By Allen Payton

Political flyers from the California School Employees Association (CSEA) of the Antioch Unified School District recommending the election of three candidates for school board, were distributed to members of the Board of Trustees in their joint mailbox and individual mail packets, inside the District office, on Friday, October 28th.

The flyer labeled “Classified Chit Chat shows the names of photos of Board President Diane Gibson-Gray and former Board members Gary Hack and Joy Motts with the title “Special Edition – Election 2016” and the subtitle “CSEA Recommendations for School Board.” It gives the background of each of the three candidates and reasons to vote for them.

About Gibson-Gray, the flyer reads, “She successfully guided the School Board to approve our most recent contract which resulted in raises for all employees and improved health benefits.” The flyer also states, “Mr. Hack has always supported not just teachers, but the Classified employees who are a big part of his constituency.” About Motts, it reads “If it seems like we’re going ‘old school’ in selecting candidates that’s not really the case” and “During her tenure on the Board, it was a time of stability which was good for our members.”

In an email response to questions about the matter, Superintendent Stephanie Anello wrote, “The Board has a mailbox here. This was mail received. We don’t open or read mail.”

Asked if it was for U.S. mail or internal District mail, she responded, “It is for the collection of both US Mail and internal mail.”

Asked if this or any other political campaign material is also being distributed on the campuses and/or by faculty or staff, Anello replied, “There have been no reports of political campaign material being distributed on campuses by staff.”

However, Trustee Debra Vinson said she “also received it.”

When asked if it was it mailed, she responded, “No. It was in the Board packet.”

“It was not mailed,” Vinson continued. “I was a little surprised.”

She said she would inform District staff to put an end to it.

Vinson also mentioned trucks with large campaign signs parked in school parking lots.

“I think the public is fairly tired of the campaigning,” she added.

Board President Diane Gibson-Gray has been seen driving around in a truck with a trailer attached, with her large campaign signs on each side.

Asked if she was parking it in school parking lots, she did not respond before publication time.

In an email response, Trustee Fernando Navarro, who is running for election, but is not supported by the AEA, wrote “No it was inserted loose leaf in the envelope no postage added.
Which brings up the point.  I think this is inappropriate material [to] be sending to the board in general considering two of the board members weren’t even endorsed. It’s kind of a slap in the face in my opinion.”

Anello responded to Navarro, “I’m sorry you felt it was a slap in the face. In short, neither I nor Nancy (Belleci, Anello’s executive assistant) read correspondence – either external or internal that is intended for Board Members.”

Anello and all of the Board members were then asked via email, which staff member placed the flyers in the trustees’ mailbox and packets, and what can and would be done about the distribution of the CSEA flyer. In addition, questions were asked of Anello regarding who delivered the flyers to be distributed, what the procedure is for distributing mail to Board members, if any staff member can bring in things to give to them without them being checked.

8:58 P.M. UPDATE: In an email response at 4:07 P.M., Anello provided answers to the following questions:

Q. Who brought in the flyers for placement in the Board’s mailbox(es) for distribution to the Board members?

A. Anyone can place things in the Board’s mailbox. I have no knowledge of who put it in their box.

Q. What is the procedure for having things distributed to Board members?

A. We distribute the Board’s mail at a time when we are delivering district-related materials.

Q. Can just any staff member bring in things to give to them without it being checked?

A. Yes. Our job is not to screen or censure public comment to elected officials. Additionally, employees do not shed their first amendment rights because they are employed by the school district.

11/04/16 5:43 P.M UPDATE: In a follow up email, Anello was asked “so, what you’re saying…that campaigning is allowed on school property and by staff and during work hours. Correct? Her response was a simple “No.”

Further questions asking if staff doesn’t “shed their First Amendment rights” do they shed them on school district property and during the work day were sent after the work day on Friday. Please check back later for Anello’s response.

Please check back later for Anello’s response.

It just dumbfounds me listening to candidates and others complain about things they consider negative in news articles, letters to the editor and guest columns about our local government.

If things were all “mai-tais and Yahtzee,” as was once stated by a movie character played by Nicholas Cage, then we could just write about positive things. But, that’s just not reality.

Sharing information that’s negative is necessary for “we the people” to know what’s going on so we can do something about it. Why? Because it’s our government, they’re our tax dollars being spent, they’re our children who are the students that we, in effect, contract with school district personnel to help us educate.

