Democracy is Not a Spectator Sport

By Supervisor Federal Glover, Contra Costa County, District V

It is your vote,
your voice,
your future,
your chance,
your obligation
to take part
in the
democratic process.
_______
Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
To find your polling place, go to:
http://www.cocovote.us/

By Allen Payton, Publisher

I spoke with candidate for the Antioch School Board, Barbara Cowan, today about her experience with the endorsement process of the Contra Costa County Democratic Party Central Committee. Three of the five Democratic candidates running for the board had sought the endorsement, but they only endorsed two candidates for the three seats, and both are African American.

Following are Cowan’s comments about it:

“It was the first interview I’d done. I was extremely nervous going in,” she said. “But, it was a very, very unpleasant experience.”

When asked who was involved in the interview, she responded, “I believe there were at least six people involved in the interview with one Hispanic and one African American on the panel.”

So what did she think was the reason she wasn’t endorsed for the third seat?

“There was a gentlemen there who took an issue with a remark I made and interrupted all the other questions, so he could argue with me,” said Cowan. “I told him I was talking about the API scores in Antioch. I indicated that on the history scores, that the teachers needed a little training. He came across angry and said, basically, not yelling, but very firmly, that it wasn’t the Antioch teachers but that is was a lack of support for the discipline. He’s a substitute teacher in Antioch and seemed very bitter and angry.”

“Maybe they looked at me as an ingenue or that I wasn’t qualified. After I was reamed by this guy a couple times, I stumbled over my words,” Cowan added. “I can tell you my interview didn’t go well. I answered the questions that I could, but maybe they may have chosen not to endorse me because of that.”

She doesn’t believe race was a factor in the endorsement decision.

“I’m not going to pull the race card. But I don’t feel it was fair because of the way I was treated,” she said.

Cowan was never informed that she hadn’t been endorsed.

“There was no feedback, not even a notification that I had not been endorsed,” she added.

So as far as the Antioch School Board election is concerned, I believe we can put to rest the concerns that race was a factor in how the Democrats chose their candidates. What we don’t know is the criteria that was used to decline the endorsement of Cowan, the only former teacher and principal running in Antioch, this year.

However, they only endorsed two of the three candidates who requested it for the three seats on the Antioch School Board

By Allen Payton, Publisher

This is to follow up on my recent commentary about the elections in Antioch and reporting on the concerns shared by some white Democratic candidates that the Contra Costa Democratic Central Committee only endorsed minority candidates for office.

I emailed the Democrats’ Endorsement Chair, Jeff Koertzen with the following questions:

“Mr. Koertzen,

I have been informed that you are the Endorsement Chair for the Contra Costa Democratic Central Committee.

In following up on my recent commentary on the Herald website regarding the elections in Antioch, I’d like to know did any of the following candidates seek the endorsement of the Contra Costa Democratic Central Committee?

Randy Benevides, Barbara Cowan, Diane Gibson Gray

The reason I ask is that the CCDCC only endorsed two Democratic candidates for the three seats, both African Americans, even though there are three other Democrats in the race.

Also, was race used as a criteria for the endorsements for the elections in Antioch? Knowing the history of support for Affirmative Action by the Democratic Party, is there a desire to promote minority candidates over white candidates, at the local level?

Finally, why is the Democratic Central Committee endorsing in what are supposed to be non-partisan races?

I look forward to your responses.

Thank you.

Allen Payton

Publisher”

Koertzen responded:

“Mr. Payton,

Regarding the three candidates you reference.

Randy Benevides did not respond to our correspondence (email and postal mail, no answer by phone).

Barbara Cowan was interviewed but was not endorsed.

Diane Gibson-Gray told me by phone that she was not interested in seeking our endorsement. (Phone calls were made to Democratic registered candidates who had not responded by email.)

