After an investigation into alleged illegal gun sales, the CASE (Contra Costa County Anti-Violence Support Effort) team on Tuesday served a search warrant at a home on the 5100 block of Kirker Pass Road in Pittsburg.

During the search of the residence, CASE team members recovered a .416 Barrett rifle, .308 rifle, and a .223 Colt M4 semi-automatic rifle.

Two people were arrested at the residence: 34-year-old Mitchell Coelho and 32-year-old Mehgan Coelho. Both resided at the home.

They were booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on the following charges: felon in possession of a firearm, illegal transfer of a firearm and child endangerment.

Both are being held in lieu of $310,000 bail.

The CASE Team is a joint effort by the Office of the Sheriff, California Department of Justice, California Highway Patrol, Contra Costa County Probation Department, Pittsburg Police Department and Walnut Creek Police Department. CASE was created in November 2011 as a collaborative effort to reduce violent crimes in Contra Costa, especially those related to illegal firearms.

Marsh Creek, Alhambra Valley Roads still closed; cleanup continues

During a special meeting on Thursday, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors ratified a proclamation of local emergency stemming from storm damage that took place during the first two weeks of January.  High winds coupled with continued rains over a short timeframe led to an estimated $18 million in damage in a number of unincorporated areas of the County, within our cities, and at water, park and sanitation district facilities.  The proclamation, along with the State’s declaration of a State of Emergency on Monday, will put the County and local jurisdictions in line for potential recovery funding.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, (FEMA,) is doing site visits throughout the state this week, along with the State Office of Emergency Services.  It will take several months for the County, working with State and Federal authorities, to get a more firm total on the damages and what costs can be covered.

At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Contra Costa County Supervisor Candace Andersen praised Public Works, the Sheriff and the Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services workers for their efforts to respond quickly to the storm’s impacts, noting that repairs are being made as quickly as possible.  Public Works Director Julie Bueren agreed, noting that months of work in advance by Public Works and Flood Control District staff helped to minimize the problems in the unincorporated area.  Two problem areas that were closed are now open:  Morgan Territory Road and McEwen Road.

Two major road closures are still in effect in Contra Costa County:

• Marsh Creek Road between the Clayton city limits and Deer Valley Road
• Alhambra Valley Road between Bear Creek and Castro Ranch Roads

Marsh Creek is open for local traffic only.  Caltrans and County officials are working jointly developing a plan to repair the sinkhole on Alhambra Valley Road.

With more rain expected next week, and the ground still very saturated from previous storms, you are encouraged to use any gaps in the rain to prepare for the next wave, checking rain gutters and storm drains for blockage.  If you’re concerned about flooding at your home or business, it’s not too late to visit one of the sandbag stations located throughout the county.  Please note that you’ll need to bring a shovel, but bags and sand are available for free.   Find out details regarding County sandbag sites at www.cccounty.us/sandbags.

County Public Works Maintenance road crews maintain the storm drain inlets through a program of annual inspection and cleaning. To report a clogged catch basin or drainage inlet please call the Public Works Maintenance Division at 925-313-7000 during work hours and after hours call Sheriff’s Dispatch at 925-646-2441.

Important phone numbers and webpages:

(925) 313-7000 Public Works Maintenance Division- For emergencies during normal business hours

(707) 551-4100 California Highway Patrol- For emergencies after hours

(925) 646-2441 Contra Costa County Sheriffs Dispatch- For emergencies after hours

http://www.cccounty.us/sandbags  – Contra Costa County Sandbag Locations

“Mickey” the cactus still stands

By Allen Payton

A driver caused damage to two yards on Garrow Drive and Mountaire Drive in Antioch, early Friday morning, when the vehicle he or she was driving veered off the road and through the yards and fences of two neighbors. The driver also caused damage to the shrubbery of both properties, as well as the property in the PG&E right-of-way between the homes.

“They made their own road,” said an Antioch Police Officer while she was interviewing the homeowners, Friday morning.

“Could you hear it?” she asked them.

“Yes,” said Teri Cali, who lives at the home on Garrow Drive with her father Gabe Montes. “About 12:40 or 12:50 (a.m.) I heard it. It was a truck.”

“I could hear him revving up,” she continued. “I was downstairs within five minutes and he was already gone. The license plate frame has metal studs on it. I assume it was a young male.”

“It was pitch black except for that light which isn’t very bright,” added Montes, who has owned and lived in the home since 1976.

Cali said she didn’t see the damage during the night.

“I didn’t think to call the police,” she shared. “All she heard was a bunch of noise. A couple of booms and squeals.”

“I thought they were spinning donuts down here, said another neighbor Ron Shielle, who was driving by during the interview and had also heard the collision.

