Come and see Santa arrive on the Polar Express at Sand Creek Crossing Shopping Center! Face painter, balloonist, Frosty’s magic show, holiday crafts and train rides will entertain families at Sand Creek Crossing. Bring your camera and take pictures with Santa!

WHEN: Saturday, December 3rd, 2011 from Noon to 3:00pm

WHERE: Sand Creek Crossing is located at CA-4 Bypass and Sand Creek Rd. in Brentwood, CA.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.sandcreekcrossing.com or www.facebook.com/sandcreekcrossing

Faith and community leaders from ten congregations present their vision and proposals on the issues of: foreclosure prevention, health care access, immigrant integration, quality education, and jobs; officials commit to working together to address these critical issues.

On Monday night 300 East County residents gathered at St. Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Church (3351 Contra Loma Blvd., Antioch, CA 94531) to call on public and elected officials to stand with them and work together to address the pressing issues most affecting East County. Also in attendance were nearly two dozen public officials ranging from local school boards and city councils to Senator Mark DeSaulnier and the Office of Congressman John Garamendi.

The evening began with a roll call of over ten congregations that made up the diverse group there gathered. “Yes everyone in here is different, but that doesn’t matter because we have a common hope that we can establish a common good in our communities,” noted Rev. Fr. Jerry Brown, Pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Brentwood.

Clergy and community leaders presented their vision and agenda to bring equity and justice around a critical set of issues that impact the future of the region. CCISCO leaders shared their research and proposals around the following key issues:

Keeping families in their homes and holding banks accountable for blighted properties;
Expanding pathways to jobs for local residents and developing local hiring policies;
Strengthening linked learning pathways at public schools;
Trust, relationship, and cooperation building between recent immigrants & long term residents;
Expanding access to health care for all residents in the region.
“This is a large and ambitious agenda. These times call for moral audacity and courageous action. Our faith gives us profound hope in our ability to work together to create meaningful change and renew our democracy,” said Rev. Fr. Robert Rien, Pastor of St. Ignatius of Antioch.

Major victories were celebrated at the meeting, including the opening of a long-awaited clinc and the launch of an immigrant integration program in Oakley as well as a local hire policy for the eBART expansion project that will guarantee 25% of work hours and 50% of apprenticeship hours for local East County residents.

In addition, Antioch Unified School District (AUSD) Superintendent Donald Gil and school board member Walter Ruehlig committed to working with CCISCO to identify and secure funding to enhance and implement student support services in its schools and authorize an independent analysis to better understand unequitable discipline trends in the district.

“Partnership is not only important, it is crucial. Education is something like a four-legged chair. We need the students, we need the teachers, we need the parents, and we need the community,” said Mr. Ruehlig.

Lastly, the group tackled the issue of foreclosures and bank accountability. “The city of Antioch could be collecting $1,000 a day on vacant bank owned blighted properties. Banks should also be responsible for maintaining property to the same standards as any other property owner,” said Domingo Delgadillo, CCISCO leader from Most Holy Rosary Catholic Church.

CCISCO asked Antioch council members Mary Rocha and Gary Agopian and Mayor Pro Tem Wade Harper to support replicating the SUN initiative that purchases foreclosed properties at current market values and resells them to the current occupants. The group also proposed building up the blight abatement and code enforcement efforts to ensure banks are being held accountable for their adverse effect on the community. Due to state regulations, the Council members and the Mayor Pro Tem were unable to answer the proposals, but they did say they supported the work of CCISCO and would work with the group to address these vital issues.

CCISCO will be setting up meetings with the officials to follow up on their commitments and together work to build opportunities for all East County residents.

In attendance: Office of Rep. John Garamendi; Senator Mark Desaulnier; Office of Assembly Woman Susan Bonilla; Office of Assembly Woman Joan Buchanan; AUSD Superintendent Donald Gill; AUSD Board Members Walter Ruehlig and Gary Hack; LUHSD Superintendent Eric Volta; LUHSD Board Members Ray Valverde and Holly Hartman; Oakley City Mayor Jim Frazier; La Clinica de La Raza Regional Director Viola Lujan; BART Board Director Joel Keller

Participating Institutions: St. Ignatius Catholic Church, Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, St. Anthony Catholic Church, Antioch Christian Center, Community Presbyterian Church, Most Holy Rosary Catholic Church, St. John Lutheran Church, Antioch Church Family, Islamic Center of the East Bay, and International Christian Ministry.

