ANTIOCH — The upcoming Antioch Metropolis Council races will see a mixture of candidates targeted on public security, police reform, financial progress and inexpensive housing whereas whereas vying for seats in certainly one of Contra Costa’s largest cities.
It doesn’t matter what, the political panorama of the five-person Metropolis Council is assured to alter after the Nov. 5 election.
The District 2 marketing campaign to switch Michael Barbanica, who’s working for county supervisor, is between Louie Rocha, a former Antioch Excessive Faculty principal, and Dominique King, a businesswoman, educator and marketing consultant.
Three candidates try to switch Councilmember Lori Ogorchock, who’s working for metropolis treasurer after the council’s redrawing of boundaries moved her out of District 3.
Operating are former Antioch Mayor Donald P. Freitas; Antwon R. Webster, who served within the U.S. Air Pressure and at present serves as a member on Antioch’s Board of Administrative Appeals and Addison Peterson, who works as a senior coverage supervisor with the California Licensed Natural Farmers.
District 2
This council district is roughly bordered by Contra Loma Boulevard, James Donlon Boulevard, Lone Tree Method advert Gentrytown Drive.
Rocha, who grew up within the Mira Vista neighborhood, is the son of former mayor and present Antioch Unified Faculty District board member Mary Rocha. His profession in training spanned 35 years in numerous roles, together with as a counselor, vice principal and principal at Antioch Excessive Faculty. For Louie Rocha, public security, management and governance, financial improvement and group providers are his high priorities.
He stated it’s “unfortunate” that residents ought to must be further cautious when driving or going to native shops.
“Residents in Antioch just don’t feel safe,” he stated. However Rocha believes public security can solely be addressed with correct management within the metropolis, referring to the excessive variety of worker vacancies. He stated the police division wants to rent a everlasting police chief and enhance its staffing and domesticate a optimistic relationship with residents.
“Nothing can be done without a change in leadership, so we can get the best people for the vacant positions,” he added.
He additionally emphasised the necessity to help and herald new companies, including that leaders ought to work with the native enterprise chambers to assist rebuild town’s economic system.
“Once a business close down, there is no one coming in to replace them, so the (buildings) are just boarded up and closed, and it becomes an unhealthy and unsafe area for the current business owners and residents who are there,” he added.
King, who at present chairs the Parks and Recreation Fee, believes in having a group policing mannequin which requires police accountability. She additionally needs to make addressing psychological well being a precedence and dedicate funding for packages that may assist legislation enforcement officers reply safely to disaster calls.
King, who confronted homelessness when she was 15, stated regardless of being a big metropolis, Antioch doesn’t have a chosen shelter to assist the unhoused group.
“I would like to see regional relationships built on a county level, to possibly have bigger resources for something like a shelter that has wraparound services to help the unhoused community,” she stated.
King says Antioch also needs to contemplate mixed-use improvement that mixes housing, with a share devoted to inexpensive items, and industrial or retail companies.
“We can build multi-million-dollar homes, but who is going to live in them? Who can afford them?” she requested.
King additionally careworn the necessity for a bicycle grasp plan and preserving open areas, including that defending Antioch’s trails is essential as a result of they’re a part of town’s enchantment.
District 3
The boundaries for this district are Bluerock Drive, Davison Drive and Hillcrest Avenue.
Freitas was a council member in 1998 earlier than being elected as Antioch’s mayor in 2000 and serving for eight years. His main focus is on restoring performance and management in Antioch’s metropolis authorities, which he stated is a basis for addressing town’s different points. He stated it’s essential to have an skilled and educated metropolis supervisor who will make it a precedence to develop and implement providers to the general public.
“It’s not just police services; it’s also for code enforcement, park and recreation service, and economic development. Right now, we are so dysfunctional as a city,” stated the previous Contra Costa Water District board president.
Freitas was additionally important of town’s approach of dealing with the homelessness disaster in Antioch, including that an East County regional method is required to resolve the difficulty, provided that the inhabitants far outnumbers any shelter beds or obtainable transitional housing.
“We need to handle this jointly, that means financially, planning enforcement, providing certain services because local government is most ill-prepared to deal with homelessness,” he stated.
On the identical time, Freitas stated town should carry again and develop neighborhood watch packages that had been as soon as “wildly successful” to guard the group and assist cut back crime.
Webster, a former Air Pressure veteran, emphasised addressing public issues of safety by having coaching, training, and monitoring of the police division to make sure progress and therapeutic throughout the group. He additionally had reward for town’s non-police disaster response crew, referred to as CARE, and established after Angelo Quinto died after being restrained by officers in late 2020.
Webster, a logistics supervisor for the U.S. Military Corps of Engineers, additionally believes that attracting companies to Antioch is important for the native economic system to flourish. This may be achieved by having metropolis workers who perceive financial improvement and have the data and need to assist individuals who need to begin their companies in Antioch, he stated.
“We need knowledgeable city staff who desire to do the job and help the people,” he stated. “I mean, if you work here, you’re supposed to provide that resource to the community. The community includes your businesses. Help your businesses out.”
Peterson could also be new to native politics, however he brings shut to fifteen years of public coverage expertise. His focus is on rebuilding the police division by guaranteeing the officers perceive their function and find out how to finest serve the residents.
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Rising up in Los Angeles, Peterson stated he was typically racially profiled, grew uninterested in such therapy and moved. Whereas he understands the attitude of legislation enforcement officers, he believes they need to additionally perceive the group’s perspective.
“When we hire police officers, it would be good to have a member of the police oversight commission to also sit in these interviews,” he stated.
Peterson additionally feels that extra have to be accomplished to offer inexpensive housing with a holistic method that features transportation choices for residents.
“Housing in Antioch is not affordable by any stretch of the imagination. We need more infill development and to think deeper about how we can take housing and also develop economic development that connects to transportation options,” added the California Coverage Supervisor at California Licensed Natural Farmers.
