Candidate Workshop: June 24, 2024

Hosted by Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder-Elections Department at Antioch Senior Center, 415 W. 2nd Street, in Antioch’s historic, downtown Rivertown.

For more information and to register click, here.

“Not any business, including any business I worked for would take a deposit at night” – Craig Cannon, Contra Costa County Fair Board President

Shares more details, says policies and procedures will be discussed at next Board meeting June 12

Positive Fair news: Mexican rodeo group working to bring Hispanic-themed events to former arena

By Allen D. Payton

Following the armed robbery of proceeds from the Contra Costa County Fair during an attempted bank deposit early Monday morning, May 20, 2024, after the end of this year’s fair Sunday night, on Thursday, Fair Board President Craig Cannon shared additional details about the incident. (See related article)

Asked to confirm the amount of $90,000 that was stolen he said, “I got it as a little under $100,000. I got that from the police. (Fair CEO) Joe Brengle’s not even talking to me.”

However, according to another board member, John Pence, Brengle sent out an email Wednesday night to him and the other board members about the matter. Cannon said he hadn’t seen it.

“Not any business, including any business I worked for would take a deposit at night,” Cannon continued. “It’s unusual. It’s one of the things I want to get the board together to talk about. Why would you make such a poor decision? The only one who has a deposit key is the fair manager.”

“A lot of information is not being shared when it’s supposed to be,” he stated. “It all boils down to the fair manager. He handles the overall money receipts, personnel, hiring and firing. But Joe works for the board. We hire and fire him.”

Asked if insurance will cover any of the loss, Cannon said, “I don’t believe so because it wasn’t during Fair hours or on property and it wasn’t in the bank. There’s a really thin line, there.”

Asked why the people depositing the funds weren’t joined by armed escorts by either the contracted security firm or county sheriff’s deputies, he responded, “That’s the question I’m trying to find out. But he’s (Brengle’s) not being forthright. That’s what we will discuss at the next board meeting. I’ve talked to the State of California, and they said I can’t have an emergency meeting. In my eyes, almost a hundred grand is a major crime against us.”

About the security firm, Praetorian and this year’s Fair, Cannon said, “They were great. This year’s fair was a good one and safe.”

He then reiterated what was shared with other media, that the loss of that amount of money could impact the fair’s music headliners and animal attractions for next year.

“This whole thing stinks,” he stated.

Two Temporary Staffers Handled Deposit

Asked who handled the deposit Cannon said, “Two temporary staffers hired by the Fair, this year in charge of parking and ticket sales. That’s another red flag. Something’s really wrong. Joe seems like a sensible guy. I don’t know why he would make that decision.”

Asked why the money wasn’t left in a safe on the fairgrounds and deposited during daylight, he said, “That’s a decision for the fair manager” and shared that the Fair, technically state’s 23rd District Agricultural Association, currently only has two full-time employees, Brengle and an administrative assistant who works in the office with him.

Since it’s the public’s money Cannon said, “That’s my concern. I also suggested the state bring in the CHP which oversees county fairs in the state. They delegate the authority to the county sheriff’s office.”

“I don’t work for the state,” he explained. “I’m appointed by the governor. Not this governor, the past one. The appointments are renewed. We can barely have a meeting quorum. If someone is sick, we can’t hold a meeting. The governor’s busy with the budget.”

Asked why the funds weren’t taken to the bank by the fair manager and a board member for a check and balance and if there is a procedure in place Cannon stated, “There will be. The Fair Board is all about policies and procedures. The manual is about 50 pages. But we don’t handle the day-to-day. Taking funds to the bank during daylight hours should be the policy.”

“He (Brengle) hasn’t been forthcoming to anyone on the board about this,” the fair board president reiterated. “This is crazy. It makes no sense at all.”

One positive thing Cannon shared is that a Mexican rodeo group is working to bring Hispanic-themed events to the former arena that was used as the paintball park.

The next board meeting, which is open to the public, will be held Wednesday, June 12 at 7:00 p.m. in the Fair Board Directors’ Room at the Contra Costa Event Center (fairgrounds) located at 1201 W. 10th Street in Antioch.

