Dear Editor:

Did you get asked by the AUSD on how you feel about another tax? I sure didn’t as well as many of my neighbors. AUSD have alternative ways of raising funds for school maintenance and pushing for a 36-year tax is not the answer especially when 3 of our school board members will not be impacted by this tax if passed.

County Counsel has stated that “Approval of the measure does not guarantee that the proposed project or projects in the District that are the subject of bonds under the measure will be funded beyond the local revenues generated by the measure.” In other words, there is no guarantee that projects that start will be completed or even get off the ground.

Please review the County Counsel’s Impartial Analysis of Measure T:

“The California Constitution provides that school districts may issue bonds for the construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation or replacement of school facilities, including the furnishing and equipping of school facilities or the acquisition or lease of real property for school facilities, with the approval of 55% of the voters voting at an election for that purpose.

By resolution, the Antioch Unified School District has proposed that bonds of the District be issued in an amount up to $105,000,000. This measure provides that proceeds from the sale of the bonds will generally be used to “provide up to date classrooms, renovate athletic fields and related facilities, replace underground water sewer and gas lies, and replace old and inefficient electrical, lighting, heating, plumbing and ventilation systems.” The specific projects are set forth in the bond project list attached to the resolution of the Board of Trustees. The measure provides that a citizens’ oversight committee will be established to ensure that bond proceeds are properly expended and that annual performance and financial audits will be conducted. The measure further provides that bond proceeds will only be used for the purposes specified in the measure, and not for any other purpose.

Approval of this measure authorizes the levy of ad valorem taxes upon taxable property to repay the bonded indebtedness, both principal and interest, in each year that bonds are outstanding. The Antioch Unified School District has prepared a Tax Rate Statement, which represents the District’s best estimates of the property tax rates required to service the bonds. The estimated highest annual tax rate required to be levied to fund the bonds is expected to be $60 per $100,000 of assessed valuation.

Approval of the measure does not guarantee that the proposed project or projects in the District that are the subject of bonds under the measure will be funded beyond the local revenues generated by the measure. The proposed project or projects may assume the receipt of matching state funds, which could be subject to appropriation by the Legislature or approval of a statewide bond measure.

A ‘yes’ vote authorizes the issuance of the bonds and the levy of taxes as estimated in the Tax Rate Statement to repay the bonded indebtedness. A ‘yes’ vote by 55% of the voters within the District voting on the measure is required for passage of this measure. A ‘no’ vote on this measure disapproves the issuance of the bonds and the levy of the taxes for the bonded indebtedness.”

Tell the AUSD bullies “That’s It” and vote “No” on Measure T!

Gil Murillo

South Antioch Resident

The East Bay Leadership Council is proud to endorse Measure J in Contra Costa County and wanted to share a few reasons why we believe it deserves a YES vote on March 3.

All the Money Raised Here Stays Here

That may sound simple, but recent transportation funding initiatives have pooled revenue among all nine Bay Area counties and then divvied it up based on a number of factors. In these situations, the East Bay has not always received an equitable share.

Measure J is a chance to raise $103 million per year for Contra Costa County that is guaranteed to go back into our community to ease bottlenecks, improve transit access, and make roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

Funding for Bus, Bike, and Pedestrian Improvements

If Contra Costa County is ever going to get off the “worst commutes in the nation” lists, then we must make it easier and more efficient for commuters to opt for alternative transportation options like express buses, protected bike lanes, and pedestrian over-crossings.

These investments will ease congestion on our roads and improve air quality. It is one of the reasons why the East Bay Regional Park District, Save the Bay, Bike East Bay, TransForm, and Save Mount Diablo all joined us in support of Measure J.

Did we mention free and reduced fares for students, seniors, and people with disabilities? That too!

Innovate 680

If you were a fly on our office wall, you would hear a lot about innovation opportunities on Interstate 680.

Measure J will prioritize this critical commute corridor by helping to get express buses running on the shoulder of the freeway that could connect BART stations to job centers in the Tri-Valley. Other 680 innovations include smart freeway signs and metering lights, express lane extensions, and self-driving shuttles.

There is so much we can do to make commutes on 680 more efficient and Measure J will help us get there.

The Economy

We cannot expect businesses to attract and retain employees while Contra Costa County makes headlines for long and inefficient commutes.

Investing in the transportation system is an investment in helping businesses start, stay, and grow in the region. That means more jobs close to home for Contra Costa residents.

