Five Northern California Members of Congress are demanding answers on the current state of the Bay-Delta planning process and calling on the Interior Department today to rescind a “flawed” Memorandum of Agreement that was developed behind closed doors and that gives water export agencies south of the Delta and in Southern California unprecedented influence over an important public process concerning California’s precious fresh water supplies.

U.S. Reps. George Miller (CA-7), Mike Thompson (CA-1), Doris Matsui (CA-5), Jerry McNerney (CA-11) and John Garamendi (CA-10) wrote today to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar asking that the recent agreement between the Department and water agencies be rescinded and that the process be opened up to include other key stakeholders left out of the discussions, including Bay Area, Delta and coastal communities, farmers, businesses, and fishermen.

Excerpt: “Interior should immediately rescind this flawed MOA and work instead to establish a successful BDCP process that is transparent and based on parity, and that genuinely puts the restoration of the Bay-Delta and its fisheries, the needs of local communities, and the quality of local water resources on par with other water supply goals.”

The lawmakers recently held a series of meetings with Interior Department and California officials to express their concerns about the Memorandum of Agreement that the Department signed with water export agencies, an agreement that was developed and signed without input from Bay-Delta stakeholders. The Department had previously told the lawmakers to expect an answer to their inquiries early last week, but failed to meet that deadline. Today’s letter from the lawmakers requests a written response from Secretary Salazar by the beginning of next week.

Excerpt: “the BDCP planning process has failed to treat these affected groups in a fair and transparent manner, and we do not believe that the emerging plan is reflecting Bay-Delta constituencies’ concerns and interests.

The members wrote that the process as it currently stands has established an unrealistic timeline for the completion of the plan, and that it raises expectations of favorable outcomes for the water agencies that signed it. These concerns – along with others that the lawmakers raised in their meetings – share several traits:

Excerpt: “They have the potential to harm the Bay-Delta, fishing communities, local farmers, and our constituents more broadly. They compromise Interior’s ability to exercise its mandates to restore the Bay-Delta ecosystem and California’s fisheries, and to consider the interests of all stakeholder groups. And they were developed in closed-door negotiations with the water export contractors that excluded all other interests.”

The full letter is at http://georgemiller.house.gov/interior.pdf.

Five major employee unions representing thousands of Contra Costa County workers have announced a major rally Tuesday – they held 4 rallies on one day in early October – in their campaign to win a “fair contract” from Contra Costa County.

The rally will be TUESDAY (Oct. 25) 11:30 am. to 1 p.m. at the County Administration building, 651 Pine St., Martinez.

The five unions – bargaining together as the Contra Costa County Labor Coalition – represent the County’s lowest paid employees, including custodians, clerks, health care workers, eligibility workers, animal services employees, and child care workers.

Contra Costa County employees represented by Public Employees Union, Local One, AFSCME Locals 2700 and 512, SEIU Local 1021 and Western Council of Engineers, charge their workers are not getting fair shake.

The Unions’ contracts expired June 30, 2011, and there has been bargaining since late April. The County is seeking significant wage and benefit cuts, although recently expired union contracts gave the County labor savings including major changes in health care for both active and retired employees.

Despite those concessions, the County wants employees to pay all healthcare premium increases – which they have not obtained from all County employees. Management has proposed to freeze what it pays at the 2011 level. The Unions are proposing that management increase its contribution when health care rates go up.

“Our members do not want to be treated as second class citizens and want a fair contract. Since our last rallies, the County has not changed its position on health care. It still is proposing we pay 100 percent of the increases in monthly premiums. It hasn’t budged from this position even though it has either agreed with other unions to continue to pay most of next year’s increases or has made offers to other unions to pick up most of the increases,” said Felix Huerta, from AFSCME, the Coalition’s chair this year.

“We made sacrifices last contract and we’ve offered to make more for this contract. We have proposals on the table to cut our take-home pay and pay more for pensions. But we want to be treated fairly,” Huerta added,

“Many of our members are stretched to the brink,” said Huerta. “They haven’t had a pay raise since 2008, their take-home pay was cut the last two years because of furloughs and they have been paying a bigger share of health care each of the last two years. Asking us to cut our pay even more, pay more for pensions and, on top of that, pay all the increases for health care is not reasonable. That’s why we’re marching on Tuesday.”

By Allen Payton, Publisher

July 4th fireworks are in the city’s future next year if a citizens committee can raise the necessary funds to make them a reality, now that they have the support of the City Council.

