Co-hosted by Antioch Police Department and Grace Bible Fellowship

Grace Bible Fellowship is located at 3415 Oakley Road in Antioch. For more information visit www.gbfofantioch.org.

Team Jesus Outreach Ministries is a non-profit organization committed to providing basic necessities to those in need. Together, we can make a difference in their lives by providing food, water, clothing, toiletries, and positive words. Our ministry team and volunteers reach out into the local community to share the unconditional, uncondemning, and all-consuming love of God!

The breakfast will be held from 9:00-11:00 AM at 11 Texas Street in Antioch.

For more information visit www.teamjesusoutreach.org.

By Rivertown Community Church

Get ready for an incredible day of classic cars, family fun, and community impact! Join Disciples Car Club Ministry and Rivertown Community Church for a high-energy Benefit Car Show you won’t want to miss Saturday, October 10, 2026.

Whether you’re bringing a ride, setting up as a vendor, or just coming to enjoy the day—there’s something here for everyone.

BENEFIT CAR SHOW

October 10, 2026

Rivertown Community Church

11 Worrell Road, Antioch

EVENT SCHEDULE

9:00 AM – Vehicle Arrival

10:00 AM – Show Starts

11:00 AM – 1:30 PM – Opportunity Drawings + Pie Eating Contest (Cash Prizes!)

2:00 PM – Awards

2:30 PM – Roll Out

VEHICLE REGISTRATION

$30 Early Registration

$35 Day of Event

Register Your Vehicle Here: https://forms.gle/5FtEDg44h5WPoPdZ8

VENDOR REGISTRATION

Want to showcase your business or products? We’d love to have you! We will not need food vendors.

Register as a Vendor Here: https://forms.gle/2A7fizeJBWmY28sAA

WHAT TO EXPECT

• Classic Cars & Custom Builds
• Kids Zone (Fun for the whole family!)
• Awards & Trophies
• Food & Fellowship
• Opportunity Drawings
• Pie Eating Contest

WHY IT MATTERS

All proceeds go toward:

• Sending men to camp
• Providing holiday gifts for families in need through our Adopt-A-Family outreach

Bring your family, invite your friends, and come be part of something bigger than just a car show—it’s a day of community, connection, and making a difference.

There’s a seat for everyone.

As a final note- RIVERTOWN COMMUNITY CHURCH is the only entity working on Registration, The church will be the only way WE reach out to you. Any comments from other individuals are fraudulent and not to be trusted!

For more information about Rivertown Community Church visit https://sites.google.com/rivertowncc.com/rcc/. For more information about the Disciples Car Club Ministry visit www.facebook.com/disciplesccm.

Following receipt of 60-day rental termination notice

By Sharon Sobel Idul, Board President, El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation

The El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation (ECTPF) has been served with a 60-day notice from the attorney representing the new owners terminating our tenancy. These owners made no attempt to discuss the Foundation’s continued operations at the theatre with ECTPF before the notice was served. (See related article)

We know this news will be difficult for the many people who love the theatre.  We want our audiences, artists, and neighbors to hear this clearly: all shows currently on the calendar through November 30 will take place. We look forward to seeing you all soon. 

We are also working with Black Diamond Ballet to see whether its beloved production of Nutcracker can be moved to an earlier date at El Campani Theatre. We know how much this holiday tradition means to our community and we will share an update as soon as plans are confirmed.

For years, you have filled the seats, made donations, volunteered your time, brought friends to performances, and spoken up for this theatre. Your support has meant more to us than we can say. We are grateful to be part of a community that cares so deeply.

We hope you’ll join us for the shows ahead. Bring someone who has never been to El Campanil Theatre. Share an event you’re excited about. Most of all, come enjoy the music, dance, and stories that this stage was made for.

Find upcoming shows, tickets at www.ElCampanilTheatre.com. We will share further updates as they become available.

State law requires a 60-day notice to terminate tenancy for commercial buildings.

As previously reported, on August 20th, Sobel Idul issued a statement that included, “The El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation (ECTPF)…is a tenant of the theatre property, which is owned by an out-of-state landlord. We are aware of the potential sale of the property and of fundraising efforts being circulated online by a potential buyer. Those efforts are independent of ECTPF and do not reflect the mission of our organization and it is unlikely that we would be able to continue to provide theatre programming at El Campanil Theatre if they acquire the space.

She further wrote, “We hope the city, our community, and artists alike can come together to help maintain our mission, if not we will no longer be able to continue our arts management in this space.”  

“For now, our focus remains on operating the theatre, welcoming audiences and community organizations, supporting the artists and renters who bring this stage to life, and continuing to be a gathering place for Antioch and the surrounding region,” Sobel Idul concluded in her Aug. 20th statement.

About the El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation

The El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation is the nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining and operating El Campanil Theatre, a historic performing arts venue in downtown Antioch, California. Originally opened in 1928, the theatre is a cherished cultural landmark presenting live performances, films, and educational programs for audiences of all ages. The Foundation relies on community donations to preserve this beloved institution and keep the arts thriving in East Contra Costa County.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

See related articles:

CA State Parks’ Office of Historic Preservation announces start of State Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program | Contra Costa Herald

Antioch Council hears earful from public upset with El Campanil Theatre sale | Antioch Herald

Former El Campanil Theatre leader says they tried to get City to take over building or form partnership before 2023 sale | Antioch Herald

Former El Campanil Theatre leader asks church to reconsider purchase | Antioch Herald

City of Antioch had ample funds to purchase El Campanil Theatre in 2023 and this year, spoke to owner before sale | Antioch Herald

El Campanil Theatre board president responds to concerns, questions, accusations over church’s purchase of building | Antioch Herald

Owner explains reasons for selling Antioch’s historic El Campanil Theatre | Antioch Herald Includes information regarding Community meeting gets heated after pastor, congregants invited in; false accusations made of carrying guns; claim of a police report filed

Historic El Campanil Theatre building sold to church led by Antioch resident | Antioch Herald

El Campanil Theatre to hold community meeting on building’s future Tuesday | Antioch Herald

Community rallies to support El Campanil Theatre as fundraising effort surpasses $50,000 goal | Antioch Herald

El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation launches community drive to keep arts alive in Antioch | Antioch Herald

Pastor calls it “historic moment” declares a “Year of Movement” for church

UPDATE 1: Says “not coming into downtown Antioch to diminish, erase, or destroy” but “add to the incredible history…” and “Church remains intentional about seeing Antioch and the Rivertown District thrive.”

UPDATE 2: Theatre foundation served with 60-day rental termination notice; “We’ll have shows thru Nov 30th it looks like!” – Foundation Board Chair Sobel Idul

By Allen D. Payton

Escrow on the sale of the 98-year-old El Campanil Theatre in Antioch’s historic downtown Rivertown closed Friday, September 25, four days earlier than originally planned for today, Sept. 29th. Legendary Movement Church is now the owner, only the fourth owner in the building’s history, including the Stamm and Beede families who built it, the El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation and Tung and Tiffany Bui.

But there are still performances scheduled in the theatre through December, including the next three Saturdays, and some members of the public, especially those who have already purchased tickets want to know if the show will go on.

In an email to tenants Friday afternoon, the Buis announced the close of escrow writing, “We…have been informed that the sale of the theater is complete and recorded.”

In a Facebook video post on Saturday by Eli Herrera, Lead Pastor of the church, which purchased the building, he encouraged his members to be at church on Sunday for a “Big Announcement”. Below that he also shared the Friday post on the Antioch Herald Facebook page announcing the close of escrow which reads, “Breaking: El Campanil Theatre sold! It’s been confirmed by the Herald that the sale recorded today, Friday, Sept. 25, four days earlier than originally scheduled.” Herrera wrote, “Well now that the news is out. Join us this Sunday at Legendary Movement for full statement and celebration. GOD DID IT.”

Then on Sunday, in a video posted on the church’s Instagram account and Facebook page, Herrera showed himself and his wife, Jane talking about the purchase while driving to and entering the Old Republic Title office, then meeting with the title officer and real estate broker Michael Temby, for the signing which occurred on Tuesday, September 22nd.

Herrera said, “It’s closing day, baby and I’m super excited. I don’t know about ya’ll but I’m beyond ecstatic. Because today we close, we get the key, the church gets the key, the family gets the key, the Kingdom gets the key. What God starts, no man can stop. The doors that God opens nobody can shut. God’s ‘yes’ goes beyond anything we could ever think, ask or imagine.”

In light of the resistance they’ve experienced from many in the community over the purchase of the theater, Temby offered some wisdom to the Herreras saying “Pilots love blue skies and tailwinds because that pushes you along and there’s no resistance. But there’s always headwinds in life and when you get the headwinds is when you grow and learn, and those create some extra character. We’ve all had some headwinds in this journey.” Eli replied, “Absolutely. It’s been a journey.”

After signing the papers, the four of them then prayed together over the transaction with their hands on the title documents and the Herreras celebrated with smiles while holding a signed document and a kiss.

Eli then thanked, “everybody who believed in the vision. Thank you to everybody who sowed a seed. Thank you to the families for all the hard work. I know this took an entire tribe to get this done.” Jane then said, “It was truly God’s super meeting our natural. We’re forever grateful for each and everyone of you who have believed and sowed into good soil.” That’s a reference to Jesus’ Parable of the Sower in the book of Matthew, chapter 13 in the Bible.

Eli concluded the video by saying, “I just want to encourage you, you ain’t seen nothing yet. God is still moving. God is still doing. Rivertown will be saved for Jesus.  Love you all.”

“The harvest is ready,” Jane added.

“Historic Moment” for Church

With the post of the video the Herreras also wrote, “TODAY, WE MADE HISTORY. 

Today marks a historic moment for Legendary Movement Church as we announced that we are officially the owners of the El Campanil Theatre at 602 W. 2nd Street in downtown Antioch, California.

There were mountains. There were battles. There were moments when we didn’t know how it was going to happen.

But God did.

Not man. Not our strength. Not our ability.