What if the Founding Fathers listened to that kind of thinking and only spoke of the positives of King George III and his tyrannical rule over the 13 colonies? We’d all be speaking with a British accent and wouldn’t be enjoying the freedoms protected by our Constitution.

While the Herald is a community newspaper, one of the reasons I started it, as I did the Antioch Press back in 2001 (before I sold it in 2005), was to keep Antioch residents informed of what’s going on with our local government – the city and the school district.

It’s our role, as part of the media to question, challenge and hold our officials accountable to do what they were elected or hired to do, and write about it, if and when they do or don’t.

We’re not out to get people nor do we “go after” anyone, as someone    accused us, recently. In fact, we rarely start any investigative news articles. They’re usually the result of residents asking us about matters and sometimes providing us with information to      support their concerns.

If we pursue the matter, sometimes it leads somewhere, while other times it doesn’t. But, when it does, we’ll pursue the matter to the end, regardless of where it takes us. Then we write about it and inform you, so you can then    decide what you want to do with it.

As I told one local elected official, if they would just do their job, we’d have less to write about. Plus, if they can’t handle the truth if it’s negative, they have no business serving in public office. So, if what is written is negative but is accurate and factual, focus your frustration on those who are supposed to be solving the problems, or solve them yourself, if you’re the focus of the negative information. Capiche?

The bottom line is our city and school district are facing some serious challenges. We’ve learned some very negative things, and have written about them, as a result.

While the City is improving, mainly thanks to two tax increases that we voted for, Antioch still has a long way to go to get out of the hole we’ve been in.

As for the school district, things are much worse than we’ve been led to believe. The information revealed about the abysmal proficiency levels among K-5 students, thanks to newly appointed board members learning and sharing that with us, is a matter of grave concern. The negative facts are 81% of students on average are not proficient in math, and 67% aren’t proficient in English. Even worse, in one of the elementary schools 92% of students aren’t proficient in math.

This election is our chance to vote for new leaders who will solve our problems. And that would be very positive.

East Bay State Senate candidate Joseph A. Rubay (7th District, R-Alamo) rebuked incumbent Steve Glazer, on Wednesday, for endorsing a new county tax on the November ballot after promising to “hold the line on taxes.”

“Steve Glazer pledged in his official candidate statement to ‘hold the line on taxes.’  By endorsing Measure X, a new $2.9 billion county tax, Mr. Glazer has broken his promise,” Rubay stated. “He can’t have it both ways.”

Measure X would double the Contra Costa transportation sales tax rate and last for 30 years.  It would increase the county’s transportation sales tax to a whole percent, making Contra Costa’s tax rates among the highest in the state, according to the website www.saynotox.com.

“The current county transportation sales tax began in 2009 and was supposed to satisfy needs for 25 years,” Rubay said. “Doubling the tax is outrageous, coming only seven years into a 25-year tax.”

Rubay is a real estate appraiser, former certified public accountant and auditor.

“I oppose Measure X because it would cost a family of four an average of $268 annually until the year 2047,” he said. “Mr. Glazer was wrong to champion AB 1665, the special legislation that busted the county sales tax cap to allow this new tax to be placed on the ballot.”

“There’s no shortage of money for transportation projects,” Rubay continued. “East Bay residents already pay fuel taxes at the pump, a county sales tax, a BART sales tax, a state Transportation Development Act sales tax, and a regional transportation sales tax, in addition to property taxes for BART and local roads, vehicle license and registration fees, and bridge tolls. We don’t need a new tax.”

“Senate District 7 taxpayers have contributed more than a half billion dollars of the existing AB 1107 sales tax to San Francisco’s Muni system,” he continued. “Why doesn’t Mr. Glazer stop this massive diversion of our local transportation funds to San Francisco instead of forcing a tax increase on us?”

“Mr. Glazer has flip-flopped on his promise – one of his ‘Ten Governing Principles’ – to ‘hold the line on taxes.’  He has betrayed voters, especially fiscal conservatives,” Rubay added.  “He’s proven he can’t be trusted to represent us in Sacramento.”

