Contra Costa Herald

News Of By and For The People of Contra Costa County, California

Brentwood woman arrested following husband’s stabbing death

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By Brentwood Police Department

On Tuesday, July 25th, 2023 around 10:15a.m., Brentwood officers responded to the 300 block of MacArthur Way for a welfare check for an adult male and adult female at a residence.

When officers arrived they made contact at the residence with an adult female, and there was evidence indicating a potential violent crime had just occurred. Officers quickly detained the female and upon searching the residence located a deceased adult male who had sustained several stab wounds. There were no other victims inside the residence or on scene.

The female suspect and male victim are in a marital relationship and live at the residence. We are not releasing the names at this time until next of kin has been notified.

The female is in police custody and there is no known threat to public safety. This appears to be an isolated incident.

If you have any information regarding this investigation, please contact Detective Goold at 925-809-7872.  Callers may remain anonymous.

College District announces finalists for Associate Vice Chancellor/CFO

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College District Associate Vice Chancellor/CFO candidates Amy Nichols and Dr. Tony Wold. Photos: 4CD

Online forums for both on Wednesday, July 26

By Marisa Greenberg, Marketing & Communications Coordinator, 4CD

The Contra Costa Community College District (4CD) announces the selection of two finalists for the position of Associate Vice Chancellor/Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The finalists are: Amy Nichols and Dr. Tony Wold.
Two separate online forums have been scheduled for July 26, 2023. Employees, students, and community members are invited to attend the forums via Zoom. Each forum will last 60 minutes, beginning at 1:30 p.m., and will be recorded. A detailed public forum schedule, recordings of each forum, and an online survey to provide feedback on the candidates will be available on the District website at http://www.4cd.edu.

Amy Nichols currently serves as the Chief Business Official of the Roseland Public Schools, overseeing all fiscal and facility services for the Roseland School District and Roseland Charter School. She is driven to ensure that all students who wish to pursue higher learning are provided opportunities to do so. She is committed to fostering practices that construct a foundation of financial stability that will allow 4CD faculty and staff to craft educational and social opportunities that meet the needs of all students.

Amy’s own background was shaped by her time as a student at Diablo Valley College (DVC). She began her studies as a young student when she left high school early in order to pursue paid work. Amy was grateful that DVC gave her the options she needed to continue to learn while also working – an experience that fostered a lifetime love of learning. Twelve years after beginning her studies at DVC, Amy completed her Associate degree at DVC, and then earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Organizational Leadership with a minor in Labor and Employer Relations at Penn State University. Amy holds a Master’s of Science in Project Management from the University of Wisconsin, and is currently pursuing a Master’s of Science in Accountancy at California State Sacramento. Amy is also a credentialed teacher and holds the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO) Chief Business Official (CBO) Certification.

Amy has been a dedicated educator for more than 20 years and has taught and supported curriculum development for adults at San Francisco State University’s College of Extended Learning, Mission Valley Regional Opportunity Program (ROP), and in a correctional education program offered through the Contra Costa County Office of Education. She transitioned to fiscal and business leadership roles in the California K-12 environment with roles as a Director of Technology Projects, Director of Technology and Senior Director of Procurement and Technology in the Acalanes Union High School District, Burlingame School District and Pleasanton Unified School District.

Amy believes strongly that sound financial management in educational agencies is critical for faculty and staff to successfully sustain and develop educational programs that support California’s diverse students.

She strives to provide collaborative, student focused leadership that keeps equity and transparency at the forefront of all activities.

Dr. Tony Wold has served multiple school districts as Associate Superintendent and Chief Business Officer in leadership roles in Business, Labor Negotiations, Student Services, and Student Assessment. His ability to align resources to support improved student achievement has improved student outcomes in diverse districts where over 90% of students received state and federal aid and higher socio-economic communities afforded experience in all district configurations.

