During their meeting on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, the Board of Supervisors approved a proclamation declaring May as CalFresh Awareness Month (See below)
More Contra Costa County residents are encouraged to apply for the food assistance program.
CalFresh food benefits stretch household budgets, enabling recipients to afford nutritious food, including more fruits, vegetables, and other healthy options. In Contra Costa County, 93,169 Contra Costa County residents are receiving CalFresh as of March 2023. But many more may be eligible. Learn more, including how to apply, at ehsd.org.
CalFresh Facts:
- CalFresh Food benefits can be used at most grocery stores and even select online retailers; and matched dollar for dollar at participating farmers markets.
- Adults 18 years or older can be eligible for CalFresh, and may apply on behalf of their children, including non-citizen parents who may apply on behalf of their U.S.-born children.
- CalFresh benefits have contributed $297 million to our economy from April 2022 through March 2023 in Contra Costa County.
CalFresh Awareness Month news cards are posted on ehsd.org and on the County website. Also, social media posts @ContraCostaEHSD on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.
Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors
Proclaiming May 2023 as CalFresh Awareness Month
WHEREAS, CalFresh food benefits stretch household budgets, enabling recipients to afford nutritious food, including more fruits, vegetables, and other healthy options; and
WHEREAS, encouraging eligible residents to enroll in the CalFresh program will increase the health and well-being of eligible families and individuals by helping provide a means to meet their nutritional needs; and
WHEREAS, EHSD’s community partnerships, including the Food Bank of Contra Costa County and Solano, help raise awareness and visibility of CalFresh; and
WHEREAS, adults 18 years or older can be eligible for CalFresh, and may apply on behalf of their children, including non-citizen parents who may apply on behalf of their U.S.-born children; and
WHEREAS, CalFresh Food benefits can be used at most grocery stores and even select online retailers; and matched dollar for dollar at participating farmers markets; and
WHEREAS, 93,169 Contra Costa County residents are receiving CalFresh as of March 2023; and
WHEREAS, CalFresh benefits have contributed $297 million to our economy from April 2022 through March 2023 in Contra Costa County; and
WHEREAS, Contra Costa County is one of 34 counties in the state to offer the CalFresh Employment and Training Program, providing CalFresh participants training and assistance towards job readiness, job security, work norms and access to higher education; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors does hereby proclaim May 2023 as CalFresh Awareness Month in Contra Costa County, and honors all of the individuals, organizations and agencies working to ensure that all County residents have access to safe, nutritious food and support in achieving sustainable economic health.
Read MoreBy Marisa Greenberg, Marketing & Communications Coordinator, 4CD
The Contra Costa Community College District (4CD) has selected Dr. Pamela Ralston as the seventh permanent president of Los Medanos College (LMC). The 4CD Governing Board will vote on ratification of her contract at their June 14, 2023, meeting. The announcement was made following a search that began in February 2023.
“Dr. Ralston brings tremendous experience and commitment to improving student success and student equity by working collaboratively with faculty, staff, and administrators,” said Interim Chancellor Mojdeh Mehdizadeh. “Through the development and support of strong, innovative programs, and in designing a supportive environment where both students and staff feel respected and appreciated, I am confident we have chosen a leader who is a great fit for 4CD, Los Medanos College, and the East County community.”
Over the course of a two-decade career in public higher education, Dr. Ralston has served as the Interim President at Los Medanos College, President at Santiago Canyon College, and Executive Vice President of Educational Programs at Santa Barbara City College, where she led the academic and student services programs. A passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in education, Dr. Ralston has worked to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students, with special attention to the strengths that their cultural backgrounds and ethnic identities bring to their college experiences.
Dr. Ralston earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Oregon and Master of Arts and doctoral degrees from the University of Washington in Comparative Literature.
“I am honored to be selected to lead this incredible higher education institution,” said Dr. Ralston. “I am eager to help maintain and expand LMC’s legacy of educational excellence, promote community college as a great choice for our students, while building stronger connections and partnerships with our community.”
The Contra Costa Community College District (4CD) is one of the largest multi-college community college districts in California. The 4CD serves a population of 1,200,997 people, and its boundaries encompass all but 48 of the 734-square-mile land area of Contra Costa County. 4CD is home to Contra Costa College in San Pablo, Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, as well as educational centers in Brentwood and San Ramon. The District headquarters is located in downtown Martinez. For more information visit www.4cd.edu.
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For agricultural, arts and crafts, childcare, energy, housing, worker-owned cooperatives, etc.
By Alicia Sloper, Admin. and Communications Support Specialist, California Center for Cooperative Development
The Cooperative Movement is well positioned to play a critical role in the larger movement for social and ecological justice. The California Center for Cooperative Development (CCCD) will host its annual California Cooperative Conference at Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose on Friday, June 2, and Saturday, June 3, 2023. CCCD will be showcasing innovative leaders in the cooperative movement and promoting a commitment to local economic development and underserved communities. Statewide cooperators and changemakers will have the opportunity to network with leaders in the cooperative ecosystem, share insight from experience in cooperative development, and discover the cooperative difference.
