After 30 years of service, Sergeant Steve Aiello has retired. Sergeant Aiello began his career in June of 1992 serving the citizens of Antioch as a Reserve Police Officer. In June of 1999, Steve Aiello graduated the police academy and was promoted to the rank of police officer where he proudly served for the next 24 years.
During his career, Sergeant Aiello worked as a member of the Special Response Unit, Auto Theft Investigator, Narcotics/Vice Detective, Gang Unit, Community Engagement Team and a member of the Rifle team. As a detective, he was awarded the Medal of Valor in 2012 for his participation of a robbery/homicide investigation.
In 2017, he was promoted to the Rank of Corporal where he supervised numerous patrol teams, the Crisis Negotiations Team and helped purchase and design the department’s first Mobile Command Vehicle.
Sergeant Aiello served 17 years as part of the Antioch Police Officer’s Association (APOA) holding every position to include POA President for the last 4 of those years. His biggest accomplishment while serving the POA was the purchase, design and overseeing the yearlong construction of our new POA building for current and future members to enjoy.
In 2022, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant where he has served proudly and honorably until retiring.
Enjoy your well-deserved retirement, Sergeant Aiello. Thank you for your service and you will be missed.
After 25 years of distinguished law enforcement service, Captain Trevor Schnitzius retired on August 4, 2023.
Trevor grew up and attended school in the City of Vallejo where he threw shot put and discus for his high school track team. After high school, he attended Diablo Valley College, where he earned an Associate’s degree before transferring to CSU Sacramento. There, he completed his Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice.
Trevor was hired by the City of Antioch in 1998, shortly after graduating from Sacramento State, as a police trainee and attended the Police Academy at Los Medanos College. While many of Trevor’s family members chose to serve as firefighters, he found police work to be more interesting and exciting and chose Antioch.
During his service with APD, he has worked patrol, as a Detective, as a Field Training Officer, as a member of our Honor Guard, a defensive tactics instructor and as a member of our social media team. Trevor has served as our VIPS Coordinator as well as being heavily involved with our Cadet program for over 18 years (his oldest son also served as a Police Cadet and is now a Community Service Officer). Trevor is also involved in his community and has also coached water polo and wrestling.
We wish Trevor plenty of time with his family in retirement and we will deeply miss someone who has been such a big part of this department for so long.
By Marisa Greenberg, Marketing & Communications Coordinator, 4CD
MARTINEZ, California – The Contra Costa Community College District (4CD) has selected Dr. Tony Wold as the next Associate Vice Chancellor, Chief Financial Officer (AVC CFO). Following a nationwide search that began in May 2023, the 4CD Governing Board will vote on ratification of his contract at their August 9, 2023, meeting.
“We are excited to welcome Dr. Tony Wold to 4CD. He brings an impressive amount of experience in finance, public education, labor negotiations, and bond programs. He embodies a student-first approach, complementing our focus on student equity and success,” shared Executive Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services Dr. Micaela Ochoa.
For the past year, Dr. Wold served as Chief Business Officer in Residence for School Innovations & Achievement, where he focused on rebuilding systems to bring students back into schools while addressing the learning loss and changes in attendance behaviors resulting from the pandemic. He recently served as Associate Superintendent, Business Services, for West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD), where he oversaw the daily operations and management of accounting, budget, purchasing, payroll, employee benefits, labor relations, school operations, athletics, safety, warehouse, transportation, nutrition services, and risk management. He also helped lead the passage of WCCUSD’s $575 million Measure R Bond in March 2020, and overcoming a $49.9 million structural deficit to restore the WCCUSD budget certification.
“I am excited to join the 4CD team and support their vision of a college-going culture for its diverse student population,” said Wold. “Community colleges are essential in providing an affordable and quality higher education given the changing job market locally and across the world, and I look forward to helping 4CD successfully achieve that mission.”
Dr. Wold received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (USC), his School Business Management Certification and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership at USC. He also earned Chief Business Official certifications from the Council of Great City Schools, and Lead Negotiators certification from the School Employers Association of California (SEAC).
