27 Oct Where Do the Antioch Council Candidates Stand on the Issues?

The Antioch City Council district map was adopted on April 12, 2022. (City of Antioch via Bay City News)

By Aly Brown
Bay City News

Eight candidates are vying for three spots on the Antioch City Council, including the mayor’s seat.

The candidates are Rowland ‘Ron’ Bernal Jr., Rakesh Kumar Christian and Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe for mayor; Dominique King and Louie Rocha for District 2; and Donald P. Freitas, Addison Peterson and Antwon R. Webster for District 3.

All registered voters will determine who becomes mayor, which is an at-large seat, but only those living in District 2 will also see King and Rocha on their ballots. Those who live in District 3 will decide from among Freitas, Peterson and Webster.

District 2 and 3 sit side by side and cut through the center of Antioch south of state Highway 4. Residents can determine their district by visiting https://www.antiochprospector.com and either directly searching for an address or viewing the district boundaries by clicking on “Layers” in the top right corner and clicking “Antioch Council Districts.”

[Editor’s note: All eight candidates were given the same questions at the same time with a month to prepare their answers. Full Q&A can be found here: https://bit.ly/4hl3FEE. Bernal, Christian and Freitas did not submit Q&A responses following outreach and followup; some of the following information was pulled from their candidate websites or voter information guides. Christian only submitted an email to a reporter referencing the Bible, Jesus Christ and a “plandemic.” The email will be included with the full Q&A.]

ABOUT MAYORAL CANDIDATES

Bernal is a former Antioch city manager with more than three decades of public service experience. According to his campaign site, he has lived and worked in Antioch for more than 25 years.

According to his website, Christian was born in India and has management and chemistry experience.

Following his first term in the mayoral seat, incumbent Hernandez-Thorpe is seeking reelection. He said he’s running to continue fighting to build an Antioch that’s inclusive, walkable, safe and thriving.

DISTRICT 2 CANDIDATES

King is a businesswoman and a commissioner on the Antioch Parks and Recreation Commission. If elected, she plans to focus on public safety, economic growth, housing, infrastructure, community engagement and open space preservation.

>>>Election Q&A:

‘If Service Is Beneath You, Leadership Will Always Be Beyond You,’ Says Dominique King<<<

Rocha has been a resident of Antioch for 55 years. Prior to his retirement, he was a teacher, counselor, vice principal and principal in the Antioch Unified School District. He serves as the secretary of the board of directors for the Antioch Community Foundation.

DISTRICT 3 CANDIDATES

Freitas grew up in Antioch and later served as the city’s mayor from 2000 to 2008. Citing high city staff turnover and a Civil Grand Jury report that highlighted possible Brown Act violations by the current elected officials, among other challenges, Freitas says he wants to be the change needed to turn Antioch around.

Peterson has 15 years of experience as a staffer in the state Legislature and government relations advocacy for small businesses.

He is running to restore trust in local public safety, create new small business development opportunities and expand the city’s economic development opportunities.

Webster is an Air Force combat veteran and small business owner who holds a bachelor’s degree in global supply chain and a master’s in public administration. He is running to bring effective leadership to Antioch, focusing on public safety, economic development and community engagement.

PRIORITIES

Bernal’s priorities are 1) confronting the crime crisis by speeding up police response time, investing in crime prevention and strengthening partnerships; 2) addressing homelessness by incentivizing new housing solutions, getting the unhoused the help they need and expanding partnerships with nonprofits; and 3) improving the local economy by supporting businesses, reviving run-down commercial properties and attracting well-paying jobs.

Christian appears to cite public safety, education, fiscal responsibility and economic development as priorities on his site under a section titled “Things i (sic) want to bring back.”

Hernandez-Thorpe said homelessness and housing, public safety and police accountability will be his top priorities.

“Under my leadership, overall public safety in Antioch has increased,” Hernandez-Thorpe said. “Twelve years ago, Antioch was on the top 10 list of most dangerous cities in California. Today, it is not. Together, we have worked tirelessly to ensure we don’t end up back on that list.”

>>>Election Q&A:

‘I’ve Produced Results’: Antioch Mayor Makes Case for Second Term<<<

King wants to focus on 1) public safety by fostering trust between law enforcement and the community and strengthening accountability; 2) economic growth by promoting business and job creation; and 3) housing by working to address housing affordability for all families and prioritizing relationships with developers, unions and other housing sector stakeholders.
Rocha’s top priorities if elected will be improving public safety, addressing homelessness and building new economic development.

