Filed felony looting case, refers low-level drug cases to behavioral health care system for treatment

Dear Antioch Residents:

“The most dangerous untruths are truths slightly distorted.” Recently, Sean Wright, the Mayor of Antioch has made repeated distorted untruths about the District Attorney office policies, and about my record as your District Attorney. To have an elected official, make distorted truths, and then hide his head in the sand and refuse to learn the true facts is troubling to say the least. I take transparency and accountability very seriously, as any elected official should.

Facts matter. First, the Mayor bought a political smear hit piece from a biased website about looting. He never reached out to me to find out what my office guidelines actually require.  The guidelines do not prohibit the filing of any looting case – in fact, just recently, we filed a felony looting case. The truth is, my office guidelines assist prosecutors in making the distinction between thefts and burglaries that merely happen while we are in the pandemic, and lootings which are substantially motivated by a state of emergency. The guidelines are on the District Attorney website. I encourage you to read them. (See related article)

Second, your mayor attacked our office policies regarding low-level, stand alone drug cases. (See related article) What he fails to mention is that initially these cases are referred to the behavioral health care system for treatment. Please do not forget the failed policies of the War on Drugs. Arresting citizens for possession of small amounts of drugs, taking them to jail, and releasing them without treatment ensures that these individuals will soon be arrested again, and so the cycle continues. The aim of my office policy is to stop chronic patterns of arrest, to connect individuals to behavioral health services, to reduce the burden on the court system and law enforcement, and to allow prosecutors to focus on more serious and violent crimes. Of course, repeat offenders can be charged, diverted or suffer additional consequences.  As the chief law enforcement officer for the county, I take my oath seriously to protect the public. However, clogging our criminal justice system with low-level crimes does not deter crime nor find equitable solutions for our community. I am focused on common-sense solutions that are fair and equitable, and good for the entire community. 

Here are some items to keep in mind during this election season. We cannot let lies get in the way of the truth, even during campaign season. The mayor is making this a political attack against me in order to bolster his campaign for re-election, and to take swipes at his East Bay Times endorsed opponent, Lamar Thorpe. Stand on our own record Mr. Mayor, and please stop trying to bolster your platform by making distorted claims about our office policies. During the election season, we hear from elected officials about their vision for their community. Unfortunately, despite his message of unifying the community, your Mayor is trying to divide Antioch and use our office as a foil and create a controversy when none exists. Examine the facts. Facts matter.

Sincerely,
Diana Becton

District Attorney, Contra Costa County

Dear Editor:

The following letter was sent to our mayor and councilmembers in time for their next meeting, Tuesday night.

Mayor and Councilmembers:

In an effort to support and assist our restaurant owners in Antioch, I am proposing the City Council immediately adopt an emergency ordinance to support our small business restauranteurs.  How?

I am proposing that the City limit the amount that third party food delivery companies can charge our restaurants to 15% of the sales amounts.  Currently, food delivery services can charge as much as 30% to provide this service to people ordering from our restaurants.  This temporary measure will help support our local restaurants, cost the City zero to adopt and implement and help during this pandemic time as some people continue to order food delivered to them, instead of venturing out for pick up.

Large conglomerate restaurants can usually negotiate a smaller delivery charge, but our local business owners are at the mercy of the delivery firms, and their high charges.  Our local small restaurants are often dealing with a 20% to 30% charge

Longevity for this ordinance?  Why not have the ordinance terminate when the City Council and County lifts emergency orders related to the pandemic.  Restoration of normalcy seems vague at this point, and the ordinance to support our restaurants should not terminate prematurely.

This is a quick way to support our restaurants in Antioch.  As we approach the fall and winter, we need to be proactive in supporting our business community.  I am available to share my research with you, and expect our City leaders to be responsive in helping our small businesses, restaurants in particular.

Manny Soliz, Jr.

Former Mayor Pro Tem and Councilmember

Current candidate Antioch City Council District 1

P.S. I also support waiving late fees on Antioch business licenses, this year to help all businesses in our city.