Matching Funds Get Projects Done

Money raised at the local level will not be enough to pay for every transportation improvement that Contra Costa County needs. The good news is that there are state and federal funds available to help complete important projects.

The secret to winning that funding is that the state and federal government both prefer to contribute the last dollars for a project, not the first.

By raising funds locally first, Contra Costa County will be able to win more grant funding and make more efficient use of every dollar for decades to come.

To learn more about Measure J and its benefits visit www.friendsofcontracostatransportation.org. To learn more about the East Bay Leadership Council visit www.eastbayleadershipcouncil.com.

Dear Editor:

The chief selling point to Measure J on the March 3 ballot is to “reduce congestion”, a laughably empty promise. The 75 words on the ballot create a smokescreen for a 1/2% sales tax increase.

Measure J allots $148 million to BART, who has their own mega-budget and a long history of wastefulness. Only Contra Costa would shoulder the additional tax to be handed over to BART with no assurance that Contra Costa would benefit.

This measure contains hiring restrictions that will drive up costs of taxpayer-funded projects. It requires that all apprenticeship labor must come from certain politically favored sources, rather than the largest qualified pool of applicants. Construction labor short supply due to recent wildfire rebuilding efforts. As a result, projects everywhere are currently facing massive cost overruns. This is the wrong time to impose even further hiring restrictions.

Residents may see signs on the highway referencing Measure J for current projects. This refers to a Measure J generously passed by voters in 2004. The suspicious letter designation is confusing, but clearly this is not the same. This is an additional increase for 35 years.

We encourage a no vote on Measure J.

Susan L Pricco

President, Contra Costa Taxpayers Association

Dear Editor:

The shooting and death of the 16-year-old at Deer Valley High School puts a mark of fear and dismay in the hearts of all Antioch residents.  We are praying that our school board members along with school administrators will come together in one heart and mind to bring healing and hope to students, faculty, families and residents in a very dark hour in our city. Perhaps even local pastors of our many churches can rally together in promoting peace, love, forgiveness and reconciliation in our high schools.

During the President’s State of the Union Address he spoke of allowing prayers in schools – does this mean teachers and pastors can initiate prayers on behalf of students’ needs – it would certainly be beneficial to those students involved in last week’s shooting, and to any that have been traumatized by it.

Our community, as a whole needs to be united in bringing closure and resolution to this serious problem.

Nick Culcasi

Antioch

Dear Editor:

Political tribalism is a growing danger to our country. People select their Party/tribe and can then retreat into in a bubble where they believe that their Party is right about everything and the other Party is universally wrong. That mentality leads to elections where candidates often stop trying to win votes from around half the population to have a chance at victory. Those officials who legitimately try to represent everyone, and who work each day to improve the lives of all of their constituents regardless of Party are rare and valuable. Supervisor Diane Burgis is one of those precious public servants.

I’ve had the pleasure to be a constituent and a nearby neighbor of Supervisor Burgis for years, and I have found her accessible, accountable, and devoted to her community. She doesn’t pay lip service to the ideals of non-partisanship, hard work, and of legitimately wanting to serve her community: she lives those ideals. Supervisor Burgis puts the needs of her constituents over the desires of her Party. And most importantly, she is committed to serving every person in her district regardless of whether that person voted for her in the past or is likely to vote for her now; she will never sell us out in order to stay in office. Personally I know that if I make Supervisor Burgis aware that I need her help, she’ll be there for me, and I know that I have someone in my corner fighting for me, and not because I’m a Democrat, but because I’m her constituent, her neighbor, and a human being.

All of that is why I support electing Diane Burgis to another term as Supervisor of Contra Costa District 3, why I supported her in the past, and why I will continue to support her in the future.

Heath Lenoble
Oakley

Ellie Householder by AUSD.

By Ellie Householder, Member, Antioch Unified School District Board of Education

Many have asked me why, when I was nominated to become the vice president of the Antioch Unified School District Board of Education, I did not accept the nomination. To put it simply, I found the process of selecting the Board’s leadership to be deeply problematic — and racist.

We have 4,193 African American students in our school district and not a single African American has ever served as board president. On its surface, this may seem like a benign coincidence. It’s not.

It’s intentional.

At the December 11, 2019 AUSD Board meeting, Trustee Crystal Sawyer-White–an African American who has served on the board since 2016, who was the top vote-getter in that year’s election, and who holds multiple degrees–was denied the board presidency for the second time. It was the third time an African American was denied this position in recent memory, which reveals a troublesome pattern.

