John Muir Health announced this week, the donation of $10,000 to local high schools across Contra Costa County. The funds will support programs and services related to the schools’ 2016 “Safe and Sober Grad Night” celebrations, which are held to honor the graduating senior class in a safe environment.
Twenty high schools each received a $500 check from John Muir Health to help finance graduation night festivities hosted by the schools, including professional entertainment such as hypnotists, magicians, karaoke, casino games and live DJs.
“Graduation is one of the most celebrated and yet potentially dangerous nights in a teenager’s life,” said Marci Jones, co-chair of the 2016 Grad Night celebration for Ygnacio Valley High School. “Our primary goal is to keep our graduating seniors in a safe and sober environment. Having John Muir Health’s support is a huge testament to our shared interest and concern with keeping our kids out of harm’s way.”
This year marks the 30th anniversary of John Muir Health’s trauma center, which cares for critically injured patients in Contra Costa County and parts of Solano and Marin counties. In addition to treating critical injuries, John Muir Health actively works to prevent them. Trauma physicians, nurses and staff are participants in the Every 15 Minutes program to educate high school juniors and seniors about drinking and driving and the impact their decisions have on family, friends and other members of their community. John Muir Health also participates in Beyond Violence, an intervention program for trauma patients treated at the medical center between the ages of 14-25 who are victims of intentional injuries (e.g. gunshot, knife assault) and reside in West or East Contra Costa County. Support for Safe and Sober Grad Nights is another form of injury prevention.
“As a health care provider in the community with the county’s only trauma center, we’re well aware of the dangers involved with teens driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” said Kacey Hansen, executive director of Trauma and Transfer Services at John Muir Health. “This is an important time in their lives and we appreciate the efforts by local high schools to provide an appropriate environment for them to celebrate. The last place we want to see members of the class of 2016 on their graduation night is in one of our hospitals.”
The high schools receiving donations included: Acalanes High School, Alhambra High School, Antioch High School, California High School, Campolindo High School, Clayton Valley Charter High School, College Park High School, Concord High School, Deer Valley High School, El Cerrito High School, Freedom High School, Heritage High School, Las Lomas High School, Liberty High School, Miramonte High School, Monte Vista High School, Northgate High School, Pittsburg High School, San Ramon Valley High School and Ygnacio Valley High School.
About John Muir Health
John Muir Health is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit health care organization east of San Francisco serving patients in Contra Costa, eastern Alameda and southern Solano Counties. It includes a network of more than 1,000 primary care and specialty physicians, nearly 6,000 employees, medical centers in Concord and Walnut Creek, including Contra Costa County’s only trauma center, and a Behavioral Health Center. John Muir Health also has partnerships with San Ramon Regional Medical Center, UCSF Medical Center and Stanford Children’s Health to expand its capabilities, increase access to services and better serve patients. The health system offers a full-range of medical services, including primary care, outpatient and imaging services, and is widely recognized as a leader in many specialties – neurosciences, orthopedic, cancer, cardiovascular, trauma, emergency, pediatrics and high-risk obstetrics care.
Read MoreBy Allen Payton
Election results from Tuesday night show Brentwood Councilman Steve Barr in a commanding first place lead and East Bay Regional Parks District Board Member in second place in the race for District 3 Supervisor. But, the battle for second place to determine who will face Barr in the run-off election in November may not yet be decided.
Oakley Councilman Doug Hardcastle trails Burgis by just 1,025 votes and according to County Elections Office staff, there are still about 56,000 vote-by-mail ballots in the county, turned in at the polls, Tuesday that are left to be counted. That figure does not include an additional 19,000 provisional ballots, plus the ballots turned in to the 19 City Clerks’ offices, on Tuesday, nor those ballots postmarked by Tuesday and received by this Friday.
All the ballots of those who voted at the polls were counted and included in Tuesday night’s totals.
According to the County Elections website, the results for the District 3 race as of Tuesday night are as follows:
Steve Barr – 7,996 votes, 28.9%
Diane Burgis – 6,136 votes, 22.2%
Doug Hardcastle – 5,109 votes, 18.49%
Wade Harper – 4,234 votes, 15.32%
Monica Wilson – 2,516 votes, 9.11%
Odessa Lefrancois – 1,584 votes, 5.73%
Vote counts will be updated as the County Elections office has them, with the first one expected on Friday.
Read MoreBy Allen Payton
The final financial reports were due on Friday, June 2 for the candidates in races for Contra Costa County Supervisor. In District 3, Oakley Councilman Doug Hardcastle continues to maintain his lead in total contributions and total expenses. East Bay Regional Parks District Board Member Diane Burgis shows the most in monetary contributions. Brentwood Councilman Steve Barr is in second in that category. But, Burgis shows the second most spent during the campaign and the most in outstanding debts.
Below is the summary of the campaign finances based on the latest reporting (please see copies of their reports at the bottom of this story):
Doug Hardcastle
Monetary Contributions Received during the period: $1,300
Loans Received during the period: $1,000
Non-Monetary Contributions Received: $1,400
Total Contributions Received for the period: $3,700 (1st)
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $27,308.16 (4th)
Total Contributions during the campaign: $52,633.16 (1st)
Payments Made during period: $2,511.13
Accrued Expenses (unpaid bills) for the period: $ -0-
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $52,155.00 (1st)
Ending Cash Balance: $478.16
Outstanding Debts: $16,500 (2nd) – all loans from himself
Hardcastle submitted two amended reports showing $700 in additional monetary contributions and a $750 in-kind contribution not previously reported.
Steve Barr
Monetary Contributions Received during the period: $2,567
Loans Received during the period: $ -0-
Non-Monetary Contributions Received: $ -0-
Total Contributions Received for the period: $2,567 (2nd)
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $30,352 (2nd)
Total Contributions during the campaign: $40,752 (3rd)
Expenditures Made during period: $ -0-
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $38,768 (3rd)
Ending Cash Balance: $3,984
Outstanding Debts: $7,000 (3rd) – $5,000 in loans from himself
Barr submitted an amended report showing a change from an in-kind contribution of $450 to an Accrued Expense.
