Moved back to Antioch two months ago, but has lived in the city for over half her life.

By Allen Payton

Questions have arisen about the possible conflict of interest of the candidate for Antioch City Treasurer, Lauren Posada, who is challenging appointed incumbent Jim Davis in the November election, because she works in the City of Antioch Finance Department. But City Attorney Thomas Smith says there isn’t a conflict of interest and she can run.

When asked to verify that, she responded, “yes, I work for the finance department in (the) City of Antioch. I’ll been there five years next month and have received all approvals to run for treasurer, including the City Attorney. I got the green light last Friday (July 31).”

Questions were sent to City Attorney Smith and City Finance Director Dawn Merchant asking for confirmation of what Posada shared and the relationship the City Treasurer has with the department.

In response Smith wrote, “The City Treasurer is an elected office, and under the law, any resident of Antioch who is registered to vote in the city may run for that office, including an employee of the City.  The duties of the City Treasurer are set forth in the California Government Code and include ensuring that city funds are properly deposited and invested, sign warrants and submit monthly reports.  On the other hand, the duties of the City Finance Department are much broader in range, including preparation of the City budget, utility billing and collection of fees, issuance of business licenses, and general fiscal operations, etc.  If Ms. Posada is elected City Treasurer, the City Council may consider whether the compensation and/or benefits for the City Treasurer position should be adjusted.”

Davis shared that he as City Treasurer, is the custodian of the field checks each month and “those checks come back through Lauren’s accounts payable to pay them, including bills for the various departments.”

An email was then sent to Merchant asking about Posada’s duties and if there would be any overlap with the responsibilities of the City Treasurer.

The following questions were asked: “How much and in what ways do you and your department work with the City Treasurer?” and “is Mrs. Posada a full-time employee?”

Merchant responded with, “Ms. Posada is a full-time employee.  Ms. Posada does not pay the Field Checks.  Field Checks are manual/hand checks written by various authorized City employees to pay vendors for goods or services under $200.00.  A carbon copy of those checks are returned by employees to our accounting department for review of account accuracy and adequate documentation.  Ms. Posada then enters the field check data into the City’s General Ledger after accountant review so that they are properly recorded and accounted for.  As far as the various bills of the City, all invoices are first reviewed by whatever department purchased the good or service.  They are then approved by the authorized supervisor, manager or department head.  Ms. Posada then enters those approved payments into the accounts payable system for processing.  Her batches are then reviewed by the accountants before final payment can be made.”

Davis also broached the subject about Posada’s residency, claiming she’s only lived in Antioch for two months. When asked if that was true, if she moved away and recently moved back and how long she lived outside of Antioch, Posada responded, “yes, that’s correct. I’ve lived in Antioch for roughly 16 years throughout the course of my life, which is over half. My parents occasionally moved away but we always came back to Antioch.”

She then also shared, “I was born in Antioch (literally at Walnut Creek Kaiser), until I was around two-years-old, moved back from 2nd-10th grade, moved back in 2013 and my husband and I sold our home in 2015. Moved back in 2020. So, it’s been five years.”

On her campaign Facebook page earlier this week, Posada wrote, “Hello Residents of Antioch! This is just the beginning of my page and I look forward to sharing my heart with you concerning Antioch and why I made the decision to run for Treasurer.” She is married to Will and they have two children.

Davis was appointed City Treasurer by the city council in 2018 filling the vacancy left by former City Treasurer Donna Conley, and this is his first time running for election to the position. He is a former Antioch Mayor and Councilman. This would be Posada’s first time in elected office should she win. The election is on November 3.

Thorpe qualifies for mayor making it four challengers for Wright

By Allen Payton

According to Antioch City Clerk Arne Simonsen, two candidates had less than 20 valid signatures and failed to qualify for their races in Antioch. La Donna Norman failed to qualify to run for City Council in District 1 and Beverley Beckman failed to qualify to run for Mayor. That leaves three candidates remaining in the District 1 race and four challengers in the mayor’s race, including Antioch Councilman Lamar Thorpe who qualified, as of today, Monday, August 10, 2020 and will face incumbent Mayor Sean Wright in the November election.