The school board’s leadership changes every year. For context, the person who becomes the president has historically been a non-issue, because it simply happened on a rotating basis. For years, that’s how the Antioch school board worked. That is, until Black women started getting elected as trustees.

Although the position of board president is more ceremonial than anything, the three times an African American trustee was up for the board presidency seat, their “qualifications” and “demeanor” were called into question. As many scholars have documented, such statements are often, forms of racial microaggressions that send the message that “people of color are lazy” and “are incompetent and need to work harder.”

Some may argue that this decision “wasn’t racist” because they don’t view the trustees who voted for this as racist. This argument misunderstands what the problem is – institutionalized bias against people of color. Whether or not the trustees involved “are racist” isn’t the point. The point is that the use of coded language marginalizes African Americans and holds them to a standard that their white counterparts are not held to, which is racist. This double standard is revealing of an educational system which for decades has been unfair to African Americans.

After Trustee Sawyer-White was denied the board president position, I was nominated for vice president. I chose to abstain from the vote because I did not think it was right to vote for myself. At the time, I stated I was uncomfortable. To be honest, uncomfortable puts it mildly.

This marked the second time I had witnessed what I can only deem a corrupt process. A process that has a faint veneer of objectivity, when it is clearly anything but. I had seen the exact same thing happen to Trustee Sawyer-White last year when she was denied the role of president after serving for a year as vice president. So, I took issue with participating in a process I saw as unfair.

That is what I meant when I said I was uncomfortable. I’m uncomfortable that some of my colleagues refuse to talk about race. I’m uncomfortable when my colleagues hijack a political process that is meant to serve our youth and instead use it to serve their own interests. This should make many of you feel uncomfortable as well.

As we enter a new decade, I urge my fellow residents to take note of the decisions made by your local representatives and to listen closely to the reasoning behind their votes. Sadly, some of us who are sworn to serve the public make decisions that are far from the best interest of the community. When that happens, we need to have the courage to call it like it is.

With another election approaching, my hope is that we, as a community, can stand together and hold our elected officials accountable. It is through courage, fairness, and honesty that I believe we can begin to move forward as a city and create a school system that is truly stronger and better, for all our students, regardless of their skin tone.

By Nichole Gardner

My name is Nichole Gardner and I am the founder and Director of the non-profit Facing Homelessness in Antioch. I started the organization in January 2016. We serve hot meals to the homeless in the city of Antioch and supply them with donated jackets, blankets, shoes, clothing and toiletries, weekly. We strive to not only get them a meal and other necessities, but to show them compassion and dignity, and treat them like human beings. When we go out, we play music, hold raffles and give out prizes, we laugh and joke and even break out some dance moves from time to time while we are out there. It’s like a family dinner party.

Throughout the years, I came to realize that Antioch has the largest population of homeless individuals in East County but is lacking services and resources for them. There is one shelter in the city that sleeps 25 and that’s for people who have mental illness, and it is constantly full.

I started the Antioch Homeless Advocacy Coalition (AHAC) back in June after researching, doing interviews of homeless people around the city and visiting the shelter and CARE center in Concord, which are also constantly full I realized that Antioch needs to do more to battle its homeless problem and that there clearly isn’t enough services for the amount of homeless we have living on our streets.

I, along with other homeless advocates, started attending city council meetings and voicing our concerns. Initially the city told us that they don’t deal with homeless services and that it was a County issue. After attending city council meetings for about eight months, not missing one meeting, the city put together a Homeless Taskforce and the city realized how important it was to deal with its homeless crisis and they put aside over $500,000 into a homeless account that would go towards homeless services.

Our advocacy group has started doing homeless encampment clean-ups around the city, getting the homeless involved and holding them accountable for their garbage. We were surprised at how many of them jumped in and wanted to assist us with cleaning up the city. We have worked with public works and they have given us dumpsters around the city and have given us bags when we do our clean-ups.

Something that we have found that surprises members in the community is that although we are a homeless advocacy group and we feel like it should be a basic human right for people to have shelter and be out of the cold and rain, and have food to eat and water to drink, that we are not naïve to the fact that we do have Antioch residents who have valid concerns when it comes to homelessness in the city. If you commit a crime, are harassing, vandalizing, stealing and causing chaos in the city, you deserve to go to jail, you need to be punished for those things. Garbage around the city is a major problem and that is why we have pushed for dumpsters around the city.

