By Allen Payton

According to an article in the L.A. Times, State Assemblyman Jim Frazier (D-Oakley) and State Senator Jim Beall (D-San Jose) presented a $7.4-billion transportation plan late Wednesday, which includes an increase of 17 cents per gallon in the state gas tax, to help pay for it. The plan would also increase the tax on diesel by 30 cents per gallon and introduce a $165 annual fee on electric cars.

The Frazier-Beall plan also includes streamlining the environmental process for repairing existing transportation infrastructure and a new Office of Transportation inspector general to oversee spending.

The pair’s proposal is in response to a report about the condition of California’s roads, highways and bridges, also released on Wednesday. See the entire report, here – TRIP_Report_August_2016

Frazier issued the following statement on Thursday:

Yesterday, The Road Information Program (TRIP) released a report detailing the current status of California’s transportation system, confirming Assemblymember Frazier’s (D – Oakley) claims that road conditions will continue to worsen without passing a transportation funding plan.

“The information released in yesterday’s report further demonstrates the desperate need to repair California’s transportation system,” stated Frazier. “This cannot be accomplished without fixing the current, outdated funding structure.”

The report details the existing condition of California’s transportation infrastructure and examines future mobility needs with an increase in population and goods movement. Included in the study is the vital role our roads, highways and bridges have on economic growth and overall quality of life. The report uncovered that deteriorating roads cost Californians $56.6 billion annually in the form of additional vehicle operating costs, congestion-related delays and traffic crashes.

“I’ve spent the past year calling for a comprehensive funding fix. If we fail to act on this now, the condition of our roads will continue on this downward trajectory,” stated Frazier. “Our residents deserve a transportation system that works for all Californians. It’s time that the Legislature comes together to pass a thoughtful, sustainable plan. To that end, I’ve worked with Senator Beall to put forth a plan that will address these concerns.”

The report concluded that addressing these significant transportation issues is essential for California to remain competitive and accommodate the demands of a modern society.

Assemblymember Frazier represents the 11th Assembly District, which includes the communities of Antioch, Bethel Island, Birds Landing, Brentwood, Byron, Collinsville, Discovery Bay, Fairfield, Isleton, Knightsen, Locke, Oakley, Pittsburg (partial), Rio Vista, Suisun City, Travis AFB, Vacaville and Walnut Grove.

Jeff Belle, source Contra Costa County Board of Education

By Allen Payton

County School Board Member Jeff Belle, who has been charged and is being prosecuted for lying on his ballot statement during his 2014 campaign, was denied a request for participation in a diversion program in July.

In his 2014 campaign ballot statement, Belle claimed to have a college degree, but he didn’t at the time.

In July, he filed a motion to compel diversion. Belled wanted to enter a new Contra Costa District Attorney program designed to divert people from the criminal justice system. However, the DA’s office filed a response and turned him down.

Belle then requested the court to demand that the DA comply with his request, but it was also declined.

A pre-trial conference to discuss a resolution of the case was scheduled, but Belle’s attorney was unable to attend. So, it was postponed eight weeks at Belle’s request, until sometime in late September or early October.

He continues to fight the charge over which he has plead not guilty and faces trial. The maximum penalty Belle faces is a $1,000 fine and no jail time. It’s a fine only misdemeanor.

Attempts to reach Belle for this article were unsuccessful.

For more information about this case, please see the articles here and here.

Raymond Greene

By Acting Sergeant McManus, Antioch Police Investigations Bureau

On Wednesday, August 10, 2016 at 11:51 PM, APD Officers responded to a “Hold-Up” alarm at the 7-Eleven store at 3701 Sunset Lane, Antioch. Upon arrival, Officers contacted the clerk, an 18-year-old Brentwood man, who had just been robbed at gunpoint. The responsible stole money from the cash register and cigarettes. The responsible came behind the counter and searched the clerk, taking personal items from his pockets as well.

During the investigation, Officers identified a name and address of a possible responsible as 21 year old Raymond Greene of Antioch. Greene was later positively identified as the person who robbed the 7/11.

Then, on Wednesday, August 17, an APD Officer was dispatched to a reported armed robbery that had occurred on 8/16/16 at 8:30 PM. The victim was walking on Bellflower Drive when he was approached by Greene. Greene pointed a handgun at the victim and robbed him of his money. The victim, a 43-year-old Antioch man, knew Greene from prior contacts and positively identified him as the person who robbed him.

Greene was taken into custody without incident at his scheduled meeting with his probation officer. Greene is currently on probation for a prior robbery conviction. A search warrant was executed at Greene’s residence on Baywood Circle and evidence was recovered linking Greene to the robberies. Greene was booked into the County Jail on Robbery Charges.