Diane Burgis
Monetary Contributions Received during the period: $2,000
Loans Received during the period: $ -0-
Non-Monetary Contributions Received: $ -0-
Total Contributions Received for the period: $2,000 (4th)
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $31,655 (1st)
Total Contributions during the campaign: $31,755 (3rd)
Expenditures Made during period: $8,137.80
Accrued Expenses (unpaid bills) for the period: $23,370.06
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $50,043.18 (2nd)
Ending Cash Balance: $5,082.43
Outstanding Debts: $23,470.06 (1st) – $100 in a loan from herself
Monica Wilson
Monetary Contributions Received during period: $2,095
Loans Received during the period: $ -0-
Non-Monetary Contributions received: $ -0-
Total Contributions Received for the period: $2,095 (3rd)
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $29,170.92 (3rd)
Total Contributions for the campaign: $31,216.86 (4th)
Expenditures Made during period: $5,254.59 paid down previous unpaid bills of $1,874.98
Accrued Expenses (unpaid bills) for the period: $ -0-
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $34,470.54 (4th)
Ending Cash Balance of $3,175.32
Outstanding Debts: $1,250 (4th)
Odessa Lefrancois
Monetary Contributions Received during period: $ -0-
Loans Received during the period: $ -0-
Non-Monetary Contributions received: $ -0-
Total Contributions Received for the period: $ -0-
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $13,025.00 (5th)
Total Contributions for the campaign: $13,025.00 (5th)
Expenditures Made during period: $2,312.22
Accrued Expenses (unpaid bills) for the period: $ -0-
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $11,590.02 (5th)
Ending Cash Balance of $1,434.98
Outstanding Debts: $ -0-
She will have to file an amended report, as hers once again, does not show the Year to Date Totals on the Summary page.
Wade Harper
Monetary Contributions Received during period: $ -0-
Non-Monetary Contributions received: $ -0-
Total Contributions Received for the period: $ -0-
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $9,725.00 (6th)
Total Contributions for the campaign: $9,725.00 (6th)
Expenditures Made during period: $ -0-
Accrued Expenses (unpaid bills) for the period: $ -0-
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $8,950.54 (6th)
Ending Cash Balance of $774.46
Outstanding Debts: $ -0-
Publisher’s Note: For full disclosure and as explained in the March issue of the Antioch Herald, I, the writer of this article, am the paid consultant for Doug Hardcastle’s campaign for County Supervisor.
Read MoreBy Allen Payton
It has been confirmed by Jeff Koertzen, Chair of the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County, that former President Bill Clinton will be in Antioch on Monday, June 6th to campaign for his wife Hillary in her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Reports have been circulating since Thursday that campaign staff were at Nuce Nuce Deli, in Waldie Plaza in Antioch’s downtown, looking for a location for the event.
UPDATE: The event will be held at Marsh Elementary School, 2304 G Street, Antioch at 2:00 p.m. Doors open at 1:00 p.m.
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Contra Costa County voters can receive and cast their ballots at seven Regional Early Voting sites throughout the county before Election Day.
Regional Early Voting sites are structured so that any registered Contra Costa voter can vote at any location. For example, a Concord resident who works at Bishop Ranch in San Ramon can vote at the site in either of those cities.
The Regional Early Voting sites will be open for voting on Saturday, June 4th from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.
The sites are geographically balanced and are located in convenient and accessible locations.
- Prewett Water Park Multi-Purpose Room, 4701 Lone Tree Way, Antioch
- Bay Hills Community Church, 4100 Klose Way, Richmond
- Lafayette Learning Center, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette
- San Ramon Community Center at Central Park, 12501 Alcosta Blvd., San Ramon
- Pittsburg City Hall, 65 Civic Ave., Pittsburg
- The Salvation Army Church, 3950 Clayton Road, Concord
In addition to the Regional Voting Center sites, vote-by-mail voters can continue to drop off their ballots at “CoCo Vote-N-Go” drop-off boxes at all 19 city hall buildings and the County Administration building on 651 Pine Street, Martinez.
For more information on Regional Early Voting, visit www.cocovote.us.
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L to R: Dan Peterson, Dave Bowers, Sue Bowers, Michael Bernamonti, Jeff Cornelius, Brian Helmick, Jenny Nunes, Christy Kenney, John Kenney with the large replicas of the two checks. photo by Sean Pearson
By Sean Pearson
More foster children in East County will be able to attend summer camp, this year, due to the generosity of two Brentwood businesses. On Thursday, 02 June 2016, Dan Peterson of Movement Mortgage and John Kenney of JDK Realty & Associates formally presented Royal Family KIDS of Brentwood with two checks of $10,000 each. The presentation took place at the JDK & Associates office on in the Vic Stewart’s Center in Brentwood.
Accepting the checks on behalf of Royal Family KIDS were Dave and Sue Bowers, camp directors at RFK Brentwood. Dave Bowers explained the impact this grant will have:
“We appreciate the $25 checks too,” Dave said. “But checks like this, kind of push us over the top, and allow us to get ahead a little bit. Every year we’ve gone, in the past we’ve had to reset…I write a check for camp…for thirty, 35 thousand dollars… and the bank account’s…back almost to zero.”
“We’re not going to be there this year, which is a beautiful thing,” he added. “Plus we’re able to do more things for the kids this year.”
Royal Family KIDS is a faith-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Wayne and Diane Tesch to serve children in the foster system and take them to a week-long summer camp. The RFK website, it stated, “In 2015 Royal Family KIDS served over 7,700 children in 209 camps in 40 states and 4 international countries. Over one hundred thousand children have attended the camps since 1985.”
Sue Bowers was very emotional as she expressed her gratitude to Kenney and Peterson.
“The kids thank, you, the kids that don’t have a voice,” she said. “ Thank you for making something positive that they will never forget.”
All the funds will be used for the local, RFK Brentwood camp.
For more information visit www.brentwood.royalfamilykids.org or follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rfkbrentwood.
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Friday, June 3 FUN FAMILY FRIDAY
- Kids 12 & Under– FREE admission all day for kids 12 and under!