The 7th District covers all of the 925 area code (except Martinez and Pleasant Hill), including the communities of Alamo, Antioch, Bay Point, Blackhawk, Brentwood, Clayton, Concord, Danville, Discovery Bay, Dublin, Lafayette, Livermore, Moraga, Oakley, Orinda, Pittsburg, Pleasanton, San Ramon and Walnut Creek.  To learn more, visit the Rubay for Senate campaign website is: http://rubayforstatesenate2016.com/home.

By Allen Payton, Publisher & Editor

After observing the actions of the Antioch School Board and now the election for three seats on the Board, this past year, here’s what I see is really going on in the Antioch Unified School District. It’s a story of the proverbial ostriches versus camels, of those in the status quo establishment who want to keep their heads in the sand, ignore the facts and keep the public in the dark, versus those with their “nose under the tent” finding out what’s really going on and letting the public know, and wanting to actually do something about it.

There’s an effort to keep control of the Board in the hands of the status quo establishment, which believes things are going pretty well in the district, by electing three of their own and opposing two appointed Board members and another candidate, who are learning the facts and have been letting the public know. That isn’t sitting well with the establishment – made up of one current Board member, three candidates, the leaders of the local teachers’ union, management employees and the certified employees. They say the three change agent candidates and their supporters are being negative.

Now, the establishment is going after one of the current Board members who isn’t up for re-election, this year, to get their fourth candidate on the Board, by recalling Trustee Debra Vinson, because they can’t seem to control her or get her to fall in line, either.

First, the new Board majority, who speak of wanting to improve things in the district, forced out Dr. Don Gill as Superintendent. But, then they appointed two new members to the Board who, like the proverbial camel with his nose under the tent, discovered that things aren’t going as well as the establishment has led the public to believe.

Alarming District Facts Being Learned, Shared

Appointed Trustees Fernando Navarro and Alonzo Terry have learned that the students in the District are in fact not doing so well, nor are the District’s finances. They learned and have pointed out to the public that an average of 67% of children in Kindergarten through Fifth grades are not proficient in English and an average of 81% are not proficient in math. In fact, in one elementary school in Antioch only 8% of the students are proficient in math.

Trustee Debra Vinson, who is not facing re-election this year, has also been pushing for the facts and having them shared publicly. Following her request of staff for a report on the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) scores, a presentation was made during a recent workshop.

“The scores are horrific,” she said. “They didn’t want them out to the public.”

The appointed school board members also learned about the problem of truancy in the District, meaning students are not showing up for school.

Under Goal 3 in the District’s state required Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) it states “During the 2014-15 school year, 34% of AUSD students were truant. 13.4% were severely or chronically truant. Chronic truancy is especially high (16.1%) in the primary grades (k-3)…Students who don’t read proficiently by 3rd grade are 4 times more likely to drop out of school. 19.4% (941) of African American students were chronically truant… 40% of the students at Antioch High School were chronically truant.”

During the campaign, Navarro, Terry and the third candidate offering a different approach to the status quo, Crystal Sawyer-White, have been speaking out about these challenges, as well as the practice of promoting students prematurely.

In addition, enrollment in the District has been declining for the past decade, with 4,000 fewer students in the schools. The three candidates are saying part of the decline is due to parents choosing other schools for their students, both private and in other, better districts. The establishment’s narrative is that it’s due to the natural aging of the population in Antioch. But demographic statistics don’t support their argument.

In fact student-age population figures have been increasing in the district, at the same time enrollment has been declining by over 400 students per year. The establishment is concerned because the money the District receives from the state is based on Average Daily Attendance (ADA). Fewer students in the classrooms results in less money for the district.

But, Navarro and the others are more concerned about the academic achievement of the students, and if that changes, it will result in fewer students being removed by their parents for greener pastures.

District finances are another challenge, as they were facing a budget deficit, this year of $1.2 million and is facing deficits of over $2 million per year for the following two fiscal years. But, some one-time money was received by the District since the budget was approved in June, which produced a budget surplus, for this year.

Yet, it’s still not a pretty picture and the reserves are not at the level the District needs, and are only one month of staff salaries.

Immediately, the establishment candidates – backed by the teachers union, management and certified staff – are wanting to spend the surplus and get the reserves down to as low as 3% the minimum required by state law, as stated by Gibson-Gray at a candidates forum. But, according to AUSD Chief Business Officer Chris Learned, that “doesn’t even cover one payroll for the district. We want to keep reserves at 7%, preferably 10%.”

