Dear Editor:

Election time is breathing down our necks. Like me, you may want to take a moment to reflect on the performance of those you’ve already elected to office and make some changes – or not.

Political signs are up, emails, Facebook, and other means of communication are being sent out on an almost daily basis, and it’s just going to get worse before it gets better.

I’ve received the election Voter Information Guide.  It’s full of useful information and you should take a moment to read up on what you’ll be voting on.  Many candidates have listed a way for you to communicate with them directly if you have any questions.

Two current councilmembers are up for reelection: Lori Ogorchock and Tony Tiscareno. They want our vote and I think they have earned it.

It’s been a rough couple of years.  But progress is definitely being made under the current council.  We may not have as many police officers as we’d like, but we do have hired more officers than we did have. It may not seem like a large number, but it’s astronomical when you see the competition Antioch faces from other law enforcement agencies in the state.

While we may be short on personnel in the police department, they are getting much needed help to identify and apprehend law breakers; K-9 police dogs assist our patrol units, Cameras have been added to the Sycamore Corridor and Cavallo Road, and license plate readers are all tremendous tools.  Antioch is definitely on the right path to making our community safer.

Frankly, I don’t always agree with all their votes.  It might even scare me a little if they always agreed with everything I said or did.  I’ve lived long enough to know that with good information anyone can be right, or grudgingly agree they were wrong, because they went with their gut instead of facts.

I’m not going to reward hard work and personal sacrifices by removing them from office.  They’ve earned reelection.

Barbara Herendeen

Antioch

Chief Tammany Brooks photo from City of Antioch’s website.

By Antioch Chief of Police, Tammany Brooks

It has been my honor to serve as Antioch’s Chief of Police for the past 16 months. Thank you to the residents who have provided me with comments, feedback, and perspectives on how we are doing and what your public safety needs and priorities are. Your support has been, and continues to be, truly appreciated.

I am extremely proud of my law enforcement family who, to a person, works diligently to keep the Antioch community safe. With the help of funds generated by a voter measure adopted in 2013, our department has made some significant progress over the last five years.

Since that time, we hired 58 police officers, working to reach our fully authorized staffing level of 104 police officers. We also hired four community service officers, freeing police officers to focus more time on enforcement related duties. The average response time for Priority 1 emergency calls for service has decreased by more than 1 minute 40 seconds. Property crime has decreased more than 27%, and violent crime has decreased by more than 40%!

Additional code enforcement officers and specialists have also been hired to fight illegal dumping, graffiti and blight.

But even with all that said, there is still a lot of work to be done to make Antioch safer and improve the quality of life for all its residents.

That is why the Antioch community needs to make an informed decision about Measure W – the proposed extension of Antioch’s previous voter-approved sales tax, at the one-cent rate.

In August, the Antioch City Council unanimously placed Measure W on the November ballot after receiving feedback from hundreds of residents on their safety and quality of life priorities.

If enacted, Measure W is intended to address, among other priorities: maintaining 911 emergency response, restoring/maintaining the number of police officers patrolling city streets, funding traffic enforcement patrols, and preparing public safety personnel for rapid, coordinated responses to natural disasters.

There are 11 state measures and numerous legislative and local candidates on your ballot. Familiarize yourself with your ballot from top to bottom, and remember to cast a vote on Measure W. 

For more information on Measure W and Antioch’s Police Department, visit www.antiochca.gov.

Editor:

Wrong is wrong no matter who supports it. Antioch’s proposed Transactions and Use (Sales) Tax Measure “W” is a trick on the voting public! The Mayor and Council Members, and other select employees, have much to personally gain by its passage! Measure “W” is really nothing more than more taxes you pay that only go into the general Fund, period, with no required funding for anything they promise (City Attorney’s analysis). The Council’s picked and controlled “Citizens Oversight Committee” cannot enforce where the money goes, nor be able to punish anyone if the money is used for other purposes.

Antioch’s public safety and lack of inadequate manpower issues can also be pointed out as contributed to by certain greedy employee groups primarily looking out for themselves and their pocketbooks. The public’s safety/”quality of life” has not been at their forefront. I’ve known for many years, and complained regularly, that our City’s public safety was being jeopardized by certain self-serving employee groups. They preferred increases to their own existing members’ wages and overall benefits, not using the money instead to pay for more Police manpower to make our city safer!