- Family Carnival Deal-Buy 1 Ride Wristband & Get 1 FREE until 6:00pm…$25 savings
12:00 Gates Open
12:00 Splash Dogs Registration begins
1:00 Splash Dogs
1:30 Circus Imagination
2:00 Wild About Monkeys
3:00 Splash Dogs
4:00 Circus Imagination
5:00 Splash Dogs
5:00 Rabbits & Cavy Show – Small Animal Barn
5:30 Circus Imagination
6:30 Wild About Monkeys
7:00 Splash Dogs
7:00 Pop, Rock, & Soul- Main Stage
7:30 Jr. Sheep Lead – Shady Oak Arena
7:30 Undead Betty’s Roller Derby– Paradise Skate
8:00 Wild About Monkeys
9:15 & 10:30 Big Bad Boogie Rock- Main Stage
Saturday, June 4
9:00 Swine Show-Livestock Arena
11:00 Gates Open
11:00 Splash Dogs Registration begins
12:00 Splash Dogs
12:00 Pocket Pets-Shady Oak Arena
12:30 Circus Imagination
1:00 Wild About Monkeys
1:30 The Doritos Rollerskating Dance Team-Paradise Skate
2:00 Splash Dogs
3:00 Circus Imagination
3:30 The Doritos Rollerskating Dance Team-Paradise Skate
4:00 Wild About Monkeys
4:00 Small Animal Showmanship-Livestock Arena
5:00 Woodcarver Auction
5:30 Gwen In Doubt-Main Stage
5:30 The Doritos Rollerskating Dance Team-Paradise Skate
6:00 Large Animal Showmanship-Livestock Arena
6:00 Splash Dogs
6:45 Circus Imagination
7:00 Metalachi-Main Stage
7:30 Wild About Monkeys
8:00 The Doritos Rollerskating Dance Team-Paradise Skate
9:15 & 10:30 Long Duck Dongs- Main Stage
Sunday, June 5 Fiesta De La Familia Day
10:00 Junior Livestock Auction-Livestock Arena
11:00 Gates Open
11:00 Splash Dogs Registration begins
12:00 Circus Imagination
1:00 Wild About Monkeys
1:30 Splash Dogs
2:00 Live Hispanic Musical Entertainment – Main Stage
2:00 Battle of the Bullriders-Antioch Speedway
2:30 Circus Imagination
3:00 Undead Betty’s Roller Derby-Paradise Skate
3:00 Wild About Monkeys
3:00 Livestock Awards Ceremony-Livestock Arena
3:30 Splash Dogs
5:00 Splash Dog Finals
5:30 Woodcarver Auction
6:00 Wild About Monkeys
6:30 Circus Imagination
The Warriors’ Steph Curry answers questions at the press conference following Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, on Monday, May 30, 2016. photos by F.D. Purcell
Warriors win three in a row beating Thunder 96-88 to head to their second straight NBA Finals
The 2016 Western Conference Championship trophy was presented to the Warriors following Monday night’s victory.
By F.D. Purcell, Herald Bay Area Sports Reporter
When two-time MVP Stephen Curry did his usual pregame ball toss and pop with courtside security guard Curtis Jones on Monday his eyes were dark and dim, but there was something about his aura. He was laser focused. Curtis inbounded the ball, Curry missed the first shot, the crowd gasped. After he missed his next three, he held up one finger, head bobbing to the music…splash.
What a precursor to the game he’d have scoring 36 points in his team’s 96-88 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder 4-3 in the best of seven.
“No one ever had any doubt we could get this done,” said Draymond Green following the game.
Fans paid as much as $29,000 for courtside seats for this game after the Warriors won Game 6 in Oklahoma. The Oracle fans stayed afterwards as the team received their Western Conference Championship trophy midcourt.
“We were a mature basketball team that tried our best not to listen to the noise outside,” said Curry. “Let’s figure this out let’s go out and take it one game at a time and crawl our way back into the series and see what happens.”
They crawled and clawed back, winning three in a row, silencing all who said they couldn’t do it.
Now they’ll face the Cavaliers for the second straight year. The Warriors swept them in the regular season. King James will certainly be looking for redemption.
The Warriors host Cleveland in Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday, June 2nd. Tip-off is at 6:00 p.m.
Read MoreBy Dave Roberts
One of the biggest problems facing East County residents is the lack of adequate fire protection and emergency services. Most of the candidates for county supervisor representing District 3, which includes East County, favor raising taxes to beef up staffing in the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District. Only one candidate, Doug Hardcastle, has publicly opposed a fire tax hike.
ECCFPD voters have twice rejected fire tax hike measures in recent years. In 2012 a 10-year parcel tax hike, which required two-thirds approval to pass, failed to gain even a majority. In 2015 a benefit assessment, which needed a majority to pass, also failed with 53 percent of voters rejecting it. The district may place another tax hike measure on the November ballot.
In 2008 the fire district was able to staff six fire stations with 48 employees on a $10.8 million budget. But the current $12.1 million budget – a 12 percent increase in funding – only provides for 36 employees and staffing for three fire stations. This has resulted in longer response times, particularly in outlying areas, putting East County residents’ lives and property at risk.
The reason that a 12 percent budget increase in the past eight years has resulted in layoffs and station closures is that employee salary and benefit costs have risen even faster, 15 percent. Most significantly, retirement expenses have increased 64 percent from $2.2 million in 2008 to $3.6 million today.
Four of the six candidates seeking to replace Mary Piepho on the county board of supervisors – Steve Barr, Diane Burgis, Hardcastle and Odessa Lefrancois – discussed the fire district problem at a recent forum in Discovery Bay. The other two candidates – Wade Harper and Monica Wilson – failed to show due to family emergencies, according to Greg Robinson, publisher of the Brentwood Press, which sponsored the forum.
The candidates responded to this question: “Fire protection in East County is an ongoing concern. Despite the fact that there are three stations open with a fourth scheduled to open in July, the voters still turned down a recent tax initiative to support and reopen stations. What do you see as the solution to the ongoing funding for the district, and how can the supervisors help?”
Brentwood City Councilman Barr is the only candidate who has sat on the ECCFPD board, where he’s now in his fourth year.
“I know firsthand what the issues are out here,” he said. “The simple fact is there is not enough funding to fund more than three fire stations. It’s about $2.8 million per station, and the current funding from your property taxes is somewhere around $10 or $11 million. So as you can see, you’re not going to get anything more than three stations.”
The fire board has conducted a study, which determined that the 250-square-mile district actually needs nine fire stations to provide adequate protection, said Barr. He did not do the math at the forum, but nine stations at $2.8 million per station would total $25 million, more than double the district’s current budget.
“So I think we’re on the right track,” he said, adding that he’s “hopeful” about the next tax measure.
Barr did not mention Piepho by name, but he criticized the lack of leadership provided by the county supervisor on the issue.
“The supervisor of this county needs to step up and be the one leading, not the city manager of the city of Brentwood [who is chairing a task force],” he said. “I’m happy he’s doing it because he’s actually looking for solutions, like we all have. And I think that’s exactly what I would expect out of the county supervisors. Not leave it all to one of the cities, but actually leading and showing leadership and finding solutions.”
Oakley City Councilman Hardcastle said the solution is not another tax hike attempt.
“We’ve had enough studies,” he said. “People do not want to raise their taxes again. They tried it twice already. It’s ridiculous that they would even try it twice. We pay too much money. We just need to learn how to spend our money properly where it needs to be spent. I’m there to make sure that that money gets spent like that.
“I’ve been in business for 40-something years,” Hardcastle continued. “You don’t stay in business for 40-something years by spending money needlessly on stuff that it doesn’t need to be spent on. So my number one priority is going to be conservancy of the money to make sure that our dollars are spent like we want them to spend it.”
Hardcastle did not provide specifics on how he would like to reallocate the fire district’s budget, but said something needs to be done, including increasing salaries.
“Our fire stations out here are in horrible shape,” he said. “These guys are overworked; a lot of them are underpaid. I talked to one guy, he’s [making] $20 an hour being a fireman. That is ridiculous.”
