In response to the vote to strike by the Service Employees International Union – United Healthcare Workers (see related article), John Nelson, Vice President, Communications, Kaiser Permanente issued the following statement:

Kaiser Permanente and SEIU-UHW have been working together toward a mutually beneficial agreement as part of the national bargaining with the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions that began in April. Unfortunately, UHW leadership has decided to use the threat of a strike as a bargaining tactic, designed to divide employees and mischaracterize Kaiser Permanente’s position, even though most of the contracts don’t expire until October.

We believe the result of the strike vote reflects obviously misleading ballot questions used by the union:

• “I vote YES to authorize our bargaining team to call for a strike to protest Kaiser’s illegal behavior and unfair labor practices and to show my support for a contract with good raises, no take-aways and a ban on subcontracting.”
• “I vote NO and am willing to accept a contract that increases our medical costs, cuts our pensions and retiree medical benefits, offers lower pay scales and raises that are less for Oregon and Washington than California.”

To be clear, Kaiser Permanente has presented a contract proposal that would provide annual pay increases that would keep our employees compensated higher than market averages and maintain excellent benefits. Contrary to the union’s claims, there are no pay cuts and no changes to our employees’ defined pension benefit, under our proposal.

It is important to understand that a strike vote does not mean that a strike is imminent, although it does place Kaiser Permanente in the position of having to spend millions of dollars preparing for the threat of a strike event. Our first priority is always continuity of care for our patients and members.

SEIU-UHW leadership is more interested in a power play to position themselves vis a vis other Kaiser Permanente unions – rather than focusing on what is best for their membership.  At a time when we are working hard to keep our care affordable, the Coalition’s demands are not fair to our members and the communities we serve. Coalition-represented employees are already compensated 23% above market rates—we pay well and we have markets where our wage rates are challenging our ability to be affordable. The Coalition’s proposal would actually increase our wages on average 32% above the market over the next five years, adding a billion dollars to our labor costs.

Despite the union leadership’s disruptive tactics, we are hopeful that our employees will value our proposal and SEIU-UHW and the other Coalition unions will move forward with us to reach a new agreement. Our goal is to continue to make Kaiser Permanente a great place to give and receive care.

Proposed Contract Offer

Kaiser Permanente’s bargaining proposal would provide employees with the following best-in-class conditions:

• Solid wage increases. The average salary of Coalition-represented employees is already higher than market averages. Mindful of our goal to improve the affordability of health care and engage our employees in the effort, the current proposal provides guaranteed wage increases across the board each year through 2022 of 3% each year in Northern and Southern California.
• Opportunities for new hires. Kaiser Permanente and the Coalition are proposing a $40 million Workforce Development Fund and creation of new-hire training positions, all part of the solution to address the national shortage of health care workers and help develop the next generation of unionized workers in health care.
• Retirement security. The proposal preserves the existing defined pension plan along with other strong retirement benefits.
• Career mobility. The proposal includes a more robust tuition reimbursement program for employees that allows more funds to be used for travel.
• Affordable health care. The proposal includes a pharmacy utilization approach that incents employees to take greater responsibility for their health by rewarding them for increasing their use of mail-order prescriptions.

Just last year SEIU-UHW touted what it described as “strong wages and benefits” in the agreement it reached with Dignity Health, which included lower wage increases (13% over 5 years plus a one-time 1% bonus) than being offered by Kaiser Permanente, and only $2.5 million for workforce development, as compared to $40 million in Kaiser Permanente’s current proposal. (Source: SEIU-UHW press release, March 2018, http://www.seiu-uhw.org/archives/26114)

Split on renewing contracts for social media consultant for Antioch High, Middle schools; considers new flag policy

By Allen Payton

At their meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019, the Antioch Unified School Board voted to approve an addendum to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the district and the Rocketship Delta Prep charter school, ending almost a year of contention between the two organizations. MOU Amendment No. 1 with Rocketship Delta Prep Charter School

The addendum requires Rocketship school’s representative to “promptly meet” with the district’s liaison if the district liaison has any questions about the “Charter School’s operations, finances, or academic program including special education, or compliance with the Charter, the MOU, or the law.” Also, the district liaison will share their questions or concerns in writing and give Rocketship the opportunity to respond.

Carolyn Davies Lynch, VP Operations for Rocketship Public Schools spoke on the issue.