Homeless people in front of businesses can be detrimental to business owners. Talking to the owner of Straw Hat Pizza, who said he closed his Antioch location because of homeless individuals constantly in front of his business, showed us that. People being afraid to walk in and out of businesses because of homeless people asking for money or laying on the ground is a problem.

Our group’s goal is to let people know that we agree with their concerns. We believe shelter and housing would help with these problems. We know not all people want to get off the streets, but we are fully aware that a majority of the people that we have come in contact with do. And even for those who don’t, they still don’t want to be sleeping in the freezing rain and should also have an opportunity to have a shelter to sleep in those elements.

We want the community to know that although we may have some bad apples out there on our streets, we also have really good people out there that are just down on their luck and need help to get back on their feet. There are people who work and have jobs, we have elderly people, disabled people in wheelchairs, over 300 students in our district that are homeless, families sleeping in cars, and veterans living on our streets.

There are so many reasons why people become homeless. Losing a job, living paycheck to paycheck and becoming ill all of a sudden, having the head of the household suddenly pass away, not being able to afford housing, as we are in a housing crisis. Rent is going up, but wages aren’t. People aren’t able to afford rent or their medical bills and medication, and don’t have family to help them.

I think everyone wants the same thing and that is to have our homeless community off of our streets – maybe for different reasons. But we all want the same thing. The problem is what solutions, other than shipping them off to another city (even though most of them were actually born and raised here) can we come up with? It’s been proven that criminalizing homelessness doesn’t work, and housing is the key.

Safe parking for people who are in cars, and housing is a step in the right direction to dealing with this crisis. There are cities such as Oakland, Berkeley and Los Angeles who have parking programs and tiny homes for their homeless.

We have to do something different than we have been doing for our city. Depending on the County has gotten us nowhere. They have emergency funding for our city, which with they say they are going to build a CARE center in Antioch earlier this year. But they said it would take two-to-three years to build, and from my knowledge nothing has been done, so far.

Although I’m excited about the money the city has set aside for services, that money is not going to help get the homeless off of the streets. So, we as advocates have more work to do. We want our city to go back to the way it was when this crisis wasn’t so bad. Although homelessness is very complicated, providing housing for the unhoused is a start to a solution.

Dear Editor:

2019 will be the year in which our African American community is once again, not recognized for their continued and positive contributions to the City of Antioch.

What I witnessed Wednesday night at the Antioch School Board meeting was incomprehensible to say the least. School Board Member Crystal Sawyer-White was recognized by her peer to be School Board President for calendar year 2020. This was encouraging to hear the nomination and I believe instrumental to many in our community seeing an African American woman taking the reins of one of the largest and highly challenged school districts in Contra Costa County.

But the nomination was quickly challenged, and the outcome was unbelievable. The excuse was that Board Member Sawyer-White needed to understand the actions of the president role by being the vice president for a year. It appeared that some members of the Board failed to recognize that Board Member Sawyer-White was vice president in 2018 and was overlooked for the president role in 2019.

What is clear is the AUSD School Board already had an agenda not to recognize Board Member Sawyer-White and I am reminded of other actions that have occurred in this city. If you recall Editorial posted by Susanne Larson on March 2, 2019, she reflected on the actions of the City Council referencing hiring an African American City Attorney and the mockery of that meeting.

I may not know all the School Board Members personally, but I do know this is not about color. This is about having those in charged having a “liked” policy thinking and only keeping to that. It is about the fear of change that a new president with a different mindset from others will bring to the table. It is ignoring “this is how it is done” and having a strategic view instead of a tactical one.

AUSD continues to struggle in providing every student the ability to achieve success. Test scores speak for themselves!

Board Member Sawyer-White’s credentials are far from those that are serving. Though she may not have the decades in representing the city as others, but what is important is having the education, skills and background to drive a vision forward. A vision that has been lacking on the school board for the decade I have resided here in Antioch.

We lost this opportunity to really see a new leadership model and I am hoping that you will remember this in November. It is time to ask ourselves, “Do we want a board that is exclusive or inclusive?”

We don’t need to have Board Members that are exclusive in thinking as this hindered our kids, teachers and community. What we need are inclusive, inspirational thinkers that are actively engaged with administration, teachers, kids and the community at large.

Thanking you for your time.

Gil Murillo

Antioch