Per our bylaws and the bylaws of the California Democratic Party, the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County may endorse any candidate in non-partisan races who is registered as a Democrat as long as that candidate specifically indicates he or she is interested in our endorsement. (A non-response must be interpreted as the individual is not interested in our endorsement. Our Bylaws require that we send a letter to the campaign mailing address on file with the registrar’s office. In addition, emails were sent to the email address on file with the registrar’s office and phone calls were made to the campaign phone number on file with the registrar’s office. Messages were left when answering machines were reached, but because we had attempted to reach candidates in multiple ways, it was not required that we actually reach any person to receive a yes or no response if they were interested in endorsement. Due to the multiple methods to attempt to reach candidates, it was up to the candidate to reply to us.) In addition, we may only endorse a maximum of the number of seats available in a particular race. Only one of the three you mention indicated she was interested and sought our endorsement.

As for the city council race which you mention in your blog post but not in your email, Walter Ruehlig did not respond to our correspondence and Noel Pinto was interviewed but was not endorsed.

Race is absolutely not considered as a factor. It was actually a surprise to me when I read your blog post because when we interviewed the candidates, we interviewed them as people not as representatives of a particular race. The endorsement committee made our recommendations based on the individuals we felt best met the requirements for office, would best represent their constituents, and who represented Democratic ideals.”

I then responded with the following:

Mr. Koertzen,

Thank you for your quick and complete response.

However, regarding the Antioch School Board race, since one more Democratic candidate sought the endorsement, who appears to be very qualified from her experience as both a teacher and principal, why wasn’t Barbara Cowan endorsed, instead of leaving the one position without an endorsed candidate?

Allen Payton

Publisher”

Koertzen responded:

“Mr. Payton,

The endorsement committee did indeed find her to be qualified as a teacher and administrator, and, as I recall, she is a warm and engaging person, but some committee members had some reservations and concerns based on responses to questions posed during the interview. As a result, she did not meet the threshold required for the committee to recommend endorsement. Although we may endorse up to the number of available seats, we are not required to endorse that number of candidates.

To be fair to Ms. Cowan, I would need to discuss that information with her. It would not be appropriate for me to discuss the details of our endorsement deliberations with the press, especially if I have not yet had that conversation with Ms. Cowan.

Thank you,

Jeff Koertzen”

So there you have it. The Democrats claim race wasn’t used in their endorsements, but when they had the opportunity to endorse a very qualified, white Democratic candidate for the third seat on the Antioch School Board, they chose not to. So it’s up to you to decide what to believe and determine what impact, if any, it will have in the election results.

I emailed each of the three candidates mentioned to ask if they had requested the endorsement of the CCDCC, but none of them responded before publishing this commentary. If and when they do, I will provide an update.

Now, let’s get something, straight. I’m being accused of injecting race into the elections in Antioch. Let’s be clear. I was not the one who put out the emails about the issue. I received them and spoke with a few of the white Democratic candidates for office in Antioch about the issue and shared that information in my commentary. They chose to share it with me on condition of anonymity. If people are upset, so be it. No issue is too sensitive to discuss it if it’s of concern to candidates running for office or the voters. But don’t shoot the messenger or even try to read into anything I wrote. You need to take it on its face value. Debate and discuss the issue don’t attack the one who brought it out of the shadows. If those candidates who have the concern wish to remain anonymous, that’s their choice. But it would be good if they would step forward and share their concerns, publicly and challenge their own party.

This is America where we have freedom of speech. Don’t be afraid to speak up and speak out when you feel an injustice has occurred – no matter who it might be against.

Following are the responses to the questions asked of the candidates for State Assembly in California’s new 11th District, which includes all of Antioch, most of Eastern Contra Costa County, and much of Solano County. There is no incumbent. Unfortunately, there was not enough room in our November print edition to include this, so we present it here. Mike Hudson’s responses are below, Jim Frazier refused to respond.