“Thank you for passing the resolution back in May that created a clear path of partnership for Rocketship and AUSD,” she said. “Rocketship has met all requirements. Rocketship is in full compliance with our charter, the MOU and the law.”

“I’ve heard through multiple people, this was a really great process,” Trustee Ellie Householder said. “I think this MOU is more reflective of the actual relationship and I think that this is going to foster a more positive, I hope communications.” She thanked Superintendent Stephanie Anello “for representing us so positively”.

Anello then said, “I would also like to thank Rocketship for their continued collaboration and just working through this. I think this does, like you said, create a more, clear path as for our working relationship during the term of their probation.”

The motion to adopt the MOU was approved on a 5-0 vote.

Hires Consultant for Possible Bond Measure

Householder had a few questions about approving the services agreement in the amount of $20,000 with a consultant “for studies and/or needs assessments that analyze the District’s ability to call for a general obligation bond election.”  C. Lindh Agreement – bond study

“This about the research around the bond measure,” she said. “When I was reading the contract, it said, ‘determine the need to conduct a community survey.’ Part of me was thinking, do we need to evaluate if we need a bond? I’m thinking we do need a bond. I wanted to make sure this particular consultant can actually do a survey.”

“We want to find out from the taxpayers what are their priorities,” Superintendent Stephanie Anello said. “It is an analysis of what’s on the ballot. Who’s most likely to vote.”

“The survey itself is usually $10,000. But this sounds like it’s more services,” Householder added.

The item was approved as part of the 5-0 vote for the consent calendar items.

Splits on Funds for Social Media Contractor for Antioch High and Antioch Middle Schools

The board then held a discussion on two contracts with Trine Gallegos for social media services for Antioch High School for $17,490 and Antioch Middle School for $10,000.

The source of funds is from site-allocated supplemental and concentration grant funds. District staff recommended the board approve the services agreement with Antioch Middle School, described as follows: Services Agreement with Trine Gallegos – AMS 2019-20

“In order to provide parents and students with timely and accessible information, Ms. Gallegos will update the Antioch Middle School website on a regular basis. She will help establish a parent group and assist in communicating student programs and events with community members and leaders. Ms. Gallegos will work closely with the principal to ensure priority information is shared and student programs can develop.”

For the work at Antioch High, “Ms. Gallegos will coordinate a variety of communication and outreach activities for students, parents, staff, and the community on behalf of Antioch High School, including: Services Agreement Trine Gallegos – AHS 2019-20

• Connecting with community members, businesses, and service groups to enhance, support, and/or donate to a variety of programs;
• Updating the Antioch High School website to provide the parent-student community with accurate and accessible information (e.g. up-to-date bell schedules, early release information, student accomplishments, media links, meeting details, and other school-related news);
• Publishing current news items to ensure information generated from staff and the District office is shared;
• Sharing information via both Antioch High Facebook pages and through local media agencies;
• Supporting a variety of events and committees, including: Friends of Antioch High School, Scholarship Night, Achievement Night, Senior Project Mentor, Back to School Night, Open House, Principal’s Graduation Team, and as a Special Student programs coordinator;
• Rebranding outdated materials (e.g. registration information, PTSA handouts, etc.); and
• Organizing numerous parent-student workshops

“This is the same consultant. This appears to be every year,” Trustee Crystal Sawyer-White said. “I checked with (other districts) and it seems to be Facebook. I don’t know her qualifications. I am not approving this particular vendor for this amount of money. The work is not there.”

“Is this done by each school site?” Trustee Mary Rocha asked.

Anello responded, “This has already been approved by their school site council. So, you would have to let them know in writing and they could appeal. The authority of the governing board…they’re certifying that the school is not supplanting those funds. But, it’s up to the school to decide those funds. The more the school board overrules the local control there has to be significant reasons to do so.”

“I had a couple concerns with these contracts, as well,” Householder stated. “It’s coming out of supplemental and concentration (S and C) grant funds. How does this $27,490 directly impact our socially economically disadvantaged, our foster youth and our English learners?”

“When I look at these two contracts in particular, they’re so broad,” she continued. “I looked at this contract from last year, they’re the same exact services as last year. There were some Facebook analytics given and a list of activities. There’s no update to the services or accomplishments. When we’re looking at cutting music teachers…and librarians and career counselors…I look at this $17,490 and I wonder how much of that could go to keeping that career counselor on.”

