Could add more than $2,200 to cost of a home; revise nepotism policy

NOTE: This article was inadvertently overlooked due to the publisher being sick at the time it was submitted. However, the information is still timely. Apologies for the delay in publishing it.

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By Daniel Borsuk

Will all new houses built in Contra Costa County feature all solar powered electric appliances and lights with no natural gas by Jan. 1 2026?

That’s the game plan of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors who, on Tuesday, August 3, 2021, instructed the county’s Department of Conservation and Development (CCCDCD) to draft an ordinance that would require home builders to construct residential buildings with all electric powered appliances. (See Subcommittee Report and staff presentation)

Just when CCCDCD will have an ordinance ready for supervisors to consider is up in the air, but the supervisors’ action demonstrates their keen interest in environmental issues. Should the supervisors eventually pass an ordinance calling for all solar powered, electric new housing, natural gas-powered water heaters, heaters, stoves and clothes dryers will be taboo.  From then on, everything will be solar powered. (See Cost-effectiveness Study)

Supervisors expect the proposed ordinance will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026. (See Ad Hoc Committee on Sustainability Committee’s recommended Building Electrification Ordinance for New Construction)

Just when planning officials will have an ordinance prepared for supervisors to review and act on is up in the air, but Area 2 Supervisor Candace Andersen of Danville raised questions about the cost effectiveness of such a proposed ordinance.

“I have serious reservations about the California Energy Commission’s recommendations to replace natural gas with all electric powered homes,” said Andersen. “We need better cost analysis.  There are some estimates going around that all-electric could add $2,000 to the cost of a house.”

Andersen cast the one dissenting vote in instructing CCCCDP officials to draft an all-electric new residential ordinance.

Lisa Vonderbrueggen of the Building Industry Association of the Bay Area also cautioned supervisors about the genuine costs associated with electric powered versus natural gas-powered houses. She said a California Building Industry Association study found that an all-electric home is $421 less expensive to build, including the cost of appliance, “but estimates from homebuilders show increased costs of more than $2,200 per home.”

Vorderbrueggen wrote: “Will California’s aging electric grid hold up under an all-electricity design.  The state is already anticipating major demand increases from electric vehicle charging needs.”

While a letter from PG&E supporting the county’s move to promote all solar-powered electric homes generated scant interest from the general public, District 1 Supervisor John Gioia of Richmond said,“I appreciate PG&E’s statement and it has provided in-depth analysis. But I am very hesitant to move forward on it.”

“Do everything you can do to eliminate gas,” pleaded Richmond City Councilmember Eduardo Martinez. “I liken natural gas to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

“We need to act quickly,” said Lisa Jackson, an environmentalist.  “We cannot wait for the state to act. PG&E even supports this.  Let’s move forward to eliminate this potential safety hazard.”

Before casting his vote, District 1 Supervisor Gioia, who drives an electric-powered car said: “It’s all about full electrification as our main source of power.”

Nepotism Policy Revised

After not updating its nepotism policy since 2011, supervisors took the plunge and loosened its the rules on appointments on boards, committees and commissions for which the board of supervisors is the appointing body.

Supervisors voted 4-1, with supervisor Gioia casting the dissenting vote, brother-in-law and sister-in-law from the prohibited relationship list.

The revised policy now states:

“A person will not be eligible for appointment if he/she is related to a Board of Supervisors’ Member in any of the following relationships:

1. Mother, father, son, and daughter.
2. Brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather, grandson, and granddaughter.
3. Husband, wife, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, stepson, and stepdaughter.
4. Registered domestic partner, pursuant to California Family Code section 297.
5. The relatives, as defined in 1 and 2 above, for a registered domestic partner.
6. Any person with whom a Board Member shares a financial interest as defined in the Political Reform Act  (Gov’t Code 87103, Financial Interest), such as a business partner or business associate.”

