By Allen Payton

In a brief conversation with Antioch City Clerk Arne Simonsen, after filing for Antioch City Council closed at 5:00 p.m., today (Friday, August 8, 2014) he said there were seven candidates who had qualified for the ballot. There are three more people who filed their papers in the final hour, which he was processing to determine if they will qualify. “Most likely they will,” he said.

Diane Gibson-Gray – Qualified

Lori Ogorchock – Qualified

Anthony Segovia – Qualified

Tony Tiscareno – Qualified

Lamar A. Thorpe – Qualified

Steven Bado – Qualified

Karl Dietzel – Qualified

Jeffrey Hall-Cottrell – Awaiting verification of signature count

Amber Avelino – Awaiting verification of signature count

Sandy McGee – Awaiting verification of signature count

So, we could have as many as 10 candidates for the two seats that are up for election in November. Check back for the final list of qualified candidates, later tonight or tomorrow.

Incumbent Ted Radke to retire and endorses Burgis

On Thursday, August 7, 2014, Oakley City Council Member and Executive Director for the Friends of Marsh Creek Watershed, Diane Burgis, announced her candidacy for East Bay Regional Parks District Board, Ward 7. Incumbent, Ted Radke, is retiring and not seeking re-election.

Ward 7 includes the Cities and communities of Antioch, Bay Point, Bethel Island, Brentwood, Byron, Clyde, Crockett, Discovery Bay, Hercules, Martinez, Oakley, Pacheco, part of Pinole, Pittsburg, Port Costa and Rodeo.

“Ted Radke has served our community with distinction on the East Bay Regional Parks District Board and I am honored to have earned his endorsement upon his retirement,” said Burgis. “My professional life has been devoted to conservation, protecting open space, habitat restoration, and clean water. I will use my experience to expand on Ted’s legacy and enhance our regional parks.”

“People were questioning whether he was getting ready to retire. A few people encouraged me to think about running,” Burgis said. “Then when the time came, I spoke with Ted about a month ago. and he said he was thinking about retiring but wanted to make sure someone who he felt good about was wanting to run. I told him I was interested and he was supportive of that.”

“I can think of no one better suited than Diane Burgis to serve on the East Bay Regional Parks District Board,” said Ted Radke, current Board Member of the East Bay Regional Parks District, Ward 7.  “Diane’s commitment to bettering our environment and ensuring access to open space, conservation of habitat, and environmental education programs makes her an excellent choice to replace me on the Board. I expect Diane to inject new energy and ideas into the Parks District organization.”

Burgis was elected to the Oakley City Council in 2012. Currently, she serves as Executive Director of Friends of Marsh Creek Watershed, a grassroots nonprofit based in East Contra Costa County that focuses on issues related to conservation, water quality, habitat restoration, and environmental education.  Since taking over the organization in 2007, Burgis has helped transform the nonprofit from a local grassroots group into a nationally recognized organization.  In 2011, Burgis was awarded the “Watershed Champion” award by the Contra Costa County Watershed Forum for her work to build partnerships and provide leadership in protecting, restoring and enhancing creeks and watersheds. 

Burgis has also been endorsed by Congressman Jerry McNerney, State Senator Mark DeSaulnier, Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, Assemblyman Jim Frazier, Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia, Contra Costa County Supervisor Mary Piepho, Supervisor Federal Glover, Oakley Mayor Randy Pope, Oakley City Council Members Doug Hardcastle and Kevin Romick, Hercules Mayor Myrna de Vera, Martinez Mayor Rob Schroeder, Pittsburg Mayor Sal Evola, Antioch Council Members Mary Rocha and Tony Tiscareno, Brentwood Mayor Bob Taylor, Brentwood Council Members Steve Barr and Joel Bryant.

By John Crowder

A closed session meeting of the Contra Costa County Board of Education on May 7 resulted in an alleged violation of the Brown Act, according to attendees.

The Brown Act is California’s open meeting law that is meant to ensure that public business is, with specified exceptions, conducted openly. In accordance with the act, items discussed by public bodies, such as boards of education, even in closed session, must be properly noticed on the agenda for a meeting and a report must be made following the session stating what decisions were made.

Emails obtained from the Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE) through a California Public Records Act request reveal that, during the May 7 closed session meeting of the board, attorney Adam Ferber appeared and spoke with those present about the Dozier Libbey Medical High School (DLMHS) conversion charter petition.

The meeting in question came two days after a letter was sent to Bill Clark, Associate Superintendent of the CCCOE, from Scott Holbrook, which stated that his firm, “serves as legal counsel to the Antioch Unified School District. In the letter, Holbrook states, “This controversy (the DLMHS charter petition) has resulted in several streams of litigation which the Contra Costa County Board of Education and Contra Costa County Office of Education will very likely be pulled into if the conversion petition is approved on appeal.”

