On Monday, Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11) issued the following statement on the agreement between Bart and the transit unions:

“I am grateful a tentative agreement has been reached between Bart and the transit unions. If approved, there will be no interruptions in services for  Bay Area commuters. I look forward to reviewing full details of the 5-year deal with an eye towards the long-term financial stability and sustainability of Bart. On the federal level, I will continue to advocate for meaningful performance standards for transit agencies to ensure the public is getting its value.”

Orinda City Councilmember Amy Rein Worth, who serves on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) as the representative of the cities of Contra Costa County, on Monday issued this statement following the announcement of a tentative agreement between BART management and labor leaders:

“This morning BART announced a tentative agreement with its labor unions to extend BART labor contracts until 2021.I am pleased to support this financially prudent agreement that provides security to BART workers and service reliability to the BART riding public.

BART is a critical part of the East Bay economy and is relied upon by hundreds of thousands of East Bay commuters.I am hopeful that this agreement portends a future without service disruptions not just for the next five years, but sets a tone for the future beyond as well.

The critical role of BART service goes far beyond those who depend on it for a ride each day, as we have learned; the East Bay highway and transit network is not able to replace BART during a strike or a service disruption, which is why this agreement is so important.

BART, its workers and the public now can focus on the important shared task of rebuilding the system as its major priority.

I am grateful to state Senator Steve Glazer and the other local elected leaders in the East Bay who urged both BART’s management and labor to keep faith with the riding public by negotiating a new labor contract that recognizes the fiscal needs of the system and ensures that trains will keep running on schedule throughout the system.”

However, State Senator Steve Glazer, a critic of BART spending and strikes by BART employees issued the following statement on the tentative agreement:

“I have just been given an outline of the proposed 2017-21 labor agreement. I look forward to reviewing the details of the agreement and its implications to commuters and taxpayers,” he stated. “I will be consulting today with the 40 elected officials who co-signed my letter urging that BART rebuild its public trust with concrete, fiscally responsible actions before the November elections when BART is expected to ask voters for a multi-billion dollar bond.”

Construction of the Sunset Drive extension at Bryan Street.

By Allen Payton

If you drive Sunset Drive or Bryan Avenue to A Street, to turn southbound to access Highway 4 or if you drive A Street southbound and turn left on Bryan Avenue to get to the Jack-in-the-Box restaurant, as of April 11, you won’t be able to any longer.

According to Antioch’s Public Works Director/City Engineer Ron Bernal, that construction you’ve seen going on for months, where Sunset Drive terminates at Bryan Avenue, is the extension of Sunset Drive. It will curve and stop at A Street, where a new stop light has recently been installed.

So, beginning Monday, April 11, in order to turn southbound onto A Street, you’ll have to drive to the light at Sunset Drive and A Street. In addition, in order to access Jack-in-the-Box from A Street, you’ll have to turn left on Sunset Drive, proceed south to Bryan Avenue and turn left.

You will still be able to turn right onto northbound A Street from Bryan Avenue and turn right onto Bryan Avenue from northbound A Street.

The changes will make it easier and more safe to turn onto and off of A Street onto Bryan Avenue.

To view the location on Google maps, click here.

The office of Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, is offering a free tax assistance workshop for East Contra Costa County residents.

What: Free Tax Assistance Workshop

Where: 420 West Third Street, Antioch, CA

Date: Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Time: From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Contact: George Escutia, Office of Sen. Glazer, 925-942-6082

The event, through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, is free for taxpayers with annual incomes of $54,000 or less. Contra Costa County’s Earn It! Keep It! Save It!  program will provide assistance.

Volunteers are certified by the IRS and all information is confidential. This is a free service for low-to-moderate income taxpayers filing basic federal and California state tax returns.

Contra Costa’s Earn It! Keep It! Save It! (EKS) Campaign is part of a regional effort that provides free tax assistance to low-income workers and helps them to receive their full tax refunds and credits.

EKS is a project of the Family Economic Security Partnership (FESP). FESP is a public, private, and non-profit collaborative dedicated to increasing the income and building the assets of low-income individuals and families living in Contra Costa County.

The Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) announced, Tuesday that they have signed a settlement agreement with the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) that will protect its customers, facilities, and operations if the Bay Delta Conservation Plan / California WaterFix (CWF), aka the “twin tunnels,” is built. The agreement is an insurance policy to protect the unique water quality and supply issues raised by CCWD.

Since studies began in 2006 to evaluate alternative conveyance strategies for Delta water serving those dependent on the export pumps in the south Delta, CCWD has publicly raised concerns about several issues including potential impacts to the operation of its facilities in the Delta that provide high quality water service to its customers. The state approached CCWD to discuss the water quality and supply concerns unique to CCWD and an agreement was reached that will provide protections for CCWD’s customers if the project is built.

“We take our role to protect our customers seriously and cannot gamble with the future of our water supply or quality,” said General Manager Jerry Brown. “Should this project move forward without these assurances in place, CCWD’s facilities and operations would be negatively impacted. We are confident this is an iron-clad insurance policy for our customers, we wouldn’t have reached an agreement otherwise.”

Key to this settlement is the fact that it will not result in rate increases for CCWD customers nor redirect any potential impacts to other areas. It is a legally binding agreement to protect CCWD’s ability to use the facilities its customers have invested over $1 billion in the past 20 years.

“We are confident knowing we have taken actions to protect our customer’s future if the tunnels are ever constructed,” commented Brown. “The state is committing to a significant investment to ensure CCWD customers will be made whole, and this agreement protects our ability to deliver high quality water to those we serve.”

“We’re pleased to have reached an agreement with CCWD that is good for their customers and good for the 25 million Californians who depend upon the State Water Project,” said DWR Director Mark Cowin. “We appreciate CCWD’s reasonable, efficient, and effective approach to resolving concerns about California WaterFix.”

CCWD is not a proponent of the CWF. This settlement does not change that position, but instead is a way to safeguard CCWD and those it serves if a larger statewide plan is ever implemented. CCWD will remain an active participant in finding statewide solutions and continue to protect the drinking water interests of our customers.

The Board of Directors will review the details of the agreement at the April 6 Board Meeting held at 1331 Concord Ave. in Concord at 6:30 p.m.

For further details related to this settlement, please visit http://www.ccwater.com/317/Bay-Delta-Conservation-Plan-Comments.

Claire Smith

By Nick Goodrich

A surprising announcement came during the Antioch Unified School District’s Board meeting on Wednesday night, March 23^rd. Longtime board member Claire Smith announced at the beginning of the meeting that this would be her last, as a member of the Board.

Smith informed those in attendance that she would be moving to join family in Southern California, and therefore would resign as a member of the Board, effective after the meeting. She stated that, as the Board is currently experiencing a time of transition due to a Superintendent vacancy and the recent appointment of new member Fernando Navarro, she had kept her intentions under wraps in order to avoid shaking things up even more.

Smith has served a total of 21 years on the School Board, making her the longest continuous office holder in the history of Antioch, according to fellow board member Walter Ruehlig. She has been known for making tough decisions and presenting a strong face throughout her tenure, all while keeping the well-being of the School District’s children foremost in her decision-making, he shared.

An outpouring of support for Smith came from her fellow Board Members, Board staff, and those in attendance following her announcement, capped by a standing ovation. Ruehlig summed up her service on the board, by stating “She didn’t always make the easy choice, but she always made the right one.”

The Board will now begin the process of searching for Smith’s replacement, electing later in the meeting to go through the appointment process rather than a vote, which would cost the District several thousand extra dollars.

Smith is the second Antioch School Board member to resign in the past year. Barbara Cowan resigned 0n September 23rd, stating she would be moving to Oregon. Navarro is her replacement. In addition, Don Gill announced his resignation as Superintendent, effective this June, the same night. He was later placed on what has amounted to as paid, administrative leave. The Board hired a search firm, earlier this month, to help with his replacement.