Tony brings an extraordinary amount of educational experience both in and outside of the classroom, having also served as a teacher, site administrator, educational services director, and football coach in his educational career. Dr. Wold has a strong sense of the K-14 finance world and has been active in the California School Business Officials Association (CASBO), Coalition of Adequate School Housing (CASH), and serving as a mentor for aspiring Chief Business Officials. For the past year, Tony served as CBO in Residence for School Innovations & Achievement where his focus is on rebuilding systems to bring students back into schools to address the learning loss and changes in attendance behaviors resulting from the pandemic. In addition, Dr. Wold is the principal software design executive with DistrictOS, which is an agnostic SaaS platform that connects school district data systems together to allow for greater transparency in district operations to the public.

Dr. Wold recently served as Associate Superintendent, Business Services in West Contra Costa Unified School District, where he oversaw the daily operations and management of accounting, budget, purchasing, payroll, employee benefits, labor relations, school operations, athletics, safety, warehouse, transportation, nutrition services, and risk management. He was instrumental in the passing of the $575 million Measure R Bond in March 2020 and navigating a $49.9 million structural deficit to restore the District’s budget certification in collaboration with the District’s five labor associations.

A native of Redwood City, Tony received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (USC). He subsequently completed his School Business Management Certification and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership at USC. He also earned Chief Business Official certifications from the Council of Great City Schools, and Lead Negotiators certification from the School Employers Association of California (SEAC).

Tony and his wife Lisa have been married for over 27 years and have one daughter who graduated from the University of San Francisco to join the educational system as a teacher.

About 4CD

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 with campuses in Pleasant Hill and San Ramon, and Los Medanos College with a campus in Pittsburg, and center in Brentwood. The District headquarters is located in downtown Martinez. For more information visit www.4cd.edu.

Body found in river identified as San Leandro man missing while boating last Friday

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A Coast Guard helicopter flies over the river searching for the missing boater along the Antioch waterfront Friday, July 21, 2023. Screenshot of video by Allen D. Payton

Recovered Monday morning; conflicting information from agencies of what occurred; no investigation by APD

By Allen D. Payton

According to Antioch Police Public Information Liaison Sgt. Price Kendall, on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, the body of the man missing in the river last Friday during a boating mishap was found.

Con Fire spokeswoman, Assistant Fire Chief Tracie Dutter said, “Someone reported a possible deceased male on the rocks near Fulton Shipyard Road on Monday at 7:48 AM. We were requested by PD to assist in recovering the body. We were on scene assisting at about 8:20 a.m. and by 8:40 a.m. the recovery was completed.”

According to Deputy Gonzalez of the Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office, the man was identified as 58-year-old Douglas Cross from San Leandro, based on his driver’s license information.

As previously reported, according to Jimmy Lee, Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office Director of Public Affairs, “On Friday, July 21, 2023, at about 1:51 PM, deputy sheriffs from the Marine Patrol Unit were dispatched to assist the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District and the United States Coast Guard with searching for a missing boater who was apparently trying to push his 20-foot vessel to shore near the Fulton Shipyard on the San Joaquin River. The U.S. Coast Guard and Sheriff’s Office drone team were also involved in the search. The missing boater, who is not being identified at this time, was not located. (See video)

The Marine Patrol Unit continued the search on Saturday, he added.

However, according to Coast Guard Public Affairs Specialist Schnabel, “We suspended the search after searching until around 7:30 pm. One man had fallen overboard from a recreational boat and the other man jumped in after him attempting to get him out of the water leaving the vessel unmanned. Neither had life jackets. One man was recovered by a Good Samaritan and taken to a local boat ramp.”

Asked if an investigation was being conducted to determine what occurred and if the other man had been interviewed to get his side of the story, Sgt. Kendall responded, “No investigation is being conducted by the Antioch Police Department.”

Lee was asked the same question but did not respond prior to publication time. Please check back later for any updates to this report.

