By Allen Payton

The signature gathering effort to place an initiative on the November ballot for an event center on the old Antioch Lumber Company lot in downtown failed to gather the necessary signatures to qualify.

In a July 19th letter from Antioch City Clerk Arne Simonsen to Jim Lanter, the lead organizer for the initiative, it was revealed that the 10% random count of the 5,149 signatures by the county Clerk-Record-Elections Department produced only 394 valid signatures, short of the 500 necessary to conduct a full count.

Joy Motts, one of the organizers of the effort shared her thoughts.

“It’s a bump in the road, here,” she said. “We’re going to fight on. It was one way we were going forward. The 500 random process is just the way it is. I would have preferred they did a 100% verification but they don’t. It’s not over for us. We’ll be moving forward, just in a different direction.”

Asked if the council approves the sale of the property to a developer, could the next effort be a referendum, she responded “The council could vote. We will do everything we can to stop that from happening. You still have over 5,000 people who signed the petitions who said they want a different alternative on that parcel. That’s a significant statement.”

“You would think the council and staff would have a conversation with us,” she added. “But they didn’t.”

When asked if more signatures can be gathered and added to those already submitted, Motts said “I’m not sure. We may have to submit all over again, once you submit them.”

Both County Clerk-Recorder Joe Canciamilla and Simonsen provided the bad news.

“They have to start all over and resubmit,” Canciamilla stated. “Once they submit their signatures they can’t add to them.”

Simonsen concurred, stating “They have to start all over again from scratch per state Elections Code 9115 (e).”

To read the letters from Simonsen and the Clerk-Recorder-Elections Department, click here:Letter to Jim Lanter dated 7-19-2016

 

 

 

This very talented Senior Softball team from Antioch is undefeated at this point and has earned a spot in the Western Regionals tournament in Missoula, Montana. The tournament runs from July 21st – July 26th but they need your support to get them there.  These 13 girls and three coaches must be there by July 21st. All funds raised will go towards travel, food and lodging for the team.

This team is made up of girls who have played together for years through little league either on the same team or against each other. They have grown not only as team mates but as a family. This tournament means a great deal to each and every one of them as well as to our league as a whole.

This is only the second team to go this far in the last 40 years of softball. Please help support our girls and coaches by clicking here: www.gofundme.com/2ehwdgec. Any and all donations would be greatly appreciated. Thank You! Go Antioch!

By Don Martin, II

Coming off a fitting tribute to sportsman legend Jerry Hetrick, that saw roughly 80 cars, last week, Antioch Speedway returns this week with a six division show led by the All Star Series Winged 360 Sprint Cars. Joining them in the program will be A Modifieds, Wingless Spec Sprints, B Modifieds, Limited Late Models and Hobby Stocks. It should be another great night of racing on John M. Soares’s fast 3/8 mile clay oval.

The last time the Winged 360 Sprint Cars were in action, they had their sixth different Main Event winner in six races and also had a point lead change. When he couldn’t get his car to fire just before the start of the Main Event, incoming point leader Art McCarthy was forced to scratch. Billy Aton didn’t have a very good night either, but he did take the green flag and was able to use that to take over the point lead. This is the first time this year that the past Wingless Spec Sprint champion has led the Winged 360 Sprint Car point race.

A funny thing is happening with the Winged 360 Sprint Car class at Antioch Speedway this year. There is a new crop of young drivers coming up from the ranks of the 600 Micro Sprint and Outlaw Kart classes. A few of these drivers have made their way to Antioch Speedway to earn some really good results. Last time out, young Caleb Montgomery came from the back of the pack and made a last lap pass to pick up his first career feature victory. There’s no telling who might show up this week as word is getting out that Antioch Speedway is a fast race track and the perfect place for the young up and coming Sprint Car racers to make some good laps.

Two time Wingless Spec Sprint champion Dan Gonderman was licking his wounds after a flip in the previous race forced him to miss the most recent race. Last week, Dan was back behind the wheel of a Wingless Spec Sprinter and finishing second in the Main Event. Hopefully, his winged car will be ready for action as he battles Rick Brophy for third in the point standings. Other drivers we anticipate this week could include Matt Barber, Top 5 point competitor Burt Foland Jr, reigning champion Shawn Arriaga, 2014 champion Chris Magoon and Ricky Brophy.