Smith’s seat is up for election in November. So anyone appointed would serve about six or seven months on the board.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Walnut Creek, CA – BART is in a financial crisis with capital needs estimated at $9.6 billion, yet it gave out $1,000 bonuses to the transit system’s 3,357 employees, as reported in today’s San Francisco Chronicle’s “Matier and Ross” column.

The 2013 employee contract tied the bonuses to ridership numbers. It is likely that additional $1,000 bonuses will be given again on July 1, 2016.

“This is an outrageous giveaway of taxpayer money by a transit system that is billions of dollars in capital debt,” said State Senator Steve Glazer (D – 7^th District). “This secret bonus is on top of the 15.4% raises that BART gave to all workers and managers in its last contract.”

“Moreover, these bonuses aren’t tied to any performance metrics – which is probably obvious to all riders, given the packed and dirty trains, maintenance breakdowns and constant delays,” he continued. “And, they came from an agency that claims it has no money for new trains, track upgrades and technology improvements.

“BART continues to pay out millions of dollars in pay and benefits from one pocket, while claiming that it has no money for system improvements in the other pocket,” Glazer added.

Sen. Glazer, Assemblywoman Catharine Baker, and 38 local Supervisors, Mayors, and Council members recently wrote a letter to the BART Board of Directors and employee unions raising strong concerns about a potential multi-billion dollar bond that the Board is considering for the November 2016 ballot. The letter noted that convincing two-thirds of Bay Area voters is already an uphill fight, but the 2013 strike by BART unions, drawn-out contract negotiations, and wage concessions for workers and management also seriously damaged voters’ trust in BART.

To regain that trust and the voters’ support of new taxes, Sen. Glazer and the other signers implored the BART Board and employee unions to negotiate – before the 2016 elections – a new contract that will take into account the dire fiscal needs of the system and ensure that trains keep running on schedule. The new contract would come into effect after the existing contract sunsets in 2017.

The 7th State Senate District includes Antioch and most of Contra Costa County.

Ken Turnage II

Antioch businessman and 2015 Citizen of the Year, Ken Turnage II announced his campaign for the Antioch City Council in the November election, on Monday.

“As a life-time resident and business owner of Antioch, I am pleased and excited to announce that this fall; I will be running for Antioch City Council,” he said. “Antioch is the town that I have grown up in and love. We have seen growing pains lately and I have witnessed some questionable decisions made by the current city council. With deep ties into the community, I feel that I will bring a positive perspective not seen on the council in some time. I represent a fresh start with a new approach to the business as usual mentality in Antioch. With some hard work, we can get Antioch back on track.”

Turnage, who was recently named the 2015 Antioch Citizen of the Year for Most Impact, shared why he is running.

“I plan on running a transparent campaign and with an open line of communication with residents,” he stated. “I look forward to discussing many issues facing our city and working on realistic solutions on budget issues, crime, and future growth.

“As a business owner, I know some of the challenges our local businesses face and we must make some adjustments at a city level to attract and retain businesses while giving them a chance to succeed,” Turnage continued.

“I consider myself truly independent and free of special interest groups which will allow for honest conversation and apply decision making skills with what is best for the city and community as a whole,” he added. “In the near future, I will be releasing information on a campaign kickoff event, a website launch, and more.  In the meantime, you may follow me on my Facebook page here,  call me at 754-5232 or email me at k2gc@comcast.net with your ideas and concerns.”

Turnage is a licensed general contractor and owner of K2GC, Inc. in Antioch with 20 employees. He and his wife Teresa have two daughters. He serves on the City of Antioch’s Economic Development Commission.

By Sergeant Rick Smith, Antioch Police Community Policing Bureau

On Thursday, March 17, 2016 at 8:03 p.m., Antioch Police Officers and Medical Personnel responded to the area of Banyan Way for the report of a subject who had just been shot. Officers arrived on scene and found a single teenage victim suffering from a gunshot wound. He was alert and awake and transported to an area hospital for treatment.

No further information will be released at this time.

This investigation is ongoing and 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.