1. Full name: Michael James Hudson

2. Background – age, education with degrees and subjects, city in which you live, elected and/or appointed offices held, family: marital status, how long, spouse’s name and # of children

Age: 51

Education: I have 8 years of college that I took before, during, and after my service in the military. I took college courses while being deployed during the first Gulf War. I have completed my Certified Novell Engineer (CNE), Certified Information Security Professional (CISSP), Sun Certified Engineer, Sun Certified System Administrator, Check Point Certified Security Expert and Security Administrator, Tripwire Certified Professional, Microsoft Certified Professional, Solaris System administrator, HP OpenView certified, and ISS Certified.

Residence: Suisun City since 1996

Elected: Suisun City Council in 2006

Reelected: 2010

Elected: Vice Mayor 2010 by City Council

Married to Sandi, 4 children

4 grandchildren – Derek, Nicole, Christopher & Joshua

3. Contact information – including campaign phone #, email address, street address, website, Facebook page, Twitter and any other social media sites in which you participate

Mike Hudson for Assembly 2012

Cell phone (707) 372-8389

Contra Costa HQ

1781 Vineyard #220, Antioch

(925) 755-9489

Solano County HQ

411 Main Street, Suite C, Suisun City

(707) 428-6175

mike@mikehudson2012.com

www.mikehudson2012.com

www.facebook.com/mikehudsonforcalifornia2012

www.facebook.com/VeteransForHudson?ref=hl

www.facebook.com/MikeHudsonParaCalifornia2012EnEspanol?ref=hl

www.facebook.com/MikeHudsonSupportsThe2ndAmendment?fref=ts

www.facebook.com/pages/Mike-Hudson-for-Suisun-City/186020308373

http://twitter.com/MikeHudson2012

http://pinterest.com/mikehudson2012/

www.linkedin.com/in/mikehudson2012

www.flickr.com/people/mikehudson2012/

4. What motivated you to run?

While Chairman of the North Bay YMCA I had the opportunity to apply for Proposition 49 grant money for before and after school programs for Fairfield and Suisun schools.  Prop 49 grants require a nonprofit, a municipality, and the school district to act as partners and to provide a soft match for the grant money. The School district was not acting on the grant.

I successfully navigated the proposition’s requirements, got the cities and the school district involved.  That was not easy feat, yet I was able to succeed.  Suisun City Elementary was awarded the money.  In fact , I found I had the knack for getting things done in local government.  Other schools still needed these programs, so I began my first City Council campaign in 2006 to Suisun City Council; I successfully ran and we found a way to finance before and after school programs without tax dollars.

5. Top three priorities if elected – what do you plan to accomplish?

JOBS is #1!

California needs to get back to work. We need to create an economy that rewards hard work and investment, rewards job creators, that encourages small business. The economy will bloom through job growth. We need regulatory reform, reduce red tape, create road maps for success, lower taxes will help create a more business-friendly environment. We have to stop driving business out of our state.

#2 Infrastructure

California’s aging infrastructure is not keeping pace with the growth of our state. Projects take too long, are brought to a virtual standstill by environmental studies, and multi-level bureaucratic agencies. We need to cut the red tape. California has the highest administrative cost per mile for building new roads or maintaining existing roads, almost double what it costs Texas.

1. Build and maintain roads and bridges

2. Build and strengthen levies

3. Water

a. Build additional surface storage

b. Use ground water recharging

c. Build desalinization plants

d. Use existing subsurface water storage

4. Protect the Delta by defunding the Peripheral Canal

5. Stop High Speed Rail (the train to “Nowhere”), we can’t afford it.

#3 Budget

California needs to toughen up and balance the budget without counting on revenues that will never materialize, borrowing billions of dollars that will cost the state billions more in interest, new gimmicks or tricks that really disguise a poor budget. We need decisive action. A balanced budget amendment that limits borrowing, caps spending, and creates a true reserve fund, a 2-year budget cycle not tied to election years, sales tax apportionment reform, reform redevelopment, stop raiding, back filling, borrowing, and stealing from local governments.

6. Do you support Prop. 30 and/or Prop. 38?

Both are ballot box budgeting, so I am opposed to both. These propositions also demonstrate the legislature’s inability to agree on anything. We pay them to make the tough decisions. They chickened out and went to the voters.