One possibility is continuing the temporary funding provided to the fire district by the county and the cities of Brentwood and Oakley that has allowed the Knightsen station to be reopened through June 2017.
“My number one priority in this whole thing is having our families be safe,” said Hardcastle. “We can get money from our budgets at the city.”
Lefrancois, who is a past president of the East County NAACP, also favors other government agencies pitching in to help the fire district.
“As a supervisor I’d like to bring all of the concerned parties to the table to try to figure this out,” she said. “This needs to be figured out not just by the county board of supervisor[s], but also by the county board of education and also special district[s] who also have funding on safety that goes into their budget[s].”
Lefrancois also agrees with Barr that another tax hike attempt should be studied. “Maybe we need to figure out from the voters what type of tax, if there is a parcel tax, what would they be willing to pay, what would they be willing to do,” she said. “I think this is a very complex issue, and it needs more than just one individual at the table making that decision.”
East Bay Regional Park District board member Burgis also wants to look at the possibility of another tax hike measure. “We need to find more revenue,” she said. “That can be different tools. That can be property tax, it can be reallocation, it can be consolidation. It can be a whole combination of things. But it has to be legal. And it has to be something that we make urgent.”
She did not mention Barr by name, but criticized the fire board’s efforts thus far.
“The problem has been the leadership on this fire board hasn’t done the job,” said Burgis. “So we need to figure out what hasn’t worked and stop that and move forward. We need to have a more accountable fire protection board. I think that having an elected board that is responsible for the district is a good step.”
Burgis agreed with Barr that there needs to be county leadership on the issue.
“As a supervisor we are one part of three parts: Oakley, Brentwood and the county,” she said. “And as supervisor I would be that leader. I would bring those people together. That’s the reputation I have is bringing people together that have different opinions, politics and agendas and making sure that we do what we need to do. … It’s a problem that we need to deal with.”
On other issues, the candidates mostly agreed that:
- The proposed Delta tunnels project should be opposed because it would degrade water quality.
- Development of the Byron Airport could be an economic boon to East County.
- There is a need to attract more businesses to East County to provide local jobs.
- Local farmland needs to be protected.
- Crime, including shootings on Highway 4, needs to be reduced.
The election is June 7th. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, then the top two will face off in the general election in November.
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By Allen Payton
Candidates and campaigns were required to file financial reports on Thursday, May 26 for the period of April 24 through May 21, 2016. Oakley Councilman Doug Hardcastle continues to lead in the amount of funds raised and spent in the campaign. East Bay Regional Parks District Board Member Diane Burgis is second behind Hardcastle in expenditures, but has the most in monetary contributions, and in unaid bills. But, Brentwood Councilman Steve Barr, has raised more than Burgis in total contributions. Antioch Councilwoman Monica Wilson is in a close fourth in fundraising, in both monetary and total contributions.
Following is the financial information submitted by the candidates in the District 3 Supervisor race for the latest period (see the complete reports, posted in alphabetical order of last name, below):
Doug Hardcastle
Monetary Contributions Received during the period: $8,297
Non-Monetary Contributions Received: $1,675
Total Contributions Received for the period: $9,972 (3rd)
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $25,308.16 (4th)
Total Contributions Received during the campaign: $47,483.16 (1st)
Expenditures Made during period: $11,176.07
Accrued Expenses (unpaid bills) for the period: $ -0-
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $45,818.87 (1st)
Ending Cash Balance: $1,664.29
Outstanding Debts: $15,500 (2nd) – all loans from himself
After his report was submitted, Hardcastle discovered a file of monetary contributions totaling approximately $700 and an in-kind contribution of $750 from a fundraiser in May that was not included in the latest report. He will be submitting an amended report, this next week.
Steve Barr
Monetary Contributions Received during the period: $9,100.00 – Most from within the district.
Non-Monetary Contributions Received: $1,200
Total Contributions Received for the period: $10,300 (2nd)
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $27,785 (2nd)
Total Contributions Received during the campaign: $38,635 (2nd)
Expenditures Made during period: $28,594, paid down previous unpaid bills of $17,035
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $31,768 (3rd)
Ending Cash Balance: $1,417
Outstanding Debts: $6,550 (3rd) – $5,000 in loans from himself
Diane Burgis
Monetary Contributions Received during the period: $10,798
Non-Monetary Contributions Received: $ -0-
Total Contributions Received for the period: $10,798 (1st)
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $29,655 (1st)
Total Contributions Received during the campaign: $29,755 (3rd)
Expenditures Made during period: $15,336.52
Accrued Expenses (unpaid bills) for the period: $8,098.85
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $41,905.38 (2nd)
Ending Cash Balance: $11,220.23
Outstanding Debts: $23,470.06 (1st) – $100 in loans from herself
Almost all of her contributions were received during the period from and most of her money was spent outside of the district.
Monica Wilson
Monetary Contributions Received during period: $6,665.16
Non-Monetary Contributions received: $1,927.88
Total Contributions Received for the period: $8,593.04 (4th)
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $27,075.92 (3rd)
Total Contributions Received during the campaign: $29,121.86 (4th)
Expenditures Made during period: $12,704.75 paid down previous unpaid bills of $11,462.87
Accrued Expenses (unpaid bills) for the period: $ -0-
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $29,215.95 (4th)
Ending Cash Balance of $8,209.89
Outstanding Debts: $3,124.98 (4th)
All of her contributions were received during the period from and most of her money was spent outside of the district, with the majority of it spent out of state for yard signs and direct mail.
Odessa Lefrancois
Monetary Contributions Received during period: $1,140.00
Non-Monetary Contributions received: $ -0-
Total Contributions Received for the period: $1,140.00 (6th)
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $13,025.00 (5th)
Total Contributions Received during the campaign: $13,025.00 (5th)
Expenditures Made during period: $2,312.22
Accrued Expenses (unpaid bills) for the period: $ -0-
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $11,590.02 (5th)
Ending Cash Balance of $1,434.98
Outstanding Debts: $ -0-
She will have to file an amended report, as hers does not show the Year to Date Totals on the Summary page.
Wade Harper
Monetary Contributions Received during period: $1,675.00
Non-Monetary Contributions received: $ -0-
Total Contributions Received for the period: $1,675.00 (5th)
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $9,725.00 (6th)
Total Contributions Received during the campaign: $9,725.00 (6th)
Expenditures Made during period: $3,287.00
Accrued Expenses (unpaid bills) for the period: $ -0-
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $8,950.54 (6th)
Ending Cash Balance of $774.46
Outstanding Debts: $ -0-
Publisher’s Note: For full disclosure and as explained in the March issue of the Antioch Herald, I, the writer of this article, am the paid consultant for Doug Hardcastle’s campaign for County Supervisor.
