Officially sworn in Monday before starting in his new position that day

“With a new day, there’s a renewed hope and we will rise to the challenge and achieve positive changes.” – Interim Antioch Police Chief Brian Addington

By Allen D. Payton

Antioch’s new Interim Police Chief Brian Addington was given a ceremonial oath of office Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 27, 2024, inside the breezeway of City Hall. It was attended by Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe, all four council members, city department heads, current and retired police personnel from Antioch and Pittsburg, as well as two chiefs and a former chief from other agencies in the county, plus, family and friends.

Addington began work in his new position on Monday, Feb. 26 and said he was sworn in that morning.

During Tuesday’s ceremony, following welcome remarks by Hernandez-Thorpe and an introduction of the new interim chief by Acting City Manager and Economic Development Director Kwame Reed, Deputy City Clerk Christina Garcia administered the oath of office and Addington’s wife, Lori pinned the chief’s badge to his chest. He left the breezeway and entered the Council Chambers for a moment, returning with a bouquet of flowers which he presented to his wife.

Addington then shared his thoughts about his new, temporary role saying he recalled Councilman Mike Barbanica was the first to reach out to him. “I thought he was joking. I chuckled. I said, ‘nah, I don’t think so.’”

Then Addington said he was asked by a recruiter about the interim position last June, which he declined and said he didn’t know anyone who was interested. But when Addington was asked around November if he would reconsider, he responded, “I couldn’t say no. Somebody needed to step up.”

“I’m humbled to work here and to lend my hand in stabilizing this organization and taking the next steps that are needed to improve,” Addington stated. “Obviously, we need to increase staff and just as importantly, retain the dedicated women and men who are tirelessly working, here keeping our community safe.”

“My focus will be on assuring we have sufficient resources to keep our residents and businesses safe,” he continued. “I’m committed to being open and transparent both inside the department and with our community.”

“Accountability and consistency will serve as the foundational pillars for us to enhance our culture, ensuring continuous improvement and integrity in all that we do,” Addington stated. “I want every in Antioch to know the police department is here for you.”

“We will have a renewed focus on customer service,” he continued. “Make no mistake, I have very high expectations for everyone who works at the Antioch Police Department, and I will hold them accountable.”

Addington then introduced his wife and family members and acknowledged Pittsburg Police Chief Steve Albanese and San Pablo’s Interim Police Chief Brian Bubar. (For those who remember him, Albanese is the son of Joe Albanase who was a Antioch Police Reserve Officer for 20 years and very involved in youth sports in the community).

Addington then closed by saying, “I’m an optimist” and shared two of 13 leadership principles he learned from one of his heroes, former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, and tries to live by. “Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier and it ain’t as bad as it looks or ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning” the interim chief shared. “I think this especially applies to the Antioch Police Department as we face our current challenges.”

“With a new day, there’s a renewed hope and we will rise to the challenge and achieve positive changes, and I’m excited to be involved in leading these efforts,” Addington added.

(Watch video for Addington’s entire comments beginning at the 9-minute mark.)

Unlike the grand oath of office celebration for Steve Ford, Antioch’s last interim police chief to be sworn in two years ago, the ceremony was not publicly announced and a much more muted affair.

Reed said, “It’s designed to be a small event.” Asked why and reminded of Ford’s ceremony, the acting city manager responded, “Neither Chief Addington nor I want that.”

Hernandez-Thorpe, who spoke first during the ceremony, and Mayor Pro Tem and District 4 Councilwoman Monica Wilson were dressed in African-style clothing. Asked about his clothing and if it was for Black History Month, the mayor said it was Dashiki from Nigeria and it was because the council would be raising the Pan African flag (also known as the Afro-American flag and Black Liberation flag, as has been displayed on the council dais during the Feb. 13th meeting) on the City Hall flagpole during the council meeting Tuesday night.

It is expected Addington will serve until a permanent city manager is hired, following the current nationwide search, who will in turn hire a permanent police chief. Read more about Interim Chief Addington, here.

State could retain unpopular written literacy test

By Dana Lambert, EdSource.org – republished with permission

Newly proposed legislation sponsored by the California Teachers Association would eliminate all performance assessments teachers are required to pass, including one for literacy that it supported three years ago. The result could leave in place an unpopular written test that the literacy performance assessment was designed to replace.

Senate Bill 1263, authored by state Sen. Josh Newman, D-Fullerton, would do away with the California Teaching Performance Assessment, known as the CalTPA, through which teachers demonstrate their competence via video clips of instruction and written reflections on their practice. 