Possibly $90,000, police seek public’s help

By Acting Sergeant Kristian Palma #6286 Antioch Police Department Investigations Bureau

On Monday, May 20, 2024, at approximately 2:18 AM, Antioch police officers responded to the 2500 block of Somersville Road for the report of an armed robbery.

When officers arrived, they contacted two victims. Officers learned the victims were employees of the Contra Costa County Event Park (Fairgrounds). The Contra Costa County Fair had ended, and two employees were tasked with conducting the night deposit. While conducting the night deposit at the BMO Bank they were approached by an unknown suspect. The suspect robbed the victims of the money and personal belongings at gunpoint.

Other news reports have pegged the amount stolen at $90,000. When asked, a county fair representative offered no comment but didn’t know how that amount was known by other media. Questions were emailed late Wednesday night to Fair CEO Joe Brengle asking if that’s correct, why the deposit was made at that time instead of leaving it in a safe on the fairgrounds and waiting until Monday morning to make the deposit, what is the usual procedure and for any additional information he could share.

We are asking for anyone with information regarding the incident to contact the Antioch Police Department Investigations Bureau. Additional inquiries or information can be directed to Antioch Police Detective Sgt. Palma at (925) 779-6876 or by emailing kpalma@antiochca.gov.

Additional questions were emailed to Brengle Thursday afternoon including:

“Shouldn’t the deposit of such an amount be made with an armed escort, such as staff from the security company, Praetorian hired by the Fair this year or county sheriff’s deputies? Does the Fair have policies and procedures in place for handling deposits? Were they followed? What are they? What amount does the $90,000 (or more) represent of the Fair’s proceeds? Will the Fair’s insurance cover any or all of the loss? What impacts will it have for the Fair’s future?”

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

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).

Free class to develop responsible, young drivers

By Isiah Thompson, Departmental Community and Media Relations Coordinator, Contra Costa County Probation Dept. 

Martinez, CA – Contra Costa County Probation has renewed their partnership with California Highway Patrol (CHP) to prepare and develop responsible young drivers. The partners will host the CHP’s Start Smart classes at 50 Douglas Drive, Ste. 200, in Martinez. Dates will be offered in the future and will be posted on the Probation Department’s website and social media sites.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the leading cause of death for Americans 15-20 years old is motor vehicle collisions. The California Highway Patrol’s goal is to reduce the death rate among teenagers caused by these collisions. Start Smart provides teens and their parents/guardians with an interactive safe driving awareness class that will illustrate how poor choices behind the wheel of a vehicle can affect the lives of numerous people. Start Smart also focuses on the responsibilities of newly licensed drivers, the responsibilities of parents/guardians, and the collision-causing elements for new drivers, especially males, such as excessive speed, driving under the influence, and distracted driving. Start Smart teaches what precautions to take to stay safe, such as seatbelt safety, collision avoidance techniques, and what to do when involved in a collision.

“We are excited to host Smart Start. This partnership with California Highway Patrol provides youth in Contra Costa County with the opportunity to gain invaluable knowledge, that ultimately creates safer drivers, and safer communities,” said Esa Ehmen-Krause, Chief Probation Officer.

The classes are FREE to the participants, who will receive a certificate of completion that may be utilized to reduce vehicle insurance fees.

“No other areas were suggested for them in Antioch or elsewhere.” – Acting City Manager Kwame Reed

Homeless advocates not happy they weren’t notified to be there to help the residents

“…they have just displaced these souls with absolutely no solution as to where they should go” – Nichole Gardner

By Allen D. Payton

On Tuesday morning, March 19, 2024, City of Antioch staff cleared out 70 vehicles and “approximately 100” people from the eastern end of Wilbur Avenue near Hwy 160, between the power plant and vineyards.

A post on the City’s Facebook page reads, “Teaming up to revitalize our community.

Today, numerous City departments partnered to clean up Wilbur Avenue. With a coordinated effort that included our Code Enforcement team, Police Department, Public Works, Public Safety & Community Resources Department, the Angelo Quinto Crisis Response Team (AQCRT), Parking Enforcement, and Antioch Animal Services the Wilbur Avenue area has been abated. In total, 70 vehicles were cleared, and support services were offered to people and pets at the location. Together, we can make a difference!

We would also like to thank our Contra Costa County partners for their support leading up to today.”