This year’s California Co-op Conference is honored to host Keynote speaker Gopal Dayaneni, who will be speaking on Cooperation for Collective Liberation. Dayaneni has been involved in working for social, economic, environmental, and racial justice through organizing, campaigning, teaching, writing, speaking, and direct action since the late 1980’s. Currently, Dayaneni supports movement building through his work with organizations including The Climate Justice Alliance, ETCgroup, NDN Collective, the Center for Story-based Strategy and People’s Solar Energy Fund, among others.
The event will feature panels and workshops covering a wide range of topics surrounding the co-op movement, with opportunities to learn and take part in both English and Spanish. Some workshops of note include Herramientad de Comunicaion Efectiva para Nuestras Cooperativas with Claudia Arroyo and Ana Castano (Prospera Community Development), Legal workshops on Limited Equity Housing Cooperatives with Karen Tiedemann and Erin Lapeyrolerie of Goldfarb and Lippman LLP, and Cooperative Businessing with Elisabeth Barton (Echo Adventure Cooperative).
In addition, the California Co-op Conference will provide opportunities to network, with hosted lunches and a Co-op Social. Conference participants be directly connected with statewide cooperators to share their resources, products, and services at exhibitor tables during the conference. Please join CCCD at the California Co-op Conference in San Jose as we build connections, strengthen our learning, and use co-ops to create a just economy.
More information about the conference, including a full list of workshops, speakers, and links to registration are available via our QR code, at www.cccd.coop, by emailing info@cccd.coop or calling 530-297-1032. Individuals must be registered to attend.
Please let me know if you are interested in covering this story. I can be contacted via email at asloper@cccd.coop or phone at 530-297-1032 to discuss the details further. I look forward to hearing from you.
Read MoreBy Dawn Kruger, Civic Outreach and Engagement Specialist, Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder’s Office
The Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder’s Office, in partnership with the California Department of State Parks, will be offering “Destination Weddings” on top of Mount Diablo on Friday May 26, 2023. Sixteen marriage ceremonies will be performed at the summit by Clerk staff between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm. Couples may have up to 30 guests, but there is limited seating available during the ceremony (16 chairs).
“Destination Weddings on Mount Diablo is always a favorite location for our customers,” Clerk-Recorder Registrar of Voters, Kristin Connelly said. “We are excited to be able to offer couples this accessible opportunity for a unique day to remember at the summit of a Bay Area jewel.”
Mount Diablo State Park is a Contra Costa County landmark. On a clear day visitors have views westward beyond the Golden Gate Bridge to the Farallon Islands; South to Mount Hamilton and the Santa Cruz Mountains, North to Mount Saint Helena; and East over the Delta waterways. The stunning views provide a special backdrop for wedding ceremonies.
Because of the event’s popularity, all ceremony appointments for this Destination Weddings event have been booked, and no unscheduled appointments will be accommodated.
A marriage license must be obtained before a ceremony can be performed. Couples must purchase a license before their ceremony appointment at the County Clerk-Recorder’s office in Martinez. The fee for a public marriage license is $86, while a confidential license is $90. The civil marriage ceremony fee is $60.
For information about marriage license and ceremony services, go to www.contracostacore.us or call the office at 925-335-7900 Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:30 pm.
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Trains will bring visitors to celebrate at a site unique to California’s African American history
50% discount
By David Lipari, San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority
Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park is holding its annual celebratory Juneteenth event on Saturday, June 10 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. In partnership, Amtrak San Joaquins has scheduled a special stop at the park for multiple trains, bookable at a 50 percent discount rate to bring travelers to the historically significant Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park.
The town of Allensworth was established in 1908 by Colonel Allen Allensworth and at one point was home to more than 300 families. The park is a California state treasure because it was the first town in California to be founded, financed, and governed by African Americans. Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park became a historical landmark in 1974.
The Juneteenth Festival is a key annual event hosted by Friends of Allensworth (FOA), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose mission is to support, promote, and advance the educational and interpretive activities at Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park. The Juneteenth holiday commemorates the June 19th, 1865, arrival of Union Army troops in Galveston, Texas, bearing news that the institution of slavery had been terminated, officially spreading news of the freedom of all enslaved people.
“Amtrak San Joaquins has been a long-time partner to the FOA in connecting the people of California and visitors with the historic town of Allensworth” said FOA President, Sasha Biscoe. “We encourage any individual that is interested in immersing themselves in the rich, ethnically diverse history of our state to consider taking advantage of the affordable, convenient, and fun transportation option provided by Amtrak San Joaquins and join us on June 10th to celebrate this important holiday.”
