ANTIOCH — Newly elected Mayor Ron Bernal stated he goals to bridge the division inside the group whereas tackling a few of Antioch’s most urgent points, reminiscent of public security, homelessness, and financial progress.
Bernal, who took his oath of workplace on Dec. 10, stated uniting Antioch’s numerous “international community” is pivotal to town’s success.
“Healing needs to happen in our city,” he instructed a crowded metropolis council chamber final week.
He additionally stated he wouldn’t condone racist or hateful feedback and urged residents to chorus from such negativity.
Antioch, a metropolis of about 115,000, has had its justifiable share of racial pressure. Over the previous 20 years, town’s Black inhabitants has doubled, whereas the White inhabitants has dropped to simply over one-third of whole residents.
“Not everyone will be happy with whatever the outcome is,” stated Bernal. “They may all have a different idea of what that should be. But I want folks to know that I’m willing to listen to every viewpoint and person that calls Antioch home.”
Bernal stated town council should set up its priorities over the subsequent few months with strategic planning processes to evaluation the 2023-2025 finances and examine town’s subsequent two-year finances. The previous metropolis supervisor stated the council might want to iron out Antioch’s monetary obligations to make sure initiatives and packages for the group might be sustainable.
Key monetary issues embrace the sustainability of packages reminiscent of Alternative Village and the Psychological Well being Disaster Response Group, each of which depend on one-time funding that’s set to run out within the close to future.
The council, Bernal stated, wants extra info to craft town’s priorities and set up its finances.
“We need a clear understanding of departmental budgets, current obligations, and revenue streams,” he stated. “We need to know exactly what past budget decisions have been made.”
With Antioch experiencing a spike in crime charges, together with 16 homicides this yr and a excessive variety of automobile thefts, Bernal stated he’s decided to make town a safer place – a basis for financial improvement.
“If people don’t feel safe, they won’t shop, invest, or operate businesses here,” he stated.
To attain that purpose, he stated town might want to discover its subsequent police chief, as Antioch’s interim chief, Brian Addington, is ready to retire. Different initiatives embrace filling vacancies within the police division with officers who’ve a community-policing mindset. He additionally needs to equip the division with the newest know-how and prepare officers to make the most of them in efforts to scale back crime.
“We need to make sure that Antioch isn’t just perceived as a safe place to do business and to bring in jobs, but it is a safe place to do (so),” Bernal stated.
Bernal stated public security extends past policing – it additionally contains packages and actions for youth.
“We are a city of 115,000 people that don’t have basic programs (many other) communities have,” he stated. “And the question to me is how do we re-establish that … (and) make sure that the barrier for them to participate is not limited by their ability to pay.”
Whereas acknowledging that change takes time, Bernal has set a number of private timelines to get issues began. He needs to rent the subsequent everlasting police chief inside the subsequent six months, evaluation town’s finances within the subsequent 60 to 90 days, and set up metropolis council norms that define how councilmembers are anticipated to conduct themselves in public inside the subsequent 30 days.
“At the end of the day, I hope for residents to experience a good quality of life while living in Antioch,” stated Bernal.
