Vigil Thursday evening

Tyrone Marshall

Sunrise August 2, 1957 – Sunset December 20, 2021

Tyrone was born to the late Dorothy and Mayweather Marshall. In 1969 he earned his Scholarship of Fine Arts from UC Berkeley. Tyrone used to work for the shipyard, loved to exercise and studied martial arts from a Bruce Lee book. In 1981 he had his first and only child, April.

Tyrone will be remembered by his daughter; April, grandchildren; Eric and Cheyenne, sisters; Renee, Denise and Monica, brothers; Lamont, Spencer and Robert. His countless loving cousins, nieces, nephews and the community.

The viewing of the body is from 11am -12 and his funeral is from 12 to 2 pm at Dan Scales Funeral home at 107 W. 8th Street in Pittsburg, CA on Friday February 7, 2022. The burial will be at Oak View Memorial Park at 2500 East 18th Street in Antioch, CA.

“And now abide; faith, hope, love, these three, but the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:13

Now that the holiday season has ended, residents need a way to dispose of their Christmas tree. The City of Antioch and Boy Scouts of America offer Antioch residents and businesses several Christmas Treecycling options listed below.

• Drop-off Locations: Drop off unflocked trees 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday  and Sunday, Jan. 8 - 9, and Jan. 15 - 16, 2022, in the designated areas at the Prewett Family Park parking lot on Lone Tree Way and at the Antioch Marina Overflow parking lot on L Street near W. Second. Please remove tree stands before drop-off.
• Boy Scouts: The Boy Scouts will collect Christmas trees Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 8 – 9, and Jan. 15 – 16, 2022, by prearrangement ONLY. Please email the Boy Scouts at troop153treepickup@gmail.com for details about when and where to have your tree collected. Donations of $10 or $1 per foot if taller than 8 feet for unflocked trees or $20 for flocked trees, payable to “BSA”, would be appreciated.
• Green Container: Place unflocked trees in green yard waste container. Branches must be 6 inches or less in diameter and 3 feet or less in length. Cut off treetop. Remove tree stand. Lid must be closed.
• Questions? Call customer service at (925) 685-4711.

Important Reminders

• Please remove lights, ornaments, tinsel, nails and stands from trees.
• No plastic bags.
• As part of our recycling program, flocked, painted, fireproofed or artificial trees are not accepted.
• Flocked trees can be collected curbside for a fee of $40 per tree. Pickups must be scheduled in advance.  Call (925) 685-4711. If cut to fit inside with the lid closed, flocked trees may be placed in the trash container at your complex.

 

Somersville Towne Center is located at 2550 Somersville Road in Antioch.

Learn more about the American Association of University Women at www.aauw.org.

Participant re-enters workforce, becomes financially stable homeowner

The Workforce Development Program at St. Vincent de Paul is a paid job training program aimed at helping the unemployed re-enter the workforce and find stable employment. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen millions suddenly find themselves out of work. In these hard times, it is more important than ever that job applicants understand workplace expectations and have the soft skills to be a contributing employee. The 24-week program teaches participants skills and techniques to find a job and be successful in the workplace, offering training in resume development, interviewing, and organizational skills in a supportive & compassionate environment. Mandatory orientation sessions, applicants should choose either the Pleasant Hill, Brentwood, or the Pittsburg sessions.

The Pleasant Hill Sessions take place on Thursday, Jan. 6 and Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, from 10 AM – 1 PM at Christ The King Church at 199 Brandon Road. The Brentwood Sessions take place on Saturday, Jan. 8 and Friday, Jan. 14 from 10 AM – 1PM at the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store at 8890 Brentwood Blvd. The Pittsburg Sessions will take place on Monday, Jan. 17 and Friday, Jan. 21 from 2 PM – 5 PM at the St. Vincent de Paul Family Resource Center at 2210 Gladstone Drive. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age.

The Workforce Development Program aims to help tear down the barriers that stand in the way of employment for individuals who have struggled to obtain and maintain employment. Participants work with mentors and take weekly classes to develop workplace skills. A new class of participants is selected every three months.

