White Pony Express’ (WPE) Free General Store is having a “Mobile Boutique” in Antioch on Saturday, October 15th. The Free General Store (FGS) is one of two primary programs through which WPE meets its mission of helping to end hunger and poverty in Contra Costa County by delivering the abundance all around us to those in need.

FGS partners with donors by picking up their surplus new and like-new goods and delivering them to underserved neighbors, either through community groups that serve them or directly at innovative and joyful events called “Mobile Boutiques.”

WPE serves 60,000 people a year, according to the counts of our recipient partners, and has given away over 250,000 items of clothing and 75,000 toys and games— all free of charge.

View a video of how the Mobile Boutiques operate by clicking here.

The hours of the White Pony Express’ Free General Store will be from 10 am – 12:45 pm, which is the time for people to select their clothing, shoes, toys, games, and children’s books – all free of charge. At 1:30 pm, the Mobile Grocery will open, for people to obtain fresh and quality food, again, all free of charge.

By Sal Sbranti

The Antioch Rotary Club is proud to again be sponsoring the screening of the film The Empowerment Project.  It will be shown at the four Antioch Middle Schools to all 8th Grade female students. The objective of the film is to create conversation and motivate young women on their own personal journey of empowerment as they follow the stories of the women in the film.Created by filmmakers Dana Michelle Cook and Sarah Moshman, the film travels 7,000 miles in its journey across the United States finding strong, positive role models in a wide variety of industries.These role models include a Four Star Admiral in the U.S. Navy, Social Entrepreneur, Pilot, Professional Athlete, Chef and an Architect.

“Antioch Rotary is very proud to be involved with Antioch Middle Schools bringing such a powerful program to our young ladies and hope to be able to move forward with a young men’s program,” said Milanka Schneiderman, Antioch Rotary Club President.

Besides the film, the Antioch Rotary Club arranged for four panelists, each a local, positive female role model, to be at each screening to discuss their professional careers and to answer any questions that students may have.

“We are very committed to the success of the youth in our local community of Antioch.  We want girls to know that their options are not limited and that there is a wide arrange of careers available to them,” Schneiderman added.

The “Empowerment Project” showed on Monday at Antioch High School for Park Middle School and Antioch Middle School students, and today at Dallas Ranch Middle School and Black Diamond Middle School.

Panelists include Iris Archuleta, Dr. Yenjean Hwang, Trine Gallegos, Amy Hilton, Lynnette Giacobazzi, Julie Haas-Wajdowicz, Dr. Stacey Duckett and Diane Aguinaga.

The theme of the project is “What would you do if you weren’t afraid to fail.” The girls were asked to write down their answers and at Black Diamond Middle School some of the answers were placed on a display.

As part of this project, the Antioch Rotary Club is working closely with the Principals of Antioch Middle Schools and their Vice-Principals: John Jimno, Ed Dacus, Phyllis James, Lindsay Wisely, Paula McAvoy, Asia Chhabra, Eva Padilla, Pamela Price and Julia Kent.A few years ago, Lindsay Wisely, along with Trine Gallegos, from Antioch High School started the concept of “Girl Power” with its theme of female empowerment and organized a group of 20 Antioch High School alumni to speak to the female students.

For further information regarding this program contact Sal Sbranti, our program coordinator at email address salsbranti@comcast.net. For more information on The Empowerment Project, visit www.empowermentproject.com. For more information about the Antioch Rotary Club, visit www.antiochrotaryclub.org.

By Nick Goodrich

During its meeting on Tuesday, September 27th, the Antioch City Council heard a report from Assemblyman Jim Frazier, discussed housing for the city’s homeless, and  voted to bring in Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) to provide help for its struggling animal shelter.

Frazier’s Report

To open the meeting, Council hosted Assemblyman Jim Frazier, who provided an update on his recent legislative activities in the California State Assembly and sought support for his transportation funding proposal.

Frazier was pleased to note the completion of the Highway 4 corridor widening project, which he has worked for since his time on Transplan, the East County division of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority.

The project, which amounted to $1.3 billion through the county’s half-cent sales tax measure and state funds, created over 12,000 jobs and employed more than 40 local businesses.

