Walker expands lead over Motts in Council District 1;

Davis’ lead shrinks to 50 votes over Posada for Treasurer

By Allen Payton

In a surprise update on Tuesday afternoon posted on the Contra Costa Elections Division website, the race for Antioch City Clerk has flipped with Antioch School Board Trustee Ellie Householder pulling into the lead by just 30 votes, with 11,323 to incumbent Arne Simonsen’s 11,293 votes. She had previously conceded the election, last week, congratulating Simonsen on what was believed to be a victory. (Please see related article)

UPDATE: Asked if she was surprised by today’s update and if she wins will she step down from the school board, Householder responded, “I am happily surprised! And no, I won’t step down.” If Householder ends up winning, she will probably be the first elected official in Antioch history to hold two elected offices at the same time. (The Herald will have to research that).

However, not all the votes in the county have been counted, yet and another update is expected on Friday by 5:00 p.m. elections office staff told the Herald. Antioch Councilman and Mayor-elect Lamar Thorpe shared the figure of 10,000 votes left to be counted.

When reached for comment to confirm that figure Assistant Registrar of Voters, Scott Konopasek said, “we expect about 10,000 votes are left to be counted countywide for the whole election, plus about 5,000 provisionals.”

“The 10,000 are mostly ballots that are damaged that have to be duplicated,” he continued. “We’re getting ballots that were dropped off in other counties.”

Ballots can continue to arrive until November 20th and still be included in the county including military ballots.

“I’s not just military, it’s all ballots,” Konopasek said. “We aren’t going to report the provisionals until the 20th. They still have to be processed.”

“Then there are about 2,000 military ballots that were faxed to us, which have to be duplicated. But those are included in the 10,000,” he continued. “On the 20th, we will count all the provisionals and we should be 99.9% completed.”

Asked why the update today, Konopasek responded with a bit of joviality, “We’re taking tomorrow off for Veterans Day. I’m a veteran and I don’t work on Veterans Day!”

In the Antioch City Council District 1 race, newcomer Tamisha Walker expanded her lead to 191 votes over incumbent Joy Motts. Walker now has 2,788 votes over Motts’ 2,597. The head had previously been just 12 votes as of the first semi-official update last Friday afternoon. (See related article)

In the City Treasurer’s race, appointed incumbent Jim Davis’ lead was cut to just 50 votes over challenger Lauren Posada. It’s the second time the gap has closed, beginning with 1,075 votes difference as of Election Night, then down to 764 between the two as of last Friday’s update. Davis now has 20,679 votes to Posada’s 20,629.

No other significant changes occurred in the other races for Antioch City Council with Mike Barbanica’s lead over former Councilman Tony Tiscareno’s lead dropping by just six votes to now 666 in the District 2 race, and Councilwomen Lori Ogorchock and Monica Wilson winning handily in Districts 3 and 4, respectively. While Ogorchock’s lead dropped by 115 votes to just 550 over newcomer Nichole Gardner, Wilson increased her lead by 844 votes to 3,169 over Police Crime Prevention Commission Chair Sandra White in her first campaign for public office.

In the mayor’s race, Thorpe continued to increase his lead by another 1,080 votes over incumbent Dr. Sean Wright. The lead is now 4,569 votes, now with 19,363 for Thorpe to 14,794 for Wright.

“No (Antioch) mayoral candidate has won with more than 15,000 votes,” Thorpe mentioned.

So, three of the current incumbents will return for another term, Wilson for just two years as her seat will be up for election in 2022, as will the District 1 seat.

In the Antioch School Board races there were no changes, as Antonio Hernandez expanded his lead in Area 1 over incumbent Trustee and Board President Diane Gibson-Gray, and Clyde Lewis expanded his lead over incumbent Trustee Crystal Sawyer-White.

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Clerk, Treasurer races tighten; 70,000 ballots left to count in the county; next update Friday the 13th

By Allen Payton

In the Friday afternoon Semi-Official Results – Update #1 from the Contra Costa Elections Division, newcomer and challenger Tamisha Walker has overtaken first-term Councilwoman Joy Motts in the District 1 race for Antioch City Council. The latest count shows Walker with 2,247 votes to 2,235 for Motts. Former Antioch Mayor Pro Tem and current Planning Commissioner Manny Soliz, Jr. is in a close third place with 1,946 votes.

The previous update on Tuesday night at 11:44 p.m. had Motts in the lead by 50 votes with 1,563 votes to Walker’s 1,513.

In the City Clerk’s and Treasurer’s races the gaps between the incumbents and their challengers narrowed. Incumbent City Clerk Arne Simonsen saw his lead decrease from 526 votes to 398 on Friday, over Antioch School Board Trustee Ellie Householder. Dwayne Eubanks is still in a distant third at 6,291 votes behind Householder.

Householder congratulated Simonsen in a Facebook post on Wednesday afternoon in effect, conceding the race. However, in light of the latest results she was asked Friday evening if she is now thinking of reconsidering and hoping for a victory but. Householder responded, “Because of the way the numbers were trending on Tuesday, I am not expecting a win. While the new numbers look promising, with the number of remaining outstanding votes, I don’t see a path to victory. I will say, I am delighted at the overall voter turnout!”