 

East County workshops Oct. 24, 26 & 28

By Susan Shiu, PIO, Office of Communications & Media, Contra Costa County

Contra Costa County’s Redistricting effort is a once-a-decade process of redrawing the boundaries for Supervisorial districts after the U.S. Census. As part of that process,

a series of Community Redistricting Workshops to be held in each region of the County will take place October 20 – 29, 2021. To register for mapping workshops and to learn more, visit CoCoRedistricting.org.

The county is also offering easy-to-use mapping tools for public input. Five proposed maps have been created for review by the public and Supervisors. See Redistricting Concept Maps 1-5.

Redistricting is the regular process of adjusting the lines of voting districts in response to accordance with population shifts within the County. Every ten years, after the decennial census, supervisorial districts must be redrawn so that each district is substantially equal in population. This process is important in ensuring that each Supervisor represents about the same number of people.

Redistricting is based on the U.S. Census data, which was released in legacy format on August 12, 2021.  The actual drawing of Supervisorial District Maps requires the official California State Adjusted Redistricting data, which was released September 20, 2021 and includes updated data to ensure that individuals in the prison population are counted by each jurisdiction.

“The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors welcomes your engagement and input in this important process,” said Board Chair, Supervisor Diane Burgis. “We are committed to a robust Redistricting and public outreach process with public hearings, a dedicated website at CoCoRedistricting.org, and public workshops.”

Workshop Schedule

Community Redistricting Workshop – District 2, San Ramon City Hall

October 23, 2021, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM @ San Ramon City Hall, 7000 Bollinger Canyon Road. Hosted by Supervisor Candace Andersen

Community Redistricting Workshop – District 3 Zoom Workshop

October 24, 2021, 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM This workshop will be by zoom only. Hosted by Supervisor Diane Burgis

Community Redistricting Workshop – District 4, Pleasant Hill Community Center

October 25, 2021, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM @ Pleasant Hill Community Center. Hosted by Supervisor Karen Mitchoff

Community Redistricting Workshop – East County Zoom Workshop

October 26, 2021, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM This workshop will be by zoom only. Hosted by Supervisors Diane Burgis & Federal Glover

Community Redistricting Workshop – District 1, San Pablo City Hall

October 27, 2021, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM @ San Pablo City Hall, 1000 Gateway Avenue, San Pablo 94806 Hosted by Supervisor John Gioia

Community Redistricting Workshop – District 5 Zoom Workshop

October 28, 2021, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM This workshop will be by zoom only. Hosted by Supervisor Federal Glover

For more information about Redistricting and how to provide input, visit www.CoCoRedistricting.org or the County website’s homepage at www.contracosta.ca.gov.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The email received by the Herald from AUSD Associate Superintendent, Educational Services,  Christine Ibarra, on Thursday, Sept. 30 was missed until, yesterday. She responded to questions sent on Monday, Sept. 27 for the article entitled, “Statewide report shows 76% of Antioch third graders reading below grade level for 2017-18, 2018-19 school years.” While they’ve been added to the article, it’s best they be published separately. Apologies to Ms. Ibarra, district staff and our readers for the oversight. Allen Payton

9/30/21 UPDATE: AUSD Responds – Following are the Herald’s questions and the answers from Associate Superintendent Christine Ibarra:

Q – What is being done to rectify this situation? What ideas, programs, or suggestions have any of the trustees proposed during their terms on the board? Have any been approved and implemented? If so, what are the results? If so or if not, what do you propose be done?

A – AUSD is heavily invested in a computer adaptive instructional program known as iReady.  All students in grades K-8th participate in this research-based program.  This program provides three diagnostic assessments per year and produces individualized placement levels in reading.  The students then engage in a pathway of instruction that is both done within the computerized program itself and supported by intervention prep teachers on campuses with direct instruction that is tailored to the individual levels and needs of each student.  Since this is our third year utilizing this program, we have data that shows significant growth in students’ reading levels and abilities at all grade levels even during distance learning.

