Emergency personnel respond to the same of a fatal collision in Antioch on Sunday, April 14, 2024. Photo by a resident who chose to remain anonymous. The car of the deceased 30-year-old male driver from Pittsburg. Photo: Art Ray, Bay News Video.
By Allen D. Payton
A two-vehicle crash in Antioch, Sunday afternoon, April 14, 2024, claimed the life of a man in his 30’s. According to his aunt he was from Pittsburg. The collision occurred in the intersection of Auto Center Drive and W. 10th Street, about 4:00 p.m.
Con Fire and Antioch Police personnel responded to the scene. According to Con Fire spokesman, Fire Prevention Captain Joe Ottolini, two other people were transported to local hospitals and at least one is in critical condition. He said there was one possible DOA. Interim Antioch Police Chief Brian Addington confirmed the fatality.
According to reports, the man was the driver of one of the cars and ran a red light causing the crash.
UPDATE: According to information provided by the Antioch Police Department, “This afternoon at 4:07 PM, the Antioch Police Dispatch Center began receiving multiple emergency calls reporting a major collision at the intersection of West 10th Street and Auto Center Drive.
Upon arrival, officers learned the driver of a blue Acura sedan was traveling northbound on Auto Center Drive, at a high rate of speed, approaching the intersection of West 10th Street. The Acura entered the intersection as a silver Lexus SUV was traveling westbound through the intersection (on West 10th Street), resulting in a “T-Bone” collision.
Police officers immediately administered first-aid at the scene to all the involved parties. Several fire engines from the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District also responded and paramedics took over first-aid and life-saving efforts.
Unfortunately, the solo occupant and driver of the Acura sedan (a 30-year-old male) succumbed to his injuries at the scene. The driver and passenger in the SUV were removed from their vehicle and transported to a local area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Antioch Police Department Accident Investigators responded to the scene and took over the investigation, which is still ongoing. This investigation is in its preliminary stages and evidence and witness statements are being collected at this time. The names of the involved parties are not being released pending proper notifications.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Antioch Police Department Traffic Unit at (925) 779-6864.”
“…some officers have returned to work or will be returning, although some have been terminated.” – APOA attorney Mike Rains
UPDATE: As of Friday, April 12, 2024, APD has 77 current sworn officers of which 50 are on full duty status.
By Allen D. Payton
Following up on a February Herald article about the Antioch Police Officers still on paid leave for the investigation into the racist text scandal since last March, questions were emailed on Thursday evening, Feb. 8, 2024, to City Attorney Thomas L. Smith, Acting City Manager Kwame Reed and Human Resources Director Ana Chavez asking:
“How long can police officers or any city employee remain on paid administrative leave?
Since most of the officers merely received but didn’t send any of the text messages, what possible disciplinary actions can be taken against them?
When will the officers who merely received but didn’t send any text messages return to work? Have any of them, yet? If so, how many?
Can the investigation just go on indefinitely and the taxpayers continue to pay the officers on leave to not do their jobs?
Can’t the officers return to work as each one is deemed to have not committed any fireable offense?
Or do all of them have to wait to return to work until after the entire investigation has been completed?
Have any disciplinary actions been taken against any of the officers, yet? If so, how many? What did they include?
Have any of you been approached or pressured by any of the council members to keep the investigation open and not allow the officers to return to work – other than the public statements by the mayor and Councilwoman Torres-Walker that they want all of them fired?” (See related articles here and here)
No responses to those questions were received from the three city staff members.
At that time, out of 81 sworn officers on the Antioch police force, 31 were on some form of leave, most for the text investigation, leaving only 50 sworn officers actively working. 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)
On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in response to a resident claiming none of the officers were still on leave due to the text scandal, questions were sent to Reed, Interim Police Chief Brian Addington and Mike Rains, attorney for the Antioch Police Officers Association.
They were asked if that statement was correct, if all the officers had returned to work and if any of them had been terminated.
Reed responded simply, “The process is still ongoing.”
Addington wrote, “That is incorrect, but I can’t comment further.”
However, Rains shared more details. He wrote, “We have not resolved all the cases. Some are resolved, and some officers have returned to work or will be returning, although some have been terminated.”
“I won’t discuss the outcome of administrative cases until all are concluded, probably in a week – 10 days,” he added.
