By Allen Payton, Editor & Publisher

Easy decisions in both races. The only candidates with the knowledge and experience to bring true reform to improve the education for Antioch students are George Young in Area 1 and Dr. Clyde Lewis in Area 3.

Area 1

While I applaud current Board President Diane Gibson-Gray’s leadership this year in handling the controversies, protests and dissent on the board, three things prevent me from supporting her. One is the lack of progress in test scores among Black and Hispanic students during her 12 years on the board; second was her bypassing three times of two African American, female board vice presidents for board president, one of whom because Gibson-Gray said she didn’t think was ready which was rather condescending; (See related articles here, here and here) and third, because Gibson-Gray opposed all three charter schools, including Rocketship which has proven to far outshine the other schools in the Antioch district.

The new board majority needs to consider what they’re doing at that school which is helping the students advance as many as four grade levels in just one year and adopt their practices in all AUSD schools.

Antonio Hernandez is nice, young man and offers a different perspective having graduated from Antioch’s Dozier-Libbey Medical High School. But this year he’s sided with the protesters and those opposing the long-desired and -awaited School Resource Officers for the six middle and high school campuses in the district. In an Op-Ed he wrote, “Cops are a band-aid solution to under-resourced schools, and a very poor one at that.” In addition, on Hernandez’s campaign website it reads “Children Need Counselors, Not Cops” even though the first plank of his platform reads “We deserve safe schools.” Actually, and unfortunately, these days both are needed on our local campuses and there are already 14 Mental Health Clinicians and 31 School Guidance Counselors employed in the district.

Plus, Hernandez is one of the “East Contra Costa Progressive Wave” and “Our Revolution Contra Costa” candidates which includes Lamar Thorpe who is running for mayor, council candidates Monica Wilson, Tamisha Walker and Nichole Gardner, and controversial Antioch School Board Trustee Ellie Householder who is running for city clerk. They are all wanting to turn our city and school district into something more like Berkeley. That type of thinking doesn’t fit our community.

Young will bring to the position his knowledge and experience from serving on the board of Rocketship Delta Prep. He’s committed to improving the education for the students and their safety on the campus. His military experience is an added bonus, providing the order and discipline a leader needs, and Young will be a good example for all students in the district.

Area 3

Crystal Sawyer-White spent way too much of her four years pursuing her own educational advancement as a board member than the students’. She’s a nice lady and voted right on charter schools, but one term is enough.

Kenny Turnage has served our community well for years and was honored for it as Antioch’s 2015 Citizen of the Year for Most Impact. But Lewis is better suited and prepared to serve on the school board representing Area 3.

Lewis is also the most educated candidate, not only in this election, but in any Antioch School Board election that I can remember. He not only has a master’s in Educational Administration and Supervision and a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Administration, Lewis has been an instructor and works as a consultant in education.

He’s also served the community both on the Antioch Police Crime Prevention Commission and most recently as President of the Kiwanis Club of the Delta-Antioch. Lewis is the right person for the job at the right time. I just wish he had won two years ago.

For real change and giving our children a better shot at an improved, quality education, please cast your vote for George Young in Area 1 and Dr. Clyde Lewis in Area 3 for the Antioch School Board.

Gabriel Makinano was raised in Antioch and has spent the last 16 years living in and seeing firsthand the changes and struggles those changes have brought to our community and residents. He has a heart of   integrity and will work to bring the changes to Antioch that are needed to ensure all residents are valued and safe.

He is a father, husband, friend, and is known in the community for being an image of change. As a formerly incarcerated individual, he has mentored youth, men, and women leaving incarceration.

First Priority: Public Safety. To create a safe city, he will work hard with community leaders, law enforcement, and all residents.

Gabriel has worked closely with schools, families, local leaders, churches, and law enforcement to create long-term solutions to gang-related crimes in Antioch. He has worked on the frontlines of the ceasefire movement, unifying community and law enforcement to promote a safer environment for Antioch families.

Gabriel is committed to creating a sustainable plan to combat homelessness, affordable housing, and an environment where businesses can thrive. Antioch residents deserve real solutions to the issues. Antioch deserves a mayor that will represent all peoples of our beautiful city. For vision with action, vote Gabe Makinano.