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John Muir Health announced this week, the donation of $10,000 to local high schools across Contra Costa County. The funds will support programs and services related to the schools’ 2016 “Safe and Sober Grad Night” celebrations, which are held to honor the graduating senior class in a safe environment.
Twenty high schools each received a $500 check from John Muir Health to help finance graduation night festivities hosted by the schools, including professional entertainment such as hypnotists, magicians, karaoke, casino games and live DJs.
“Graduation is one of the most celebrated and yet potentially dangerous nights in a teenager’s life,” said Marci Jones, co-chair of the 2016 Grad Night celebration for Ygnacio Valley High School. “Our primary goal is to keep our graduating seniors in a safe and sober environment. Having John Muir Health’s support is a huge testament to our shared interest and concern with keeping our kids out of harm’s way.”
This year marks the 30th anniversary of John Muir Health’s trauma center, which cares for critically injured patients in Contra Costa County and parts of Solano and Marin counties. In addition to treating critical injuries, John Muir Health actively works to prevent them. Trauma physicians, nurses and staff are participants in the Every 15 Minutes program to educate high school juniors and seniors about drinking and driving and the impact their decisions have on family, friends and other members of their community. John Muir Health also participates in Beyond Violence, an intervention program for trauma patients treated at the medical center between the ages of 14-25 who are victims of intentional injuries (e.g. gunshot, knife assault) and reside in West or East Contra Costa County. Support for Safe and Sober Grad Nights is another form of injury prevention.
“As a health care provider in the community with the county’s only trauma center, we’re well aware of the dangers involved with teens driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” said Kacey Hansen, executive director of Trauma and Transfer Services at John Muir Health. “This is an important time in their lives and we appreciate the efforts by local high schools to provide an appropriate environment for them to celebrate. The last place we want to see members of the class of 2016 on their graduation night is in one of our hospitals.”
The high schools receiving donations included: Acalanes High School, Alhambra High School, Antioch High School, California High School, Campolindo High School, Clayton Valley Charter High School, College Park High School, Concord High School, Deer Valley High School, El Cerrito High School, Freedom High School, Heritage High School, Las Lomas High School, Liberty High School, Miramonte High School, Monte Vista High School, Northgate High School, Pittsburg High School, San Ramon Valley High School and Ygnacio Valley High School.
About John Muir Health
John Muir Health is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit health care organization east of San Francisco serving patients in Contra Costa, eastern Alameda and southern Solano Counties. It includes a network of more than 1,000 primary care and specialty physicians, nearly 6,000 employees, medical centers in Concord and Walnut Creek, including Contra Costa County’s only trauma center, and a Behavioral Health Center. John Muir Health also has partnerships with San Ramon Regional Medical Center, UCSF Medical Center and Stanford Children’s Health to expand its capabilities, increase access to services and better serve patients. The health system offers a full-range of medical services, including primary care, outpatient and imaging services, and is widely recognized as a leader in many specialties – neurosciences, orthopedic, cancer, cardiovascular, trauma, emergency, pediatrics and high-risk obstetrics care.
Read MoreBy Allen Payton
Election results from Tuesday night show Brentwood Councilman Steve Barr in a commanding first place lead and East Bay Regional Parks District Board Member in second place in the race for District 3 Supervisor. But, the battle for second place to determine who will face Barr in the run-off election in November may not yet be decided.
Oakley Councilman Doug Hardcastle trails Burgis by just 1,025 votes and according to County Elections Office staff, there are still about 56,000 vote-by-mail ballots in the county, turned in at the polls, Tuesday that are left to be counted. That figure does not include an additional 19,000 provisional ballots, plus the ballots turned in to the 19 City Clerks’ offices, on Tuesday, nor those ballots postmarked by Tuesday and received by this Friday.
All the ballots of those who voted at the polls were counted and included in Tuesday night’s totals.
According to the County Elections website, the results for the District 3 race as of Tuesday night are as follows:
Steve Barr – 7,996 votes, 28.9%
Diane Burgis – 6,136 votes, 22.2%
Doug Hardcastle – 5,109 votes, 18.49%
Wade Harper – 4,234 votes, 15.32%
Monica Wilson – 2,516 votes, 9.11%
Odessa Lefrancois – 1,584 votes, 5.73%
Vote counts will be updated as the County Elections office has them, with the first one expected on Friday.
Read MoreBy Allen Payton
The final financial reports were due on Friday, June 2 for the candidates in races for Contra Costa County Supervisor. In District 3, Oakley Councilman Doug Hardcastle continues to maintain his lead in total contributions and total expenses. East Bay Regional Parks District Board Member Diane Burgis shows the most in monetary contributions. Brentwood Councilman Steve Barr is in second in that category. But, Burgis shows the second most spent during the campaign and the most in outstanding debts.
Below is the summary of the campaign finances based on the latest reporting (please see copies of their reports at the bottom of this story):
Doug Hardcastle
Monetary Contributions Received during the period: $1,300
Loans Received during the period: $1,000
Non-Monetary Contributions Received: $1,400
Total Contributions Received for the period: $3,700 (1st)
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $27,308.16 (4th)
Total Contributions during the campaign: $52,633.16 (1st)
Payments Made during period: $2,511.13
Accrued Expenses (unpaid bills) for the period: $ -0-
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $52,155.00 (1st)
Ending Cash Balance: $478.16
Outstanding Debts: $16,500 (2nd) – all loans from himself
Hardcastle submitted two amended reports showing $700 in additional monetary contributions and a $750 in-kind contribution not previously reported.
Steve Barr
Monetary Contributions Received during the period: $2,567
Loans Received during the period: $ -0-
Non-Monetary Contributions Received: $ -0-
Total Contributions Received for the period: $2,567 (2nd)
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $30,352 (2nd)
Total Contributions during the campaign: $40,752 (3rd)
Expenditures Made during period: $ -0-
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $38,768 (3rd)
Ending Cash Balance: $3,984
Outstanding Debts: $7,000 (3rd) – $5,000 in loans from himself
Barr submitted an amended report showing a change from an in-kind contribution of $450 to an Accrued Expense.
