The City of Antioch invites you to a community meeting for you to provide feedback regarding the Downtown Specific Plan and City-wide General Plan Land Use and Zoning Ordinance Update.

Two dates to choose from: Wednesday, November 12, 7:00 p.m., Prewett Park Multi-Purpose Room, 4701 Lone Tree Way and Wednesday, November 19, 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 200 H Street. That is also a joint meeting of the Planning and Economic Development Commissions

The City of Antioch is embarking on the initial steps leading to preparation of a Specific Plan for downtown and an update to the Land Use Element of the City’s General Plan and Zoning Code.

The Specific Plan will include policies and guidelines to enhance existing neighborhoods as well as to guide new development downtown.

The General Plan Land Use and Zoning update will focus on the types and locations of businesses and examine appropriate land use designations City-wide.

We are currently seeking community input help us evaluate the key opportunities and constraints which will influence this overall planning program.

Community Meeting Format:

Opening remarks from staff (10 min).

Opportunities and Constraints analysis presented by project consultants (20 min).

Remaining time for public feedback on the range of potential opportunities identified.

City decision makers want to hear your feedback on this initial planning work, in order to help shape the future policies that will guide land use and development, design/aesthetics, parking, circulation, transit, and the economic vitality of the community.

Come voice your ideas and opinions and tell us what you see in your city’s future!

For more information visit: www.ci.antioch.ca.us or click here for the announcement flyer about the meetings.

Or call the Community Development Department at 925-779-7035.

Newly elected Antioch School Board Trustee Debra Vinson, Velma Wilson and local youth at the Deer Valley Plaza, last Friday afternoon.

By John Crowder

A small group of parents has decided to be proactive in addressing problems at a local shopping center by taking steps to engage students as they pass through Deer Valley Plaza (DVP) at the end of the school day.

DVP has been at the epicenter of student violence and disruptive behavior over the past few months. As widely reported in the news media, a group of students involved in fights and other troubling actions at the center, just down the street from Deer Valley High School (DVHS), has led some of the businesses located there to lock their doors at the end of the school day. The businesses, mainly fast food restaurants and Starbucks, have kept their doors locked from the time school lets out until most students have passed through and dispersed from the area.

Velma Wilson, a youth education advisor with the NAACP East County Branch, and a parent of two students who attend Antioch schools, determined to act to change that. For the last few weeks, she and others from the community, including her husband, Clarke, and Antioch Mayor Wade Harper, have been stationing themselves in the parking lot of DVP under a blue tent. There, they talk with students who come by, offering them sodas and snacks, along with words of encouragement. Wilson said that the idea for meeting with students had come from Harper, and it was his tent they were using.

On Friday, November 7, Herald staff dropped by the Plaza, unannounced, to take a first-hand look at what was happening. On that day, Wilson was joined by her husband, her two children, and two other adults, Darice Ingram and Debra Vinson. Harper was unable to be there on that day, as, according to Wilson, he was visiting a security guard who had been wounded in a gun battle in Antioch outside a local Starbucks earlier in the week.

Darice Ingram, a founder of Parents Connected, and also a member of the Antioch Unified School District (AUSD) personnel commission, invited students who were passing by to stop and talk. She encouraged those she spoke with to be serious students, and, among other things, to consider taking Advanced Placement classes and to focus on preparing for college. “Most students are just kids that need to know someone cares, someone holds them accountable, and expects great things from them,” she said. She also praised Wilson for taking the initiative, noting that Wilson had provided treats for the students out of her own pocket.

Debra Vinson, who was elected last Tuesday to the AUSD board of trustees, was also in the parking lot greeting students. As they approached, she would introduce herself, ask their names, and how their school day had been. She said that, as a school board member, she wanted to be visibly involved and make sure she was accessible to everyone with a stake in the schools, including the children who attend them. “Safety concerns are shared by everyone in Antioch,” she said, “and I want to see, first-hand, what is happening with our students.”

The impression left by observing these interactions was far different than the one derived from the recent news reports. First, not all students were from DVHS. Several students who came up to meet with the parents stationed in the parking lot were from Dallas Ranch Middle School, a bit of a walk from the site. Wilson said that students from four different schools routinely came by, or passed through, the center after school let out each day.