“In the spirit of making schools accountable…this particular vendor is on the school site council…did they vote to go forward with this?” Householder said. “There is not as much transparency as we want. I think we should have an intern program…for our students. I think these monies could be better invested somewhere else.”

Sawyer-White then asked, “Why is it the same vendors? I don’t know her background. I’m told ‘don’t say it’s nepotism’. Why is it the same vendors all the time? We don’t have any background. Does she have a degree?”

Rocha responded, “we’re trying to meet our families in different ways. I understand the contracts we have with those schools are the same. It takes a person inside that school site to do outreach. I don’t see how we can go back and say, ‘you can’t do it, because we don’t want you to.’”

“This individual has brought in about $60,000 in donations,” Anello said. “She’s not on the Antioch Middle School’s site council. I don’t know about the Antioch High council. It was a unanimous vote of the council.”

Householder then reiterated her concerns, saying, “When I look at the documentation to verify the work this vendor had done…four hours, two times a week, then three times a week. When we are using S and C funds…we have to be able to reasonably say those funds are directly benefitting low-income, foster youth and English learners. I don’t know if that brought in those dollars…if there’s no documentation.”

“We want to say ‘schools, you’re able to do what you want,’ she continued. “But, let’s just look it over and make sure we’re crossing our T’s and dotting our I’s. This is a $7,400 increase for this vendor for the contract with Antioch High School over last year. I’m not sure we’re getting 100% more services. Looking at this contract over the years, there has been a steady increase in the amount. If Antioch High School wants to put out an RFP for these services and this person is seen as the best person, then go forward with that. But, right now the waters are too muddied and there’s not enough transparency with this particular vendor.”

Rocha then moved approval of both contracts and they passed 3-2 with Sawyer-White and Householder voting against.

Flag Policy

In response to the district approving the flying the LGBTQ flag in June, a proposed policy for flying flags at the district offices and at school sites was discussed during the board meeting. Board Policy 6115 Ceremonies and Observances – with revision options

The board was given three options, and in general settled on Option C, which reads as follows:

“Option C: 1. Commemorative flags may be displayed only as authorized by resolution of the Board of Education and as an expression of the Boards’ official sentiments. 2. Commemorative flags shall be displayed for a period of time that is reasonable or customary for the subject that is to be commemorated, but no longer than ____ days. 3. The District will not display a commemorative flag based on a request from a third party, nor will the District use its flagpoles to sponsor the expression of a third party.”

“I would recommend a commemorative pole, so we have our pole for local and state, and then a separate pole for ceremony flags,” Rocha shared. She was supportive of option C.

“I think that C makes more sense to me,” Householder said.

Sawyer-White then added, “I’m agreeing with option C. I think Trustee Rocha has a valid point of a separate pole.”

“That would be an option, if you give us additional information,” Board President Gary Hack said.

Gibson-Gray suggested the creation of a district flag, and having students help design it.

The item will return with Rocha’s suggestion of a separate pole to fly commemorative flags.

Strike would affect more than 24,000 Kaiser Permanente workers in the Bay Area, including more than 1,200 in Antioch. Voting results in five other states, D.C. expected by September; would be nation’s largest walkout since 1997

OAKLAND, CA –  Kaiser Permanente workers in California poured out in large numbers to overwhelmingly authorize a strike in early October that would be the biggest in the United States in more than two decades.

Becoming the first of more than 80,000 Kaiser workers to vote, members of the Service Employees International Union – United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) across the state voted between July 29 and Aug. 11 whether to approve the unfair labor practices strike at Kaiser Permanente hospitals and clinics. More than 37,000 cast ballots in support of a strike (98 percent) while only 867 voted to oppose (2 percent). The turnout was uncommonly high for a strike vote in any industry, with two-thirds of workers casting ballots.

Strike authorization votes among other groups of Kaiser workers in California, and Kaiser Permanente employees in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia run through mid-September. The strike would start in early October and be the nation’s largest since the Teamsters’ walkout at United Parcel Service in 1997.

“Kaiser workers all over California are putting a stake in the ground that it’s time for this corporation to get back on track and live up to its mission to help patients, workers and communities thrive, said Heather Wright, a women’s health clerk at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Clara, Calif. “This strike vote is about stopping Kaiser’s unfair labor practices. This company should be all about providing the best possible patient care, but unfortunately its focus in recent years has been on making billions of dollars in profits and millions of dollars for Kaiser executives.”