 

Only candidate to offer a vision for the people – The Bridge to a Brighter Future

Today, Thursday, October 8, 2020, Gabe Makinano, in fulfilling the slogan “Vision With Action” for his campaign for Mayor of Antioch, presents his Vision 2020 for Antioch to show what our city can have and become in the very near future, and what he will take action on during the next four years following his election. Vision 2020 Antioch by Gabe Makinano for Mayor

“It’s a leader’s job to provide the vision for the people to know the direction we are all heading, together and to take action to make it a reality,” said Makinano. “These are the items – many I find very exciting – that I will work to make happen, some of which build on plans that have already been in place for several years.”

“The problem is the two incumbents have been talking about doing things to make Antioch better, but they haven’t taken the necessary action,” he continued. “That’s what I offer, action. We must stop the foot dragging, playing political games and get things done that our people need, want, and will benefit them.”

“It will produce an upward spiral, not downwards as we’ve been on for the past four years,” Makinano added. “I’m releasing this vision on 10/8 because we must be ‘ten-ate-ious’ when getting things and not give up until they are. If you want action, not just talk, then I need your vote.”

Makinano’s vision includes a variety of items under the five areas he is focusing on during his campaign and will work on once elected: Increased Public Safety; Local, Quality Jobs; Education; Housing; and a Revitalized Rivertown – Antioch’s Historic Downtown.

Makinano will take his leadership skills, community connections and what he’s already been working on, along with the rest of the city council and staff to make the items in his vision a reality.

Vote Makinano for Mayor, the only candidate with a vision for a brighter future for Antioch and a plan to make it happen.

Gabe Makinano for Mayor of Antioch

The Bridge to a Brighter Future!

“Where there is no vision, the people perish” – Proverbs 29:18

It’s a Leader’s Job to Provide the Vision for the People to Know the Direction

We are All Heading, Together and to Take Action to Make it a Reality!

 

VISION STATEMENT

To ensure Antioch is a clean, safe, vibrant and diverse community

where all residents can live, learn, work, worship and play in

a positive, encouraging environment of unity and

to serve as an example of the type of City others desire to be.

 1. Increased Public Safety

Work with community leaders, law enforcement agencies, and all residents of our community to create a safe environment for all citizens in Antioch.

a. Hire More Police using Measure W funds as the people voted for to get to 2 Officers per 1,000 Population.

b. Require Diversity Training for each officer before being hired.

c. Bring back Community Policing with Officers on the Beat on foot or on bicycles in Highest Crime Areas of Sycamore and Cavallo. Include it in the field training of new officers to get to know the people they’re working to serve and protect.

d. Body Cameras for Every Officer.

e. Strengthen Role of the Antioch Police Crime Prevention Commission.

2. Local, Quality Jobs

Work with Antioch Economic Development Commission, Economic Development Director, Antioch Chamber of Commerce Economic Development & Government Affairs Committee, and the private sector to follow and implement Antioch’s Downtown Specific Plan and County’s Northern Waterfront Economic Development Initiative Strategic Action Plan.

a. Antioch Tech Center – Create master plan to attract businesses for the 200-acre site set aside in 1998 near the Laurel Road/Highway 4 interchange between Slatten Ranch Shopping Center and the Antioch BART Station, for employment, including commercial office and high-tech businesses creating a Green Technology Cluster including Advanced Transportation Technologies. – Get our residents out of the commute to spend more time with their families and in our community.

b. Convention Center, Art Gallery and Visitors & Convention Bureau – work with private sector to build a hotel and convention center and establish a visitors and convention bureau to host business and art events and conferences in Antioch. Build a rotating restaurant on the top of the hotel with views of the river, hills and Mt. Diablo for a unique feature in our city.

c. Bring Back Manufacturing to Antioch for more, quality, high-paying jobs. Clean industry, using the reclaimed water from the Desalination Plant and the excess electricity generated by the solar-powered transit system extension to BART. Establish an Advanced Materials & Diversified Manufacturing Cluster, a Food & Beverage Processing Cluster, and a Biomedical/Biotechnology/Life Sciences Cluster.

d. Antioch Gateway Port deep water facility – take advantage of the Stockton Deep Water Channel and the BNSF railroad line, along the Wilbur Avenue corridor for shipping goods in and out of Antioch to and from all over the world, creating well-paying dock and shipping jobs. Truly making Antioch the Gateway to the Delta and World!