Appointed incumbent City Treasurer Jim Davis saw his lead decrease from 1,075 votes on Tuesday night to 764 votes over newcomer and challenger Lauren Posada.

In the race for Mayor of Antioch, Councilman Lamar Thorpe increased his lead over incumbent Mayor Sean Wright by 3,489 votes expanding his lead by 1,241 votes since Tuesday night. Thorpe now has 16,169 votes to Wright’s 12,680. Julio Jesse Mendez, Gabriel Makinano and Rakesh Kumar Christian trail in distant third, fourth and fifth places with 3,484 votes, 2,941 votes and 1,220 votes, respectively. Thorpe currently has five more votes than Wright and Mendez combined.

In the District 2 Council race, Mike Barbanica’s lead over former Councilman Tony Tiscareno increased by 111 votes since Election Night, now with 4,528 to 3,856 votes.

In District 3, incumbent Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock increased her lead over newcomer and homeless advocate Nichole Gardner by 75 votes, with 3,842 to 3,177 votes. Parks & Recreation Commission Chair Marie Arce trails in third place by 1,069 votes with 2,108 followed by Administrative Appeals Board Member Antwon Webster with 1,700 votes.

In the District 4 race, two-term incumbent Councilwoman Monica Wilson still has almost double the votes her main challenger and Police Crime Prevention Commission Chair Sandra White has, at 5,408 votes to 2,723 expanding her lead by 698 votes since Tuesday night. Newcomer and zero-dollar campaign candidate Alex John Astorga, is in third place with 1,672 votes.

In the Antioch School Board races in Area 1, newcomer Antonio Hernandez expanded his lead over incumbent Board President Diane Gibson-Gray by 192 votes to 432, with a total of 2,279 to her 1,847 votes. Alexis Medina who dropped out of the race and gave her support to Hernandez is in third place with 1,100 votes trailed by the third newcomer and challenger George Young who is in fourth place with 818 votes.

Finally, in the Area 3 school board race, Dr. Clyde Lewis, Jr. also expanded his lead by 353 votes now leading incumbent Trustee Crystal-Sawyer White by 1,128 votes in his second try for the position. He now has 3,569 votes to her 2,441. In third place is Kenny Turnage with 1,621 votes.

Asked if she was ready to concede and congratulate Lewis now that his lead has increased, Sawyer-White did not respond before publication time.

Please check back later to her and Householder’s responses and any other updates to this report.

According to county Elections office staff there are about 70,000 ballots left to count in the county, including 65,000 vote-by-mail ballots and 5,000 provisionals. The next results update won’t occur until next Friday, November 13 at 5:00 p.m. You read that correctly – Friday the 13th!

Sandoval beating Enholm in college board Ward 5 seat; incumbent Gordon trailing former community college president Walters in Ward 2 seat;

Avila Farias leading incumbent in county Board of Education Area 3 race; incumbent Alleynne won’t claim victory yet in close race for Area 1

By Daniel Borsuk

Five-term Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors member Federal Glover won a sixth term of office on Tuesday, trouncing Contra Costa County Assessor Gus Kramer by almost two-to-one with 34,649 votes to 17,861 votes for Kramer, according to the latest update from the Contra Costa Elections Division.

Glover told the Herald: “I want to thank the people for this opportunity to serve. I have to recognize the hard work that the people on the ground put into my campaign.  I want to thank the people for their support for me over the years.”

Glover said he will work to provide the resources to “keep people safe from COVID-19.”

Over the upcoming four years Glover, a retired Dow Chemical worker who had served five years on the Pittsburg city council before starting his Board of Supervisors career, said he envisions the rollout of the Northern Waterfront Plan that will help ignite economic development along the county’s waterfront from Pinole to Oakley.

The supervisor said the recent announcement that Amazon will operate a 150,000 square foot operation at the Contra Costa Logistics Center in Oakley is a prime example of what the waterfront plan aims to create.  The Amazon Fulfillment Center will create more than 2,000 jobs.

Kramer, who is currently involved in a Superior Court case for “willful or corrupt misconduct for making unwelcome sexual comments to people in his office” told the Contra Costa Herald about his election defeat. “I wish Federal well.  I thought that the citizens of Contra Costa County deserved a choice and that I made that choice for them.”

The runoff election pitting Glover and Kramer was called when neither candidate mustered more than 50 percent of the vote in the March election when a third candidate, Martinez businessman and Planning Commissioner Sean Trambley also ran splitting the vote.

Sandoval Beating Enholm for Community College Board Seat Ward 5

In another election race, Fernando Sandoval in his second attempt is defeating two-term Contra Costa Community College District Board Ward 5 Commissioner Greg Enholm drawing 26,836 of the votes to 22,279 votes for Enholm.  Ward 5 includes Pittsburg, Oakley, and portions of Antioch, Brentwood, Byron, and Discovery Bay.