Event activities will include square dancing, self-guided tours of historic buildings, historic games with prizes, storytelling, and arts and crafts. Food and refreshment vendors will also be present. Travelers can also bring their bikes and chairs aboard Amtrak trains and Thruway buses.
The southbound trains that will be running for the event include trains 702, 710, 712, 714. When purchasing train tickets, a 50 percent discount will automatically be applied to the ticket purchase. Additional discount programs regularly available to riders includes:
- Infants under 2 years of age ride for free
- Children 2-12 years old ride half-price every day
- Seniors (62+ years of age) receive 15% off
- Veterans & active military members receive 15% off
- Disabled riders save 15% off
Visitors attending the Juneteenth Festival will be able to take Amtrak San Joaquins trains to the Allensworth station. From there, riders will be met by a free shuttle for the short ride to the main property. The Allensworth station is normally a whistle stop on the San Joaquins available to be booked by groups desiring to visit the park.
Train tickets to Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park can be booked online at amtraksanjoaquins.com. For more information on how to book a group trip to Allensworth, please contact Carmen Setness, community outreach coordinator for San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC), at Carmen@sjjpa.com.
About Allensworth State Historic Park
The town of Allensworth is located in the heart of the Central Valley, about 30 miles north of Bakersfield, and has a rich history that is of interest to students, families, history buffs, minority community organizations, and anyone else looking to spend a fun day exploring the historic community and its restored buildings. In 1908, Allensworth was established as a town founded, financed and governed by African Americans. There were a series of challenges impeding the town’s long-term survival, but it is celebrated as a key historic icon, and in 1974 California State Parks purchased the land in order to maintain it as a site for visitors to learn and explore the Colonel’s house, historic schoolhouse, Baptist church, and library.
About the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA)
Since July 2015, SJJPA has been responsible for the management and administration of Amtrak San Joaquins. SJJPA is governed by Board Members representing each of the ten (10) Member Agencies along the 365-mile San Joaquins Corridor. For more information on SJJPA see www.sjjpa.com.
Amtrak San Joaquins is Amtrak’s 6th busiest route with 18 train stations throughout the Central Valley and Bay Area, providing a safe, comfortable and reliable way to travel throughout California. Amtrak San Joaquins is currently running six daily round-trips. In addition to the train service, Amtrak San Joaquins Thruway buses provide connecting service to 135 destinations in California and Nevada including Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Napa Valley, Las Vegas and Reno.
Read MoreBy Sharon M. Lawrence, Esq, CEO, California CASA Association
In observance of National Foster Care Month, California CASA highlights the work of Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteers who advocate for the needs of children and youth in foster care. Thank you to the 11,000 CASA volunteers statewide for being a consistent presence and reliable resource for 12,700 children and youth during times of uncertainty and transition.
With more than 78,000 children and youth in foster care in the state—victims of neglect, abuse, or exploitation—we need to do more. A CASA volunteer often represents their only stable, trusted relationship with an adult; the one person who will speak up for them—in court, in school, and in the community—to make sure their voice is heard, and their needs remain the top priority.
The CASA volunteer model works. Youth in foster care supported by a CASA volunteer are more likely to do better in school, receive more services, secure a permanent home, and have higher levels of hope.
California CASA works in partnership with our state’s 44 local CASA programs. Our vision is to ensure every child in foster care in California can have access to the transformative services and support of a CASA volunteer.
You can help foster more hopeful futures—one child, one CASA, at a time—by making a gift to California CASA today. Your gift will enable us to expand our collective impact so every child in foster care has a chance to thrive, with the skilled and compassionate support of a CASA volunteer.
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By Candice Martin, DCRR Racing Media
Antioch, CA…May 19-20…Auto racing returned to the Contra Costa County Fair in a big way with two nights of racing. The Saturday night Figure 8 was a Main attraction. It was the first of six scheduled events for the popular race, and the win went to DJ Keldsen of Newman.
Keldsen had the outside front row for the Figure 8 race, and he charged into the lead at the start ahead of Chester Kniss of Antioch and Jimmy Robbins of Concord. Both Robbins and Dakota Keldsen of Watsonville slipped past Kniss for second and third on the fourth lap. A close battle developed between Robbins and Dakota Keldsen with Robbins taking a wild ride into the infield on Lap 5 and falling back a couple of positions. Angela Brown of Antioch gained third at that point, but she and Dakota Keldsen had contact on Lap 10 as Kniss and Robbins moved into second and third. To that point, there had been plenty of close calls in the X, but it turned into a battle at the front for the win between DJ Keldsen and Kniss. When the checkered flag flew, Keldsen prevailed ahead of Kniss, Robbins, Dakota Keldsen and Tommy Clymens Jr of Oakley.