Eliminating the assessment will increase the number of effective teachers in classrooms, as the state continues to contend with a teacher shortage, said Newman, chairman of the Senate Education Committee.

“One key to improving the educator pipeline is removing barriers that may be dissuading otherwise talented and qualified prospective people from pursuing a career as an educator,” Newman said in a statement to EdSource.

The bill also would do away with a literacy performance assessment of teachers and oversight of literacy instruction in teacher preparation programs mandated by Senate Bill 488, authored by Sen. Susan Rubio, D-West Covina, in 2021.

The literacy performance assessment is scheduled to be piloted in the next few months. It is meant to replace the Reading Instruction Competence Assessment (RICA) set to be scrapped in 2025. 

New law could leave RICA in place

The proposed legislation appears to leave in place a requirement that candidates for a preliminary multiple-subject or education specialist credential pass a reading instruction competence assessment, said David DeGuire, a director at the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

“At this time, it is unclear what that assessment would look like, but it could be that the state continues to use the current version of the RICA,” he said.

Newman will present the legislation to the Senate Education Committee in the next few months. Discussions about whether the RICA remains in use are likely to take place during the legislative process.

Rubio recently became aware of the new legislation and had not yet discussed it with Newman.

“For three years, I worked arduously and collaboratively with a broad range of education leaders, including parent groups, teacher associations and other stakeholders to modernize a key component of our educational system that in my 17 years as a classroom teacher and school administrator I saw as counterproductive to our students’ learning,” Rubio said of Senate Bill 488.

Teachers union changes course 

The California Teachers Association, which originally supported Senate Bill 488, now wants all performance assessments, including the literacy performance assessment, eliminated.

“We are all scratching our heads,” said Yolie Flores, of Families in Schools, a Los Angeles-based education advocacy organization. “We were really blindsided by this (legislation), given the momentum around strengthening our teacher prep programs.”

The results of a survey of almost 1,300 CTA members last year convinced the state teachers union to push for the elimination of the CalTPA, said Leslie Littman, vice president of the union. Teachers who took the survey said the test 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, she said.

“I think what we were probably not cognizant of at that time, and it really has become very clear of late, is just how much of a burden these assessments have placed on these teacher candidates,” Littman said. 

Teacher candidates would be better served if they were observed over longer periods of time, during student teaching, apprenticeships, residencies and mentorship programs, to determine if they were ready to teach, Littman said. This would also allow a mentor to counsel and support the candidate to ensure they have the required skills.

California joins science of reading movement

California has joined a national effort to change how reading is being taught in schools. States nationwide are rethinking balanced literacy, which has its roots in whole language instruction or teaching children to recognize words by sight, and replacing it with a method that teaches them to decode words by sounding them out, a process known as phonics. 

Smarter Balanced test scores, released last fall, show that only 46.6% of the state’s students who were tested met academic standards in English.

Last week Assemblymember Blanca Rubio, D-Baldwin Park, introduced Assembly Bill 2222, which would mandate that schools use evidence-based reading instruction. California, a “local control” state, currently only encourages school districts to incorporate fundamental reading skills, including phonics, into instruction.

 “It (Newman’s SB 1263) goes against not only the movement, but everything we know from best practices, evidence, research, science, of how we need to equip new teachers and existing teachers, frankly, to teach literacy,” Flores said. “And that we would wipe it away at this very moment where we’re finally getting some traction is just very concerning.”

Lori DePole, co-director of DeCoding Dyslexia California, said the proposed legislation would cut any progress the state has made “off at the knees.” 

Among her concerns is the elimination of the requirement, also authorized by Senate Bill 488, that the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing certify that teacher preparation programs are teaching literacy aligned to state standards and a provision that requires the commission to report to the state Legislature annually on how stakeholders are meeting the requirements of the law.

“It would be going away,” DePole said. “Everyone agreed with SB 488, all the supporters agreed, this was the direction California needed to go to strengthen teacher prep with respect to literacy. And before it can even be fully implemented, we’re going to do a 180 with this legislation. It makes no sense.”

Flores said teachers want to be equipped to teach reading using evidence-based techniques, but many don’t know how.

“We know that reading is the gateway, and if kids can’t read, it’s practically game over, right?” said Flores. “And we are saying with this bill that it doesn’t matter, that we don’t really need to teach and show that teachers know how to teach reading.”

