Two dispensers will serve fuel-cell electric vehicles.

By Allen D. Payton

At their Jan. 17, 2024, meeting, the Antioch Planning Commission approved the use permit for a hydrogen fuel dispensing facility by Chevron at the existing gas station at 2413 A Street. The two hydrogen dispensers will serve fuel-cell electric vehicles.

Under agenda Item 7-1, Chevron requested a Use Permit, Variance and Design Review approval for a hydrogen fuel dispensing facility which will consist of hydrogen storage, associated equipment, two hydrogen dispensers located under a canopy, new landscaping, and stormwater control facilities. A variance is requested to reduce the minimum setback requirements of the canopy from 20 feet to 10 feet.

Eric Snelling, Senior Principal Planner for Stantec Consulting Services, gave a PowerPoint presentation of the hydrogen program, project overview, safety systems and operational components. He stated that Chevron was excited to bring hydrogen fueling to Antioch.

According to the City staff report on the item, “The hydrogen fuel dispensing facility does not involve the use of hazardous substances and is not in an environmentally sensitive area.”

The proposed project consists of the construction of a hydrogen fueling station at the eastern portion of the existing Chevron gas station. The project will provide two hydrogen dispensers under a new canopy, hydrogen storage and compression compound, a hydrogen offload panel and new electrical service. The compound will be enclosed by a combination of concrete masonry block wall and louvered metal fencing. The new enclosed area will cover approximately 1,750 square feet. Additionally, the project includes paving areas that are currently gravel, and installing new frontage landscaping.

The hydrogen fueling station would operate during the hours of the existing convenience store and gas station. Cars that use hydrogen to operate are called fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). FCEVs are similar to electric vehicles except that they get their power from hydrogen. Like electric vehicles, they use an electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine like gasoline powered vehicles. While electric vehicles run on batteries that need to be plugged in for recharging FCEVs generate their own electricity onboard in their fuel cells. Within a fuel cell, hydrogen is combined with oxygen (O2) from ambient air. The process generates electricity, heat, and water as its byproducts. As a result, it can power the electric motor without any greenhouse gas emissions. The only emissions released from the vehicle are water and heat.

Fueling an FCEV is similar to fueling a gasoline powered vehicle. First, tanker trucks designed to deliver gaseous hydrogen arrive at the site. At first, it is anticipated that this would occur approximately once a week but would increase as FCEVs become more common. At most, vehicles would make one delivery a day. Gaseous hydrogen is delivered from the truck through a connection to the supply cabinet. The system then transfers the gas to the storage tubes. When a vehicle arrives, the station module transfers the hydrogen from the storage tubes to the dispenser. The storage module is connected to and controlled by the station module via valve panels. The valve panel has a built-in jet fire protection panel, double block and bleed valves and other safety features. The equipment required for fueling is integrated into the station module, which is also connected to the dispenser. The dispenser looks similar to a standard gasoline dispenser but is about one third the footprint because only type of hydrogen is dispensed, as opposed to various grades of gasoline. The dispenser includes safety features that detect physical problems and would automatically shut off.

Why is Chevron Developing H2 Stations?

According to Chevron’s presentation, the company is developing H2 stations “To meet the California Air Resource Board Low Carbon Fuel Standards and to support Advanced Clean Fleets. Through its AB 8 program, the State of California co-funds the deployment of at least 100 hydrogen fueling stations to enable the launch of a consumer FCEV market. CARB provides annual evaluations of the status of deployment of fueling stations and FCEVs and analysis of needs for further development. CARB also coordinates with the California Energy Commission to annually report on the progress metrics of the Commission-led station funding program. In order to develop its recommendations for areas that require further hydrogen station development, CARB developed the California Hydrogen Infrastructure Tool (CHIT), a geospatial analysis tool built on publicly vetted data and methodologies.”

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, “California is leading the nation in building hydrogen fueling stations for FCEVs. As of mid-2021, 47 retail hydrogen stations were open to the public in California, as well as one in Hawaii, and 55 more were in various stages of construction or planning in California. These stations are serving over 8,000 FCEVs.

California continues to provide funding toward building hydrogen infrastructure through its Clean Transportation Program. The California Energy Commission is authorized to allocate up to $20 million per year through 2023 and is investing in an initial 100 public stations to support and encourage these zero-emission vehicles.”

Planning Commissioners Vote 4-0 to Approve

In response to questions by commissioners, Snelling explained that the hydrogen fueling network was guided by the state air resources board program and they looked at existing assets that could accommodate the use and provide adequate supply. He also stated there were no other hydrogen stations in Antioch and noted the idea was to bring in hydrogen based on demand.