Furthermore, AUSD has provided every elementary school with a full-time intervention teacher who works with small groups providing intentional and targeted support in areas of need, specifically in fluency skills and reading comprehension. These intervention teachers utilize a wide array of differentiation strategies and support to ensure their time with student groups is maximized for the greatest impact on student growth and achievement.

In addition, AUSD has an MOU with UC Berkeley’s California Reading and Literacy Project for the 2021-2022 school year.  This partnership provides professional learning for all teachers TK-6th grade specifically focused on developing teachers’ content knowledge and expanding their teaching strategies guided by the state-adopted frameworks, content standards, and the science of reading.

Read 180 is a research-based program being reintroduced to AUSD intended for secondary students who are performing two or more years behind grade level in Reading.

AUSD is also heavily invested in the AVID programming and professional learning community which has provided hundreds of teachers across all grade levels with outstanding workshops focused on critical reading strategies across content areas so that all teachers have tools and supports to support reading levels at any grade level.  This summer alone, we had 50 teachers attend virtually.

The iReady program, Read 180, the AVID program, and the UC Berkeley partnership are Board approved contracts and the intervention teaching positions were board approved via the LCAP and Expanded Learning Opportunities grant.

Q – Since education begins at home, what is being done to work with the parents or guardians of the students reading below grade level to help them?

A – We provided ongoing trainings and support during school closures remotely in both English and Spanish. The parent trainings were not only for technology support efforts but were designed to also increase parents’ capacity to support their students at home and in their academics.  iReady specifically provided parent institutes that were widely attended virtually.  Since returning to in-person learning, we have worked closely with our District English Language Advisory Committees (DELAC) as well as our Parent Advisory Committees (PACs) and Site Councils from all schools across the district to assess what parents need and are interested in engaging in to support their students’ academic achievement.  Most, if not all of our elementary and middle schools, host parent training nights focused on both literacy and mathematics and are working to determine how to continue that effort with COVID-19 protocols in place this year.

Q – For the Hispanic/Latino students, is it a matter of Spanish being the primary language at home? How many ESL students are there in the district, please?

A – AUSD currently serves 2,687 English Learners (EL) and has over 450 students being tested to determine their English Learner status as of today.  Although Spanish is the largest group of English Learners’ population in AUSD, we have over 30 different languages spoken within our EL population.

Q – Have there been any efforts to work with Rocketship Delta Prep to learn what their best practices are which, according to their reports, show significant advancement among their students and in just one school year, and implement them in district schools?

A – The AUSD Educational Services department meets annually with Rocketship and reviews their programming efforts as required. Best practices are shared and exchanged during those meetings.  Since we have not had summative state data results in the last two years, the conversation has not been directly about the improvement of test scores.  In the 2019 CAASPP, AUSD students performed higher in English Language Arts.

Q – On whom does the responsibility lay for this, the board, superintendent, principals, teachers and/or parents?

Are there subject matters being taught in the classroom that aren’t required that take time away from focusing on reading skills?

A – Educating students and ensuring students have all the supports and opportunities they deserve and require is a collective responsibility.  When we can work together to that end, we will see students reach their full potential.

Your teen is in the driver’s seat, but you’re in control

It’s National Teen Driver Safety Week. This week, and every week, parents should have conversations with their teens about the important rules they need to follow to stay safe behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. These rules address the greatest dangers for teen drivers: alcohol, inconsistent or no seat belt use, distracted and drowsy driving, speeding, and number of passengers.

Facts about Teen Driver Fatalities:

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens (15-18 years old) in the United States.

In 2019, there were 2,042 people killed in crashes involving a teen driver, of which 628 deaths were the teen driver.

Parents can be the biggest influencers on teens’ choices behind the wheel if they take the time to talk with their teens about some of the biggest driving risks. You should let your teen drivers know that obeying the rules of the road is a must. Breaking the rules leads to walking, riding the bus, using rideshare or going back to begging for rides from mom and dad.