After switching from running for re-election, on his city council Facebook page on Friday, Thorpe posted a video of his candidate’s oath of office and wrote, “At City Hall taking oath of candidacy for my campaign for Mayor of Antioch. Been taking the oath to defend the US Constitution since I first joined the US NAVY in 2000!”

On his campaign Facebook page on August 4, Wright wrote, “So honored to turn in my official papers today to file for re-election as your Mayor. We have many challenges ahead, including this pandemic. I am ready, with your support, to move Antioch forward.”’

Antioch Councilwoman Joy Motts now faces just two challengers in her race for re-election, former Antioch Mayor Pro Tem and current Planning Commissioner, Manny Soliz and non-profit executive Tamisha Walker. On her city council Facebook page on August 5, she wrote, “My friends, I’m excited to announce I have officially filed to run for re-election to the City Council in District 1. Campaigning during COVID will be interesting. Please let me know if I can count on your support!”

In the District 3 council race, homeless advocate Nichole Gardner qualified, as did Antioch Parks and Recreation Commission Chair, Marie Arce.

The focus of Gardner’s campaign will be on homelessness in Antioch. On campaign Facebook page on Friday she wrote:

Today was an exciting day for me. I pulled my nomination papers to run for Antioch City Council District 3. I have so many reasons why I wanted to join this race but over the last year and a half I have not only been advocating for our homeless brothers and sisters on our streets but for the community members who have been affected by homelessness every single day. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that simply feeding people and giving them necessities such as toiletries, blankets, etc. isn’t enough. I have been advocating at city council meetings for a year and a half. Not missing a single meeting. Since my advocacy started, I participated and gathered members in the community to come together for the Ad Hoc Committee on Homelessness to discuss issues surrounding homelessness, I have worked with Public works, the city manager and council members to assist my organization with encampment clean-ups and cleanups in our shopping centers, and have also worked with business owners and listened to their pleas about how garbage and our unhoused in front of their buildings have negatively affected their businesses. I have worked and done my research for years to bring our community together and break many of those stereotypes that some have about homelessness.

The city initially told the advocates that they didn’t have anything to do with homeless services (that it was a County issue.) I never gave up. I kept showing up. The city has since put over $500,000 towards homeless services, $150,000 for a homeless coordinator, they worked with us to put dumpsters and porta potties around the city to deal with garbage and to give the homeless on our streets dignity by having a place to use the restroom, and they are currently working on leasing a motel in the city for homeless families.

Homelessness is a major problem in our city. I am doing this for every single person who has cried on my shoulder after having everything they own taken from them. I’m doing this for our brothers and sisters who have died on our streets in the cold. I am doing this for those who think there is no way out and just need a helping hand to get back on their feet. I’m doing this for those who have said they need mental health, job opportunities and access to rehab for their issues. I’m doing this for those who I have had to pass on the streets in the pouring rain, feeling hopeless because there was nowhere for them to go. I’m doing this for the veterans, the over 300 kids in our school system, for the families, disabled and elderly people on our streets. I love each and every one of you. From the bottom of my heart, THIS FIGHT IS FOR YOU!

Gardner works as an Administrative Assistant for the Los Medanos Community Healthcare District in Pittsburg, where Thorpe is Executive Director, but her ballot designation according to the report by the Contra Costa Elections office,  she lists herself as a Nonprofit Executive Director, referring to Facing Homelessness, which she formed in 2016 and obtained its non-profit status in 2018. It has the same name as an organization in Seattle, but is not affiliated. Gardner’s local organization has a Facebook page entitled Facing Homelessness in Antioch.

Gardner was elected to the Contra Costa County Democratic Central Committee in March and is running for the non-partisan council seat in that role according to her campaign logo posted on Facebook. During protests in Antioch, this year, Gardner has also advocated for defunding the police and re-allocating some of the budget spent on police to other programs, such as for youth.

She opposes placing sworn police officers as School Resource Officers on Antioch school campuses. In a July 25 post on her campaign Facebook page Gardner wrote, “This is crazy to me as a mom of two boys in AUSD. City/School Board leaders are proposing adding cops to our school campuses at a cost of $3 million dollars. We can’t afford to give students laptops, but we can afford to hire cops for empty campuses? Tell city council to vote NO on Agenda item 4!!!”

