By H. Maria

Ever thought about why things are as they are? “Lack of pride,” and “rude, ugly behavior” often comes up. Mutters of “no structure” are loud. Never forget the ever mentioned, “somebody” who malingers on his or her job. Granted, “lack of pride” and “rude behavior” are problems. Structure, as we define it, might just bear the largest share of responsibility.

Before we compartmentalized ourselves so neatly, we defined structure in different ways. We experimented and learned. Children were taught behaviors of respect, kindness and good manners, so all could work together, harmoniously. Skills were developed and passed on to do whatever needed doing, whenever it needed doing. We planted and hunted, prepared meat and cooked it. We made tools, built shelters, wove fabrics, took children in hand as needed…

We are so much more evolved now! In this modern and advanced age we pack ourselves in orderly little boxes. A proper plumber only plumbs, a web designer only designs websites. When help is needed a specifically defined worker is dispatched, by someone who only dispatches. When a child has the misfortune of being born to parents who do not parent, a child is lost, sometimes, that child becomes an angry outlaw and that brings us to the problems we are facing.

Each day we head to our little box. One day the way is marked by graffiti. The next day it is befouled by filth tossed by the side of the road. Shopping trips are hindered by children behaving horribly. We take offense, and can’t help but think, “how awful, THEY should clean that up,” or “those parents should parent!” Should someone suggest we take care of the problem ourselves, we are offended, “Not My Specialty!”

“Values,” of course, should only be taught at home and in the church of choice. Teachers should never address bad behavior, because teachers should only teach. Crossing over into any other area of responsibility is thought of as ill advised, and maybe even suspect. It’s often disparagingly said of someone willing to learn and do many things, that “he or she, is just a ‘Jack of all trades and master of none.’”

In our perceived perfect scenario children are always well raised, there is always enough money, and enough staff. If people behave badly there is enough police, equipment never fails, and of course we always have enough rain… But, perfect just doesn’t exist. Murphy’s law is always in force. Mayhem happens.

There isn’t an abundance of “theys” that can do everything. We stopped making them. Things have been changing since the ‘80’s. We are being forced, more and more to multi-task. That word was born of the elimination of so many employees from the workplace. The survivors were expected to take on the tasks of the dismissed.

In 20-plus years hence, this experience has leaked into almost every field of endeavor. We struggle and struggle to stay in our box despite the returned time for the willing, skillful and multitasking Jack-of-all-trades. It’s been done before. It happened in the time of humanity when all of knowledge and beauty was nearly destroyed.

It started with a few people and evolved to what we know of as the High Renaissance. DaVinci produced near divine art, as well as war machines. For the lucky few, hard at work in those little boxes a steady income continues.

What has not continued is “the way things used to be.” Things are changing and not necessarily for the good. If we wish to keep our changing world on an even keel, more often than not, we have to open a side on that box.

By Barbara Zivica

Seen any unfamiliar police cars driving around recently? Although the city was recently able to purchase a number of Crown Victoria vehicles, unfortunately that particular vehicle has been discontinued The police department is currently testing three makes of vehicles in order to see which one they favor. The vehicles are a Chevy Caprice, a Chevy Tahoe and a Ford Explorer. The vehicles will be evaluated for officer safety, functional operation, maintenance and repair issues. Other vehicles will be considered if necessary.

Speaking of the police department, the April monthly report from the City Manager stated the department is currently staffed with 88 full-time sworn employees, five of which are in various stages of the field training program. Eight sworn officers have medical conditions preventing them from reporting for full duty, three police trainees are currently attending the 177th Police Academy at the CCC Training Center in Pittsburg and will graduate in July, leaving the department with 11 remaining police officer vacancies. One lateral police officer who successfully completed the background process is being sworn in this month bringing the sworn staff to 89. Another lateral police office is in the initial stages of the background process and one entry level applicant has passed his background and will enter the Police Academy in May. (APD is currently authorized for 102 full-time, sworn positions.) Dispatch is fully staffed.

The city is projecting that in fiscal year 2014-15 projected expenditures, based upon staffing for 102 sworn, are under the total allocated spending threshold for the police department, excluding the $1.8 million to buy and install equipment allowing the city to join the East Bay Regional Communications System Authority. That will allow Antioch police to communicate directly. with other jurisdictions. The city, however, is projecting deficits in FY16 and FY17.

Note that while the city was touting the need for Measure C and Measure O the current $1,608,041 over budget savings comes from vacancies. Earlier this month the state Department of Finance released an audit showing agencies padded their budgets by keeping vacant jobs on their books while holding on to the money allocated for those positions, concluding that the result was a lack of budget transparency and accountability.