 

Brentwood: Burglary in progress leads to arrests of three including Brentwood, Antioch teens

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Brentwood Police arrested three teens during a burglary in progress on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. Photo: Brentwood PD

Two out of custody with no charges filed; Antioch teen’s father of same name has history of arrests from 2014 to 2023

By Brentwood Police

On Wednesday afternoon, July 19, 2023, Brentwood Police officers were called to a residence located at the 700 block of Allbrook Court for a burglary in progress. When officers arrived to the residence the suspects fled.

With the help of a citizen witness, officers were able to successfully locate the suspects, identified as 18-year-old Keoni Mikala Temple, Jr. of Antioch, 19-year-old Rashad Lewis of Brentwood, and a 16-year-old juvenile. All three were placed under arrest for burglary.

According to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, as of Friday, July 21, both Temple and Lewis were out of custody with no charges filed.

According to localcrimenews.com, Temple’s father, Keoni Mikala Temple, Sr. has a history of arrests dating back to 2014 including three arrests in March of this year.

We want to thank the alert citizen who provided us the critical information needed to ensure all involved were arrested. We always appreciate when our citizens help us out. This is a friendly reminder to our community, if you see something, say something!

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Brentwood: Pittsburg man arrested for drugs, Rodeo man, woman arrested for WinCo robbery

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Cash and drugs seized during traffic stop arrest on Sunday, July 16, 2023, and the recovered WinCo merchandise stolen on Monday, July 17, 2023. Photos: Brentwood PD

Rodeo man out on bail; robbery suspects out of jail with no charges filed

By Brentwood Police Department

Last week was a busy week for Brentwood PD, but rest assured we are working hard and committed to keeping our community safe.

During the weekend of July 15 and 16, a Brentwood officer was driving in the area of Second Street and Brentwood Blvd., when he saw a vehicle with expired registration. The officer pulled the vehicle over, and during the traffic stop he saw drugs inside the vehicle in plain view. All in all, marijuana, heroin, and ecstasy were ultimately recovered from inside the car.

The driver, 20-year-old Mario Miranda Ortiz of Pittsburg, was placed under arrest for being in possession of drugs for sale along with other drug related charges. He was transported to the Martinez Detention Facility for booking on Monday, July 17. According to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office he bonded out on Tuesday, July 18.

Arrests in Grocery Store Robbery

On Monday, July 17, officers were dispatched to WinCo Foods for a report of two suspects stealing. When loss prevention confronted the suspects, they fought the employee and fled in a vehicle with stolen property. Thankfully, the victim was ok, only sustaining minor injuries.

A Brentwood officer quickly located the suspect’s vehicle, and subsequently placed the two occupants, identified as 30-year-old Reginald Lee Jackson of Contra Costa County and 20-year-old Sammone Kiara Weaver of Rodeo under arrest for robbery (and other charges) and transported them to the Martinez Detention Facility. The property was recovered and returned to the store.

As of Wednesday, July 19 both Jackson and Weaver were out of custody and no charges had been filed.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

 

Oakley double: Tuttle triumphs, DQ hands Pearce win Saturday night at Antioch Speedway

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Jacob Tuttle drove the Ted Finkenbinder #3 Spec Sprint to his third win of the season. Photo by Katrina Kniss

By Candice Martin, DCRR Racing Media

Antioch, CA…July 22…Jacob Tuttle of Oakley won the 25 lap Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. This was his third win of the season aboard the Ted Finkenbinder owned entry as he tuned up for next week’s Hunt Series race. Finkenbinder Racing teammate Blake Bower of Brentwood, a multi-time WMR Midget champion, finished second.

A heat race win put Tuttle on the outside front row for the feature race. After a tangle in Turn 2, Tuttle led the restart ahead of Bob Newberry of Brentwood. Gilroy’s Jarrett Soares settled into third on the second lap. An inside pass on the back stretch of the third lap gained Soares second from Newberry. A yellow flag waved on Lap 5 for Antioch’s Shawn Arriaga in Turn 2. Soares got a good run on the restart lap and passed Tuttle on the inside down the back straightaway to claim the lead. A thrilling, side by side battle developed between Soares on the inside and Tuttle on the extreme outside.