Sandoval, who campaigned for educational excellence and fiscal accountability, defeated the retired college professor Enholm. Sandoval said in a statement, “I’d like to acknowledge Greg Enholm for his service to the District.  I am grateful to all the voters and my supporters for helping me to achieve this victory!  I am excited to turn my policy platform of education equity, fiscal transparency, expansion of innovative online learning approaches and strengthening private/public partnerships into action. I plan to hold myself accountable to further these goals and to bring ‘Community’ back into the Community College District.  Our students, faculty, staff and residents deserve this type of leadership and I look forward to working with my fellow trustees to take our district to the next level of excellence.”

An enthusiastic Sandoval told the Herald he was happy with the results and thinks the gap in votes will be too much for Enholm to overtake him.

UPDATE: When reached for comment Enholm responded, “It is very clear to me that voters are expressing their frustration and even anger about colleges and schools not having in-person classes for students. Both College Board incumbents, both County Board of Education incumbents, and many school district (K-5, K-12, and high school) incumbents could lose when the final vote totals are released. None of us incumbents caused the pandemic and we all made difficult decisions to assure safety of our students, staffs, and visitors by minimizing the risk of illness or death from the coronavirus. The voters have the right to remove incumbents from office for any reasons they choose.”

Walters Beating Gordon for College Board Ward 2 Seat

Career community college professional Judy Walters of Martinez, won the Ward 5 seat to the Contra Costa Community College District, with 37,776 votes or 49.6 percent of the total votes cast for the seat held by incumbent Vicki Gordon of Martinez who has been on the College Board since 2012. She garnered 28,095 votes or 36.9%, so far.  John Michaelson also ran, collecting 10,270 votes for third place.

UPDATE: When reached for comment Walters responded Thursday night Nov. 5, “I am honored by the trust voters have placed in me to be their representative on the Contra Costa Community College Board.  As promised, I will lead with integrity and use my experience to ensure the educational excellence of our colleges while keeping student success at the core of my decision-making.”

Ward 2 encompasses Lafayette, Orinda, Walnut Creek, Martinez, Rodeo, Crockett, and parts of Alamo and Pleasant Hill.

County Board of Education Area 1 Race Too Close to Call

In the tight race for the Contra Costa County Board of Education Area 1 seat, incumbent Dr. Fatima Alleynne, had a narrow lead over challenger retired West Contra Costa Unified School District teacher Consuelo Lara, collecting 26,024 votes versus 25,586. “I do not feel comfortable claiming victory, as of yet,” she wrote in an email sent to the Herald. “Given the number of uncounted votes and how close the race is…I would prefer to wait for the process to conclude.”

The CCC Board of Education Area 1 includes Richmond, El Cerrito, Pinole, Crockett, and Hercules.

Farias Leading Incumbent Chavez for County Board of Education Area 3 Seat

In another County Board of Education race, AnaMarie Avila Farias was leading with 30,257 votes or 52.9 percent of the votes over incumbent Vicki Chavez with 26,871 votes for the Area 3 seat.  The Area 3 trustee represents Pacheco and parts of Clayton, Concord, Martinez, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, and Walnut Creek. The former Martinez councilwoman, Farias had previously run unsuccessfully for Supervisor against Federal Glover in 2016.

Next Election Results Update Friday at 5:00 PM

The Contra Costa Elections Division is continuing to count the ballots that arrived by yesterday and will continue to arrive for as long as 17 more days including today. They have 28 days to finish the count and certify the election. So, final results may be as much as four weeks away. The next update of results is expected this Friday at 5:00 p.m.

 

By Allen Payton

In the race for Antioch School Board in Areas 1 and 3, both incumbents, Board President Diane Gibson-Gray seeking her third term, and Trustee Crystal Sawyer-White seeking her second, were trailing their first-place challengers. Newcomer Antonio Hernandez is in the lead in Area 1 by 240 voted with 1,579 votes to Gibson-Gray’s 1,339 and in Area 3 Lewis is ahead of Sawyer-White by 775 votes, as of the 11:44 p.m. Election Night update from the Contra Costa Elections office.

In a distant third place in Area 1 is Alexis Medina who dropped out of the race, but so far has 755 votes followed by another newcomer George Young with 548. In Area 3 former Antioch Planning Commission Chair Kenny Turnage is in third place with 1,167 votes trailing Sawyer-White by 657 votes.

Lewis posted on his Facebook Wednesday morning, “I was humbled to learn (this morning) that I had in fact won my race for Antioch School Board District 3, as last night I intentionally turned off all media and headed to bed by 8 30pm. Wow I’m still in shock.

I would like to begin today by thanking my family, friends, neighbors and community members for your wonderful support through this race. You are all awesome! This race was by no means a walk in the park.

It is said that a person is judged by their competition and both of you worked hard during this campaign and in that spirit, I would like to thank Ken Turnage II and Crystal White for a mostly clean race. I’m looking forward to working with everyone to bring the changes needed to support our kiddos, our schools and our community.

Now that the race is over and many on the campaign ran on creating unity, let’s keep that spirit and bring the supports needed to push #Antioch to where it needs to be.

