Friday evening through Monday night, May 26-29

By Jaime Coffee, CHP Media Relations

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Memorial Day weekend is quickly approaching, and many Californians are preparing to kick off the summer with a holiday gathering or road trip. Forty-five people were killed in crashes in California during last year’s Memorial Day weekend, nearly a 30 percent increase from the same period in 2021.  The California Highway Patrol (CHP) has a plan to help people arrive to their destinations safely, while reducing the number of deadly crashes on the state’s roads.

Beginning at 6:01 p.m. on Friday, May 26, the CHP will implement a statewide Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP) in anticipation of the increased traffic that often accompanies a holiday weekend.  The MEP will continue through 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 29.  

“The core mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security to the communities we serve,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee.  “This holiday, motorists can expect to see additional CHP officers patrolling California’s roadways.  All available uniformed members of this Department will be on patrol during this Memorial Day MEP.  Our primary focus will be to enhance public safety, deter unsafe driving behavior, and when necessary, take appropriate enforcement action.” 

In addition to assisting motorists and looking for traffic violations that often lead to serious injury or death, such as failure to wear a seat belt, speed, and distracted driving, CHP officers will be paying close attention to people who are suspected of driving under the influence (DUI) of drugs and/or alcohol. 

CHP officers made nearly 900 DUI arrests during the Memorial Day MEP in 2022. Keep yourself and others who are on the road safe by designating a sober driver or using a ride-share service. 

If you see or suspect an impaired driver, call 9-1-1 immediately.  Be prepared to provide the dispatcher a description of the vehicle, the license plate number, location, and direction of travel.  Your phone call may save someone’s life.

The CHP’s Memorial Day MEP coincides with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s ongoing Click It or Ticket campaign, which continues through

June 4. Seat belts save lives. Take two seconds to secure your safety and buckle up. 
The mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security.

Applications due 6/1/23

BART is currently recruiting to fill positions in two civilian advisory committees critical for public safety and accountability.

The BART Police Citizen Review Board (BPCRB) is a civilian advisory committee with the authority to provide BART riders and the public with transparency and input into BART’s policing services. We are seeking a District 2 position candidate who will be appointed by BART Director Mark Foley.

The BART Transit Security Advisory Committee (TSAC) is the citizen and community oversight committee that works to ensure Assembly Bill 716 — which allows BART Police Officers the authority to issue prohibition orders to offenders who are cited or arrested for certain offenses — is implemented as the Legislature intended. BART is currently looking to fill several open positions.

Below are full announcements for both BCPRB and TSAC positions.

The BART Board of Directors is currently in the process of recruiting for the BART Police Citizen Review Board (BPCRB) for the District 2 position to be appointed by BART Director Mark Foley. 

Applicants don’t need to reside in District 2, however they must be a resident of Contra Costa (including Antioch), Alameda, San Mateo, or San Francisco.

Members of the BPCRB work to increase the public’s confidence in BART’s Policing services by:

• Reviewing, recommending and monitoring the implementation of changes to police policies, procedures and practices
• Receiving citizen allegations of on-duty police misconduct
• Advising Board of Directors, General Manager, Independent Police Auditor and Police Chief
• Participating in recommending appropriate disciplinary action
• Meeting periodically with representatives of the BART Police associations
• Participating in community outreach

Read more about the BPCRB and  download the District 2 Application

Application period closes on Thursday, June 1, 2023

Call (510) 464-6083 or email CitizenReviewBoard@bart.gov with any questions.

BART’s Transit Security Advisory Committee (TSAC) is currently looking to fill several open positions and is accepting applications until June 1, 2023. 

TSAC is the citizen and community oversight committee that works to ensure Assembly Bill 716 (Dickinson) — which allows BART Police Officers the authority to issue prohibition orders to offenders who are cited or arrested for certain offenses — is implemented as the Legislature intended. The oversight group, comprised of at least five citizens, serves as a volunteer review body for the implementation of BART’s prohibition policy.

Board-appointed members of TSAC are professionals in the areas of mental health, homelessness, public safety and youth advocacy and cultural awareness. Drawing from their private and public sector experiences, the committee brings a diverse set of skills to the review and execution of the prohibition policy. The advisory committee reports directly to the BART Board of Directors.

