Editor:

On Thursday June 23, 2016 I attended an event at the Antioch Senior Center. Upon arrival, I was

approached by one of the mayoral candidates and was asked to support them. Unbeknownst to this person, I had decided to support a different candidate earlier in the month – Sean Wright.

I explained that I had worked closely with Sean for six years. That his experience, and leadership were desperately needed by the Antioch community. I also shared that I would be willing to listen, and with an open mind, to anything this candidate wanted to share.

Their reply? “That’s ok. You don’t live here. Your vote doesn’t matter.”

They were right – I don’t live in Antioch, and therefore cannot vote in the local election. I do, however, own a business in Antioch, and have for quite some time. I donate countless hours in the community, and thousands of dollars annually to our schools, service clubs, foster youth, and homeless outreach, among other programs. I have nearly 3,000 clients of whom two thirds are Antioch residents. So, while my personal vote doesn’t “count” I don’t believe the candidate’s reply was fair or accurate.

Sean Wright, on the other hand, has been supportive of my business since the day we met. He doesn’t care that I don’t live in Antioch. He sees the potential that I could one day move here. He

recognizes the economic impact my business has on the Antioch community. Sean is not concerned about my vote, he’s concerned about my business, and all other regional businesses. He recognizes the economic impact a business in the region can have on the residents of Antioch. He cares that my business employs Antioch residents, that my business shops locally – almost exclusively – and that my business gives back to the Antioch community. It’s called vision, and of the three mayoral candidates, Sean Wright is the only one that has one.

Richard Pagano

Antioch Small Business Owner

Editor:

I have lived my entire life in East County, and I’ve been on the School Board for over 30 years. I’ve seen our community change a lot during that time, and learned that certain qualities make people into great leaders. I’m here to tell you that Steve Barr is a great leader and I hope you vote for him this election for County Supervisor.

I served with Steve for five years on the School Board. His knowledge about our community and many of the different issues we face, from complex budgeting to keeping our families safe, was always there. But I was also struck by his patience and ability to work with all sides on some very tough issues. He doesn’t just talk about bringing people together- he has the background to do it effectively.

And that’s what we need at the County, representing us and bringing us the resources our community needs. Many people don’t realize the important role the County plays in our lives, but let me assure you that we need a real leader like Steve Barr in that seat pushing for us and making sure East Contra Costa isn’t just an afterthought. Please join me this election and vote for Steve Barr for County Supervisor.

Joanne Byer

Board Member, Liberty Union High School District

Editor:

This letter is to enthusiastically support Steve Barr for county supervisor! As a former superintendent of the Liberty Union High School District, I had the very good fortune to work with Steve when he provided dynamic leadership as a member of the Board of Trustees.

In all regards, I found Steve’s honesty, integrity, intellect, optimism, compassion, and determination to make a positive difference to be truly exceptional qualities.

The LUHSD Governing Board is fortunate to have outstanding, dedicated, and committed members. Steve not only continued that tradition — he significantly enhanced it. His unwavering focus on providing the best academic education and personal growth for ALL students was inspirational.

Fiscal responsibility was another of Steve’s major emphasis. His leadership helped to create policies and procedures that ensured the efficient management of all finances. Accountability and transparency were of the highest priority for Steve.

During times of high stress and high stakes decision-making, Steve was at his best. After seeking and considering input from all stakeholders, he was able to objectively, and thoroughly, analyze all aspects of issues before making an informed decision.

Steve was an incredible advocate for all students. He promoted safe schools in which all students could flourish in an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust. College prep, vocational, special education, and agriculture programs were all strongly promoted by Steve.

I am confident Steve will exhibit these same qualities and provide the same high quality leadership as a member of the County Board of Supervisors.

Dan Smith

Retired Superintendent

Liberty Union High School District

Editor:

As a Brentwood farmer, I have watched Steve Barr work through many East County issues, and his thoroughness and balance has always impressed me. Steve has always had the ability to see the greater picture, and make decisions which will work most effectively for the community at large. Steve’s decisions have helped East County’s quality of life through his long-time support of the establishment of agriculture conservation easements which will help ensure the future of agriculture in the East County.