After listing the potential litigation, Holbrook’s letter concludes, “In light of the foregoing, I strongly urge the Contra Costa County Board of Education and Contra Costa County Office of Education to avoid this controversy in it entirety. My advice to the county boards of education and county offices of education that I regularly counsel under these circumstances would be, at a minimum, to take ‘no action’ and punt this matter to the State Board of Education.”

Ferber’s statement during the board meeting which, according to participants, also recommended that no action be taken on the DLMHS petition, caused some of the board members considerable distress. CCCOE board Vice President Dan Gomes, said, “I think that, in a way, that attorney was working for the district. I was taken aback by the letter from AUSD. This fellow (Ferber) that came in and recommended we do nothing was along the same lines as the AUSD lawyer.” He went on to say, “Ferber went over a script, we ignore, just skip over (approving the petition). I thought to myself, ‘I’ve heard this before (from the AUSD letter)’.”

According to board member Pamela Mirabella, “I was confused about why we were talking about Dozier Libbey in closed session. There were four things on the agenda…not included was Dozier Libbey.”

Board Member Cynthia Ruehlig was even more concerned with Ferber’s presentation. “I think there was an intent to influence the board,” she said. She also stated, “To correct a Brown Act violation, you must report what was said, put it in the minutes, and, if grievous enough, you must report it to the District Attorney.”

Board member Richard Asadoorian stated, “What concerned me was that we were advised to let this attorney speak, and we couldn’t really extend the closed session, and had no real time to respond to this presentation. The only Brown Act issue was that it wasn’t properly put on the agenda.”

Nonetheless, over the next several days, both Mirabella and Ruehlig followed up on their concerns in emails and letters to Dr. Joseph Ovick, Superintendent of Schools for Contra Costa County.

In an email sent on May 12, Mirabella states, “I didn’t agree with the ADUSD lawyer to ‘not take action.’” She goes on to say, “Legal Counsel (Name? Not Cynthia discussed with the County Board anticipated litigation regarding Dozier-libbey and the board took no action. Do we have a brown act problem by not reporting out correctly to the public?” In another email sent by Mirabella to Ovick on May 20, one day after a second closed session meeting which, according to Clark, was held in order to cure any Brown Act problem, she says, “Closed session—after I asked you to remind Dan G. to report out to the public that in closed session the board took no action, he did so. This is against the Brown act and very serious.”

On May 8, the day after the closed session meeting at which Ferber spoke, Ruehlig sent a letter to Ovick, and, in an indication of the seriousness with which she viewed the matter, sent a copy to the Contra Costa County district attorney. In it, she begins by stating, “This letter documents the violations which occurred during closed session of May 7, 2014.”

The letter states, “At this meeting, Atty. Ferber (who was not invited and was, in fact, unknown to all Board Member) discussed an item which was not on the agenda; specifically a threat of a lawsuit from the Antioch Unified School District. This is a violation of the Brown Act that ‘no action or discussion shall be undertaken on any item not appearing on the posted agenda’.”

“In addition, Atty. Ferber provided every Board Member with a copy of a letter threatening the Office of Education with a lawsuit from the Antioch Unified School District.”

“Contact with Atty. Ferber was evident by the District lawyer’s public comment urging the Board to listen to staff and ‘our counsel.’”

Ruehlig describes the presentation by Ferber as a “prohibited ex parte communication,” and urges that several steps be taken to correct the situation, including publishing the comments he made.

Associate Superintendent Clark, in an interview conducted last week, acknowledged a possible Brown Act problem with the meeting, but said he believed it had to do with the technicalities of the agenda and reporting requirements, and not with the discussion of the Dozier-Libbey matter.

“Exposure to legal risk was heightened by this case,” Clark explained. “Enrollment, assumptions with revenue, and the independent charter’s right to occupy the building could be found faulty, and might make us subject to a lawsuit from AUSD. We had every right to discuss this in closed session,.”

He also shared Ferber had been hired to help county staff understand the legal nuances of this particular petition. Clark also noted that, on advice from County Counsel, he believed any Brown Act problem had been cured by the closed session meeting held on May 19, at which the agenda and reporting requirements were met.

The district attorney’s office was contacted, last week, but it was not yet confirmed whether the office was investigating this matter.

By John Crowder

Nancie Castro, the embattled former principal of Dozier-Libbey Medical High School (DLMHS), announced today that she has accepted a position as Director of Human Resources and Curriculum with the Jefferson School District in Tracy.