Diane Burgis
Monetary Contributions Received during the period: $2,000
Loans Received during the period: $ -0-
Non-Monetary Contributions Received: $ -0-
Total Contributions Received for the period: $2,000 (4th)
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $31,655 (1st)
Total Contributions during the campaign: $31,755 (3rd)
Expenditures Made during period: $8,137.80
Accrued Expenses (unpaid bills) for the period: $23,370.06
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $50,043.18 (2nd)
Ending Cash Balance: $5,082.43
Outstanding Debts: $23,470.06 (1st) – $100 in a loan from herself
Monica Wilson
Monetary Contributions Received during period: $2,095
Loans Received during the period: $ -0-
Non-Monetary Contributions received: $ -0-
Total Contributions Received for the period: $2,095 (3rd)
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $29,170.92 (3rd)
Total Contributions for the campaign: $31,216.86 (4th)
Expenditures Made during period: $5,254.59 paid down previous unpaid bills of $1,874.98
Accrued Expenses (unpaid bills) for the period: $ -0-
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $34,470.54 (4th)
Ending Cash Balance of $3,175.32
Outstanding Debts: $1,250 (4th)
Odessa Lefrancois
Monetary Contributions Received during period: $ -0-
Loans Received during the period: $ -0-
Non-Monetary Contributions received: $ -0-
Total Contributions Received for the period: $ -0-
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $13,025.00 (5th)
Total Contributions for the campaign: $13,025.00 (5th)
Expenditures Made during period: $2,312.22
Accrued Expenses (unpaid bills) for the period: $ -0-
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $11,590.02 (5th)
Ending Cash Balance of $1,434.98
Outstanding Debts: $ -0-
She will have to file an amended report, as hers once again, does not show the Year to Date Totals on the Summary page.
Wade Harper
Monetary Contributions Received during period: $ -0-
Non-Monetary Contributions received: $ -0-
Total Contributions Received for the period: $ -0-
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $9,725.00 (6th)
Total Contributions for the campaign: $9,725.00 (6th)
Expenditures Made during period: $ -0-
Accrued Expenses (unpaid bills) for the period: $ -0-
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $8,950.54 (6th)
Ending Cash Balance of $774.46
Outstanding Debts: $ -0-
Publisher’s Note: For full disclosure and as explained in the March issue of the Antioch Herald, I, the writer of this article, am the paid consultant for Doug Hardcastle’s campaign for County Supervisor.
Read MoreBy Allen Payton
It has been confirmed by Jeff Koertzen, Chair of the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County, that former President Bill Clinton will be in Antioch on Monday, June 6th to campaign for his wife Hillary in her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Reports have been circulating since Thursday that campaign staff were at Nuce Nuce Deli, in Waldie Plaza in Antioch’s downtown, looking for a location for the event.
UPDATE: The event will be held at Marsh Elementary School, 2304 G Street, Antioch at 2:00 p.m. Doors open at 1:00 p.m.
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Contra Costa County voters can receive and cast their ballots at seven Regional Early Voting sites throughout the county before Election Day.
Regional Early Voting sites are structured so that any registered Contra Costa voter can vote at any location. For example, a Concord resident who works at Bishop Ranch in San Ramon can vote at the site in either of those cities.
The Regional Early Voting sites will be open for voting on Saturday, June 4th from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.
The sites are geographically balanced and are located in convenient and accessible locations.
- Prewett Water Park Multi-Purpose Room, 4701 Lone Tree Way, Antioch
- Bay Hills Community Church, 4100 Klose Way, Richmond
- Lafayette Learning Center, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette
- San Ramon Community Center at Central Park, 12501 Alcosta Blvd., San Ramon
- Pittsburg City Hall, 65 Civic Ave., Pittsburg
- The Salvation Army Church, 3950 Clayton Road, Concord
In addition to the Regional Voting Center sites, vote-by-mail voters can continue to drop off their ballots at “CoCo Vote-N-Go” drop-off boxes at all 19 city hall buildings and the County Administration building on 651 Pine Street, Martinez.
For more information on Regional Early Voting, visit www.cocovote.us.
Read MoreL to R: Dan Peterson, Dave Bowers, Sue Bowers, Michael Bernamonti, Jeff Cornelius, Brian Helmick, Jenny Nunes, Christy Kenney, John Kenney with the large replicas of the two checks. photo by Sean Pearson
By Sean Pearson
More foster children in East County will be able to attend summer camp, this year, due to the generosity of two Brentwood businesses. On Thursday, 02 June 2016, Dan Peterson of Movement Mortgage and John Kenney of JDK Realty & Associates formally presented Royal Family KIDS of Brentwood with two checks of $10,000 each. The presentation took place at the JDK & Associates office on in the Vic Stewart’s Center in Brentwood.
Accepting the checks on behalf of Royal Family KIDS were Dave and Sue Bowers, camp directors at RFK Brentwood. Dave Bowers explained the impact this grant will have:
“We appreciate the $25 checks too,” Dave said. “But checks like this, kind of push us over the top, and allow us to get ahead a little bit. Every year we’ve gone, in the past we’ve had to reset…I write a check for camp…for thirty, 35 thousand dollars… and the bank account’s…back almost to zero.”
“We’re not going to be there this year, which is a beautiful thing,” he added. “Plus we’re able to do more things for the kids this year.”
Royal Family KIDS is a faith-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Wayne and Diane Tesch to serve children in the foster system and take them to a week-long summer camp. The RFK website, it stated, “In 2015 Royal Family KIDS served over 7,700 children in 209 camps in 40 states and 4 international countries. Over one hundred thousand children have attended the camps since 1985.”
Sue Bowers was very emotional as she expressed her gratitude to Kenney and Peterson.
“The kids thank, you, the kids that don’t have a voice,” she said. “ Thank you for making something positive that they will never forget.”
All the funds will be used for the local, RFK Brentwood camp.
For more information visit www.brentwood.royalfamilykids.org or follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rfkbrentwood.
Read MoreFriday, June 3 FUN FAMILY FRIDAY
- Kids 12 & Under– FREE admission all day for kids 12 and under!