BART Transit Security Advisory Committee is currently looking for the following Open Seats:

• One (1) Alternate Committee Member for the Mental Health, Youth Advocate, or Law Enforcement Representative Seat
• Two (2) Public at Large Representative Seats
• One (1) Mental Health Representative Seat
• One (1) Law Enforcement Representative Seat
• One (1) Youth Advocate Representative Seat

Final Filing Date – Application Deadline Thursday, June 1, 2023, at 5:00 P.M. (PST)

Please download the application here and return the application form and relevant attachments to the BART Office of the District Secretary at:

2150 Webster Street, 10th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612

Applicants may email to TransitSecurityAdvisory@bart.gov

Feel free to call (510) 464-6083 with any questions. Learn more about the TSAC here.

For agricultural, arts and crafts, childcare, energy, housing, worker-owned cooperatives, etc.

By Alicia Sloper, Admin. and Communications Support Specialist, California Center for Cooperative Development

The Cooperative Movement is well positioned to play a critical role in the larger movement for social and ecological justice. The California Center for Cooperative Development (CCCD) will host its annual California Cooperative Conference at Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose on Friday, June 2, and Saturday, June 3, 2023. CCCD will be showcasing innovative leaders in the cooperative movement and promoting a commitment to local economic development and underserved communities. Statewide cooperators and changemakers will have the opportunity to network with leaders in the cooperative ecosystem, share insight from experience in cooperative development, and discover the cooperative difference.  

The CCCD is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that promotes cooperatives as a vibrant model to address the economic and social needs of California’s communities. CCCD supports the myriad of cooperatives in California (agricultural, arts and crafts, childcare, energy, housing, worker-owned, etc.) with start-up, management, and other technical assistance. The Center’s Community and Economic Development Programs specifically highlight cooperative projects that promote opportunities for people with low and moderate incomes, as well as economically disadvantaged communities, regions, and neighborhoods.

This year’s California Co-op Conference is honored to host Keynote speaker Gopal Dayaneni, who will be speaking on Cooperation for Collective Liberation. Dayaneni has been involved in working for social, economic, environmental, and racial justice through organizing, campaigning, teaching, writing, speaking, and direct action since the late 1980’s. Currently, Dayaneni supports movement building through his work with organizations including The Climate Justice Alliance, ETCgroup, NDN Collective, the Center for Story-based Strategy and People’s Solar Energy Fund, among others.  

The event will feature panels and workshops covering a wide range of topics surrounding the co-op movement, with opportunities to learn and take part in both English and Spanish. Some workshops of note include Herramientad de Comunicaion Efectiva para Nuestras Cooperativas with Claudia Arroyo and Ana Castano (Prospera Community Development), Legal workshops on Limited Equity Housing Cooperatives with Karen Tiedemann and Erin Lapeyrolerie of Goldfarb and Lippman LLP, and Cooperative Businessing with Elisabeth Barton (Echo Adventure Cooperative). 

In addition, the California Co-op Conference will provide opportunities to network, with hosted lunches and a Co-op Social. Conference participants be directly connected with statewide cooperators to share their resources, products, and services at exhibitor tables during the conference. Please join CCCD at the California Co-op Conference in San Jose as we build connections, strengthen our learning, and use co-ops to create a just economy.  

More information about the conference, including a full list of workshops, speakers, and links to registration are available via our QR code, at www.cccd.coop, by emailing info@cccd.coop or calling 530-297-1032. Individuals must be registered to attend.    

Please let me know if you are interested in covering this story. I can be contacted via email at asloper@cccd.coop or phone at 530-297-1032 to discuss the details further. I look forward to hearing from you.  

Referred to as the River Town Square on the former Antioch Lumber Company lot

The City of Antioch is excited to announce the development of a new gathering place in downtown Antioch. We invite you to share your vision for the future central attraction of historic Rivertown. This new outdoor public space is uniquely situated along the Sacramento-San Joaquin River. It will benefit our diverse community by fostering a vibrant, thriving downtown.

As previously reported by the Herald, during the Nov. 23, 2021 Antioch City Council meeting, after years of advocating for a park and event center on the former Antioch Lumber Company lot in the city’s historic, downtown Rivertown, former Antioch Mayor Pro Tem Joy Motts and members of the group, Save The Yard, got the go ahead from the city council. All five council members agreed to pursue the idea during their meeting Tuesday night, Nov. 23.

The City’s downtown hasn’t had a large park, but only the smaller Waldie Plaza, since the much larger Barbara Price Marina Park was replaced with the marina boat launch and parking lot in 2012.

The group provided a presentation and proposed it be known as the River Town Square.

Since then, the Rivertown sign was erected across the street across W. 2nd Street at the intersection of E Street.

“We can begin a process for exploring a community gathering space, a green space,” then-City Manager Ron Bernal said at the Nov. 2021 meeting.

That process has finally begun.