Questions were emailed Tuesday after work hours to Public Safety and Community Resources Department Tasha Johnson and Unhoused Resident Coordinator Jazmin Ridley. They were asked how many individuals were living there and how many of them were school-aged children.

They were also asked if another location in Antioch or elsewhere has been offered for the motorhomes and campers. Finally, they were asked what “support services were offered to people and pets at the location” as written in the post. But neither responded. On Wednesday, the questions were then sent again to them and Acting City Manager Kwame Reed.

On Friday, March 22, Reed responded there were “approximately 100” people moved from the Wilbur Avenue encampment. But he shared that information on the number of school-aged children “was not tracked.”

Reed also said, “No other areas were suggested for them in Antioch or elsewhere.” Yet, “over the past 2-3 weeks, staff in association with the Care Team and County’s CORE (Coordinated Outreach Referral, Engagement) Team, visited the location to provide assistance.” 

The Antioch Care Team (ACT) was formed in 2021 “to reduce non‐warrant arrests that result during a 911 response; reduce the number of individuals transported to the emergency department for non-life threatening medical-related issues that could instead be addressed in a prehospital care setting; and reduce the number of behavioral health and lower acuity medical calls traditionally responded to by Police and Fire.”

It’s now referred to as the AQCRT.

Advocates Not Happy They Weren’t Informed

In addition, local volunteer homeless advocates, Andrew Becker and Nichole Gardner were asked if they were aware of the cleanup before it occurred and for their comments on the City’s efforts.

Gardner responded, “No. It was unfortunate too because our team would have gladly helped with making sure that the folks that were there knew that the city was clearing out the area (if they did not receive a proper notice) and would have been there to support by supplying bags and helping them pack up their belongings. We could have also provided food, drinks and supplies as it takes a physical toll on folks having to move everything they had on short notice.”

“We know that these sweeps that the city does causes emotional and physical trauma to people in encampments who are dealing with mental illness and hoarding disorders,” she continued. “We have seen individuals break down in tears because they are so emotionally attached to their items.”

“One of the lieutenants at APD used to call us to let us know when there would be a big sweep such as this, we were surprised that he did not reach out after knowing such a large sweep was going to take place,” Gardner shared. “I was told that APD was there which I was confused about because we have the Mental Health Crisis Response team (purple people) for a reason. There was no crime being committed so therefore I don’t know why we are wasting police resources on clearing out encampments, especially when we are lacking so many officers. “

“I am not naïve to think that this area did not need a good cleaning,” she stated. “Some people in encampments tend to suffer from hoarding disorders and hoard things that others consider garbage, but I am disappointed that when these clean ups take place, they not only don’t have a place for people to go for shelter but no safe parking lot for these RV’s. What is more upsetting is that they show up with tow trucks to tow away the only place that they call home and leave them to be in the elements without shelter.”

“It was sickening seeing the City Facebook page about how they cleared the area. The city bragged about cleaning up the area to appease the community members while forgetting that they have just displaced these souls with absolutely no solution as to where they should go,” the local homeless advocate said. “We need a safe parking lot for these RV’s with staff to be sure that they are maintained and people are not bringing in anything that does not fit in their RV.”

“If the city spent more time focusing on being proactive by putting money into mental health, affordable housing, shelters, and safe parking with porta potties and dumpsters and stop spending hundreds of thousands of dollars a year into cleaning up encampments all over the city we wouldn’t be in this situation,” Gardner added.

Becker responded, “I was not aware of the abatement that took place, no notice was given by the City to advocates, locally. We had multiple conversations with the City, previously regarding abatements. We had been told we would be notified as well as CORE.”

“When I arrived at the site at 12:30 pm, 90% of the individuals and their property had been removed,” he continued. “CORE was not on site, only APD and neighboring law enforcement agencies. Beyond the update the City posted online, I have no knowledge of what resources were made available. I also do not know whether individuals’ items were stored or disposed of. There were no alternative temporary encampment locations made available to the residents to my knowledge.”

Later, in response to the information provided by Reed, Becker asked, “Does that assistance mean placement? How many of those people were placed?”

“There were limited services. They said Animal Services was out there. But I had to wrangle two chickens, myself and took them to Animal Services,” he added.