The Antioch Police Officers’ Association, in particular, when given the choice of more Police manpower, or increases in their wages and benefits, always instead chose only the latter for themselves! The APOA’s support is again therefore only very self-serving and hypocritical. Their support for passage of Measure “W” also is so that they will receive their guaranteed raise(es), as other top-level employees also expect to receive soon! They are due for another raise this month. It’s obvious why they want the voters to pass the Tax Measure “W”. Of course, the APOA supports its passage!
Voters, consider for yourselves their total reported 2017 wages / total Pay and Benefits of a Policeman;

Chief = $232,164 / $430,928
Capt. = $209,292 / $392,114
Lt. = $181,440 / $332,252
Sgt. = $143,592 / $362,904
Cpl. = $129,228 / $301,723
Off. = $114,864 / $284,948

The APOA has a very good retirement plan, for which they previously paid none of their traditional 9% share (the City paid it for them, at great expense). Then their Retirement Plan was enhanced to the costlier “3% at 50” Retirement Plan, with the City once again fully paying for their share and additional greater costs! The APOA chose for themselves, not for more manpower or your “quality of life”. That expensive one hundred million ($100,000,000+) plus unfunded pensions debt is another major reason why the City wants Measure “W” passed. Most of the Tax money will be used to cover up for the Mayor’s and Council’s incompetent decision makings!

The Mayor and Council Members have had the power to change things for the better of our community for years but, chose not to do so! The public’s safety and “quality of life” has not really improved as it should have long ago! Crime essentially has been ongoing and unmitigated for too long! They’ve just given the public ‘feel good’ lip service and made unkept promises, just to look good to you! Even when I personally spoke out at many Council meetings, and in person on a one-to-one basis with the elected Mayor and Council Member, they have chosen to ignore the facts and recorded data given to them.

The two incumbents running for re-election should not be voted for. And, the Mayor and Council Members as a whole should be ashamed and step down if all they are going to do is continue to mislead the public and fool you with this nefarious and underhanded Measure “W” just to cover for their behinds! I believe that they are nothing more than incompetent tricksters, charlatans, insincere, phony, and a disgrace to the public they claim to represent. Measure “W” is a perfect example of their attempt to betray you once again!
Norma and I hereby challenge to a public forum debate any two of the signed Proponents of Measure “W”. Let’s let the public see and hear both sides (which they coincidentally did not allow for a Rebutal Argument by us within the to-be published ballot guide).

Signed,
Ralph A. Hernandez

Dear Editor:

Improving public safety is my number one priority.

I’m honored to have the support of the Antioch Police Officers Association for my re-election as your Councilwoman. I have and will continue to work hard to make Antioch safe for all our residents. As your representative, I have supported the hiring of 58 new police officers, funded cameras in the Sycamore Corridor/Cavallo Road, and voted to put license plate readers on police vehicles to catch criminals in our neighborhoods.

I am especially proud to be working alongside Supervisor Diane Burgis to establish Antioch’s first Family Justice Center to provide much-needed support for victims of domestic violence.

If you should have any questions, or just want to talk, please feel free to email or call me anytime at lori@loriogorchock.com (925) 628-7764.

Thank you.

Antioch Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock

Editor:

As the Antioch Police Chief for six years, I worked often with Mary Rocha, then City Councilwoman.

I saw her work tirelessly for our City. She was experienced, but not jaded; extremely knowledgeable, but a team member; and she was caring – never “calling it in.” Most importantly, Mary is not beholding to special interest groups and will base her votes on what is best for the children, families and staff rather than on a personal agenda.

These are the exact qualities the Antioch Unified School District Board of Education needs right now. With three of the five trustees foolishly pushing through for-profit charters, which will result in massive layoffs and program reductions, this is the time for proven leadership. Additionally, with some current Board Members frequently showing displays of unprofessionalism from the dais and in the community, Mary’s sensibility and experience is much needed. Our school staff, teachers and, especially, our students need her clarity, heart, and integrity. (Editor’s Note: All the charter schools in and approved for Antioch are non-profit, public charter schools.)

Anyone who knows or has met Mary knows she has spent decades supporting the youth and families in our communities. This election is critical, and we need a proven champion for children like Mary to help lead the AUSD.