However, the morning light revealed what had caused all the noise.

“I came out to pick up my newspaper and said ‘what the heck happened to my shrubs?’” Montes shared. “’Where’s my chain link fence?’”

There was no damage to either of the homes and no one in the homes was hurt.

“I wasn’t home. I was at my mom’s,” said Sam Quintero whose backyard and fence sustained most of the damage. “Gabe called me, this morning. Somebody ran through my fence, again.”

He’s lived in the home on the corner of Mountaire and Garrow Drives since 1976 and this was the second time somene has crashed through his yard. The other time was in 1983, when a driver landed in his house, next to his bed where he was sleeping.

“That one was a drunk girl who was passed out,” they shared.

Quintero tried to look on the bright side.

“They didn’t take Mickey,” he stated. “That’s the name of the cactus because it looked like Mickey Mouse when I first got it.”

As of Friday morning the homeowners were waiting for the police to let them know who the driver is so they can go after his insurance company.

Montes mentioned that he had asked the city about getting speed bumps on the street.

“They already said that’s out of the question,” he said. “So maybe they can put up signs that say ‘slow down.’”

Or an electric sign that shows your speed like the one on W. 2nd Street, it was suggested.

“How do we get one of those?” he asked.

The street is the only two-lane road in Antioch that continue from the waterfront and across Davison. It serves as a bypass, between Lone Tree and Hillcrest/Deer Valley Road.

“It’s a short cut,” Montes added.

A call into the Antioch Police Department was returned on Friday, but the night shift had no report, as the police officer hadn’t interviewed the residents until mid-morning. Check back later for any additional details, or should the police locate and identify the driver of the vehicle.

Delta Diablo was honored in Sacramento on Thursday evening, January 19th with a prestigious 2016 Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA). GEELA is California’s highest environmental honor, administered by the California Environmental Protection Agency.

The program recognizes individuals, organizations, and businesses who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and made notable, voluntary contributions in conserving California’s precious resources, protecting and enhancing our environment, building public-private partnerships and strengthening the state’s economy.

This award recognizes Delta Diablo for its commitment and achievements in sustainability. At Delta Diablo, sustainability is not just one project or program, but rather a mindset that is holistically expressed throughout the entire organization. This can be observed through the recycled water and renewable energy projects that we implement, the innovative technologies we pilot, and the regional coalitions we lead.

These projects and programs reflect how Delta Diablo embodies sustainability and excellence throughout the organization, achieving 12 consecutive years of 100% permit compliance, and awards at every level in the organization for public education, safety, financial reporting, human resources, labor relations, procurement, engineering, leadership and innovation. Delta Diablo is proud to help maintain sustainable facilities, practices, and communities, and desires to be a Utility of the Future to advance the state of the industry for water resource recovery, helping to create a sustainable California.

Delta Diablo’s Board of Directors’ Chair Pete Longmire confirms: “This award recognizes every aspect of Delta Diablo’s services and the efforts of all our dedicated employees across every department. It is a recognition of the daily work they do providing critical public health and resource recovery services to 200,000 people in Antioch, Bay Point and Pittsburg, as well as their leadership with several regional industry coalitions.”

Each year GEELA recipients are chosen from five categories and Delta Diablo was recognized under the “Sustainable Practices, Communities or Facilities” category.

Delta Diablo (District) provides water resource recovery services for the City of Antioch, the City of Pittsburg, and the unincorporated community of Bay Point, serving a population of nearly 200,000. The water resource recovery services consist of conventional treatment of wastewater, recycled water production and distribution, pollution prevention, energy recovery, beneficial reuse of biosolids, street sweeping, and household hazardous waste collection. For more information visit www.deltadiablo.org.

Sawyer-White re-enacts oath of office; Navarro, Terry given proper send-off

By Nick Goodrich

During their regular meeting on Wednesday, January 25th, the Antioch School Board saw a huge turnout from members of the public as they showed up to support the Antioch Charter Academy II’s (ACA II) petition for renewal.

The hearing was called only for public discussion and input, as the final hearing – during which the formal decision to renew ACA II’s charter or not – will occur at a later meeting, after residents’ input has been thoroughly weighed.

More than two dozen students, parents, and teachers at ACA II spoke in favor of the petition for renewal, including Antioch Mayor Sean Wright and Police Chief Allan Cantando, whose children attend the school.

Wright became emotional as he came before the Board, speaking of the difficulty he had had in finding a good fit for his children before ACA II.

“It allowed our family a successful opportunity to choose where they want to learn,” he said. “I encourage you to renew the charter.”

Cantando agreed, saying, “I feel extremely grateful to have my son in that school…When I leave him there, I know he’s getting a great education and has people that care for him.”