According to a post by Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe on his official Facebook page on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, entitled, “April Police Staffing Update”, of the 115 sworn officer positions approved in the city budget, there are currently 89 sworn officers on the force, including nine Community Service Officers. Of that amount 39 are patrol officers. His report also shares that there are six officer candidates currently in the Police Academy and seven more are preparing to enter the academy this month.
But it doesn’t mention how many sworn officers are currently active. A question was emailed early Thursday afternoon to both Reed and Addington asking how many of the 80 non-CSO sworn officers are currently active.
UPDATE #1: They did not respond before end-of-business hours on Thursday. However, when asked if he had any comment, APOA Vice President Sgt. Loren Bledsoe responded, “The APOA cannot comment on personnel matters; however, we look forward to the conclusion of the investigation so we can focus on rebuilding.”
UPDATE #2: On Friday, Interim Chief Addington provided the following department staffing details, writing, “As you may be aware, staffing levels can change daily. With that said, as of today, APD staffing levels are as follows:
115 – Authorized sworn staff
77 – Current sworn staff
5 – Modified duty (working but not able to work at full capacity)
Maps show the locations for the proposed Leung Property project in the Sand Creek Focus Area (left) and Rancho Meadows off E. 18th Street. Source: City of Antioch
By Allen D. Payton
During their meeting, sans Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe, the Antioch City Council heard about two proposed new-home developments, one in the Sand Creek Focus Area and one on the far north side of the city. The mayor was in Washington, D.C. for the annual American Public Transit Association Legislative Conference, representing Tri Delta Transit for which he currently serves as chair.
Not all of the council members were supportive of the Richland Communities – Leung Property project adjacent to The Ranch development but all four offered enthusiastic support for the DeNova Homes’ Rancho Meadows project.
Renderings of the proposed Leung Property project Clustered Single Family Detached homes. Source: Richland Communities.
435-Home Leung Property Project in Sand Creek
Kyle Masters with Richland Communities spoke about the proposed 160-acre project on what’s known as the Leung property in the Sand Creek area across Deer Valley Road and south from the Kaiser Antioch Medical Center. (See Agenda Item 6)
The developer is proposing 435 units which includes 50 conventional single family detached units, 385 clustered single family detached residential units, and 159 row townhomes, according to the staff report and developer’s presentation.
Renderings of the proposed Leung Property project Clustered Attached Townhomes. Source: Richland Communities.
“We’re looking at it more as an extension of our project, The Ranch project,” which is located just to the north. The first phase of that 1,100-home development was approved by the council last June. The proposed project is labeled, The Ranch – Phase 4.
“This provides more of a range of housing,” Masters continued. “A price point we may not have seen out there in Sand Creek. We see this as a second phase to The Ranch project.”
He said the project will, “provide a more affordable community. Lowering the entry point to homebuyers.”
Leung Property project Site Plan. Source: Richland Communities
During council discussion, District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica shared of his displeasure that neither developer had reached out to him prior to the council meeting.
“I really wish someone would have picked up the phone. But that didn’t occur. I learned of them by pulling up the agenda on Friday afternoon,” he stated. “So, developers, please communicate with us. Give me a call, so we have time to go over them and see how the developments will affect the community.”
Both District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock and and Mayor Pro Tem Monica Wilson, who chaired the meeting, spoke of the desire for inclusionary housing. District 1 Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker wanted to update the City’s General Plan which was last updated in 2003 before approving more housing in the Sand Creek area.
“The council adopted a housing element in 2023,” Acting Community Development Director and City Planner Steve Scudero responded. “We are almost to the point to bring a contract to hire a consultant to develop that (inclusionary housing) ordinance.”
Renderings of the proposed Leung Property project Clustered Single Family Detached homes. Source: Richland Communities.
“I live in a development that’s cluster housing. If you can figure out a way to make garbage service work, because it’s not working in my neighborhood,” Wilson shared.
“When I talk about inclusionary housing it doesn’t have to be there. It could be a credit for somewhere else,” Ogorchock added.
Asked by Wilson about not seeing any single-story homes in the plan, Masters responded. We’re just not at that level of detail, yet. We’re probably two to three years before coming back to you with this.”
“Most people are hoping we won’t be here, by then,” Torres-Walker responded. “But we’ll see what happens.”