Steve has also voiced strong support for value-added agricultural enterprises such as wineries, farmers’ markets, fruit stands and u-picks. These enterprises will help the local farm economy develop their own markets and increase sustainability. Steve’s volunteer work as lead organizer of the Brentwood Cornfest helped cement his relationship between the ag community and the urban city.

Steve’s experience as an independent businessman has given him an understanding and perspective of the greater community’s relationship between business, jobs and government. As Contra Costa County Supervisor, Steve Barr will use his experience and his insightfulness to make decisions which will be best for the entire community now and in the long run.

Mark Dwelley

Partner, Dwelley Famly Farms

Brentwood

Editor:

After extensive discussion and review, these three groups have endorsed the following candidates for the Antioch Unified School District board of trustees for the Nov. 8, 2016, election:

Antioch Management Executive Board endorses candidates Mike Burkholder, Diane Gibson-Gray, Gary Hack, and Joy Motts.

Both the Antioch Education Association and the California School Employees Associations executive boards endorse candidates Gibson-Gray, Hack and Motts.

All three employee groups have unanimously endorsed Gibson-Gray, Hack and Motts.

Scott Bergerhouse

President

Antioch Management Association

Dear Editor:

Fiscal responsibility are nice buzzwords for most politicians. Unfortunately, few practice what they preach during election season.  Council Member Steve Barr has proven with his voting record at the City of Brentwood that fiscal responsibility is a belief versus a talking point.

Fiscal sustainability is a primary pillar of being fiscally responsible. Without sustainability the public entity can’t allocate the resources to where they’re needed most, such as public safety and maintaining a great quality of life.  As we slowly came out of the recession Steve was instrumental in adjusting the budget to allow us to hire more police officers that can be sustained during challenged times.

To the community’s detriment, most politicians view public finance through the short-term lens of ‘What can I do during my term?’ or ‘How will I achieve my campaign promises?’  Steve has shown his ability to view finance in the only way to sustain a great quality of life in a community, through long term conservative budgeting such as the 10 year fiscal model which he helps direct as part of the finance sub committee on the Brentwood City Council.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with Steve to help position Brentwood to build a new library, hire more police officers and most important to improve the quality of life in Brentwood for our residents.  I have no doubt his proven record will end in similar results for the residents of East Contra Costa County.

Sincerely,

Erick Stonebarger

Council Member

City of Brentwood

Editor:

This year, we are voting to decide the future of our nation and state.  California is headed down the wrong path, with our legislature following under the Liberal direction of Governor Jerry Brown.  California’s 11th Assembly District elected Democrat Jim Frazier in the last several elections.  Frazier’s votes on key bills have devastated our State and our children’s futures.  As a citizen in this district watching Jim Frazier’s vote on bill after bill, I have been deeply troubled and shocked by his actions in the name of our district.  Check out his votes on the following bills and see if you agree with my opinion that he does not represent the values of our district:

*AB 1266:  Jim Frazier voted ‘yes’, in favor of transgender access to whatever bathroom they feel like using that day.  If a boy ‘feels transgender’ that day, ‘he’ is now entitled to shower or change clothes with your daughters in their school gym or locker room.

*AB 1461: Jim Frazier voted ‘yes’ in favor of automatically registering people to vote in their DMV renewal.  The intent of this bill was to deliberately register illegals to vote Democrat, fraudulently subverting CA’s electoral process.

*AB 1732: Jim Frazier voted in favor of ending designated ‘men’s’/’women’s’ bathrooms in California.

*AB 1322: Jim Frazier voted to decriminalize child prostitution, by making it harder to take teen prostitutes out of the web of oppression they face, returning them to the control of their pimps.

*AB 1671: Jim Frazier voted to criminalize undercover journalists, like the ones who revealed the Planned Parenthood ‘profits for baby parts’ ghastly horror brokering scheme.  Message conveyed by Jim Frazier and Jerry Brown: mess with Liberal causes, and they hunt you down and punish you.

*SB 443: Jim Frazier voted against this bill designed to limit asset seizure.  Jim apparently felt you should have to give up your assets to the government, whether you’re found guilty of a crime or not.