The Planning Commission members present unanimously adopted a resolution approving the Use Permit, Variance, and Design Review application subject to the attached conditions of approval (DR20230006, UP-2023-0003, VAR2023-0008) with the additional condition of approval, including to direct the applicant to work with staff regarding native plant species as well as the addition of native plant species and vegetation to the screen wall.

The motion carried the following vote:

AYES: Jones, Hills, Lutz, Riley; NOES: None; ABSTAIN: None; ABSENT: Martin, Gutilla

Spending $1.74 million for additional staffing, awarding $50K in Civic Enhancement Grants

Before regular Tuesday meeting will receive presentation on state open meeting law, again discuss hiring new city manager during closed session

By Allen D. Payton

During their regular meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, the Antioch City Council will consider adopting an ordinance banning advertising or organizing an illegal street race, sideshow or reckless driving exhibition on or in a public highway or offstreet parking facility. They will also consider spending $1.94 million for additional staffing and a Water Park Maintenance Fund and awarding $50,000 in Civic Enhancement Grants.

Before the regular meeting, at 5:00 p.m. the council and city staff will hear a presentation on the state’s Brown Act open meeting law, by Christopher Diaz of the Best Best & Krieger law firm, reminding them what they can and can’t do regarding serial meetings, matters allowed to be discussed during closed sessions, reporting out of closed session and their use of social media. Then during closed session beginning at 6:00 p.m. the council will once again discuss hiring a permanent city manager and one current lawsuit and two potential lawsuits.

Ban on Advertising or Organizing Illegal Street Races, Sideshows, Reckless Driving Exhibitions

Although during the Nov. 14, 2023, meeting, the council majority opposed making it illegal to be a spectator at a sideshow, the council will consider under Item 4 of the regular meeting agenda, make advertising or organizing an illegal street race, sideshow, or reckless driving exhibition on or in a public highway or offstreet parking facility a violation of the Antioch Municipal Code.

According to the City staff report on the item, “The California Vehicle Code (CVC) criminalizes engaging in motor vehicle speed contests, speed exhibitions, and reckless driving, including aiding and abetting these activities. Under state law, violators are guilty of a misdemeanor and face penalties including up to 90 days in jail, a fine of $1,000, or both, 40 hours of community service, and suspension of a perpetrator’s driver’s license for three to six months. Increased penalties are imposed on repeat violators or violations resulting in serious bodily injury.

Despite law enforcement efforts to enforce the existing State regulations, the City’s streets have been the site of continuing illegal sideshows, speed contests, and exhibitions of speed over several years. These events attract spectators. The presence of spectators encourages street racing to continue, which creates a public nuisance that generates noise, air pollution, an increase in traffic accidents, property crimes and damage, personal injuries, deaths, and calls for law enforcement and emergency medical services.

California DMV reported a significant increase in 2021 in the number of reckless driving citations statewide and an 80% increase in excessive speed violations. The California Highway Patrol has reported as of May 2023 that, in the past five years, 264 collisions statewide attributed to street racing and sideshows, resulting in 30 fatalities and 124 serious injuries. Therefore, illegal street racing poses an imminent risk to the health and safety of participants, spectators, and the general public.

The Ordinance attempts to discourage illegal sideshows, street races, and exhibitions of speed within the City, by regulating the organizing or advertising of such activities. The following activities would be specifically prohibited:

• Knowingly organizing a street race, sideshow, reckless driving exhibition, or exhibition of speed conducted within the City on a public street, highway, or in an offstreet parking facility.

• Advertising, within the City, a street race, sideshow, or exhibition of speed conducted or to be conducted in the City on a public street, highway, or in an offstreet parking facility.

• Advertising online, including on social media, a street race, sideshow, or exhibition of speed conducted or to be conducted in the City on a public street, highway or in an offstreet parking facility.

The Ordinance targets a clear, limited population and gives proper notice to individuals as to which activities are lawful and which activities are unlawful. Furthermore, illegal street racing can generate significant revenue for organizers and advertisers. Advertising illegal activity is not constitutionally protected speech. The Ordinance includes proper exclusions to prevent interference with or inhibition of any lawful exercise of constitutionally protected rights of freedom of press and freedom of speech.”

Consent Calendar

Under the Consent Calendar Item F, the council will receive the City of Antioch Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2023.