Those are alarming statistics and if they were happening in say, Walnut Creek, Lafayette or San Ramon, there would be an insurrection by parents, and the entire school board would be recalled and the top staff fired and replaced.

Negative Information Criticized, But Correct

Now that the facts are being shared, while the establishment is not denying all of them, they’ve turned their tactics to attacking those who are informing the public of them.

Navarro was criticized by status quo candidate Mike Burkholder, for giving the District a grade of F-minus-minus in a private conversation with Antioch Mayor Wade Harper, after Harper shared Navarro’s comment with Burkholder.

But, Navarro is correct. On an A through F grading scale, with an A having a score of 90 to 100 and an F being anything less than a score of 60, then scoring a 20 in math and a 30 in English is an F-minus-minus.

Burkholder and the rest of the establishment and their three other candidates don’t want that information out there. Why? Because it’s too negative, makes the District look bad, and is being critical of the teachers, and hurts Antioch’s reputation. They think the public somehow either doesn’t have a right to know what’s going on with our students, our government and our tax dollars the District is spending, or they don’t think we can handle knowing, which is rather elitist if they do.

One of the new superintendent’s goals is to “rebrand the District.” But, what’s the purpose of that? If the vast majority of K-5 students are failing in English and math, what’s there to re-brand, until they aren’t? Besides to whom are they wanting to market the District, which is the purpose of a branding campaign?

New Superintendent

Then the Board majority, on a split vote, hired a Superintendent from within the District staff sending a message that things are doing just fine in the district. Navarro voted against the contract because he thought it was too rich, at a time enrollment is declining and the District facing deficits for the next three years. He also said he preferred hiring someone from outside of the District with a different perspective, preferably with more successful schools.

While I believe Stephanie Anello wants to and can be an agent of change for the better for our students, it’s going to require a new Board majority to offer a new direction for her and the District. Because as the hired CEO of the organization, she has to do what the Board majority wants her to, if she wants to keep her job.

White Candidates vs. Candidates of Color

The agents of change in this election happen to be the one Hispanic man and an African-American man and woman. The status quo establishment candidates all happen to be white. That fact hasn’t gone unnoticed by some in the Antioch community and has some, who have chosen to remain silent, upset.

This is at a time students in the district are 41% Hispanic, 26% African-American and only 17% white. That doesn’t reflect the population of the city, which is 31.7% Hispanic, 30.7% white, and 21.9% African-American, which is a possible indicator that the white parents are removing their students from district schools and placing them in either private schools or those in other districts, or homeschooling them.

Yet, it’s the students of color in the district who have been suffering more under the establishment’s leadership, and they don’t want the three candidates of color or the other, current African-American Trustee to be on the Board, who will more likely be motivated to do something about it.

The establishment is hoping to get three of the white candidates elected, and their fourth one on the board by replacing Vinson with whomever doesn’t win, next Tuesday.

“It has not been easy because I’m not the status quo,” Vinson said. “I’ve been told Burkholder or one of them wants my seat.”

“When I asked the staff for the SBAC scores is when they stepped up the attack,” she explained. “They are not happy that all of this is coming out because the previous board didn’t do a good job and they don’t like it.”

Asked about the racial aspect of the current election, Antioch resident and former NAACP East County Branch President Odessa Lefrancois shared her concerns.

“I don’t like what is happening,” she said. “When I saw what happened at the school board meeting, last week. That shouldn’t have happened. They let that happen.”

“I have a belief the voters know what is happening and they will get elected,” Lefrancois continued. “I would love to have all three elected because they reflect the make-up of the school district.”

Charter School Battle

Antioch currently has two public charters schools, Antioch Charter Academy and Antioch Charter Academy II. Of the students at Antioch Charter Academy 41.3% are white. Even though the AUSD Hispanic students make up 40% of the population, but only 28% of the students at Antioch Charter Academy. African-American students make up 26% of the population in AUSD schools but only 9.7% of the students at Antioch Charter.

Yet, teachers in the district say they like the district’s current charter schools while berating the effort of the private, non-profit Rocketship Education to bring one of their public charter schools in Antioch.

But, Rocketship’s model is one of taking the least performing students in a district, most of whom are Hispanic and African-American children, and helping them advance in their education, like a “rocketship.” In fact, Rocketship’s lowest English and math proficiency statistics are at the same level or better than any of the elementary schools in the AUSD.