“We have infrastructure in poor shape. It’s horrible, it’s crumbling,” he said. As the chairman of the Transportation Committee in California, Frazier said he has made it his mission to create and support various transportation projects in the state.

He reported that he has been working with his colleagues, local communities, and industry experts to develop an all-inclusive plan that would help make major improvements to California’s transportation and infrastructure.

“By strengthening trade corridors and improving the movement of goods, this proposal keeps businesses in California,” he told the Council.

In addition, Frazier’s plan calls for an additional $7.4 billion annually to be designated for transportation in the state. It includes increases to the tax on gas and diesel, as well as to the vehicle license registration fee.

He called on Antioch residents and citizens throughout California to show their enthusiasm for his plan by writing letters of support to their local newspapers and representatives.

“Let’s make transportation funding a priority this year,” he said.

Public Hearing: Priorities for Housing and Homeless

Council also oversaw a public hearing on priorities for Antioch’s homeless population. The city’s plan, which began with a study session in August of this year, includes providing a grant program for mobile home owners and seeking County funds to support homeless outreach.

Outreach to Antioch’s homeless will soon see an increase, as at least one County-funded outreach team will begin operating mostly in the East Bay—namely, Pittsburg, Antioch, etc. All homeless outreach in Contra Costa will be funded by the County, but Antioch has still managed to allocate $38,000 for the fiscal year in order to resolve the issue of homelessness in the city.

The Council is expected to allocate extra money toward increased outreach as needed—for example, if a second outreach team is deemed necessary, the city will contribute to the County’s funding to help make that happen. Or, an outreach team that operates in the evening will be given the funding to allow it to operate for more hours during the week.

An East County care center, designed to replace the resource center that used to work with the Don Brown shelter on 4th Street, was tentatively approved for County funding to the tune of over $660,000.

East County is currently the only County location that does not have a multi-resource center. A suitable location is still in the works, however, and funding for the center won’t be available for the next 8-10 months.

Mayor Pro Tem Lori Ogorchock made sure to clarify that, if the city needs to, it can always designate more than its current $38,000 to help out.

“I just want to make sure our hands aren’t tied,” she said.

Animal Rescue Foundation Steps In

The Council then discussed a Memorandum of Understanding for a partnership with Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF).

ARF has agreed to provide the Antioch Animal Shelter with services and expertise in key areas for a one-year period, at no cost to the City. The partnership comes on the heels of months of complaints about the state of Antioch’s Animal Shelter, by many residents.

During the Council’s last meeting, Antioch Police Chief Allan Cantando presented a list of options for the city to consider to begin addressing some of the issues the shelter faces, such as funding shortages and a lack of trained professionals. Seeking outside help was among them.

Several residents from the surrounding area stated their satisfaction with the ARF partnership, including Louise McGuire, a resident of Concord, where ARF has run a successful shelter for years.

“I applaud the Memorandum of Understanding,” McGuire told the Council. “I hope that this resolution will benefit the lives of the animals in the shelter, and also the people the people that care for them.”

Karen Kopps, President of HARP, the Homeless Animals Response Program, was happy with the news.

“I’m also delighted that this update is being done now, and not in early 2017,” she stated. “So, thank you.”

An initial meeting and walk through of the shelter will be conducted with ARF soon, the council reported. That will allow ARF to determine the number of staff and number of hours they will provide.

Harper was happy to give the community a concrete course of action after continued complaints about the shelter.

“TherResolution is not yet a detailed plan,” he said. “But it looks like we’re attempting to take steps move forward. We’re listening. We still have a responsibility to make improvements…Now it’s time for us to start making those improvements.”

The resolution to approve the understanding with ARF was approved by Council in a unanimous 5-0 vote.

5K run/walk on October 15 at Contra Loma Regional Park in Antioch

The Drama Factory will host a Halloween-themed, athletic event for all ages that includes a 5K run, a one-mile run, and a children’s costume parade through Antioch’s scenic Contra Loma Regional Park. This is a fundraiser that helps keep the performing arts accessible to the community.

Registration fees include a unisex event T-shirt designed by local artist, and director, John Ballesteros; and a finisher’s ribbon. The first 5K overall male and female finishers will be awarded a plaque. The first overall male and female in the one-mile event will receive medals.