A funny thing is happening in the A Modified division as well. We are still looking for our first repeat Main Event winner of the year. It nearly happened on the grand stage of the $2,500 to win Jerry Hetrick Memorial race last week. Superstar Bobby Hogge IV was turning in another stellar performance when he was taken out by a car he was attempting to lap. This handed the rich victory to many time Modified champion Randy McDaniel.

While all of this is going on, there’s a battle going on for the championship between 2014 champion Carl Berendsen II and five time reigning champion Scott Busby. Busby has been struggling just a bit, but he won a battle with NASCAR racer Kenny Schrader a few weeks ago for his first Main Event win of the season. Still searching for his first win is Berendsen, and he’s even switched over to a new car in an effort to get it. Last week found him in the B Mein, but he made the transfer and still finished higher than Busby in the Main Event with his Top 10 effort. Word out of Antioch is that Carl’s younger brother Eric Berendsen will be making his A Modified debut this week in Carl’s old car.

The competition level is pretty evenly matched, and there are still a few other drivers itching to get in there and get their first win. One such driver is John McDougall. John has been a somewhat regular computer at the speedway and is now contending for a Top 5 point position. His effort last season saw him lead the Merced point race for the first half of the year before a crash ended his season. John will be running with a heavy heart this week as his father just passed away. Our condolences go out to the McDougall family during this difficult time.

The A Modified division has some good drivers in it including Shawn O’Gara, Raymond Lindeman, rookie Bobby Montalvo, Anthony Slaney and Trent Wentworth. Wentworth has been so quick this year that it could be just a matter of time before he brings his #141 car home to victory.

Just when it looked like Jim Perry Jr. was hitting stride, he’s been hit with back to back DNF’s in the Wingless Spec Sprint division, and that should tighten the points just a little bit as he races for his second division championship. Last week, it was 70 something year old Roy Fisher scoring a popular victory. Roy started racing in motorcycles years ago and joined the Spec Sprints back in the early 2000’s. He shows no signs of slowing down. He’s been running up near the front this year, and everybody knew his first 2016 win was just around the corner.

Having won the “Rookie Of The Year” award last year, Marcus Smith entered 2016 with the big goal of a track championship in mind. To further that goal, he’s teamed up with a championship winning car owner named Richard Basden. The two have already won a Main Event together, and Marcus is coming off of three consecutive third place finishes as he’s moved into second in the points and is closing in on Perry. Rick Panfili didn’t have the kind of night he desired, but he still remains in the hunt for second and is not out of the championship battle by any means.

Coming off of an impressive second place point ranking last year in Dwarf Cars that saw him win multiple Main Events, 16 year old Adam Teves got the ride in the Lloyd Beard Special, owned by his grandfather Dana Craig and Cameron Beard. Adam has been making his laps this year and getting better each week. The team got some encouragement last week as Adam earned his first Top 5 finish in fifth. He remains one of the Top 10 drivers in the standings.

Other drivers we will be watching for this week include Top 5 point contender Shannon Newton, recent winner Jeremy Newberry, Alan Miiranda, Bobby East, Chowchilla Speedway champion Brandon Burd, Jimmy Perry III and Steven Grier, who finished fourth in the Main Event last week.

Trevor Clymens has let it be known that he is trying to reel in Al Johnson for the point lead in the B Modified division. Johnson had a rare non Top 5 finish last week, and Clymens has been trying to make up for the fact that he missed one race. Last week, the farthest to the front he could get was third, but it was 2004 Modified champion Aaron Croowell and Late Model veteran Joel Hannagan occupying the first two positions of that Main Event. The third generation racer was just happy to be third in that situation. The points are just a little bit closer now.

Shane DeVolder has been getting valuable seat time at several different tracks this year, and he recently had a second place finish at Marysville. He has earned that position a couple times out at Antioch Speedway, and the next goal for driver of the #44 B Modified is first. DeVolder is battling Stock Car veteran Danny Jones for third in the standings. Jones hit another high mark last week in this class with his first heat race victory. The way Danny is going, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him win the B Modified feature at some point.

Other drivers to keep an eye out for in the B Modified division include Randy Brown, Megan Ponciano, Chuck Golden and K.C. Keller.

The Limited Late Model division figures to be a battle. If anybody thought 87 year old Larry Damitz was fading away, he reminded them who he is with his second feature win of the season last week. Despite not winning as much this year, Damitz has led the standings since the start. Coming off of a two race winning streak, Mark Garner suffered suspension damage and finished out of the running. That allowed Damitz to add a few points back to his lead.