Piloting one of the two Ted Finkenbinder owned entries, Jacob Tuttle of Oakley prevailed in the 25 lap Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event. Tuttle had the pole and charged into lead over WMR Midgets champion Blake Bower of Brentwood, who was also in a Finkenbinder car. Kevin Box of Bethel Island settled into an early third with reigning champion Shannon Newton of Elk Grove starting to pressure him for the position. The track was a bit dry with drivers preferring the lower line. Newton had just overtaken Box for the third position on Lap 16 when he began to smoke and lost power for the only yellow flag on Lap 17. Tuttle continued to lead Bower and Box on the restart, and they finished in that order as Jarrett Soares of Gilroy and James East of Oakley rounded out the Top 5.
IMCA National rookie point leader Andrew Pearce of Oakley won the 20 lap IMCA Modified Main Event. This was his first win of the season. Anthony Slaney of Martinez set the early pace ahead of Buddy Kniss of Oakley and Pearce. Pearce slipped underneath Kniss in Turn 4 on Lap 5 to gain second and set his sights on Slaney. By the midpoint of the race, there was a battle at the head of the pack. Pearce finally made an inside pass on the front stretch on Lap 16 to grab the lead, and he brought it home to victory from there. Slaney settled for second ahead of Kniss, Troy Foulger of Oakley and Timothy Allerdings of Prescott Valley, Arizona.
Troy Foulger of Oakley won the 25 lap IMCA Stock Car Main Event. It was Jason Robles of Rio Vista taking the early lead, but Foulger slipped underneath him in Turn 4 on Lap 2 to gain command. As Foulger began to pull away, Jason Robles was being challenged by son Kenneth for the second spot. The race for second place saw a back-and-forth battle during the late stages. Kenneth went low in Turn 4 to pass his father for the spot on Lap 19, but his father regained the position in Turn 2 a lap later. It was Foulger winning ahead of Jason Robles, Kenneth Robles, Scott Foster of Antioch and Travis Dutra of Concord.
Ken Johns of Antioch picked up his first Pacific Coast General Engineering Hobby Stock Main Event win of the season. The race was led early by third-generation racer Colten Haney of Brentwood with Johns in pursuit. They ran that way until Johns found an opening low in Turn 2 on the seventh lap to take over. Jared Baugh of Pittsburgh followed Johns into second. The race was run in rapid fashion on a hooked up racing surface. The leaders lapped several slower cars before a yellow flag waved on Lap 17. This didn’t stop Johns as he resumed command on the restart and went on to victory ahead of Baugh, Haney, Grayson Baca of Brentwood and Kevin Brown of Oakley.
Reigning IMCA Sport Modified State champion Jacob Mallet Jr of Oakley collected the win in the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. Mallet had the pole position and raced into the early lead ahead of Mark Garner of Antioch. However, Joseph Pato of Oakley went low in Turn 4 on the third lap to take second. A yellow flag waved on Lap 3 for Trevor Clymens of Brentwood in Turn 4. Mallet continued to lead the restart ahead of Pato and Matt Pitts of Rodeo. As the lead duo pulled away from the pack, Pitts had his hands full in a close battle for third. Kenny Shrader at Pacheco got by with a low pass in Turn 2 on Lap 14. Jason Ryan Jr of Oakley found his way into fourth late, but Mallet drove a flawless race to collect the win. Pato settled for a career best second, followed by Shrader, Ryan and Garner .
The racetrack on Saturday for the Hobby Stocks, Figure 8 and Sport Modifieds was hooked up and fast, while the Friday surface for the Wingless Spec Sprints, IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Stock Cars was dry. The crew worked very hard to produce the fast-racing conditions on Saturday.
After a week off, the show returns on June 3rd. The Soares Memorial race is on the schedule, featuring the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Xtreme Limited Late Models and Pacific Coast General Engineering Hobby Stocks. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Antioch Speedway Race Results – May 19 & 20, 2023
Friday
Wingless Spec Sprints
FT Jacob Tuttle 15.715. Heat Winners (8 laps)-Jacob Tuttle, Blake Bower. Main Event (25 laps)-Jacob Tuttle, Blake Bower, Kevin Box, Jarrett Soares, James East, Anthony Bruno, Nathan Johnson, MacKenzie Newton, Steve Maionchi, Shannon Newton.
IMCA Modifieds
Heat Winner (8 laps)-Anthony Slaney. Main Event (20 laps)-Andrew Pearce, Anthony Slaney, Buddy Kniss, Troy Foulger, Timothy Allerdings, Tim Balding, Jeff Browne, Eric Berendsen.
IMCA Stock Car
Heat winner (8 laps)-Jason Robles. Main Event (25 laps)-Troy Foulger, Jason Robles, Kenneth Robles, Scott Foster, Travis Dutra, Jeff Bentancourt, Kimo Oreta.