The Contra Costa Community College District (4CD) is one of the largest multi-college community college districts in California. The 4CD serves 1.2 million residents, and its boundaries encompass all but 48 of the 734-square-mile land area of Contra Costa County. 4CD is home to Contra Costa College in San Pablo, Diablo Valley College with campuses in Pleasant Hill and San Ramon, and Los Medanos College with campuses in Pittsburg and Brentwood. The District headquarters is located in downtown Martinez. Each college is individually accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. For more information visit www.4cd.edu.
New AUSD Director of Student Support Services Tim Cooper. Photo: AUSD
By Antioch Unified School District
Please join us in welcoming Mr. Tim Cooper to his new position as Director of Student Support Services.
Mr. Cooper or “Coop,” as many students and staff affectionately call him, has been with the Antioch Unified School District since 2001 having served as Vice Principal of Deer Valley High School, Vice Principal at Bidwell High School, Principal of Black Diamond Middle School and, most recently, Principal of Live Oak High School.
Growing up, Mr. Cooper lived in San Francisco and San Bruno prior to moving to Carson, California where he said he learned a lot of street wisdom growing up in a city then plagued by gangs and crime. At the age of 15, his family moved to Concord, California wherein Cooper says he was in culture shock having come from a very diverse city to a school where only 10 of the nearly 2,000 students were African American. There, he says, he experienced racism for the first time.
“I knew racism existed, I’d read about it and watched television programs about it, but until it’s in your face, it’s a whole different story.” To adjust to his new environment, Cooper says he focused less on sports and more on academics. “I’d always been a good student, but my drive to become even better took some of my attention from sports.”
Nonetheless, Mr. Cooper played football, basketball, and track while attending high school but was sidelined from getting a college football scholarship when an injury took him off the field most of his senior year. Thus, Mr. Cooper attended Diablo Valley College for two years after high school where he reengaged with sports while simultaneously focusing on his academics. As a result, two years later he was offered a football scholarship by both San Diego State and St. Mary’s College.
“I decided on St. Mary’s, even though their team was 2-8, because I knew friends there and I wanted to focus on my degree. I was aware of the deal, I’d play football for them, and they’d pay for my college education.”
Cooper said his father had a big impact on him. “He was born in North Carolina in 1941. He would tell us stories about growing up like how he had to stop attending school in the fall to work the tobacco fields and how he had to attend an all-African American segregated school separated by a chain link fence from a white school. He said the basketball courts and facilities were well-maintained at the all-white school while his school was dilapidated and missing many of the things the other school had.”
Cooper said his father always stressed the importance of leading by example. As he grew up, he watched his father lead by example as he served in the Navy then worked at Southern Pacific Railroad where he retired as Head of West Coast Communication.
Mr. Cooper said he is most looking forward to working with agencies to ensure the District has increased and sustainable mental health support for students. “I think sometimes we underestimate what some of our students are coping with, but they come to school because it is a safe, consistent space. It’s our job to meet them where they are and provide the support they need to be successful.”
Mr. Cooper lives in Antioch with his wife of 29 years. Their children, now 27 and 25 attended AUSD schools.
By Josef Britschgi, Marketing & Communication Administrator, BAC Community Bank
Jerry Marquez
BAC Community Bank is proud to announce the promotion of Jerry Marquez to the role of Relationship Manager, leveraging years of expertise in serving the bank’s valued customers.
As an integral part of the BAC family for over eight years, Marquez has excelled in various roles, including branch management and central banking operations. This promotion reflects his outstanding contributions and unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional service to the bank’s clients.
Marquez has a passion for building meaningful relationships within the community, a quality influenced by his growing up in a small farming town. He carries this spirit into his new role, embracing the small-town essence that has made BAC Community Bank a cornerstone of Antioch, Brentwood and surrounding Contra Costa communities.
As a Relationship Manager, Marquez will draw upon his wealth of experience to cater to the diverse financial needs of both existing and new bank customers. The bank is confident that he will excel in this capacity, ensuring that consumer and commercial clients continue to receive the best products, technology, and service that have defined BAC Community Bank’s commitment to excellence.
“We are confident that the passion, expertise, and dedication Jerry Marquez demonstrates will continue to contribute to the success of our clients and reinforce the position of BAC Community Bank as a trusted community financial institution,” said Eddie Lira, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Banking Officer.