I am especially opposed to Prop 30. The Legislature and the Governor both stated “Kids are our top priority”. Then they cut education, “we are broke”, they stated. Yet they gave raises to Sacramento bureaucrats and bought a brand new high speed train. This proposition simply back-fills the general fund without providing any monies to schools.

7. What has been your greatest accomplishment? Why should people vote for you?

My greatest accomplishment is bringing more businesses to Suisun City and more jobs, creating before and after school programs, and redeveloping the downtown. All of my accomplishments required working together with fellow Council members. Politicians may claim all the glory, in proportion to their egos, the fact remains, at no time can a single Council member get anything done by themselves; Working Together We Achieve!

People should vote for me because I am honest, hardworking, I listen, and I care about people and their communities. I offer real world solutions to jobs, education, our state budget, and protecting the delta. My vision is to return California to the top, the best in education, best transportation, balanced budgets, and real jobs.

Mike Hudson

Candidate for Assembly District 11, FPPC # 1342466

By James Ott

It’s election season – and as such, two high-profile ballot measures were on the agenda at the Antioch City Council meeting on Tuesday, October 23, 2012.

Measure B is a ballot measure that seeks a $56.5 million in school bonds to provide modern renovations for 58-year-old Antioch High School. The bonds would be paid over 30 years by new property taxes within the Antioch Unified School Facilities Improvement District #1 (SFID #1).

The district estimates that the highest tax rate required from property owners within SFID #1 would be $49.80 per $100,000 of assessed valuation per year beginning next year. Currently that works out to roughly $6 per month per homeowner.

Measure B will require a 55 percent majority vote to pass.

Money generated by Measure B will be used for improvements to the Antioch High School campus such as classroom renovations, a larger cafeteria, a new library with a college and career center, new computers and technology supplies for students, and to update outdated athletic facilities.

The Measure requires all of the funds raised to be used to, “modernize, renovate, construct, acquire, equip, furnish, and otherwise improve school and related facilities at Antioch High School.” In addition it requires the school district to pursue matching funds from the State and other potential sources to finance those upgrades.

Measure B will require the district to perform independent financial and performance audits each year until all of the bond money is spent. And if it’s passed it will also require the district to elect local residents to a citizen’s oversight committee to monitor the bond moneys and make sure they are spent only on school improvements and not on things such as teacher or administrator salaries.

Antioch High School Principal Louie Rocha is a strong supporter of the ballot measure and he stressed during the council meeting how vital improvements are to the aging school. In particular he stated that the cafeteria is so small that the school is forced to have several lunch periods and even then he said that students are still forced to eat outside, regardless of the weather.

Also of note were the athletic facilities. Rocha said that the track cannot be used for any track and field events because it’s so old that its lengths are still measured in feet and yards instead of the standard meters. And the pool, he said, cannot be used for water polo because one side is only three feet deep because it was only designed years ago as a community pool.

Supporters of the bond measure such as Rocha say that the school is in sore need of repair and that there is no other money available to make such improvements. They say that up-to-date classrooms and facilities are necessary for students to meet state and federal standards and to graduate and be prepared for college.

Critics of Measure B say that school officials are ignoring what happened just this past June with Measure J – a similar $59.5 million school bond that was defeated by voters. Although Measure J failed to pass by a mere 31 votes, critics say that the school board is ignoring what voters want.

A resident at the council meeting spoke against the measure and said that although the yearly amount for Measure B was low, over the 30-year life of the bond he estimated he would have to pay an additional $115,000 in property taxes.

Like many in this deteriorating economy, a lot of Antioch residents are hesitant to vote yes when that vote means additional taxes.

Also at the Meeting:

The City of Antioch is seeking $114,723 owed to it by Contra Costa County as the successor agency to the city’s redevelopment agency.

When Antioch’s redevelopment agency was dissolved and its funds were spirited away by the state, the city had the option to become a successor agency to that redevelopment entity.

