29 Apr More Cuts for Antioch: Fourth of July, Juneteenth Celebrations Safe; Crisis Response, Animal Services Remain on Chopping Block

Antioch City Council hosted budget study sessions in back-to-back weeks. The one shown here was April 21. (Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)

By Samantha Kennedy

Fourth of July, Juneteenth, National Night Out and Sister City activities are safe for now in Antioch, but officials are still readying for other budget cuts to eliminate its multimillion-dollar deficit.

The Antioch City Council hosted a special budget study session April 21 and 28. At the initial meeting, they decided they would fund those events this year, but stopping funding for the Angelo Quinto Community Response Team and a Homekey+ project and selling Lone Tree Golf Course are still on the table.

That comes as the city faces an around $13 million deficit for the 2026-27 fiscal year after already having cut a chunk of a previously $54 million deficit.

The special meeting outlined around two dozen reduction actions council members could take to make a balanced budget possible in the next nine weeks. Finance Director Dawn Merchant said that the total reduction amount for 16 of those — which included freezing a vacant position at Antioch Animal Services, two code enforcement officers and eliminating a number of capital improvement funds — would be $5.36 million.

Council member Monica Wilson said that officials needed to be given an idea of what services and staffing would look like if proposed reductions were made.

“At least for me, I need to know what the narrative is and how we got there, and what’s the alternative,” said Wilson on April 21.

But while council members held off on most items to receive more information, they were comfortable enough cutting funding sources for three capital improvement projects and freezing community grants for a year. Those reductions total around $777,260.

Animal Services

Animal Services is unique in Antioch as it is city-operated, meaning the city funds those services instead of getting them through the county. One of those positions, an Animal Services manager, has been vacant “a very long time,” according to Mayor Pro Tem Don Freitas.

Freitas and a handful of public speakers, however, said they were completely opposed to doing away with it.

“It’s long, long overdue that we have a permanently placed manager,” said Freitas.

City Manager Bessie Scott, who said there have been negotiations with the county about Animal Services that she can’t publicly share, added that it would be legal for Contra Costa County to take control.

At public comment immediately following Tuesday’s session, speakers showed up again to protest any cuts to the services.

“When operations shift to a regional or county level, that connection can be lost. Systems become more centralized, response areas grow larger, and resources are spread thinner,” said Michelle Kuslits with Antioch Friends of Animal Services. “We are concerned that transitioning services to the county whose system is already managing multiple jurisdictions could significantly impact response levels here in Antioch.

Animal Services in the county has faced criticism for overcrowding at its shelter, which can result in some animals in its care being euthanized. According to the department’s most recent data from March of this year, the live release rate for cats was 59% and 95% for dogs.

Freezing the position would save the city $277,740, according to Merchant.

Angelo Quinto Community Response Team Faces Potential Cuts — Again

When it was unveiled in 2023, the Angelo Quinto Community Response Team, an alternative to police response in low-level and mental health calls, was operating on a 24/7 model. But since budget season in 2025, the team has been working 12-hour days.

This year, Mayor Ron Bernal said he wants to see what it would cost to run the service for eight hours a day.

AQCRT is already funded through the end of the year using American Rescue Plan Act funding. After Dec. 31, those ARPA funds will expire, and the city will have to find another source.

Of the current year’s $6.108 million budget, more than $4.96 million has been spent through the end of March, according to Merchant. More than $1.13 million remains.

“This does show all funds being spent by June 30,” Merchant said Tuesday, referring to the end of the fiscal year. “What will happen is, obviously, expenditures are going to stretch through Dec. 31. We just don’t have a good projection of what those will be.”

Eliminating the team would save around $470,000, according to Merchant’s report. The cost is for about six months of 12-hour service days.

Council member Tamisha Torres-Walker agreed with Bernal’s suggestion but questioned how mental health crises would then be handled.

“What will people have access to, if not? Are we going to transition the crisis response duties to the Police Department? Are they going to have a mental health unit?” Torres-Walker said.

The city first created the AQCRT in response to the death of Angelo Quinto, who died following a mental health crisis during an interaction with Antioch Police Officers.

Torres-Walker said the city does have a Coordinated Outreach, Referral and Engagement, or CORE, team, which does not address mental health issues, and Contra Costa operates A3 Crisis Response, but also said there were already challenges with providing services at the county level.

Homekey+ Makes the List

Soon after receiving news that its application for a permanent supportive housing project was likely on the track to approval, Scott said that the property’s recent loan default is something that exposes the city.

“Meaning that we have to talk to [the California Department of Housing and Community Development] as well as all of the attorneys. There are a lot of implications that we can’t just say, ‘Here’s the impact of having this,’” said Scott. “Also, some of the social programs have outsized impacts that can’t be just put in a staff report, and so that is a big issue.”

Before the hotel defaulted, according to reporting from the Bay Area News Group, officials applied for Homekey+ — state funding for certain housing projects — to revamp the units to address problems with homelessness in the city.

Antioch has to fund the project with $1.2 million per year, which a majority of council members previously said would be worth it despite the budget deficit. Bernal was the sole opponent on the City Council.

Council member Louie Rocha said Tuesday that he wanted Scott and City Attorney Lori Asuncion to figure out what their options are.

“I’m not sure that’s even a viable option anymore,” said Rocha. “We all voted in favor to do what we can — long-term — to commit to try to address the homeless issue that we have in our community, but at the same time, we’re trying to develop a budget. We need answers before we can make final decisions, and that clock, that timeline is closing quickly.”

Merchant’s report also listed not funding the project as one of the options to meet its financial obligations, but more information will be brought back at a future meeting for discussion.

Around 10 other items, including the two code enforcement officers, will also be brought back to allow council members to receive more information about their impacts.

Officials have to adopt the 2026-27 fiscal year budget by June 30.

The list of the proposed reductions for the meeting can be viewed on the city’s website here.