Again, thank you for your support…now the work begins…

#TrusteeDrClydeLewis  #LetsGetToWork  #CommunityBuilding”

On his Facebook page on Wednesday morning, Turnage posted a congratulatory message to Lewis writing, “I would like to thank everyone who helped and gave support to my campaign it was very much appreciated. I would also like to congratulate Clyde Lewis on his victory in the School Board Race. I am sure he will do a good job for our students!” Turnage, in his humorous style later posted, “In true Mission Impossible fashion, this Facebook page will self destruct in 48 hours….Que(ue) Music!”

No message was posted by Sawyer-White on either of her Facebook pages nor did she call Lewis to concede the election or congratulate him. But Lewis said he did receive a call from Trustee Ellie Householder congratulating him.

Area 1 Race

Hernandez posted a semi-victory message on his campaign Facebook page Wednesday morning, writing, “We did it! The election night results are showing that when all is done I am likely to be the Antioch Unified School District Area 1 Trustee!

I am so thankful for all the support that I received. It’s not often that people like me run for local office. I grew up in low income household and was a first-generation college student. With 70% of our students on free/reduced lunch, I have been in the shoes of our students. I am excited to get to work on addressing the challenges that these students face and creating equity.

This race was not easy, it pushed me harder than I ever could have imagined. Thank you for making this such an exciting race Diane Gibson-Gray, Georgeyoung4change, and Alexis Medina. I know that we’ll continue to see your leadership and service here in Antioch, we’ll need it!

There are countless people to thank for this outcome including many family and friends, but I want to give a shout out to my campaign manager and political mastermind, José Parra.

Let’s get to work!”

Gibson-Gray posted a concession message to Hernandez on her Facebook page Wednesday morning writing, “Congratulations Antonio Hernandez Trustee Elect for AUSD District 1. Thank you everyone who provided friendship and support over the years. Diane”

In a post on his Facebook page Wednesday morning Young wrote, “Congratulations to Clyde Lewis (Area 3) and Antonio Hernandez (Area 1) for winning the school board race. I look forward to working with both of you over the next few years to make the needed changes in the Antioch Unified Schools.”

Next Update Friday at 5:00 PM

The Contra Costa Elections Division is continuing to count the ballots that arrived by yesterday and will continue to arrive for as long as 17 more days including today. They have 28 days to finish the count and certify the election. So, final results may be as much as four weeks away. The next update of results is expected this Friday at 5:00 p.m.

Davis winning Treasurer’s race, Simonsen leads in squeaker for City Clerk, the moot Measure T winning overwhelmingly

By Allen Payton

It appears enough voters in Antioch are satisfied with the work of the current council members as all five incumbers are either currently in the lead in their respective races or placed second in the case of the mayor’s race. as of the 11:44 p.m. Election Night update from the Contra Costa Elections office.

Mayor’s Race

Although there are still thousands of ballots left to be counted, Councilman Lamar Thorpe has a commanding lead over incumbent Mayor Sean Wright and three other challengers in the race for Mayor of Antioch. Thorpe currently has 11,442 votes to Wright’s 9,194 votes.

Julio Jesse Mendez is in a distant third place with 2,392 votes, followed by Gabe Makinano with 2,014 and Rakesh Kumar Christian with 908 votes. But combined those only total 25,950 votes while in 2016, the last presidential election year, there were 33,436 votes cast in the mayor’s race and more voters were expected to turn out in this year’s election. The county Elections Division has 28 days to finish counting all the ballots and certify the results. Plus, based on state law mail-in ballots postmarked by yesterday have up to 17 days to be received to still be counted. However, a 2,248-vote gap will most likely be difficult for Wright to close.

When reached for comment late Tuesday night, Thorpe said, “I want to thank the voters of Antioch for a very decisive victory. They are clear they want us to house homeless people. They are clear they want something done on police reform and they want more investment in youth programs.”
“Antioch is now the second largest city in Contra Costa County and its time for our government to act like it. We need to lead by example,” he continued. “We need to come up with solutions so we can start to be a leader in the region and frankly throughout the county.”

“I look forward to working with all council members and all residents to solve the challenges we face, whether they voted for me or not,” Thorpe added.

He also shared that Wright called him last night and conceded the race.

Council Races

In the races for city council, newcomer Mike Barbanica is beating former Councilman Tony Tiscareno in District 2 by 561 votes. When reached for comment, Tuesday night, Barbanica responded, “I appreciate the support of the residents of District 2 and I will work very hard at getting Antioch Back On Track,” repeating his campaign theme.

In a post on his Facebook page Wednesday morning Tiscareno wrote, “Congratulations to all who prevailed in the Antioch City Council and School Board last night. I had the great opportunity to serve our community for 6 years and I’m proud of the work we did during that time. Now it’s time for the new council to continue to move forward. Antioch voices were heard and now it’s time for us to support our leaders. Best of luck to all.”

He later added, “No sulking here, I want to thank my great friend Charlie Richard for his support and loyalty to my campaign, family and most importantly for our love of our labor movement.”