No other information will be released at this time. Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to call Detective Ted Chang with the Antioch Police Department at (925) 779-6876. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.

Their TV commercial jingle states they “go everywhere, man.” But, to respond to changing traffic patterns associated with the completion of the Highway 4 widening project, Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority (Tri Delta Transit) is making changes to their current bus schedule. Changes will take effect Sunday, September 4, 2016. All current routes will be in operation with the new schedule; select times only have been changed on seven routes: Route 200, Route 300, Route 380, Route 385, Route 386 Route 391, and Route 392.

“A minimum of three notices were placed on every bus one month in advance to inform our customers about this upcoming change,” said Mike Furnary, Director of Marketing. Notices have also been placed at several bus stops, online, on our mobile app, as well as social media and traditional media channels.

“To assist our customers to prepare for the changes, a preview of the revised schedule is currently available on Tri Delta Transit’s web site at www.TriDeltaTransit.com,” he said.

Tri Delta Transit was named small bus operator of the year in 2014 by the American Public Transportation Association, the national representative for public transportation in Washington DC. They provide over 3,000,000 trips each year to a population of over 250,000 residents in the 225 square miles of Eastern Contra Costa County. They operate 13 local bus routes Monday – Friday, 4 local bus routes on weekends, door-to-door bus service for senior citizens and people with disabilities, and shuttle services to community events.

For additional information about Tri Delta Transit, please visit www.trideltatransit.com.

By Sergeant Rick Martin #3343, Antioch Police Department

On August 16, 2016, at approximately 9:56 a.m., Antioch Police Officers responded to the intersection of A Street and W. 17th Street on a report of a vehicle collision with injuries. Upon arrival, officers located a truck and an SUV with major damage to both.

The driver of the truck, an 80-year-old male from Antioch, and sole occupant of the vehicle, had sustained major injuries as a result of the crash and was transported to a local hospital for treatment. The other driver was treated and released at the scene.

Speed was a factor in this collision. Alcohol and/or drugs were ruled out. The collision is still under investigation by our Traffic Division.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call the Antioch Police at (925) 778-2441 or Traffic Officer Robert Solaricat (925) 779-6900 ext. 82372. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.

Karl Dietzel takes oath of office following filing his nomination papers to run for the Antioch City Council, last week. photo from his campaign Facebook page

On Thursday, August 11, Antioch resident Karl Dietzel filed the papers required to establish his candidacy for a seat on the Antioch City Council. Dietzel, a first-generation immigrant to the United States, and who regularly attends city council meetings, said that he had decided to run because of his desire to help Antioch become a more desirable, family-friendly city that attracts economic development and high paying jobs.

As the Gateway to the Delta, Dietzel said that Antioch should be a natural fit for strong investment, but that a lack of strong leadership had led the city into a “downward spiral.”
Preventing Antioch from achieving economic success are the twin problems of an excessive crime rate and blight, according to Dietzel. These problems are exacerbated, he said, because of a city government that is out of touch with local residents and is more interested in political maneuvering than serving the citizenry.

To address these issues, Dietzel said his campaign would focus on reducing crime and aggressive code enforcement. Dietzel said that focusing city resources on these two areas while ensuring that residents have a voice in their government were absolute prerequisites for bringing in the type of economic development that Antioch residents would like to see.

“My top priority will be to address the high crime rate in Antioch,” said Dietzel. “While all of us are victims of the excessive crime rate, I am personally vested in seeing this matter addressed, as I live in one of the most depressed, crime-ridden areas of Antioch, the Sycamore corridor.”
Dietzel continued, “As a city, we need to make good on the promises of Measure C (i.e., a tax measure passed by local residents which was to ensure additional law enforcement personnel were hired), and stop coming up with excuses for not getting the job done. I support the immediate hiring of all authorized and funded police officers, community service officers, and code enforcement personnel.”

Dietzel is also calling for a work-load study to be done to ensure that money obtained from the taxpayers for law enforcement is being used efficiently, and for the use of a ‘shot-spotter’ system to help our police officers move quickly and decisively to reduce violent crime.
The problem of blight, including trash dumping, graffiti, and homeless encampments, not only detracts from the desirability of Antioch as a place to live and work, but is a factor in the amount of criminal activity, as well, said Dietzel. “The fact is, unless we take immediate action to reduce crime and blight by bringing on the police officers, community service officers, and code enforcement personnel needed to get the job done, talk of economic development will remain a pipe dream.”

Dietzel also addressed a lack of transparency and even-handed dealing by city officials. “We need far more transparency in government,” he said. “Right now, deals are made behind closed doors, ignoring the wishes of our citizens. The shabby treatment of the over 5,000 residents seeking to ‘Save the Yard’ is just one example of our city administration being out of touch with the people.”