GOD DID THIS.

Every prayer. Every sacrifice. Every person who gave. Every person who stood in the gap. Every person who believed with us. We will never forget what it took to get here, and we will never forget WHO brought us here.

All glory belongs to Jesus.

And while today is a day to celebrate, we know this is not the finish line.

It’s the starting line.

There is work to do. People to reach. Families to restore. Generations to impact. A city to serve. A region to love. And a house to build for the glory of God.

We didn’t just acquire a building.

God entrusted us with a place where generations will encounter His presence.

Legendary, we’re home.

And we’re just getting started.

TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY.”

————-

Efforts to reach Herrera since Friday have been unsuccessful. He was at a men’s retreat over the weekend. Herrera was asked if the performances currently planned for the theatre through December will go on, including the Nutcracker, which is a production of Black Diamond Ballet, owned by current foundation board president, Sharon Sobel Idul, and if he’s spoken to her.

Asked if she had spoken to Herrera, Sobel Idul responded on Monday, Sept. 28, “Still as of today no contact from the church or the pastor.”

UPDATE 2: Theatre Foundation Served with 60-Day Rental Termination Notice

The theatre foundation was served with a Sixty Day Notice to Terminate Tenancy on Wednesday, Sept. 29. Sobel Idul said, “It was taped to our door this morning.” California requires a 60-day notice to terminate tenancy for commercial buildings. So, the shows scheduled in October will go one.

Asked if she had spoken with the pastor, yet regarding possible other performances such as the Nutcracker in December, Sobel Idul responded, “Haven’t been by the theatre yet, but a community member posted this and his attorney called and confirmed that it was processed. Still no communication from the church. We’ll have shows thru Nov 30th it looks like!”

UPDATE 1: Pastor Tells Downtown Association Not Coming “to Diminish, Erase or Destroy” But “Add to the Incredible History”

However, during the monthly meeting of the Downtown Antioch Association Tuesday evening, Sept 29th, organization leader Debbie Blaisure received a message from Herrera which he asked her to read as he was unable to attend as planned, she shared.

He wrote, “To everyone gathered tonight, I know many of you are aware of Legendary Movement Church’s recent purchase of the El Campanil Theatre. I also understand that there may be different opinions and perspectives surrounding the purchase, and I respect that.

“What I want everyone to know is that my heart and our heart as a church remains intentional about seeing Antioch and the Rivertown District thrive.

“My family, our congregation, and I are not coming into downtown Antioch to diminish, erase, or destroy its history. We are simply believing that we can help add to the incredible history that has already been written here.

“You can count on Legendary Movement Church to have conversations, listen, participate, support community events, build relationships, and do our part to strengthen unity throughout our city. We want to be known as people who bring love, grace, compassion and a genuine desire to serve.

“As we enter the final quarter of this year and approach the holiday season, my prayer is that we can move forward together with peace, unity, and joy. We may not always agree on everything, but I believe we can still work together toward something we all share: a desire to see Antioch and Rivertown thrive and become everything we know they can be.

“God bless you all, and I look forward to the conversations and opportunities ahead.

“Pastor Eli Herrera Legendary Movement Church”

Real Estate Broker, Former Owner Won’t Say Why They Stopped Speaking With City

The listing on Vanguard.com shows the building was listed for sale on November 23, 2025, and remained on the market for 257 days. The description reads, “Prime opportunity to acquire a landmark property in the heart of Antioch’s revitalizing Rivertown Business District. Originally constructed in 1928 and restored beginning in 2003, El Campanil Theatre offers a unique blend of historic character and proven performance as a community arts venue. The property benefits from exceptional visibility along the Antioch waterfront, steady public traffic, and a long-standing reputation as a regional cultural destination. With a history of hosting over 100 annual events, performances, and rehearsals, the theatre provides immediate operational potential for continued arts programming, live entertainment, film screenings, special events, and private rentals. Its Spanish-style architecture, established community recognition, and central downtown location make it a standout asset for investors seeking a versatile, income-producing property with long-term upside. Surrounded by ongoing downtown development and the broader Rivertown Renaissance vision, El Campanil presents a strategic opportunity for investors, nonprofits, or developers looking to anchor growth in a high-exposure corridor. Ideal for continued performing arts use or adaptive reuse concepts such as mixed cultural venues, event operations, entertainment ventures, or community partner.”

As previously reported, Tung Bui said Michael Temby was his agent. However, it was later learned by the Herald, in a purchased Property Report, that Temby, a real estate broker, represented the church and his wife, Kellie, both of Discovery Bay-based Team Temby Properties, was the listing agent representing the Buis. That information is also available on real estate websites showing the listing of the theater building, including realty.com and Vanguard Properties which, as of Monday, September 28th, the sale price showed $1.45 million, $50,000 less than the $1.5 million asking price. As previously reported, the Buis bought the building from the foundation in May 2023 for $800,000.

As previously reported, Antioch District 1 City Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker said she, Mayor Pro Tem Don Freitas, Acting City Manager Ana Cortez and Sobel Idul had been in discussions with Bui and Temby about the City possibly buying the building but was “blindsided” to see the video by Herrera posted on the church’s Instagram account about needing to raise the downpayment. Freitas later said he hadn’t spoken with either Tung Bui or the Tembys.

On Monday, Sept. 21st, Michael Temby and Tung Bui were sent a link to the article and asked if they were speaking with representatives of the City before accepting the church’s offer and, if so, why did the discussions stop. Temby was also asked if it was because he and Kellie were representing both parties. Neither responded. Previously, Temby said he would be, “Happy to answer any questions after escrow closes.”

But efforts to reach him following the sale with those and additional questions were unsuccessful prior to publication time.

Herrera Declares a “Year of Movement” for Church

In a video posted on the church’s Facebook page on Tuesday, of his sermon this past Sunday, Herrera spoke about the church’s new ownership of the building while preaching from the book of 1st Samuel chapter 7 about King David, with an aerial photo of the theater on the wall behind him, “The Bible says they took territory they took everything. He’s sitting there in a big house, in a big mansion. Sitting in the big building in the middle of a great city…his mind does not think of the possession, his mind thinks of the presence of God. I make you this vow as your pastor, I will never fall more in love with a building than the presence of God. The presence of God is everything. We won’t go if the presence of God does not come with us. His presence delivers us. His presence heals us. His presence brings salvation. His presence brings revival.”

Above the video he wrote, “YEAR OF MOVEMENT

“We don’t just want the promise. We want His presence. We don’t just want the territory. We want Jesus. We don’t just want a building. We want revival. Jesus is everything. Antioch doesn’t just need another church. Antioch needs an encounter with Jesus. LORD, IF YOUR PRESENCE DOESN’T GO WITH US, WE DON’T WANT TO GO. Revival is here in Antioch, California. And it will be all for His glory. #revivalinthecity #revival #legendarymvmnt #legendary #antiochca”

In the post directly below that, Herrera wrote, “His presence means everything to us. More than the building. More than the moment. More than the growth. If we have everything but His presence, we have nothing. Jesus, You are the reason for it all.”

To see the current schedule of performances visit Upcoming Events – El Campanil Theatre.

To learn more about Legendary Movement Church visit www.legendarymvmnt.com.  

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

See related articles:

CA State Parks’ Office of Historic Preservation announces start of State Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program | Contra Costa Herald

Antioch Council hears earful from public upset with El Campanil Theatre sale | Antioch Herald

Former El Campanil Theatre leader says they tried to get City to take over building or form partnership before 2023 sale | Antioch Herald

Former El Campanil Theatre leader asks church to reconsider purchase | Antioch Herald

City of Antioch had ample funds to purchase El Campanil Theatre in 2023 and this year, spoke to owner before sale | Antioch Herald

El Campanil Theatre board president responds to concerns, questions, accusations over church’s purchase of building | Antioch Herald

Owner explains reasons for selling Antioch’s historic El Campanil Theatre | Antioch Herald Includes information regarding Community meeting gets heated after pastor, congregants invited in; false accusations made of carrying guns; claim of a police report filed

Historic El Campanil Theatre building sold to church led by Antioch resident | Antioch Herald

El Campanil Theatre to hold community meeting on building’s future Tuesday | Antioch Herald

Community rallies to support El Campanil Theatre as fundraising effort surpasses $50,000 goal | Antioch Herald

El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation launches community drive to keep arts alive in Antioch | Antioch Herald

Carraher says he worked to fulfill 2001 Board vote and 2003 commitment to City Council

Yet, all but two on city council, staff, and other theater board and staff in 2022 or 2023 say they didn’t speak to the other side prior to sale

Theater board, staff unaware of 2022 state law that might have prevented first sale to private party

Sale of theater was not made public by board either in 2023 or this year

By Allen D. Payton

In response to reports by the Herald regarding the purchase by a church of Antioch’s 98-year-old El Campanil Theatre building in the City’s historic, downtown Rivertown, members of the public and this reporter have been posing questions to decision makers and city leaders and conducting research on the original funding for the purchase and renovations in 2002 and 2003, and the first sale to a private party in 2023. Now that the City’s website includes copies of council meeting agendas and minutes dating back to 1997, searches have resulted in discovering a commitment made by the then-president of the El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation that the building would be “turned over free and clear to the City” if they were “unable to pay their bills” and a foundation board vote in 2001 giving the City “right-of-first-refusal to the building” if the non-profit “corporation is no longer able to function.”

But when the foundation ran into post-COVID financial difficulties, neither the transfer of the almost 11,000 square foot building happened nor is their proof or confirmation that the theater was first offered to the City before it was sold to a private party in 2023.

In addition, according to a resident and confirmed in state law, prior to the disposition of “all or substantially all” of a charitable non-profit organization’s assets, they are required to inform the California Attorney General for his office’s review and satisfaction. But prior to the sale in 2023, that didn’t happen either.