Teacher tests replaced by coursework, degrees

California has been moving away from standardized testing for teacher candidates for several years as the teacher shortage worsened. In July 2021, legislation gave teacher candidates the option to take approved coursework instead of the California Basic Education Skills Test, or CBEST, or the California Subject Examinations for Teachers, or CSET. In January’s tentative budget, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed eliminating the CBEST and allowing the completion of a bachelor’s degree to satisfy the state’s basic skills requirement.

Littman disagrees with the idea that there will be no accountability for teachers if the legislation passes. “There’s always been, and will continue to be, an evaluation component for all of our teachers in this state,” she said. “It just depends on what your district does and how they implement that. There’s always been a system of accountability for folks.”

By Sgt. Matthew Koch #3018, Antioch Police Department Investigations Bureau

On Saturday, February 24, 2024, at approximately 5:12 am, Antioch Police patrol officers were dispatched to the 1700 block of Observation Way for a male who had been shot seated inside of a vehicle. Officers arrived on scene and located a 16-year-old male from Pittsburg with at least one gunshot wound. Officers on scene provided life-saving measures until relieved by ConFire and paramedics. The male victim was transported to an area hospital where he ultimately succumbed his injuries and was pronounced deceased.

Officers discovered the shooting took place in the 2000 block of Tupleo Way. Officers canvassed the area and located the scene. The Antioch Police Department’s Investigations Bureau, consisting of Crime Scene Investigators and detectives with the Violent Crimes Unit took over the investigation. This is an active investigation, and no further information will be provided.

No other information is being released at this time including the names of the victim or suspect.

Additional inquiries or information can be directed to Antioch Police Detective Duffy at (925) 779-6884 or by emailing aduffy@antiochca.gov. Anonymous tips or information about this – or any other incident – can be sent via text to 274637 (CRIMES) with the keyword ANTIOCH.

To supplement depleted police force

“The CHP continues to deploy officers alongside local law enforcement agencies in high crime areas.” – CHP spokesman Jaime Coffee

By Allen D. Payton

Following the deployment of 120 CHP officers in Oakland for five days earlier this month, resulting in 71 arrests, CHP Media Relations personnel were asked if the governor would be sending any officers would be provided to Antioch to supplement its depleted force due to the two investigations.

On Wednesday, February 21 she responded, “The California Highway Patrol (CHP) continues to provide service to all California communities, regardless of location, and constantly strives to enhance public safety through community engagement and partnerships. The CHP has always maintained a presence in Contra Costa County, and we are working with city leadership to determine if the CHP can further support the city of Antioch through normal CHP operations. 

The initial temporary surge within the city of Oakland occurred between February 5th and February 9th. Future surges are expected. The CHP continues to deploy officers alongside local law enforcement agencies in high crime areas.”

Acting Chief Joe Vigil and APD media relations officers were asked if the department had requested CHP officers for Antioch to supplement the force with so many officers currently on administrative leave. Vigil responded, “Yes.”

Asked if he had received a response to his request from either the governor’s office or the CHP, Vigil did not respond.

As of Feb. 1, Antioch had 31officers on paid administrative leave, including those being investigated by the FBI and Contra Costa DA’s Office, and those in the racist text message scandal. As of Feb. 13, with the four new officers sworn in, that brought the total number of active sworn officers on the force to 54.

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Matched with “non-binary” Fellow to run program to support new Crossroads to The Delta Project to revitalize the local economy, address commuter challenges, promote a sustainable business ecosystem

The City of Antioch announced on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, it has been selected as a host site of the first cohort for the Economic Recovery Corps (ERC). The ERC is a new, collaborative initiative designed to accelerate recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in distressed communities and regions throughout the U.S. by connecting organizations with the talent and capacity needed to advance new ways of doing economic development that promote economic resilience and transformative change. The ERC is working in partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s U.S. Economic Development Administration and the International Economic Development Council.

The ERC Program has the potential to shift the practice of economic development nationwide in an unprecedented manner.

Utilizing strategic partnerships, innovative industry development and data-driven planning, the project addresses issues such as lengthy commutes, limited local job opportunities and underutilized city resources. The challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic include a disbanded public safety office, staff shortages, struggling small businesses, and an underused waterfront. The ERC Fellow will research, audit, manage, or develop up to six key initiatives, covering areas like district-based associations, OceanTech, advanced manufacturing, supplier diversification programs, and assessing small business grant impact. The project aims to contribute to Antioch’s economic recovery and sustainability, fostering a resilient and vibrant community.