In District 1, incumbent Councilwoman Joy Motts is barely beating newcomer and challenger Tamisha Walker by just 50 votes. Former Antioch Mayor Pro Tem and Councilman Manny Soliz, Jr. is trailing Walker by 183 votes. Only 4,406 votes have been counted so far in that district. So, the race is too close to call. The winner will only serve a two-year term and will have to run again in 2022 after the district lines are redrawn, next year.

In a post on her campaign Facebook page Wednesday afternoon Walker wrote, “We are currently only 50 votes behind! This election is not over till every vote is counted!  We are in this together Antioch!”

In the District 3 race, incumbent Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock is most likely headed for re-election to her second full term, having been re-elected in 2018 leading all three of her challengers with 2,796 votes. Newcomer Nichole Gardner is second place with 2,206 votes, trailing Ogorchock by 590 votes out of a total of 7,717 votes cast in the race. Parks & Recreation Commission Chair Marie Arce is in third place with 1,507 trailing Gardner by 699 votes and newcomer Antwon Webster is in fourth place with 1,208 votes, trailing Arce by 299 votes.

UPDATE: In a post on his personal Facebook page late Wednesday night Webster conceded writing, “It has been awesome running for City Council. I appreciate and would like to thank all my supporters and those who voted for me. The campaign team put in many hours going door to door with me and I truly appreciate their commitment. There is still work that needs to be done in order to move Antioch forward. I will continue to be a voice for the residents and speak up when a voice is needed. Cleaning up the city can still be done by holding our City Council accountable for the blight that surrounds us. I will remain engaged in economic development issues and support their survival and success. Regardless of the final outcome of the Mayors race, we must not lose faith in the fact that we, the residents of Antioch, have a voice and will be heard. Let’s stay positive and be wise in our decision making.”

Finally, in District 4, running for her third term on the council, incumbent Councilwoman Monica Wilson, with more than a majority of the votes at 55.39%, has a commanding lead over first-time candidate and Police Crime Prevention Commission Chair Sandra White by more than double. Wilson has 3,930 votes to White’s 1,943. The third candidate in the race, Alex John Astorga who spent no money to campaign is trailing White by 721 votes with 1,222. Whoever wins the election will have to run again in two years, following redistricting. Depending on how the new district lines are drawn, since the growth in the city has mainly been south and east, and Wilson lives on the northwest edge of the district, that may end up causing her to have to move to seek re-election should she win.

In a brief post on her Facebook page last night, Wilson wrote, “OMG! Thank You Antioch!”

City Treasurer & Clerk

In the race for City Treasurer, appointed incumbent Jim Davis with 12,916 votes is beating challenger Lauren Posada by 1,075 votes who has 11,841. In the Clerk’s race, incumbent Arne Simonsen has a smaller lead of just 526 votes over Antioch School Board Trustee Ellie Householder. He has 10,165 votes to her 9,639. Police Crime Prevention Commissioner Dwayne Eubanks is in a distant third place with 5,149 votes. With the remaining ballots left to count, the results in both races are still in question.

UPDATE In a post on her Facebook page Wednesday afternoon Householder conceded the election writing, “First of all, I want to thank all of you who exercised your civic duty and voted. I also want to express my immense gratitude towards my supporters; our numbers were superb. This race was unlike anything we’ve ever seen and even though we did not get the results that we hoped for there is still a lot to celebrate. Lastly, I would like to congratulate Arne Simonsen, MMC – Antioch City Clerk on his win and all of the other amazing folx [sic] who were elected in Antioch last night.”

Householder currently has 934 more votes than the 8,705 she garnered in her race for school board in 2018, a non-presidential election with a lower voter turnout than is expected this year.

Measure T

In spite of the fact the initiative is moot and can’t go into effect, with the passage of new state law known as SB-330 Housing Crisis Act of 2019, the voters of Antioch overwhelmingly voted to downzone private property owned by four landowners by over 97% and attempted to stop the 877 homes left to be allocated by passing Measure T, the Let Antioch Voters Decide: The Sand Creek Area Protection Initiative by 20,166 votes in favor or 77.67% to just 5,435 votes against or 21.33%

So, while the voters are telling the council they don’t want more homes in the undeveloped land in the Sand Creek area, the council will have to ignore that message and comply with state law by approve the new homes in the plans for any subdivision project submitted between now and January 2025 that complies with the city’s General Plan. If not, the city will face a minimum fine by the state of $10,000 per housing unit proposed in the development.

Next Results Update Friday at 5:00 PM

The Contra Costa Elections Division is continuing to count the ballots that arrived by yesterday and will continue to arrive for as long as 17 more days including today. They have 28 days to finish the count and certify the election. So, final results may be as much as four weeks away. The next update of results is expected this Friday at 5:00 p.m.

ENDORSEMENTS in 2020 Antioch Elections

Recommends:

Read the endorsement editorial for Antioch Mayor and Council, here.

Read the endorsement editorial for Antioch City Clerk and Treasurer, here.

Read the endorsement editorial for Antioch School Board candidates, here.

See the editorial encouraging a No vote on Measure T, here.

For more information see the No on Measure T page, here.