Then, in a post on her campaign Facebook page on Sunday Gardner wrote, “Students held a rally for ‘counselors, not cops’ on Friday after the City Council and School board voted to spend close to $1 million annually to reinstate cops on school campuses. This comes after the school board made $1.8 million (incl. 28 positions) in cuts. I am so proud of our youth. They have been organizing and demonstrating all over the city for what they believe in. As a mother of 2 boys in AUSD, I’m encouraged by our youth using their voices at city council and school board meetings to champion change. Whether we agree with them or not (in this case I do agree with the), it is important for us to nourish their civic participation and lift up their voices.”

According to Simonsen’s final report, issued today, Monday, August 10, 2020, the following Antioch residents have qualified and will appear on the November 3rd ballot. The Secretary of State’s randomized alphabet drawing for ballot placement will take place on August 13th.

Mayor

Sean Wright

Julio Mendez

Rakesh Kumar Christian

Gabriel Makinano

Lamar Thorpe

Council District 1

Joyann Motts

Manuel Soliz

Tamisha Walker

Council District 2

Tony Tiscareno

Michael Barbanica

Council District 3

Lori Ogorchock

Antwon Webster

Marie Arce

Nichole Gardner

Council District 4

Sandra White

Monica Wilson

Alex Astorga

City Treasurer

James Davis

Lauren Posada

City Clerk

Arne Simonsen

Ellie Householder

Dwayne Eubanks

To see the final list of candidates for all city and Antioch School Board races visit the Antioch Herald Election 2020 website page.

 

By Allen Payton

More candidates entered the race, filed or qualified to run for the 10 Antioch city and school board offices in the November election on Friday, the deadline for filing to run. Mayor Sean Wright will for sure face three challengers and most likely five, assuming both newcomer and unknown Beverly Beckman and Councilman Lamar Thorpe, who are awaiting signature verification, qualify. Gabriel Makinano qualified to run for mayor on Friday. Manuel Sidrian didn’t file, nor did Kenny Turnage who chose to run for school board in Area 3, instead.

In the City Council races, both Manny Soliz and Tamisha Walker qualified to run while La Donna Norman filed her Nomination papers for District 1 to take on Mayor Pro Tem Joy Motts, by Friday’s deadline. But Fernando Navarette didn’t file.

According to her candidate statement, Norman has lived in Antioch and specifically in District 1 for the past 16 years. She earned a degree in Social Science, with a Minor in African American Studies at Cal State Chico in 2004 and a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage Family Therapy at Argosy University in 2011. According to her LinkedIn profile Norman earned her Ph.D. in Psychology, Cognition and Instruction from Grand Canyon University in 2016. A video was posted of Norman taking her candidate’s oath off office was posted on her Instagram page.

She has worked in the behavioral health and human services profession for over 14 years, and currently manages five outpatient behavioral health programs serving children and transitional-age youth in Stanislaus County with the title of Children’s System of Care Manager-II. According to an internet search Norman previously worked in private practice as a mental health counselor in Rio Vista. According to her Instagram page, Norman’s nickname is “LD”.

In District 2, it will be a two-man race between former Councilman Tony Tiscareno, and Real Estate Broker and retired police lieutenant Mike Barbanica.

In District 3, Nichole Gardener filed her papers on Friday. She and Marie Arce are awaiting verification of their nomination signatures. As was announced earlier, today Wayne Steffen withdrew from the race and threw his support behind Antwon Webster, who will join the two ladies in challenging Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock who is running for re-election. (See related article)

Finally, in District 4 Antioch Councilwoman Monica Wilson, having pulled out of the mayor’s race earlier this week, qualified to fun for re-election, while Alex Astorga filed his papers on Friday. His ballot designation is Businessowner/IT Engineer and he will join Sandra White in challenging Wilson who is seeking her third term on the council. No other information nor any photos could be found for Astorga from an internet search other than he’s 60 years old.

Candidates in Districts 1 and 4 will be running for a two-year term and will have to run again in 2022, while those in District 2 and 3 will be running for full, four-year terms.

In the City Treasurer’s race, Lauren Posada, an accounts payable clerk in the City of Antioch Finance Department, filed to challenge incumbent Jim Davis who is seeking his first full term in the position. He was appointed by the council 2018 to fill the vacancy left by former City Treasurer Donna Conley.