By becoming a successor agency, the city guaranteed itself about $250,000 a year as part of an administrative cost allowance.

Or so the city thought.

Back in January the city told the county that they needed $125,000, (the $250,000 is paid in two yearly installments), and the county forked it over.

But in June when Antioch asked for the rest of the money, Contra Costa County informed them that they did not have enough money to pay the city.

So they gave them about $10,526.

Now the city is attempting to retrieve the remaining $114,473.

Although the county now has the money to pay Antioch, they told the city that the regulations surrounding the city as successor agency program prevents them from making a back payment.

City of Antioch Finance Director Dawn Merchant held a meeting with the county recently and said that the county claims they have never run into this problem. Merchant called the meeting “positive” however, and said she came away with the impression that there is hope for the city to get they money it is owed.

Antioch City Attorney Lynn Nerland said that there are about 25 lawsuits pending in relation to the state-wide dissolution of redevelopment agencies and summed up the city’s most current debacle with the county.

“No one seems to dispute that we are owed money,” she said, “but it seems to be a bureaucratic issue of how to get it to us.”

By James Ott

United Professional Fire Fighters of Contra Costa County President Vince Wells came to the city council meeting on Tuesday, October 23, 2012 asking them to support Measure Q – a proposed parcel tax for residents within the Contra Costa Fire Protection District. The council voted unanimously to endorse the tax.

Measure Q seeks to help raise money for the firefighter’s district that has lost about $32 million since the 2008 housing market collapse, according to Wells.

If approved, Measure Q will levy a $75 parcel tax per year for owners of single-family homes. It would cost apartment owners $37.50 per unit and any commercial or industrial landowners would need to plunk down $300 per acre, or $75 per quarter-acre. And agricultural or vacant property owners would pay $37.50 per parcel.

The proposed tax would take effect from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2020 and is estimated to create $16.8 million a year for the county fire district.

Measure Q will need a two-thirds supermajority vote to pass.

There are 28 fire stations in the Contra Costa Fire Protection District and four of those are in Antioch. Wells said that the lack of money is forcing the fire district to close up to10 fire stations in the next two years, with the first closure coming as soon as January, 2013.

As for now, it isn’t known if any fire stations in Antioch are scheduled to be shuttered. Those that are scheduled to close will be notified in December.

Wells also said that lack of funding has cost the district 81 firefighters. Those that remain have taken a 10 percent pay cut and have also made concession to their benefits and pensions.

“I personally pay 26 percent of my paycheck toward my pension every month,” said Wells.

Like fireman Vince Wells, proponents of Measure Q say that the money is sorely needed, even in the rough economic times. Supporters point out that Contra Costa Fire Protection District is among the 14 largest metropolitan fire agencies in the state and they say that without additional money, response times to fires and other emergencies could be impacted.

Most people would only pay the $75-per-year parcel tax which adds up to only $1.44 a week.

Opponents of the measure such as “Halfway to Concord” Editor Bill Gram-Reefer accused Supervisors and union leaders of ignoring serious pension reform and restructuring that could have saved money without having to take from taxpayers.

Contra Costa Taxpayers Association President Kris Hunt said that the fire district has lived beyond its means for too long and thinks Measure Q is only a temporary fix.

And the Contra Costa Times editorial board went so far as to call the measure “political blackmail” for the district’s plan to close almost two-thirds of it’s fire stations if the voters don’t pass it.

It is worth noting that on the June 5, 2012 ballot, the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District proposed a similar parcel tax called Measure S. The $197-a-year tax proposal was soundly defeated when 56.2% of voters rejected it.

The East Contra Costa Republican Women Federated will meet on Thursday, November 8 at the Discovery Bay Country Club at 11:30 a.m. The speaker will be Mike Conklin from the Sentinels of Freedom. All Republican women and men are welcome. For reservations or information call (925) 635-5404.

By James Ott

Community group Take Back Antioch hosted a candidate forum on Saturday to give Antioch residents a chance to get to know the candidates for city council and mayor.