Location in Antioch:

e. Job Center at 18th & A Streets using the fiber optic cable network hub located there.

f. No More Cannabis Businesses – four is too many. No expansion citywide. It’s bad for other business and the city’s reputation to attract major employers and causes more police impacts.

g. Complete the BART Extension to Oakley, Brentwood, Discovery Bay, Byron, Byron Airport, Mountain House and Tracy, connecting Antioch to Livermore and Pleasanton and the California High Speed Rail system. Using a smaller, quieter, solar-powered electric system that can move commuters during the day and evening and move goods in and out of Antioch at night.

h. Complete the widening of Highway 4 (bypass/extension) to four lanes from Balfour Road to Marsh Creek Road for greater safety for commuters and trucks.

i. Build Route 239 – the long-planned 4-lane highway from the end of Highway 4 (bypass) and Vasco Road to Interstate 5 in Tracy, connecting Antioch to the rest of the Bay Area and Golden State, and for trucking products in and out of East County creating more local jobs and completing the beltway around Mt. Diablo. It’s been on the books for over 60 years. It’s time to work with our state and federal representatives to secure the funding and get it built. I will work to get Antioch a seat on the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, again.

j. Expand Byron Airport – for more commercial and freight flights, getting products manufactured in Antioch to the statewide, national and global marketplace quicker.

3. Housing

a. Homeless – Identify and implement long-term solutions to combat homelessness in Antioch, to get them off the streets, out of the encampments, out of the cold and wet of winter and heat of the summer. Work with the Community Outreach Center on E. 18th Street and other churches and non-profit organizations. Use all of the $500,000 the Council set aside last year. And no more hiring consultants!

b. Increased Home Ownership – Partner with both the private and public sectors to create a clear and achievable path for greater home ownership in Antioch.

c. Sustainable Development – Take decisive action to create sustainable housing and community development. Transit Villages surrounding and near the BART Stations, preserve hillsides, and protect habitat and the Sand Creek corridor.

d. Complete Mix of Housing Types – Ensure Antioch has a complete mix of housing types so our residents can remain living in our city throughout their lives.

 4. Education

My first-hand experience working with local school campuses has given me unique insight to the issues facing our students and teachers on a daily basis. My plan is to establish regular meetings between city council, school board, and parents to collaborate on safe and academically-enriched opportunities for all students. Identify new resources to generate education-related programs, such as civic engagement activities including intern/extern/apprenticeship programs for eligible students. An improved education helps students, improves our economy and home values.

a. 4-Year Private College in Antioch – raise the education level in our community, improving the educational opportunities for our youth in a multi-disciplinary, 4-year, private, liberal arts college, while improving the culture as well as property values.

b. Job Training – work with local businesses and Los Medanos College for job training and retraining for Antioch workers.

c. Antioch YES – Youth Employment Services – for after school and summertime jobs, internships and apprenticeships with local businesses and at City Hall. Work with Antioch Chamber of Commerce and Central Labor Council to establish a website and database for local businesses and students to use to offer or apply for and fill the positions.

d. Teach Antioch History in our schools. Work with the Historical Society Museum.

e. After School Education Programs – like Math Intensive Program and mentoring programs for students.

5. Revitalized Rivertown – Antioch’s Historic Downtown

Find creative ways to procure long-term investment and revenue to enhance the development of the waterfront. Seven ferry boats, historical artifacts and vessels, family attractions, and beautification programs. These changes aid to the creation of an infrastructure that attracts business.

a. Remove the Dilapidated House on the Water at the end of A Street. It’s Rivertown not Shantytown!

b. Sell the 9 City-Owned Parcels that are part of the exclusive negotiations with one developer for the past 5 years, including the old lumber company lot. Get it done!

c. High-End High-Rise Condos with river views on the former Cannery Site next to A Street on the east end.

d. Rezone Property on West 2nd Street between I and L Streets for high-rise condos and apartments with river views.

e. Obtain Ownership of the Hard House from the State – for a non-profit to revitalize the home of Antioch’s first mayor on First Street.

f. Implement Antioch Downtown Specific Plan – expanded park at Waldie Plaza, and allow new buildings facing the river, etc.

g. Antioch Sesquicentennial Celebration – 150th Anniversary of Cityhood 1872-2022. Re-establish the City Council subcommittee recently dissolved for events and activities celebrating our city’s rich history in Rivertown and citywide, all year long.