Hosted by Contra Costa Commission for Women and Girls

(Martinez, CA) – The Contra Costa Commission for Women and Girls is partnering with hosting Making Herstory 2024: Inspiring Women in Nontraditional Jobs and Professions on March 23.

The panel will feature women who have navigated careers seen as ‘nontraditional’, trailblazing in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math), public safety, skilled trades, and beyond. The Commission encourages participation of women, supporters, and especially young women and girls.

Keynote Speaker: California State Treasurer Fiona Ma

Youth Speaker: Krisha Singhani, Entrepreneur and creator of FEmale, menstruation-induced anemia detection non-invasive device

Panelists:

Sabina Zafar, Founder and CEO of AI Cloud Consulting and former Fortune 100 Executive

Swati Mohan, Aerospace Engineer for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Shawnay Tarquinio, Firefighter, San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District

Eva Allen, Founder-CEO and Executive Chef of Full Belly Bakery

Faye Maloney, Police Sergeant and Chair, Contra Costa Commission on the Status of Women and Girls

Rachel Shoemake, Electrician, IBEW Local Union 302

Date and Location:

Saturday, March 23 – 11 am to 12:30 pm

Virtual event via Zoom

Register here: bit.ly/Herstory2024

For further information about the Making Herstory 2024 panel and the Contra Costa Commission for Women and Girls, please email cccwomenscommission@gmail.com.

District 5 residents who want to get involved in improving their communities

Applications due March 29

Supervisor Federal Glover announced opportunities for District 5 residents to make decisions affecting their communities. “A lot of policies begin in these county commissions and boards,” said Glover. Commissions are appointed by the Board of Supervisors based on his recommendation. Interested individuals may apply online at: https://contra-costa.granicus.com/boards/forms/321/apply/ or they can contact Supervisor Glover’s office at (925) 608-4200. Completed applications must be received in Supervisor Glover’s office by close of business Friday, March 29, 2023.

Crockett-Carquinez Fire Protection District Fire Advisory Commission: reviews and advises on annual operations and capital budgets; reviews Fire District expenditures; advises the Fire Chief on district service matters; and serves as a liaison between the Board of Supervisors and the community served by the fire district. The seats that are open are: 1 Regular Seat (Appointee 2). Meetings are held on the third Thursday of the month at 7:00 p.m. at 746 Loring Avenue, Crockett, CA 94525. The current seat opening has a term ending December 31, 2024. For information call Dean Colombo at (925) 787-0790.

Emergency Medical Care Committee: Role is to review the County’s ambulance and other emergency services as required in State law; and serves in an advisory capacity to the County Board of Supervisors, and to the County EMS Agency, on matters relating to emergency medical services as directed by the Board. The Committee meets at the Contra Costa County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Administrative Office, 777 Arnold Drive, Martinez, CA, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The current vacancy is for District V – Consumer Representative with a term ending September 30, 2024. For information, call Rachel Morris (925) 608-5454. Rachel.Morris@cchealth.org

Measure X Community Advisory Board: The Measure X Community Advisory Board was established by the Board of Supervisors on February 2, 2021 to advise the Board of Supervisors on the use of Measure X transactions and use tax funds. The current vacancy is for the District 5 Seat – Alternate seat with a term ending March 31, 2025. The meetings are normally scheduled for Wednesday’s at 5:00 p.m. For information call Adam Nguyen at (925) 655-2048. Adam.Nguyen@cao.cccounty.us

Measure X Community Fiscal Oversight Committee: The Measure X Community Fiscal Oversight Committee was established by the Board of Supervisors earlier this year to advise the Board of Supervisors on financial audits of Measure X tax funds. The current vacancy is for the District 5 Seat with a term ending December 31, 2024. The meeting dates and times are to be determined. For information call Adam Nguyen at (925) 655-2048. Adam.Nguyen@cao.cccounty.us

Mental Health Commission: The Mental Health Commission was established to review and assess the community’s mental health needs, services, facilities, and special problems, in order to advise the Board of Supervisors concerning local mental health services and programs. The current vacancies are for the District 5 Seat 3 with a term ending June 30, 2027. The Mental Health Commission meets the first Wednesday of each month from 4:30-6:30 p.m. For information call Angela Beck at (925) 313-9553. Angela.Beck@cchealth.org