Summary

Rick Carraher, a former downtown business owner, the former president of the Rivertown Business District Association which initiated the effort to purchase and renovate the building in 2001, a former member of the City’s Economic Development Commission, as well as the theater’s first board president, first executive director, and later, board member, and the visionary behind the effort, made the 2003 commitment to the City Council before they voted to contribute $750,000 in redevelopment funds to help renovate the building and theater inside.

Carraher stated in an interview with the Herald this past week, “And I think in good faith we did that. The City was approached, first and the mayor and city manager knew of the theater’s financial difficulties,” before the 2023 sale, which Carraher also lined up.

By then, he had stepped down as executive director and again served on the board of directors of the foundation. (See related article)

Then in 2009, in a letter to the mayor and council when seeking a guarantee for the loan to replace the theater building’s HVAC system, Carraher disclosed the 2001 vote by the foundation’s board of directors that gave the City of Antioch the right-of-first refusal to the assets of the non-profit corporation if it could no longer function.

Carraher (pronounced “CARE-uh-her”) said the building was sold to the current owner because he was committed to maintaining the venue for the arts, which the owner reiterated. (See related article)

The theater’s visionary also explained in detail what transpired in 2023 sharing that the then-mayor mentioned to the then-board president one million dollars that was possibly available.

“But that never materialized,” Carraher stated. “So, we started looking for private investors.”

However, both of those people said they spoke to each other about the matter after the theater building was sold that year.

Background

The building includes the theater and three retail spaces on W. 2nd Street, and offices inside upstairs. Two of the street-level spaces are leased to local businesses. The foundation leases the rest of the building, using the third, street-level space as the ticket office. According to Carraher the 2023 sale included the building and all the equipment.

According to the History page on the theater’s website, which he wrote, the building was built in 1928, and it and the theater inside were “owned and operated by the Stamm family for 75 Years, or until 2003. In 2001, a small group of local citizens, including representatives of the Rivertown Business District Association, approached the City of Antioch with their desire to find a way to acquire and restore El Campanil, and to convert its use to one supportive of the Rivertown Renaissance plan. The…Association took the lead in securing funding from Calpine for the development of a comprehensive business plan…” That was the $50,000 initial contribution from Calpine, Carraher shared.

The theater’s history continues, “In July 2002, El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation was incorporated as a charitable, non-profit 501(c)3 organization. In early 2003, Calpine Corporation and the City of Antioch entered into an agreement whereby the Foundation received a grant to acquire the Theatre. In July 2003, El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation purchased the Theatre and began the process of converting the building to a community performing arts venue.”

Calpine granted the foundation $500,000 for purchase of the building from the Stamm family. Prior to the sale, another church, Fortress Christian Center, had previously rented and occupied the building for several years.

Thanks to Herald reader, Michelle Kuslits, who provided a copy of the minutes for the City Council meeting on Dec. 16, 2003, they show that before the 4-0 vote approving $750,000 in City redevelopment funds for renovations to the building, a commitment was made by Carraher, the then-foundation board president. According to that meeting’s agenda, the council was initially asked, “to provide direction to staff regarding funding of (an additional) $500,000 for the purchase of essential equipment and improvements for renovations to the El Campanil Theatre.” Then-mayor and now-Mayor Pro Tem Don Freitas was absent during the meeting but was supportive of both the $500,000 Calpine grant for the building’s purchase and funding from the City for renovations. (As previously reported, Freitas informed the Herald last week he would be unreachable for the following two weeks).

Building Was to “Be Turned Over Free and Clear to the City of Antioch”

According to the meeting minutes (see page 6), “Rick Carraher, President of the El Campanil Preservation Foundation, distributed a handout to the Council and gave a slide presentation on the history and the preservation goals of the El Campanil Preservation Foundation.

“Rick Carraher added this theatre would be used by a number of other community groups, including fund raising efforts for other groups. Regarding the City’s investment in this project, Mr. Carraher stated all monies would be dedicated to equipment and other tangible assets only, and would not pay any bills or consultants with the exception of the restoration plan itself which would be critical to the next phase. Furthermore, 100 percent of the monies would be put back into the theatre.

“Mr. Carraher also stated if the Theatre Preservation Foundation should, in the future, become unable to pay their bills, the Theatre would still have a high value, and the investment would be turned over free and clear to the City of Antioch, therefore the building and all of its contents and improvements would transfer to the City thus ensuring the facility would remain a community treasure.”

However, nothing to that effect was included in the motion adopted by the council. It read, “On motion by Councilmember (Jim) Conley and seconded by Councilmember (Brian) Kalinowski, the Council approving the allocation of $750,000 from the Promenade project to the El Campanil project with the stipulation the funds be repaid with RDA monies as they become available.” RDA refers to the City’s redevelopment agency, which no longer exists. The other two council members at that time were then-Mayor Pro Tem Jim Davis and Councilman Arne Simonsen.

For accuracy, minutes of government meetings are not verbatim and without the video of the meeting, which is not currently available on the City’s website, it’s not known what, if anything the council members said about Carraher’s stated commitment.

When reached for comment, Simonsen shared, “The City Attorney was supposed to put conditions on the property so that it would stay a nonprofit.”

While he claims his commitment was not binding on the theater foundation’s board, Carraher said they made the effort to first offer it to the City to take control either through outright ownership or some form of a partnership prior to the 2023 sale.

2001 Board Resolution Offering City “Right of First Refusal”

However, a commitment was made in writing. After finding it during a search of City files, City Attorney Lori Asuncion (pronounced uh-SUN-shun), on Tuesday, Sept. 8th, provided to the Herald a copy of the City staff report for an agenda item for the council meeting on Jan. 13, 2009, regarding the City guaranteeing the foundation’s loan for the HVAC system replacement that year. It contains a letter on foundation letterhead dated January 7, 2009, from then-executive director, Carraher to then-Mayor James Davis and the city and council which reads, “On March 9, 2001, the Board of Directors passed a resolution that gives the City of Antioch the Right of First Refusal to the Assets of the Corporation in the event that the Corporation is no longer able to function.”

An email was sent on Wed., Sept. 9th to current board president, Sharon Sobel Idul requesting a copy of the 2001 resolution. She responded, “I mentioned it to our board members. We’ll have to go digging in physical files. I’ll let you know if and when we find these items,” also referring to a copy of the 2003 agreement between Calpine and the City of Antioch. As of publication time on Friday, Sept. 11th that has not yet occurred.

City Redevelopment Funds

After redevelopment agencies in California were officially dissolved as of February 1, 2012, the City of Antioch has served as both the Successor Agency and the Housing Successor to the former Antioch Development Agency (ADA), the City’s name for its former redevelopment agency.

Public’s Questions About 2023 Sale

A variety of questions were posted in comments on the Antioch Herald Facebook page, by Kuslits, regarding the 2023 sale and she shared information about a law that went into effect on July 1, 2022, requiring notification by the foundation to the California Attorney General at least 20 days prior to the sale.

Kuslits wrote, “There are alot of questions to ask regarding the actions of the El Campanil Preservation Foundation and The City if [sic] Antioch in the 2023 sale and also the use of the grant, redevelopment funds and charitable donations used to renovate it. Those were public funds:” However, the grant was no public funds, as they were given by Calpine, a private company, directly to the foundation. Yet, they were the subject of the agreement between those two parties and the City.

She also asked, “What conditions were attached to the Calpine grant and the City’s redevelopment funds? Were any deed restrictions, public-use requirements, repayment provisions, rights of first refusal or City approval requirements placed on the property? Did the City, former Redevelopment Agency or Successor Agency consent to the Foundation’s 2023 sale of the property to a private, out-of-state purchaser?

“Before or after that sale, did the City investigate whether transferring the property to a nonpublic entity complied with the original grant agreements, redevelopment requirements and charitable purpose for which the property was acquired and renovated?

“Did the 2023 sale trigger any obligation to repay or reimburse the City or its Successor Agency? Was the City notified of the sale, and were any City-held covenants, liens, restrictions or other rights released or terminated?

“This one is very important: ‘Were the California Attorney General’s requirements governing the disposition of a charitable nonprofit’s principal assets reviewed and satisfied?’

“Were the charitable donations raised to preserve the theater subject to restrictions requiring the property, or the proceeds from its sale, to remain dedicated to a community theater or performing-arts purpose? What protections, if any, remain in effect to ensure that El Campanil continues to be available to the public for performing arts and cultural programming?

Kuslits also asked this reporter some of the same questions, writing, “Did you ask the El Campanil Preservation Foundation: ‘Were the charitable donations raised to preserve the theater subject to restrictions requiring the property or the proceeds from its sale to remain dedicated to a community theater or performing-arts purpose?’ and also: ‘Were the California Attorney General’s requirements governing the disposition of a charitable nonprofit’s principal assets reviewed and satisfied?’ The Foundation should be able to produce its Attorney General notice, appraisal and supporting transaction documents and any Attorney General acknowledgment, waiver or correspondence regarding the 2023 sale.”

2022 State Law Might Have Prevented 2023 Sale

Kuslits was referring to California’s AB 900, from the 2021-22 legislative session. According to For Purpose Law Group, “While it was originally written for charitable trusts, it was designed to close a loophole: before AB 900, California already required similar advance notice from officials of 501(c)(3) charitable organizations (California ‘public benefit’ corporations). Nonprofits that are charitable corporations…are considered ‘entities holding assets subject to a charitable trust’ under the statute.”

According to Church LawCenter.com, “In 2021, California lawmakers passed AB 900, which went into effect on July 1, 2022. This law aimed to add a new section to the Probate Code to fix an inadvertent loophole in the reporting requirements for California charities. The law at issue requires charities to give written notice to the Attorney General at least 20 days before selling, leasing, conveying, exchanging, transferring, or otherwise disposing of all or substantially all their charitable assets.

“On June 23, 2023, the Attorney General’s Office published a regulation interpreting certain aspects of the new law. The regulation is Section 328.1: ‘Notice of Transactions Involving All or Substantially All Assets of Charitable Corporation or Trust, or Assets in Charitable Trust Held by a Nonprofit Mutual Benefit Corporation.’