h. Bring Back July 4th Fireworks to Rivertown – shoot them from a barge on the river like used to happen. Work with Celebrate Antioch Foundation.

i. Rename Streets to Rivertown – as in the 1996 Antioch Economic Plan to promote Rivertown on Highway 4 with such names as Rivertown Drive, Smith’s Landing Way, Marina Parkway, or Veterans Blvd. in time for July 4, 2022.

j. Arched Entranceway Signs – 3 signs at A & W. 6th Streets, L & W. 10th Streets, and 4th and Auto Center Drive.

k. Smith’s Landing Pier-39 type attraction over the water from H to F Streets, with an outdoor amphitheater, Ferris wheel, carousel, shops and food vendors.

l. New East Antioch Marina at Roger’s Point and the former Tommy’s Harbor with big boat berths.

m. Historic Boats for rides throughout the Delta and to and from San Francisco and other stops in the Bay Area.

n. Ferry Stop next to Riverview Lodge and Amtrak Station – part of the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transport Authority (WETA) for commuter line to Martinez, Richmond and San Francisco. – From the WETA 2016 Strategic Plan: “changes in technology and the limited ability to build out other modes may warrant reconsideration of ferry service in the future in communities such as Martinez, Benicia, Rio Vista, Antioch or Discovery Bay. Demand for these services is steadily increasing, and WETA is prepared to work with regional stakeholders to identify and develop cost-effective options for serving travelers in these corridors.”

 

George Young III for Antioch School Board, Area 1

Current Position: Staff Sergeant, United States Army Reserves, Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (USACAPOC) – Trainer / Team Lead

georgeyoung4change.com

Facebook: georgeyoung4change

george.young4change@gmail.com

925.783.5663

Students First: providing students with the resources they need to be successful in their current education and career paths for their future.  This includes restoring bilingual staff at all school sites to assist families with translation so that all community members can access the school’s resources for their children.

School Site Safety: Creating organizations on Middle School and High School Campuses that are comprised of students, teachers, aand SROs.  This organization will be tasked with creating a safety/security plan that students can be a part of, gain future job experience, and take an active part in their school security, resulting in pride and ownership of their schools.

Community Voice: Bringing a    community voice to the board, creating a gateway for parents, students, school staff and teacher’s voices to be heard, and the confidence to know their needs are truly being considered as the board makes the decision for their schools, that will affect students not only today but for future years to come.

Parent Schooling Choice: Parents have the right to choose how their children are educated, be it public, private, charter, or homeschooling. Parents should also have a say and be an active part of their child’s success.

Alexis Medina for Antioch Unified School District Trustee, Area 1

Top Priorities – Culturally Responsive Community Engagement & Partnership

The most effective school boards actively engage their stakeholders and aim to cultivate student centered, asset-based collaborative solutions. They respond to unique and shifting educational needs, demonstrating thoughtful and clear rationale to the communities in which they serve.

As a Board Trustee, I will take an asset-based approach to development, amplifying both capable and exemplary people, places, and programs, and providing technical and material-based support to strengthen existing opportunities and programs for students and staff members.

Top Accomplishments

I am a first-generation college graduate and a return Peace Corps volunteer. I have over 15 years of experience in K-12, as an after-school program lead, classroom teacher, and instructional coach.  I have also worked in community development as a program coordinator, building relationships with a variety of community stakeholders and developing programs.

I have the experience and technical expertise required to excel if elected.  More importantly, I have a deep pride and respect for the families, students, staff and community of Antioch and it would be an honor to serve as your representative.

www.medinaforantioch.com

Facebook: @medinaforantioch

medinaforantioch@gmail.com

(925) 948-6670

 

 

I love Antioch because it has given my family the opportunity to prosper for the past 25 years. My parents worked as a dishwasher and fry cook for as long as I can remember to achieve the American dream, providing a brighter future for their children. They succeeded.

Here, I received my K-12 education and went on to earn a degree in Economics at Stanford University. Now, I am a quality improvement professional at UCSF San Francisco General Hospital, where I collaborate with the brightest minds in pediatrics on projects that impact children’s wellbeing.