- Family Carnival Deal-Buy 1 Ride Wristband & Get 1 FREE until 6:00pm…$25 savings
12:00 Gates Open
12:00 Splash Dogs Registration begins
1:00 Splash Dogs
1:30 Circus Imagination
2:00 Wild About Monkeys
3:00 Splash Dogs
4:00 Circus Imagination
5:00 Splash Dogs
5:00 Rabbits & Cavy Show – Small Animal Barn
5:30 Circus Imagination
6:30 Wild About Monkeys
7:00 Splash Dogs
7:00 Pop, Rock, & Soul- Main Stage
7:30 Jr. Sheep Lead – Shady Oak Arena
7:30 Undead Betty’s Roller Derby– Paradise Skate
8:00 Wild About Monkeys
9:15 & 10:30 Big Bad Boogie Rock- Main Stage
Saturday, June 4
9:00 Swine Show-Livestock Arena
11:00 Gates Open
11:00 Splash Dogs Registration begins
12:00 Splash Dogs
12:00 Pocket Pets-Shady Oak Arena
12:30 Circus Imagination
1:00 Wild About Monkeys
1:30 The Doritos Rollerskating Dance Team-Paradise Skate
2:00 Splash Dogs
3:00 Circus Imagination
3:30 The Doritos Rollerskating Dance Team-Paradise Skate
4:00 Wild About Monkeys
4:00 Small Animal Showmanship-Livestock Arena
5:00 Woodcarver Auction
5:30 Gwen In Doubt-Main Stage
5:30 The Doritos Rollerskating Dance Team-Paradise Skate
6:00 Large Animal Showmanship-Livestock Arena
6:00 Splash Dogs
6:45 Circus Imagination
7:00 Metalachi-Main Stage
7:30 Wild About Monkeys
8:00 The Doritos Rollerskating Dance Team-Paradise Skate
9:15 & 10:30 Long Duck Dongs- Main Stage
Sunday, June 5 Fiesta De La Familia Day
10:00 Junior Livestock Auction-Livestock Arena
11:00 Gates Open
11:00 Splash Dogs Registration begins
12:00 Circus Imagination
1:00 Wild About Monkeys
1:30 Splash Dogs
2:00 Live Hispanic Musical Entertainment – Main Stage
2:00 Battle of the Bullriders-Antioch Speedway
2:30 Circus Imagination
3:00 Undead Betty’s Roller Derby-Paradise Skate
3:00 Wild About Monkeys
3:00 Livestock Awards Ceremony-Livestock Arena
3:30 Splash Dogs
5:00 Splash Dog Finals
5:30 Woodcarver Auction
6:00 Wild About Monkeys
6:30 Circus Imagination
The Warriors’ Steph Curry answers questions at the press conference following Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, on Monday, May 30, 2016. photos by F.D. Purcell
Warriors win three in a row beating Thunder 96-88 to head to their second straight NBA Finals
The 2016 Western Conference Championship trophy was presented to the Warriors following Monday night’s victory.
By F.D. Purcell, Herald Bay Area Sports Reporter
When two-time MVP Stephen Curry did his usual pregame ball toss and pop with courtside security guard Curtis Jones on Monday his eyes were dark and dim, but there was something about his aura. He was laser focused. Curtis inbounded the ball, Curry missed the first shot, the crowd gasped. After he missed his next three, he held up one finger, head bobbing to the music…splash.
What a precursor to the game he’d have scoring 36 points in his team’s 96-88 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder 4-3 in the best of seven.
“No one ever had any doubt we could get this done,” said Draymond Green following the game.
Fans paid as much as $29,000 for courtside seats for this game after the Warriors won Game 6 in Oklahoma. The Oracle fans stayed afterwards as the team received their Western Conference Championship trophy midcourt.
“We were a mature basketball team that tried our best not to listen to the noise outside,” said Curry. “Let’s figure this out let’s go out and take it one game at a time and crawl our way back into the series and see what happens.”
They crawled and clawed back, winning three in a row, silencing all who said they couldn’t do it.
Now they’ll face the Cavaliers for the second straight year. The Warriors swept them in the regular season. King James will certainly be looking for redemption.
The Warriors host Cleveland in Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday, June 2nd. Tip-off is at 6:00 p.m.
Read MoreBy Dave Roberts
One of the biggest problems facing East County residents is the lack of adequate fire protection and emergency services. Most of the candidates for county supervisor representing District 3, which includes East County, favor raising taxes to beef up staffing in the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District. Only one candidate, Doug Hardcastle, has publicly opposed a fire tax hike.
ECCFPD voters have twice rejected fire tax hike measures in recent years. In 2012 a 10-year parcel tax hike, which required two-thirds approval to pass, failed to gain even a majority. In 2015 a benefit assessment, which needed a majority to pass, also failed with 53 percent of voters rejecting it. The district may place another tax hike measure on the November ballot.
In 2008 the fire district was able to staff six fire stations with 48 employees on a $10.8 million budget. But the current $12.1 million budget – a 12 percent increase in funding – only provides for 36 employees and staffing for three fire stations. This has resulted in longer response times, particularly in outlying areas, putting East County residents’ lives and property at risk.
The reason that a 12 percent budget increase in the past eight years has resulted in layoffs and station closures is that employee salary and benefit costs have risen even faster, 15 percent. Most significantly, retirement expenses have increased 64 percent from $2.2 million in 2008 to $3.6 million today.
Four of the six candidates seeking to replace Mary Piepho on the county board of supervisors – Steve Barr, Diane Burgis, Hardcastle and Odessa Lefrancois – discussed the fire district problem at a recent forum in Discovery Bay. The other two candidates – Wade Harper and Monica Wilson – failed to show due to family emergencies, according to Greg Robinson, publisher of the Brentwood Press, which sponsored the forum.
The candidates responded to this question: “Fire protection in East County is an ongoing concern. Despite the fact that there are three stations open with a fourth scheduled to open in July, the voters still turned down a recent tax initiative to support and reopen stations. What do you see as the solution to the ongoing funding for the district, and how can the supervisors help?”
Brentwood City Councilman Barr is the only candidate who has sat on the ECCFPD board, where he’s now in his fourth year.
“I know firsthand what the issues are out here,” he said. “The simple fact is there is not enough funding to fund more than three fire stations. It’s about $2.8 million per station, and the current funding from your property taxes is somewhere around $10 or $11 million. So as you can see, you’re not going to get anything more than three stations.”
The fire board has conducted a study, which determined that the 250-square-mile district actually needs nine fire stations to provide adequate protection, said Barr. He did not do the math at the forum, but nine stations at $2.8 million per station would total $25 million, more than double the district’s current budget.
“So I think we’re on the right track,” he said, adding that he’s “hopeful” about the next tax measure.
Barr did not mention Piepho by name, but he criticized the lack of leadership provided by the county supervisor on the issue.
“The supervisor of this county needs to step up and be the one leading, not the city manager of the city of Brentwood [who is chairing a task force],” he said. “I’m happy he’s doing it because he’s actually looking for solutions, like we all have. And I think that’s exactly what I would expect out of the county supervisors. Not leave it all to one of the cities, but actually leading and showing leadership and finding solutions.”
Oakley City Councilman Hardcastle said the solution is not another tax hike attempt.
“We’ve had enough studies,” he said. “People do not want to raise their taxes again. They tried it twice already. It’s ridiculous that they would even try it twice. We pay too much money. We just need to learn how to spend our money properly where it needs to be spent. I’m there to make sure that that money gets spent like that.
“I’ve been in business for 40-something years,” Hardcastle continued. “You don’t stay in business for 40-something years by spending money needlessly on stuff that it doesn’t need to be spent on. So my number one priority is going to be conservancy of the money to make sure that our dollars are spent like we want them to spend it.”
Hardcastle did not provide specifics on how he would like to reallocate the fire district’s budget, but said something needs to be done, including increasing salaries.
“Our fire stations out here are in horrible shape,” he said. “These guys are overworked; a lot of them are underpaid. I talked to one guy, he’s [making] $20 an hour being a fireman. That is ridiculous.”