Renderings of proposed Rancho Meadows Project homes. Source: DeNova Homes
143-Home Project with 6 Affordable Rental Units in Northeast Antioch
The other project proposed by DeNova Homes, is for a 143-home development off Vineyard Drive north of E. 18th Street. It includes six affordable rental units working with Yellow Roof Foundation. (See Agenda Item 7)
According to the city staff report, the residential development consists of 137 single family detached homes on approximately 2,600 square foot lots and six renter-occupied homes on 4,200 square foot lots designed for people who are at risk of being unhoused. The non-profit foundation is proposed to own and manage the six rentals.
Trent Sanson of DeNova Homes spoke during the presentation and responded to the councilmember’s questions.
Resident Andrew Becker, who usually opposes market-rate housing developments, spoke in support of the project.
During the council discussion Ogorchock spoke first saying, “I truly like the project. I think the lots are way small on this one. I think the park’s small. I’d like to see a bigger park. I’d also like to see a community garden.”
Agreeing with Torres-Walker, she said, “We have to have bathrooms in our parks.”
“I’m happy with Yellow Roof coming to town,” Ogorchock continued.
“I’d like to see walkability and trails,” she added.
Rancho Meadows Preliminary Development Plan. Source: DeNova Homes
Torres-Walker also liked Yellow Roof’s participation and hoped the homes would provide for transition into home ownership.
She advocated for larger sized back yards.
“I’m not a big supporter of gated communities,” Torres-Walker continued. “You can’t have a public park in a gated community. If it is, then you might want to rethink it being a gated community.”
“Is it affordable. I could be like everyone else saying you need a better paying job. People saying, ‘we need housing for all income levels. There has not been enough housing for low-income working families.
“15-minute cities. We use to live in those communities until we were pushed out with increasing rents,” Torres-Walker stated. “I just hope it actually has a pathway to home ownership.”
“I like the location…the fact that we’re doing this, that you put Yellow Roof in there,” Barbanica stated. “When a developer steps and does that and puts six units in there with ADU’s the money has to come from somewhere, either market-rate homes or smaller lots.
“You’re taking six units and saying, ‘come in here and pay whatever you can afford,’” he continued. “I do appreciate the fact that you are doing this in Antioch.”
“A little bit larger lots, if you can,” Barbanica added.
“They did call me, because it’s in my district…for the record,” Torres-Walker interjected.
First Floor Plan of the proposed Rancho Meadows rental homes which will be owned and managed by Yellow Roof Foundation. Source: DeNova Homes
“The individuals that go into these houses with lower rents, part of the money is set aside for them to get into home ownership,” Wilson inquired.
Confirming what she said, Sanson shared, “We try to keep it to a three-year program so people can get their financial affairs in order. We want to help more and more people that we can. Then they graduate on to home ownership.”
“I love that program but if you could add a couple more affordable units,” Wilson added. “I can support this project.”
Sanson then stated his company will work with city staff and include what was shared by the council members to finalize the project plan. Once ready, it will then be heard by the Planning Commission before returning to the council for a final vote.
A Con Fire EMS ambulance was onsite, 18 vehicles were towed, and an Antioch Police Officer spoke with displaced resident named Harry during the homeless encampment abatement on Monday, April 8, 2024. Screenshot of video by Nichole Gardner
Some campers relocated from Wilbur Avenue cleanup in March; 18 vehicles with expired tags towed; police recover 3 stolen vehicles from location; advocate complains, acting city manager explains
By Allen D. Payton
Some of Antioch’s homeless residents living in campers and motor homes that were cleared from Wilbur Avenue on March 22, 2024, relocated to private property in Antioch off Laurel and Neroly Roads, in the land next to Highway 4 along the creek. Posts on social media on Monday, April 8, 2024, showed Antioch Police Officers on the scene clearing the new encampment. Accusations were made by both the unhoused that officers blocked in the campers, not allowing them to leave and instead, towed some of the vehicles.
Local homeless advocate, Nichole Gardner drove to the site during Monday’s abatement and spoke with one of the residents named Harry who said, “they gave us notice, then the blocked the gate not letting anyone get out.”