Workers want Kaiser Permanente to bargain in good faith and stop committing unfair labor practices, and are fighting for a new contract that would:

1. Restore a true worker-management partnership, and have Kaiser bargain in good faith;
2. Ensure safe staffing and compassionate use of technology;
3. Build the workforce of the future to deal with major projected shortages of licensed and accredited staff in the coming years; and
4. Protect middle-class jobs with wages and benefits that can support families.

As a non-profit entity, Kaiser Permanente is supposed to serve the public interest in exchange for billions of dollars in tax breaks. But in recent years, the corporation has departed from its mission:

• Profits: Kaiser made more than $5.2 billion in profits during the first half of 2019, bringing its profits to more than $11 billion since Jan. 1, 2017. The company also sits on $35 billion in reserves.
• Executive pay: Kaiser gave its CEO a $6 million raise to $16 million a year and pays at least 36 executives a million dollars or more a year.
• Care for low-income patients: Kaiser provides very little care to Medicaid patients, far less than other non-profit health systems, even though it gets massive tax breaks in exchange for supposedly working in the public interest.
• Financial transparency: Kaiser lacks transparency and operates in the shadows. It is exempt from many of the financial reporting requirements of other hospitals and health systems. Operating secretly allows Kaiser to avoid the kind of scrutiny consumers, employers, unions and regulators need to protect themselves and the public.
• Turning its back on workers: Kaiser has worked to destroy what had been the most successful and largest worker-management partnership in the country that was a source of innovation and problem-solving for many years; it has committed numerous unfair labor practices, including refusing to bargain in good faith.
• Destroying good jobs. Kaiser is actively destroying good jobs by outsourcing them to companies that pay low wages with few benefits, and wants to limit the wages and cut the benefits of its frontline healthcare employees.

The workers’ national contract expired Sept. 30, 2018, and in December 2018 the National Labor Relations Board charged Kaiser Permanente with failing to bargain in good faith. Since then, Kaiser has continued to commit unfair labor practices.

The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions comprises labor unions in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Hawaii, Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia, representing more than 80,000 Kaiser caregivers. To learn more, visit www.KaiserKeepThriveAlive.com.     

By Acting Sergeant Loren Bledsoe #4055, Investigations Bureau, Antioch Police Department

On Wednesday, August 7, 2019 at approximately 9:33 PM, a 50-year-old Antioch male victim called 9-1-1 to report he had been stabbed in his apartment. Officers arrived to find the victim suffering from multiple life-threatening stab wounds. Officers on scene rendered first aid until fire department and ambulance paramedics arrived. The victim was transported to a local area trauma center and is currently listed in critical condition.

Prior to being transported, the victim reported being attacked by two female visitors. Both suspects fled the scene with the victim’s vehicle and personal belongings.

On Thursday, Aug. 8, at approximately 11:58 AM, Elk Grove PD officers located the victim’s vehicle in their city, occupied by two 19-year-old females, one, a Martinez resident and the other a Sacramento resident. Both female adults were taken into custody without incident and transported back to APD for questioning. This case is still being investigated.

This preliminary information is made available by the Investigations Bureau. There will be no further information released regarding this case at this time.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Adrian Gonzalez at (925) 779-6923 or 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.

There will be no single-tracking or track closures due to this project for the weekend of August 10-11.  However, there will be overnight lane closures on eastbound Highway 24 near the Lafayette Station.  You can get more details here. The first weekend track shutdown between Orinda and Walnut Creek stations is scheduled for the weekend of August 17-18.

We are making extensive repairs and upgrades to the track between Orinda and Walnut Creek stations on most weekends through October, including some upcoming full weekend closures with bus bridges.   Using Measure RR funds, we’ll be replacing track and electrical equipment, installing new switches, improving station platforms, and making other repairs and improvements to provide more reliable, safer, quieter, smoother and faster service.

Closure weekends: 8/17-18, 8/31-9/2 (Labor Day Weekend), 9/14-15, 9/28-29, 10/12-13, 10/26-27

Riders should expect delays of 40 minutes or more on closure weekends.

County Connection and AC Transit will provide free shuttle bus services:

1.    Direct service between Orinda and Walnut Creek
2.   Service between Orinda, Lafayette, and Walnut Creek stations.

Single-Tracking
Single-tracking on some Saturdays will mean delays of up to 30 minutes. Please plan your trip with that in mind. We will single-track on 7/27, 8/3, 8/24, 9/7, 9/21, and 10/19.  We may need to turn back some trains at Orinda to maintain our schedule. If so, you will be asked to leave the train you are on and board a different train to reach your destination.