See his Vision 2020 for Antioch at VoteGMakinano.com.

Lamar A. Thorpe

Position seeking: Mayor of Antioch

Current & past public offices held & years: Antioch Council Member 2016-2020, Eastern Contra Costa County Transit Authority 2017-2020; and Antioch Economic Development Commissioner 2013-2016.

Current paying job: Executive Director, Los Medanos Community Healthcare District & Campaign Manager, Steve Glazer for State Senate

Top Issues: Increasing public safety, reducing homelessness and blight, responsible police reform, expanding before, after school programs, and building a vibrant, family-friendly downtown similar to Concord’s Todos Santos Plaza.

Top Accomplishments:

1. Fought to protect the community’s quality of life by leading the fight to double the size of the code enforcement team, invest an additional $2 million in recreational and youth programs, and develop resources to reducing homeless encampments.
2. Fought for fiscal responsibility, co-authoring the proposal that eliminated Antioch’s $12 million structural deficit, and advancing proposal that reduces Antioch unfunded liabilities and saving taxpayers over $25 million.
3. Fought to keep Antioch safe by authorizing the hiring of 121 police officers, while advancing responsible police reform.

www.lamarthorpe.com, Facebook: lamar.a.thorpe 925-978-4663

 

Editor:

Antioch Voters should not vote for Sandra White for the City Council. She has failed us as Chair of the Crime Prevention Commission and has chosen the wrong person as part of her campaign. Choose someone else!

Her choice of former Police Chief Allan Cantando as part of her campaign is telling. As Chief he did not do his job or carry out his responsibilities of protecting the public from wrongdoers, to include Felonious misconduct by some of his Officers. He, in actuality, instead berated and ‘shot the messenger’ whistleblower who submitted detailed reported various criminal acts by some of his Officers. He was interested only in covering for them and did little to investigate what they did or even contacting the Victims harmed.

Former Captain Allan Cantando I had pushed for him publicly early on to be appointed chief, believing he would straighten out the crimes and misconduct by his officers. Boy did he shortly after becoming Chief did he reveal his true colors. Under his watch and documented knowledge his involved officers continued with their misconduct and victimization of our documented citizens. They got away with it with his obvious uncaring inactions. It isn’t over yet though and with him behind her I suspect she will do as he would advise her, to the further detriment to our community.

As the Chair of the Crime Prevention Committee she has really done little in pushing for the safety of our city. Contrary to what she and the others claim the City of Antioch is not safer and the people are still being victimized like before. Really, what has she done but have a title, have meetings, rub shoulders even with those officers involved in misconduct, and we still are greatly undermanned in Police manpower. Is that what her relationship with Allan Cantando has accomplished? She should give it up and open her eyes to the realities, instead of the ‘shine’ of questioned certain persons.

She does not have what it takes to be a top elected leader official for Antioch. She may be a good person and one liked by a number of people. But being a councilperson in these times requires fortitude, integrity, and knowing when you are going to be used for the same directions that has gotten Antioch in the negative areas we know about.

There will be some very important Police matters that are going to be disclosed soon and her being backed by former Chief Cantando, who will be exposed also, makes her the least acceptable person who would have to deal with it. The ‘train’ is coming soon, and it will be ugly! The exposures involved may not exempt all involved, and it is about time that it happens. Once the public is informed, they will see the value of not voting for her at a minimum.

Ralph Hernandez

Antioch

I’m a 50-year Antioch resident and former Antioch City Councilmember.  Currently, I’m a Personnel Commissioner for the Antioch Unified School District Classified Division.  I have been a Realtor since 2014 and a retired steelworker.  I am running for Antioch City Council in District 2 and am committed to progress in these areas:

Avert a budget crisis:

While on the council, I fought hard to stabilize our city’s finances, add to our police force and keep city hall open five days a week.  COVID-19 presents another budget crisis.  My experience and leadership will help Antioch avoid more devastating cuts that hurt our quality of life.

Banish blight and promote economic development:

This district has many vacant commercial buildings.  I will work with property owners to fight blight and support hiring more code enforcement officers to cite and fine negligent property owners.  I will work to revive the Delta Fair corridor and work to promote local small businesses.