Saturday
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Heat Winners (20 laps)-Dylan Connolly, Trevor Clymens. Main Event (20 laps)-Jacob Mallet Jr, Joseph Pato, Kenny Shrader, Jason Ryan Jr, Mark Garner, Matt Pitts, Tom Fraser, Trevor Clymens, Billy Garner, Kelly Campanile.
Hobby Stocks
Heat Winners (8 laps)-James Graessle, Grayson Baca, Jared Baugh. Main Event (20 laps)-Ken Johns, Jared Baugh, Colten Haney, Grayson Baca, Kevin Brown, Jake Archibald, Taylor DeCarlo, Jess Paladino, Michaela Taylor, Rob Waldrop.
Figure 8
Main Event (15 laps)-DJ Keldsen, Chester Kniss, Jimmy Robbins, Dakota Keldsen, Tommy Clymens Jr, Angela Brown, Michaela Taylor, Mike Conley Jr, James Graessle, Dennis Keldsen.
Read MoreAn estimated 577 million robocalls sent to California phone numbers on National Do Not Call Registry
Including Social Security, Medicare and employment scams
SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today, as part of a bipartisan coalition of 49 attorneys general, announced a lawsuit against Arizona-based Avid Telecom for allegedly initiating and facilitating billions of unlawful robocalls in California and around the country. Those robocalls included Social Security Administration scams, Medicare scams, and employment scams; two robocall examples can be heard here and here. Today’s complaint is the result of efforts by the nationwide Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force, which Attorney General Bonta helped launch last year and is charged with taking legal action against telecommunications companies that perpetuate robocall traffic.
“As the People’s Attorney, I’ve been laser focused on protecting consumers since taking office, and stopping unwanted robocalls is an important bipartisan and nationwide effort,” said Attorney General Bonta. “In addition to being a daily annoyance, robocalls can and do cause real financial damage. I’m taking Avid Telecom to court for delivering not hundreds, or thousands, or millions of robocalls — but billions of robocalls. Our coalition alleges that Avid Telecom has violated federal and state laws, and we are confident that we will prevail.”
From December 2018 to January 2023, Avid Telecom sent or attempted to transmit over 24.5 billion calls to consumers. More than 90% of those calls lasted under 15 seconds, strongly indicating that they were likely robocalls. Further, Avid Telecom sent or transmitted over 7.5 billion calls to telephone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry, an estimated 577,879,156 of those calls were to telephone numbers in California. Registering for the National Do Not Call Registry allows consumers to legally opt out from receiving telemarketing calls, but robocallers regularly fail to respect such legal prohibitions.
In the multistate coalition’s complaint, among other misconduct, Attorney General Bonta alleges that Avid Telecom:
- Violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which prohibits any person from making a call using an automatic telephone-dialing system or an artificial or prerecorded voice to any cellular telephone;
- Violated the Telemarketing Sales Rule, which prohibits abusive and deceptive acts or practices by “sellers” or “telemarketers”;
- Violated the Truth in Caller ID Act, which prohibits the transmission of misleading or inaccurate caller-ID information;
- Violated California’s Unfair Competition Law, which prohibits unlawful, unfair, or fraudulent business acts and practices, by transmitting a colossal number of illegal robocalls into California.
In filing today’s complaint, Attorney General Bonta joined the attorneys general of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the District of Columbia.
A copy of the lawsuit can be found here.
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Says they incited ‘mob justice’ and “‘engineered’ an intentional delay in having officers interviewed” postponing their return to work
City follows Skelly Hearing disciplinary process, council members have no say
“…the Chief suddenly got cut-out of any role or responsibility in directing or managing the investigation, or even communicating with the investigator,” – APOA attorney Mike Rains
By Allen D. Payton
In response to the recent calls by Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe and Mayor Pro Tem Tamisha Torres-Walker for the immediate termination of the police officers involved in the text scandal, reported by the Herald last Friday, that same day Michael Rains, attorney for the Antioch Police Officers’ Association, sent a scathing letter to them and the other three members of the city council. In his letter, Rains, of the Pleasant Hill-based Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver law firm, both chastises Thorpe and Torres-Walker, calling out their own behavior while in office, and labels the two reports from the Contra Costa DA’s office “misleading” and “highly partisan”. (See related articles here and here)
He also claims the two council leaders “‘engineered’ an intentional delay in having officers interviewed.”
The letter from Rains reads as follows:
Police Officer Texting Investigation and Recent Public Statements by Mayor Thorpe and Vice Mayor Tamisha Torres-Walker
Dear Members of the Antioch City Council:
As you are aware, this Firm serves as General Counsel to the Antioch Police Officers Association (APOA) and all of its individual members. We represent all of the officers who have been recently placed on administrative leave pending an investigation of text messaging which occurred between approximately 2019 and 2022 by Antioch police officers which were described and discussed (in many instances inaccurately and in a misleading fashion) in two reports prepared by Contra Costa County District Attorney Inspector Larry Wallace.