About the Fellow

The City also introduced ERC Fellow Gaby Seltzer who was matched with the Antioch community. Seltzer will play a pivotal role in revitalizing the local economy, address commuter challenges, and promote a sustainable business ecosystem. Gaby will be living and working in our community for the next 2.5 years.

The ERC’s website provided background about Antioch’s fellow in the program.

“Gaby is passionate about building community wealth and power through sustainability initiatives. ‘Their’ professional background is in grassroots food systems work, including managing a social enterprise program that increased access to healthy foods at corner stores in Washington, DC’s food apartheid neighborhoods. Through this work, ‘they’ helped locally-anchored businesses build resilient partnerships with residents, governments, academic institutions, and industry groups.

Witnessing the power of local networks to foster sustainability and social justice led Gaby to Presidio Graduate School, where ‘they’ honed ‘their’ cross-sector organizing skills through an MBA and MPA in Sustainability. While pursuing these degrees ‘they’ consulted for several economic resilience organizations. ‘They’ also served as an Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps Fellow twice: first designing a data portal to drive climate investments to frontline communities at the City of Seattle, and next building datasets and learning materials to drive climate adaptation programming at Pacific Gas & Electric Company.

In ‘their’ spare time, Gaby enjoys spending time outside and hosting gatherings.”

Asked if there is just one or more fellows, how Seltzer was matched with Antioch and in which city department the fellow will be working, Antioch Economic Development Manager Bret Sweet responded, “There was only one fellow, Gaby Seltzer. Gaby has asked us to use ‘they’, ‘them’ and ‘their’ in reference.”

“I applied for the program and went through a fairly intensive pitch process along with (Acting City Manager and Economic Development Director) Kwame (Reed),” he explained. “Once we were selected, we formed a panel of city and county employees to interview multiple candidates. As it worked out, we scored the highest and Gaby ranked Antioch the highest, so we were matched. There are 65 fellows in the program and only two were sent to California. As I learned at the kick-off last week in Portland, apparently ‘more than half the candidates asked to work on the Antioch project’.”

“Gaby works in the Economic Development Department here and will also work a bit with the Economic Development Department at the county,” Sweet added.

About the Project

Asked about the name of the project, Sweet shared, “Crossroads to the Delta project is the name we designed for the six initiatives we asked applicants to work on. Here is the project as it appeared to applicants: Crossroads To The Delta

“It was the name of the project for the ERC. It is not something established by the council,” he continued. “It was named crossroads to highlight Antioch’s positioning between San Francisco, Palo Alto, Stockton and Sacramento.”

“Gaby and I worked all last week at the kick-off in Portland to update the project goals based on feasibility, bandwidth and resources. We will probably have the page updated by next month,” Sweet said.

Learn more about the ERC program and the various projects across the US and stay up
to date on the ERC’s happenings by signing up for updates at www.iedconline.org/ERC_Updates.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

SF Chronicle Editorial Board and East Bay Times political editor join Planned Parenthood of Nor CA, CA Labor Federation, State Treasurer Fiona Ma, State Building & Construction Trades Council of CA and CA Federation of Teachers in endorsing Assemblyman’s campaign

CONCORD, CA – Assemblymember Tim Grayson announced new key endorsements from the San Francisco Chronicle and the East Bay Times in support of his campaign for State Senate District 9. The local newspaper Editorial Boards join a growing list of endorsers including Planned Parenthood Northern California Action Fund, California Labor Federation, State Treasurer, State Building and Construction Trades Council of California and California Federation of Teachers.

The San Francisco Chronicle Editorial Board cited Assemblymember Grayson’s experience noting, “Grayson, by contrast, has nearly a decade of state legislative experience under his belt. In his interview with us, he ticked off a few key accomplishments, including authoring laws to make it easier to build housing near BART stations, accelerate green-energy development in Contra Costa County, prioritize in-state students for admission to the University of California and crack down on predatory lending by capping interest rates for consumer loans.” Read the complete endorsement here.

Dan Borenstein, Political Editor of the East Bay Times also lauded Grayson’s legislative record and experience in their endorsement stating, “Experience and knowledge count. That’s why suburban East Bay voters should elect Assemblymember Tim Grayson to fill the state Senate seat that Steve Glazer is vacating because of term limits. The complete endorsement is accessible here. 

Grayson currently represents more than half a million Contra Costa County residents in the California State Assembly. A small business owner and the former Mayor of Concord, Tim is focused on fighting for quality jobs and economic security for working families, addressing California’s housing crisis, and taking on predatory lenders and financial fraudsters across our state. Tim was the first in his family to earn a college degree. His father was a Teamster and his mother was a public transit worker. Tim has been a licensed general building contractor for nearly 30 years and operates his own small business. He is the Chair of the Assembly Banking and Finance Committee. Tim and his wife Tammy have been married for 35 years and have raised two adult children in Concord, CA. 