Awards for Civic Enhancement Grants

Then, under Item M. of the Consent Calendar the council will consider approving the award of $50,000 in the 2023-24 Civic Enhancement Grant Program. The program supports community events and improvement projects that originate with non-profit organizations. At the Regular Meeting of January 18, 2024, the Parks and Recreation Commission voted to recommend funding and the City staff is recommending the City Council approve a:

• $2,500 grant plus approximately $2,300 of in-kind City facility services to the Antioch Rotary Club;
• $1,500 grant to Be Exceptional for Funds to Expand Youth Programs for people with disabilities;
• $1,500 grant to Cancer Support Community to provide support and services to people and families impacted by cancer;
• $3,000 grant plus approximately $5,000 of in-kind City facility services to Celebrate Antioch Foundation to provide community special events in Rivertown;
• $1,000 grant plus approximately $3,900 of in-kind City facility services to Contra Costa Legal Services for informational sessions on avoiding fraud and scams at the Antioch Senior Center;
• $8,000 grant to Delta Learning Center for tutoring services primarily for elementary school students in English/ Language Arts;
• $3,000 grant to El Campanil Theater
• $2,000 grant plus approximately $1,500 of in-kind City facility services to Facing Homelessness to provide supplies and resources to the unhoused;
• $3,000 grant to Grace Closet for Expansion of Community Resource and Health Fair;
• $1,500 grant to Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa to provide food for families, seniors, unhoused residents, and veterans;
• $8,000 grant plus approximately $300 of in-kind City facility services to New Generation Equity/STEAM4Real for Providing Sports/ Athletic activities for the community;
• $2,500 grant to the Police Activities League (PAL) to provide Sports/ Athletic activities for the community;
• $5,500 grant to RR Transitional Housing for the Youth Empowerment Monthly Seminar;
• $4,500 grant to SHARE Community for the Mobile Shower and Hygiene Service Program; and
• $1,500 grant to This Active Art for free art activities for the community.

Budget Amendments

Under agenda Item 6 the council will consider approving amendments to the 2023-24 and 2024-25 fiscal year budgets for staffing and other items totaling $1,941,673 as discussed during their meeting on Nov. 28, 2023 meeting. The budget additions will fund the following:

• Assistant to the City Manager – $279,125
• Human Resources Specialist reclassification – $31,333
• 5 Community Service Officers (Police) – $824,339
• 2 Dispatchers (Police) – $386,807
• Office Assistant (Animal Services) – $118,711
• Animal Services Techinician (Animal Services) – $101,358; and
• Water Park Maintenance Fund – $200,000.

Read the entire meeting agenda, here.

The meeting will be held in the Council Chambers inside City Hall at 200 H Street in Antioch’s historic, downtown Rivertown. It can be viewed via livestream on the City’s website, on Comcast local cable channel 24 or AT&T U-verse channel 99. To speak during public comments at either the beginning or end or the meeting or on any agenda item, you must be present at the meeting.

The difference of $275 million will pay for interest; voters will decide on bonds adding $41 to $48 for each $100,000 in value per year for 35 years; survey shows 75% of voters believe things on wrong track in Antioch area

By Allen D. Payton

Following the narrow defeat of Antioch Unified School District’s Measure T in November 2020 asking voters for $110 million in improvements, this past November, the Antioch School Board voted unanimously to place a $195 million bond on the March 5th ballot. It is listed as Measure B and if passed will generate $13.5 million per year for the next 35 years. According  to Ballotpedia, Measure T lost by less than a half-percent receiving 54.62% of the vote, with 55% required to pass.

That followed a presentation by EMC research at the board’s October 25, 2023, meeting which showed that a survey of 500 voters of which 400 were likely March primary voters, 75% felt that things in the Antioch area are generally going in the wrong direction, 69% said taxes are too high, 59% don’t trust the AUSD to properly handle tax dollars, but 64% believe it’s important to have high-quality, local public schools even if it means raising taxes and 81% agreed AUSD schools were in need of  more funding.

However, the survey also showed just slightly over 55% of voters would support the bond after receiving information about it. Then when read an opposition statement which includes “This would cost the average homeowner $130 per year” the support decreased to just 51%. The recommendation by the survey consultants was for “A strong, independent outreach effort…emphasizing the accountability features if the measure along with how it will provide for necessary and overdue repairs and enhanced student safety.”