By Barbara Zivica

It’s April – time for spring cleaning. Start by signing the recall Mayor Wade Harper petition. We’ll deal with the rest of council later when they’re up for re-election. Please, folks stop re-electing the same people over and over. It’s obvious conditions in Antioch haven’t improved under their watch.

When Measure C, the seven-year, half-cent sales tax measure passed in 2013, the official ballot stated the measure was “to fund all essential city services, including increased police staffing to reduce crime and gang activities and improve 911 emergency response time; restored code enforcement to clean up blighted properties; and local economic development and job creation.”

At that time the police department was stating they had 87 full-time sworn police officers, only 75 who were at full duty capacity, although they were authorized for 102 officers.

In 2014, Measure O, a business license tax which updated the existing business license tax to include a residential landlord business license tax, was passed. Again the sales pitch was to increase police staffing levels.

However, a recent report from the Sales Tax Citizens Oversight Committee, appointed to oversee disbursements of Measure C funds, states that at present Antioch has 87 sworn police officers and one per diem Police Captain, five more officers than Antioch had in 2013, based on information given to the committee.

Huh? True the city may have hired five new officers but, as the report states, attrition has been happening almost as fast as hiring, We’re back to the same number of officers we started with in 2013.

As for Measure C fund accounting, it appears the City is using Measure C money to pay for police pay raises and promotion costs. The city’s General Fund should be paying not only for the 87 police officers and their raises but for the 102 officers authorized for hire at that time. Measure C money should only be paying for the 103rd officer hired and so on.

As for the funds generated by passage of Measure O, the money, like the money generated by Measure C, technically goes into the General Fund and can be used for any legitimate governmental purpose. The reason the city never put a dedicated police tax measure on the ballot is because it would require 2/3 voter approval to pass rather than a 50% plus one vote. Only 11,175 residents voted in regard to Measure C and 10,236 in regard to Measure O (5,208 voting yes and 5,028 voting no).

Incidentally, the council just passed a resolution to use General Fund reserves to fund an expenditure of $1,827,000 to purchase, install, program, maintain and train on hardware, software and radio equipment in order to become a participating agency in the East Bay Regional Communications System Authority. The expenditure was not included in the approved LFY 2014-15 budget.

Dear Editor:

Smashing state spending records, as of today, Los Angeles businessman Bill Bloomfield has now spent $799,597.04 to elect Steve Glazer to the California State Senate.

That includes $195,197.04 since the March 17th election. And it includes $596,000 in the first round of the election plus the maximum $8400 in direct donations to Glazer (including $4,200 from his wife).

Who is Bloomfield? A long-time Republican who made a convenient switch to being a decline-to-state voter when he unsuccessfully ran against LA Democrat Henry Waxman for Congress, Bloomfield has a huge backer of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger along with President George W. Bush and John McCain. Bloomfield also is an Obamacare critic www.billbloomfield.com/credibility.

This special interest money is on top of the $493,805.02 JobsPAC has spent for Glazer and $223,496.78 from the Charter Schools IE.

What are all these wealthy interests putting their money behind Glazer? Because he doesn’t support increasing the minimum wage? Because he favors tax breaks for millionaires? Because he hasn’t have a word about income inequality on his website or campaign materials?

No one knows for sure. But as Bloomfield’s support of Glazer reaches the million dollar mark, it’s time to begin asking those questions.

Steve Maviglio

Forza Communications

Sacramento

Maviglio represents and is a spokesman for unions in California

Dear Editor:

Steven Glazer is no environmentalist; I did some research. He’s an experienced pitchman who can help a developer distort a land grab by labeling it “creating open space.” A “communications expert” he helped turn a local forest into a golf course when he won approval of a luxury Novato housing project known as Black Point over objections of the Sierra Club. He opposed environmentalists again to defend a developer on the Humboldt Bay Waterfront. These aren’t the only times he helped a developer suppress public protests; ask Orinda residents where he’s mayor.

Glazer claims that his environmental leadership has been recognized by the Trust for Public Land and Save to Bay. Glazer was asked to advise on a finance handbook produced by the Trust. I suppose that could be seen as recognition of his leadership. He made a monetary contribution to Save the Bay that was recognized in the Annual Report. I couldn’t find proof that “Steve led efforts that raised hundreds of millions of dollars to permanently protect open space in California and 25 other states.”