Marquez is excited to assume this new responsibility and looks forward to further strengthening the connections between BAC Community Bank and the communities it serves. “I am truly honored by this opportunity to serve as a Relationship Manager,” he shared. “My aim is to build enduring customer partnerships, providing each client with personalized financial solutions to help them achieve their goals.”
About BAC Community Bank
BAC Community Bank is California’s 10th oldest state-chartered bank. Established in 1965, BAC operates branch offices in Contra Costa, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties and is identified as “one of the strongest financial institutions in the nation” by BauerFinancial, Inc.
The bank is centrally headquartered in Stockton, California, and is continuously recognized for banking excellence through local awards and banking industry accolades. The Antioch branch is located at 3448 Deer Valley Road.
BAC Community Bank is an Equal Housing Lender and Equal Opportunity Employer. Member FDIC. More information is available online at www.bankbac.com.
Con Fire’s first ever volunteer Chaplain Fr, Robert Rien.
By Contra Costa County Fire Protection District
We are pleased to announce that Father Robert Rien has accepted the newly created position of volunteer Fire Chaplain – lead as part of the fire district peer support program. He is the first-ever official Fire Chaplain for Contra Costa County Fire Protection District. This appointment is effective immediately.
He has been the Pastor of St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish in Antioch for the last 18 years. During that time, he served as Chaplain for the Antioch Police Department and for the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District. He holds the distinguished Master Chaplain Certification from the International Conference of Police Chaplains.
Father Robert Rien is a native of Oakland, California, and is a Priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland for the past 50 years. Ordained in 1974, he served parishes in Alameda and Contra Costa County. Three years after ordination, he served as the Catholic Chaplain for the 349th Military Air Lift Wing, stationed at Travis Air Force Base for five years.
Before being assigned to parishes in Contra Costa County in 2001, he served as Chaplain for the Oakland Fire Department. In addition to his other duties and responsibilities, he serves as Catholic Chaplain for both Sutter-Delta and Kaiser Deer Valley Hospitals.
Additionally, he serves as a Regional Chaplain for the East Bay Regional Park District and a Contra Costa County Peer Support Services Association member.
Father Robert currently resides in Antioch. When not tending to his parish, he enjoys reading, cooking, and watching the 49ers, Warriors, and Giants. He appreciates being with friends and loved ones.
Located in East County, Father Robert can be reached by email at Rrien@cccfpd.org. Please assist Father Robert in becoming familiar with the District and join us in making him a welcome part of the Con Fire team!
Dean Rogers (left) is giving his business to employees José Calderon (right) and Octavio Rios. Photos by Allen D. Payton
Dean Rogers’ life changed by God, retiring after 30 years in business
By Allen D. Payton
Antioch resident Dean Rogers is giving his business, Rogers Roofing, to his two long-time employees, Octavio Rios and José Calderon. It follows his recovery from terminal cancer last year, which took his right lung, being cancer-free for eight months and getting remarried last month.
Rogers said he wasn’t answering his phone for over a year and yet Rogers Roofing was still voted the best roofing company in Antioch in the 2022 People’s Choice Awards.
At 61, after 30 years in business, he’s decided to retire and turn over the company to Rios and Calderon who have been with him for 20 years. Rogers will continue to advise from behind the scenes. The new owners have agreed to service the warranties of existing customers as they continue to grow the business with new ones.
“We built a reputation on quality, and it lasted. It does work,” Rogers stated.
He then shared of his experience with lung cancer.
“When I was facing cancer and possibly dying, I was never afraid,” Rogers shared. “Pastor Ron (Bowman) said that’s because ‘faith overcomes fear’. I always believed in God. But until I was faced with terminal cancer, I was forced to look at my relationship with God and I felt immediately the light come through There’s definitely a God. Jesus is my Savior.”
“Good people don’t go to heaven. Forgiven people do,” he stated. “So, I ended up witnessing every day to my nurses. I was reading little devotionals. When I was on the respirator, I would ask them to read to me.”
He was at UCSF Medical Center for 11 days. Rogers experienced four setbacks including sepsis and pneumonia. They removed his right lung, both chambers, he shared.