“Rookie Of The Year” leader, Kimo Oreta is still in the championship battle. He reached another personal milestone last week with his first heat race victory ahead of Damitz. With over 20 Main Event wins and three track championships in the Hobby Stock division, nobody had more success in that division than he has, and the Limited Late Models have been an exciting new challenge for him. Joining the battle with these three this week should be the steady John Evans, Jim Freethy, Lori Brown and John Keith.

Danny Jones was riding along in front, figuring that he might have his second Hobby Stock feature win of the year last week. Running second in the points, he knows he needs to get some wins to have a shot at the flying rookie, Guy Ahlwardt. Alwardt was riding a two race winning streak and looking for his fourth win of the year when it happened. Guy made a move on the inside of Jones down the backstretch on the last lap and emerged with the lead and his third straight victory. Making that even more impressive is the fact that the previous winner has to start back in 10th every week, and yet he still made the charge.

These two drivers won’t be the only ones battling for victory. Another driver who’s been in the mix in the Main Event the last two weeks is 2010 champion Chris Sorensen. Sorensen would finish third last week and will probably be feature a winner if he continues to come back. Chris is not chasing points. Natalie Perry is chasing points, and she took some heavy damage to her race car in the heat race earlier in the evening. Thanks to a lot of help from people, she was at least able to get out there and run the Main Event. Natalie has done well in maintaining her Top 5 point status and might just contend for a feature win in the closing weeks of the season.

After some of the struggles that 2015 “Rookie Of The Year” Jordan Swank has had this season, he finally emerged with his first Top 5 finish in fifth last week. Jordan chased speedway veteran Rob Waldrop across the line. Rob had a heat race win earlier that night. The division is so competitive that you don’t know who might win on any given week, and other racers to watch for include Cameron Swank, Top 5 ranked Michael Cooper, Lindsay Biurch and Frank Furtado.

So to recap, the Winged 360 Sprint Cars are back in action at Antioch Speedway this week along with A Modifieds, Wingless Spec Sprints, B Modifieds, Limited Late Models and Hobby Stocks. It should be another exciting program. For further information go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Today, Thursday, July 14, 2016, the Contra Costa County District Attorneys’ Association announced their endorsement of Steve Barr for County Supervisor in District 3.

The District Attorneys’ Association represents more than 75 Deputy DA’s who serve our community as prosecutors in the District Attorney’s office.

Aron DeFerrari, the group’s president, said the decision came down to Steve’s direct and open style, as well as his financial skills.

“Steve is very honest and tells you exactly how it is,” said DeFerrari. “We don’t always agree on everything. But we think his direct and open style is going to make him a great partner as we work on a lot of tough public safety issues.”

“Having a small business owner who understands finances and has a track record of using public money responsibly, was also very attractive to us,” DeFerrari continued. “We don’t have unlimited resources and need leaders who can make sure our public safety officers and prosecutors have enough money to do their jobs effectively. Steve Barr has our full trust.”

Barr said the endorsement was great news.

“Their vote of confidence means a lot and the role of prosecutors play in the county is vital,” he said. “I really look forward to working with them throughout this campaign and beyond.”

Barr, who was the top vote getter in the primary, is currently in the runoff election that will be held November 8^th. As a Brentwood City Councilman he has made public safety a top priority, and his campaign already has the support of the Brentwood Police Officers’ Association.

Please visit www.SteveBarrForSupervisor.com for more information about the campaign and www.ContraCostaProsecutors.com for more information about the District Attorneys’ Assocation.

By Gary Arftsen, Board Member

On June 26th, the U.S. Air Force Band of the Golden West, led by Captain Dustin M. Doyle, performed at El Campanil Theatre to deliver a heartfelt performance with the likes of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”, “Yankee Doodle”, and many more. If you haven’t experienced the talent of the U.S. Air Force Band, please do yourself a huge favor, and look for their next return concert.

El Campanil Theatre is a nonprofit organization that depends solely on volunteers and contributions, so I must give two businesses a big thank you for giving without hesitation.  Brentwood Reprographics donated the programs for the event, detailing the history as well the background of their talented conductor, (who never stood still dancing to the direction of the band). Ken Turnage of K2GC Construction pleased the 45 band members by having lunch delivered.