Highway 24 Lane Closures

On select weekends including single-tracking Saturdays, we plan to close the two eastbound lanes on the far-left side of Highway 24 near the Lafayette Station and Oak Hill Road to allow equipment and material to be placed near and in our tracks. The next lane closure is scheduled for 11 pm Friday August 9 and will continue until 7 am Saturday August 10.  The two eastbound lanes of 24 will also be closed Saturday August 10 at 11pm until 9 am Sunday August 11.

Lane closures for single-tracking Saturdays will only happen during overnight hours from 11 pm Friday to 7 am Saturday and 11pm Saturday to 9 am Sunday.  All lane closures will happen near the Lafayette Station at Oak Hill Road.

Night Work

We will also do work at night after service closes on weeknights through at least the end of October.

Sunday single tracking in San Francisco

On select Sundays through the rest of this year, there will be single-track service between the Embarcadero and 24th Street Mission stations in downtown San Francisco due to electrical cabling replacement work.  This replacement project is critical to ensure our trains can count on a reliable power supply. The work can add 15-30 minutes to your trip. Get the latest on this project here.

Use the Trip Planner, call the BART Transit Information Center at (510) 465-BART (2278), or get the Official BART app to plan your trip.

Glover postpones youth summit to ensure safety following recent mass shootings

By Daniel Borsuk

Supervisors unanimously approved cost of living increases to three major elected office holders but withheld a salary boost for county assessor Gus Kramer citing “a salary adjustment for the Assessor will be considered at a later date once other issues in the Department have been resolved.”

That citation is in reference to an ongoing sex harassment case lodged against Kramer by county employees. Kramer would have been in line to have received a 1.96 percent cost of living adjustment increase that would have increased his pay to $208,013.

In compliance with a Dec. 11, 2018 Board Resolution, County Administrator David Twa said his office conducted a salary comparison of analysis of elected office officials in Alameda, Marin, Napa, Sacramento, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano and Solano counties and discovered in order to bring the salaries up to Bay Area average, the salary of Auditor-Controller Robert Campbell will rise 8.45 percent to an annual salary of $225,594. The annual salary of Clerk-Recorder Joseph Canciamilla will increase 5.48 percent to a yearly salary of $210,686. The yearly salary of Treasurer-Tax Collector Russell V. Watts will rise 4.77 percent to a yearly salary of $235,611.

There was no discussion from either the supervisors or public on the topic.

Blackhawk Country Club Donates $40,000 Per Year for 10 Years for Police Services

Notching a political victory in the tony enclave of Blackhawk, District 3 Supervisor Diane Burgis of Brentwood played a role for steering the Blackhawk Country Club to donate $40,000 a year over a 10-year span to help cover police services provided by the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department.

A dispute had erupted recently when the Blackhawk Homeowners Association, led by association president Ron Banducci, who had called on county supervisors to intervene in urging the Blackhawk Country Club to contribute funds towards the community’s police force that consists of three deputy sheriffs and one lieutenant. Up until now, the country club had not provided funds for police services since formation of County Service Area P-2A in 1985.

Since the creation of P-2A, homeowners have shouldered the financial costs for police protection, but the county club has never provided any financial assistance for P-2A coverage. Last May, Banducci, who also serves as chairman of the Blackhawk Police Advisory Committee, warned supervisors of “any backroom deal” like the one Burgis and the country club were then discussing, the 10-year, $40,000 a year donation.

Banducci did not return a Contra Costa Herald phone call to respond to the $40,000 a year donation consent agenda item at Tuesday’s board of supervisors meeting. There was no comment from either the public or supervisors on the item.

“I appreciate the Blackhawk Country Club’s donation to the county to support supplemental law enforcement services in the Blackhawk community,” Burgis said in a statement to the Herald. “I look forward to continuing to work with the Blackhawk Police Advisory, the Sheriff’s Office and other community shareholders to support the level of police service that the community wants.”

In a July 26 letter, sent to Burgis, that lays out details about the donation, Country Club President Scott Batiste states that this is a donation, not a tax.