Participants gain paid, part-time, (22.5 hours per week), work experience in a St. Vincent de Paul thrift store or SVdP’s transportation department. Additional training in retail operations including cash register operations, inventory display and optimization, and warehouse operations is also provided.

Success for program participant is life-changing. Mary Turner, a graduate from SVdP’s Workforce Development Program, was living in her car when she began the program. A senior citizen, Mary found herself having to return to work when her rent increased beyond the means of her fixed income. After successfully graduating from the WFD program at St. Vincent de Paul, Mary found work as a medical support assistant. In October 2021, Mary purchased her first home in Stockton, California.

“It was hard, I was living on SSI and Disability, but my rent just kept increasing until I couldn’t afford it,” Mary said. “Now, I have a good job as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (with the Veterans Administration), and I have my daughter and grand-babies stay in my home. If you want to be a home owner, it’s possible. It’s hard, it’s a struggle, but it’s worth it and it’s possible, and the people at St. Vincent de Paul showed me that.”

St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County has provided safety-net services in the county for over 57 years, serving 100,000 people annually and distributing over $1M of direct financial assistance and over $1.7M of in-kind aid. Over 750 SVdP volunteers and a small staff lead operations in Contra Costa including the SVdP Family Resource Center in Pittsburg, 28 branches, and 3 Thrift Stores. One of the largest charitable organizations in the world, St. Vincent de Paul is an international, nonprofit, Catholic lay organization of more than 800,000 men and women who voluntarily join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to the needy and suffering in 155 countries on five continents.

By Antonia Ehlers, PR and Media Relations, Kaiser Permanente Northern California

The line into the Antioch High School gymnasium was long, last Friday afternoon, as local families queued up on a chilly day for the annual Warm for the Holidays event, a joint effort of Kaiser Permanente, the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, the high school, and other community organizations. The school district invited K-12 students of all ages, along with their families to “shop” for food, clothing, books and toys.

More than 2,000 pounds of food was distributed to families in the community.

“The Antioch High School Warm for the Holidays annual event has been a heartwarming experience for our students and staff, who have discovered the power of service to community,” said Antioch High School Principal Louie Rocha. “Despite the recent COVID-19 restrictions, we continue to provide our school community with necessities and gifts to share with their loved ones.”

Kaiser Permanente and the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano provided the food portion of the distribution. The Antioch Rotary Club, Holy Rosary Church and the Antioch Woman’s Club donated clothing, toys, books and games.

Through a $550,000 grant to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, Kaiser Permanente is helping fight food insecurity in the community.

“In order for children to learn in school, we need to increase access to healthy food in our communities,” said Sharon Krejci Mowat, MD, FAAP, Kaiser Permanente Diablo Service Area Physician-in-Chief. “This has been a particularly difficult year for so many families, and partnerships like these in our community our critical to ensuring families have the food they need to lead healthy lives.”

Food insecurity has been an increasing concern throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March 2020, the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano has distributed more than 50 percent more food than the previous fiscal year and has served 80,000-100,000 more people each month over last year.

“With generous funding from Kaiser Permanente, the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano has been able to purchase fresh produce along with nutritious shelf-stable food for distribution at schools across the community,” said Lindsay Drakeley, leadership gifts manager at the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. “The Food Bank is thankful to have strong community partnerships that make events like this possible.”

 

Local Knights of Columbus Council to Sponsor Youth Basketball Shooting Competitions

All boys and girls ages 8 to 14 are invited to participate in the local level of competition for the Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship.  Boys and girls 15-17 are invited to participate in the local level of competition for the Three Point Shooting Championship.  Age eligibility is determined by the age of the contestant as of January 1, 2022.

The competitions will be held on January 14, 2022, at Giovannoni Parish Center, 21 East 15^th St., Antioch, CA.

Free Throw

Ages 8-11        registration at 5:30pm competition begins at 6:00pm

Ages 12-14      registration at 6:30pm competition begins when 8-11 yr. old competitors are done

Three Point

Ages 15-17      registration at 7:00pm competition begins when free throw competition is done

The Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship is sponsored annually, with winners progressing through local, district, and jurisdictional competitions.  International champions are announced by the Knights of Columbus international headquarters based on scores from the jurisdiction-level competitions.   In 2021, four of our local champions were California State champions.