Official Ballot Language

The official ballot language for the measure reads, “To upgrade classrooms, labs and learning technology, improve school safety and emergency communications, repair leaky roofs and restrooms, upgrade heating, air-conditioning, electrical and plumbing systems, and make accessibility upgrades for people with disabilities; shall Antioch Unified School District’s measure be adopted, issuing $195,000,000 in bonds at legal interest rates, generating an average $13,500,000 annually until approximately 2059, at estimated tax rates of approximately $48 per $100,000 assessed value with annual audits, citizen’s oversight, and all funds staying local?”

According to the Tax Rate Statement for Measure B in the Voter Guide, there are no district-wide bonds currently outstanding that are being paid by taxpayers. However, voters in Antioch’s School Facilities District 1, have approved two separate bonds that remain outstanding including the 2008 Measure C to improve schools in the older part of the district and the 2012 Measure B which was specifically for improvements to Antioch High School. Both measures currently cost property owners $80.10 per $100,000 of assessed value. Measure C bonds will be paid off by the end of the 2035-36 tax year and the 2012 Measure B bonds will be repaid by the end of tax year 2046-47.

The proposed bond will add $41 to $48 per $100,000 in assessed value more per year to property tax bills. That amounts to $143.50 to $168 per year for a home valued at $350,000 and $246 to $288 more per year for a home valued at $600,000.

So, if the measure succeeds, property owners in Facilities District 1 will pay between $125.10 per $100,000 in assessed value for all three bonds through 2035-36, then $70.90 per $100,000 value until 2046-47.

Also, according to the Tax Rate Statement, “the best estimate of total debt service, including principal and interest” over the 35 years “if all the bonds are issued and sold will be approximately $470 million”.

Schools To Be Improved

According to information about this year’s Measure B, on the bond measures page on the AUSD website and the Jan. 24, 2024 Update Presentation the funds generated will be used to improve schools throughout the district. They include: Belshaw, Carmen Dragon, Diablo Vista, Fremont, Jack London, John Muir, Kimball, Lone Tree, Marsh, Mission, Mno Grant, Sutter and Turner Elementary Schools; Orchard Park K-8; Antioch, Black Diamond, Dallas Ranch and Park Middle Schools, as well as Antioch, Deer Valley and Dozier-Libbey Medical High Schools.

Proposed Improvements

The improvements covered by the $195 million include approximately:

$148.42 million for Safety & Security

$28.93 million for Upgrades & Improvements, and

$19.4 million for Enhancements

A message on the bond measures page offers additional details about the proposed improvements. It reads, “Antioch schools do not receive any funds from the state for facility improvements. Constant use and changing education needs require significant upgrades –way beyond our District budget. In the March 2024 election, voters in the Antioch Unified School District will be asked whether to approve a school facilities bond. This page contains information related to the proposed bond measure.

This bond has one goal: Improving the quality of Antioch Schools!!!

While there have been improvements in the quality of our schools over the past few years, the fact remains that our schools are old. Classrooms and restrooms need modernization, electrical systems are outdated, and HVAC and roofs are at the end of their life. Schools built years ago need significant updating.

Many of our schools are 60-70 years old. The Board of Education approved a bond measure to be placed on the ballot in March 2024 to address the most pressing needs of our district:

• Remove hazardous materials like asbestos and lead paint from school sites
• Repair or replace old worn-out roofs, floors, walkways, lighting, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems
• Improve school security and emergency communications systems
• Update instructional technology in classrooms for improved student learning
• Renovate restrooms to make them accessible for students with disabilities
• Upgrade and repair physical education facilities and playground equipment to meet current safety standards
• Make repairs and energy efficiency improvements to all schools
• Free up resources to improve the quality of classroom instruction in core subjects like reading, math, and science to prepare students for success in college and careers

This bond will update our aging schools, technology, and equipment. It will protect the health, safety, and security of AUSD students and staff. It will also:

• Add TK-K classrooms at John Muir Elementary
• Add a new gymnasium and cafeteria at Orchard Park
• Replace old portables with a new two-story building of classrooms at Park Middle School
• Modernize the gymnasium at Antioch Middle School”

To see renderings and a list of proposed improvements for each school click, here.

Part of the outreach effort includes a sample letter for principals to send out addressed to parents and neighbors, on the District’s bond measures page. It also includes a mailer sent to homes this week paid for by Improve Antioch Schools/Yes on Measure B. According to campaign committee member, Velma Wilson, they have not yet set up a Facebook page nor website for the effort.

A “yes” vote for Measure B supports authorizing the district to issue the $195 million in bonds for school improvements and levy a property tax and a “no” vote opposes the assessment. There is no organized opposition to the ballot measure and only an argument in favor appears in the Voter Guide signed by Scott Bergerhouse, Christine Pedraza, Louie Rocha and Velma Wilson.