A high pass in Turn 2 of the 10th lap put Tuttle back into the lead. DJ Johnson of Stockton was running third at that point. They ran that way until a yellow flag flew for a spin in Turn 4 on Lap 18. Tuttle continued to lead Soares and Johnson on the restart, but Bower began working the outside and got around Johnson on Lap 20. Bower then took his momentum and made an outside pass on the back stretch on Lap 23 for second. However, Tuttle prevailed ahead of Bower, Soares, Johnson and Newberry.

A post-race disqualification handed Andrew Pearce #28 his first Limited Late Model win. Photo by Katrina Kniss

Andrew Pearce of Oakley picked up his first career 20 lap Xtreme Late Model victory aboard the Paul Guglielmoni owned car. Buddy Kniss of Oakley crossed the line in first, only to be disqualified in post-race tech for rear deck height.

Buddy’s father Chester Kniss of Antioch had drawn the pole in the pill draw before the Main Event, but he elected to go to the back, giving Buddy the pole position. The younger Kniss streaked into the lead ahead of Shawn DeForest of Livermore. However, Pearce slipped past DeForest on the back stretch on Lap 3 in a bit of close racing that saw DeForest get into the back wall. Anthony Slaney of Martinez settled into third. Kniiss set a rapid pace and put a little bit of distance between himself and Pearce by the time the checkered flag waved. The disqualification put Pearce in the winner’s position, followed by Slaney, reiging series champion Dan Brown Jr of Lincoln, Soares Memorial winner Matt Michelli of Live Oak and Chester Kniss of Antioch.

Point leader Joel Hannagan drove the Junkyard Dog #16 Hardtop to his fourth-straight win. Photo by Katrina Kniss

Hardtop point leader Joel Hannagan of San Jose picked up his fourth-straight 15 lap Main Event win aboard the Doug Braudrick owned Junkyard Dog. Bob Slaney of Martinez jumped into the lead at the start, followed by Ronnie Ruiz of West Sacramento. Merced Sportsman point leader Rick Elliott took second on Lap 2 and made an outside pass on the back stretch of the fourth lap to take the lead from Slaney. An outside pass at the line moved Hannagan into second, and he quickly got around Elliott a lap later for the lead.

Brad Coello of Oakley was running third at that point, but he spun from that position for a yellow flag on Lap 7. Hannigan continued to lead the restart as Mike Gillard of Atwater made a low pass in Turn 4 to take second from Elliott. Elliott got back around Gillard in the same turn a lap later. The battle was between Ruiz and Coello for the fourth position over the remaining laps, but Hannagan won by a straightaway ahead of Elliott. Gillard settled for third, and Ruiz beat Coelho back to the line to finish fourth.

Devan Kammermann rebounded from a rough start to win the Delta Dwarf Car feature. Photo by Katrina Kniss

Devan Kammermann of Dublin maintained his championship hopes with his second-straight Delta Dwarf Car feature triumph. He charged into the lead at the start ahead of Gage Meyers of Placerville. A low pass in Turn 2 of the third lap put Meyers into the lead, and Kammermann got into the wall in Turn 4 for a yellow flag. His car was stuck on the wall, but he had no front end damage and would restart at the back of the pack.

Meyers continued to lead Antioch’s Chance Russell on the restart, but Russell went low in Turn 4 of the fifth lap to take the lead. Kammermann appeared in third on the seventh lap and was able to get around Meyers for second on Lap 13 before a yellow flag waved. Russell led Kammermann on the restart, but Kammermann went low in Turn 1 on the 15th lap to take the lead. Kammermann went from there to victory as Russell settled for second ahead of Myers, 2020 champion Travis Day of Concord and Joe LeDuc of Tracy.