*ACA 4: Jim Frazier proposed reducing the % of votes needed to change Proposition 13 from 2/3’s, down to just 55%.  This would allow a Democrat controlled legislature to weaken Prop 13 protections for poor, middle class and elderly, likely resulting in dramatically increased property taxes paid to the State.  Jim Frazier was listed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer’s Assn as one of the biggest threats to Prop 13 in CA History.

*AB 1176 Jim Frazier abstained from voting on this bill, which made theft of a firearm ‘Grand Theft’, punishable as a Felony with State Prison time.

Several of Jim Frazier’s other ‘great ideas’:  Jim recently co-authored a bill to raise the gas tax by .17 cents a gallon for regular gas, and .30 cents a gallon for diesel, with unlimited, annual upward readjustments without voter input.  Jim just bumped up his Chief of Staff’s pay $18,000 to a ‘modest’ $120,000 a year (even more than Jim Frazier makes).

Jim Frazier has refused to debate Republican Challenger Dave Miller.  With a record like Jim’s, is it hard to see why?  What has Jim Frazier done to lower taxes or encourage business/job growth in Solano or Contra Costa Counties?  At every turn, Jim Frazier’s votes show he supports raising taxes, crushing liberty, and expanding Big Government at the expense of transparency and accountability to the taxpayers.  Jim Frazier says ‘People Over Politics’.  His voting record shows just the opposite; he’s all about politics over people.

Dave Miller stands for a much smaller, less intrusive State Government; one where personal liberty and small businesses can thrive and California Dreamin’ can once again become a reality.  Dave’s priority is to bring common sense back to Sacramento, in a way that makes California better for generations to come.

The choice is very clear this year.  Join me in supporting Dave Miller for CA’s 11th Assembly District.

Erik Elness

Brentwood

Editor:

My State Assembly campaign has discovered another breach of the public’s trust, as it relates to Jim Frazier’s stewardship of the 11th Assembly District. Last month, it was discovered that Mr. Frazier’s Chief of Staff, Jay Day, according to State Assembly publicly compiled State Employee salary records, received a $102,000 per year salary. In 2016, his salary went up to $120,000 per year, surpassing the base salary of his elected supervisor, Mr. Frazier.

Members of Assembly can appropriate Salary dollars any way they see fit, within their staff. Assembly Chief of Staff salary range, anywhere from $68,000 in Bakersfield, to $135,000 for Members of Assembly with leadership positions in the Chamber. A standard cost of living adjustment (COLA) for an employee earning a $102,000 wage would be about 3-4% or in Mr. Day’s case, around $3,500. This $18,000 raise Mr. Day received, that Mr. Frazier approved, is what some people in this district are lucky enough to earn working their fingers to the bone in a year’s time, thanks in large part to regulations placed on small businesses by Democrats.

This salary announcement comes conveniently two weeks after Mr. Frazier proposed the single largest per gallon fuel tax in the history of the Golden State. Mr. Frazier drew the criticism of voters from San Diego to Shasta with his proposed 17 cents per gallon fuel tax increase, which is 30 cents per gallon for diesel and also adds an additional $38 per year DMV Registration Fee. The criticism of his fuel tax has been loudest in AD-11, where voters not only drive literally hundreds of miles a day, to get to work, but also enjoy evening and weekend boating on the various waterways surrounding the San Francisco Bay Estuary.

I can’t answer as to what Jim was thinking when he approved this bump in salary. I can tell you that as your Assemblyman, I will fight to give my per diem back to the State Treasury, as Assemblywoman Baker, has done. I’m told per diems are optional to Members of the Assembly, and as such, I will get on the highways, and come home to my family just like many of you who work in Sacramento do every evening.

As someone who has worked in Government for nearly 30 years, and plans to once again, I will be available to take your call, respond to your emails, invite you to meetings on issues that are important to you, help refer you to the proper government agency to help solve your problems, inform you of my vote in the chamber, using social media almost instantly, hand out my personal cell number to those who ask for it.

Twenty-eight years of government service does that to a person. And I can assure you as I sit here, My Chief of Staff will not make more than I do. As a taxpayer, I’d like to know what I’m getting for my money right now. You should also.

Dave Miller

Candidate for Assembly, 11^th District, California