Castro had been with the Antioch Unified School District (AUSD) since 2008, when she was hired to be the first principal of the newly formed DLMHS. During her time as principal, the school was repeatedly acclaimed for its success. In 2011, it was awarded a Distinguished School award from the California Department of Education. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, on hand for the award ceremony, touted the high Academic Performance Index scores achieved by the school and its rigorous, real-world education focused on helping students prepare for careers in the medical field.

Most recently, DLMHS was listed in the top 700 schools in the United States by U.S. News and World Report, which lauded its 70% Advanced Placement Test participation rate with a student body that has minority enrollment of 77%.

Last February, however, Castro was caught up in controversy after a large majority of the teaching staff filed a petition to convert the campus to a charter school. According to the petitioners, the move was made because of “diverging philosophies between the district and site staffs for program implementation at this innovative, health career-themed school.” AUSD, on the other hand, has characterized the move as “extremely divisive,” and took the unheard of step to create its own, dependent charter school, to thwart what has been labeled by their supporters as a “mutiny.”

On April 9, the district appointed Scott Bergerhouse as principal of the dependent charter school, and Castro was told in late June that she would be moved to a teaching position at another Antioch high school.

In announcing her new position, Castro said, “I feel blessed to have worked alongside the incredibly talented and dedicated teachers and staff, industry partners, supportive parents, and amazing students at Dozier-Libbey for the past eight years. With this team approach our students excelled, and I’m extremely proud of what we accomplished. I was disappointed to be transferred out of Dozier-Libbey, but I am very excited for this new opportunity with the Jefferson School District. I wish the teachers at DLMHS the best in their continued pursuit of excellence.”

Washington, D.C. –  On July 23, 2014 the U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment written by Rep. Jerry McNerney (CA-09) that would ensure that colleges take into account the unique skills and needs of veterans and military personnel when they’re earning  credits towards a degree or certificate.

Rep. McNerney proposed his amendment to HR 3136, which creates up to 20 competency-based education projects managed by the Department of Education. These projects would allow institutions of higher education (IHE) to come up with creative alternatives to the traditional “credit hour” in order to meet changing learning environments.

Rep. McNerney’s amendment would require schools that are part of the demonstration program to provide information on the number of veteran and military students who attend the school and how it will incorporate those particular student needs into its demonstration project.  

“Service members and veterans often need flexibility to pursue their education goals,” said Rep. McNerney.  “We owe it to these men and women to help them pursue higher education as seamlessly as possible.  My amendment will help keep track of the progress that the veteran and military student populations are making in any new competency-based program and to hold these programs accountable for the progress of veterans.”

H.R. 3136 incorporates new, innovative practices in higher education by allowing students to advance academically by demonstrating competence in a subject, rather than by spending a set amount of time in the classroom.

The Antioch City Council candidate filing period is open until 5:00 pm on Friday, August 8th. The law provides that the filing period be extended by five (5) calendar days if an incumbent does not file.

With the passing of Council Member Agopian and in consultation with the County Elections Office, City Clerk Arne Simonsen has declared that Council Member Agopian’s seat is now vacant. There is no longer an incumbent of that Council seat to file for reelection.

The candidate filing period will only be extended five (5) days in the event that the remaining incumbent does not file by 5 p.m. on August 8th.

By Allen Payton

Antioch author Sarah Sundin was inspired to write due to a dream she had in 2000. Although educated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and doctorate in Pharmacy, and has worked as a pharmacist – and still does, one day a week – like her husband David, she went ahead and pursued the dream.

“It was weird. I started scribbling on a piece of paper,” Sarah said. “It took me about a week to build up the nerve to tell him.”

However, hat book was never published.

“Nor should it be” she stated. “But, it motivated me to attend conferences.”

One of those, for Christian writers like Sarah, is held at Mt. Hermon Conference Center, near Santa Cruz. That’s where she got to know editors and literary agents, one-on-one. She also participated in writers groups. Sarah now has about seven authors who run things by each other.

“I didn’t think I needed editing. I got A’s in English,” Sarah laughed.

Then she wrote a second novel. But, that wasn’t published, either.

She shared that the average author writes three novels before being published.

Sarah started submitting her novels to publishers in 2003 and after five years of rejection letters, she received her first contract in 2008 from Revell, a Christian book publisher.

Her first two books, part of a trilogy known as the Wings of Glory series, were published in 2010. The third book followed a year later.

That trilogy follows three brothers from Antioch, who were all B-17 bomber pilots during World War II, which is the setting of all of her published books, so far. On the cover of the third book, entitled “Blue Skies Tomorrow” is a drawing of the El Campanil Theatre. On the theater’s marquee is the movie Cover Girl, for which Antioch native Carmen Dragon wrote the musical score and won an Oscar. The book also covers the Port Chicago explosion of 1944.