Frankly, it is a tragedy that the City, the Police Department and the public have been “fed” misleading and what we believe highly partisan reports prepared by the District Attorney’s Office for reasons we hope to decern in future litigation, but which have resulted in widespread but undeserved condemnation of many police officers for engaging in “racist” or “sexist” texting when no such texting by many such officers, in fact, ever occurred.
By all accounts, the Mayor and Vice Mayor are ecstatic to condemn the entire police department for the “sins of few” and place themselves in the glare of the public spotlight, which has most recently shined down on both of them proclaiming that all of the officers on administrative leave should be fired and, in essence, the Police Chief should “start over” and hire an entire crop of new recruits to replace the mass of racists and sexists who were formerly employed.
Of course, it is not either unusual or uncharacteristic of either the Mayor or the Vice Mayor to be displaying ignorance or indifference to the law or acting inappropriately, such as the Vice Mayor’s previous profanity – laden, public tirade against the police that, standing alone, should have resulted in her removal from the Council; or the Mayor’s demonstrated disregard of the laws concerning sexual harassment of females and the laws prohibiting drunken driving. In other words, neither the Mayor nor the Vice Mayor are what most would recognize as “role-models” that a constituency should rely upon for receiving factual and accurate information or advice.
However, the very pinnacle of irresponsibility on the part of the Mayor and Vice Mayor are their recent synchronized chorus to the public and media for the Chief to fire all of the police officers who have placed on administrative leave on the texting case. Neither the Mayor nor the Vice Mayor truly understand the “facts” of this case, or they would know and explain to the public that the admittedly highly inappropriate texting that they “smear” every officer with was engaged in by only three or four. The officers who are on leave, for the most part, were simply included, without their knowledge at the time, or their wishes in most cases, on “text chains” between 20 and 30 officers which have been in existence for months if not years. In many cases, the officers on the text chains were off-duty and asleep when the texting occurred and did not even take the time to review the content of text messages upon quickly determining that they involved matters of no importance or interest to them.
Perhaps the Mayor and the Vice Mayor do, in fact, know the truth – that the texting which essentially the entire department has now been condemned for is the product of a few. To our knowledge, the Mayor, perhaps in an unholy alliance with the City Attorney, has now excluded the Police Chief from directing the “outside” administrative investigation of the officers on leave. Instead, despite the fact that our Office has continually attempted to schedule interviews of virtually all of the officers we represent who have been placed on leave without a factual or legal basis, the outside investigators have rejected our request to interview our clients, telling us that they have only gotten authority from “the City” to set dates for interviews of four of the officers on leave.
Thus, before the administrative investigation has even determined whether the vast majority of the officers on leave can be subjected to discipline for misconduct, the Mayor and Vice Mayor attempt to incite “mob justice” by calling for the immediate mass firing of officers who have done absolutely nothing to deserve discipline. This may further the “spotlight” which the Mayor and Vice Mayor appear to enjoy, but it deprives the citizens of Antioch of the services of somewhere near 20 additional police officers who cannot, and will not, under established law regarding employee discipline, be terminated.
We have no doubt that, even if the Mayor and Vice Mayor had even a “passing familiarity” with the law concerning “just cause” for the discipline of public employees (which is clear they do not), they would simply urge the Police Chief, who under City rules and procedures will make the decision concerning discipline of his police officers, to disregard those laws or try to incite the public to condemn the Police Chief if he dared to apply the facts established by a thorough and objective investigation to the existing law, and not impose termination.
By refusing to direct the City’s retained investigators to immediately schedule and conduct interviews of all of the officers on administrative leave, while simultaneously condemning those officers publicly and demanding their firing, the Mayor and Vice Mayor have deprived every member of the community of the additional police officer resources available to them to make Antioch a safer community. Instead, the “City’s” very clear disinterest in insisting that all of these officers be interviewed and receiving a report from the retained outside investigator, which will undoubtedly clear most, if not all, of any misconduct, allows the Mayor and the Vice Mayor to continue to appear under the spotlight they covet, and sell the public a lie about the facts of the case, hoping, no doubt, that good police officers, tired of being unfairly maligned by these two irresponsible “public servants” will simply quit. It is clear that neither the Mayor or Vice Mayor have any sincere interest in the investigation of all these officers to be completed, and the truth really known.
To the extent that the public, the police department, the media and all of us have been forced to make conclusions of what officers said or meant in text messages, or deprived of the understanding of the context in which text messages occurred or the identity of the person who was the “object” of the texting at the moment, as a result of the misleading and distorted report of DA Inspector Wallace, we have all been fed a “bill of goods” to begin with.