Reduce Homelessness:

I support coordinating services at all levels of government and non-profits to find solutions to homelessness.

Police Transparency and Accountability:

Transparency and accountability of our police force is a must and my top priority for the Antioch Police Department is to purchase body cameras for all officers.

Today requires a new kind of Councilmember – one who has experience and is accessible 24/7.  Please call me anytime at (925) 234-3639.  As your councilmember, I’ll work hard to improve this great city.

 

Mike Barbanica

Candidate for Antioch City Council, District 2

Office Held: None to Date

Occupation: Retired Police Lieutenant/Small Business Owner/Real Estate Agent & Broker

As a lifelong resident of Antioch, a retired police lieutenant, and local small business owner, I’m concerned about the direction Antioch is heading. Our city needs REAL leaders who aren’t afraid to stand up and initiate change to get Antioch BACK ON TRACK. Here are my thoughts:

Don’t DEFUND the police – we need more police officers, not less. Insist our officers wear body cameras to record every interaction. Homelessness is out of control. City officials are turning Antioch into a regional haven for the homeless. We can be compassionate and investigate solutions that don’t involve housing the homeless in tents, trailers or crime-ridden motels. We need to clean up the trash. District 2 needs to get our fair share of code enforcement funding; landlords should be required to take responsibility for their properties. We’ve already begun implementing REAL solutions to stop the neighborhood sideshows.

Antioch is a community that celebrates diversity. We need to work TOGETHER, UNITED toward a city free from racial bias by including our Antioch Police Department in this important conversation. I’m honored to have the endorsement of the Antioch Police Officers’ Association for my election.

My wife, Kristine, and I have raised our three children here. There’s a lot that needs to change to GET ANTIOCH BACK ON TRACK – so we can all be proud of the place we call home. I know we can tackle Antioch’s challenges together and invite you to email mike@mikebarbanica.com or call me (925) 584-8121 with your thoughts. Thank you.

Cell (925) 584-8121

www.mikebarbanica.com

mikebarbanica@gmail.com

Our current mayor, Sean Wright and his partner, Councilman Lamar Thorpe have brought disaster upon our city, and nothing will change until we replace them.

They hired an Economic Development Director at a cost of $300,000. What do we have to show for his efforts?

Sears closed, Macy’s ran away, the AMC theaters closed down, the Big Kmart is gone, so is Staples  – even before COVID-19. Everywhere you look it’s a disaster.

Under their mismanagement, those and more businesses have closed. The city has become looking desperate. People are looking for hope, but they have made us hopeless.

They hired a homeless consultant and it ended up bringing more homeless to Antioch. Now Thorpe wants to spend $1 million on the homeless motel. We can’t afford that.

They approved the marijuana businesses, and Sean and Lamar appear to be acting like drug dealers to put Antioch in the pot business.

They’ve hired other consultants and a new assistant city manager for $100,000’s per year that we also can’t afford. In 2016 they asked for more police and they got them. Now they want 20 more police. Why? I don’t understand their failures. We cannot afford them.

They’re insulting us that we are the bad people in Antioch.

How can we trust it when these leaders give us a bad reputation and they want to run things, when they are the bad people.

Who is the bad and who are the good? You make the call, Antioch.

We can’t afford to have our reputation damaged day after day, thanks to their idiocy and mismanagement. They make us look so bad in the state.

They’ve let us down and they want to degrade Antioch more.

How can you trust that kind of leadership when they’re calling us the bad citizens and they’re wanting to run us? In fact, we are the God-fearing people, and we are a great community.

We can’t afford division, demolition, or degraded reputation for Antioch for no reason. This is the second largest city in Contra Costa County.

My job, I want to bring back the truth, build up the reputation of Antioch, that we are the great, God-fearing, law abiding people in California. Antioch is the best and I will bring the best of Antioch, so that it will be declared the greatest in the world.

With leaders like Lamar and Sean who have forgotten us, and they always have lame excuses, who don’t do anything, but they take no responsibility. But they’re blaming us, the citizens of Antioch. Underneath their watch the city has become worse and everywhere you see there’s garbage dumped, here and there.

