The Contra Costa County Superior Court has proposed a change in the manner of selecting prospective jurors.  The court invites the public to comment on this proposal.  Comments should be submitted in writing to mediainfo@contracosta.courts.ca.gov no later than March 8, 2013. For more information visit www.cc-courts.org.

The San Francisco Giants 2012 and 2010 World Series Trophies will be making a stop in Antioch on Monday, January 28 during their tour of the state, this winter.

Residents can see the trophies at the Antioch Community Center at Prewett Park, located at 4703 Lone Tree Way, Antioch, across from Deer Valley High School from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

This will be the second public trophy tour held in the past three years and will feature both the 2012 and 2010 trophies. The focus of the San Francisco World Championship Trophy Tour presented by Bank of America is to share the trophies with Giants fans in Junior Giants communities throughout northern California.

“It was really important to us this time, given a second opportunity, to create a trophy tour which allowed us to connect with our fans as well as the more than 20,000 kids who participate in our Junior Giants baseball program,” said Larry Baer, Giants president and chief operating officer.

The organization is working in partnership with their Junior Giants Leagues throughout northern California to create public viewing opportunities in the following cities throughout the months of January, February and March. Fans will have the chance to both have their photo taken with the trophies and support their local Junior Giants Baseball League.

Major League Baseball World Series Trophy Fact Sheet

For more information on the trophy’s tour, click here.

Sacramento, CA – Assemblymember Jim Frazier released the following statement today in response to Governor Edmund G. Brown’s State of the State address:

I appreciate the Governor’s vision and leadership, and his ongoing commitment to the long-term success of California.

I believe the Governor’s focus on education and job creation are the keys to restoring our fiscal health and getting California back on track. Working together, we can ensure that all California students receive a quality education, have access to affordable higher education, and can put their skills to work in good-paying jobs.

I look forward to engaging with the Governor on solutions to California’s water crisis that protect our most precious water resource – the Delta.

Frazier represents Antioch and most of Eastern Contra Costa County and Solano County in the California State Assembly. For more information click here.

By James Ott

The 200 or so residents in unincorporated Northeast Antioch may still get absorbed into the city without being able to vote on the matter but Antioch City Council is still encouraging the county agency that handles annexations to reconsider.

But in the end if those people are annexed without representation, Antioch would also like to avoid being sued.

For years the City of Antioch and Contra Costa County have looked at bringing nearly 700 acres of land into the city because of obvious benefits to both parties. For the county, it will save money if the city takes over providing municipal services and potentially lives if they can have the city take over policing responsibilities, particularly in the area off of Viera Avenue, (what the county labels area 2b), because it is the only section that has a significant population. Policing issues in the area were famously brought to attention when the county-policed zone failed to notice Jaycee-Dugard being held and abused there because of a lack of police presence in the isolated region.

And according to a consultant for the City of Antioch Victor Camiglia, Antioch, “The annexation is definitely in the City’s best interest. It provides a significant amount of revenue both in the near term and the immediate near term once the GenOn power plant comes on line.”

In fact the city and the county both may still get their hands on a one million dollar bonus each courtesy of GenOn if they complete the annexation by a recently changed, and currently unspecified, date in the future.

Despite the potential financial windfall for Antioch, Camiglia and the city’s legal counsel are urging the city to be cautious in its move to annex Northeast Antioch because of a position taken by LAFCO this year to not allow the area’s population the ability to vote on their own annexation.

Under normal circumstances an unincorporated area with at least 12 registered voters, (2b has about 100), would have the ability to make a vote on whether or not they wanted to be annexed into a nearby city. A “no” vote among 50 percent or more of those voters would prevent the annexation from taking place.

The Local Agency Formation Commission, (LAFCO), however said that if Northeast Antioch were annexed without areas 2b and 2a, they would create an unincorporated “island” – in other words, it would become an area of land no larger than 150 acres that is mostly surrounded by a city. This creates more problems with policing and providing utilities to the area and so under state law LAFCO can annex the area without a vote.

The problem is that while legally Antioch, LAFCO, and the county can go ahead and annex the area without allowing its residents to vote on the matter, that doesn’t prevent lawsuits. And Antioch will worry even more about the risk of lawsuits in the event the annexation without representation is carried out after Camiglia reported that the State Attorney also agrees that the residents should be allowed a vote.

That’s why the council voted last Tuesday to ask LAFCO to remove the cities legal liability in such an event. LAFCO normally requires a city to sign an indemnity agreement that prevents LAFCO from being held responsible if there is a lawsuit after they approve an annexation.

So while the city and LAFCO agree that Northeast Antioch should be annexed,
Antioch City Council has long pushed for allowing the current residents to vote on the matter while LAFCO believes it isn’t legally necessary. So the City is asking LAFCO to waive their indemnity requirement.

If the annexation of Northeast Antioch does eventually take place Antioch will have to spend money to provide infrastructure to the area, but taxes from the region will more than make up for that said Camiglia.

All four city council members support the annexation but Councilmember Gary Agopian pointed out that Antioch initially just tried to annex the uninhabited areas of Northeast Antioch that just included the GenOn and PG&E power plants – it was LAFCO who forced Antioch to add the populated areas of 2a and 2b to avoid creating an “island.”