As the father of an eight-year-old, I know the importance of strong leadership in schools – and, it must begin at the top with the Board of Education.

Some of my favorite duties as Chief of Police were to visit Antioch schools, sit down with the students, talk with teachers, and engage with staff who represent the “boots on the ground.” AUSD is filled with incredibly talented students, supportive families, and a dedicated hard-working staff. All of these constituents deserve knowledgeable people making wise decisions that affect the AUSD.

I have so much respect for Mary and her commitment to our community. We need a leader with experience, proven integrity, and a heart for children and this community. Mary Rocha cares because she understands that our schools matter.

Thank you,

Allan Cantando

Thanks for Your Feedback, Antioch!

If you’ve ever tried to run a household while living paycheck to paycheck, you know how risky it is. When every dollar is already spoken for, it’s hard to keep up with the regular maintenance and sense of security your home needs. Small problems eventually become big problems—until eventually, you’re in big trouble.

The front of your house has so much garbage the neighbors won’t talk to you. Your backyard becomes so filled with junk and weeds, your kids won’t go anywhere near it. And your kitchen? Nothing works, the appliances are constantly shorting out and the pipes are leaking into the subfloor.

Get the picture? Now imagine that your home is Antioch—a city that is operating very close to paycheck to paycheck.

The front yard of your Antioch “home” is everything you see while driving through the city—the graffiti, overgrown weeds and trash dumped along the sides of our roads. The backyard is the city’s youth violence prevention programs—or rather, the lack of them. The kitchen, that’s our downtown, where we thirst for new and exciting amenities, but where few residents go.  

Of course, you should feel safe in your “home.” But after missing a payment here and there, you’re surprised ADT hasn’t shown up to take their sign back. In Antioch, our sense of safety is shared with our police department, and like other city departments, it’s under resourced and understaffed.  

So how do we upgrade our Antioch “home”? Well, that’s up to you.

A year and a half ago, the Antioch City Council formed a two-member ad hoc committee to engage the community around our Quality of Life issues. The mission was to get extensive feedback from the community on the priorities the City should address and use that feedback to create long-term solutions for improving our quality of life – and fully reach our potential as a safe, clean and beautiful place to live.

Our first task was to conduct a professional community survey in late 2017. The survey results were presented to the entire city council at a special meeting on January 20, 2018. The goal of this survey was to gather statistically reliable information on the issues our community cares about. We then used the results as a foundation for engaging the community and gathering additional input, eventually collecting over 2,000 responses from residents. You may recall receiving an invitation through your water bill or social media to “Join the Conversation!” If you were one of many who responded, thank you.

Finally, we conducted a second community survey in June of 2018. We were thrilled to learn residents were more optimistic about the city’s direction than they were in prior years. With this data, we were able to finalize our recommendations.

Our recommendations were to renew Antioch’s existing sales tax at the one cent rate, and use the funds for the following priorities that you, the citizens, had identified for us:

●       Maintain 911 emergency response and maintaining the number of police patrol officers;

●       Ensure water quality and safety;

●       Enhance Antioch’s quality of life and financial stability;

●       Clean up parks and illegal dumping; and

●       Restore youth after school and summer programs.

On July 24, 2018 we presented our recommendations to the full council, and they were unanimously approved. In keeping with our tradition of listening to the public, the community had additional suggestions that were incorporated in several follow-up City Council meetings.  Measure “W” has been placed on the November 2018 ballot for your consideration. It’s important to point out that this measure requires independent financial oversight (which currently exists in the form of the Sales-Tax Oversight Committee and will continue) in addition to guaranteed annual independent audits to ensure funds are spent properly.

Our work has not been easy, and the results may not be perfect, but it’s a chance to let regular citizens set the course to where they believe the city should go. The ballot box has always been the most powerful tool voters have. With it, you have the opportunity to think big–and change the course of our city. Thank you again to residents who took the time to give us your views, which were incorporated into this measure, and remember to participate in the election this Fall.