“Residents of P2-A have authorized a special tax for police protection services in this area,” he wrote. “The BHCC does not pay this tax. The BHCC Board of Directors has authorized making a donation to the County of Contra Costa of $40,000 per year to support the Sheriff’s law enforcement services in P-2A each year for a ten-year period.”

Over the next 10 years, the county will receive a donation totaling $400,000 from the country club.

Supervisor Glover Postpones Youth Summit Over Mass Shooting Concerns

Citing the series of weekend deadly shootings triggered by ultra-right shooters in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, Supervisor Federal Glover of Pittsburg announced that the Youth Summit, a one-day event that he co-sponsors at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg has been postponed.

Originally slated to be held this Saturday, August 10 to draw thousands of youth in Contra Costa County, Glover announced at the supervisors meeting, “I will convene a meeting of the stakeholders, including law enforcement, to make sure we are ready to deal with active shooter scenarios and other public safety emergencies that may arise. The Youth Summit brings together a number of youth and I need to be confident as well as be able, to assure their parents that we have taken all reasonable measures to ensure their children’s safety at such a large public event.”

“As we review our protocols and formulate our plans, we will notify members of the public of our plans for a future youth summit,” Glover said in a press statement.

Approve $19.2 Million Multifamily Housing Revenue Rehab Bonds for Bay Point Apartment Building

Keeping in mind the county’s affordable housing shortage, supervisors approved a resolution authorizing the issuance of $19.2 million in Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds to finance the costs for the acquisition and rehabilitation of 88 units of rental housing known as Hidden Cove Apartments at 2900, 2911, and 2921-2931 Mary Ann Lane in Bay Point. The apartments will be initially owned at the time of the financing by Hidden Cove Apartments, LP, a California Limited Partnership.

OK Contract With Canine Companions for Independence

In another consent act, supervisors approved an agreement with Canine Companions for Independence to provide a dog to the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office. The dog offers comfort and assistance to victims of crimes during interviews, in-court testimony, and other traumatic situations. The cost of expenses for the care and feeding of the facility dog is estimated to be about $5,000 a year and will be covered from the District Attorney’s general fund budget.

Ignacio “Nacho” Trevino Martinez passed to the next life peacefully on June 30, 2019 at the age of 59 at his home in Antioch, CA.

He was born to parents Juan and Encarnacion Martinez on July 8, 1959 in San Francisco. Nacho graduated from Serramonte High School and later joined the San Francisco Police Department, where he spread his mirth and joy. Nacho retired honorably with a Medal of Valor and with numerous awards for his kindness among the community.

He is survived by his close friend and son, Christopher Martinez along with his beloved extended family throughout the SFPD. Nacho’s celebration of life will be held at the Antioch Seventh-Day Adventist Church at 1:30 pm on Sunday, August 11.

Publisher’s Note: Nacho Martinez was a periodic citizen reporter for the Antioch Herald, providing tips on police and fire department activity in Antioch, including photos, which we published. I appreciate his service to the community and assistance to the Herald in providing news to our community. He was also a personal friend and will be missed. Allen Payton

By Sergeant Matthew Harger #3305, Field Services Bureau, Antioch Police Department

On Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019 at about 9:30 PM, Antioch Police Dispatch received a 9-1-1 call regarding an in-progress home invasion robbery that was occurring at an occupied residence in the 2000 block of Goldpine Way. It was reported that three subjects armed with guns had forced their way into the victim’s home and demanded their property. The suspects had fled just prior to Antioch Police Officers arriving on scene but a description of their vehicle was broadcast to neighboring agencies. Brentwood PD attempted to stop a vehicle matching the one involved in this crime and it fled from their Officers at a high rate of speed. After a lengthy pursuit the vehicle was disabled and it drove off of the roadway on Bixler Road just south of Marsh Creek Road. Three occupants inside the car were immediately arrested without incident while a fourth occupant fled on foot into a nearby field. An extensive search of the area was conducted with the assistance of the Brentwood PD, Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department, and the Oakley PD. The outstanding suspect was eventually located a short distance away and arrested without incident.

Two handguns and a rifle were recovered at the scene along with all of the victim’s property that had just been stolen.

The four suspects, Keith Slaughter and Brian Williams, both 18 years old, 19-year-old Qwest Hewitt, and a 16-year-old male juvenile, were arrested for numerous felonies to include robbery, burglary, kidnapping, possession of illegal firearms, evading the police, and possession of stolen property. The three adults were booked into the Martinez Detention Facility and the minor was booked into Juvenile Hall.

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