“Section 328.1(a) defines ‘substantially all’ as follows: ‘an asset or assets equal to or exceeding 75% of the value of all assets held by the charitable corporation or trust at the time of the notice or at any time during the six months before submitting the notice. Notice must be provided if the transaction involves ‘substantially all’ assets under either book value or fair market value.”

So, whether the theater’s foundation board had transferred the building and all of its assets to the City, to fulfill Carraher’s 2003 commitment to the council, or sold the building, as they did in 2023, the requirements of AB 900 were to still be followed but were not, mainly due to ignorance of the law.

THE THEATRE’S SIDE of THE MATTER

Carraher Provides Details

Carraher, who with his wife, Janis, owned Rivertown’s iconic Rick’s on Second restaurant, moved out of state four years ago, but continued to serve on the foundation’s board of directors until last year. He was asked about the 2003 council meeting.

“I remember vividly. My ask was for $500,000 going in,” he stated. “I believe it was Brian Kalinowski, who was very excited about the project, wanted to know what we could do if they gave us an extra $250,000. I was prepared and I pulled out of my satchel and said, ‘we will have the nicest seats inside the theater.’ He had said he had just gone to another theater in the area and came away with duct tape on his backside. We thought it would cost $350,000 for top-of-the-line seats.”

Asked if, in 2023 he had forgotten about his 2003 commitment to the city council Carraher stated, “No, I didn’t forget about it. We had lengthy conversations, for sure, with the city management and it could have been council members. I don’t want to hear anybody say, ‘the city never knew’. We would have never sold that building without letting the city know. Obviously, it was public knowledge, because it was offered to Sean McCauley to whom we made an inquiry.” McCauley owns several buildings in Rivertown and Antioch, and is currently a member of the City’s General Plan Advisory Committee.

“But we were not trying to alert and get the neighbors nervous,” Carraher continued. “When we were raising funds, people were concerned. Since the day I joined, we haven’t stopped raising funds.”

Post-COVID Financial Challenges Led to 2023 Sale

Carraher explained the reason for the private sale in 2023 was due to the post-COVID financial challenges the theater was facing and shared more details.

“After COVID, we lost our major funders,” he stated. “The Hewlett Foundation was consistently contributing $150,000 per year. At one point, they gave us an extra $200,000. We also lost the Lesher Foundation after they looked at our books. They were local so they really dug in. They wanted to make sure we were going to be around in a year. I told them I wasn’t sure we would be. I think they got up to $100,000 per year” in contributions.

“So, our income was $500,000 per year during my time and we stayed afloat,” Carraher continued. “$300,000 came from non-earned income, grants, donations, individual and corporate. Earned income is ticket sales and rentals and hard-earned money. Roughly $100,000 from the $200,000 came from rentals, meaning local, community events and activities, like graduations, the fire department’s bell ringing ceremonies. We had weddings in the theater. We truly were a community theater. The other $100,000 was El Campanil Theatre Presents, like Randy Newman, Debbie Reynolds and more recently, The Association. We had the big bands and In The Mood. Those were in-house productions. We got revenue from ticket sales, primarily, and some sponsors – not a lot.”

“But during COVID, our income dropped and we were heavily dependent on COVID funds,” he explained. “People couldn’t go to the theater, and we had to fight to reopen. Once we did, our attendance had dropped and we continued to have monthly operating costs, like our air conditioning system, our utilities and still had staff to maintain the place. During the lean days our operating expenses were $15,000 a month without putting on shows.”

“We started to get some money but that was used to cover old bills,” Carraher shared. “We didn’t have enough revenue because the attendance was miserable. It took time to get rentals to come. The dance studios were hurting from COVID. They had to ramp back up before they could have recitals, again.”

Asked if that was announced publicly, he said, “People did not know, generally, that the theater was for sale. If you go on social media and tell people, ‘business is crappy,’ and people aren’t coming in, are people going to go there? We weren’t trying to get people to stay away, we were trying to get people to come there. It’s just not how you conduct business. There was a lot of thought that went into this.”

Regarding asking the City, Carraher said, “The meetings were not in a formal setting at council meetings. We let it be known, but there was no response from the City that they would take over the theater. (Then-mayor) Lamar (Hernandez-Thorpe) became aware at that time and he came to the theater and spoke briefly to me and probably Kathie Campbell who was president, and said the City has money to spend on activities, about a million dollars and we thought the City was going to partner with us. Something like federal or block grant funds. But that never materialized. It never came through.”

“We thought, ‘the City doesn’t want us.’ So, we started looking for private investors,” Carraher stated.

Asked again about his commitment to the council during the 2003 meeting Carraher said, “I don’t recall it. But I’m not going to deny I said it. The first offer was to be made to the City. There is no binding agreement.”

Asked about what is written on the History page of the theater’s website about the agreement between Calpine and the City, he said, “I wrote that history. I don’t remember a document, as such.”

“What was discussed at that council meeting was the first offer would be to the City,” Carraher stated. “And I think in good faith we did that. It wasn’t in the documents. It was the spirit and intent of the foundation to the biggest benefactor we had. My term then and it is now they had the right-of-first refusal. If the Lesher Foundation had contributed the most we probably would have approached them.”

“I don’t believe I ever signed anything. It was a spirit of the event,” he reiterated.

Unaware of 2022 Law

Informed of and asked about the requirements of AB 900 Carraher responded, “I wasn’t an attorney with knowledge of non-profit laws. Like most small non-profits, I was familiar with day-to-day operations and requirements. I never received any notice of the bill in question or its revision in 2022.”

History of Purchase by Foundation

As Carraher wrote on the History page of the theater’s website, “In 2001, a small group of local citizens, including representatives of the Rivertown Business District Association, approached the City of Antioch with their desire to find a way to acquire and restore El Campanil, and to convert its use to one supportive of the Rivertown Renaissance plan. The Rivertown Business District Association took the lead in securing funding from Calpine for the development of a comprehensive business plan for El Campanil Theatre. The business plan outlined the best strategies for moving the project forward and VenueTech Management Group, LLC, was retained to develop the plan.”

Carraher was president of the business association at that time.

“The Calpine funding was negotiated by then-city manager Mike Ramsey because Calpine was looking to place a pipeline through the city in the downtown area,” Carraher explained. “They were considering running it underground and having to tear up city streets. The City said we’ll give you the rights to put it under the water.”

“Calpine gave us the first $50,000 just to do the study in 2001,” he said.

Asked if there was an agreement between Calpine and the foundation, he said, “I think the City had an agreement with Calpine for the grant to the foundation.”

So, the foundation was not party to that agreement? he was asked. “No, we weren’t,” Carraher stated.

Asked about the $500,000 donation from Calpine, he said, “It came the day before the purchase in 2003. That was received by the foundation because we were a corporation by then.”

“I was negotiating with George Stamm, Sr. to purchase the building. He said, ‘I’ll give you two years to come up with the money.’ I called him back and we had a meeting the next week and I said, ‘here’s your check.’ George was stunned.”

“Calpine gave us the donation,” Carraher continued. “The funds were deposited. I remember seeing our bank balance with a half-a-million dollars in it.”

Regarding the City and the 2023 sale he said, “I think we were looking at terms of what would be a partnership. We would be willing to let the City own it and we would operate it for them. We were open to discussions, but it never got to that point.”

Asked who from the City did he speak with about the sale, Carraher said, “I remember being introduced to a city manager out front of the theater.” He was referring to then-City Manager Cornelius “Con” Johnson.

“At that time, the rumor was that the City might be interested. But I was not privy to any discussions. It was handled by the president,” Carraher explained.

In 2022, Ramsey was board president, and for a short time in 2023, Frank Giovanni took on the role before Kathie Campbell, who joined the board that year, and later was elected president. At that time Carraher was on the foundation’s board. “Kathie said, ‘I met with Lamar at a mixer and it came up.’ Very informal. It was conversation not commitment,” he explained.

Campbell served as president until last year. Carraher who said he “got the 2023 sale started while I was still living in Antioch,” left the board last November. Sobel Idul was elected board president last November and Campbell later resigned.

Former Board President Kathie Campbell Says She Spoke to Mayor After Sale Occurred

When asked about what Carraher shared Campbell responded, “I was not president when the theatre was sold, that was before my time on the Board. I did speak to Lamar after the sale had gone through, to no avail. Rick and the previous board handled the sale. Per Tung’s post, he worked with Rick to buy the building because they had been working together on the cell tower deal.” She was referring to current owner Tung Bui and the Herald article published last week about his reasons for this year’s sale.

Carraher confirmed that, explaining, “I hired him to be our consultant to negotiate the cell tower project with T-Mobile. When looking for a buyer I asked him to consider it and he made the successful bid.” The tower provided additional revenue for the theater.

Former Board President Frank Giovanni Did Not Talk to Anyone at the City, Provides Additional Details

When reached for comment former board member and president, during 2023, Frank Giovanni said, “I had no conversation with any City official.” He also said he was not aware of the 2022 law.

“The theater was in a bad situation where we had money for two months to run it,” he explained. “We got a hold of Sean McCauley who graciously gave us an audience and graciously gave us a bid. We asked everyone for buyers. I reached out to George Lucas (of Star Wars fame). We were trying to save this jewel.”

“We only had the two offers,” he continued. “Tung said to Rick, ‘why aren’t you giving me an opportunity to buy it?’ He came in with a bid that was better. It was a board decision.”

Giovanni previously held the annual Blues Festival benefit concerts for Antioch students at the theater.

“We gave away $10,000 a year to Antioch schools plus, $5,000 per year for scholarships. When we were done, we were over $100,000 to Antioch schools and music,” he shared.

“No one got paid a dime from our non-profit,” Giovanni added.

“Rick did a great thing for the City and the El Campanil,” he stated. “Rick built a wonderful organization with a clientele that was dying out. As new talent came in you would lose the current customer base. But it was something that could never click over. People aren’t going to the theater anymore. That’s one of the reasons the theater was dying.”

“When Rick was in charge, that place was on point. I think there were plenty of good acts there. Rick did a good job,” Giovanni added.