Take the survey, here – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JD9NWMJ

For more information, visit https://www.antiochca.gov/recreation/rcs/

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

To celebrate Independence Day this  year, sign up today to be part of the City of Antioch’s Annual Fourth of July Celebration and Parade on Saturday ! Schools, residents, and local teams and organizations are all welcome!

Applications are available now at antiochca.gov/recreation/parade-entry-info/.

Hires Brentwood non-profit to operate it

By Allen D. Payton

During Tuesday’s meeting on May 23, 2023, the Antioch City Council on a 5-0 vote approved an agreement with Brentwood-based One Day at a Time (ODAT) for support and replication of evidence-based violence reduction initiatives and programs that interrupt cycles of violence for $346,500 funded by a California Violence Intervention & Prevention (CalVIP) grant during the 2023-24 Fiscal Year.

“This initiative started with an idea from Councilwoman Torres-Walker,” said Mayor Thorpe. “We applied for this grant, we got this grant, and we get to decide how the work gets done.”

“Well, you know I’m excited about this. I’m also excited to find a partner,” Torres-Walker said. “This has been a long time coming. I want to mention Andrew Becker. I want to thank Andrew because we have a lot to address in this city. Gun-related violence is unacceptable, period. I came to this city in 2015 and I’ve been advocating…since 2015. You only get one chance to do it right.”

According to the city staff report, in February 2022, the City of Antioch applied for a three-year CalVIP grant from the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) to improve public health and safety by supporting effective violence reduction initiatives in Antioch, which is disproportionately impacted by violence, particularly group-member-involved homicides, shootings, and aggravated assaults (Penal Code Sec. 14131(b)). The City of Antioch was awarded the CalVIP grant agreement from July 2022 through June 30, 2025, for a maximum amount of $1,794,116. Funds will be used to support, expand, and replicate evidence-based violence reduction initiatives that seek to interrupt cycles of violence. (See related article)

According to the BSCC webpage, “The State Legislature established the CalVIP Grant Program in 2017 to replace the California Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention grant program that began in 2007. CalVIP provides funding for cities and community-based organizations with the goal of reducing violence in the city and adjacent areas.

In October 2019 Governor Newsom signed the Break the Cycle of Violence Act (AB 1603). AB 1603 codified the establishment of CalVIP and defined its purpose: to improve public health and safety by supporting effective violence reduction initiatives in communities that are disproportionately impacted by violence, particularly group-member involved homicides, shootings, and aggravated assaults.

The Break the Cycle of Violence act specifies that CalVIP grants shall be used to support, expand and replicate evidence-based violence reduction initiatives. These initiatives should seek to interrupt cycles of
violence and retaliation in order to reduce the incidence of homicides, shootings, and aggravated assaults and shall be primarily focused on providing violence intervention services to the small segment of the population that is identified as having the highest risk of perpetrating or being victimized by violence in the near future.”

 

By J.R. Wilson, Delta Veterans Group

The annual Antioch Memorial Day ceremonies and activities will be held Monday, May 29 in remembrance of those service men and women who gave their lives for our country at the Oak View Memorial Park Cemetery on 2500 E. 18th Street.

The day begins with a Pancake Breakfast hosted by the Antioch Rivertown Veterans Lion’s Club at 8:00 a.m. followed by the Memorial Service at 10:00 a.m. Our speaker is Assemblyman Tim Grayson. We will also have youth speakers, followed by the Reading of the Names of Antioch Veterans that have passed away, an explanation of the 13 folds of a U.S. flag, the P.O.W. Table, recognition of our First Responders by laying a rose at their memorial and much more.

The day’s activities will conclude with a Memorial Day BBQ beginning at 1:00 p.m. at the Antioch VFW Post 6435 located at 815 Fulton Shipyard Road. 

The Antioch-Chichibu Sister City organization is an incredible nonprofit organization that works independent from the city of Antioch, raising their own funds. The purpose of the organization is to give Antioch and Chichibu students, ages 15-18, the life changing opportunity to experience each other’s country and culture while developing new, lifelong friendships abroad. The program teaches students the importance of communication, teamwork and integrity. Student delegates are selected from deserving applicants that will best represent our city.

Unfortunately, with increasing costs and no city support, students and adult chaperones are finding it difficult to participate in this worthwhile opportunity. Our young delegates are working tirelessly to make this trip a reality!

The 2023 trip to Chichibu, Japan is scheduled for mid-July. Any funds raised after that date will continue to contribute to this ongoing program and future delegates.

The goal is to raise $40,000. Contributions can be made on the GoFundMe page.

Your support in any amount helps provide a culturally immersive educational opportunity to our students. Thank you!