Freitas’ plan to “turn the city around” is to hire an experienced city manager, fill vacant positions that have been budgeted for with tax dollars, insist on a completely transparent public accounting of funds, and a complete financial audit to ensure money is spent on essential services.

Peterson cited public safety, housing and economic development as his three top priorities.

Webster said he will focus on 1) public safety by implementing community policing initiatives and enhancing emergency services; 2) economic development by supporting local businesses and attracting new employers to the city; and 3) community engagement by encouraging resident involvement in local governance.

POLICING, CRIME, PUBLIC SAFETY

The responding candidates elaborated on ways they believed the City Council can play a role in improving police-community relations following a federal investigation that uncovered conspiracy, fraud, civil rights violations and obstruction of justice among some officers of the Antioch Police Department.

Rocha said Antioch has become unsafe due to a void of leadership at the Police Department, which doesn’t have a permanent chief of police.

“As city councilmember, I will focus on hiring a high-quality chief of police, who is experienced and knowledgeable in rebuilding and rebranding the Antioch Police Department,” Rocha said. “It is important to reorganize the leadership rank and file, provide professional development training to all officers on best practices in community policing and raise cultural awareness in working with a diverse population of citizens.”

Webster called for open communication and collaboration, noting that the council can promote community forums, provide resources for training on civil rights and ensure accountability.

Peterson noted that officers are needed to address public safety and crime issues throughout the city.

“However, our police department has been hit by multiple scandals ranging from admitting to committing crimes in text messages to drug dealing,” Peterson said. “Our police department needs a thorough independent review to figure out how we can improve the police department for our community and the officers.”

Hernandez-Thorpe said under his leadership, the Antioch City Council passed the most extensive police reform measure in the city’s history.

“This process was the starting point for building stronger police-community relations,” Hernandez-Thorpe said. “Those reforms included equipping police officers with body cameras, creating an independent police oversight commission, investigating police complaints independently, increasing hiring standards, launching a nonpolice community response team, and much more.”

King said she would aim to collaborate with local law enforcement to rebuild trust and accountability.

“I will support measures that enhance transparency and advocate for independent oversight,” King said. “I believe in the importance of community policing programs that encourage officers to engage with residents outside of enforcement, fostering trust and collaboration.”

HOMELESSNESS, HOUSING

On homelessness, King said she would prioritize regional and county partnerships and hire a grant writer to secure additional funding for vital community resources.

Webster said the city must adopt a compassionate, multi-faceted approach to addressing homelessness.

“This includes providing access to mental health services, job training programs, and transitional housing,” Webster said. “Collaboration with nonprofits and community organizations will be essential in addressing the root causes of homelessness.”

Hernandez-Thorpe called the Bay Area housing market “out of control.”

“Home prices are soaring, tenants and landlords are hurting, and homelessness is up 18% in Contra Costa County,” Hernandez-Thorpe continued. “However, while the county runs congregate homeless shelters in Richmond and Concord, East County has been left on its own.”

He highlighted the various projects undertaken during his current term to address the issue, while also sharing the efforts he would make going forward, including: finding funding for housing program Opportunity Village and the city’s mental health crisis response team, working with the county to provide a local entry point for homeless services, building more affordable units, and continuing to enforce the city’s no-camping ordinance to ensure public rights of way are clear to use.

Peterson wants to improve social services to reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness, while providing mental health assistance to those in need. He wants to ensure that the city remains dedicated to its housing element.

“We currently need more than 3,000 housing units. The biggest need is for those in low-income and very low-income categories,” Peterson said. “This is important to note since this is the housing area causing homelessness.”

Rocha said the city is working alone to address its homeless challenges.

“I believe the city council should develop regional partnerships with neighboring cities that will provide greater level of services for our homeless population at a shared cost with Contra Costa County via a regional approach to a regional problem,” Rocha said.

Webster’s vision for residential development in Antioch is to create a balanced community that offers affordable housing while preserving the quality of life for residents.

“Local control should play a significant role in this growth to ensure that developments align with the community’s values and needs,” Webster said. “Additionally, expansion of Antioch’s first-time home buyers program to ensure residents have the opportunity and access to housing.”

King said she supports mixed-use developments that integrate housing, retail and community space.

“To meet state-mandated housing requirements while managing limited resources, the city can partner with private developers, streamline the permitting process, and collaborate with community stakeholders to ensure developments align with residents’ needs and preserve the community’s character,” she said.

Learn more about the candidates’ positions on economic development, transportation, environment and more by reading the full Q&A at https://bit.ly/4hl3FEE.

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