Former Board President Mike Ramsey Says He Didn’t Speak to Anyone at the City in 2022, Shares About 2003 Purchase

Mike Ramsey served as board president in 2022. When asked if he remembered speaking to anyone from the City he said, “No. I didn’t, fortunately, or unfortunately. I do recall I left the board because I was very disappointed the board was ignoring the financial advice Rick was giving them, that they needed to begin the process of paying off the debts so, when they went out of business all the debts were paid off. They were just burying their heads in the sand.”

“I had no conversations along those lines,” Ramsey reiterated. “But whatever Rick has to say about this is the gospel as far as I’m concerned.”

“He was the only one on that board sticking his neck out and pushing that over and over again and no one on the board wanted to listen to them,” he continued. “He’d done his homework and had spreadsheets and saying we could only last a certain number of months.”

About the 2003 purchase of the building Ramsey said, “Calpine came to me when they came to town and said what can we do to get the City’s support for their gas line that was going to run along the waterfront. I asked them ‘what you can do is give the funds to the El Campanil Theatre to get it back as a performing arts theater, again. Part of my mission of being with the City at that time was trying to revive the downtown. That was a big piece of it. I’m sure they talked with the mayor, they talked to Don to get the council’s support.”

“I said to Calpine that City staff would support them and their gas line if they did something beneficial for the city,” Ramsey added.

Asked why the City didn’t retain some form of ownership or have a council member sit on their board, he stated. “It would have been a grant and the City never entered into an agreement about the operations. It was an out and out grant.”

Executive Director in 2022 and Early 2023 Didn’t Speak with Anyone from City Either

Joel Roster was executive director for the theater until a month before the 2023 sale. When reached for comment and asked if he had spoken to anyone at the City before the sale, Roster said, “No, it certainly didn’t happen while I was there. I left, if I recall, in April, following the board’s decision to eliminate the education program. As things got tight the board’s first move was to do that, and I said, ‘I’m moving on’.”

“I was not in any talks about anything with the City,” he continued. “But if they could afford to do it, the best thing would be for the City to take it over.”

About his time as executive director, and specifically about his last year, Roster said, “We were doing really well, with the (COVID) PPE loans and the grants we were able to secure at that time changed everything.”

“It’s a big place to fill with such a limited staff and you need to get the marketing up to snuff,” he stated. “One of the best things they did was put Sharon as the president of the board. She’s great.”

“Everyone that was there and still there loves that place, deeply,” Roster added.

THE CITY’S SIDE of THE MATTER

Former Mayor Hernandez-Thorpe Says He Didn’t Speak with Anyone from Theatre Until After Sale

Former Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe was informed of Carraher’s comments and asked to provide his view of what happened and why the City did not take over the theater or partner with the foundation to keep it operating and out of private hands.

He responded with, “I only communicated with Joel during the time he served as Executive Director. My primary communication with him concerned the façade improvement program. I wanted him to work on a proposal because I believed the theater would have been an excellent candidate for that funding.”

“I did not learn about the sale of the theater until Kathie informed me, after Joel had arranged a meeting for the three of us. During that meeting, I expressed to both Kathie and Joel that, if another opportunity involving the sale of the theater arose in the future, I hoped they would keep the City in mind as a potential partner,” Hernandez-Thorpe explained.

“I was disappointed to learn that the theater had been sold to an owner from Oregon or Washington. When I learned the sale price, I was even more dismayed because I believed the City could have potentially purchased the theater, protected the property, and made the necessary improvements to transform it into a civic auditorium and/or public theater for the community. At the time we had a significant amount of unallocated ARPA funds which we could have used, along with healthy rainy-day funds (budget stabilization and reserves).” He was referring to the federal COVID-relief funds, from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

“After my meeting with Kathie and Joel, I informed Brad (Helfenberger), who was the Parks and Recreation Director at the time, about the sale. He was also surprised to learn that the theater had been sold,” the former mayor continued. “We discussed what a great opportunity it could have been for the City and the theater’s nonprofit organization to partner on something meaningful for the community.”

“However, all of those discussions were just that, conversations. Nothing formal resulted from them,” he added.

“What I can say with certainty is that, had I known the theater was for sale before it was sold, I would have brought the matter forward for consideration and advocated for the City to explore purchasing it. That would have been consistent with other efforts I championed as mayor, including pushing the City Council to pursue the development of a town square at the former Beede Lumber Yard and advocating for the restoration and reuse of the Mayor’s House as a City Hall annex,” Herandez-Thorpe explained, referring to the Hard House on W. First Street next to the Lynn House and across the street from the Amtrak Station.

“The theater represented the kind of opportunity I believed the City should explore, specifically, preserving an important community asset while creating a lasting public benefit,” he concluded.

Three of the Two Current, Two Former Councilmembers Say They Never Heard from Anyone at the Theater

Questions were also sent to current council members, Monica Wilson and Tamisha Torres-Walker, and former council members Lori Ogorchock and Mike Barbanica, all of whom were on the city council in 2023 before and after the theater was sold. They were asked if any of them had spoken with Carraher or any of the board members about the possible sale before it occurred and if any of them spoke with representatives of the theatre foundation, what was discussed and were any commitments made of City funds.

Barbanica said, “Absolutely not. That theater is something that is important to the city. That would have immediately been addressed. I used to go to movies there as a kid. It was part of the cruise. I grew up going to that theater. I would have immediately jumped on that and addressed it. The history of that theater is incredible. There’s no way we would have let that happen.”

Ogorchock said, “Nobody ever reached out to me from the board with a text, email or phone call. I was surprised it was sold. I had no clue it was up for sale.”

Regarding the 2023 sale Torres-Walker said, “I don’t remember any conversation, anything being brought to my attention, the council, nothing. Maybe they talked to somebody. But I’ve looked through all my emails about El Campanil and nothing dates back to then.”

“We still had the ARPA funds, and we could have used them to expand public services,” she stated. “If they had brought this to the council back then, for real, for real, I would have advocated we used those dollars.”

The only council member from that time to not yet respond is Wilson after several efforts to reach her and after she was given the opportunity to respond to the Herald’s questions by writing them in a post on her official Facebook page to inform the public. But as of publication time that had not yet occurred.

Former City Managers in 2022 and 2023

Cornelius “Con” Johnson was City Manager from Oct. 26, 2022, until March 17, 2023. Community Development Director Forrest Ebbs was then appointed Acting City Manager from March 17 until June 26, 2023, before leaving for a job in another city.

Kwame Reed was Economic Development Director in 2022 and 2023 and was appointed Acting City Manager on June 13, 2023, serving in the position until Oct. 2025. Carraher said, “I never had a conversation with Kwame Reed except when I was on the Economic Development Commission. He didn’t talk to me about the theater.”

Nevertheless, efforts were made to reach Reed to ask him what he knew about the 2023 sale. But this week, he was out of the office from his current position as Contra Costa’s Deputy County Clerk-Recorder, and he did not respond prior to publication time.

UPDATE 1 – 9/12/26: Reed Responds

Reed responded Saturday morning, Sept. 12 writing, “I do not recall being contacted by anyone regarding the theater at that time. Sorry I cannot provide you with any additional details.”

Former Acting City Manager Ebbs Does Not Remember Speaking with Anyone from the Theater, Says “Theaters Are Considered Public Use” and Treated Different Than Historic Homes

In response to questions about the 2023 sale Ebbs responded, “I wasn’t involved with the sale and unfortunately don’t have much to offer for your story.” 

When asked if he remembers meeting with anyone from the theater prior to the sale Ebbs said, “I don’t. I keep racking my brain. I don’t even remember being aware of it. It wouldn’t have come to the City without us being on title. The theater would have had to approach us voluntarily.”

“There should have been a lien against the property,” he continued.

Ebbs then shared examples of other cities with old theaters.

“The City of Tracy owns a historic theater, and they have a foundation and are very hands on,” he stated. “The City of Monterey has one and it’s privately owned but restored with private dollars. They eventually leased it to a church and they were concerned. As a City they stepped in to say they have to allow its use by others.”

“For historic preservation, the interior, the City can have a say,” Ebbs explained. “There are strings attached to that if its federal dollars. Theaters are considered public use. They’re treated different than privately owned historic homes.”

Former City Manager Johnson Says He Didn’t Speak with Anyone from the Theater Prior to Sale

Johnson was asked via email, “since you were city manager from Oct. 26, 2022, until March 17, 2023, and the sale of the El Campanil Theatre occurred in May 2023, prior to the sale, did you remember ever speaking with Rick Carraher, who was on the theatre foundation’s board at the time, or Mike Ramsey, the board president in 2022 and possibly part of 2023, or anyone else from the theater about the City taking it over, to form some kind of partnership or providing funds to prevent a private-party sale?”

“I know for a fact that they didn’t speak to anyone in my office or on my team,” he continued. “That was never an issue for discussion by the city council or the city manager’s office. Any agreement between the city and a private party needs to be vetted by the city council and I know during my tenure, nothing was brought to the city council.”

When informed Carraher said there weren’t any formal discussions Johnson stated, “That doesn’t matter. That’s not official. Anyone can say anything.”

Asked if he was the city manager who Carraher was introduced to Johnson stated, “It wasn’t me. I never heard of anything about the theater. Lamar never introduced me to the director or who you’re referring to.”

To which city manager Carraher was referring Johnson asked, “Was he Black or White?”

When Carraher was asked about the skin color of the city manager to whom Hernandez-Thorpe introduced him in front of the theater prior to the sale, he said, “I believe, Black.” Based on what Carraher said about Reed and who were the city managers during that time, he had to be referring to Johnson.

Questions for Current City Staff, Council Members

Emails were sent to staff, beginning Aug. 28 and to council members last Friday, informing them of “The minutes for Agenda Item 5 of the Antioch City Council’s meeting on Dec. 16, 2023, when the council voted 4-0 to give $750,000 in redevelopment funds to the El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation” including Carraher’s commitment.