Sundin’s books are filled with romance, action and faith, with the focus on both the men and women in the plot lines, and based on serious research and historical information.

Her second series, known as the Wings of the Nightingale series, follows three flight nurses. The third book in that series, “In Perfect Time” was just released, this month.

Sarah’s next series, Waves of Freedom, follows the lives of three American Naval officers based in Boston, who fought in the Atlantic theater. She just returned from a trip to Boston with one of her sons, where she was doing research for that series, including doing things like taking photos of a five-inch gun mount on the U.S.S. Massachusetts.

“I actually hated history in school,” Sarah said. “I thought it was boring. But, with age comes appreciation. Now I watch a lot of history on television and think how fascinating it is.”

In fact, her first series was inspired by watching a documentary on The History Channel, and after remembering her Uncle Rod who flew a B-17 bomber with the 8^th Air Force.

The first book of her third series is scheduled to be in bookstores, and of course, Amazon.com, next summer. It takes about a year from contract to when the final copy, following three rounds of edits, is due, then another full year from final copy to when a book hits bookstore shelves.

Both of her sons read and like her books. But, her 18-year old daughter thinks it’s kind of weird her mom’s writing romantic stories.

“It’s really hard to stop in the middle of writing to make dinner,” Sarah said. “But they’re troopers and have been amazing putting up with this.”

Although the characters in her book aren’t based any of her family members, or anyone else she knows, the hero in “On Distant Shores,” is a pharmacist.

“My spiritual gift is teaching,” Sarah said. “So, when I write, 11 of my 12 heroes and heroines were Christians, who needed to grow in their spiritual walk. They’re usually lessons I’ve learned in life.”

The Lord has used the writing process to teach her, and has had an impact on her readers, as well.

She receives emails and letters from readers.

One widow who lost her husband in Iraq wrote Sarah and said that “Blue Skies Tomorrow” helped her deal with her grief.

“I’m humbled to see that God will take [something she wrote] and use it in someone else’s life,” she stated. “I’m thrilled and blessed and humbled.”

Her books are available at Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com. Learn more about Sarah and her books at www.sarahsundin.com and follow her on Facebook at SarahSundinAuthor and on Twitter at sarahsundin.

The Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority, better known as Tri Delta Transit, has been named the best transit system of its size in North America by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) for efforts to enhance service, efficiencies and overall effectiveness.

“This is the highest honor in our industry,” said Jeanne Krieg, Tri Delta Transit’s CEO. “This award is a tribute to our progressive and supportive Board of Directors as well as to the hard work and commitment of each Tri Delta Transit employee. The dedication, enthusiasm, and innovative spirit our employees show every day make me proud to lead our award-winning organization. We are very excited – and honored — to receive this award.”

Tri Delta Transit was ranked #1 in the four million and under passenger category.

APTA gives out the Outstanding Transportation System Achievement Award annually to honor transit systems demonstrating exceptional efficiency and effectiveness. Transit systems are judged on services and programs, safety, operations, customer service, financial management, attendance and employee costs, advancement of minorities and women, marketing, policy and administration, and community relations.
In achieving this award, Tri Delta Transit has demonstrated itself as a leader locally and across the nation with its environmental initiatives, innovative ideas and partnerships, and its responsive service.
Dedication and innovation are nothing new to Tri Delta Transit. In 2006, they were the first transit agency to create a dedicated stroller area on their buses to better serve their customers traveling with children. This progressive idea generated worldwide interest among transit operators and has since been adopted by other transit agencies. More recently, they were among only ten transit operators to be selected to participate in the Federal Transit Administration’s Environmental and Sustainability Management Institute. The result of this effort will be the implementation of a formalized management process that will analyze, control, and reduce the environmental impact of Tri Delta Transit.
Tri Delta Transit is a vital part of Eastern Contra Costa County and this award is a great honor for the entire community.

“We share this honor with all of our customers and the citizens in our service area,” said Krieg.
Tri Delta Transit’s efforts are also being recognized by their customers, who continue to use the system in increasing numbers. Fixed route ridership increased 3.4% between 2011 and 2012. It increased 12.7% between 2012 and 2013.

The award will be presented to Tri Delta Transit at the APTA Annual Meeting and EXPO in Houston, Texas on October 14, 2014. This conference brings together more than 10,000 transit industry professionals from across the world.

Tri Delta Transit provides nearly 3,000,000 trips each year to a population of 290,000 residents in the 225 square miles of Eastern Contra Costa County including parts of Martinez and Concord. Tri Delta Transit operates 13 local bus routes Monday – Friday, four local bus routes on weekends, express commuter service to BART, and door-to-door bus service for senior citizens and people with disabilities.

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