The fact the District has been performing so poorly is the reason Rocketship has chosen Antioch for one of their schools, as AUSD observer and former teacher Willie Mims pointed out at the October 12^th Board meeting.

The organization is trying to get one of their schools approved in Antioch and the public hearing on the matter is scheduled for Wednesday, November 9^th and a meeting for the final vote will be held on December 7^th.

That would mean more students being removed from the regular schools and even though Rocketship pays their teachers more than AUSD teachers get paid, AUSD teachers’ union leadership doesn’t want one of their charter schools in Antioch.

Yet, even Antioch’s own Tom Torlakson, a former AUSD teacher and cross country coach, Antioch Councilman, County Supervisor, State Assemblyman, State Senator and now State Superintendent of Public Instruction is supportive of charter schools, specifically Rocketship. He along with the State School Board majority, voted in favor of the one in the Mt. Diablo School District, earlier this year even in the face of opposition from that district’s teachers and no votes by that Board and the County School Board.

Campaign Support, Battle Lines Drawn

The California Charter Schools Assocation has been backing the agents of change, by paying for three mailers with their names and photos on them. The Antioch Education Association, which is the local teachers’ union, as well as the certified employees’ union and Antioch Management Association, representing the District’s management staff are backing the status quo establishment candidates, both with endorsements and paying for mailers to support them. The AMA actually endorsed all four of the status quo establishment candidates for the three seats, indicating they want Vinson gone and replaced with one of theirs.

Unfortunately, it’s gotten a little nasty. But desperate people do desperate things. In fact the establishment went so far as to illegally shut down Navarro and prevent him from making a lawful motion to have an urgency item placed on the last school board meeting’s agenda, to nail down the schedule of the meetings for Rocketship’s charter school petition. Then they criticized him on social media for attempting to do so.

So, the battle lines are drawn. On one side we have the status quo candidates, the ostriches with their heads in the sand who want the public to do the same and not know the facts of how bad things are in the district, and who will keep doing the same things over and over again hoping things will improve – which is one definition of insanity – and are backed by those who have been embarrassed by the revelations of the facts by the other side.

On that side are the candidates of change, the proverbial camels with their noses under the tent, who have learned the truth and are exposing it, and who want to represent the best interests of the students, their parents, the taxpayers and the Antioch community in general, which will benefit by improved schools with better property values and attracting employers to our City.

That’s what’s really going on in the Antioch school district and school board race. Now it’s up to the voters to decide which direction they want for our students and community.

BART says ad was paid for by the Warriors

By Allen Payton

Another campaign trick was played on Halloween, when Lafayette attorney Jason Bezis filed a complaint against BART for using public funds, on Monday, October 31^st. He claims the government agency is using public funds to promote the bond Measure RR on the November ballot.

In an email about his complaint, Bezis wrote, “I just filed a complaint with the FPPC about BART’s video using Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors to promote Measure RR ($3.5 billion BART bond measure).  I argue that BART is illegally using public resources to influence voters to vote yes on Measure RR.”

Bezis’ complaint states, “complaint concerns BART public resources used illegally to plan, produce and publicize a video featuring basketball player Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors to promote Measure RR. On Friday, October 28, 2016, BART released a 31-second video titled ‘Draymond Says’ and an accompanying ‘news article,’ YouTube post, Facebook post, and Twitter post to promote the video. The BART video, BART World Web (sic) [Wide] Web homepage, BART ‘news article,’ BART YouTube post, BART Facebook post and BART Twitter post all contain the message ‘BART needs to stay safe and reliable.’

These communications paid for with public moneys by BART, a local governmental agency, unambiguously urge a particular result in the November 2016 election: they urge ‘yes’ votes for Measure RR, referred to on the ballot as ‘BART Safety, Reliability and Traffic Relief.’ These BART communications constitute ‘contributions’ or ‘independent expenditures’ benefiting the Yes on RR campaign (FPPC ID#1381218), officially named the ‘Committee to Keep BART Safe and Reliable,’ which uses the phrase ‘Keep BART Safe and Reliable’ in its campaign logo.”

Bezis then offers what he wants BART to basically admit they’re using public money to campaign for the ballot measure and to file the necessary finance reports for the expenditures.