The forum featured mayoral candidates Gary Agopian, Don Freitas, and Michael Leon as well as Jim Davis, Noel Pinto, Mary Rocha, Walter Ruehlig and Monica Wilson who are all running for city council.

Current Mayor Pro Tem Wade Harper was not present at the forum, but he is also running for mayor. That’s the second candidates event he missed, including the Antioch Chamber of Commerce debate on Thursday night, October 4.

Many of the questions at the forum boiled down to the high crime rate in Antioch and what the candidates would do about it if elected.

Candidates were asked question about police staffing and crime reduction, code enforcement and blight reduction and economic development and downtown revitalization.

Crime is a big problem in Antioch. On average you are almost twice as likely to become the victim of a violent crime in Antioch as you are in the rest of California. And according to a mid-year report by Antioch Police Chief Allan Cantando, the city’s crime rates have gone up in almost every category this year.

As far as blight is concerned, all of the candidates agreed that something needed to be done.

Current Mayor Jim Davis said that he has already made strides at reducing crime by recently hiring 5 new officers and community services officers, (CSO’s) as well as volunteers in police service, (VIPS).

Mary Rocha stressed that the crime rate wouldn’t drop until more officers were hired.

Noel Pinto was in favor of cutting non-critical expenditures and using the savings to create budget specifically to hire new police officers.

Walter Ruehlig and Don Freitas were in favor of a new sales tax to hire more officers, while Gary Agopian suggested we take a look at other similarly-sized cities in the state that have a low crime rate and potentially borrow some tried-and-true crime reducing methods from them.

Monica Wilson and most of the other candidates seemed very much in favor of community involvement in fighting crime. Wilson suggested boosting the amount of neighborhood watch programs to report suspicious activities and stop crime before it happens.

When it comes to blight reduction many of the candidates were in favor of cleaning up and going after the owners of the many abandoned homes in Antioch.

Ruehlig suggested educating kids about blight, enforcing maximum fines as a deterrent, and cleaning up freeway exits.

Wilson wants to institute volunteer clean-up programs and going after fining the owners of neglected houses.

Michael Leon was against raising taxes and wanted to find another way to fight crime, such as neighborhood watch programs.

Agopian wanted to increase the amount of CSO’s to go after negligent homeowners and reduce blight. He said if you reduce blight and clean up you will increase home sales and so provide more sorely needed property tax revenue for the city.

Freitas was also in favor of more CSO’s but also suggested using the city attorney to lean on negligent homeowners in order to force clean-up of dilapidated property.

Davis pointed out his fixing of Mike’s Auto Body as proof that he has worked to end blight in the past and wants to work on a towing program to prevent run down cars from just sitting in place.

Pinto agreed with Davis about ridding the city of abandoned cars but also called for community help to identify those responsible for dirtying up the city so they could be slapped with bigger fines and punished.

When it comes to developing and improving the economy, particularly in downtown Antioch all of the candidates were in favor of bringing new and bigger businesses to the city.

Freitas said that Antioch “desperately” needs to annex the property off o Wilbur to make room for a business park. He wants to fast track development to bring in more city revenue.

Leon, who is a business owner himself, said that Antioch is not business friendly. He said he tried to open his business there in 1996 but was so frustrated at the process that he went to Oakley instead. He wants to offer incentives to bring bigger businesses to Antioch.

Davis said that he has been working behind the scenes with Wal-Mart – and example he uses to show that he is business friendly. He wants to make Antioch open to all businesses.

Pinto said that if elected, he would create a “Delta Valley Joint Venture” that would work with neighboring cities to go after big businesses such as those in biotechnology. He said that jointly, the region could combine to become attractive to businesses.

Ruehlig wants Antioch to adopt a pro-business model that would enact new legislation in order to fast track business in the city.

Wilson said that Antioch needs to remove red tape and hire an economic director.

Agopian had a similar take. He wants to make changes that would fast track the business permit process because he said, “time is money.” He also was in favor of annexing the property off of Wilbur Road.