The election is March 5th.

Every four years, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) must certify that each metropolitan planning organization (MPO) serving a transportation management area (TMA) — a designation by DOT of an urbanized area with a population over 200,000 as defined by the Bureau of the Census or smaller urbanized areas on request by the Governor and MPO — is carrying out the metropolitan planning process in adherence with federal statutes and regulations. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) conduct a review of the metropolitan planning process within each TMA and jointly issue this certification on behalf of the DOT Secretary, in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 5303(k).

The FHWA and the FTA are hosting a public meeting as part of MTC’s certification review. This public meeting is an opportunity for Bay Area residents to directly address FHWA and FTA officials concerning your views on the transportation planning process in the San Francisco–Oakland metropolitan area. Participants can attend in person or via Zoom or submit written comments.

The meeting is scheduled for:

Tuesday, February 27, 2024, from 4:30–5:30 p.m.
Bay Area Metro Center, Yerba Buena Conference Room, First Floor
375  Beale Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
Participate on Zoom
Webinar ID: 863 1915 0671
iPhone One-Tap:

+13462487799,,86319150671# US (Houston)
+12532158782,,86319150671# US (Tacoma)

Join by Telephone (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

+1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
833 548 0282 US Toll Free
877 853 5247 US Toll Free

Detailed instructions on participating via Zoom are available at: mtc.ca.gov/how-provide-public-comment-board-meeting-zoom
Members of the public participating by Zoom wishing to speak should use the “raise hand” feature or dial *9. When called upon, unmute yourself or dial *6. In order to get the full Zoom experience, please make sure your application is up to date.

This public meeting  is part of a review that will assess compliance with federal regulations pertaining to the transportation planning process conducted by MTC, the California Department of Transportation, transit operators and local jurisdictions in the San Francisco–Oakland metropolitan area.

If you are unable to attend the meeting, written comments may be submitted via email to Cert.Review@dot.gov.
Written comments also can be mailed to:

Federal Highway Administration, California Division
650 Capitol Mall, Suite 4-100
Sacramento, CA 95814-4708
or
Federal Transit Administration, Region  IX
90 Seventh Street, Suite 15-300
San Francisco, CA 94103-6701

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Do you need one of our documents translated? Do you need written materials in large type or in Braille? Do you need a sign language interpreter or an interpreter who speaks your language in order to participate?

We can help! Please call us at (415) 778-6757. We require three days’ notice in order to provide reasonable accommodation. For TDD or hearing impaired, call 711, California Relay Service, or (800) 735-2929 (TTY) or (800) 735-2922 (voice) and ask to be relayed to (415) 778-6700.

By CHP – Contra Costa

2/12/24 UPDATE: The Contra Costa Coroner’s office identified the two as Andres Hernandez, 22, and Christopher Cannedy, 35, both of Oakley.

Saturday morning, Feb. 10, 2024, at approximately 4:30am, CHP Contra Costa responded to a two-vehicle crash on eastbound Hwy 4, between Laurel Road and Lone Tree Way. Our preliminary investigation indicates a blue Scion TC, with one occupant, was traveling westbound (wrong way) in the eastbound lanes. At this time, a black Mazda 3, with one occupant, was traveling eastbound at the same location and the vehicles collided head on. Both drivers sustained fatal injuries and were pronounced deceased at the scene.

This crash is still under investigation, it is unknown if drugs or alcohol were a cause at this time. If anyone witnessed it or the events leading up to it, please contact CHP Contra Costa in Martinez, (925) 646-4980 or email your contact information to mailto:320Investigations@chp.ca.gov to be contacted by the investigating officer.

“Let’s get the hearings done and…these guys back to work.” – APOA attorney Mike Rains

By Allen D. Payton

An investigation begun last March into the racist texts sent or received by at least two dozen Antioch Police Officers, with them being placed on paid administrative leave, is still not completed. That has left the department severely depleted from the 115 sworn officers authorized in the budget but only 81 on the force, not including the four new officers to be sworn in next Tuesday. Of that figure, 31 sworn officers are currently on some form of leave resulting in 50 actively working as of Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024.