They were then asked the following questions: “Although, according to the minutes, nothing was included in the motion voted on by the council, which passed 4-0, mentioning the transfer of the building to the City, was that commitment by Mr. Carraher binding? Or was it included in the agreement between the City, the theater foundation and Calpine Corporation, which donated $500,000 to the foundation for purchase of the building? Have you yet been able to locate that agreement from 2003? It’s mentioned on the History page of the theater’s website – www.elcampaniltheatre.com/about-us/the-history”

They were then informed, “what is written on that page only includes an agreement between Calpine and the City, and the foundation was not party to it.”

They were then asked, “whether there was any clause requiring a first-right-of-refusal purchase by the City if the foundation board ever decided to sell it? Or was there anything else in that agreement that gave some kind of rights to the City since $750,000 of redevelopment funds were used for the building’s renovation after it was purchased?”

Staff and Freitas, because he was mayor at the time, were also asked if direction from council was given to staff during the 2003 meeting to create an agreement or some kind of document with the additional language of ‘conditions on the property’ as former Councilman Simonsen mentioned.

City Attorney Responds, Finds Some Documents, Office Still Looking for More

Through email and in a phone call with City Attorney Asuncion, she said Tuesday, she had found the staff report for the 2003 agenda item mentioned above and a document mentioning the 2001 foundation board vote. See ECT Preservation Foundation’s 2003 Request to Council

“There is an old document from January 2009,” Asuncion continued. “A staff report showing a guarantee of the loan for the HVAC system replacement. A letter from Rick addressed to Mayor James Davis and council, that on March 9, 2001, the board of the ECT passed something that gave the City the first-right-of-refusal. That’s all I have is that letter attached to the staff report.” See 2009 council meeting document.

Tuesday evening before this week’s council meeting, Asuncion provided the documents via email writing, “Pursuant to our conversation earlier today, attached please find a copy of the December 16, 2003, staff report related to the El Campanil where council provided funding for ‘essential equipment and improvements for renovations.’ I am also attaching a staff report for the January 2009 loan guarantee which is the only document I’ve been provided so far that evidences this action.”

In addition, the City now has copies of the deeds including the 2009 deed regarding the HVAC loan, Asuncion shared.

But she hasn’t “seen anything that documents the (deed) restriction.”

Asked if she or her staff had found the 2003 agreement between Calpine and the City, Asuncion said, “I’m still digging around, as well.”

Theatre’s Finances

In a partial response to questions from the public asking, “what happened to the money” the foundation’s 2021-24 tax returns are available on the candid.org website. They show revenue increasing from 2020 through 2022, then sharp decreases in both 2023 and 2024, to just above the level during the first year of COVID when the theater was closed.

The 2021 return shows 2020 total net revenue of $361,299 of which $362,929 was from “Contributions and grants” and total expenses of $313,278 of which $194,059 was for “Salaries, other compensation and employee benefits” and “Other expenses” of $119,219.

It also shows 2021 total revenue increasing to $561,634 and total expenses also increasing to $453,368 of which $265,702 was for employee costs and $187,666 for other expenses including just $896 for fundraising. That resulted in net revenue of $48,021.

The 2022 return shows a significant increase in total revenue to $902,682 of which $402,874 was from donations, and total expenses of $927,073 which included $655,940 for employee costs and $123,432 for fundraising expenses. The theater also ended that year in the black with net revenue of $78,266.

The 2023 return shows total revenue decreased by over $300,000 to $585,573 of which $174,462 from donations. Expenses included $419,508 spent on employees and $267,391 spent on other expenses including only $5,000 on fundraising, for a total of $686,899 resulting in a loss of $101,326.

In 2024, total revenue decreased again by almost $200,000 to $391,222 of which $313,022 was spent on employee costs and $247,295 was spent on other expenses for a total of $560,317 including $28,830 for fundraising resulting in another loss of $169,095.

The “Net assets or fund balance” has continued to decrease since 2022 from a high of $1,099,233 at the beginning of that year to $827,818 at the end of the year, then down to $610,153 at the end of 2022, $460,133 at the end of 2023 and finally, down to $275,972 at the end of 2024.

Asked about the “Secured mortgages and notes payable to unrelated third parties”? mentioned in the tax returns, Carraher said, “The loan was about $300,000 for replacing the HVAC system.” The City’s loan guarantee was for up to $285,000.

The tax returns show at the beginning of 2023 a loan balance of $198,228 and by the end of that year the balance was zero. That’s because the loan was paid off from the sale of the theater, Carraher shared.

“That was one of the big debts that caused us to say we’re going out of business,” he explained who also shared the HVAC system was replaced by Antioch-based Fertado Heating & Air Company.

More About the Current Board President and This Year’s Sale

Regarding this year’s sale, additional questions were sent to Sobel Idul last Saturday, asking if she had a position with the theater, other than The Nutcracker performances, before becoming board president, did she serve on the board and was she in charge of marketing before becoming president. But Sobel Idul has not yet responded to those questions as of publication time. As previously reported, “The Nutcracker” is a production of the Pittsburg-based Black Diamond Ballet Company, owned by Sobel Idul.

However, Carraher shared, “Sharon had been on the board once before and she was the biggest renter the theater had. ‘The Nutcracker’ was the greatest funder. She came in and has been doing the marketing. All the social media. She’s a wiz. Then Sharon joined the board while Kathie was still president.”

In response to Sobel Idul’s comments published in a previous article last Friday, Downtown Antioch Association leader and Rivertown business owner, Debbie Blaisure shared that in a podcast last year, with Mike Burkholder of ContraCosta.news published July 15, 2025, Campbell said, “the El Campanil Theatre was in serious financial problems and Sharon knew it. She said Sharon got mad at her and got all the board and employees mad at her as well about it and stormed into the board meeting after she did it. Kathie nominated her for president and left a few weeks later. Sharon was one of their biggest customers with ‘The Nutcracker’ and the Board asked her to assist with marketing then the board. That’s how she got involved with the foundation.”

“When I talked to her (Sharon) and Josh in front of my shop after giving them our $3,000 check, she was in charge of the marketing and Josh does remember it and that she only wanted to advertise the $50k fundraiser and not the full amount they needed,” Blaisure continued. “My statement stands. I don’t think we need to correct it as misinformation.” She was referring to the theater’s then-executive director, Joshua Price.

For Now, Carraher Offered Final Say

“I’m giving you my best recollection. There was no one that was closer to this than me,” Carraher stated after being informed of the comments from the others from the theater, council members and former City staff. “I would have never, ever undertaken the sale if I hadn’t spoken to the City first, as a courtesy if nothing else, especially since they were the guarantors on the HVAC loan.”

Public Must Pressure Wilson to Provide Answers

Until Wilson provides answers to the questions posed to her to inform the public if someone from the theater spoke to her, when and what was said and or committed, the public will have to wait to determine if she knew what actually transpired in 2022 and 2023 prior to the first sale of the theater to a private party.

It’s now up to the public to pressure Wilson, who is still in office and running for re-election, to either respond to the Herald, issue a statement or press release to all local media or post her answers publicly on own social media to clarify matters. It’s the age-old questions asked of government officials: “What did you know and when did you know it?”

Please check back later for any additional updates to this report.

“Our goal remains simple: keep this historic theatre an arts venue for our community and future generations.” – Sharon Sobel Idul

Foundation board down to just three members

Herrera brothers also clarify matters

By Allen D. Payton

In response to concerns and accusations by the public and questions by the Herald about the sale to a church of Antioch’s historic El Campanil Theatre building in downtown Rivertown, the president of the foundation which leases most of the building and operates the theater shared details from the board’s perspective. She also said the board’s membership is now down to just three.

(See related articles here and here)

In a statement issued Aug. 20, 2026, Sharon Sobel Idul, president of the El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation Board of Directors, wrote, “We are aware of the potential sale of the property and of fundraising efforts being circulated online by a potential buyer. Those efforts are independent of ECTPF and do not reflect the mission of our organization and it is unlikely that we would be able to continue to provide theatre programming at El Campanil Theatre if they acquire the space.”

According to her LinkedIn profile, since July 2009 Sobel Idul has been the full-time Artistic Director and Founding Director of Black Diamond Ballet in Pittsburg and since 2014, she has also worked as the self-employed CEO, Choreographer and Instructor for the Pittsburg Performing Arts Academy. Her ballet company performs the Nutcracker each year at the theater.

Questions for Board President

In an email sent early Thursday afternoon, Sobel Idul was asked several questions. First, she was asked, beyond the statement, “do you and the board have anything else to say about the sale and possibly working with the new owners after escrow closes, and any response to what others have been saying about you and the board in my articles published this week?”

Sobel Idul was then asked, “When did you become board president? Why didn’t the board inform the public the building was for sale and launch a fundraising campaign for the foundation to buy it back and not just funds for operations? Did you or anyone on the board reach out to the council members to see if the City could help with the purchase?”

She was also informed, “There’s a claim that the council members tried to meet with your board last fall but there were scheduling conflicts and the meeting never happened,” and asked, “Is that correct?”

Sobel Idul was then asked, “What are the board’s long-term plans should the church outgrow the theater building and need to find larger space and sell it in the future?”

Finally, she was asked, “Who are the people currently serving on the board as of today?”

Board President Responds

In her response Friday afternoon, Sobel Idul wrote via email, “Thank you for the opportunity to respond. A few clarifications:

“Board leadership: I joined the Board and was elected President in November 2025.

“Why not purchase sooner? We were aware the property was for sale, but during a period of financial and organizational transition, our first responsibility was stabilizing operations. The seller indicated to us that he was not motivated to sell. Pursuing a $1.5 million purchase before establishing greater financial stability would not have been responsible. We began actively seeking acquisition partners in spring 2026.

“City involvement: Beginning in May, we worked with the City and property owner to explore a pathway toward acquisition. In early July, we were told there were no strong or valid offers and understood we would be kept informed if one emerged.

“On August 9, the owner informed me by phone that he had accepted an offer. Contrary to what was reported, I was not informed of this offer beforehand.