The Rules of the Road

Wear seat belts

The car doesn’t move until everyone is buckled up — front seat and back, on every trip, every time. Almost half of the passengers killed in cars driven by teen drivers in recent years weren’t buckled up in 2019.

No drinking and no drugs

Emphasize the fact that it’s illegal to drink before you’re 21 — and that driving drunk or high is unacceptable at any age. In 2019, 16% of teen drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking.

No distractions

Driving is the first and only task when behind the wheel. That means no phones or texting while driving, and not doing anything else — like eating, drinking, or fixing hair and makeup — when you should fully focus on driving. About 10% of all teen drivers involved in fatal crashes in recent years were distracted at the time of the crash. Teens should activate the “do not disturb” feature on their phones to eliminate the distractions notifications cause.

No speeding

About 27% of teen drivers involved in fatal crashes were speeding in 2019. Faster speeds rob inexperienced teen drivers of the extra reaction time they may need to avoid a crash. Emphasize that they must obey posted speed limits.

Limit extra passengers

Teen drivers are at a greater risk for a crash when they have others in their car. Passengers can serve as a distraction for inexperienced teen drivers, and that’s why many states’ graduated driver licensing (GDL) restrictions prohibit any passengers in vehicles with teen drivers. GDL laws also set other limits on teen drivers for safety.

Drowsy Driving

We all know how important sleep is, especially for your teens during the school year when studying can cause long nights. Remind your teen the importance of a good night’s sleep, and the dangers of drowsy driving.

Don’t just set the rules — set the example

Parents, you’re role models. When a teen driver sees you obeying the rules of the road, they get the message. If you’re breaking the rules, they may adopt those behaviors when they’re on the road. Check yourself: assess how you’re driving (whether you’re following the rules of the road) and think about what your driving communicates to your teen driver.

While National Teen Driver Safety Week is a great reminder to discuss safe driving as a family, keep the conversation going year-round. If you do, you’ll not only better protect your young driver, you’ll be contributing to safer roads in your community. For even more information, visit our Teen Driving section.

The Antioch Police Department contributed to this report.

 

 

Expertise is in data gathering, but no experience developing a program; recruiting workers at $20 per hour for survey; focus is on people of color and impoverished residents

By Allen Payton

During the August 10th Antioch City Council meeting Urban Strategies Council (USC), a-not-for-profit social justice organization, was introduced and hired to design a mobile, mental health crisis intervention model for the City of Antioch, to address non-emergency calls using well-trained community respondents. Urban Strategies Council presentation ACC081021

According to city staff, some calls to 911 and the City’s non-emergency number are for situations that do not need a police officer to respond. To develop Antioch’s program public feedback is needed. USC is collecting input from Antioch residents who have experience with the 911 system or feedback on how the City addresses non-emergency 911 calls and community needs. This survey aims to understand community needs from the voice of the people most impacted.

According to USC’s presentation to the city council, the community resident survey is “focusing on most impacted residents – African-American, Asian-Pacific Islander, Latinx (Latino/Hispanic).” The presentation also shows they plan to have a pilot program developed by the end of this month.

According to Assistant City Manager Rosanna Bayon Moore, “USC is in the process of outreach for the City’s program design phase.  A survey is one of the many ways they are collecting information to inform the program design.”

USC has been recruiting workers to help with the survey, offering to pay $20 per hour this past week and next. One was sent to all staff at Antioch High School, according to Jon Davis who works for the school district.

According to their website, USC is “a regional research and advocacy organization dedicated to social, economic, and racial equity. We work to hold institutions and systems accountable to community needs.” Their “mission is to eliminate persistent poverty in the Bay Area by working with partners to transform low-income neighborhoods into vibrant, healthy communities.”

Their work focuses on the issue areas of Criminal Justice Reform, Boys and Men of Color, Economic Opportunity, Pathways to Career and College, and Violence Prevention. Regarding USC’s approach, they write, “In order to move the needle on persistent poverty, we need to change the systems that are currently ineffective, and so we focus  on reforming the systems that serve low-income communities.”