Register by Friday, October 7th – today – to guarantee that you will receive a shirt as supplies are limited. Costumes are encouraged, but optional. Spectators are also encouraged to wear a costume.

For more information visit the event Facebook page or to register click, here.

Harper fined $1,120 for late reports

By Allen Payton

Antioch chiropractor and Chamber of Commerce CEO, Dr. Sean Wright has raised more in total contributions than his two closest rivals combined have raised, in the race for Mayor of Antioch. His latest campaign finance report, known as a 460 form and was due with all other candidates’ reports, on Thursday, September 29, shows $8,290 raised for the reporting period which ended on the 24th. That gave him a slight edge over incumbent Mayor Wade Harper for the period. But Wright has raised a total of $24,390 in cash contributions for the campaign. Add in the $6,888 in non-monetary contributions his campaign has received and his total contributions are $31,278.

Almost all of Wright’s reportable contributions were from within Antioch. His largest contributions include $2,500 from Antioch resident Velma Pierce, $1,600 from Jeff Warrenburg, owner of Paradise Skate in Antioch, $1,500 from Gordon Gravelle, of Suncrest Homes in Antioch, $1,480 from Antioch attorney Matthew Hart, $1,000 each from Antioch business owners Terry Ramus, Clifton Mbanugo, Richard Pagano, Theresa Hart, Jeff Scalier, Mike Borders, Ana Cosovich, as well as from Antioch residents Gloria Martin and Michael Gadams; and $500 each from Nicholas Welzenbach who is the Funeral Director for Higgins Chapel on A Street, Antioch resident Kenneth Grubbs, Sandeep Chahal, owner of Togo’s in Antioch, and Antioch Realtor Rick Fuller, and $400 from Antioch-based consultant Iris Archuleta.

Wright’s non-monetary contributions include web design and hosting by Clifton Mbanugo of Clifton Creative Web for $5,091 and $663 for T-shirt printing by Jeff Warrenburg, both of which are also expenditures.

A little more than half of his $26,255 in expenditures for his campaign were made to or through his Danville-based campaign consultant, Praetorian Public Relations, totaling $14,908. That amount includes paying for slate mailers, door hangers and campaign software. His next largest expenses were $2,128 to FastSigns and $500 to Michael Pohl Photography, both in Antioch.

Wright had an ending cash balance of $5,023.

Harper

Antioch Mayor Wade Harper received a total of $8,150 in monetary contributions during the reporting period and a total of $8,250, this year, for his re-election campaign. However, he formed his campaign committee in 2015 and received $10,075 and spent $9,089.11 last year. That brings his total contributions received for the campaign to $18,325.

Harper’s largest contributions were $4,500 from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 302, $2,500 from U.A. Local 342, which represents workers in the plumbing, pipefitting, refrigeration, and fire sprinkler industries, $2,000 from the Sheet Metal Workers International Association Local #104, and $1,000 each from Antioch attorneys Pegnim & Ivancich, LLP, PG&E Corporation, Antioch Police Officers Association and Diablo Estates, LLC; as well as $500 each from Councilman Tony Tiscareno and the International Association of Heat & Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 16 AFL-CIO. He also transferred $400 from his County Supervisor campaign committee, from the race in June.

Harper spent almost $4,000 during the reporting period, with almost half of that, $1,978.35, at Belleci Design in Pittsburg. He’s spent a total of $13,785.22 during the campaign including $3,293.79 to Lone Tree Golf & Event Center for fundraisers and a meeting, $700 to the NAACP and $500 each to his wife Lisa, Antioch Church Family and Grace Bible Fellowship in Antioch, all for fundraising events, and $1,052 to Velma Wilson of Antioch for campaign and design work.

Although his latest report shows he had an ending cash balance of $4,543.78, Harper had an actual ending cash balance of $4,539.78.

Ogorchock

Mayor Pro Tem Lori Ogorchock raised $2,475 during the reporting period, bringing her total monetary contributions to $7,990 for the campaign, putting her in third place. She has spent $5,200 during the period and a total of $6,438 on her campaign.