Vicki Willard, a second-year teacher at ACA II, spoke on the numerous programs that the charter school employs to reach students of all abilities and help them succeed.

“The school is able to incorporate programs that address student needs,” she told the Board. I am grateful for the school, and know that the students and parents are as well.”

She was certainly correct on that point, as half a dozen ACA II students from various grades stepped up to speak in support of their school, as well.

Even Gia Leone, a teacher who no longer works at ACA II, spoke in favor of renewing the school’s charter, because she remembers the impact it has had on its students. “It would be a devastating loss to this community to not renew the charter.”

The charter school’s performance in recent years certainly supports its bid for renewal. Todd Heller, Co-Administrator and Financial Director for ACA II, was on hand to present some key statistics for his school’s performance.

ACA II students, already performing higher than District schools in most categories in 2013, have only improved since then, he said. Math proficiencies increased from 31%-38%, and Language Arts saw a similar increase, from 46%-51%. Both of these numbers are higher than the statewide average in those areas.

Jeanie Dubinksy, a teacher and Code Administrator at ACA II, summed it up by saying, “The school has brought opportunity, choice, and equity to our students and to the surrounding community.”

Re-Enactment of Oath of Office, Recognition for Departing Trustees

New Trustee Crystal Sawyer-White, the lead vote-getter in last November’s Board elections, re-enacted her oath of office before Wednesday’s meeting, when more people could be in attendance to witness it. Her actual swearing-in took place at the December 14^th board meeting at 6 p.m. before it was on the agenda and the public could convene to watch.

“I would like to thank my husband, my family, my friends, and my supporters for this opportunity to serve and to put our children first,” she said in a statement after the ceremony. “And I would like to thank all the teachers in the District for all their hard work and dedication. As a new Board Member, I do appreciate you.”

Former Trustees Fernando Navarro and Alonzo Terry were also recognized in a ceremony following Sawyer-White’s oath of office.

The two Board Members were finally given their portraits and recognized by the Board after their service ended last year. Normally, departing Board Members are given their portraits during their last meeting. An attempt was made to have that occur in November, before the special meeting for the Rocketship Charter school hearing and vote in December, but Navarro and Terry refused. That meeting was held off-site and prevented the former trustees from getting their portraits until Wednesday.

To view Sawyer-White’s oath of office re-enactment and thank you speech, it is available on the Antioch Herald Facebook page.

Mike Wolfe, Frank Fritz, and their team are excited to return to CALIFORNIA! They plan to film episodes of the hit series AMERICAN PICKERS throughout the region in Spring 2017. AMERICAN PICKERS is a documentary series that explores the fascinating world of antique ‘picking’ on the History channel. The hit show follows Mike and Frank, two of the most skilled pickers in the business, as they hunt for America’s most valuable antiques.

They are always excited to find sizeable, unique collections and learn the interesting stories behind them.

As they hit the back roads from coast to coast, Mike and Frank are on a mission to recycle and rescue forgotten relics. Along the way, the Pickers want to meet characters with remarkable and exceptional items.

The pair hopes to give historically significant objects a new lease on life, while learning a thing or two about America’s past along the way.

Mike and Frank have seen a lot of rusty gold over the years and are always looking to discover something they’ve never seen before. They are ready to find extraordinary items and hear fascinating tales about them.

AMERICAN PICKERS is looking for leads and would love to explore your hidden treasure. If you or someone you know has a large, private collection or accumulation of antiques that the Pickers can spend the better part of the day looking through, send us your name, phone number, location and description of the collection with photos to: americanpickers@cineflix.com or call 855-OLD-RUST (653-7878).

Chief Cantando: Crime continues to decrease

By Nick Goodrich

During their second meeting of the new year on Tuesday, Jan. 24, the Antioch City Council heard some good news from Antioch Police Chief Allan Cantando, approved the creation of a police tax on a new residential development, appointed Kenny Turnage to the Planning Commission and formed committee to select a search firm for a new city manager.

Police Statistics for 2016

After hearing a presentation on the state of its investment portfolio, the Antioch City Council then heard from Cantando as he gave the Antioch Police Department’s year-end review of crime for the year 2016.

“I have some very good news to report,” he told those in attendance, citing decreases in violent crime (-1.4%), property crime (-5.7%), and arrests (-2.7%) from 2015-2016.

Cantando brought attention to a “continued decrease in crime over the past three years”, as a result of the city’s renewed focus on crime and blight reduction and the hiring of additional police officers. The APD’s robust volunteer program, which contributed over 10,000 hours of work in 2016 alone, and the new “Decoy Patrol Car” program have played roles in the lower crime numbers, and aim to continue their success into the new year.