Posada recently moved back to Antioch two months ago, and said she was cleared to run by the City Attorney having no legal conflict of interest holding the position should she win. (More about that in a follow-up article). However, Posada said she’s lived in Antioch for a total of 16 years during her life. Ruben Rocha did not file in the Treasurer’s race, but announced last week that he would not run.

In the final city race, incumbent City Clerk Arne Simonsen will face two challengers, including Ellie Householder, who is running in the middle of her term as an Antioch School Board Trustee, and Antioch Police Crime Prevention Commissioner Dwayne Eubanks who qualified to run on Friday.

Antioch School Board Races

In the races for Antioch School Board, according to Friday’s County Elections office report, Trustee Gary Hack faces no challengers in the Area 4 race, and unless someone runs a successful write-in campaign against him, will win re-election to his third term on the board.

In the Area 1 race, Alexis Medina filed on the last day possible to join Antonio Hernandez and George Young, III in their efforts to unseat Board President Diane Gibson-Gray, who is seeking her fourth term as a trustee. No information could be found on Medina from internet searches.

In the Area 3 race it will be Dr. Clyde Lewis and Kenny Turnage challenging Trustee Crystal Sawyer-White who is running for re-election for her second term on the board.

According to City Clerk Simonsen, the following Antioch residents have Qualified, Withdrawn, or Did not File as of the 5:00 p.m. Filing Deadline on August 7th, for the following City offices. All candidate names who have qualified to run are as they will appear on the ballot:

Mayor

Sean Wright (I) – Qualified on 8/4/20

Julio Jesse Mendez – Qualified on 7/31/20

Rakesh Kumar Christian – Qualified on 7/22/20

Gabriel Visaya Makinano – Qualified on 8/7/20

Beverley Beckman – Filed on 8/7/20 (awaiting signature verification)

Lamar Thorpe – Filed on 8/7/20 (awaiting signature verification)

Elizabeth Householder – Withdrawn 8/3/20

Monica Wilson – Withdrawn 8/4/20

Wade Harper – Withdrawn 7/31/20

Kenneth Turnage II – Did not File

Manuel Sidrian – Did not file

Council District 1

Joy Motts – Qualified on 8/5/20

Manuel Louis Soliz, Jr. – Qualified 8/7/20

Tamisha Walker – Qualified on 8/7/20

La Donna Norman – Filed on 8/7/20 (awaiting signature verification)

Fernando Navarrete – Did not file

Council District 2

Tony G. Tiscareno – Qualified on 7/30/20

Michael Barbanica – Qualified on 8/4/20

Council District 3

Lori Ogorchock – Qualified on 8/6/20

Antwon R. Webster, Sr. – Qualified on 8/5/20

Marie Arce – Filed on 8/5/20 (awaiting signature verification)

Nichole Gardner – Filed on 8/7/20 (awaiting signature verification)

Wayne Steffen – Withdrawn on 8/7/20

Lamar Thorpe – Withdrawn 8/5/20

Council District 4

Sandra Gail White – Qualified on 8/3/20

Monica E. Wilson – Qualified on 8/7/20

Alex John Astorga – Qualified on 8/7/20

City Treasurer

James Davis (I) – Qualified on 8/6/20

Lauren Posada – Qualified on 8/7/20

Ruben Rocha – Did not file

City Clerk

Arne Simonsen (I) – Qualified on 8/4/20

Ellie Householder – Qualified on 8/5/20

Dwayne Donald Eubanks – Qualified on 8/7/20

ANTIOCH SCHOOL BOARD

Area 1

Diane Gibson-Gray – Filed 7/31/20

Antonio Hernandez – Filed 8/5/20

George Young III – Filed 8/6/20

Area 3

Crystal Sawyer-White – Filed 7/24/20, Withdrew, Filed again 8/3/20

Clyde Lewis – Filed 8/6/20

Kenny Turnage – Filed 8/6/20

This list will be updated when the candidates who have filed but awaiting verification of signatures become Qualified for the various city races. To see the final list of candidates for all 10 races in Antioch visit www.antiochherald.com/election-2020.