“Last fall’s City meeting: While this occurred before I joined the board, my understanding is the organization was trying to engage the city for a financial sponsorship.

“Working with the potential buyer: Based on the information currently available and public statements made by the Pastor this past Tuesday, if the sale closes, the Foundation would cease operating El Campanil Theatre. The buyer’s intended use and scheduling would directly conflict with the programming necessary for us to continue operating as a community performing arts venue. This was mentioned to the broker when we were first informed of the offer acceptance. 

“This is not the outcome we want. We continue to explore every reasonable path to preserve El Campanil. Our goal remains simple: keep this historic theatre an arts venue for our community and future generations.

“Regarding this week’s reporting: Several statements attribute decisions or motivations to me from summer 2025. I did not join the Board until November 2025 and could not have made or influenced those decisions.

“Specifically, the statement that I ‘didn’t want to scare the public’ and therefore the Board ‘didn’t want to tell the truth’ is inconsistent with the timeline. The financial circumstances being discussed occurred before my tenure. I would appreciate that being corrected or clarified.

“Current Board:
Sharon Sobel Idul  – President
Gail Kean – Vice President/Secretary
Kent Vosburg – Treasurer”

——————————-

Escrow on Sale Closes Sept. 29

As previously reported, Eli Hererra Lead Pastor of Legendary Movement Church, the buyer of the building, said, “We’re in escrow. It closes Sept. 29th. That’s the day we get the key.”

No Seller Carry-Back Financing

Herrera said, “The seller is not carrying the balance. We got a loan.”

Willing to Sell Back Building to Foundation if Church Outgrows Theater Space in Future

Asked if, in a few years, the church outgrows the theater building what are the plans Herrera said, “We’ll have to find a bigger space.” Asked would the church then be willing to sell the building back to the foundation to once again own and operate it as the theater he said, “If in the future the Lord allows that to happen it could be a possibility.”

Clarifications in Response to Social Media Comments

In response to additional questions based on comments posted on social media including that their father was also a pastor and his church bought the former Golf ‘n Games building, Herrera said, “No, our father is not a pastor. My dad did concrete for 30 years.”

His brother, Ruben Herrera, pastor of the Spanish-language church, Palabra de Dios in Antioch, said his church owned the former LaFontana Office Products building at 611 W. 3rd Street in downtown Antioch – after they battled the City which did not want them to locate there but won the right due to the previously reported RLUIPA law. Later, the church purchased and relocated to the former Golf ‘n Games building on Auto Center Drive, after it sat empty for a few years. Ruben’s church has since sold that building and bought the former CVS building on Somersville Road in the same shopping center where the Bank of America and BMO branches are located.

Ruben also said his church is not the source of the approximate $1.2 million loan for the 80% balance of the purchase of the El Campanil Theatre.

Eli said the video of him inside the theater was not AI-generated and that, “The El Campanil staff let us.”

In addition, The Pentacostals of the Bay Area purchased the building that housed the former AMC Deer Valley 16 theaters on Lone Tree Way, which as of 2022 has a Commercial Infill Housing Overlay District on the property and could have instead been another City staff-approved affordable apartment complex. That church is completely separate from and unrelated to the Herrera brothers’ churches and is currently meeting in the Pittsburg Adult Education Center after their church building on Railroad Avenue in Pittsburg was destroyed by fire in May 2022.

Raised enough funds for down payment

“It’s in escrow. It closes Sept. 29th. That’s the day we get the key. We don’t want to be another church in the city. We want to be a church for the city.” – Pastor Eli Herrera

Willing to work with foundation that operates theater

By Allen D. Payton

A church currently based in Pittsburg, whose lead pastor is an Antioch resident, has raised the needed funds to purchase the historic El Campanil Theatre building in the city’s downtown Rivertown. It’s in escrow and closes Sept. 29th, Lead Pastor Eli Herrera shared on Tuesday.

The fundraising effort has had board members and staff of the foundation that operates the theater, as well as Antioch residents, business owners and council members concerned that it will mean the loss of an arts and cultural center in the community.

However, Herrera said he’s willing to work with the El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation to continue using it for arts and entertainment.

Recent History

El Campanil was listed for sale with an asking price of $1.5 million, but it’s no longer on either Realtor.com or LoopNet.

The 98-year-old theater building, which also houses two retail tenants on W. 2nd Street, was purchased by the non-profit organization, El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation, in 2003, with a grant of $500,000 from Calpine Corporation, an energy company with operations in Antioch and Pittsburg, which then-Mayor and now-Mayor Pro Tem Don Freitas secured. It was improved with $750,000 in City redevelopment funds and an additional $1 million raised under the leadership of then-foundation chairman Rick Carraher. But after running into financial difficulties following COVID, the building was sold a few years ago to an out-of-state buyer who continued to lease it to the foundation to operate as a theater.

New Buyer

Legendary Movement Church, led by Herrera, currently holding services on Sundays at noon inside the Light the Bay Church building at 1210 Stoneman Avenue in Pittsburg.

Posts on the Legendary church’s Instagram and Facebook pages on August 18th read, “ANTIOCH, WE BELIEVE IN YOU. We believe God has given Legendary Movement an opportunity to plant roots right in the heart of the Rivertown District at 602 West 2nd Street, Antioch, California.

“But this is bigger than a building. We see a place that will bless families. A place that will serve those in need. A place that will help the homeless find hope and restoration. A place where children and young people can dream again. A place that will pour life back into our community. A place that will help bring vision, hope, and purpose back to Rivertown. We believe Rivertown can come back to life.

“Right now, we are raising funds for the down payment on what we believe will become the future home of Legendary Movement. Would you consider sowing a seed into this vision? Whether it is $10, $100, $1,000, or whatever God places on your heart, every seed matters. Every gift moves us one step closer. And every person who gives becomes part of what God is building in Antioch.

“We’re not just raising money for a building. We’re sowing into a city. We’re investing in people. We’re believing for Rivertown. We’re believing for Antioch. Let’s see Antioch Rivertown come back to life.”

In addition, a video shows Herrera standing and sitting inside the theater saying he’s an Antioch resident and, “The owner of El Campanil Theatre has been a man who’s so gracious towards us. He’s allowed us time to go ahead and raise the funds necessary for our down payment. Currently what we’re facing is having to raise $306,500.” But Herrera didn’t say by when.

Pastor Shares Plans, Vision

Asked about the sale, Herrera said, “I think it’s been for sale for about eight months. I began looking at it three weeks ago. We’re in escrow. It closes Sept. 29th. That’s the day we get the key.”

Asked if that’s when the church needs the down payment he responded, “We have it, the twenty percent. That’s been raised really through our ministry, not any donors. The members of our church have been very generous.”

“I heard there were two offers for the building. One was Sean McCauley and another was a ministry from Discovery Bay that serves the unhoused,” he explained. “We came with an offer the seller was looking for and he said, ‘yes.’”

“I’ve seen a lot of the comments and the criticism,” Herrera stated. “I do see the concerns and I hear the concerns. I’m a very good friend of Ron Bernal, before he was mayor. I served at Cornerstone Christian Center for about a year for their school and youth ministry.”

Herrera is also the younger brother of Pastor Ruben Herrera of Palabra de Dios Church in Antioch.

“We know it’s an historic building. But it’s not technically recorded as an historical landmark. We want to make it better. Soma paint and TLC. But changing the style and look of the theater, no,” he shared.

Asked about continuing to allow entertainment and other uses Herrera said, “I already have spoken to a few people who do Christian concerts. That’s part of our vision. We have lots of Christian artists who want to come down, whether it be country, hip-hop. A lot of them have been texting me excited about the opportunity.”

“We want to continue to open it up for graduations. My daughter has performed for Melody’s Dance Studio there. We want to have the recitals,” he added.

Asked about the use of other parts of the building he said, “The offices upstairs, we plan on making those the children’s rooms. I’ve spoken to the barber shop and Ana of Farmer’s Insurance, we are going to continue to lease to them.”

Asked if the church is willing to work with the foundation to rent it for entertainment, such as concerts and other events, Herrera said, “We have a schedule that they would have to work around. I’m not going in there and say, ‘you have to get out.’ As long as it fits around our schedule, I’m willing to.”

“I haven’t been able to have conversations with the foundation,” he continued. “One of the gentlemen there completely refuses to have a conversation with us. Another, I believe is Sharon, who put out a statement and basically said, if we buy it, they are out of business. Now, I can’t control that. The reality is we have a schedule. We have things like rehearsals, youth group, men’s breakfasts, women’s ministries.”

About its impact on the downtown, Herrera shared, “We have a church of 500 people. It’s a full English ministry. They’re talking about foot traffic. We’ll bring foot traffic to Rivertown. I shop local. I eat local at Monica’s, at Guadalajara Taqueria.”

“I’m from Antioch. I love Antioch. So many people from our church are for Antioch. The city is named Antioch after the biblical Antioch. It’s a town that’s dedicated to the Lord,” Herrera exclaimed.

“We don’t want to be another church in the city. We want to be a church for the city,” Herrera stated. “We really have a vision for Rivertown.”

In his video about the theater he said, “Our eyes see what it could become. I believe we will see families gathering, businesses thriving, homeless coming off the streets and that is what we want to do. We don’t want to just be a people in a building we want to be a people that can be outside of the four walls. Legendary Movement Church wants to give back to our community.”

“That’s the vision that we have. That’s our vision for Rivertown,” said Herrera.

“We’re willing to work with anyone in Rivertown, business owners, property owners and the community,” he added.

Residents, Business Owners Opposed – Don’t want Another Church in Antioch or Rivertown

Several residents and business owners have also been complaining in their comments on social media that neither Antioch nor Rivertown need another church. Rivertown is currently home to at least three other churches, one inside another historic former theater building.