Nevertheless, the irresponsible manner in which the “City”, under the direction of Mayor Thorpe and Vice Mayor Torres-Walker have “engineered” an intentional delay in having officers interviewed in order to be cleared of any wrong doing, while simultaneously calling for their mass termination, is a clear demonstration of their indifference to ethical behavior and their disregard of allowing their highly experienced, knowledgeable and ethical Police Chief to make the decisions he should be making concerning both the work status of his officers and the progress of the “outside” investigation supposedly underway.
Very truly yours,
Rains Lucia Stern
St. Phalle & Silver, PC
Michael L. Rains
———————
Outside Investigator Replaced Before Police Interviews Began
City Attorney Thomas L. Smith hired Cerritos, CA-based Angela Powell, a partner in the law firm of Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo, to conduct the investigation of the text messages. She has 26 years’ experience as an attorney. Her services ended by Monday, May 15, the day the interviews of the officers were to begin. In her place, the City hired San Jose-based attorney Allison Hernandez, a Senior Associate with the law firm of Burke, Williams & Sorensen who earned her law degree in 2016.
Rains Provides Details on Investigators, Process
Rains was emailed questions, specifically asking what he meant by his claim in the final paragraph of his letter that Thorpe and Torres-Walker had “‘engineered’ an intentional delay in having officers interviewed”. He was asked, “does that refer to the replacement of the outside investigator, Angela Powell who found no fire-able offense in the text messages, with Allison Hernandez? Can you provide any details on that?”
Rains responded Monday afternoon writing, “Even with the replacement of Angela Powell with Allison Hernandez, the interviews of 2 of the witnesses we represent went forward with Allison on the dates we had originally agreed-to with Angela. As an aside, we never found out why Angela was suddenly ‘out’ as an investigator, but I suspect it had to do with her perception that the ‘City’—and I am referring to Thorpe and Torres-Walker, had no interest in being fair or objective in any aspect of this case, which is why the Chief suddenly got cut-out of any role or responsibility in directing or managing the investigation, or even communicating with the investigator. I had suggested to Angela that, if she was disturbed by what she was seeing her ‘client’ do, and if that would put her in an untenable ethical position, she should simply declare a conflict, fire her client (the City), and have someone else hired to do the investigation. The next thing I knew was that Angela was gone, and we were told that Allison Hernandez would be doing the interviews of our clients.
My reference to the ‘City’ engineering an intentional delay relates to the fact that we had told Angela, when we learned she was coming to doing interviews from May 15th through the 18th, that either RLS Partner Julia Fox, Nicole Pifari, or myself would be available those 4 days to participate in the interviews of all of our clients who had been placed on administrative leave, so she could get all the officers interviewed that much faster, and we would have a better chance of getting them off administrative leave, and back to work. Nicole Pifari even sent Angela a suggested interview schedule for all of our clients. In response, Angela contacted us, as said that the City had only authorized her to interview 4 out of all the clients on leave (3 of whom are our clients, and 1 of whom is represented by another lawyer).
We then asked her to ask the City to allow her to get these other interviews done, but they would not authorize her to do so. Thus, they have essentially done nothing to allow all of these officers on leave to be interviewed, so we can clear them of any wrongdoing, while they simultaneously call for their summary terminations—that’s the dishonesty of it all. We still have not got Allison Hernandez to get any authority/direction to interview all of our other clients who continue to languish on administrative leave.”
Questions for City Attorney & Police Chief Go Unanswered
Questions were sent to City Attorney Thomas L. Smith and Police Chief Steve Ford asking if Angela Powell was hired as the outside investigator in the Antioch Police officers’ text message scandal, that she found there were no fire-able offenses, her services then ended last Monday, May 15 the day before interviews were to begin and then she was replaced by another outside investigator, Allison Hernandez.
They were also asked, “Were both hired on a collaborative basis by you both? When were they hired? Can you please provide copies of their contracts? Did Ms. Powell interview any of the officers? Did she provide you with a preliminary report? Or was her investigation completed and you have her final report? Can you please share any other details of both investigators’ work for the City of Antioch and why Ms. Powell’s contract was terminated before completing the investigation?
They were then provided a copy of Rains’ letter and asked, “Were you ever contacted by either of them or any council members about the outside investigator? Were any findings by Ms. Powell shared with any of the council members? Were you directed, encouraged or pressured by any of the council members to terminate Ms. Powell’s contract and hire a different outside investigator?”
Smith was also asked if Ms. Powell quit because she was tired of him interfering in her investigation and giving her too much direction in conducting it, and if so or if not, to please provide what directions, if any, that he provided to Powell that were outside of what is written in her contract.
Following Rains’ response to the questions posed to him, additional questions were emailed after work hours on Monday asking Smith and Ford the following: “Is what he wrote correct that ‘the Chief suddenly got cut out of any role’ in the process? If so, why? Is it also correct that you only want four of the officers interviewed and the City is delaying investigator Allison Hernandez from conducting those interviews? If so, why?”