Asked why the organization was chosen and what experience they have in developing a non-emergency response system for a city, what does their mission have to do with developing a non-emergency response system, who suggested USC as the organization to hire for this, a staff or council member, and how much the City is paying them to develop the program and do the survey.

Bayon Moore responded Saturday evening with the following: “The City seeks to establish an effective mobile crisis intervention response program.  This initiative is supported by the entire City Council.  Staff’s work in this area is a high priority which is why the program is being overseen by the City Manager’s Office.

Multicultural literacy is a centerpiece of our approach to program design that cannot be ignored or minimized in terms of importance.  This includes but is not limited to being aware and mindful of all resident needs, including our neighbors who may not participate in conventional public processes.

Urban Strategies Council was selected by a multi department interview process that included PD.  The engagement threshold is within the City Manager’s signature authority.

I suggest you take a closer look at USC’s professional skills and capabilities.  The August presentation I’ve already shared includes a link to materials that describe their prior work and Antioch’s actual scope of work, again, including but not limited to a survey.”

In response, some questions were repeated, and further questions were asked of Bayon Moore late Saturday night, including “how much is the contract for with USC? If they do have any experience developing a non-emergency response program/mobile, mental health crisis intervention model, can you please provide that information or point to where it can be found on their website? What does their mission have to do with developing a non-emergency response system? Why is this focused on people of color and impoverished residents? Is the effort of the survey and entire response program focused on them as is USC’s mission and focus areas? Also, how does USC know, as it shows in the presentation to Council on Aug. 10th, without first surveying Antioch residents, that ‘African-American, Asian-Pacific Islander, Latinx’ are the ‘most impacted residents’ of our city? Do they have some previously gathered data to support that claim? Were any other organizations considered for the project that might have more or any experience developing and implementing one in a city? Finally, without having to take the survey, can you please provide a list of the questions they’re asking?”

Questions were also sent Saturday afternoon to David Harris, President and CEO of USC, asking what experience they have in developing a non-emergency response system for cities and how would a system in Antioch fulfill his organization’s mission. He was also asked, without first surveying Antioch residents, how can he claim, as it shows in his presentation, that “African-American, Asian-Pacific Islander, Latinx” are the “most impacted residents” of our city, and does he have some previously gathered data to support that claim. Finally, Harris was asked if it was one of the city staff or council members who contacted him for the presentation and contract with the city, and if he was still recruiting workers for this next week. He did not respond before publication time, early Monday afternoon.

Harris called late Monday afternoon and agreed to call back later that evening following his organization’s board meeting, or the next day, but did not.

The survey is anonymous and confidential and takes seven minutes to complete.

English/Inglés: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Antioch_2021

Spanish/Español: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Antioch_Spanish

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Hold press conference to ask Mayor Thorpe to place tenant anti-harassment and just cause for eviction policies on next meeting agenda; fail to invite local media; council members and mayor refuse to answer questions about the proposals

By Allen Payton

On Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021, Antioch Mayor Pro Tem Monica Wilson and District 1 Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker held a press conference to highlight claims of Antioch renters getting harassed by their landlords and facing eviction, and call on Mayor Lamar Thorpe to place both an anti-harassment and a just cause for eviction ordinances on the next council meeting agenda. The councilwomen did not invite local media to attend.

A KTVU FOX2 news article from the press conference reports, “they were joined by members of Contra Costa County’s chapter of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, which has campaigned for similar tenant anti-harassment ordinances in other cities.” A similar anti-harassment ordinance was adopted by the Los Angeles City Council in June. According to the ordinance, “violation of the ordinance can be either a criminal misdemeanor (up to 6 months in jail or a $1,000 fine for each offense), or a civil violation (damages, rent refunds for reduction in housing services, reasonable attorney’s fees and costs, fine of up to $10,000 per violation, or tenant relocation)”.