CCISCO, 202 G St., Suite 1 – Mailing: P. O. Box 883, Antioch, CA 94509, P: (925) 779-9302, F: (925) 779-9303, www.ccisco.org

By Walter Ruehlig

There was surprise for those who pre-stereotyped last night’s “East County Community Action – To Build Opportunites For All” town hall meeting. It was neither Occupy Oakland nor the Tea Party.

The event, put on by the Contra Costa Interfaith Sponsoring Community Organization (CCISCO), brought out a bevy of community, political and faith leaders and a highly diverse crowd of some 400 people to St. Ignatius of Antioch Church. The audience was treated to a rousing start by the award-winning Voices Of Antioch choir from Antioch Church Family.

Missing were the kitchen sink atmosphere of yoga sessions, splinter political movements and Save the Amazon registration booths indicative of the boldly ecletic, proudly amorphous, distinctively undisciplined Occupy Oakland movement. This was not a spontaneous Be-In and hinted no disorder.

The crowd had, in some sense of demeanor, more of a straight-laced, family-friendly Tea Party ambiance with agreed upon ground rules for behavior. It offered badges and a rigorous, orchestrated agenda with well-defined and specific objectives. It started and ended on time. There was an abundance of pre-event research, community input, and political groundwork.

It certainly did, though, have something of the Occupy spirit of egalitarianism and moral social agenda. Again, the affair defied easy categorization as the crowd had a significant Filippino, Latino and African American composite with clergy and congregation from St. Ignatius Catholic Church, Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, St. Anthony Catholic Church, Antioch Christian Center, Community Presbyterian Church, Most Holy Rosary Catholic Church, St. John Lutheran Chrch, Antioch Church Family, Islamic Center of the East Bay, and the International Christian Ministry.

The meeting co-chairs were Fr. Robert Rien of St. Ignatius of Antioch and Dr. Mario Howell, Pastor at Antioch Church Family. Rev. Will McGarvey and Dr. Paul Taylor gave a prophetic statement, with Rev. Keith Archuleta offering supporting testimony. Elected officials included State Sen. Mark Desaulnier; Antioch Mayor Pro Tem Wade Harper and Council Members Mary Rocha and Gary Agopian; County Board of Education Trustee Cynthia Ruehlig; Antioch Superintendent of Schools Dr. Donald Gill and Trustees Gary Hack and Walter Ruehlig; Oakley Mayor Jim Frazier; Bart Commissioner Joel Keller; liasons from Congressman John Garamendi’s and State Assemblywoman Susan Bonillas office; and former Antioch Mayor Donald Freitas.

Highlights of the meeting were Fr. Robert’s stirring testimony that St. Ignatius of Antioch had been the first church in the country to divest itself from the Bank of America and that, as of now, over four biillion dollars of divestiture has since resulted. This includes 1.2 million from the City of Antioch. Rev. Howell also brought the crowd to their feet with his story of being handcuffed and arrested for his objection to the banks’ stubborn refusal to work with homeowners.

It was proposed that we locally replicate the Boston community Capital Sun initiative that purchases foreclosed properties at current market values and resells to their current occupants at a discounted rate. A request was made to Sen. Desaulnier to continue pushing his SB 447 legislation requiring financial instititions wishing to do business in California to provide their track records on a number of measures including loan modifcations.

Antioch city counselors were encouraged to stress foreclosure registration ordinances and to set $1,000 daily code enforcement fines on negligent banks holding blighted properties. They were asked to affirm their support. They gave moral support but could not technically affirm as three members were present at the meeting. That verbal consensus would have violated the Brown Act.

The education community was commended for the trail-blazing linked learning pathways programs taking root in Antioch. Dr. Gill and myself spoke about the recent 1.025 million dollar career academy grant awarded us and our county-leading reduction from 29% to 18% in dropout rate. We confirmed our support for broadened tutoring programs and equitable behavioral support systems.

The eBART project was commended for insuring that 25% of work hours and 50% of apprenticeship hours be performed by East County residents. A move for more such local hiring was applauded as it augurs tax dollars and shortened commutes.

On the health care access front, La Clinica will be soon opening a new site in Oakley offering services on a sliding fee structure. This provides physicians to Oakley and should take some strain off already overburdened emergency services.

Stay tuned – by all accounts this struck me as a determined movement not easy to pigeonhole and not soon going away.