By Allen Payton

Throughout this year’s campaigns for what are supposed to be non-partisan offices, partisan politics have been injected repeatedly, resulting in hypocritical accusations by one candidate and complaints by the county’s Democratic Party and its leader, Maria Alegria. In one email she attacked the county’s Republican Party, the Antioch Police Officers Association, and one candidate for Antioch City Council.

In an email sent out by candidate for Antioch mayor, Lamar Thorpe on Oct. 10, he complained that his opponent, incumbent Mayor Sean Wright’s campaign had put out a mailer to Democrats writing, “WOW!!! Last week TRUMP REPUBLICAN candidates like my opponent Mayor Sean Wright wanted you to believe they were Democrats. They are not.” (See related article)

Yet, in a mailer received in October, Thorpe’s name and information appear on a Republican slate mailer, which his campaign paid to be on, along with Monica Wilson who is running for re-election to the Antioch City Council for a third term, and Antioch School Board Trustee Crystal Sawyer-White running for a second term, both of whom are registered Democrats.

In fact, Sawyer-White wrote on her Facebook page about one of her opponents, Dr. Clyde Lewis, Jr. that someone named Debra should vote for her because he’s a Republican. Lewis is actually an independent, registered Decline To State.

County Democratic Party Leader Decounces “Misleading Campaign Mailers”

In an email on Oct. 22, María Alegría, Chair of the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County (DPCCC), “representing over 360,000 registered voters in Contra Costa County,” denounced what she labeled as “misleading campaign mailers targeting endorsed Democratic candidates and voters.”

“In one of the most consequential elections for our nation, the Contra Costa Republican Party, their candidates and allies including the Antioch Police Officers’ Association, are spinning their own fake news aimed at confusing and deceiving voters. With mailers filled with smears, lies and unauthorized use of our official logo, they have attacked Democratic candidates and targeted Democratic voters to intentionally mislead them. We cannot stand by and let our democratic process be hijacked by unethical candidates, political consultants and groups that will stop at nothing to protect and serve their own power and self-interest.

These attack pieces are showing up in the cities of Antioch, Hercules, San Pablo and Walnut Creek. I urge voters to reject this type of political propaganda which disparages and maligns our candidates and undermines voter confidence,” says DPCCC Chair María Alegría.

The Democratic Party of Contra Costa County (DPCCC) has a lengthy endorsement process that includes a questionnaire and interview for Democratic candidates.  The DPCCC endorsement also carries the endorsement seal of the California Democratic Party.

“Voters are tired of politicians and their consultants engaging in this kind of deceitful campaigning.”  I encourage every voter to research the candidates before voting. Voters deserve to know the truth and have access to good information.”  To learn more about the DPCCC’s endorsed candidates visit www.contracostadems.com.

In another email from Alegría on Oct. 13 she wrote that she denounced a “misleading campaign mailer by Mike Barbanica, a candidate for Antioch City Council, District 2.”

“In one of the most consequential national elections for Democrats, Mike Barbanica sent out a misleading mailer with his photo alongside Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris, and a headline ‘Let’s Do This’,” the press release reads.

“The Democratic Party of Contra Costa County (DPCCC) has a lengthy endorsement process that includes a questionnaire and interview for Democratic candidates.  The DPCCC endorsement also carries the endorsement seal of the California Democratic Party. The DPCCC endorsed candidate for Antioch City Council District 2 is Tony Tiscareno.

Tiscareno has also earned the endorsement of the Contra Costa Young Democrats and the Marsh Creek Democratic Club.  Tiscareno was endorsed by his peers because he embraces our ideals including eliminating inherent bias in city policies, addressing homelessness, and encouraging economic development and the creation of good-paying jobs for local residents.

I encourage every voter to do their research on candidates before voting.  Voters are tired of politicians engaging in this kind of deceitful campaigning.”  To learn more about the DPCCC’s endorsed candidates visit www.contracostadems.com.”

No Proof Provided

However, when asked for a copy of the Barbanica mailer, Alegria responded “I will look for it,” but never provided one. Asked if the party also denounced Wright, who is a registered Republican, and Antioch Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock, who is a registered member of the American Independent Party, the old George Wallace party, and running for re-election in District 3, for their mailers to Democrats, Alegria responded, “I issued a statement on the DPCCC’s official (Facebook) page.”

However, it was a broad statement not mentioning either mailer from Wright’s or Ogorchock’s campaigns.

Alegria was also asked to provide the other mailers she referred to but didn’t. However, the mailer sent out by Wright’s campaign had been included in a previous Herald article.

In addition, Ogorchock’s campaign sent out a mailer that was shared with the Herald, showing her photo next to photos of both Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris with the words, “LET’S DO THIS on NOVEMBER 3rd!” and “Why Antioch Democrats are Voting for Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock.”

Republicans Also Endorse in Non-Partisan Races

The county Republicans have also endorsed candidates in Antioch races, including Wright for Mayor, Arne Simonsen for re-election as City Clerk and George Young for Antioch School Board in Area 1. A graphic posted on the Contra Costa County Republican Party’s website also takes a swipe at 12 candidates for local office in Antioch which reads, “Don’t vote for these Democratic Socialists” and includes a photo of Bernie Sanders and a quote of  him, “Many of the ideas we fought for, that just a few years ago were considered radical, are now mainstream.”