Tenant protections against eviction, rent increases and late fees ended in Contra Costa County on Sept. 30. The Board of Supervisors on a 2-3 vote chose not to extend the protections. (See related article)

The state’s protections also ended Sept. 30.

KTVU also reported Thorpe said, “I personally have concerns with Antioch tenants being harassed, especially during the pandemic, so conceptually, I agree with these protections.”

On her official Facebook page, on Oct. 12, Torres-Walker posted the following statement about the effort with photos from the press conference, including three people who spoke, besides the two councilwomen.

“Antioch had the highest rate of evictions out of any Bay Area city during the pandemic, and researchers are predicting it is likely to be a hotspot for evictions after the statewide eviction moratorium lifts. Sadly the highest concentration of evictions in Antioch has been in District 1.

In September I requested that an anti-displacement policy be brought to the council for immediate action as Statewide and County-wide moratoriums were coming to an end and renters facing eviction were calling on us as city leaders to do something. I was honored to have the support of mayor pro tem Monica Wilson who back up that request last month stating that she as well wanted to see policies around anti-landlord harassment and just cause evictions to be brought to the council.

In July I met with over 20 residents in the River Town [sic] area who were facing eviction and devastated about their family’s future I met with even more residents in the Sycamore community who had the same concerns that their families would end up on the streets.

The government assistance that was promised to make renters and landlords whole has been slow to reach the ground, slow to meet the need, and moratoriums have only been a band-aid for a larger issue around housing access and affordability in the region.

Proposed policies:

Anti-Harassment Ordinance

An anti-harassment ordinance defines certain bad-faith landlord behaviors as unlawful harassment. Tenants can then enforce their rights against landlords who engage in these behaviors. Harassment can include lack of repairs, a landlord not taking care while doing construction or other repairs, discriminatory behavior like sexual harassment, racial discrimination, or disability discrimination, a landlord threatening to report tenants to immigration authorities, a landlord threatening violence, and other behaviors designed to make tenants’ lives more difficult or cause them to leave their homes. If a tenant wins in court, their landlord will pay damages and their attorneys’ fees.

Harassment of tenants is a way for some landlords to circumvent other legal tenant protections. When some landlords can’t legally evict a tenant to raise the rent, they will instead harass the tenant until they have no choice but to leave their home. This makes existing tenant protections less effective.

An anti-harassment ordinance removes the financial incentive for harassment by adding penalties for bad actor landlords. Landlords who don’t harass tenants don’t need to worry about the anti-harassment ordinance because they won’t need to change their behavior to comply with it. Instead, an anti-harassment ordinance promotes neighborhood stability and safe and healthy housing.

Just Cause Supplements

Tenants also need effective eviction protections to remain in their homes. The statewide just cause for eviction law, AB 1482, contains several eviction loopholes that allow landlords to evict tenants for ‘no-fault’ reasons and then re-rent the unit at a higher rent once the tenants have been forced out. To prevent unscrupulous actors from using these ‘building clearing’ loopholes, a city can pass a “just cause” supplement.

‘No fault’ evictions can happen to tenants who are paying their rent and complying with their lease. ‘Substantial renovation’ and ‘removal from the rental market’ are examples of two ‘no-fault’ types of evictions that, unless regulated, can result in tenant displacement.

Under the substantial renovation loophole, a landlord can evict a tenant under state law to remodel their unit, and the tenant has no right of return. In contrast, under a local just cause supplement, a tenant may only be required to temporarily move out, once the landlord has secured all necessary building permits, and can return at the same rent amount once the repairs are made.

Similarly, under the ‘withdrawal’ loophole, state law allows a landlord to evict a tenant to remove a property from the rental market for an unspecified amount of time. But under a local just cause ordinance designed to prevent unfair evictions, the removal must be long-term (ten years), give the tenant additional notice, and allow the tenant to return at the same rent if the property is re-rented.

These ‘building clearing’ loopholes, when used by unscrupulous actors, can put entire neighborhoods at risk. However, the loopholes can be easily closed under an ordinance to stop pretextual evictions and prevent displacement.”