She also asked an officer why there were no members of Antioch’s Care Team on site at the time, referring to them as “the purple people” as they dress in purple-colored shirts. He directed her to speak to other City staff. Gardner posted two videos of her visit to the site. See video 1 & video 2. (WARNING: Graphic language)
City staff cleared the homeless encampment from private property off Laurel Road and Highway 4 on Monday, April 8, 2024. Screenshot of video by Nichole Gardner
Acting City Manager and Economic Development Director Kwame Reed was asked about the City’s efforts. In response he wrote, “The City of Antioch, along with our Contra Costa County partners, conducted an abatement operation that recovered stolen property and more than a dozen vehicles. The operation also allowed us to offer services to community members in a homeless encampment.
The encampment in the Lindsey Detention Basin has continued to grow over the past few months. In that time, officers recovered three stolen vehicles and located a stolen ATM.
On April 3rd, Antioch officers and the Angelo Quinto Community Response Team (“Care Team”) visited the area and met with nearly a dozen people at the encampment. Over the next few days, officers and the Care Team continued to check in and offer services.
During the operation, Code Enforcement, the Care Team, Public Works, and the County’s C.O.R.E. Outreach team worked together to conduct the abatement. 18 vehicles with expired vehicle registrations were towed. Officers located two striped motorcycles and an industrial floor sweeper, all suspected of being stolen.
Through this multi-faceted approach, we were able to clear the area of trash, debris, and abandoned vehicles. We want to thank our community partners for their support in this effort.”
Questions were sent Tuesday evening to Reed, Department of Public Safety and Community Resources Director Tasha Johnson and Jazmin Ridley, the City’s Unhoused Resident Coordinator.
They were asked:
Since the 18 vehicles were towed, where are the homeless residents expected to live until they can pay the registration, towing and storage fees to recover them? Won’t they end up on city streets living in tents instead?
Also, couldn’t the City provide at least the vehicle registration fees from some of the funds in the budget for unhoused residents, as one way to help them stay off the street?
While the land in the Lindsey Detention Basin is privately owned, it appears some of the homeless residents living in RV’s relocated from Wilbur Avenue following the abatement there on March 22, isn’t the result of the City’s actions simply moving them from place to place, since the City has no place for them to locate?
What is the City doing to provide for a location for homeless residents – as was previously proposed on city-owned property such as the lot on Fitzuren Road when the City had the five state-donated trailers – to live in their RV’s while working with the county’s CORE team to help them move into permanent housing?
Or is the City merely hoping they will relocate out of Antioch?
Finally, what services did Antioch’s Care Team and the county’s CORE Team provide to the residents?
Attempts to reach Gardner for additional comment were unsuccessful prior to publication time.
Please check back later for any responses to this report.
Bullet casing markers in front of the Opportunity Village homeless hotel and crime scene tape there and at the Dairy Queen next to the Golden Hills Community Outreach Center could be seen at the fatal shooting scene on E. 18th Street in Antioch on March 27, 2024. Video screenshots.
Held on $1.35 million bail, has history of arrests
36-year-old victim identified as Frank James
By Acting Lt. Matthew Koch #3018,Antioch Police Department Investigations Bureau
Antioch Police Department detectives have worked diligently on this homicide investigation. Hi-tech tools and City cameras were instrumental in identifying 29-year-old Jacob Lamaar Crooks (born 5//24/94) as the suspect in the homicide that occurred on March 27, 2024. Antioch detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Crooks which was shared with neighboring law enforcement agencies.
On Monday, April 8th, the Walnut Creek Police Department contacted Crooks during a traffic enforcement stop where he was taken into custody. Crooks was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility for the murder of 36-year-old Frank James. This case will be presented to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office for review.
As previously reported, on Thursday, March 27, 2024, at approximately 5:22 AM, Antioch police officers responded to the 600 block of E.18th Street, near the Dairy Queen, at the request of Con Fire for a male who was found deceased with an apparent gunshot wound. (See video of police at scene)
When officers arrived, they located a 36-year-old male deceased inside a parked vehicle suffering from at least one gunshot wound. The Antioch Police Department’s Investigations Bureau, consisting of Crime Scene Investigators and detectives with the Violent Crimes Unit took over the investigation.
According to Detective Becerra the crime scene included the area on the street in front of Opportunity Village (homeless hotel) and the Golden Hills Community Outreach Center where multiple bullet casings were located. The victim walked to the Dairy Queen.