Matt Shupe, Chairman of the county party was asked why the party is endorsing in non-partisan races and why the party would label Sandra White, who is running for the Antioch City Council in District 4 against incumbent Wilson, a Democratic Socialist when she’s rather conservative being pro-police and pro-business and if anyone from the party had spoken with her.

“I love supporting good, local Republicans,” He responded. “If you’re a Bay Area politician or candidate who is a Democrat in 2020, but is pro-business, pro-police, and anti-socialism you’re either registered with the wrong party or only registered as a Democrat thinking it will help you get elected. We’re happy to reregister you and join the thousands of Contra Costa Dems who have done so this year.”

In response, White, who is a registered Democrat, said she votes independently for the individual not the party.

Endorsed Democrats Versus Other Democratic Candidates

In a Sept. 19 post on the East Contra Costa Democratic Club’s Facebook page, a graphic was posted showing endorsements for seven local candidates, including four in Antioch races. It was posted again on Oct. 8 and 11 that reads, “East County Democrats Support & Endorse”.

In a post on Sunday, Oct. 26 on the county Democratic Party’s Facebook page it reads, “Hey Antioch – here are your REAL endorsed Democrat candidates for City offices!” and includes a graphic that shows photos of six Antioch candidates for mayor, city council and city clerk that the Democratic Central Committee has endorsed in this year’s elections. The graphic reads “Antioch’s Real Democrats”. One of the photos is of Tamisha Walker who is running against incumbent Joy Motts who is also a Democrat, according to texts sent out to Antioch residents supporting her campaign.

Antioch Resident Doesn’t Like Partisan Texts

In a message to the Herald on Oct. 5, Antioch resident Garrett Bruce wrote about text messages he had received including one for Joy Motts from State Senator Steve Glazer, Supervisor Federal Glover and Councilman Lamar Thorpe.

“I have received an email from Ellie Householder and Lamar Thorpe’s text for another candidate,” Bruce wrote. “These are really non-partisan positions and why would one candidate only send to certain people? They are only directed at Dems and not all.”

He then received another message on Oct. 29, from a Chicago telephone number, asking him to vote for Joy Motts that reads she’s a “lifelong Antioch resident and Democrat.”

What Secretary of State Says

On the California Secretary of State’s website regarding Non-Partisan Offices in the state, which is referring to the statewide position of Superintendent of Public Instruction and county offices, it reads:

“Non-Partisan Offices

Political parties are not entitled to nominate candidates for nonpartisan offices at the primary election, and a candidate at the primary election is not the official nominee of any party for the specific office at the general election. A candidate for nomination to a nonpartisan office may not designate his or her party preference, or lack of party preference, on the ballot. The top two vote-getters at the primary election move on to the general election for the nonpartisan office.”

However, that doesn’t prevent candidates for non-partisan office from receiving and announcing partisan endorsements or mentioning their party affiliation. It’s just not listed on the ballot.

The election is tomorrow.

 

Lists seven accusations against him, including the charge Kramer is currently facing in court; claims he’s guilty although trial just began last week

“There’s nothing in the county’s accusation of sexual harassment. But rather ‘inappropriate behavior’. Period.” – Gus Kramer

Claims timing connected to revelation of county overpaying for Motel 6 in Pittsburg for homeless program

By Allen Payton

In a late campaign attack email sent by the Federal Glover for Supervisor 2020 campaign using the address “communityleaders@federalglover.com” on Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31 it shows copies of a mailer sent out previously, referring to his opponent, Gus Kramer, as “Bad Boy Assessor” and listing the charges one of which he’s currently facing in court. It’s most of the same information Glover’s campaign also emailed out on Oct. 20.

The subject line of the first email read, “Why we CANNOT vote for Gus Kramer – Who does this to women and remains in public office?” in an attempt to convict Kramer before his trial has concluded. That email also included the following comment by Pittsburg Councilwoman Merle Craft:

It then shows three part of the mailer with seven women, including Craft, Antioch Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock, Pinole Mayor Pro Tem Norma Martinez-Rubin and former Hercules Mayor Myrna De Vera, making various accusations against Kramer.

The second email included the following statement and quote of the endorsement editorial by Dan Borenstein of the East Bay Times:

In an email on Sept. 16 sent out by Pittsburg “Councilmember Holland Barrett White” using the same email address, and also paid for by the Glover campaign, the subject line reads, “Misconduct, Sexual Harrassment – Why Gus Kramer isn’t fit for office”, also claiming Kramer is guilty before his trial began. That email then included Borenstein’s entire endorsement editorial.

At the bottom of each email they read, “Paid for by Federal Glover for Supervisor 2020 – ID No 991595”.

Kramer Responds

“Sounds like attempted jury influencing,” Kramer said when reached for comment. “Or jury tampering, seriously and if anyone knows better it’s Federal Glover. Considering what his campaign is doing is a felony, this would not be his first felony.”

“He should condemn his campaign people for their blatantly immoral, illegal act trying to influence,” Kramer continued. “He should be standing up and apologizing for such an egregious act.”

“In 2018 when the Grand Jury was investigating the whole case, Borenstein wrote an editorial calling for my resignation,” Kramer explained. “Then that was sent to the Grand Jury Alumni Association which in turn sent out a newsletter with Borenstein’s editorial in it, verbatim highlighting all the action words such as ‘expunge’ and ‘sexual harassment’ that went to every Contra Costa Grand Jury member.”

“It was the most blatant attempt at jury influencing. I was so shocked. I sent DA Becton a letter about it and she did not respond or do anything about it,” he continued. “This type of thing Federal is doing now, is typical of their strong-arm tactics that Federal and his allies are known for.”

“The Times has been on Glover’s side and protecting him for re-election for years,” Kramer said. “Two years ago, Borenstein wrote an editorial that I should be removed from office claiming I was accused of sexual harassment when that was not true. I was accused of inappropriate conversations.”

“In this whole case, no one had any sex, he explained. “I never asked anyone out to dinner, coffee, lunch, anything. I never attempted to touch, kiss or hug anybody. I never used any bad words. I never described any body parts or functions. Yet, here we are, today because Margaret Eychner and her posse of friends from the Assessor’s Office conspired to weaponize the ‘metoo’ movement to get me to retire mid-term so she could be appointed by the Board of Supervisors as Assessor. There’s documented testimony on her part and on her supervisor’s part that saying that which has come out in court in the last three days. It’s a matter of court record.”

“I wrote a letter to the editor telling them they better retract it or I will sue them,” Kramer said.

“I wrote a letter to the editor telling them they better retract it or I will sue them,” Kramer said. “On Sept. 6 they did. They retracted it. But they put it on page four or six on the lower left corner and the print was so small, smaller than their regular type, the size of a legal notice. They called it a correction, not a retraction.”

“There’s nothing in the county’s accusation of sexual harassment. But rather ‘inappropriate behavior’. Period,” he stated.

Claims Supervisors Withheld Evidence From Grand Jury

“The Board of Supervisors wouldn’t release to the Grand Jury the two reports done by two separate attorneys hired by the county to investigate the allegations,” Kramer claimed. “But they’ve been released in court, now. Both reports state that there was lack of any evidence of sexual harassment. They knew that if the Grand Jury would read them that they would not have pursued the accusation.”

“In addition, Nakano, the Grand Jury foreman, demonstrated his prejudice early on, and then later when he destroyed notes and recordings of their secret proceedings on the case that would have exonerated me,” he continued.

“The only thing the county and Board released to the Grand Jury were “some screenshots of texting that were cut and pasted out of context.” One of the two women who is accusing Kramer did not supply the entire thread of the texts.

“When the reports from the private investigators are finally made public, which the Board of Supervisors commissioned and now are in court, they, the County Civil Grand Jury, the East Bay Times and the District Attorney will be dutifully embarrassed,” Kramer said. “And they will owe me, and more importantly the citizens of Contra Costa County, a huge apology for this wonton waste of public funds for this malicious prosecution of your county Assessor who has been working hard for you.”

“They are also wasting the court’s time, which is backed up and unnecessarily exposing hundreds of people to COVID-19, to draw a jury, while this pandemic is going on,” he continued. “It just shows how desperate the Board of Supervisors are to get me out of office, and the conspiracy they’re pursuing with the District Attorney that is totally irresponsible.”

“They’re spending when all the Board has to do is they made a mistake, admit they violated the Brown Act and say they were sorry. I’m not looking for money,” Kramer said, referring to his own lawsuit against the county. “They’ve spent over $200,000 which is the cost of one Deputy Sheriff and one clerk. Because the Board is lying and conspiring behind closed doors, even though a violation of the Brown Act is not even a misdemeanor, it’s an infraction. But, once the Board conspired collectively to cover up the violation, and to spend public money to cover it up it immediately becomes a felony and a RICO violation added to the charge. The FBI should be in there investigating this.”

“Something that will come out in court, beginning tomorrow is the fact that Eychner got really upset and started complaining about me, when she admitted, actually bragged to multiple people in the office, that she had not one, but two married boyfriends, not referring to me,” he continued. “One of her boyfriends was a big, union rep and the other was a local elected official, and she got caught by their wives and she was all bummed about it, that she got caught. That will come out in court as all the people in the office are going to testify about this next week.

“The reason Glover sent out that email on Saturday, is in response to the fact I called him out for overspending by $4 to $5 million on the Motel 6 in Pittsburg to use for the homeless, which wasn’t publicly known until they released the appraisal this past week,” Kramer added. “That’s also a RICO violation as a waste of taxpayer funds. The Grand Jury should be all over that, too.” (See related article)

Kramer shared more in an Oct 15th post on his campaign website.

District 5 (V on the map, below) includes portions of Antioch, and most or portions of the other communities along Highway 4 in the northern part of the county. The election is Tuesday.