Lamar Thorpe, Mayor Pro Tem         

Monica Wilson, Council Member

By Allen Payton

After holding two special meetings last Tuesday and Friday to make needed changes to the ballot language for the one-cent sales tax measure for the November election, the Antioch City Council will be holding a third special meeting Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. to discuss adding language to include a 20-year expiration date to the tax and independent citizens’ oversight. ACC080718

The tax would double the current half-cent sales tax in the city, approved with the passage of Measure C in 2013, which sunsets in April 2021 and includes the Citizens Oversight Committee. However, the current committee has basically served as a rubber stamp to reports by city staff and hasn’t challenged the council’s use of the incorrect figure of 82 sworn officers as the base, instead of the 89 that were in the city’s budget at the time Measure C was placed on the ballot. The difference means 111 sworn officers from the half-cent sales tax rather than just 104. The committee also hasn’t challenged the base figure of $25 million in the budget since 2013 for those 89 officers, which hasn’t changed each year despite those and all officers being given pay raises unanimously by the then-council on Election Night in November 2016.

To date, the City has added a net six sworn police officers from Measure C funds, as of last week (see related article), out of the 22 that the then-mayor and council members promised in their ballot argument in favor of the measure, if the voters approved the half-cent sales tax.

According to the staff report for the item on Tuesday’s council meeting agenda:

“On July 24, 2018, the City Council adopted a resolution and ordinance calling an election in November to extend the City’s transaction and use tax (Measure C) and to increase that tax from one-half cent to one cent beginning April 1, 2019.  The City Council then held two meetings regarding the extension of this tax.  At the Special Meeting held on July 31, 2018, City Council amended the resolution to call for new ballot language (specifically, to bring the number of words in that language below the maximum of 75 words).  At the Special Meeting held on August 3, 2018, City Council convened to consider an amendment to the ordinance to correct a drafting error (specifically, the omission of language increasing the transactions tax to a rate of one cent).

At the Special Meeting held on August 3, 2018, the City Council did not adopt the proposed ordinance revision but instead directed the City Attorney to bring back a revised resolution and ordinance that does the following:

Continues the codification of the Sales Tax Citizens Oversight Committee in the Antioch Municipal Code (the prior version of the ordinance deleted the code section creating this committee); and

Provide for a ‘sunset’ of the ordinance in twenty years (the prior version deleted the code section of the Antioch Municipal Code creating an expiration date for the ordinance); and

Amends the ballot language to be submitted to the voters to reflect the new sunset date and reference the independent citizen oversight committee (the prior version stated that repeal would only occur by act of the voters and did not mention the existence of the committee).”

The proposed language for the ballot measure reads as follows:

“Antioch’s Quality of Life Measure. To maintain Antioch’s fiscal stability, police patrols, 911 emergency response, youth violence prevention programs; ensuring water quality/safety; repairing streets; cleaning up parks/illegal dumping; restoring youth afterschool/summer programs; other essential services; shall the measure be adopted approving an ordinance to renew the sales tax at the one-cent rate, raising approximately $14,000,000 annually,  expiring in twenty years, with mandatory annual independent financial audits, and independent citizens oversight?”

The meeting will be held at 4:00 p.m. in the Antioch City Council Chambers at City Hall located at 200 G Street in historic, downtown Rivertown.

Dear Editor:

Tell me again what your plan is?

A big chunk of money has been spent to hire professionals to come up with a plan to improve the image of Antioch as a place people want to work and live.   Why then would the city council work against itself by opening up the city for the sale and distribution of marijuana and byproducts?

All the talk of how it will revitalize economic development and stimulate the economy seems to makes dollar sense.  But somewhere along the line common sense has been pushed aside.  So far, all the city has in place is a licensing tax.  They haven’t come up with a business tax yet, so no one has an idea just how much revenue can or will be generated.

The council is considering increasing the tax on Measure C.  If it stays as it was originally created that would be a good thing.  To tack on other departments or uses would be a misuse of funds.

Everyone has known from the beginning Measure C would sunset.  That clause was put in to get people to vote for it.  To sweeten the pot, the council created an oversight committee.  Having a citizen watchdog committee reassured voters that the money would be spent as it was intended.  Why would you dilute funds intended for the police department while at the same time creating a situation that will require even more enforcement personnel in the future?

Bottomline:

Many people spoke out at council meetings against what they perceive as a mistake in the marketing of their city.  They felt disappointed, powerless and very angry.  Maybe it’s time to take a deep breath and see if the council can deliver.  If they truly believe that they’re going to generate lots of money from these new business ventures, then divert the new tax money to those programs.

Barbara Herendeen

Antioch