According to localcrimenews.com, Crooks has a history of arrests, is currently from Antioch and was also arrested by Antioch Police last November for assault with a semiautomatic firearm and attempted willful, deliberate or premeditated murder. He was arrested twice in 2021, first by San Pablo Police while a resident of that city, for similar charges and then by Antioch PD for gun and drug charges, including possession of an assault weapon. In January 2023, Antioch PD arrested Crooks again on other gun charges and revocation of probation.
It was a double victory for the Park Middle School Spartan Cheer Team this weekend. The girls achieved their first victory by winning 1st Place at the 2024 JAMZ Cheer & Dance NorCal Challenge Cup Championship in the Middle School Level 2 Division. This competition took place in Stockton, CA.
The second victory was via Virtual Submission to the Full Out Combat Cheerleading Competition which took place in Missoula, Montana. The Spartan Cheerleading Team won 1st Place in the Middle School Division for the Northwest Region.
The victories follow last month’s first place at the Rockstar-Justice League National Cheer and Dance Competition, last month. (See related article)
What an amazing weekend for our Spartan Cheerleaders! We are proud of YOU!
We have had an incredible competition season, bringing three Cheer Championship wins back to Park Middle School this year. We are so proud of all the time, energy, hard work and dedication our girls have put into making this team amazing.
If you know any local businesses that love supporting our schools and the youth in our community, please reach out to us. Go Spartans!
Teacher Jennifer Dare Sparks conducts a reading lesson in her 3rd/4th class at Ethel I. Baker Elementary School in Sacramento, Calif. Thursday, Jun. 2, 2022. Photo credit: Randall Benton / EdSource
Part of nationwide push to bring back phonics, sponsors seek compromise, CTA refuses to negotiate
California’s largest teachers’ union has moved to put the brakes on legislation that mandates instruction, known as the “science of reading,” that spotlights phonics to teach children to read.
The move by the politically powerful California Teachers Association (CTA) puts the fate of Assembly Bill 2222 in question as supporters insist that there is room to negotiate changes that will bring opponents together.
CTA’s complaints include some recently voiced by some advocacy organizations for English learners and bilingual education that oppose the bill and have refused to negotiate any changes to make the bill more acceptable.
The teachers union put its opposition to AB 2222 in writing in a lengthy letter to Assembly Education Committee Chairman Al Muratsuchi last week. The committee is expected to hear the bill, introduced in February, later this month.
The letter includes a checklist of complaints including that the proposed legislation would duplicate and potentially undermine current literacy initiatives, would not meet the needs of English learner students and cuts teachers out of the decision-making process, especially when it comes to curriculum.
“Educators are best equipped to make school and classroom decisions to ensure student success,” the letter said. “Limiting instructional approaches undermines teachers’ professional autonomy and may impede their effectiveness in the classroom.”
Marshall Tuck, CEO of EdVoice, an advocacy nonprofit co-sponsoring the bill, said he was surprised that CTA would oppose legislation that would ensure all teachers are trained to use the latest brain research to teach children how to read.
“Unfortunately, a lot of folks in the field haven’t actually been trained on that, and a lot of the instruction materials in classrooms today don’t align with that,” Tuck said.
Tuck said CTA appears to misunderstand the body of evidence-based research known as the science of reading. It “is not a curriculum and is not a program or a one-size-fits-all approach,” he said. “It will give teachers a foundational understanding of how children learn to read. Teachers will still have a lot of room locally to decide which instructional moves to make on any given day for any given children. So, you’ll still have significant differentiation.”
A nationwide push
California’s push to adopt the science of reading approach to early literacy is in sync with 37 states and some cities, such as New York City, that have passed similar legislation.
States nationwide are rejecting balanced literacy as failing to effectively teach children how to read, since it trains children to use pictures to recognize words on sight, also known as three-cueing. The new method would teach children to decode words by sounding them out, a process known as phonics.
Although phonics, the ability to connect letters to sounds, has drawn the most attention, the science of reading focuses on four other pillars of literacy instruction: phonemic awareness, identifying distinct units of sounds; vocabulary; comprehension; and fluency. It is based on research on how the brain connects letters with sounds when learning to read.
Along with mandating the science of reading approach to instruction, AB 2222 would require that all TK to fifth-grade teachers, literacy coaches and specialists take a 30-hour-minimum course in reading instruction by 2028. School districts and charter schools would purchase textbooks from an approved list endorsed by the State Board of Education.
