By Allen D. Payton

Before the city council heard public comments about and discussed a ban or moratorium on more gas stations and additional fossil fuel dispensers at current gas stations in Antioch, City Attorney Thomas L. Smith explained it would require a General Plan amendment. It would then be sent to the Planning Commission for a recommendation before a council vote, he added.

City Clerk Ellie Householder then announced District 1 Councilmember Tamisha Torres-Walker had to leave the meeting at 9:53 p.m. With her absence, the council stalemated with two in favor, Mayor Pro Tem and District 4 Councilwoman Monica Wilson and Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe, and two opposed, District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica and District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock.

Public Comments

During public comments on the agenda item, a woman who said her name was O.G. Stargatz (spelling?) who said she was a volunteer with 350 Contra Costa spoke in favor of the moratorium saying, “I’m here to offer our full support.” The Pinole City Council passed an urgency moratorium ordinance last month, she shared.

“I don’t think we need more gas stations in our city,” said resident Devin Williams. “I don’t think we’ll be around in another 40 years if we keep going at this rate with the climate.”

A resident named Lou spoke about the mayor’s pledge towards a fossil-fuel free Antioch government and said the gas station moratorium dovetails in with it. He then quoted a sentence from the mayor’s press release about his pledge published in the Herald, that, “The average global temperature on Earth has irreversibly risen by at least 1.9 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880, with most of this increase occurring since 1975” as an argument in support of the ban.

Frank Sterling also spoke in favor of the proposed moratorium.

Nicole Errington said, “I like hybrids. Hybrids are great. No, we don’t need any more gas stations. My biggest concern is benzene as a cancer survivor.”

Resident Harry Thurston said, “I see many more gas stations. Our city doesn’t look very good with them. I’d like to see them go away or reduced.”

Wilson was the first council member to speak as she made the proposal. She said, “I feel I need to advocate for a healthy community. Climate change is real. We’re talking about the 24 gas stations in our city. We need to end our reliance on fossil fuels. I’m in the process of converting to a hybrid car or electric car. I relooked at our Climate Action Plan which was done in 2020…we do state we need to prepare for Climate Change.”

“I really want to see a ban on the development of new gas stations…and a ban on more pumps at our existing 24 gas stations,” she continued. “We really need to start thinking about the future and be proactive. This is one step toward how we can be sustainable. Going green isn’t sometimes affordable. We need to make it affordable for low-income residents.”

“I believe the open market will flush this out. If we switch over to electric vehicles by 2035 this will work itself out,” said Barbanica. “But if we go out to our parking lot, right now…99% of the vehicles operate on gas.”

“We don’t ban new businesses coming into our community,” he continued. “Will we say, ‘no, you’re not coming in?’ It’s a case-by-case basis. We said no, last year, to a 24-hour station right next to residential homes. As the EV market continues to grow, you’ll see less and less demand for these coming into our community. The council still has the ability to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’.”

“I’m not for the ban. I think it’s a case-by-case. There will be some areas that will need a gas station,” Ogorchock said.

“You all know where I stand,” Thorpe said. “We’ve actually already said ‘no’, twice. But I am for the policy. I am for the ban. There isn’t consensus for this to move forward but we can bring it back in the future and see how Councilwoman Torres-Walker stands on the issue.”

The matter died on the two-two split of council members.

The food distribution is a joint effort of the Golden Hills Community Church Serving & Engaging Neighbors Together, (SENT) ministry and Team Jesus Outreach Ministries. 

Free hot meals are also served at the Community Outreach Center at 525 E. 18th Street in Antioch Monday through Friday. Doors open at 5:00 pm. Our desire is that no one in our community suffer from hunger or malnutrition. Each night we serve a wholesome, home-cooked hot meal to satisfy our appetite. However, we also realize there is a spiritual hunger that God wants to fulfill in each one of us and we have a brief worship service designed to help us connect with the Lord each evening. Everyone is welcome to join regardless of their faith background. For more information visit Community Outreach Center.

Golden Hills Community Church is located at 2401 Shady Willow Lane in Brentwood. For more information about the church and its ministries visit www.goldenhills.org.

Sponsors needed

By Sophia Martin, Regional Director, Love Life NorCal Antioch

Please support us in our annual fundraiser, LifeRide. We will be riding bikes across the nation to raise awareness and funds to unite and mobilize the Church to end abortion and the orphan crisis.

What is LifeRide?

In 2023, Pastor Jay Stewart at the age of 60, rode his bicycle over 3,100 miles across America to bring awareness to the ministry of Love Life and to raise over a million dollars. Pastor Jay has been a partnering pastor with Love Life from the beginning and his church is also a House of Refuge church. (See video1 and video2)

Locally, our goal is to raise $10,000. If you would like to give $25, $50 or $100 to help us meet our goal and learn more, please visit: https://join.liferideusa.org/team/580862.

“Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.” – Proverbs 24:11

For more information about Love Life visit: https://lovelife.org. To sign up for a 1-Hour Journey visit: https://lovelife.org/1-hour-journey. Get your Love Life apparel and coffee here: https://shop.welovelife.org/?ref=antioch.

Benefitting Alzheimer’s Association

For more information about TreVista Senior Living & Memory Care visit www.TreVistaSeniorLiving.com.

By Bill Harms

Get your unwanted documents shredded at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Antioch Saturday, May 25 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Donations will raise funds for scholarships and other charitable purposes coordinated by the church’s Endowment Committee.

Through its endowment, the church has given scholarships to students pursuing college degrees as well as continuing education opportunities such as gaining teacher certification. It has also given a grant to support training school tutors, said Eileen Blumhardt-Butler, Endowment Committee Chair.

The endowment has provided a grant to a childcare center to enhance art education. A teacher received a grant to purchase microscopes for her middle school classroom.

“These grants are a way our church can share God’s love with the community,” Blumhardt-Butler said.

St. John’s Lutheran Church is located at 1360 East Tregallas Road and has Sunday School at   9:30 a.m. and services at 10  a.m.  on Sundays. For more information visit https://stjohnsantioch.org.

The Contra Costa County Fair will be held at the Contra Costa Event Park, 1201 W. 10th Street in Antioch. For more information visit Contra Costa County Fair 2024 (contracostafair.com).

Place flags at gravesites in Oak View Memorial Park Saturday, May 25 and attend the annual breakfast & ceremony Monday, May 27

The event will support former Center for the San Francisco 49ers and Antioch native Jeremy Newberry’s non-profit organization, Newberry’s B.L.O.C.K. which stands for Benefiting Leagues Offering Children Kindness. It provides underprivileged children the opportunity to participate in sports by sponsoring scholarships and equipment to youth programs. For more information visit www.facebook.com/NewberrysBlock.