Will offer music, videos and giveaways

The Census 2020 Caravan will make stops in Antioch and Pittsburg this Sunday to help residents complete the census questionnaire to be counted and will offer music, videos and giveaways.

The decennial census determines how many Members of Congress in the U.S. House of Representatives each state is allocated, which will occur during reapportionment next year, and determines the redrawing of all other elected office district lines, as well. In addition, the population figures from the Census determines the allocation of government funds for various programs. All of them are affected for the following 10 years.

If you’re unable to attend one of the events you can complete the survey online at U.S. Census Bureau.

Date: Sunday, August 9th, 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Meet at: 11 a.m. at Antioch Water Park, 4701 Lone Tree Way, Antioch

12 p.m. at Pittsburg Century Plaza Shopping Center, 4405 Somersville Road & Highway 4, Pittsburg

Officials available on site: Congressman Mark DeSaulnier, Contra Costa County Supervisors Diane Burgis and Federal D. Glover, Pittsburg Mayor Jelani Killings, Pittsburg City Council Members Holland Barrett White and Shanelle Scales-Preston, Antioch Mayor Pro Tem Joy Motts, Antioch City Council Member Lori Ogorchock, Antioch School Board Trustee Mary Rocha

Activities: Festively decorated cars, driving through hard-to-count communities to promote a complete count. The CA Census 2020 mobile truck will be on hand with music, videos and giveaways.

More information: Matthew Lardner, Matthew.Lardner@cao.cccounty.us   Mona Zarrinkelk monaz@kaanunmehr.org, Velma Wilson blessedbydesgn09@gmail.com

Sponsors and partners: Contra Costa County Complete Count Committee, City of Pittsburg, City of Antioch, Kaanur Mehr, EAH Housing

 

Former Antioch Parks and Recreation Commissioner, Wayne Steffen announced today, Friday, August 7, 2020, he is withdrawing from the race for the Antioch City Council in District 3 and will instead endorse Antwon Webster in his campaign to unseat Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock. (See related article)

Steffen considered running for city council to promote more reasonable solutions for the issues of public safety, quality of life for families, and local jobs and economic development.  He considered running for office to offer an alternative to the two incumbents in District 3 who have failed to address these issues.  Steffen gave this decision serious consideration and prayed for guidance.  He has a strong desire to serve the citizens of Antioch but also understands the burden on his family of the time and cost to conduct a successful campaign and then serve as an effective council person.

While making this decision, he became familiar with one of the other candidates for this position, Antwon Webster.  According to Mr. Webster’s campaign website, his main goals are:

• Keep Antioch Family Friendly
• Decrease Crime
• Protect Property Values
• Balance Budgets
• Make Efficient Use of Taxpayer’s Money

Wayne met with Antwon on multiple occasions and became convinced that he is interested in tackling the same issues that were his priorities.  Antwon Webster has only lived in Antioch for a few years, but he made a conscious decision in choosing Antioch to raise his family and has a desire to make our community a better place for everyone.   He currently serves on the City of Antioch Board of Administrative Appeals.  He is a military veteran and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Wayne is impressed by Antwon’s intelligence, his passion, and his reasonableness.  He has his head in the right place and he has his heart in the right place.

These are a few of the reasons why Wayne Steffen decided to withdraw from seeking election for this office and instead, to whole-heartedly support Antwon Webster for Antioch City Council, District 3.  It is time to bring in some new blood, new ideas, and new energy to our city.

Webster will, so far, face both Ogorchock and current Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Marie Arce in the District 3 race, as the only other candidates to file their Nomination Papers. One other candidate, homeless advocate Nichole Gardner took out papers but as of Thursday at 5:00 p.m. had yet to file them. The deadline is 5:00 p.m., today.

In response to Steffen’s withdrawal from the race and endorsement, Webster wrote, “I am glad to have the support of Wayne.  Having the support of Wayne and many other Antioch residents only strengthens my voice as I strive tp represent all Antioch residents.

“Wayne Steffen, a former Antioch Citizen of the Year, your support and acknowledgement of my background and abilities is greatly appreciated,” Webster continued. “I plan to continue collaborating with Wayne and partnering with Antioch residents. As a leader, I plan to lead them and stand side by side with the residents and their concerns. So, Antioch, let’s move forward together in ‘Unity’.”