Mike Learn #11 won his second Super Stock Main Event. Photo by Katrina Kniss

Mike Learn of Petaluma won the 20 lap Super Stock Main Event. The past Tri State champion had the pole after his heat race win and led from the start ahead of Joey Ridgeway of Brentwood. Ridgeway surrendered second to Ryan Cherezian of Knightsen on the fourth lap. As Learn pulled away, Cherezian had a battle with Ridgeway and Jim Freethy of Danville for second for the next several laps. However, nobody was going to challenge Learn as he prevailed ahead of Cherezian. Freethy made a Turn 2 pass on the final lap to claim third as Ridgeway settled for fourth ahead of Chad Hammer of Antioch.

Racing continues next Saturday night with the return of the Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint Series. The loaded program will also feature a Figure 8, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Pacific Coast General Engineering Hobby Stocks, WMR Midget and Print Club Mini Stocks. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Antioch Speedway Race Results for July 22, 2023

Wingless Spec Sprints 

FT Jarrett Soares 14.266. Heat Winners (8 laps)-DJ Johnson, Jacob Tuttle. Main Event (25 laps)-Jacob Tuttle, Blake Bower, Jarrett Soares, DJ Johnson, Bob Newberry, Heath Holdsclaw, Jeff Scotto, James East, Cameron Martin, Shawn Arriaga.

Extreme Late Models 

FT Anthony Slaney 15.408. Heat Winners (8 laps)-Anthony Slaney, Buddy Kniss. Main Event (20 laps)-Andrew Pearce, Anthony Slaney, Dan Brown Jr, Matt Michelli, Chester Kniss, Rod Oliver, Shawn DeForest, Wayne Trimble, Josh Combs, Ray Trimble.

Hardtops

Heat Winner (8 laps)-Joel Hannagan. Main Event (15 laps)-Joel Hannigan, Rick Elliott, Mike Gillard, Ronnie Ruiz, Brad Coelho, Don Slaney, Dave Reed, Joe Shenefield, Ken Clifford DNS.

Delta Dwarf Cars 

Heat Winner (8 laps)-Gage Meyers. Main Event (20 laps)-Devan Kammermann, Chance Russell, Gage Meyers, Travis Day, Joe LeDuc, Tyler Applebaum, Chris Durbin, Sean Catucci DQ.

Super Stocks 

FT Mike Learn 17.227. Heat Winner (8 laps)-Mike Learn. Main Event (20 laps)-Mike Learn, Ryan Cherezian, Jim Freethy, Joey Ridgeway, Chad Hammer.

Mt. Diablo State Park temporarily closes North Gate Road for emergency slide repair through mid-Sept.

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Storm damage on North Gate Road in Mt. Diablo State Park. Source: CA State Parks

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.— California State Parks announced on May 17, 2023 the temporary closure of North Gate Road at Mount Diablo State Park to pedestrians, vehicles, equestrians and bicyclists. The road will be closed May 19 through mid-September to stabilize and rebuild a section damaged by the 2023 winter storms. (Apologies to our readers. The Herald publisher just learned of this, yesterday).

Visitors will be able to access the summit and developed areas of the park from the South Gate Entrance (2675 Mt. Diablo Scenic Boulevard in Blackhawk, 94506) on the Danville side of the mountain. Whether driving or riding your bike, please ensure you are travelling at a safe speed for you, wildlife, and fellow visitors.

For updates on the progress of the project, visit Mount Diablo’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/MountDiabloStatePark.

North Gate Road closed at the Junction Ranger Station near the intersection with South Gate and Summit Roads on July 22, 2023. Photo by Allen D. Payton

About Mount Diablo State Park

Located in the San Francisco Bay Area to the east of Walnut Creek, people have been drawn for generations to Mount Diablo for its spectacular views from the summit which extend over 100 miles in all directions on a clear day. Visitors have been attracted by the complex geology that has created amazing rock formations such as the “wind caves” at Rock City, and by the mountain’s variety of habitats which are home to over 600 species of plants and an amazing array of wildlife such as butterflies, bats and birds of prey, tarantulas, bobcats, lizards, snakes, and deer.