It is imperative for the success of any nonprofit to have such valuable contributors to remain viable to the community. The Board of Directors of El Campanil would like to wholeheartedly express our gratitude for their willingness to assist us in making this event a wonderful day to a packed house.  The concert was free to all 600 people in attendance.

Brentwood Reprographics, Ken Turnage Construction along with the U.S Air Force Band are the true heroes of that day.

White Pony Express (WPE), a nonprofit group dedicated to ending hunger and poverty in Contra Costa County, is calling for volunteers to help keep up with itsrapid growth.WPE delivers fresh, top-quality food and high quality clothing, toys, and children’s books, all free of charge, from its Pleasant Hill distribution centers to about 60,000 county residents in need.

How WPE Rescues Food

Seven days a week, WPE Food Rescue volunteers take trucks to supermarkets, restaurants, and farmers markets where they pick up surplus food – high quality, nourishing food – that would ordinarily be thrown away.  In Antioch, food donors include Costco. After sorting the food, WPE volunteers deliver it to Antioch nonprofit groups that feed the hungry, including Agape International Ministry, Don Brown Shelter, Fellowship Church Greater Bay Area, Golden Hills Community Outreach Center, Light Outreach Ministry, the Salvation Army, and STAND! Kinship Center. All of this food is given free of charge.

In two and a half years, WPE has delivered more than 3,000,000 pounds of meat, dairy, eggs, produce, deli, and baked goods (equivalent to 2,500,000 meals) that would otherwise have gone to waste and that the hungry would have gone without.

 

WPE Stages Innovative “Mobile Boutiques”

WPE’s Free General Store has hosted 36 unique “Mobile Boutiques” in various parts of the county.  Residents in need can“shop”at these boutiques for new or like-new clothing, shoes, toys, games, and books and then take them home – all free of charge.  In Antioch, WPE has hosted delightful boutiques for the Community Baby Shower for African American Women at the Grace Bible Fellowship of Antioch, Antioch Shares and Cares, Victory Outreach, and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).  In addition, through its “Direct Distribution” program, the Free General Store partners with service groups around our county who help those less fortunate. These groups identify the kinds and sizing of clothing needed by those they help; then they let us know and we deliver it directly to their program.  Through its Mobile Boutique and Direct Distribution programs, WPE has delivered more than 250,000 items to underserved parts of the county.

Founded Solely to Serve Others

Carol Weyland Conner, PhD, spiritual director of Sufism Reoriented, founded WPE in September 2013 when she was troubled that in a county of such abundance, scores of thousands were going hungry, while at the same time food retailers were throwing out huge quantities of healthy, fresh food.  Dr. Conner developed WPE’s Food Rescue and the Free General Store, both of which are free community service programs, to enable those who have more than they need to easily give to those with less, so that all can share in the happiness and abundance of life.  In 2014, WPE became a separate public benefit nonprofit.  Dr. Conner, who continues to be a sponsor of WPE, wanted service for WPE to spring from the heart, so today WPE is staffed entirely by volunteers who want to help, purely in the spirit of service.

More Volunteers Needed

“Our success has only been possible because of the selfless service of 400 volunteers who find great satisfaction and joy in being so helpful to others,” says Gary Conner, Executive Coordinator. “Going forward, our ability to help our neighbors is limited only by the number of people who join with us. We welcome more volunteers! We have many roles available with flexible schedules. Just give us a call!”

Interested volunteers should contact Mandy Nakaya at 925-818-6361 or email her at mandy@whiteponyexpress.org.  For moreon WPE, go to www.whiteponyexpress.org.

Who: Mayor Wade Harper; various members of the clergy

What: Prayer Vigil and moment of silence

When: Sunday, July 10, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.

Where: In front of the Antioch Community Center, Prewett Park, 4703 Lone Tree Way, Antioch

“I am deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life in various cities nationwide involving police and young African American males. I am also concerned and outraged about the killing of police officers in Dallas Texas and other U.S. cities,” said Harper in a press release. “Violence is not the answer. I grieve for the nation. America is in crisis.”

Harper in conjunction with various local faith groups will be hosting a prayer vigil, Sunday July 10, 2016 in front of the Antioch Community Center at 7:00 p.m.

All are invited to join in a moment of silence, prayer and reflection in light of tragic loss of life in Dallas Texas, Falcon Heights Minnesota, and Baton Rouge Louisiana to name a few.

Mayor Harper is calling for residents to pray as a community with a spirit of unity, respect and tolerance.

Let those who are in attendance stand together against hate and violence.