The legislation goes against the state policy of local control that gives school districts authority to select curriculum and teaching methods as long as they meet state academic standards. Currently, the state encourages, but does not mandate, districts to incorporate instruction in the science of reading in the early grades.
“It’s a big bill,” said Yolie Flores, president of Families in Schools, a co-sponsor. “We’re very proud that it’s a big bill because that means it is truly consequential in the best way possible for children. It’s not a sort of tweak around the edges kind though, it’s the kind of bill that really brings transformation. So we are hoping that the Legislature sees beyond the sort of typical pushback and resistance, and in the end, I think, teachers will see that this was a huge benefit for them.”
Seeking compromise
The bill’s author, Blanca Rubio, D-Baldwin Park, said she took CTA’s seven-page letter not as an outright rejection but as an opportunity for negotiations.
“I’m glad they sent this letter,” she said. “They outline their objections and the reasons why, and that’s something I can work with. It’s not a flat, ‘No, we don’t want you to do it.’ They gave me specific items that I can look at and have a conversation about.”
She said that Assemblymember Muratsuchi asked her to work with the CTA on a compromise. She is also meeting with consultants for Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Salinas, “to look at the big picture,” she said.
But Flores says the state’s budget problems, with predictions of no money for new programs, may be a bigger hurdle to getting the bill passed than the CTA opposition. The cost of paying for the required professional development for teachers would total $200 million to $300 million, she said. Because it is a mandate, the state would be required to repay districts for the cost.
“That is a drop in the bucket for something so transformational, so consequential,” Flores said. “I hope that the Legislature really comes to that realization. We’re in a budget deficit, but our budget is a statement of priorities.”
Advocates say that it is imperative that California mandate instruction in the science of reading. In 2023, just 43% of California third graders met the academic standards on the state’s standardized test in 2023. Only 27.2% of Black students, 32% of Latino students and 35% of low-income children were reading at grade level, compared with 57.5% of white, 69% of Asian and 66% of non-low-income students.
“It’s foundational,” Flores said. “It’s not the only thing teachers need to know. It’s not the only thing that teachers will need to do and to adhere to, but it’s sort of the basic foundational knowledge of how children’s brains work in order to learn to read.”
The bill would sunset in 2028 when all teachers are required to have completed training. Beginning in July, all teacher preparation programs would be required to teach future educators to base literacy instruction on the science of reading.
Needs of English learners
The CTA and other critics of AB 2222 charge that it ignores the need of English learners for oral language skills, vocabulary and comparison between their home languages and English, which they need in order to learn how to read. Four out of 10 students in California start school as English learners.
Tuck disputes this. “We actually emphasize oral language development,” he said. “This would be the first statute that would say when instructional materials are adopted, and when teachers are trained in the science of reading, they must include a focus on English learners and oral language development.”
Representatives from Californians Together, an advocacy organization for English learners and bilingual education, applauded the CTA’s opposition to the bill. They oppose the bill, rather than suggest amendments, because they disagree with its overall approach.
“We just don’t think this is the right bill to address literacy needs,” said Executive Director Martha Hernandez. “It’s very restrictive. We know that mandates don’t work. It lacks a robust, comprehensive approach for multilingual learners.”
Instead, Californians Together and the California Association for Bilingual Education have both said they would prefer California fund the training of teachers and full implementation of the English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework.
The framework was adopted in 2014 and encourages, but does not mandate, explicit instruction in foundational skills and oral language development for English learners.
The California Language Teachers Association has requested the bill be amended to include information about teaching literacy in languages not based on the English alphabet, such as Japanese, Chinese or Arabic, according to Executive Director Liz Matchett. However, the organization has not yet taken a position on the bill.
“I agree that we want to support all children to be able to read. If they can’t read, they can’t participate in education, which is the one way that is proven to change people’s circumstances,” said Matchett, who teaches Spanish at Gunn High School in Palo Alto. “There’s nothing to oppose about that. I’m still a classroom teacher, and all the time, you get kids in high school who can’t read.”
Education Trust-West urges changes in the bill to center the needs of “multilingual learners” — children who speak languages other than English at home — and to include more oversight and fewer mandates, such as those that may discourage new teachers from entering the profession.
“If our recommended amendments were to be accepted, EdTrust-West would support it as a much-needed solution to California’s acute literacy crisis.”