“As Wayne stated in his message, ‘It is time to bring in some new blood, new ideas, and new energy to our city’.  That new blood, fresh idea thinker and new energy is me, Antwon Webster,” he concluded.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Walker files in District 3 council race, Wilson files in District 4; and Lewis files in Area 3 school board race; Rocha will not run for City Treasurer but has not officially withdrawn, yet and race gets heated before it begins

By Allen Payton

As expected on Wednesday with his withdrawal from the Antioch City Council District 3 race and confirmed Thursday, Councilman Lamar Thorpe pulled papers to run for mayor against Sean Wright, along with one other resident named Beverley Beckman. Without withdrawing from the mayor’s race, former Antioch Planning Commission Chairman Kenny Turnage made a surprise move and took out and filed his Nomination papers to run for Antioch School Board in Area 3 against incumbent Trustee Crystal Sawyer-White and Dr. Clyde Lewis.

In addition, Councilwoman Monica Wilson filed her papers Thursday to run for re-election, in the District 4 council race against Antioch Police Crime Prevention Commission Chairman Sandra White. Wilson is awaiting verification of her nomination signatures. Also, on Thursday, Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock qualified to run for re-election in the District 4 race. She will face at least two challengers and possibly four. Wayne Steffen was mistakenly listed as withdrawn by the City Clerk’s office on Wednesday. So, he’s still a potential candidate in the race. In the District 1 council race, Tamisha Walker filed her papers on Thursday and is awaiting verification of her nomination signatures.

Another Candidate for Mayor

According to her Facebook page, the 33-year-old Beckman is from Lodi, attended Lodi High School and studied at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon. She’s listed on Bizapedia.com as an officer of Concourse Coffee LLC in Antioch which was formed in 2016 and an officer of Espresso Machines Experts LLC in Pittsburg, which was formed in 2018.

In the Area 1 Antioch School Board race, according to Thursday’s report from the Contra Costa Elections office, George Young III became the third candidate and second challenger to Board President Diane Gibson-Gray, by pulling and filing his Nomination paper on Thursday, as well. So far, Trustee Gary Hack running for re-election in Area 4 is the only incumbent not facing any challengers, this year. However, filing closes at 5:00 p.m. on Friday so, there’s still time for a potential opponent to pull and file their Nomination papers.

Third Candidate in Area 1 School Board Race

In a post by Young’s wife Katie, on his campaign Facebook page on Thursday she wrote, “Its official official papers have been pulled – George Young will be on the November ballot for Antioch school board. Spread the word, spread the love, and please if you can, make a donation to the campaign.” The Youngs have three sons, one in college and two attending public school in Antioch.

According to his campaign website, www.georgeyoung4change.com, Young’s three-part platform is, Students First, School Safety and Giving Parents a Voice and his campaign slogan is Educating YOUNG Minds.

Young, who turns 39 on Saturday, has worked in business operations, human resources and information technology, including as the Program and HR Administrator at Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) and currently works as Operations Manager for a retail supply chain. He serves as a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve. Young has degrees in Computer Science from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and Business Management with a concentration in nonprofit organization management from Northwest University.

City Treasurer’s Race Gets Heated Before It Starts

In the City Treasurer’s race, incumbent Jim Davis qualified Thursday to run for re-election. In a post on Ruben Rocha’s campaign Facebook page he wrote on July 30, “After deep consideration, I have decided not to run for City Treasurer. I sincerely appreciate the support I have received from so many community members. Although I’m disappointed, I feel reassured by the comfort of my decision. I have decided to pursue my political aspirations to serve my community in the future, to the best of my ability. Thank you!” He has not yet officially withdrawn from the race. However, if he doesn’t file by 5:00 p.m. Friday he can’t qualify to run.

Davis’ one remaining potential opponent, Lauren Posada, has yet to file her Nomination Papers. In a post on his Facebook page Thursday night, Davis wrote referring to Posada, “My only opponent has lived in Antioch for 2 months, is working at City Hall as an accounts payable clerk/technician in the Finance Department for the past several years. People have been asking.”