The students were also very polite. “I have one rule,” said Wilson, “that students look me in the eye and shake hands.” Far from the belligerence frequently attributed to teens, the students on Friday seemed more shy than anything else, only reluctantly taking the sodas and snacks offered by Wilson and the others.

“Jesus said, ‘suffer the little children to come unto me,’ and that is what I want to do,” said Wilson. “We can choose community over chaos. It’s imperative that we come together as a community to be better role models for our youth.”

Wilson is in the DVP parking lot every Tuesday and Friday, from 3:00 until 4:30, when school is in session.

On Saturday, November 8, 2014, St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County, (SVdP), will hold its 50th Anniversary Event at St. John Vianney Church and Mullen Commons, marking a half-century of service to the poor in the county. The 5:00 pm Mass on Saturday, November 8 will feature celebrant The Most Reverend Michael C. Barber, SJ, Bishop of Oakland. Please join Bishop Barber and members of the St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County organization celebrating this significant milestone.

Date: Saturday, November 8, 2014,

Mass: 5:00 pm

Reception/Dinner: 6:00pm

Venue: St. John Vianney Church and Mullen Commons, 1650 Ygnacio Valley Rd, Walnut Creek

Tickets: $50/person available at www.svdp-cc.org

Our Services

St. Vincent de Paul assists more than 200,000 county residents annually, providing basic human services while families stabilize and work toward improving their situation long-term.

SVdP’s goal is to resolve the problems of hunger, homelessness, unemployment, suffering and low health outcomes in Contra Costa by providing a complement of services including:

Emergency Assistance and Benefits Access/Referral, (County-wide), 650 Vincentians, located at 27 conferences throughout the county, operate 21 food pantries, provide emergency assistance, (e.g. rental assistance, utility assistance, transportation, homeless prevention), and referral/access to additional community services.  Over 150,000 residents are served annually by Vincentians.

Free Adult Medical Clinic, (Pittsburg), the RotaCare Pittsburg Free Medical Clinic at St. Vincent de Paul, is a free clinic that provides care for the uninsured, providing over 3,700 patient visits since opening in 2011.

Free Dining Room, (Pittsburg) providing 40,000 hot meals annually in partnership with Loaves & Fishes of Contra Costa.

21 Free Food Pantries, (21 locations), providing food annually valued at $1.5M to hungry and low-income individuals and families in the County.

Free Clothing and Furniture, (Pleasant Hill and Pittsburg), via our Thrift Stores, providing over $100,000 in clothing and furniture to needy individuals and families annually.

Workforce Development Program, (Pleasant Hill and Pittsburg), providing job training, mentorship and paid, part-time transitional employment for those returning to society from incarceration, addiction, and/or homelessness.

Daytime Homeless Shelter, (Pittsburg), in partnership with Winter Nights Shelter, providing daytime shelter for up to 700 individuals annually.

One Warm Coat Program, (County-wide), distributing over 4,000 warm coats in the County per year.

Please visit our website at www.svdp-cc.org. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/svdpcontracosta/.

Evolve Aikido & Movement Center in Antioch announces it’s Grand Opening & Block Party this on Sunday, November 2nd from 11am to 2pm. It’s a “drop-in” day with free lunch, a raffle, giveaways, music, performances, classes and jumpies, so bring the whole family. The schedule is below for your planning convenience.

Please “like” their page on Facebook if you haven’t already – https://www.facebook.com/evolvemovementcenter

GRAND OPENING SCHEDULE

11:00am – Opening, Music, Jumpy, Registration

11:10am – Yoga Mini-Class, all levels

11:30am –  Dance/Tumbling/Cheer Performances

12:00     –   Free Lunch to first 100 registered guests 

12:10pm –  Jui Jitsu demo

12:30pm –  Tour of Businesses

12:45pm – Tai Chi Mini-Class, all levels

1:00pm –  Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting & Raffle

1:30pm –  Aikido Belt Promotion

2:00pm – Finish

The location is 1211 Auto Center Drive in Antioch, between 10th & 18th Streets across from Midas. To attend the event, please contact Owner & Chief Instructor Brandy Lucky at (925) 207-8656.

If you’re on Facebook, please join their Grand Opening “event” by clicking here.