“We need change, and we need it now,” concluded Dietzel. “If we continue to elect politicians who are using their positions as stepping-stones to higher office, we’ll never turn the city around. If you want someone who will get the job done, rather than talk, vote for me, Karl Dietzel, for Antioch City Council.”

This is Dietzel’s second run for the city council. He placed sixth out of eight candidates in the 2014 election. He helped lead the unsuccessful effort to defeat Measure C in 2013. (See related article, here)

For more information, contact Dietzel via email at aloha@yahoo.com, call him on his cell phone at 925-354-9321 or visit his campaign Facebook page.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Antioch Mayor Pro Tem Lori Ogorchock files her papers with City Clerk Arne Simonsen as Campaign Treasurer Bill Chapman and friend Kristen Vistalli look on.

By Allen Payton

Two years into her first term on the Antioch City Council, Mayor Pro Tem Lori Ogorchock officially announced her campaign after filing her papers to run for Mayor, last week. She is one of three candidates to challenge Mayor Wade Harper who is seeking re-election to a second term.

Her ballot designation is Councilmember/Realtor because she can’t use her title of Mayor Pro Tem, according to City Clerk Arne Simonsen. He explained that Ogorchock, under the state Elections Code, can only use the term councilmember because that’s what she was elected to. She was appointed to the position of Mayor Pro Tem by a vote of the city council, which they are required to do by city ordinance, since she was the top vote-getter in the council race in 2014.

Ogorchock released the following statement about her campaign:

“I feel in my heart of hearts that I am the catalyst that can move our city forward in a productive and positive direction.  I have the will, desire, tenacity and the relationships to work with our sister cities to bring what is needed to our city.  I do not give up easily and will fight for the rights of us the citizens of Antioch.

My work schedule as a Realtor allows me the flexibility to meet the needs and demands of the community, to be present, which I am very proud to say, I am!

Community first: I want to spend time – real time – together. Time for conversation and interaction to deepen our sense of community. With your help, I’m here to grow and learn more. I feel most satisfied when I’ve truly affected another person positively and contributed to our community. We may have more than 100,000 residents in our city but it’s one community – our community. Let’s do this together – not divided but united.

Budget smart: Our city will thrive if we spend within our means. We have to be disciplined and responsible with our finances. Let’s make smart budget decisions. What we spend now will have a huge impact on the city’s future in the few years.

Measure C: Passed by the voters of Antioch, the money from this ballot measure are for police, code enforcement and community services officers. We need to be diligent in overseeing how these promised funds are utilized, that there is no leakage into a general fund or that these funds aren’t used as intended. Transparency on how we spend the bond is vital, along with clear communication to all how it’s being used.

Advocate for veterans: I’m working with the DAV and American Legion to create a program where veterans, who are hospitalized, have visits from fellow vets who truly understand their situation. My goal is to bring much-needed veteran services to Antioch, and have already begun to lay the foundation by reaching out to local politicians about the needs. It’s shameful and unbelievable the struggle veterans go through to get benefits they were promised. Those who fought to protect our freedom and country should not have to fight for medical coverage.

You will NOT find another man or woman that will dedicate their time and attention to YOU the citizens of Antioch as I will.

Antioch: My Home, My Community, My Life”

Ogorchock is a Realtor with Ralph Garrow Real Estate in Antioch. She is an Antioch High graduate, is married and has three grown children and one grandson.

The election will be held Tuesday, November 8. If Ogorchock wins, she will vacate her current council seat, and the new council will then decide how to fill the position for the remaining two years,  either by an appointment or calling a special election, for some time next spring. For more information on her campaign, visit her campaign Facebook page or website at  www.loriogorchockantiochmayor.com.

Trent Albright

By Sergeant Rick Martin #3343, Antioch Police Patrol Division

On Monday, August 15, 2016, at approximately 2:24 p.m., Trent Albright, a 36-year-old homeless Antioch man, got into a verbal altercation with employees at Sylvia’s Country Kitchen, located at 2799 Lone Tree Way. During the altercation, Albright vandalized the front glass window. Albright then walked across the street to an open field space and was seen lighting the dry grass on fire.

Once the fire started, Albright fled the scene and was followed by citizens who witnessed the arson. Albright was detained a short distance away and positively identified. Contra Costa County Fire Inspector arrived on scene and assisted with the investigation.

Approximately one quarter acre of dry land was burned. There were no reported injuries and no damage to any nearby structures. Albright was arrested and booked into MDF for arson.

Albright is homeless and is known to have mental problems, for which he’s taken medication, in the past.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call the Antioch Police at (925) 778-2441. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.