Drug seizures were once again Antioch’s biggest problem, as the APD seized over 13,000 grams of marijuana, 890 grams of meth, and smaller amounts of cocaine and heroin last year.

Since 2013, the APD has hired 46 new police officers, but undergone 30 separations—including retirements, resignations, and terminations—to bring the net increase in Antioch’s police officers to 16. The APD’s current staffing numbers sit at 97 sworn officers, with one additional recruit set to graduate and join the force in March.

That’s based on the figure of 82 sworn officers the city had on the police force in November, 2013 at the end of the Measure C campaign. However, there were 89 sworn officers in the APD at the time the ballot measure campaign bega,n and the voters were promised by then-Mayor Harper and the city council, the immediate hiring of 22 more police. Using that as a base figure the city has added a net eight officers.

“According to other police chiefs I’ve talked to, nobody’s hiring faster than we are,” Cantando told the Council. “Our numbers are really good.”

New Development Police Tax

Later in the meeting, the Council held a public hearing to formalize a new Community Facilities District (CFD) to assess a tax on new residential developments, in the amount of $445 per home per year, for more police.

New residential development in Antioch is expected to produce more calls for service for the APD due to the increase in population, and the city’s General Plan calls for new growth to cover the increased cost to the city’s police services.

This particular CFD was initiated by developer Davidon Homes for their Park Ridge subdivision, a 525-unit development located west of State Route 4 and south of Laurel Road, as part of its Development Agreement with the city. It requires Davidon do its part to cover the increased costs of police services provided by the city.

In a 5-0 vote, the Council approved the formation of the new CFD and the levying of the new development taxes. With the approval of the CFD, Davidon can now begin the process of obtaining building permits, and move forward with their subdivision.

Planning Commission Appointment

The council also appointed Antioch resident Ken Turnage to the Antioch Planning Commission, in Mayor Sean Wright’s first commission appointment. The mayor has the power to nominate people for appointments. But it requires a majority vote by the council to approve.

“This was my first opportunity to point someone in the right direction,” said Wright. “I was excited to see we had seven applicants, and so many people interested in the well-being of the city.”

Turnage, the owner of K2GC, Inc., a general contractor in Antioch, ran for city council and came in fourth in the November election. He has served on the city’s Economic Development Commission.

New City Manager Search

Wright also formally initiated the process of searching for a new city manager in the wake of former Antioch City Manager Steve Duran’s retirement.

Duran, who turns 62 next month and wants to spend more time with his family, informed Council of his intent to retire on Election Night, November 8, offering to help in the selection process as the council saw fit.

Mayor Wright called for volunteers from among the council members to form an ad-hoc recruitment committee, whose purpose will be to select the headhunting firm that will search for Antioch’s new City Manager. Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock and Mayor Pro Tem Lamar Thorpe both volunteered and will sit on the committee.

When the committee has selected a suitable firm, the firm’s contract will be brought before Council for approval. From start to finish, including the time it will take the committee to select a firm, the selection process will take about six months, at which point the city’s new City Manager will begin his or her work with Antioch.

By Allen Payton

The Antioch School Board faced criticism over the way the oath of office ceremony for new Trustee, and top vote-getter in the November election, Crystal Sawyer-White was handled, as well as the recognition of outgoing Trustees Fernando Navarro and Alonzo Terry, in December. In response, new Board President Walter Ruehlig and Vice President Debora Vinson have set a redo for tonight’s meeting.

A re-enactment of Sawyer-White’s oath of office will begin at 6:15 p.m. followed by a time of special recognition of Navarro and Terry. Members of the public will be allowed to speak and offer their thoughts and thanks to all three. That will be followed by a reception.

According to a previous Herald article, Sawyer-White’s original ceremony was rescheduled for 6:00 p.m., an hour before it was listed on the agenda for the December 14th meeting, without announcing it publicly. So, very few people were in attendance.

An attempt by former Board President and re-elected Trustee Diane Gibson-Gray was made to replace Navarro and Terry with Sawyer-White and returning Trustee Gary Hack, before the Rocketship Charter School vote at the December 7th special board meeting. Navarro saw the removal of his and Terry’s photos from the wall inside the District offices and their presentation to the two outgoing board members at the meeting on November 16, as part of that effort. He refused to accept his photo that night and Gibson-Gray’s effort was later rebuffed by Ruehlig and Vinson.

Until tonight’s meeting there has been nothing on a school board agenda for an official farewell to the two former trustees, the way the Antioch City Council handled it during the transition of power, there.

The ceremony, recognition and reception will be followed by the regular school board meeting at 7:00 p.m. Both will occur in the Board Room at the District Administrative Offices at 510 G Street in downtown Antioch.

To view the entire meeting agenda, please click here.