I also work as a youth leadership teacher with TEAMTRI where I mentor our student leaders.

As your representative on the school board I will use my background in education, economics, and healthcare, to fight for evidence-based solutions to the problems facing our community.

We can invest in school safety solutions and get at the root of the problem so that we stop the violence years, not seconds, before it happens.

It is imperative that we adapt to the latest recommendations from health experts to protect our teachers and students from COVID-19.

Let’s make Antioch a better place for every child to get an education, together.

Dear Editor:

Over the past few decades, Antioch has become one of the most wonderfully diverse Cities in Contra Costa County.  As we continue to grow, so must our ideas and solutions to complex issues.  Remaining stagnant will not benefit Antioch. The City Council in particular must focus on actions that benefit all residents in the City rather than continue the cycle of political grandstanding.

This election year, we need new energy, and new thought processes on the City Council.  Rejuvenating the city through fresh ideas, and fresh perspectives will allow us to break the cycle of failure.  Our River Town has huge potential, yet the City Council does nothing to improve the conditions of Rivertown and other areas of Antioch.  We need strong, accountable leadership that will take the steps necessary to improve the conditions of Antioch.

The new energy and fresh perspective Antioch needs is Antwon Webster.  I have done the research on him and taken the time to communicate with him on several occasions.  He and his family moved to Antioch in order to create lasting memories and to make a home for their kids.  In doing so, he wants Antioch to be a place that is safe and full of opportunities for his family and for all the residents of Antioch. His top priorities are:

• Safety:  Working with Law Enforcement to create and enhance our Community Policing program.
• Reducing Crime:  Supporting our Law Enforcement through funding for additional resources and training.  Increasing the number of law enforcement to an adequate level.
• Future City Development:  Reviving local business and creating youth outreach and development programs.  Improving city revenue through smart economic growth.
• Blight:  Cleaning up Antioch and beautify the city so that we all can enjoy and admire the city we live in.  Beautifying and remodeling our historic, downtown Rivertown into something more modern day, where families can come and enjoy a walk on the waterfront.

Antwon Webster is a visionary and as a military veteran, he understands how to strategically move Antioch forward.  He is committed public servant and record of proven leadership.  He has shown and proven that he is a man of his word and a committed to the City of Antioch.  I am honored to endorse Antwon Webster for Antioch City Council, District 3.

Best Regards,

Chief Allan Cantando (Ret.)

Dear Editor:

District 2 Antioch City Council candidate Mike Barbanica offers two solutions to the problem of homelessness in Antioch: breakup homeless encampments and deny the homeless services. He also mentions arresting them. Breaking up encampments is an old solution that we have seen fail. It undermines the effort to get the homeless into housing. It is also now illegal.

Antioch took a similar approach on the issue of the growing number of Section 8 residents. This policy was halted, and the city settled a lawsuit with those residents after the city was accused of discrimination. Running people out of town is not the answer. It is a failed approach. It is a shameful solution. It makes the problem worse. California’s Right to Rest Act makes such actions illegal. (See related article)

The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (“USICH”), an organization composed of nineteen federal cabinet and agency heads to advance federal collaboration to end family homelessness, has recognized that sweeps and the seizure of the personal property of the homeless is harmful and counterproductive. The USICH report, “Ending Homelessness for People Living in Encampments,” finds that “forced dispersal” of encampments is “inappropriate and undermines the goal of linking people to permanent housing opportunities.”

In the California Right to Rest Act of 2018 the California State Legislature defines harassment against the homeless as, “a knowing or willful course of conduct by law enforcement, public or private security personnel, or agent directed at a specific person that a reasonable person would consider as seriously alarming, consider pestering, troubling, disturbing, or threatening.”
When it comes to homelessness Antioch has other obligations.

The requirement to provide for housing and shelter for low-income and homeless individuals as stated in Antioch’s General Plan and to adhere to the requirements of government code is an “obligatory duty which a governmental entity is required to perform,” not a permissive one. Antioch’s mandatory duty created by California Government Code § 65583 et seq., known as the California Housing Accountability Act requires the city to provide for housing and shelter for low-income and homeless individuals.

Michael Kitterman

American Citizens Institute

A Research and Analysis Public Charity

AmericanCitizensInstitute.org