In 2021 Mount Diablo celebrated its 100th year as a state park. Though more than 100-years is a long history as a park, the importance of Mount Diablo was recognized long before that. For thousands of years Native Americans were the caretakers of this land. Many groups considered and treated the mountain as a sacred place and continue to do so today.

Since becoming a park in 1921, Mount Diablo has been protected as a natural area, and over the past 100 years the park has grown from only a few hundred acres to over 20,000 acres. Today it is a destination for those who would like to view wildlife and wildflowers, experience beautiful views, hike, camp, picnic, run, cycle, climb, ride horses, or gaze at the stars.

 

UPDATE: Search continues for man missing after falling off boat in river near Antioch Friday

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A Coast Guard helicopter searches river for man along Antioch waterfront Friday afternoon, July 21, 2023. Photos by Allen D. Payton

By Allen D. Payton

07/22/23 UPDATE #2: According to Jimmy Lee, Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office Director of Public Affairs, “On Friday, July 21, 2023, at about 1:51 PM, deputy sheriffs from the Marine Patrol Unit were dispatched to assist the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District and the United States Coast Guard with searching for a missing boater who was apparently trying to push his 20-foot vessel to shore near the Fulton Shipyard on the San Joaquin River. The U.S. Coast Guard and Sheriff’s Office drone team were also involved in the search. The missing boater, who is not being identified at this time, was not located. The Marine Patrol Unit will continue the search today.”

07/22/23 UPDATE #1: According to Coast Guard Public Affairs Specialist Schnabel, “We suspended the search after searching until around 7:30 pm. One man had fallen overboard from a recreational boat and the other man jumped in after him attempting to get him out of the water leaving the vessel unmanned. Neither had life jackets. One man was recovered by a Good Samaritan and taken to a local boat ramp.”

———————-

A helicopter could be seen flying over the river and Waldie Plaza along the Antioch waterfront Friday afternoon. According to Con Fire PIO Steve Hill, “We responded in the noon hour to reports of a 55-year-old man in the water. In spite of searches by us, Sheriff’s Office Marine program and the Coast Guard we were unable to locate him. We are clearing at this hour, the Coast Guard remains on scene.”

As of 4:25 PM Coast Guard 11th District Public Affairs Specialist Hunter Schnabel said, “the search is ongoing for a male. We received a report from another male who was swimming with him after he got back to shore and called in a panic.”

A Coast Guard helicopter flies over Waldie Plaza in Antioch’s historic, downtown Rivertown on Friday, July 21, 2023.

“We have Station Rio Vista and Air San Francisco’s MH65 Dolphins (helicopters) in the search,” he added.

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Contra Costa College District Board to search for new chancellor, again

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Projected to start in January 2024

By Timothy Leong, Director of Communications and Community Relations

At their July 12, 2023, Governing Board (Board) meeting, the Board announced their decision to move forward with the recruitment of a permanent Chancellor, and provided staff with direction to proceed with the recruitment process. The Board is committed to conducting an equitable, inclusive, and transparent search that is consistent with Board policies and district procedures, and that will attract outstanding candidates for this opportunity.

The Board’s goal is to complete the search process and announce the new Chancellor by December 2023, with a start date of January 2024.

“We look forward to the recruitment of our permanent Chancellor,” said Board President Fernando Sandoval. “I join my fellow trustees in welcoming our students, constituency groups, and community’s involvement on choosing the District’s next leader who is equipped to carry on our legacy of affordable and high quality higher education.”

The last chancellor, Dr. Bryan Reece, held the position for just 14 months. He was hired by the board in October 2020, started his tenure in November 2020, placed on paid leave in September 2021 and resigned in February 2022.

Executive Vice Chancellor of Education and Technology Mojdeh Mehdizadeh has been serving as acting chancellor.

Progress reports and updates will be posted on the District website at www.4cd.edu.

For more details about this search, contact Dr. Micaela Ochoa at mochoa@4cd.edu.