When reached for comment and to verify the information Davis shared, Posada responded late Thursday night, “yes I work for the Finance department in City of Antioch. I’ll been there 5 years next month and have received all approvals to run for treasurer, including the City Attorney. I got the green light last Friday. That’s what took me so long to get run(ning). I have my appointment with (City Clerk) Arne (Simonsen) tomorrow to file. I’ve lived in Antioch the majority of my life. I’ve been quite busy with gathering all my paperwork and I will give my information as soon as I get my paperwork completed.”

Posada was then asked via Facebook Messenger about Davis’ claim that she’s only lived in Antioch for two months and if she had moved away and recently moved back. However, it was after midnight. In addition, an email was sent to City Attorney Thomas Smith early Friday morning to verify what Posada shared and about a possible legal conflict of interest she might have should she be elected. Please check back later for any updates to this report.

According to City Clerk Arne Simonsen, the following Antioch residents have taken out Nomination Papers, Withdrawn, Filed or Qualified as of 5 p.m. August 6th, for the following City offices:

Mayor

Sean Wright (I) – Qualified on 8/4/20

Julio Mendez – Qualified on 7/31/20

Rakesh Kumar Christian – Qualified on 7/22/20

Kenneth Turnage II

Gabriel Makinano

Manuel Sidrian

Beverley Beckman

Lamar Thorpe

Elizabeth Householder – Withdrawn 8/3/20

Monica Wilson – Withdrawn 8/4/20

Wade Harper – Withdrawn 7/31/20

Council District 1

Joyann Motts – Qualified on 8/5/20

Manuel Soliz – Filed on 8/5/20 (awaiting signature verification)

Tamisha Walker – Filed on 8/6/20 (awaiting signature verification)

Fernando Navarrete

La Donna Norman

Council District 3

Lori Ogorchock – Qualified on 8/6/20

Antwon Webster – Qualified on 8/5/20

Marie Arce – Filed on 8/5/20 (awaiting signature verification)

Nichole Gardner

Wayne Steffen (mistakenly listed as withdrawn)

Lamar Thorpe – Withdrawn 8/5/20

Council District 4

Sandra White – Qualified on 8/3/20

Monica Wilson – Filed on 8/6/20 (awaiting signature verification)

Alex Astorga

City Treasurer

James Davis (I) – Qualified on 8/6/20

Ruben Rocha

Lauren Posada

ANTIOCH SCHOOL BOARD

Area 1

Antonio Hernandez – Filed 8/5/20

Diane Gibson-Gray – Filed 7/31/20

George Young III – Filed 8/6/20

Area 3

Clyde Lewis – Filed 8/6/20

Crystal Sawyer-White – filed 7/24/20, Withdrew, Filed again 8/3/20

Kenny Turnage – Filed 8/6/20

There were no changes in any of the other city or school board races. This list will be updated when additional registered Antioch voters take out Nomination Papers, withdraw or become Qualified for the various city or school board races. To see the latest list of candidates for all 10 races visit www.antiochherald.com/election-2020.

NOTE: We do our best to use the best and most recent photos of candidates that can be found through an internet search or are provided by the candidate or their campaign. This photo used of Ms. Beckman is the best and most recent photo that could be found of her. It was not used to hurt her and in fact was cropped in order to show her in the best light possible. An effort to reach her requesting a more recent photo of her and information on her background, once she took out Nomination Papers to run, was unsuccessful. We expect candidates to either post their most recent photos and information on their background at least somewhere on social media or provide it to us because the public has a right to know who is running to represent them.

By Doreen Moreno

Contra Costa County, CA — Community leader Fernando Sandoval is honored to announce the endorsement of Dolores Huerta, American labor leader and civil rights activist who, with Cesar Chavez, co-founded the United Farm Workers Union. Dolores Huerta, Founder of the Dolores Huerta Foundation for Community Organizing, leads the endorsement list of elected officials, community leaders, small business owners, and college faculty, staff and students in supporting Fernando Sandoval for Trustee of the Contra Costa Community College District Board for Ward 5.

Dolores Huerta is one of the century’s most powerful and respected labor movement leader who has received numerous awards for her trailblazing leadership, including being inducted into the California Hall of Fame in 2013 and receiving the country’s highest civilian honor in the United States, the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2012.