At the meeting of September 13, the Council approved the effort to host a privately-funded July 4th celebration in downtown Antioch, including fireworks, a parade, car show, live entertainment and a kids area, next year.

The committee, made up of local business owners and community leaders including two school board members, and the wives of two of the council members, began work on the effort this past summer.

But, they wanted the Council’s blessing to move forward, before raising the estimated $65,000 to pay for all the costs, including city staff time, and to direct staff to coordinate with the committee.

Now the effort has begun in earnest, and the committee is asking the public and local businesses to financially support the return of the fireworks.
The first deadline is for the committee to raise $10,000 by January 15 which is a 50% deposit in order to secure the contract with the fireworks company.

The evening’s events, all in Antioch’s historic downtown Rivertown District, will begin at 4 p.m. and last until the fireworks are over at approximately 10 p.m.
The Antioch Chamber of Commerce has agreed to allow the committe to use their Antioch Community Foundation non-profit organization to receive tax-deductible donations.

The account is at ECC Bank, located at 16th and A Streets in Antioch, and anyone can drop off a check there or at one of their branches in Oakley or Brentwood, or mail it to the Chamber office at 101 H Street, Antioch, CA 94509. Please write “Fireworks” in the memo section.

Major sponsors are being sought and anyone who contributes $25 or more will have their name mentioned in advertising in this newspaper. Sponsors of $500 or more will get their name on the T-shirts, signs and major advertising. Businesses who contribute at least $100 can use the theme logo in their advertising throughout the year.

More information can be found at FaceBook.com/Antioch.JulyFourth or email AntiochJuly4th@yahoo.com or by calling Co-Chairman Walter Ruehlig at 925-756-7628.

By Allen Payton, Publisher

The City Council and community were given some good news at the September 13 council meeting when Chief of Police Allan Cantando announced violent crime is down by 19.7% for the first six months of this year, compared to last year.

In spite of a 30% vacancy in sworn police officer positions, murders, rapes, assaults and robberies, known as Part 1 crimes, were all down when compared to the first six months of 2010.

In his report to the council, Cantando shared that there was a 12.6% decline in total arrests from 2,797 to 2,444.

The only part-one crime to increase was burglary, which Cantando attributed to youths out of school for summer break. That figure drops when they return to school.

Cantando also praised the Volunteers In Public Safety (VIPS) for contributing almost 3,700 volunteer hours, helping save the department $86,000.
Council members thanked the Chief and the police department for their good work in the face of limited resources.

The Antioch Police Department and REACH Project, Inc. collaborated in a Curfew Sweep in the city of Antioch on Oct. 14 starting at 11 p.m. This program is designed to reduce the number of minors being out after curfew.

The program is intended to be supportive rather than punitive. The City Ordinance generally prohibits minors (under the age of 18 years) from being in any public area between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. seven days a week. The ordinance was adopted to promote safety of the City’s youngest most vulnerable residents from becoming participants or victims of crimes.

Officers from the Antioch Police Department detained a total of 10 minors. They were brought to the processing center at the police department and turned over to the staff of the REACH Project where the minors were counseled and released to their parents or guardians. Follow-up juvenile diversion services will be provided by REACH addressing decision-making skills and training, treatment for alcohol and other drug abuse, understanding youth and the law and applying principles of restorative justice.

This program was a success and future programs will be scheduled throughout the summer in an attempt to further reduce number of minors out after curfew and increase the accountability and responsibility of both the minors and their parents or guardians.

The largest number of applicants for the Keller Canyon Canyon Landfill Mitigation Fund coupled with a lower amount of garbage made Supervisor Federal
Glover’s frown lines form on his forehead.

“This was the toughest year to decide who should receive grants,” said Glover, who administers the fund based on the amount of tonnage deposited in the Keller landfill.

The Board of Supervisors approved the appropriations of Keller fund this morning, (Tuesday, Oct. 11) during its meeting in Martinez. There were 130 applications this year compared to 100 last year. In previous years, the grants were awarded to about 85 to 90 percent of the applicants. This year only 30 percent of the applicants were given awards.

For the third straight year, tonnage at the Keller landfill was down due to the economic downturn in the economy.

“Perhaps the push for recycling is working,” Glover speculated. “That — plus the building industry has been hit hard — reducing construction debris.”

A new stricter application process that stressed accountability slowed the grant awards as everyone learned to use the new procedures, which were based on the recommendations from the County Auditor’s Office and the Board of Supervisors.