His complaint concludes with the following:

“As BART has engaged in campaign activity, pursuant to Regulation 18420.1(f), the FPPC should require BART to file the necessary campaign finance reports for the direct and indirect costs of its campaign activities relating to promotion of Measure RR on the November 2016 ballot in Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties. BART needs to publicly disclose the value of public resources that it expended for campaign activities supporting passage of Measure RR as either a contribution to Yes on RR campaign or as an independent expenditure supporting Measure RR. For the “Draymond Says” video, BART needs to report as campaign activity the costs of planning the video, production of the video, and promotion of the video via YouTube, Twitter, its internet homepage, its BART “news article,” and by other means of publicity. If Draymond Green is a “paid spokesperson” for BART, then a Form 511 report must be filed.”

Bezis also provided evidence to support his complaint, which can be seen, below.

When reached for comment BART Board Member Joel Keller responded “The complainant believes the District used public funds to promote a ballot measure and has filed a complaint with the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC). There is a fine line between education and advocacy and it is appropriate to wait for the FPPC’s response before discussing the merits of the complaint.  However, as a supporter of the Dub Nation and admirer of the heart and intensity of Draymond Green’s play, it’s too bad that the motivation for the video about the Warriors and BART has become controversial because it is a slam dunk.”

Kerry Hamill, BART’s Assistant General Manager for External Affairs said

“We have had an ongoing relationship with the Golden State Warriors for years at BART.

We provide extra service to their games.

They promote BART in a variety of ways, like this video, which they showed at one of their last pre-season games.

We did not pay for it. The District absolutely did not pay for it. It’s the Warriors’ video and they used it for their pre-season game to show during the game.

They let us use it for BARTable, which is a website and a newsletter that promotes off-peak ridership to various games, activities, shows and festivals.

Bezis “has a pattern of filing complaints,” she said. “He did this several times against the Measure BB campaign in 2014. Everything was dismissed by the FPPC in that case.”

“I really want the Warriors to be applauded for encouraging people to take BART to the game and get cars off the road,” Hamill. “It’s a lot safer and smarter to take public transit to a game, when you’re going to drink and party.

“The Warriors and BART shouldn’t be attacked for promoting taking transit. People should take BART to the game.”

The FPPC has 14 days to decide if they intend to investigate the complaint, refer the complaint to another agency, take no action either because the Commission doesn’t have the authority or the allegations do not warrant any further action.

The election is Tuesday, November 8th.

 

By Allen Payton, Publisher & Editor

This is to inform our readers that there was a mistake on the back page of the four-page advertisement, known as a wrap, around the outside of the November issue of the Antioch Herald promoting Dr. Sean Wright’s campaign for Mayor of Antioch. It was paid for by his campaign whose FPPC ID# is 1384338, but that information was too small to read.

The revised back page artwork with a larger “Paid for by” section was not used by the printer, but instead the original artwork sent to them. The revised artwork also contained additional endorsements of Wright by Supervisor Mary Piepho, Robin Agopian and Gordon Gravelle. The revised back page can be seen on the right side of our website.

We take responsibility for this and apologize for the communications break-down between us and our printer, and it is not the fault of either Wright or his campaign. We hope this clears up any misunderstanding or confusion regarding paid political advertisement.

Editor:

Wake up Antioch voters. Our students are not for sale.

You may have noticed in the last couple of weeks in the midst of the huge amounts of campaign material in your mailbox, two very expensive campaign flyers supporting 3 candidates for Antioch School Board, Navarro, Terry and Sawyer-White.  What is important for the voters of Antioch to know is who paid for those campaign flyers.  Up in the left hand corner of these flyers you will notice these were paid for and sent out by the California Charter Schools Association, Advocates Independent Expenditure Committee, FPPC #1339522.  What is even more interesting is that there is a pending application before Antioch Unified School District for a Rocketship Charter School. You may or may not be in favor of Charter Schools. I personally am not opposed to community driven nonprofit Charter Schools, Antioch already has two very successful community driven Charter Schools, ACA I and ACA II,  that are supported by Antioch Unified. So what is the difference?

Rocketship Charter Schools are sweeping the state, infiltrating communities that have many families that are economically challenged, in an effort to expand their schools. Because of flawed laws governing Charter schools, they receive dollar for dollar what would otherwise would go for a student in our public schools. They take our hard earned tax dollars that are designated for public education, set up shop without having to meet the stringent standards of public education, and in most cases stick their students in front of a computer with as many as 50 students in a classroom without the benefit of a credentialed Teacher.