Questions for Councilwomen, Mayor

Questions were sent to the councilwomen and mayor early Friday morning asking, what landlords are harassing tenants? In apartments or single-family residences? How many and which tenants were or are being harassed? What do they mean by harassment? Requiring they pay their rent or face eviction? Or was their rent raised or late fees assessed illegally up until Sept 30 when the county protections for tenants ended? Did any of you, including Mayor Thorpe, speak with any of the landlords to get their side of the story? Was it anything to do with COVID that the tenants couldn’t pay their rent or some other reason the tenants were facing eviction?

In response to Torres-Walker’s Facebook post more questions were asked, including, what can the City of Antioch actually do to enforce such an ordinance? Can a general law city, like Antioch, adopt and enforce a just cause evictions ordinance (like Los Angeles, which is a charter city)? Do you have a sample of one you can provide? Would the city sue the landlord or help the tenant sue their landlord? Can the city fine the property owner?”

In addition, Saturday night, questions were posted below the photos on Torres-Walker’s Facebook post asking who are the other that spoke during the press conference and appear in the photos and what did they say.

Thorpe responded Friday morning, but only with “Please remove me from this discussion. This press conference was put together by these two Council members not me. They have requested these items come before council so let’s be cognizant of the Brown Act.”

The same questions were then immediately resent to just the two councilwomen, and a separate email was sent to the mayor.

The questions were resent, again early Sunday morning, Oct. 17 to the councilwomen and mayor, in two separate emails. As of Sunday night, none of the three had responded to the questions from the Herald.

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Armed with AR-15 style weapons and Glock; multi-agency effort with help from APD K9 Purcy

By Sergeant Brian Rose #4309, Antioch Police Field Services

On Saturday, October 16, 2021, at approximately 10:45 a.m., officers from the Antioch Police Department located a vehicle that had been recently stolen during a carjacking that occurred in the City of Concord. APD officers were aware of the fact the suspects in the carjacking were armed with AR-15 style weapons, and a Glock handgun. When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver failed to yield, and a vehicle pursuit ensued.

The driver recklessly drove through Antioch streets, and when they reached the intersection of Golf Course Road and Lone Tree Way, the vehicle’s occupants fled from the car on foot. Three occupants were apprehended shortly after fleeing from the car. APD K9 officer Purcy helped in their apprehension.

The Antioch Police Department would like to send a heartfelt thank you to the California Highway Patrol – Golden Gate Division air support team, as well as the Pittsburg and Brentwood Police Departments who assisted during this incident. We would also like to thank our wonderful citizens for your support and assistance as we work together to keep our community safe.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925) 778-2441. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

By Antioch Police Department

Last evening, APD Night Shift officers received a call reporting an individual attempting to steal catalytic converters from a fleet of vehicles at a local business. When Officers Desiderio and Mullholland arrived, they located two power saws near the fleet of vehicles, but the suspect was nowhere around. The business owner showed officers a video of the suspect’s van pulling into the parking lot. Officers Desiderio and Mullholland checked the surrounding area and located the unoccupied van parked at a nearby gas station.

Officers waited around the corner and saw the suspect return to the van. During a traffic stop, they discovered he was wanted out of San Antonio, Texas, for an aggravated assault. Officers also found a catalytic converter and saw blades inside the van. The suspect was arrested on theft charges, along with his out of state warrant, and given a one-way trip to the County Jail in Martinez.

Catalytic converter theft remains a HUGE problem around the nation. Hybrid vehicles (especially the Toyota Prius), Ford F-150s, and fleet vehicles seem to be targeted the most. An experienced thief can remove a catalytic converter in less than two minutes.

There are steps you can take to help prevent yourself from becoming a victim of this expensive crime. Check out this link from the California Bureau of Automotive Repair for some tips:

https://www.bar.ca.gov/…/Smog…/Catalytic_Converter_Theft