For more information contact Wayne Steffen 925.890.0119 or Mike Hayes 925.565.4482.

Council #3265 in Antioch, CA is one of 17,000 Knights of Columbus councils that make up the world’s largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in 1882 to assist working-class and immigrant Catholics

in the United States, today the approximately two million members of the Knights put their faith into action through a broad range of charitable causes locally, nationally and internationally with financial contributions and hands-on service.

Appoints Barbanica the next mayor pro tem; honors outgoing city manager Ron Bernal; spends $60,000 on Chinatown history exhibit at Antioch Historical Society Museum; approves $145,000 for Antioch’s Sesquicentennial Celebration; approves minutes for past five meetings

Torres-Walker again doesn’t stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, keeps her back to the American flag; Thorpe says Con Johnson started as interim city manager on Monday without any announcement he’s passed the background check

By Allen Payton

In response to the urging by members of the public and city council for more time for additional public comment and input, the Antioch City Council voted 3-0-1 to extend their redistricting process by one month until the end of February. During the very full agenda, for their final meeting of the year, the council also approved another cannabis business on W. 10th Street, spending about $285,000 to place 15 Antioch homeless residents in the soon to reopen Delta Landing site in Pittsburg, and $60,000 for a Chinatown exhibit inside the Antioch Historical Society Museum on W. 4th Street. In addition, the council voted to grant $145,000 to the Celebrate Antioch Foundation for next year’s Sesquicentennial celebration of Antioch’s 150th anniversary of cityhood.

In addition, the council honored outgoing City Manager Ron Bernal with a presentation for his five years in the position and 26 years total with the City of Antioch.

At the beginning of the meeting, District 1 Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker again remained seated, with her back to the American flag during the Pledge of Allegiance.

Approve Minutes for Past Five Meetings

During the consent calendar, the council then approved the minutes from their regular and special meetings of Oct. 26, Nov. 2, Nov. 9, Nov. 16 and Nov. 23. At the meeting on Nov. 23 the council voted to postpone the approval of the minutes from the first four aforementioned meetings because they had not yet been prepared by the city clerk’s office. Minutes of the previous meeting are supposed to be prepared and included in the next meeting’s agenda. As of Wednesday evening, Dec. 15 the minutes for meetings since June 22 through Oct. 16 were finally on the council’s Agendas and Minutes page on the City’s website and the agenda for last night’s meeting is now on that page, although it wasn’t there as of yesterday, before the meeting began. The public was directed to the City’s calendar page to find them. (See related editorial)

Redistricting Presentation of 8 Alternative Maps, Process Extended

In response to a question by District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica about the redistricting deadline, Jane Hood of consultant Q2 Data and Research, who provided the presentation during the third of four scheduled public hearings, Tuesday night, the council has until April 17 to choose a final map of new district boundaries. The schedule was to conclude with a final vote on January 25 but both Barbanica and District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock agreed with those who spoke during public comments that residents and the council needed more time. Mayor Pro Tem Monica Wilson was absent for the presentation and District 1 Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker who made no comments during the discussion voted to abstain on the motion to extend the process, without explanation.

All eight maps were presented to the council, including the three created by Q2 staff and the five submitted by the public. (See related article)

Two members of the public urged the council to approve Map B. Ogorchock, who expressed her displeasure with that option, asked Hood to make some changes to Map C between Districts 3 and 4 on the east end of Antioch north of Lone Tree Way. But the modifications resulted in District 3 having too high of a population percentage deviation greater than 5% from average, which is the legal limit, and District 4 with too small of a population, also greater than the 5% deviation from average. So, Ogorchock abandoned the effort.

Thorpe said all eight maps would be brought back for consideration at the next public hearing on redistricting on January 11.