Most of her contributions were from within Antioch. The largest contributions she reported were $2,000 from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 302, $1,000 each from Roddy Ranch Golf Management and Republic Services, $750 from Ralph Garrow and his real estate company, where Ogorchock works, and $500 each from former State Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan of Alamo, and Ogorchock’s parents.

Almost all of Ogorchock’s expenditures were in Antioch, with her largest to The Print Club in Antioch totaling $1,773.55, $1,311.11 to FastSigns, $750 to a company in Oregon for an ad in the Antioch High School football program, and $700 for advertising in the Herald. She had an ending cash balance of $1,552.

Murillo

In February, businessman Gil Murillo submitted a form 470 declaring he would receive and spend less than $2,000 in his campaign. He has since surpassed that threshold by just a bit and was required to submit a form 460 report. Murillo’s monetary contributions total $2,018.86 all from himself, and he had expenditures of $1,918.86. His largest expenditures were for literature at a printer in Pittsburg, his filing fee to the City, and advertising in the Herald and on Facebook.

Large Contribution Filing & Fines

As of August 10th, candidates are required to report any contribution of $1,000 or more within 24 hours on Form 497. Those reports and each candidate’s 460’s can be seen, below. However, Harper did not report his “late contributions” of $1,000 or more within the 24-hour period.

When asked why that occurred and if he or his treasurer, which is his wife Lisa, were unaware of the filing requirement, Harper responded, “When you miss turning in those forms on time you have to pay a fine.  Our campaign did not turn in the forms on time and paid the fine. I accept responsibility for my campaign. No further comments.”

When asked if he was fined by the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) or the city clerk and for how much, Harper did not respond.

When asked who fined Harper and for how much, Antioch City Clerk Arne Simonsen said on Tuesday, he was the one who fined Harper, but was out of town at a conference and couldn’t remember the exact amount of the fine.

“The fines are based on $10 per day per report,” he added.

That’s according to the FPPC Filing Schedule, which reads “Statements filed after the deadline are subject to a $10 per day late fine.” 110816-fppc-filing-schedule

Harper was fined $1,120 for the violations of his five major contributions which were received after August 10th. According to Deputy City Clerk Christina Garcia in an email on Wednesday, “below is the breakdown of fines Mayor Wade Harper paid for his late FPPC Form 497 Report filings:

There is a $10 per day per contribution fine as noted below:

Date Rcvd       Amount            Contributor                             Days late (as of 9/30/16)  __Fine amount

9/24/16           $1,000             Antioch Police Officer Association                5                      $50.00

9/22/16           $1,000             Diablo Estates, LLC                                               7                      $70.00

9/1/16              $2,000             IBEW 302 Community Candidate PAC        28                    $280.00

9/2/16              $2,000             Sheet Metal Workers Local 104 PAC            27                    $270.00

8/12/16            $1,500             U.A. Local 342 PAC Fund                                  45                    $450.00

Total as of September 30, 2016                  $1,120.00”

According to the FPPC Filing Schedule, a 497 form must be filed within 24 hours with the following instructions: “File if a contribution of $1,000 or more in the aggregate is received from a single source.” A question arose if a candidate is required to file a 497 form for each and every additional contribution from a single source who has already contributed at least $1,000.

An email was sent to the FPPC on Wednesday with the following questions: “Does a candidate or campaign have to file a 497 for any amount received from a source over and above $1,000 that has already been received by that source, if the new contribution is received after the August 10th 24-hour reporting period begins? For example, a candidate receives $1,000 and already reported it on a 497 or received it before August 10th. Then if that candidate receives even one cent more after August 10th do they need to file another 497?”

Jay Wierenga, Communications Director for the Fair Political Practices Commission, in an email response on Thursday, wrote, “The 497s are filed in increments of $1,000 during the 90 days so the example (given in the email) below doesn’t trigger a filing.”

The next filing period ends on October 22 and the second pre-election campaign finance reports are due on the 27th. The election is November 8th.

wright-460-92416

wright-497-1-8-16-16

wright-460-0101-063016

harper-497s-093016

harper-460-92416

harper-460-0101-063016

harper-460-0701-123115

harper-460-0101-063015

ogorchock-460-92416

ogorchock-460-0101-063016

murillo-460-92416

murillo-470-cy2015-rcvd-2-1-16