The Restored Life Church – Iglesia Vida Restaurada occupies the former Stamm Theater on the corner of G and W. 10th Streets on the southern edge of what is considered the City’s Rivertown District. Although, technically, it only includes the area north of W. 6th Street. In 1996, when the church bought that historic theater, twenty years younger than El Campanil, some of the alfresco-style murals that lined the walls inside the building, depicting Portuguese fishing men and women, were painted over. It was named for the Stamm family, who were also partners of El Campanil with the Beede family. (That’s the same family whose member, Henry Beede owned the Antioch Lumber Company, building and the empty lot across W. 2nd Street, known as The Yard, where the Rivertown Square is proposed).

Another church, RR Ministries – Ministerios Rey de Reyes (meaning King of Kings), which had 40 laptops stolen from their RR Transitional Housing Learning Center during a June break-in, is located in one of the store fronts on W. 2nd Street between F and G Streets.

A second church, The Ship, holds services inside the Quonset hut-style building at 611 W. 3rd Street, across from the City Hall parking lot, where LaFontana Office Products was once located.

Another building, that originally housed a bank, then most recently occupied by The Worship Center church and is listed for sale at $1.295 million is located at 315 G Street on the corner of W. 4th Street.

In response to the concerns, El Campanil Theatre is hosting a community meeting entitled, “Save Our Stage: A Community Conversation” tonight at 7:00 p.m. Herrera said he does not plan to attend. (See related article)

Federal Law Protects Houses of Worship in Land Use Zoning & Regulation

Some residents were wanting the City government to step in and somehow stop the sale. However, according to the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, “The land use provisions of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA)…protect individuals, houses of worship, and other religious institutions from discrimination in zoning and landmarking laws. RLUIPA prohibits zoning and landmarking laws that substantially burden the religious exercise of churches or other religious assemblies or institutions absent the least restrictive means of furthering a compelling governmental interest.”

The law reads, “No government shall impose or implement a land use regulation in a manner that imposes a substantial burden on the religious exercise of a person, including a religious assembly or institution, unless the government demonstrates that imposition of the burden on that person, assembly, or institution (A) is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest; and (B) is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.”

“RLUIPA prohibits zoning and landmarking laws that:

(1) treat churches or other religious assemblies or institutions on less than equal terms with nonreligious assemblies or institutions;
(2)  discriminate against any assemblies or institutions on the basis of religion or religious denomination;

(3)  totally exclude religious assemblies from a jurisdiction; or

(4) unreasonably limit religious assemblies, institutions, or structures within a jurisdiction.”

The U.S.D.O.J. Civil Rights Division explains further, “RLUIPA provides a number of important protections for the religious freedom of persons, places of worship, religious schools, and other religious assemblies and institutions, including:

• Protection against substantial burdens on religious exercise:

RLUIPA prohibits the implementation of any land use regulation that imposes a “substantial burden” on the religious exercise of a person or religious assembly or institution except where justified by a “compelling governmental interest” that the government pursues in the least restrictive way possible.  42 U.S.C. § 2000cc(a);

• Protection against unequal treatment for religious assemblies and institutions:

RLUIPA provides that religious assemblies and institutions must be treated at least as well as nonreligious assemblies and institutions.  42 U.S.C. § 2000cc(b)(1);

• Protection against religious or denominational discrimination:

RLUIPA prohibits discrimination “against any assembly or institution on the basis of religion or religious denomination.”  42 U.S.C. § 2000cc(b)(2);

• Protection against total exclusion of religious assemblies:

RLUIPA provides that governments must not totally exclude religious assemblies from a jurisdiction. 42 U.S.C. § 2000cc(b)(3)(A); or

• Protection against unreasonable limitation of religious assemblies:

RLUIPA states that governments must not unreasonably limit “religious assemblies, institutions, or structures within a jurisdiction.”

In addition, according to Church Law Center, RLUIPA “contains protections for a full range of religious assemblies, from churches, religious schools, cemeteries, and faith-based social services provided by religious organizations to individuals holding prayer meetings in their homes. Furthermore ‘religious exercise’ refers to any exercise of religion, whether or not it is central to a system of religious belief. As a result, religious exercise includes actual worship services and may include other religious activities, such as Bible study groups, prayers meetings, and Sunday school classes.”

Councilmembers Have Been Waiting to Learn if City Can Use Developer Fees to Purchase Theater Building

Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker, in whose District 1 El Campanil Theatre is located and is up for re-election, on Monday, Aug. 24 posted a video on her official Facebook page, claiming she and Freitas started having conversations last year about cultural centers in her district. She also said they have “spent months trying to find out what’s going on with the El Campanil Theatre and how could the City step in.”

Torres-Walker then says they had conversations with City Manager Bessie Scott, the consultant, David Storer who later became the Acting Community and Economic Development Director, and Parks and Recreation Director Shahad Wright asking, “is this something we can take on?” She then claims, “we found out the City…has been sitting on millions of development impact fees…and haven’t been used or have been underutilized and we have to spend those dollars.”

“We were informed that those…fees might also be able to be spent on community spaces,” Torres-Walker stated. They asked staff, “could these…fees be used so the City of Antioch could save the El Campanil Theatre?”

“We began to have meetings with the El Campanil Theatre and we were actually trying to create a plan to see how can the City step in,” the councilwoman continued. “Those conversations have wained, and we’re still waiting for legal advice to see if these millions of dollars of impact fees can be used to buy the El Campanil Theatre.”

State Law on Development Impact Fees & Questions for City Staff

According to the California Department of Housing and Community Development, “Local governments levy development impact fees to help fund the expansion of public facilities and infrastructure needed to support new housing development. These revenues support the construction of critical facilities, such as parks, public safety facilities, other civic and community facilities, and transportation infrastructure.” Development impact fees can also be levied on commercial development, such as the regional road fee in East County which helped pay for the Highway 4 (Bypass) extension between Antioch and Balfour Road in Brentwood. But the CDHCD’s website does not offer legal limitations under the definition of “other civic and community facilities.”

Furthermore, state law requires a direct benefit to the development that pays the impact fees, which is referred to as nexus. The CDHCD explains, “Nexus studies are meant to quantify the impact of new development on public facilities and determine the cost of this impact, establishing the maximum fee amount that can be charged on the construction of new homes. They also provide the supporting documentation and justification that is used to establish the legal authority for jurisdictions to charge these fees.”

According to a report by the Kassouni Law firm, there’s a “Two-Part Nexus Test. Under Government Code section 66001, a local agency imposing an impact fee must make two findings. First, the fee must have a reasonable relationship to the burden the development places on public facilities. Second, there must be a reasonable relationship between the fee amount and the cost of the facility attributable to the development.”

Questions were sent to City Attorney Lori Asuncion and current Acting Community and Economic Development Director Kevin Scudero asking if the development impact fees can be used by the City to purchase the El Campanil Theatre building; how much in impact fees collected does the City currently have; why are they sitting there; for what were they collected; what nexus was determined in the study; and if the City can change the use of the funds after the fact. No responses were received prior to publication time. But the matter is moot at this point.

Legendary Movement Church Holds Rivertown Restoration Day

In a demonstration of their commitment to Rivertown, last Saturday, August 29th from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., the church held a Rivertown Restoration Day, described as, “A day of putting our faith into action as we serve through: Community Clean-Up, Sidewalk Washing, Feeding Those in Need, and Prayer & Outreach.”

The message in their social media posts read, “We’re going to BE ABOUT IT Antioch. So, we’re calling EVERYBODY who truly loves this city to show up for RIVERTOWN RESTORATION DAY.

“We’re hitting the streets of Rivertown to clean, serve, restore, love on people, and remind our city that Antioch’s best days are still ahead. If you really love Antioch, I’ll see you there. Don’t just talk about change. SHOW UP and be part of it. LET’S RESTORE RIVERTOWN.” (See video of the day’s event and activities)

Older Brother, Also an Antioch Pastor Supports Effort

Asked about his brother and ministry, Pastor Ruben Herrera said, “They came out of us. They are under our church covering.”

“I actually toured the theater and considered buying it as an investment,” he shared.

“Downtown needs some life,” Ruben continued. “I believe the church will help that and be a blessing for the Rivertown area. We need people like Legendary who are not just holding their services there but building downtown.”

“Rivertown will be a better area with Legendary there,” he stated. “The business owners will see. It will grow, people will shop, people will dine.”

“They will work hand-in-hand with the City to make Rivertown a better place,” Ruben added.

He and his ministry, which Ruben says is the largest Latino church in Antioch, have their own project on Somersville Road in the same shopping center as the Bank of America and BMO branches. More about that is expected to be announced later this month.

About the Church

According to the church’s website, “Legendary Movement, as we know it, was always in God’s divine plan. But before we saw a spirit filled church, our eyes saw only a spirit filled youth group. About 25 youth gathered week after week in the back of an old church building. There was a limit on space and resources, but no limit on faith and passion. After a beautiful encounter on a mountain, God spoke the name ‘Legendary’ into existence and so we adopted the name ‘Legendary Youth’ in 2018. 

“Our vision became more clear as the palpable presence of God became contagious to everyone who was present. Soon, what had been a Friday night youth group became a movement. Lives were being changed, families transformed, prodigals were coming back home. No longer could our services be restricted to only youth when it was evident that God wanted to do something greater than what we could comprehend. And so, in 2020 we changed our name to ‘Legendary Movement’, as this wave of the spirit was to exclude no one from experiencing God’s fullness. 

“Our Friday night services continued to grow but still the Lord wasn’t done, the movement was just getting started. The manifest presence of God was evident but the desire to see and experience more was on the rise. God began to pour out knowledge and strategy, as the remnant interceded for confirmation and clarity. Upon God’s divine will and in his perfect time, we then launched Legendary Movement. Legendary Movement opened its doors Sunday, February 26, 2023. The grace of God has allowed this movement to continue to develop, as we expand into new territories and remain attentive to God’s direction. 

“This legendary move is one that testifies to the faithfulness of Jesus Christ and his love for the Church!”

Now, the church will have a new home inside the historic, El Campanil Theatre building in Antioch.

For more information visit their website at legendarymvmnt.com.