One possibility is continuing the temporary funding provided to the fire district by the county and the cities of Brentwood and Oakley that has allowed the Knightsen station to be reopened through June 2017.
“My number one priority in this whole thing is having our families be safe,” said Hardcastle. “We can get money from our budgets at the city.”
Lefrancois, who is a past president of the East County NAACP, also favors other government agencies pitching in to help the fire district.
“As a supervisor I’d like to bring all of the concerned parties to the table to try to figure this out,” she said. “This needs to be figured out not just by the county board of supervisor[s], but also by the county board of education and also special district[s] who also have funding on safety that goes into their budget[s].”
Lefrancois also agrees with Barr that another tax hike attempt should be studied. “Maybe we need to figure out from the voters what type of tax, if there is a parcel tax, what would they be willing to pay, what would they be willing to do,” she said. “I think this is a very complex issue, and it needs more than just one individual at the table making that decision.”
East Bay Regional Park District board member Burgis also wants to look at the possibility of another tax hike measure. “We need to find more revenue,” she said. “That can be different tools. That can be property tax, it can be reallocation, it can be consolidation. It can be a whole combination of things. But it has to be legal. And it has to be something that we make urgent.”
She did not mention Barr by name, but criticized the fire board’s efforts thus far.
“The problem has been the leadership on this fire board hasn’t done the job,” said Burgis. “So we need to figure out what hasn’t worked and stop that and move forward. We need to have a more accountable fire protection board. I think that having an elected board that is responsible for the district is a good step.”
Burgis agreed with Barr that there needs to be county leadership on the issue.
“As a supervisor we are one part of three parts: Oakley, Brentwood and the county,” she said. “And as supervisor I would be that leader. I would bring those people together. That’s the reputation I have is bringing people together that have different opinions, politics and agendas and making sure that we do what we need to do. … It’s a problem that we need to deal with.”
On other issues, the candidates mostly agreed that:
- The proposed Delta tunnels project should be opposed because it would degrade water quality.
- Development of the Byron Airport could be an economic boon to East County.
- There is a need to attract more businesses to East County to provide local jobs.
- Local farmland needs to be protected.
- Crime, including shootings on Highway 4, needs to be reduced.
The election is June 7th. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, then the top two will face off in the general election in November.
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By Allen Payton
Candidates and campaigns were required to file financial reports on Thursday, May 26 for the period of April 24 through May 21, 2016. Oakley Councilman Doug Hardcastle continues to lead in the amount of funds raised and spent in the campaign. East Bay Regional Parks District Board Member Diane Burgis is second behind Hardcastle in expenditures, but has the most in monetary contributions, and in unaid bills. But, Brentwood Councilman Steve Barr, has raised more than Burgis in total contributions. Antioch Councilwoman Monica Wilson is in a close fourth in fundraising, in both monetary and total contributions.
Following is the financial information submitted by the candidates in the District 3 Supervisor race for the latest period (see the complete reports, posted in alphabetical order of last name, below):
Doug Hardcastle
Monetary Contributions Received during the period: $8,297
Non-Monetary Contributions Received: $1,675
Total Contributions Received for the period: $9,972 (3rd)
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $25,308.16 (4th)
Total Contributions Received during the campaign: $47,483.16 (1st)
Expenditures Made during period: $11,176.07
Accrued Expenses (unpaid bills) for the period: $ -0-
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $45,818.87 (1st)
Ending Cash Balance: $1,664.29
Outstanding Debts: $15,500 (2nd) – all loans from himself
After his report was submitted, Hardcastle discovered a file of monetary contributions totaling approximately $700 and an in-kind contribution of $750 from a fundraiser in May that was not included in the latest report. He will be submitting an amended report, this next week.
Steve Barr
Monetary Contributions Received during the period: $9,100.00 – Most from within the district.
Non-Monetary Contributions Received: $1,200
Total Contributions Received for the period: $10,300 (2nd)
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $27,785 (2nd)
Total Contributions Received during the campaign: $38,635 (2nd)
Expenditures Made during period: $28,594, paid down previous unpaid bills of $17,035
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $31,768 (3rd)
Ending Cash Balance: $1,417
Outstanding Debts: $6,550 (3rd) – $5,000 in loans from himself
Diane Burgis
Monetary Contributions Received during the period: $10,798
Non-Monetary Contributions Received: $ -0-
Total Contributions Received for the period: $10,798 (1st)
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $29,655 (1st)
Total Contributions Received during the campaign: $29,755 (3rd)
Expenditures Made during period: $15,336.52
Accrued Expenses (unpaid bills) for the period: $8,098.85
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $41,905.38 (2nd)
Ending Cash Balance: $11,220.23
Outstanding Debts: $23,470.06 (1st) – $100 in loans from herself
Almost all of her contributions were received during the period from and most of her money was spent outside of the district.
Monica Wilson
Monetary Contributions Received during period: $6,665.16
Non-Monetary Contributions received: $1,927.88
Total Contributions Received for the period: $8,593.04 (4th)
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $27,075.92 (3rd)
Total Contributions Received during the campaign: $29,121.86 (4th)
Expenditures Made during period: $12,704.75 paid down previous unpaid bills of $11,462.87
Accrued Expenses (unpaid bills) for the period: $ -0-
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $29,215.95 (4th)
Ending Cash Balance of $8,209.89
Outstanding Debts: $3,124.98 (4th)
All of her contributions were received during the period from and most of her money was spent outside of the district, with the majority of it spent out of state for yard signs and direct mail.
Odessa Lefrancois
Monetary Contributions Received during period: $1,140.00
Non-Monetary Contributions received: $ -0-
Total Contributions Received for the period: $1,140.00 (6th)
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $13,025.00 (5th)
Total Contributions Received during the campaign: $13,025.00 (5th)
Expenditures Made during period: $2,312.22
Accrued Expenses (unpaid bills) for the period: $ -0-
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $11,590.02 (5th)
Ending Cash Balance of $1,434.98
Outstanding Debts: $ -0-
She will have to file an amended report, as hers does not show the Year to Date Totals on the Summary page.
Wade Harper
Monetary Contributions Received during period: $1,675.00
Non-Monetary Contributions received: $ -0-
Total Contributions Received for the period: $1,675.00 (5th)
Monetary Contributions Received during the campaign: $9,725.00 (6th)
Total Contributions Received during the campaign: $9,725.00 (6th)
Expenditures Made during period: $3,287.00
Accrued Expenses (unpaid bills) for the period: $ -0-
Total Expenditures Made during the campaign: $8,950.54 (6th)
Ending Cash Balance of $774.46
Outstanding Debts: $ -0-
Publisher’s Note: For full disclosure and as explained in the March issue of the Antioch Herald, I, the writer of this article, am the paid consultant for Doug Hardcastle’s campaign for County Supervisor.
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