Many of the Charter School investor’s benefit from business related partnerships on track with the Charter schools for things such as their curriculum, construction projects or retrofitting Rocketships sites and more. Most of these investors are millionaires looking for a way to profit off the back of students and their families.  Two of the three candidates mentioned above have taken campaign donations from these outside millionaires as reported in their mandatory reporting 460 form.

What is also terribly troubling is that several other local residents have joined forces with this sham in what appears to be an effort to support their own personal financial gain.  John Crowder, Angel and Argentina Davila-Luevano have been disappointed in Antioch Unified Schools Districts financial support of their afterschool Math program and John Crowder has wrote disparaging letters about other School Board candidates. Could this be an effort to support the Charter School Association and Rocketship’s agenda?  Were they possibly promised a job by Rocketship?

[A] picture [was] taken over a month ago at a Rocketship School in San Jose, Ca. In the picture are current appointed School Board Trustee and School Board candidate Fernando Navarro, who is aggressively promoting the pending Rocketship application before Antioch Unified School District and John Crowder, Angel and Argentina Davila-Luevano with a Rocketship employee. This photo was taken on September 30th the same date as the submission of the Rocketship application to Antioch Unified School District.

I have always wondered why Rocketship Charters are not in wealthy communities if their “style” of education is so successful. Why do they prey on poorer communities?  This is a question you need to ask yourself before you vote next week.  Are our students in Antioch for sale to millionaires who think they can take advantage of them?  Should current sitting School Board Trustees be publically supporting schools that take away much needed public education monies for our students? Please do your research, visit stoprocketship.com and please consider voting for those candidates for School Board that have shown years of commitment to the Antioch community, Antioch schools, students and families.  This is not a game, it is serious stuff, and we need to wake up before it is too late.

Selina Button, 28 year resident

Antioch

By Allen Payton

Former Supervisor Tom Powers chose a trick rather than a treat for candidate for District 5 Supervisor, AnaMarie Avila Farias, on Halloween. In an email on Monday, October 31st, Powers provided a copy of a letter regarding a “Timecard Fraud Complaint Sent to District Attorney’s Office – Misuse of Taxpayer Funds to Be Investigated” against the Martinez Councilwoman. da-complaint-re-avila-farias-10-31-16

His email message read:

“Today I personally delivered the attached letter to District Attorney Mark Peterson’s office (at 3:18 pm PST) requesting an official investigation in to Anamarie Avila Farias’s official use of her time and resources at her Section 8 government job at the Contra Costa Housing Authority.

It has been brought to all of our taxpayers’ attention that on numerous times her officially signed government timecard indicates she has been at work, being paid by taxpayers to be at work, but Ms. Farias has actually been elsewhere conducting her own personal business. In fact, one of the weeks she officially signs her timecard saying she is at work, her Facebook Posts (since deleted) actually indicate she is out of the country in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Using government time or resources for personal purposes is unlawful and, on behalf of County taxpayers, I am asking the District Attorney’s Office to conduct a full investigation of Ms. Farias’ potential misuse of taxpayers funds.”

In addition, Powers provided additional documentation to support his complaint.

When asked for a comment on the complaint, Avila-Farias responded with the following statement:

“When the political machine is threatened, they strike out like a cornered snake. This filing with the District Attorney is an attempt at an October surprise, trying to entice this law enforcement agency to back up their bogus claims.

Tom Powers, a longtime Contra Costa County power broker who is actively defending the incumbent Supervisor Federal Glover because he fears the loss of control if the Board of Supervisors is governed by the people and for the people.

False and misleading attacks like this have no place in our county’s campaigns.

I am an Independent Contract Employee. My job demands a non-traditional, flexible schedule. My hours are my own to determine. End of story.

My commitment, integrity and dedication to my job and hours worked to provide housing options for Contra Costa families has never been questioned by my employer.

This is a non-story generated by the sleazy political machine in this county desperate to protect their longtime champion – Supervisor Federal Glover. They want to talk about anything other than Federal Glover’s vote to increase his own pay 33%, lack of engagement in the District and his consistent support for insider deals for Contra Costa County contractors.”

The election is next Tuesday, November 8th.