Complete Endorsement List:  A complete endorsement list is available at www.graysonforca.com/endorsements

East Bay Times

San Francisco Chronicle Editorial Board

Planned Parenthood Northern California Action Fund

California Labor Federation

California Professional Firefighters

Equality California

State Building and Construction Trades Council of California 

State Controller Malia Cohen

State Treasurer Fiona Ma 

California Federation of Teachers 

CAL FIRE Local 2881

California Association of Highway Patrolmen

Contra Costa Building and Construction Trades Council

Building and Construction Trades Council of Alameda County

Contra Costa County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association

Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 104

Plasterers and Cement Masons Local 300

Housing Action Coalition

The Honorable Bob Hertzberg (former Speaker, Majority Leader and State Senator) 

State Senator Bill Dodd

State Senator Melissa Hurtado

Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas

Assemblymember Evan Low

Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris

Assemblymember Sharon Quirk Silva

Assemblymember Blanca Rubio

Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua

Assemblymember Jim Wood

Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes

Assemblymember Matt Haney

Assemblymember Chris Holden

Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan

Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin

Assemblymember Laura Friedman

Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Women’s Caucus Vice Chair

Assemblymember Mia Bonta

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks

Assemblymember Diane Papan

Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco

Contra Costa Supervisor Ken Carlson, District 4

Contra Costa Supervisor Diane Burgis, District 3

Contra Costa Supervisor Federal D. Glover, District 5

Contra Costa Supervisor John Gioia, District 1

Contra Costa Supervisor Candace Andersen, District 2

Pleasant Hill Vice Mayor Matt Rin

Pleasant Hill Councilmember Sue Noack

El Cerrito Councilmember Gabe Quinto

Sheet Metal Workers Local 104

For more information about Grayson and his campaign click, here and here.

The primary election is March 5 and he faces only one opponent in the race. So, both will face off in the November general election.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.— California State Parks’ Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW) today announced plans to control aquatic invasive plants in the west coast’s largest estuary, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and its southern tributaries. Starting March 6 through Nov. 30, 2024, DBW crews will begin herbicide treatments on water hyacinth, South American spongeplant, Uruguay water primrose, Alligator weed, Brazilian waterweed, curly leaf pondweed, Eurasian watermilfoil, coontail, ribbon weed, and fanwort in the Delta. Depending on weather conditions and plant growth/movement, treatment dates may change. Select areas of the Delta with high infestations or coverage of water hyacinth will be controlled using mechanical harvesting efforts through December 2024.

DBW works with local, state, and federal entities to better understand the plants and implement new integrated control strategies to increase efficacy. These aquatic invasive plants have no known natural controls and negatively affect the Delta’s ecosystem as they displace native plants. Continued warm temperatures help the plants proliferate at high rates. Plants are also known to form dense mats of vegetation creating safety hazards for boaters, obstructing navigation channels, marinas, and irrigation systems. Due to their ability to rapidly spread to new areas, it is likely that the plants will never be eradicated from Delta waters. Therefore, DBW operates a “control” program as opposed to an “eradication” program.

“Thank you to the public and partners for working with us on combating these aquatic invasive plants,” said DBW’s Deputy Director Ramona Fernandez. “Together we are mitigating their impacts on the lives of all who live, work, and recreate in the Delta.”

All herbicides used in DBW’s Aquatic Invasive Plant Control Program are registered for aquatic use with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. Treated areas will be monitored to ensure herbicide levels do not exceed allowable limits and follow EPA-registered label guidelines. The public may view the public notices and sign up to receive weekly updates on this year’s treatment season on DBW’s website.

Below is a list of proposed control actions for the 2024 treatment season:

Floating Aquatic Vegetation (Public Notice)

Water hyacinth, South American spongeplant, Uruguay water primrose, and alligator weed.

Herbicide Control

· Proposed Treatment Period
  All Sites: March 6, 2024 – Nov. 30, 2024

· Type of Herbicides: Glyphosate, 2,4-D, Imazamox, or Diquat

· Potential Treatment Areas: Initially in and/or around, but not limited to the following areas: San Joaquin River, Old River, Middle River, Fourteen Mile Slough, and Snodgrass Slough.