After complying with the new guidelines, there was only $766,796 left to dispense. The total amount was $1.1 million. The highest amount given by the mitigation fund in past years was $1.6 million.

The Keller mitigation fund was created to help the communities most impacted by the Keller landfill site south of Bay Point and Pittsburg. The largest portion of this year’s funds went for additional deputies for Bay Point beyond normal staffing levels.

“Just because some of the projects didn’t receive funding doesn’t mean the projects were not worthwhile,” said Glover. “There are good projects out there that need help that we simply couldn’t fund this year.”

Glover vowed to continue to seek other revenue sources to help the community-based agencies. “These nonprofits form the social safety net and in this economy, their services are needed more than ever,” he said.

More than 4,000 public servants in Contra Costa County – who have taken pay and benefit cuts the last two years – will hold a series of rallies Tuesday throughout the County, including Martinez, Richmond and Pittsburg.

The five unions – bargaining together as the Contra Costa County Labor Coalition – represent the County’s lowest paid employees, including custodians, clerks, health care workers, social workers, eligibility workers, appraisers, skilled craft workers, engineers, animal services employees, child care workers and Librarians.

Rallies are scheduled at the following times and locations on Tuesday:

9:45 a.m., 10 a.m., and 3 p.m.: Contra Costa County Employment and Human Services Department Antioch Office. 4545 Delta Fair Blvd, Antioch

11 a.m. – 1 p.m.: Contra Costa County Regional Medical Center, 2500 Alhambra Ave. Martinez. In the circle in front of the hospital

11:30 a.m.- 1 p.m.: Pittsburg Health Center, 2311 Loveridge Rd., Pittsburg

11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.: Richmond Health Center, 100 38th St., Richmond

The Unions’ contracts expired June 30, 2011 The recently expired union contracts gave the County labor savings including major changes in health care for both active and retired employees. Since the these 5 unions signed their last contracts in 2009, the County has not obtained the same changes in health care from all County employees. The County is seeking significant wage and benefit cuts in the current negotiations.

“Our members do not want to be treated as second class citizens and want a fair contract,” said Felix Huerta, from AFSCME, the Coalition’s chair this year. “We made sacrifices last contract and are prepared to make more this year. We have proposal on the table to cut our take-home pay and pay more for pensions. But we want to be treated fairly.”

A significant issue in the bargaining is the County’s unwillingness to share in the increase cost of health care. Management has proposed to freeze what it pays at the 2011 level. The Unions are proposing that management increase its contribution when health care rates go up.

“Many of our members are stretched to the brink. They haven’t had a pay raise since 2008, their take-home pay was cut the last two years because of furloughs and they have been paying a bigger share of health care each of the last two years. Asking us to cut our pay even more, pay more for pensions and, on top of that, pay all the increases for health care is not reasonable … that’s why we’re marching Tuesday,” Huerta said.

Senate Bill 734 Supports Job Training for California Job Seekers

Governor Jerry Brown has signed SB 734 (DeSaulnier) to prioritize the spending of Workforce Investment Act (WIA) money for quality job training programs and services for unemployed workers.

“Workers in California face the toughest job crisis since the Great Depression,” said Senator Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord). “With declining state revenues and pressure on public resources, this new law will increase spending of existing federal workforce funds on high quality job training programs that connect workers to good jobs.”

California receives almost $500 million annually in WIA dollars for job training and employment services for adult and dislocated workers and youth. The majority of this money (85%) is allocated to 49 local Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) which develop policies for how local WIA dollars are invested.

Despite the need for targeted and effective training, local WIBs in California spend very little WIA funds on skills training. On average they invest just 20% of their federal funds on job training services. A third of them spend less than 11% on training and many invest nothing at all. Faced with a similar problem, other states, including Florida, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, have all adopted policies that require more local WIA funds to be dedicated to training. For example, Florida requires that local WIBs spend at least 50% of their WIA funds on training.

The new law will require local WIBs to increase spending of their Adult and Dislocated Workers Fund on quality programs and services that provide workers with job training. Under SB 734, spending will increase to a minimum of 30% of the WIA funds by 2016 and thereafter.

SB 734 is supported by and co-sponsored by the California Labor Federation, California Manufacturers and Technology Association, and State Building and Construction Trades Council and will take effect January 1, 2012.

Sen. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) represents the Seventh Senate District, which includes most of Contra Costa County, including Antioch.