“Fernando Sandoval’s humble beginnings in the migrant camps of Isleton along the Sacramento River to his low-income childhood in East County to his career achievements as a technology and finance advisor to prestigious banking companies worldwide is a perfect example of the perseverance and contributions individuals from labor backgrounds provide our communities and this nation everyday,” said Dolores Huerta.

Huerta adds, “His personal upbringing gives him an understanding of both the barriers and benefits of how a quality education can open doors of opportunity to good paying jobs and the economic contributions to our families and the greater economy. Fernando’s experiences position him to be a bold leader with a vision and a strong voice for all students in the community college system to be prepared as the future workforce for reigniting our post pandemic economy.”

Sandoval added “I am deeply honored to have the endorsement of international labor leader Dolores Huerta who has given tirelessly of herself for over 60 years to advocate for worker’s rights and fair wages, for equality for women and LGBQT rights and for public policies that provide fair employment standards and access to quality health and education for our diverse communities and future leaders.”

In alignment with Huerta’s legacy, Fernando has been continuously serving East County communities and the students in various roles, such as an advisory member of the Contra Costa Community College District’s committee on diversity, inclusion and equal employment opportunities.  He also Chaired the Bond Oversight Committee for modernization of schools at Pittsburg Unified School District (PUSD). Fernando has also organized mentoring, tutoring and motivational workshops for students at Los Medanos College and high schools throughout the area. This year he was recognized for his service by receiving the 2020 Cesar Chavez Award for Exemplary Community Service by Los Medanos College.

Fernando Sandoval is a published author of his memoir, “From Tortilla Chips to Computer Chips” that highlights his upbringing in a hard-working immigrant family, his experience in the U.S. Navy and Vietnam War and his career as a finance and technology management strategy advisor to top banking institutions worldwide.

For more information about Fernando Sandoval for Contra Costa Community College District Board of Trustees, Ward 5, contact fernando4collegetrustee@gmail.com. Sandoval is challenging two-term incumbent Greg Enholm for the second time. He ran in 2016 but lost with 39.75% of the vote to Enholm’s 59.82% . Ward 5 includes the communities or cities of Clyde, Bay Point, Pittsburg, Oakley, Bethel Island, Knightsen, most of Antioch and Discovery Bay, and portions of Brentwood and Concord.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

By Allen Payton

The Herald confirmed this week, the information on who the mystery candidate for Mayor of Antioch, Julio Jesse Mendez, is. While his LinkedIn profile was found when he first pulled his Nomination Papers a couple weeks ago, it could not be confirmed that it was him since he lists himself as Julio Jesse M. and that he’s from the San Francisco Bay Area, not Antioch.

Under work experience, it shows Mendez has been a Saas (Software as a Service) Platform Sales Engineer for Conga in San Mateo since June 2018. Prior to that, from January to April 2018, he worked in SaaS Business Development for Spotlight powered by Customer Lobby in Berkeley. Before that, Mendez worked for Tesla in Livermore in Renewable Energy Channel Sales from 2015 to 2017. His other work experience includes financial services at Wells Fargo Bank and Northwestern Mutual.

Mendez earned a degree in Communication Studies with minors in business and leadership from the University of Rhode Island in 2007, was an honors graduate and a member of the Sigma Pi Fraternity.

When reached for comment and asked why he’s running Mendez said, “My passion is really to take the experiences I’ve had over the years. This isn’t directed at anyone specifically, but I sense in the world in general there’s a crisis in leadership. Community, accountability, looking out for your neighbor, that’s what I’m passionate about. Investing in our schools and education and investing in our businesses, the local backbone that hire and keep dollars circulating in Antioch. Those are two big things I’m hoping to drive forward the message on. The last piece, it’s definitely not last, is community, looking out for your neighbor.”

“We have a lot of energy from younger folks who say, ‘things aren’t right,’” he said. “But we have others who have been around for awhile and have information to give. I want people to take what they know and use it for the benefit of Antioch as a community.”

“I work from home, so I want to give back to my community,” Mendez added. “I’ll have more to share, soon.”

A resident of Antioch for over 10 years, he goes by Julio, but his family and friends call him Jesse or simply, “J”. Interesting fact, Mendez said he’s from the South and used to have an accent, and that his father named him Jesse after Jesse James.