Neither responded prior to publication time.
Questions for First Outside Investigator Go Unanswered
Questions were emailed to outside investigator Powell on Monday, May 22 asking if she found there were no fire-able offenses and then her services ended last Monday, May 15 and then replaced by another outside investigator. Powell was also asked, “When were you hired by City Attorney Thomas L. Smith? Can you please provide a copy of your contract? Did you interview any of the officers? Did you provide a preliminary report? Or was your investigation completed? Can you please share any other details of your work for the City of Antioch and why your contract was terminated before completing the investigation?”
Powell was also asked if she quit because she grew tired of City Attorney Smith interfering in her investigation and giving too much direction in conducting it. She was also asked what other direction was provided to her outside of what was written in her contract with the City and if Smith was dissatisfied with your (preliminary) findings, if any.
The portion of Rains’ email was shared with Powell who was then asked if she was ever contacted by any council member.
Attempts to reach Powell by phone and email were unsuccessful prior to publication time.
Only Ogorchock, Barbanica Respond to Questions for Council Members
All five council members were asked via email if they have any response to Rains’ letter. Thorpe and Torres-Walker were asked specifically, to what is he referring in the final paragraph that they “‘engineered an intentional delay in having officers interviewed.’”
They were all asked if they had contacted the city attorney with instructions, directions or requests in the hiring of the outside investigator on the text scandal, if they know why the first investigator’s services ended and a different investigator was hired, and if they had received or seen a copy of either preliminary findings or a final report from either investigator.
When reached for comment and asked what she knew about the outside investigators and if she had received a preliminary or final report, District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock said, “This is the first I’ve heard of it. I didn’t know they had even hired one, yet. These things take a long time to happen. So, I’m not aware of any report or determination by the investigator.”
Later she wrote, “After reading and rereading this letter from Mr. Rains, it leaves me with several questions around the investigation as to why we would reject a request to interview the officers involved, why only 4 officers when there are more than that out on administrative leave.”
In response to the Herald’s questions Ogorchock wrote, “I have not, nor have I discussed this with our City Attorney. I would like to understand the reason (if true) as to why this investigator was let go, or did they no longer wish to work for the city. I have not, nor do I know of any such report existing.”
District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica was the only other one to respond before publication time, Monday evening. Asked again if he had contacted the city attorney about hiring the outside investigation he said, “About this, no. The city attorney’s office is in charge of hiring any investigator. I stay out of it. I’m giving them the space to do their job. I will be briefed as this evolves and when proper.”
“I do have a call into the city attorney and am awaiting his call, because I’ve had several questions raised from the public about hiring the investigators,” the former Pittsburg police lieutenant added.
“I believe that we should all be concerned with due process that this is done properly,” Barbanica stated.
Question for DA, Senior Inspector
An email was sent Monday evening to Contra Costa DA’s Office PIO Ted Asregadoo asking if D.A. Diana Becton or the office’s Senior Inspector Wallace had a response to Rains’ claim that the reports were misleading and highly partisan.
UPDATE: Asregadoo responded Tuesday morning, “The letter you sent is from the POA’s legal representation and concerns the Antioch City Council’s administrative matters. As such, we really don’t have anything to say about its contents.”
City Follows Skelly Hearing Disciplinary Process, Council Members Have No Say
The City of Antioch follows the Skelly Hearing process which is like a Bill of Rights for city employees in California. According to the California Department of Human Resources’ Supervisors Guide to Addressing Poor Performance, the “Skelly Hearing is the name of the hearing the employee can ask for before the adverse action becomes effective to ensure no mistakes have been made by the department in taking the action. This hearing is a short, more informal due process-review of the department’s case and the employee’s defense. It is called a Skelly Hearing because the requirement was established through a court case entitled Skelly v .SPB.”
According to unlocklegal.com, “a Skelly hearing is better described as a pre-disciplinary due process meeting. This procedural meeting ensures that when an employee is facing disciplinary action, the accused employee is informed of the allegations, has an opportunity to refute the allegations, and has an opportunity to mitigate the allegations or rehabilitate their standing with their employer before any actual disciplinary action. It is a preliminary meeting that must take place in the case of an employee’s termination, demotion, suspension, reduction in pay, or transfer with an accompanying loss in pay.”
The city manager serves as the City’s Skelly Officer. The hiring and firing of all city employees starts and ends with the city manager who signs the papers for each staff member.
In addition, police officers in California have the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act giving them an additional process and greater protections from termination.
The city council as a whole or as individuals have no say in the process of determining which city workers, including police officers, will remain employed or be terminated. The Antioch City Council currently only has the authority to hire and fire the city manager and city attorney.
Please check back later for any other responses or updates to this report.
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For tickets and to order and pay for your choice of meal (optional) visit JOHN MARSH PRAYER BREAKFAST | East Bay Conferences.
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