New Antioch Mayor Wade Harper also made a point to lend his support to finding a way to annex the area.

“I strongly support this,” he said. “This is going to mean so much to the economic development of the city of Antioch. We need to go and remove all of the obstacles and roadblocks.”

It’s also worth noting that Antioch surveyed the residents of the annexation area in 2007. About 60 percent of those residents responded – a full 75 percent of those said that they did not support being annexed.

By James Ott

Antioch City Council voted to permanently ban medical marijuana facilities from the city after saying there are continuing concerns over problems with regulation and possible increases in crime.

The move makes permanent a temporary ban that had passed in April 2011 citing similar concerns.

At Tuesday’s meeting council members said that they don’t have necessarily have a problem with marijuana as a medicine but they believe it should be dispensed only by medical facilities and pharmacies.

“I don’t have a horse in this race,” said Agopian. “If doctors decide that they want to give to their patients a particular type of medicine that they need then I want doctors to be able to do that. [But] they can do it through… pharmacies.”

City Attorney Tracy Nerland pointed out that the ban would do just that – only prevent marijuana dispensaries and cooperatives from selling and growing marijuana. Patients would still be able to get marijuana for medicinal purposes from licensed medical facilities such as clinics, health care facilities and residential care facilities.

Agopian also said that he would like to see research done on the medical benefits of cannabis.

There are in fact, many published studies that show that marijuana – particularly through the compound THC – has produced medical benefits to patients suffering from a variety of diseases including chronic pain, ALS, Alzheimer’s, cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS , and multiple sclerosis. It has also been shown to be measurably safer than most other prescription drugs.

It was on the strength of such studies that California became the first state to legalize marijuana for medical use through the “Passionate Use Act” or Prop 215 in 1996.

After the passage of Senate Bill 420, the state allowed patients to get a medical marijuana card through their doctor and made legal the medical marijuana dispensaries that Antioch is currently banning.

Community Development Director Tina Wehrmeister said that the city is in a particularly precarious situation because while California has legalized medical cannabis – the federal government still classifies marijuana as a schedule one drug with no medicinal benefits.

“U.S. attorneys have stated that California cities and their officials face possible criminal prosecution for enabling medical marijuana facilities to operate in violation of federal law,” said Wehrmeister.

Both council member Mary Rocha and Mayor Wade Harper – who is a former Drug Abuse Resistance Education, (D.A.R.E.), instructor – said that they are concerned that loose regulations on medical marijuana facilities might allow cannabis to get in the hands of those who don’t need it, particularly among the youth where it is a popular recreational drug.

Two members of the community spoke up against the ban including mixed martial artist Dan Black and Ed Breslin of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Cannabis Division that represents workers in the medical marijuana industry.

Both Black and Breslin asked the city to do more research and consider alternatives before banning dispensaries outright. They cited the large revenue the city might generate from such businesses.

According to the New York Times, California’s medical marijuana industry pumped about $2 billion into the state economy in 2008 and brought in $100 million in sales tax that same year.

Council member Tony Tiscareno – who was the only one to vote against the ban – agreed somewhat, saying that he wanted to hear more before he ruled out a potential large revenue source for struggling Antioch.

Mayor Wade Harper disagreed saying he had a moral problem with making money from the medical dispensaries.

“I’m one who believes that all money isn’t good money,” he said.

The final vote was four to one in favor of the ban.

Antioch’s new representative in Sacramento has secured positions on two key California State Assembly committees that will benefit the community.

Assembly Speaker John Pérez assigned Assemblyman Jim Frazier to three standing committees for the 2013-2014 legislative session: Insurance Committee, Transportation Committee and Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee.  As previously announced by Pérez, Frazier will also serve as Chair of the Assembly Accountability and Administrative Review Committee.

In addition, Frazier announced the selection of his Sacramento Chief of Staff, Debra Gravert, as well as his District Director, Jennifer Barton.

Gravert has over 25 years of experience working in the State Capitol and brings vast expertise to the position. She formerly served as Chief of Staff to Assemblymember Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) and Assemblymember Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills).  Gravert will manage all staff and operations for Frazier’s District and Capitol offices and serve as his principal staff advisor on legislative issues.

As District Director, Jennifer will direct the staff in the two local offices of Assemblyman Frazier, overseeing District operations such as constituent services, community outreach, town hall meetings and events.  Barton is a seasoned District Director having served as the District Director for former Assemblywoman Helen Thomson, Senator Lois Wolk, and Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher.

In addition to Gravert and Barton, the Frazier team also includes Lawrence Cooper, Legislative Director; Tisha Simpson, Scheduler; Zachary Leary, Legislative Assistant; and Brandon King, Field Representative.

“I am excited and honored to serve the residents and communities in the 11th Assembly District,” said Frazier.  “Having talented professionals on my team will help me to do just that.”

Assemblymember Frazier’s Sacramento office is located at:

State Capitol, Room 3091

Sacramento, CA 95814

916/319-2011 (phone)

916/319-2111 (fax)

A Contra Costa County District office will open as soon as office space is found.