Unanimously Approve Cannabis Cultivation Facility

The council, on a 5-0 vote, approved the application by KWMA Collective, LLC to operate a cannabis cultivation facility at 2101 W. 10th Street in the same building that houses both the Delta Dispensary and the recently approved Delta Labs. (See related article)  KWMA Collective cannabis biz ACC121421

Approve Funds for Transitional Housing for 15 Antioch Unhoused Residents

The council on a 5-0 vote also approved spending $284,700 to place 15 unhoused Antioch residents at the new Delta Landing Interim Housing site in Pittsburg, which is estimated to re-open its doors within 30 days. The action was in response to the recommendation by the Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Unhoused Residents made up of Mayor Lamar Thorpe and Councilman Barbanica, earlier this month. (See related article)

According to the City staff report the funds will be spent “for a duration of 12 months; to be drawn from the current General Fund budget balance of previously earmarked funds to address unhoused resident needs.”

In addition, the staff report explains, “As part of ongoing dialogue between the City and County, a MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) has been developed that provides access to City initiated, CORE (the county’s Coordinated Outreach Referral, Engagement program) approved referrals for a maximum of 15 bed nights at any one time over a period of one year. The cost to the City is $52/night when City referrals are placed and beds are utilized. Wrap around support services include benefit assistance, medical services, behavioral health services, as well as case management, housing navigation and rapid rehousing assistance.”

“The timing for securing potential space through a formal agreement is immediate should the City wish to exercise bed options upon facility re-opening,” the staff report continues. “It is a rare and unique window to have access to a total of 15 new City referred, CORE approved placements at one time.”

Barbanica moved approval of the expenditure and MOU and it was approved on a 5-0 vote.

Approves $145,000 for Antioch’s Sesquicentennial Celebration

During the consent calendar, the council approved spending $145,000 for the Celebrate Antioch Foundation to put on events for next year’s Sesquicentennial celebration of Antioch’s 150th anniversary of cityhood. According to the City staff report, the Celebrate Antioch Foundation is also committing to raising $56,500 to be used toward Sesquicentennial Events. A variety of events and activities are planned throughout the community, beginning on Feb. 6 the day the City was incorporated in 1872.  Sesquicentennial CAF Budget ACC121421

Council Spends $60,000 on Chinatown Historical Exhibit

Earlier in the meeting, the council, on a 5-0 vote, agreed to spend $60,000 on a contract with the same San Francisco-based firm that developed the new City logo, ad campaign “Opportunity Lives Here” and the Rivertown Dining District logo, to create a new Chinatown exhibit inside the Antioch Historical Society Museum. Antioch’s Chinatown was burned down in 1876. In June, during the signing ceremony by the council of a resolution apologizing for that tragedy and the racism against Chinese immigrants in the late 1800’s, the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA) Foundation agreed to donate $10,000 for the exhibit. (See related article)

Appoints Barbanica City’s New Mayor Pro Tem

During the 15th and final agenda item of the council meeting, City Attorney Thomas Lloyd Smith said, “According to the ordinance in our municipal code passed by city council, we have a rotation of the guard. It’s more of a formality because it’s already outlined in the municipal code.” (See related article)

Without discussion or public comment Ogorchock made the motion “to appoint Mike Barbanica as our next mayor pro tem”. Torre-Walker seconded the motion. It passed on a 5-0 vote.

“Are you ready for this? You may have to call a press conference from time to time, visit a crime scene,” Mayor Lamar Thorpe joked.

Barbanica replaces Wilson in the position who held it this year, having gained the highest percentage of votes of all four council members in last November’s election. The councilman garnered the second highest percentage of votes.

Bernal Offers Farewell

City Manager Ron Bernal will retire at the end of the month, briefly said at the end of his final meeting in the position, “I wanted to thank the council…for the past five years. It’s been a privilege and an honor.”

Thorpe Announces Interim City Manager Started Monday

“Welcome to our interim city manager who started on Monday, Mr. Con Johnson,” Thorpe added, then wished everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

No announcement had yet been offered by either the mayor or city staff that Johnson had successfully passed his background check. Questions were emailed Wednesday morning to the mayor, council members, and city staff asking about that. No response was received as of late Wednesday night.

The next regular Antioch City Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022.