Claude Goldenberg, professor emeritus of education at Stanford University, said “it was disappointing” to see CTA’s opposition, particularly because the union did not suggest amendments. He said he had met with representatives from CTA and urged them to identify what could be changed in the bill.
In a recent EdSource commentary, Goldenberg urged opponents to “do the right thing for all students. AB 2222’s introduction is an important step forward on the road to universal literacy in California. We must get it on the right track and take it across the finish line.”
Referring to the CTA’s opposition, Goldenberg said, “Obviously my urgings fell flat. They identified why they’re opposing, but there’s no indication of any possible re-evaluation.”
Goldenberg, who served on the National Literacy Panel, which synthesized research on literacy development among children who speak languages other than English, has called on the bill’s authors to amend it to include a more comprehensive definition of the “science of reading” and include more information about teaching students to read in English as a second language and in their home languages.
The CTA has changed its position on bills related to literacy instruction in the last two years. It had originally supported Senate Bill 488, which passed in 2022. The legislation requires a literacy performance assessment for teachers and oversight of literacy instruction in teacher preparation. The union is now in support of a bill that would do away with both.
The change of course was attributed to a survey of 1,300 CTA members, who said the assessment caused stress, took away time that could have been used to collaborate with mentors and for teaching, and did not prepare them to meet the needs of students, according to Leslie Littman, vice president of the union, in a prior interview.
Veteran political observer Dan Schnur said he’s not surprised CTA would oppose the bill since some of its political allies are against it; the question is how important CTA considers the bill.
“If it becomes a pitched battle, CTA will have to decide whether it is one of its highest priorities in this session,” he said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom hasn’t indicated his position yet, but Schnur, the press secretary for former Gov. Pete Wilson, who teaches political communications at UC Berkeley and USC, said, “This is not the type of fight Newsom needs or wants right now. If he has strong feelings, it’s hard to see him going to war for or against.”
By Juliet V. Casey, Director of Marketing, Los Medanos College
Pittsburg, Calif. – Los Medanos College (LMC) this year celebrates its golden anniversary, and to kick off recognition of its 50 years of excellence in education, workforce training and innovation, the college released its 50th Anniversary logo.
The golden logo harkens back to LMC’s retired brand. At the center, the stylized compass rose in which each direction spells LMC is indicative of its mission to help students find their future. While that mark has gone out of use, it remains a sentimental favorite among alumni and long-time residents of the East Bay community.
The anniversary logo’s looping five and zero of the 50 touching the inner golden circle conveys the infinite search for knowledge and truth, and unwavering service for the greater good. The Contra Costa Community College District (4CD) opened Los Medanos College in Pittsburg in 1974 to serve east Contra Costa County. Today, its service area includes Pittsburg, Antioch, Bay Point, Clayton, parts of Concord, Brentwood, Oakley, Knightsen, Bethel Island, Byron, and Discovery Bay. It is the third of three colleges within 4CD.
“Over the past five decades, LMC has grown and adapted to the needs of our students and the greater community,” President Ralston said. “Our program offerings have grown to over 90, we’ve added the new state-of-the-art Brentwood Center, and we have established ourselves as a cultural focal point for the community. Looking ahead to the next 50 years, we are focused on continuing this legacy with our alumni leading, innovating and shaping a sustainable and equitable future for generations to come.”
For LMC, 2024 will be a golden year of celebrating its collective successes and achievements. LMC in the past year has emerged in the Top 150 U.S. Community Colleges for the fifth consecutive time. The college is among the best community colleges for math, according to BestAccreditedColleges.org, and LMC athletes consistently win the conference and make it into post-season play.
Stay tuned for upcoming events throughout the year.
About Los Medanos College (LMC): LMC is one of three colleges in the Contra Costa Community College District, serving the East Contra Costa County community. Established in 1974, LMC has earned federal designations as a Minority-Serving and Hispanic-Serving institution. It offers award-winning transfer and career-technical programs, support services, and diverse academic opportunities in an inclusive learning environment. With exceptional educators, innovative curriculum, growing degree and certificate offerings, and state-of-the-art facilities, the college prepares students to succeed in their educational pursuits, in the workforce, and beyond. LMC’s Pittsburg Campus is located on 120 acres bordering Antioch, with an additional education center in Brentwood.