As previously reported, most of the officers caught up in the scandal only received some of the text messages but didn’t send any. (See related articles here and here)

Questions about the situation were sent on Wednesday, January 31, 2024, to City Attorney Thomas L. Smith, Acting Chief Joe Vigil, APD media relations officers and the Vice President of the Antioch Police Officers Association (APOA) Sgt. Loren Bledsoe. They were asked, “Is the investigation of the officers on paid leave in the text scandal completed, yet? If not, when will it be completed” and “have they all been interviewed, yet? If not, when will they be interviewed, how many have been interviewed, to date and how many officers still need to be interviewed?”

They were also asked, when will the officers who merely received but didn’t send any texts be put back to work, have any of them yet and if so, how many.

Vigil was specifically asked, “How many of the sworn officers on the Antioch Police force are currently active?”

The questions were turned over to the records division as a Public Records Act (PRA) request which allows government agencies in California up to 10 business days to respond. On Wednesday, February 7, Police Records Supervisor Amanda Nelson responded, “We currently have 85 officers on our roster, to include active duty and those on some sort of leave.” But she did not provide answers to the other questions.

Vigil shared that four new officers, included in that figure, will be sworn in next Tuesday, Feb. 13 and Lt. Mike Mellone responded, “We have 31 officers on some type of leave (including both administrative and medical leave).”

But no response was received about the current status of the investigation from City Attorney Smith

UPDATE: APOA Attorney Says “Let’s Get These Guys Back to Work”

However, APOA attorney Mike Rains, who was also asked some of the same questions did respond.

“I think all the officers have been interviewed who are on leave, some once, some twice,” he stated. “I think all of the officers remain on administrative leave.”

“Some have now been fired or left because of the criminal case. But there aren’t many of them,” he continued.

Asked how many of the officers his office represents Rains said, “We represent at least 16. I’ve tried to be in constant communication with the City to try to get them to be put back to work. These guys didn’t do anything wrong. If the department thinks they did, they didn’t do anything they deserve to get fired for.”

“In many cases the investigators have said there’s no violation of policy. But the City is not obligated to follow any recommendations of the investigators although they paid them a lot of money,” the attorney shared.

Asked if he knows when the investigation will be completed, Rains responded, “I don’t know how much longer it’s going to take. I keep telling them, ‘let’s get the hearings done and let’s get these guys back to work’.”

APOA VP Responds

APOA V.P. Bledsoe commented on the situation writing, “The APOA looks forward to the conclusion of this investigation, so we can focus on rebuilding the public’s trust. The department has been faced with unprecedented staffing shortages, resulting in unsafe working conditions for officers and unacceptable response times for the public. We hope that this investigation resolves soon so we can get back to providing the best possible police services to the citizens of Antioch.”

City Required to Follow State’s Hearing Disciplinary Process

As previously reported, the City is required to follow the state’s Skelly Hearing Disciplinary Process and the council members, in spite of Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe and Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker both calling for all the officers under investigation to be fired.

The Skelly Hearing process which is like a Bill of Rights for city employees in California. According to the California Department of Human Resources’ Supervisors Guide to Addressing Poor Performance, the “Skelly Hearing is the name of the hearing the employee can ask for before the adverse action becomes effective to ensure no mistakes have been made by the department in taking the action.  This hearing is a short, more informal due process-review of the department’s case and the employee’s defense. It is called a Skelly Hearing because the requirement was established through a court case entitled Skelly v .SPB.”

According to unlocklegal.com, “a Skelly hearing is better described as a pre-disciplinary due process meeting. This procedural meeting ensures that when an employee is facing disciplinary action, the accused employee is informed of the allegations, has an opportunity to refute the allegations, and has an opportunity to mitigate the allegations or rehabilitate their standing with their employer before any actual disciplinary action. It is a preliminary meeting that must take place in the case of an employee’s termination, demotion, suspension, reduction in pay, or transfer with an accompanying loss in pay.”

The city manager serves as the City’s Skelly Officer. The hiring and firing of all city employees starts and ends with the city manager who signs the papers for each staff member.

In addition, police officers in California have the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act giving them an additional process and greater protections from termination.

The city council as a whole or as individuals have no say in the process of determining which city workers, including police officers, will remain employed or be terminated. The Antioch City Council currently only has the authority to hire and fire the city manager and city attorney.

Hear from candidates for Supervisorial District 5, Assembly Districts 11 & 15 and Congressional District 10

Presented by Contra Costa TV, Elections Department and League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley

Contra Costa Television partners with the Contra Costa Elections Department and the League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley to bring you unbiased voter education information.