“Now, my mission is to spread the Good News. I never miss a chance to witness,” Rogers shared. “Love is a gift from God. God is good. God is love.”
“I’ve learned how to do everything including golfing, I just have to really monitor myself,” he explained. “
Kim and Dean Rogers celebrate after their wedding officiated by Pastor Ron Bowman on June 30, 2023, at the Lone Tree Golf & Event Center
As part of starting his new phase of life, Rogers just got remarried on June 30th after dating his fiancé, Kim Bloom for the past eight years.
“We met at a Brentwood park, where I was walking my dog,” he shared.
Calderon, from Oakley, and Rios, of Riverbank, will be partners under the new ownership for the company.
“I wasn’t surprised,” Calderon said. “It’s been something we’ve been thinking about for a long time. We look forward to taking over and making it what it used to be – good roofs and good work.”
Asked why he’s giving them his business instead of selling it Rogers said, “Because they helped me build the company and so my past customers can be taken care of and future customers.”
“The plan is to start slow keep on doing good work and see what the future brings,” Calderon stated. “We’re not looking to get too big.”
“As an owner operator you’re getting both the family-friendly service and experience,” Rogers added. “Quality is what we’ve been looking for from the beginning. It’s paid off. What lasted? Quality.”
“I’m proud of this community, I’ve contributed as I can and I’m not leaving. We’re a part of Antioch. Just like Jimmy Bean and Eddie Beaudin, who have been good examples to me.”
Customers can still call the company at (925) 706-9396.
Ebbs’ last day is July 14, will leave City without manager, assistant manager, community development director
Forrest Ebbs. Source: City of Antioch
By Allen D. Payton
Acting Antioch City Manager Forrest Ebbs announced to the city council and staff, on Thursday, June 14, 2023, that he will be leaving for a new position with the City of Modesto as a Deputy City Manager. His last day will be July 14. With the expected departure of City Manager Con Johnson who has been on paid leave since middle of March, following council’s direction to the city attorney during their closed session this past Tuesday night, that will leave Antioch without a city manager, assistant manager and community development director, which Ebbs retained as his official title during the brief time as acting city manager.
It has been “a little over eight years as Community Development Director,” Ebbs said when reached for comment.
Asked about the accomplishments during his time in the position he spoke of the three divisions in the department saying, “the Building Division has grown to be more appropriate for a city of our size. We have gone to an online submittal process for building permits. We just launched it.”
“In Planning, we’ve created many new opportunities for housing and ways to revitalize commercial corridors,” Forbes shared. He oversaw the entitlement process of all projects in the new home Sand Creek Focus Area, except for Kaiser during his tenure.
“In Code Enforcement we’ve grown from four budgeted positions to 18 to better serve the community,” he added.
Asked about how long he’d been considering a new position, Ebbs said, “Throughout my career I’ve looked for opportunities to try out new challenges. But this is something I’ve been pursuing for a couple years.”
Asked if the current acting position helped prepare him for his new one Ebbs replied, “I’ve learned a lot in the last three months and I’m appreciative of the council for having the confidence allowing me to do that.”
He will be one of two deputy city managers for the city with a population of a little over 200,000. Modesto’s official motto, which can be seen on an archway sign at the intersection of 9th and I Streets is “Water, Wealth, Contentment, Health”.
Asked when he started the process with Modesto, Ebbs said, “It’s been a typical recruitment process. I applied to them a couple months ago. It was a competitive national recruitment.”
Asked about his replacement in Antioch he shared, “The city council will make a decision on the acting city manager in the next couple weeks. I will be presenting some names to them and they will ultimately make the decision of how they want to proceed with an acting city manager.”
Asked about an acting Community Development Director he said, “I’ll be looking internally to backfill that position. The reality is the department staff have stepped up so it’s not going to be much of a transition.”
Ebbs is married with three children – the oldest is 19 and a freshman in college, another, age 16 is in high school and a 12-year-old in middle school.
“It was a family decision,” he shared.
They live in Lodi so his commute will be shorter.
“It’s the same distance but it’s a quicker drive,” Ebbs added.