They have no plans, at all. We don’t have new businesses or jobs.

We need to take action to get the city cleaned up, make it attractive to businesses, and I will make sure Antioch is recognized as the number one city with the best reputation.

I will bring a four-year university to Antioch with a full medical degree, B.S. in Nursing and an RN program. I want to also bring the skilled degree programs for rapid technology growth and computer science.

Antioch, I ask you to consider voting for me for new leadership. Help me to get things straightened out. For more information please email me at info@RakeshKumarChristian.com or call me at (510) 786-8909 and I’ll be glad to listen to your ideas to implement them.

Sincerely,

Rakesh Kumar Christian

Candidate for Mayor of Antioch

 

 

 

by Sue Pricco and Michael Arata

Measure X, a 20-year, half-percent Contra Costa County sales tax increase, is on the November 3rd ballot. The “current pandemic” is among rationales advanced by the measure’s supporters.

In reality, however, Measure X got its start in May, 2019 – long before COVID-19 was even on the horizon – when five representatives of county employee organizations demanded that county supervisors drop a plan for a new transportation tax and sponsor a new “county services” tax instead.
The transportation-tax measure went ahead anyway, eventually as Measure J on March 3rd’s Primary ballot.  Itself pushing a half-percent sales-tax increase, Measure J failed.  Measure X deserves the same fate now.

For starters, Measure X is regressive, disproportionately affecting those least able to afford increased costs, particularly during a time of pandemic-driven financial hardship.  Thousands of small businesses have closed.  Millions of Californians are unemployed.   Those still working often see smaller paychecks.

Meanwhile, all must still pay (now or on a deferred basis) federal and state income taxes, payroll taxes, property taxes, auto-registration taxes, gasoline taxes, phone taxes, etc. ad nauseam.  With whatever money remains, individuals and families must still provide for necessities.

Except for food purchases, essential product needs — from paper towels to kids’ shoes, sometimes to replacement automobiles — have sales taxes added.

Oh, wait on the food exception.  If resources permit a sit-down restaurant dinner or a hot takeout meal, those foods ARE taxed.

Contra Costa sales-tax rates already range from 8.25% to 9.75%, tied for 7th highest among California’s 58 counties.  And another round of sales-tax leapfrog is not a game which County residents likely hope to “win.”

The Measure X ballot question (the summary voters see on ballots) advertises various specific purposes, implying falsely that some are new obligations.

But hiding in the underlying County ordinance’s fine print is the fact that Measure X is actually a general tax, “solely for general governmental purposes and not for specific purposes.”

In economic terms, Measure X dollars are fungible; they can be moved around.  So, for example, Measure X’s new millions could fund County-employee salary, current benefit, and large pension payments directly.

But behind a covering smokescreen of seeming legitimacy, the measure could alternatively finesse compensation boosts indirectly, by “freeing up” money budgeted for other purposes and then backfilling those budget categories with an injection of Measure X revenues.

It would not be the first time that a local government agency deployed such a maneuver.
As is, County employees have enjoyed a 20% salary/benefit increase over just the last three years, and a $166,673 average now in annual per-employee compensation cost — while many who’d pay the new sales tax would count themselves fortunate just to return to their own compensation levels of three years ago. 

What about the Measure X proponent claim of spending “oversight”?  An original ballot-question version characterized the measure as “requiring fiscal accountability.”  But a Superior Court judge removed that phrase after finding that the County’s related ordinance omitted it.  “Fiscal accountability” was apparently just an afterthought.

Finally, Measure X passage would leave at least seven Contra Costa city and town jurisdictions above the statutory 2% cap on local sales taxes.  So an underhanded legislative scheme was deployed.  State Senate Bill 1349, passed and signed at the last minute, allows the County’s sales-tax cap to increase from 2% effectively to at least 3.5% (or possibly 4%), in addition to the State’s 7.25% rate.

And this change, asserts the bill itself in Orwellian doublespeak, “does not constitute a change in, but is declaratory of, existing law.”

Measure X deserves your determined “NO” vote.  For more information, visit CoCoTax.org and NOonX.info.
Sue Pricco is president of the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association.  Michael Arata is a co-founder of the Alliance of Contra Costa Taxpayers.