Watch 2024 Primary Election forums moderated by KTVU Anchor Claudine Wong, from Monday, February 5, 2024 – 8:00am to Thursday, February 29, 2024 – 7:00pm on Contra Costa County cable TV or watch the videos on the LWVDV YouTube channel or on the Contra Costa TV website.

Forums are scheduled for the following races: 

• Supervisor District 5  – watch on YouTube

All four candidates, Iztaccuahhtli Gonzalez, Jelani Killings, Shanelle Scales-Preston and Mike Barbanica participated.

• Assembly District 11 – watch on YouTube

Only incumbent Lori Wilson, Democrat and challenger David Ennis, Republican. Democrat Jeffrey Flack and Republican Wanda Wallis did not participate.

• Assembly District 15 – watch on YouTube

The three Democrats, Anamarie Avila Farias, Karen Mitchoff and Monica Wilson participated. Republican Sonia Ledo did not.

• Congressional District 10 – watch on YouTube

Only candidates Joe Sweeney and El Sherbini Mohamed, both independents, participated. Incumbent Mark DeSaulnier, Democrat, and Republicans Nolan Lee Chen and Katherine Piccinni, and independent Musa Jalis did not participate.

Click here to see the details, including broadcast times and channels.

Pointing to dismal test scores, veteran lawmaker and a coalition of advocacy groups introduce AB 2222

By John Fensterwald, EdSource.org – Republished with permission

A veteran legislator who taught elementary school for 16 years introduced comprehensive early-literacy legislation Wednesday that would impose requirements on reading instruction and add urgency to the state’s patchwork of reading reforms.

Evidence-based practices, collectively known as “the science of reading,” would become the mandated approach to reading instruction for TK-5, if Assembly Bill 2222, authored by Assemblymember Blanca Rubio, D-Baldwin Park, becomes law.

The bill would shift the state’s decade-old policy of encouraging districts to incorporate fundamental reading skills in the early grades, including phonics, to demanding that they do so. This would depart from the state policy of giving school districts discretion to choose curriculums and teaching methods that meet state academic standards.

Between now and 2028, all TK to fifth-grade teachers, literacy coaches and specialists would be required to take a 30-hour-minium course in reading instruction from an approved list.

School districts and charter schools purchasing textbooks would select from approved materials endorsed by the State Board of Education in a new round of textbook adoption.  

The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing would receive money to add several experts for accreditation of teacher preparation programs in the science of reading. The bill would strengthen accountability for those programs that have not taught effective reading strategies, as required under recent state law.

Rubio and the advocacy nonprofits EdVoice,  Decoding Dyslexia CA, and Families in Schools, the bill’s co-sponsors, argue that another generation of California children cannot wait for districts teaching ineffective techniques using inadequate materials to come around.

“California is facing a literacy crisis,” the first sentence of the bill states. “There are far too many children who are not reading on grade level by the end of third grade and who will not complete elementary school with the literacy skills and language development they need to be successful academically in middle school and high school.”

Only 43% of California third graders met the academic standards in the state’s standardized test in 2023. Only 27.2% of Black students, 32% of Hispanic students, and 35% of low-income children were proficient, compared with 57.5% of white, 69% of Asian and 66% of non-low-income students.

“There’s always this delicate balance between local control versus let’s move forward collectively,” said Marshall Tuck, CEO of EdVoice and former candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. “But when we have an issue that the vast majority of lower-income kids, who are disproportionately Black and Latino, are not reading at grade level, it requires urgency to do what we know works as fast as possible.”

Rubio, who recalled being handed coloring books instead of reading lessons in first grade as a non-English-speaking Mexican immigrant, said that data on the effectiveness of the science of reading convinced her to author the bill. However, her own experience as a fourth-grade teacher who previously taught kindergarten and first grade reinforced it. 

“When I have fourth graders that are at first- or second-grade reading, something’s wrong. I can tell you right then and there, if a kid doesn’t know phonics in the fourth grade, we screwed them up somewhere. If they’re not reading in the third grade, they may never recover,” said Rubio, who was first elected to the Assembly in 2016.

A piecemeal approach to literacy changes

The science of reading refers to research from neurology, psychology, and the cognitive and developmental sciences about how children learn to read. In the last decade, 47 states and Washington, D.C., have enacted laws to incorporate elements of the science of reading strategies. Fewer — Mississippi, Connecticut, Tennessee, and Virginia among them — have adopted and funded policies that coordinate multiple key elements: preparing and training teachers, supplying them with aligned instructional materials, testing for learning difficulties like dyslexia and engaging parents.

California is among the 47 states. Within the past three years, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature enacted discrete pieces of a state policy.