He’s successfully repackaged land deals, propositions, and politicians. Now he’s selling himself the same way.

Carol Weed, Walnut Creek

Dear Editor:

I’ve experienced break-ins. I’ve even had a car stolen off my driveway. This did not happen in Antioch, but at my previous home in Bay Point. Since the last letter writer has made brutal honesty the order of the day, I live in Antioch now because it looked like the nicest place not too far from work I could afford. Some high-walled paradise of absolute safety is a thing few of us can afford these days.

I’ve been over here a couple years, long enough for an election cycle. And I will take perhaps a more controversial position, a frankly socialist one. I am wary of candidates who lead their campaigns proposing brute force crackdowns on stranger-on-stranger crimes, the great majority of which are born of economic desperation. And I think we’ve seen enough this past year, from places far off to right in San Francisco, to know that quality of police officers is at least as important as quantity.

I for one am very heartened to see news of this working group on housing and community services, and look forward to seeing their work progress. Poverty objectively drives people violently mad, and the bite of our taxes to keep such petty thieves caged in advanced criminal training schools for years often turns out to be greater than what we’d lose just giving a fellow citizen some aid before the madness goes toxic.

There is no escape from the question of the people whose poverty leaves them with so little freedom to deal with their issues. That is why when the most recent letter writer spoke of moving to some tiny town in Montana, my first reaction was, “You mean a place with no police department, and a couple of hair-trigger deputies standing between you and a trailer park full of meth labs? Yes, do write back and tell us how that works out for you.”

Avery Ray Colter, Antioch

Dear Editor:

Educators work hard for many years to earn their credentials. Educators spend thousands of dollars and begin their profession saddled with debts just to legitimately call themselves educators.

Ironically, educators will be hosted at Barnes and Noble on Educators Appreciation Day by Jeff Belle, a felon who falsifies his credentials mocking the profession as nothing but letters randomly chosen and strategically placed after his last name. www.jeffbelleconman.com.

Barnes and Noble was made aware of Belle’s lies to the community but has chosen to continue with this event. Is Barnes and Noble encouraging our youth to take the easy route; to blatantly falsify credentials instead of going to school and to claim honor when it is not deserved?

This is insensitive to our community.

Cynthia Ruehlig

Belle beat Ruehlig for County School Board in last fall’s election.

Force back down to 87 sworn officers. Reported numbers don’t match, again.

By Barbara Zivica

The Antioch Police Department remains understaffed despite passage of Measure C, a one half cent increase in sales in 2013 and Measure O, a business license tax affecting rental properties in 2014. Excuses, excuses.

Back in June, 2013 the department was saying they had 87 full-time, sworn police officers, only 75 who were at full duty capacity although they had money to hire 102 officers. The excuse was that the application process was so rigorous they couldn’t hire fast enough to replace those who retired or quit. I called the excuse absurd because the department has had the same hiring process for years.

In July of 2014 Chief Allan Cantando stated that staffing was currently at 88 sworn officers and “Antioch is the second most populous city in Contra Costa County. Concord, which is the most populous city currently has 148 sworn officers, Richmond, the third most populous city currently has 190 sworn officers.” The same month William Dee, President of APOA, stated that Antioch was recently deemed the 4th Most Dangerous City in California per FBI statistics.

According to the recently released Sales Tax Citizens Oversight Committee Report, “At present Antioch has 87 sworn police officers and one per diem Police Captain This is five more officers than Antioch had in October 2013 based on information given to the committee.”

This statement obviously does not jive with reports given by APD to Council. (see above) Note Chief Cantando’s excuse now is that the problem is not a lack of applicants, it’s a lack of quality applicants who fall out during the hiring process. I query this excuse also, although there may a kernel of truth in that quality candidates just may not want to work in Antioch. I can’t say I blame them.

Although the Bay Area economy is on the rebound, many Antioch residents have either moved to neighboring jurisdictions or have announced their intent to. Reasons include the higher sales tax, abundance of empty commercial spaces, lack of good restaurants and the continuing crime problems, none of which have improved since Wade Harper, who promised the hiring of 22 more police officers, took office. (The Mayor, who was recently served with a recall petition, just announced his intention to run for re-election in 2016.)

As for Chief Cantando, who has been on the force since 1987, I suspect he is at or nearing retirement age. When he does leave, despite many excellent officers on the force, I sincerely hope the City Manager and Council doesn’t promote from within the department, searching instead to hire a strong chief, like former Chief Jim Hyde, someone who has no prior alliances in the City and who can view our continuing crime problems more objectively and effectively.