By James Ott

In a proclaimed attempt to lure veteran police officers to combat it’s surging crime rates, Antioch City Council voted during their special Christmas week meeting on Thursday, December 27, 2012 to raise the pension benefits for certain new police hires.

With a four to one vote – Councilman Gary Agopian was the lone dissenter – the city council reversed course on a decision it made earlier this year to pare back police retirement benefits through a Public Employees Retirement System, (PERS) contract change that sought to reduce financial strain on the city.

Just months ago the city had voted to reduce the pension plans for new police hires from a “3 percent at 50” pension calculation formula to a cheaper-for-the-city “3 percent at 55” formula.

The old pension calculation would mean that eligible police officers would be able to start collecting pension at age 55 that is equal to 3 percent of their final year of pay multiplied by the number of years they served. Tuesday’s vote will allow police hired before Jan. 1 of this year to collect that same pension five years earlier. Estimates say the move will cost the city $4,500 more per qualified officer, per year.

In an effort to be fair and consistent for all city workers, Thursday’s vote also boosts the pension plans for certain new public employees and other future hires as well. Veteran employees hired for non-police work – including 7 recent hires who will be credited retro-actively – will get an increase from the old “2 percent at 55” formula to a higher-earning “2.7 percent at age 55.”

This pension restructuring is expected to cost $23,670 extra per year for those hires already employed by the city that will benefit from the change.

Antioch Police Chief Allan Cantando was the primary founder and supporter of the idea to increase police benefits, saying that Antioch has had a lot of trouble attracting enough officers to fill it’s ranks.

The city is looking to hire up to 30 additional officers within the next year and a half and Cantando said that they need all the help they can get to attract quality officers. In particular Cantando said that he is looking to use the new pension plan to hire veteran officers from other cities or even out of state officers who will bring a lot of experience and need little training, which could also save the city money.

“What people need to understand is that if we hire an entry level [officer] that we have to put through the academy, they’re going to be in the academy for six months and we’re going to be paying them a reduced salary and a minimum benefit while they’re in the academy,” Cantando said.

That doesn’t include the FTO program that rookies would then have to be in for up to four months as well, said Cantando. So, while they will inevitably hire less experienced trainees, Cantando wants to use perks like the newly upgraded pension plan hire veterans who will be able to avoid nearly a year of training that would keep them off of the streets fighting crime.

Cantando has previously stated however, that he has not personally had any potential hires tell him that the city’s current retirement plan would prevent them from taking up a police position with Antioch.

Nevertheless, Cantando and most of the council feel that the new pension perks could help bring quality new officers to a city in dire need of them.

Antioch’s Human Resources Director Michelle Fitzer has said that the city council could also consider offering additional incentives such as an increased base pay or lump-sum cash payments if the police department continues to struggle to bring in enough new officers.

Will Give Local Firefighters and First Responders Needed Resources for Five Years

Washington, D.C. –Congressman Jerry McNerney’s (D-Stockton) bipartisan bill, the United States Fire Administration Act of 2012, was signed into law by President Barack Obama on January 1, 2013.  On December 20, 2012, the bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives with broad bipartisan support as a part of the fiscal year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).  McNerney introduced the bill in July to reauthorize the United States Fire Administration (USFA) for five years, allowing the USFA to continue administering grants, creating good-paying and critical jobs at fire departments across the country.  The bill will also allow the USFA to continue to provide resources to train and educate the public about fire safety, prevention and preparedness.

“The USFA provides our nation’s firefighters with the tools they need to keep the public safe and reduce the damages caused by fire and other emergency situations.  Not only is this legislation critical for public safety, it will ensure that we preserve and create family-wage jobs in communities across America,” said Congressman McNerney.

On December 5, 2012, Congressman McNerney wrote to Rep. Buck McKeon, Chairman of the Committee on Armed Services, to encourage the committee to include the text of his legislation in the NDAA.  Upon passage in the House, the NDAA was sent to the Senate for consideration before traveling to the president to be signed into law.

Over the last decade, nearly $5 million has been awarded to the region encompassing Congressman McNerney’s district through programs administered by the USFA, improving public safety and education.  For example, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants program created or saved the jobs of over 1200 firefighters across the country in 2009.  The program allowed 566 workers who had been laid off to be rehired, prevented an additional 139 workers from being laid off, and created nearly 400 new jobs in our nation’s fire departments.

“The USFA provides important public safety information that helps prevent costly and dangerous fires. Increasing preparedness and keeping our friends and neighbors safe is a responsibility we all share. I am glad that this important legislation has been signed into law, moving us one step closer to making sure our first responders have the tools and resources they need,” said McNerney.

The USFA was created in 1974 with the goal of reducing the number of fire-related deaths by half.  This goal was met in 1988.  According to the National Fire Protection Association, in 2010 there were 1,331,500 fires reported in the United States. These fires caused 3,120 civilian deaths – down from 12,000 per year in 1973 – as well as 17,720 civilian injuries and $11.6 billion in property damage. 

The United States Fire Administration Reauthorization Act of 2012, H.R. 6229, was originally co-introduced by Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL).