Regional Fee & Financing Authority projects list for funding. The Board of Supervisor and City Councils of Oakley and Brentwood will also have the opportunity to vote on the matter. Should at least two of the other agencies approve, the road will be qualified to receive regional funds from fees placed on new construction, including residential, commercial and industrial development.

Future Agenda Items – How Were Homeless Funds Spent?

During the future agenda items section of the meeting, Barbanica said, “It has come to my attention, last week, that in 2019 the council approved about $500,000 of which about $150,000 of that has not been spent.”

He asked city staff bring back a report on how the money was spent.

“We’re going to learn about that on our committee meeting and we’ll have an item on homelessness coming before us soon, in February,” Thorpe responded.

Staff pointed out that the council will be having a special meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 6 p.m.

“We’ll be reviewing those items, then,” he stated.

“We’ll be reviewing the Code of Conduct on Feb. 16th,” Thorpe added. “That’s the only thing Councilwoman Ogorchock mentioned,” referring to her request for action on Councilwoman Torres-Walker’s video at the end of the last council meeting, and comments by members of the public challenging the mayor why it hadn’t yet been placed on the council agenda.

Other Future Meetings

The council will hold their Bridging the Gap, Dialogue 2 on the topic Racial Disparities in Policing on Saturday, Feb. 6 from 10:00-11:30 a.m and the deadline to sign up to participate is Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 12:00 p.m. The final forum, Dialogue 3 on the topic Police – Community Engagement will be held on Thursday, Feb. 18 also from 10:00-11:30 a.m. and the deadline to sign up is Monday, Feb. 15 at 12:00 p.m.

In addition, on Friday, Feb. 12 at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 13 at 9:00 a.m., the council will hold a Virtual Strategic Planning and Visioning Workshop.

The next regular council meeting will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 7:00 p.m.

IN HONOR OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH
FEBRUARY 2021
WHEREAS, Black History Month is observed in February of every year;
WHEREAS, the origins of Black History Month can be traced to 1915, half a century
after the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States;
WHEREAS, the Black History Month 2021 theme, “Black Family: Representation,
Identity and Diversity” explores the African diaspora, and the geographic
spread of Black families across the United States;
WHEREAS, the achievements of African Americans in the Arts, Civil Rights, Education,
Entertainment, Government, History, Law, Literature, Medicine, Military,
Music, Politics, Science, Sports, and other endeavors are recognized
and celebrated in the month of February;
WHEREAS, the observance of Black History Month calls our attention to the ongoing
need to build a community and society that lives up to our
collective democratic ideals;
WHEREAS, the City of Antioch continues to work toward becoming an inclusive community
in which all residents — past, present, and future — are respected and recognized
for their contributions and potential contributions to our community,
the state, the country, and the world; and
WHEREAS, the City of Antioch is proud to honor the history and contributions of African
Americans in our community, throughout our state, and nation.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, LAMAR THORPE, Mayor of the City of Antioch,
do hereby proclaim February 2021 to be “Black History Month” and encourage all citizens
to celebrate our diverse heritage and culture, and continue our efforts to create a
world that is more just, peaceful, and prosperous for all.
JANUARY 26, 2021

 

Council hears 170 public comments in response to Torres-Walker’s video; appoints Ogorchock, Torres-Walker to City/School District Standing Committee; and approves each of their three Stand-By Council Members

By Allen Payton

During their Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021 meeting, the Antioch City Council approved the use of the Nick Rodriguez Community Center and Antioch Community Center parking lot inside Prewett Park for COVID-19 testing and vaccinations on a 4-0-1 vote.

In addition, before the outside investigation has been completed, offering the Antioch Police Department’s side of what happened during the Dec. 29 incident involving Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker’s sons riding off-road vehicles on city streets, about 170 members of the public offered their comments. Some were in support of Torres-Walker, her work in the community and her video response against the police, while others called for her censure, removal, resignation and/or recall. (See related article)

Approve COVID-19 Testing & Vaccination at City Facilities

The City Council voted 4-0-1 to approve a mutual aid response to COVID-19 pandemic agreement with Contra Costa County Health Services

“We need to get these out to individuals as quickly as possible. So, I’m excited about this,” Ogorchock said.

Torres-Walker abstained on the vote. It was her third one during the meeting. Asked, during a break in the meeting, why she was abstaining on the votes, Torres-Walker did not respond.

Public Comments

Due to the large number of general, public comments, Mayor Lamar Thorpe limited them to one-minute each from the regular three minutes usually allotted. The comments were mixed with many of those in support of Torres-Walker from outside of the city, including the Black Panther Party of Oakland, calling for body worn and car cameras for police, and independent investigations by either outside agencies or a citizen police oversight board.

Other comments, mainly from Antioch residents, called for Torres-Walker’s censure, and/or removal or recall for her comments during her Facebook Live video.

Comments were also critical of Thorpe and other council members for not censuring her, as well as Thorpe for traveling to Mexico during the COVID-19 Stay-At-Home order, late last month.

Ogorchock Calls for Council Action Against Torres-Walker, Thorpe says “Words Matter”

During council members’ committee reports and comments, Ogorchock shared prepared comments calling for action against Torres-Walker for her video comments saying, “We as council members set the tone for our community, we are the leaders here, in the city of Antioch, we are held to a higher standard. We need to be cognitive of the language we use, such as profanity.  Are the words we’re using offensive, will they be harmful in anyway to others? If the answer is yes, then we should not be using them.

There are a couple of choices for those that found the FB post created by Councilmember Torres-Walker and her language to be offensive, can it be tolerated, or individuals can speak up.  That is what has happened, several citizens have written emails, sent texts, used Messenger and posted on social media sites as to how they feel the use of certain words to be disrespectful of the title in which Councilmember Torres-Walker holds.

We as council now need to decide, is this the behavior acceptable of an elected official? If we as the governing body do not do anything is this going to be the new norm for us as electeds? We as council members have to ask ourselves is this good governance, does this type of behavior show respect and professionalism towards the title we worked so hard during our campaign to achieve?  What does it say to our employees, if we do not hold ourselves accountable for our behavior? Do we want our citizens to lose confidence in us?

I believe there should be accountability and consequences for these actions, and I will be asking that council add an agenda item to discuss any course of action deemed appropriate. Lastly, I heard this from Pastor Dr. Lamont Francies, he said ‘before you react get all the facts’.”

Thorpe also shared some prepared remarks saying, “Words matter”, then spoke about what occurred at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Jan. 6. He then brought his comments back to local matters.

“So, I’ll say again, words matter. How we say them matters, and who we say them too, matters. I want to say to my fellow elected officials, including our city clerk and city treasurer, our roles are 24/7 even though we’re a part time legislative body.

We are the keepers of the public trust. And, it’s our responsibility to ensure that collectively we hold ourselves accountable in maintaining and respecting the public trust. We’re here to represent the entire City of Antioch and all of its people including those who are unhoused.

What we say out in the community including social media is a reflection of all of us. What groups you participate in via social media whereas an example, members have to remind themselves not to be racist, reflects all of us.

Equally important is how other public voices conduct themselves in the public arena. Nationally we’ve witnessed the destruction that can occur when online platforms and bloggers help flame distrust of government, disinformation and racist stereotypes. Locally, such bloggers need to be held accountable for their deliberate efforts to undermine our local democratic institutions.

Our city is a microcosm of our nation. Acknowledging respectfully different opinions, perspectives and ideals as well as bringing them to the table is not dividing us but instead uniting us as we heal our differences to head towards a stronger tomorrow. One such opportunity is police reform.”

“Police reform has been an issue we’ve been working on tirelessly for the past several months,” Thorpe continued. “Immediately following the Bridging the Gap Conversations, a study session will be held on Feb 23. Then on Feb. 26 and 27 the council will hold a Vision and Strategic Planning Session, he shared.

“The month of March will be dedicated to the issue of police reform,” Thorpe concluded.

Other Agenda Items

The council chose to table the formation of a Sesquicentennial Ad Hoc Committee, to bring it back, later. It passed on a 4-0-1 vote with Torres-Walker abstaining, again.

The council then voted unanimously to appoint Ogorchock and Torres-Walker to serve on the City/School Standing Committee.

Finally, the council voted to appoint their Stand-By Council Members, a list of three Antioch residents who will represent the council members if they are killed or incapacitated and will act in their place, City Manager Ron Bernal explained.

Thorpe nominated Nichole Gardner, Antioch School Board Trustee Antonio Hernandez and Antioch Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Marie Arce as his Stand-By Council Members. The motion to approve their appointment passed 5-0.

Mayor Pro Tem Monica Wilson nominated Harry Thurston, Alia Thompson and Cornelius Johnson, and the motion to approve passed 5-0.

Torres-Walker said she was paying respect to the indigenous people who previously occupied the Antioch area, then nominated Tiki Flow, Kabibi Columbus and Angelica Tripp as her Stand-By Council Members. It passed on a 5-0 vote.

Councilman Mike Barbanica nominated Kristine Barbanica, William Barbanica II and Benjamin McCurdy. The motion passed 4-0-1 with the councilman abstaining.

Ogorchock nominated former Mayor Don Freitas, Keith Archuleta and former Councilman Tony Tiscareno.

“Wait. Tony Tiscareno isn’t in your district,” Thorpe said.

“They don’t have to be,” Ogorchock responded.

The motion to approve her nominees then passed 5-0.

Future Agenda Items

Barbanica asked to place, “body cams and dash cams on the future agenda.”

“They are on the future agenda,” Thorpe said.

“I want us to look into civilian oversight on the agenda and using outside agencies to investigate police use of force,” Torres-Walker requested.

“We’ll be talking about that Feb. 23rd,” Thorpe said.

“And one more, as well. Access to healthy and affordable food options in District 1 being that there isn’t a grocery store there, now,” Torres-Walker added.

Ogorchock then asked to discuss in the future a way to honor Najee Harris, “like with a key to the city.”

“Yes, yes,” Thorpe responded.

The council then adjourned in memory of Tom Guarino, the government affairs representative for PG&E who passed away, recently from COVID-19. The council held a moment of silence in his honor prior to adjourning at the unusual hour of midnight.