About 4CD

The Contra Costa Community College District (4CD) is one of the largest multi-college community college districts in California. The 4CD serves 1.2 million residents, 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 with campuses in Pleasant Hill and San Ramon, and Los Medanos College with campuses in Pittsburg and Brentwood. The District headquarters is located in downtown Martinez. Each college is individually accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. For more information visit http://www.4cd.edu.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Less than nine months in permanent position Antioch Police Chief Ford announces retirement

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“…with a heavy heart” his last day will be August 11th; while 35 officers on paid leave due to two investigations

Antioch Police Chief Dr. Steven A. Ford. Source: APD

By Allen D. Payton

With rumors beginning to circulate in the community Antioch Police Chief Steve Ford announced his retirement on Wednesday afternoon, July 19, 2023. His last day will be August 11th.

After less than nine months in his permanent position as the leader of the department, Ford wrote to his staff, “Dear members of the Antioch Police Department,

It is with a heavy heart that I forward this email to inform that I will be retiring as of August 11th. My time here has been both a tremendous opportunity and quite challenging. What is most meaningful to me are the relationships I have forged. I’m grateful for the way you embraced me and the changes we made.

I firmly believe with your help and determination this organization is poised to move forward in a very meaningful way and evolve where anyone would want to work.

It’s been my privilege to have worked with all of you.

Sincerely,

Steve”

——–

Screenshot of Chief Ford’s resignation email sent Wednesday, July 19, 2023.

Although he had just started his tenure as interim police chief following a grand oath of office ceremony on April 27, 2022, Ford is named in a federal lawsuit regarding the Antioch officers’ racist text scandal which covered a time period ending that month. He is also scheduled to testify at a hearing this Friday, July 21, in a murder case involving four defendants whose attorneys claim officers violated their civil rights.

In addition, during their meeting on April 11, 2023, the council majority moved forward with an effort to directly hire the police chief instead of leaving it up to the city manager, as is done with all other department heads.

It will leave the City with an acting city manager, no assistant city manager, an acting public works director, currently no acting community development director as of Monday afternoon due to the departure of Forrest Ebbs last Friday, and no assistant city attorney. Unless the city council takes action to change who appoints the police chief, Acting City Manager Kwame Reed will be tasked with appointing an acting or interim chief. Captain Tony Morefield filled the position after former Chief Tammany Brooks left for a new job in Boise, Idaho in October 2021, until Ford came on board.

UPDATE 1: When reached for comment District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica said, “this took us all by surprise. I learned of it this evening. I’ve worked with the chief closely during the time he has been here. Now, that he has made his decision, what we need to do is regroup and talk about who to appoint as acting or interim chief. Kwame is going to need the support of the city council. We cannot be without a chief.”

UPDATE 2: Chief Ford Issues Statement to Community

The following press release was issued Wednesday night:

July 19, 2023 – Antioch, California

The Antioch Police Department announces the retirement of Chief Steven A. Ford effective August 11, 2023. The following is a statement from Chief Ford to the Antioch Community.

To the Antioch Community,

I am writing to inform you of my decision to retire from the Antioch Police Department as of August 11, 2023. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have served as your Chief. I have worked with some very talented and passionate people – it has been a great privilege to learn and grow from them.

I am proud of what we have accomplished and firmly believe the groundwork has been laid for organizational success. I know our work to align us with the tenants of Procedural Justice and Constitutional Policing will keep this Department headed in the right direction. I sincerely hope our engagement with the Community will continue and flourish.

I attribute our numerous accomplishments to support from the City Council, the tremendous Citizens of Antioch, and the talented members of this Police Department, who continue to embrace organizational changes with enthusiasm and dedication. Because of this, the Antioch Police Department has become more inclusive, equitable, and a better place to work.

Sincerely,

Steven A. Ford

Chief of Police

———-

Efforts to reach Ford for further comment and the other four council members for their responses were unsuccessful prior to publication Wednesday evening. Please check back later for any updates to this report.