Mechanical Harvesting (If necessary)

· Harvesting Dates: March 2024 – April 2024 and July 2024 – December 2024

· Mechanical Harvesting Sites: Select areas of the Delta with high infestations or coverage of water hyacinth. See the Public Notice for potential mechanical harvesting control areas.

Submersed Aquatic Vegetation (Public Notice)

Brazilian waterweed, curlyleaf pondweed, Eurasian watermilfoil, coontail, ribbon weed, and fanwort.

Herbicide Control

· Treatment Period: Starting March 6, 2024, through Nov. 30, 2024, treatment period is based upon DBW field survey data, water temperatures and fish surveys.

· Type of Herbicide: Fluridone, Endothall or Diquat.

· Potential Treatment Areas: In and/or around the following areas (individual areas will be noticed prior to treatment application):

Anchorages, boat ramps and marinas: B & W Resort, Delta Marina Yacht Harbor, Grindstone Joes, Hidden Harbor Resort, Korth’s Pirates Lair, Oxbow Marina, Owl Harbor, River Point Landing, Rivers End, St. Francis Yacht Club, Tiki Lagoon, Tracy Oasis Marina, Turner Cut Resort, Vieira’s Resort, Village West Marina, and Willow Berm.
Near Old River: Berkeley Ski Club, Bullfrog Ski Club, Cruiser Haven, Delta Coves, Diablo Ski Club, Discovery Bay, Golden Gate Ski Club, Hammer Island, Italian Slough, Kings Island, Orwood Marina, Piper Slough, Sandmound Slough, Stockton Ski Club, and Taylor Slough.

Sacramento Area: French Island, Hogback, Long Island Slough, Prospect Island, Sacramento Marina, Snug Harbor, and Washington Lake.

Stockton Area: Atherton Cove, Buckley Cove, Calaveras River, Fourteenmile Slough, Mosher Slough, and Windmill Cove.

Mechanical Harvesting

This type of control method is not used for submersed aquatic vegetation. These plants are spread by fragmentation. Cutting the plants back exacerbates the problem, as shreds of the plants float away and re-propagate.

To report sightings, subscribe for program updates or more information regarding the control program, connect with us online at our website, via email at  AIS@parks.ca.gov, or by phone at (888) 326-2822.

Last year, DBW treated 2,377 acres of floating aquatic vegetation and 1,405 acres of submersed aquatic vegetation. No mechanical harvesting was conducted. A combination of herbicide, biological, and mechanical control methods were used to help control invasive plants at high-priority sites in the Delta.

In 1982, California state legislation designated DBW as the lead state agency to cooperate with other state, local, and federal agencies in controlling water hyacinth in the Delta, its tributaries, and the SuisunMarsh. The Egeria Densa Control Program was authorized by law in 1997 and treatment began in 2001. In 2012, spongeplant was authorized for control upon completion of the biological assessment. In 2013, DBW was able to expand its jurisdiction to include other invasive aquatic plants, and since then other aquatic invasive plants such as Uruguay water primrose, Eurasian watermilfoil, Carolina fanwort, coontail, Alligator weed, and Ribbon weed have been added to the AIPCP program.

Revenues from boaters’ registration fees and gasoline taxes (Harbors and Watercraft RevolvingFund), provide funding for DBW’s Aquatic Invasive Plant Control Program.

By Antioch Animal Services

Mountain Lion sighting at Contra Loma Blvd and Longview Drive. (Not actual photo of most recent sighting)

Please be mindful if you are walking the Mokelumne Trail or have your pets out in their yards. This guy has lived in the area for a while and been seen off and on over the years without incident (pictured off Lindley Drive).

Human encounters with mountain lions are rare and the risk of an attack is infinitely small. You are more likely to drown in your bathtub, be killed by a pet dog, or hit by lightning. If lions had any natural urge to hunt people, there would be attacks every single day. Instead, they avoid us.

But if you live, work, or play in cat country, be alert! Avoid walking alone between dusk and dawn when lions are most active. Keep your children and pets close to you. Never approach or corner a mountain lion (or any wild animal). If you do encounter a mountain lion, STOP. DO NOT RUN. Unlike safety advice for encountering bears, do not act timid or play dead in front of a cat.

Instead: Maintain eye contact. Stand tall. Look bigger by opening your coat or raising your arms. Slowly wave your arms and speak firmly. Throw items at the lion if necessary. Give the cat room and time to move on.

Call 911 if there is a mountain lion attack.

For further: https://www.mountainlion.org/FAQfrequentlyaskedquestions.php

In case you want more info; https://www.mountainlion.org/portalprotect.php