They funded $25 million to the University of California San Francisco to create a screening test for the risk of dyslexia and other learning difficulties; universal screening of K-2 students will begin in 2026-27.

They passed legislation to create a teaching credential for TK-3 that includes new literacy standards grounded in the science of reading; teacher preparation programs must introduce them starting next fall, and teachers will take a performance assessment as part of their new credential.

Newsom included $500 million in the last two state budgets for hiring and training of literacy coaches in the 5% of schools with the most low-income students. The Sacramento and Napa county offices of education, strong advocates of the science of reading, are overseeing the effort.   

At the encouragement of State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond, a professor emerita at the Stanford University School of Education, Newsom included $1 million in the current budget for a “literacy road map,” which will serve as a guide, with online resources, for districts to implement evidence-based reading strategies. Leading that effort are two respected literacy experts, Bonnie Garcia and Nancy Brynelson, whom State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond named the state’s first state literacy co-directors.

Tuck credits the steps taken by the Legislature and Newsom, “who has been an anchor on early education.” But guidelines won’t ensure that students in all districts will receive effective reading instruction —especially high-poverty schools that may be “slower to make adjustments when they’re dealing with so many challenges and so much complexity.”

Megan Potente, co-state director of Decoding Dyslexia CA, points to her 20 years as a teacher, who, as a new teacher frustrated by the ineffectiveness of her reading training, took a course on phonics and fundamental reading skills. “You feel like you’re not good at your job, and you weren’t equipped. And that’s a terrible feeling for new teachers,” she said. “So I went back to school, and I learned what I needed.”

Years later, she became a coach, supporting teachers in districts using balanced literacy that de-emphasizes evidence-based practices. She found it difficult to apply what she knew, she said, “because the curriculum materials didn’t follow the science; the teaching methods didn’t follow the science.”

A piecemeal approach to reading reforms inevitably leads to a game of “whack-a-mole,” former Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn, who is credited with implementing successful comprehensive policies in her state during the pandemic, told EdSource.

Newsom did not require nor explicitly encourage districts to use the $20-plus billion they received in federal and state Covid-relief funding on teaching training in the science of reading nor on updating reading texts and materials. Now that the state is heading into a lean budget year, a scarcity of funding, particularly for teacher training, could set back a timeline to implement the bill. Newsom’s proposed budget for 2024-25 includes no significant money for new TK-12 programs.

A spokesperson for the Newsom administration, which usually declines to discuss pending legislation, offered no further comment.

What’s in Assembly Bill 2222

AB 2222 would define evidence-based literacy instruction as “evidence-based explicit and systematic instruction in phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary and oral language development, fluency, comprehension, and writing …  that adheres to the science of reading.” (Phonics are rules that relate letters in words to the sounds of spoken language. A phoneme is the smallest element of a sound within spoken language. Phonemic awareness reflects the ability to understand that words combine multiple phonemes when pronounced.)

The bill sets requirements for three principal elements of literacy instruction:

Teacher training

Starting in March 2026 and no later than June 30, 2028, all teachers in grades TK to 5 must complete an approved professional development and training program satisfactorily. The California Department of Education would appoint one or more county offices of education with expertise in the science of reading and evidence-based literacy instruction to serve as the state literacy expert lead that would select the list of eligible training programs. Districts would have to notify parents if fewer than 90% of the required teachers failed to complete the course. 

Instructional materials

The last state textbook adoption for English language arts and English language development was 2015. The bill would require the State Board of Education to complete the next adoption cycle by Jan. 1, 2026, for TK through eighth grade. The materials would have to adhere to the science of reading. School districts would not be required to replace materials they’re currently using, but they would need a waiver to buy basic instructional materials that aren’t approved.

Textbooks like “Units of Study,” by noted literacy author Lucy Calkins, whose instruction relies on visual cues, including the three-cuing method of reading, would not be eligible for the approved list.

Teacher preparation

The bill would strengthen the accountability requirements of landmark Senate Bill 488, the 2023 law that requires instructing candidates for a TK-5 or elementary credential in evidence-based reading instruction. 

It would require the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to establish a probationary accreditation process for teacher prep programs that aren’t meeting the literacy instruction requirements. Faculty in those programs would have to complete professional development in the science of reading for the program to avoid a loss of accreditation.  

The bill would provide funding for the credentialing commission to hire experts in the science of reading to help with program accreditation. One of the dozen members of the Committee of Accreditation would have to be an expert in the science of reading.