City Council - Regular Meeting

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All right, good evening, everybody, and welcome to the Antioch City Council meeting of Tuesday, September the 8th, 2026. Madam Clerk, could you please take the role?

Thank you, Mayor. Council Member Rocha?

Here.

Council Member Torres-Walker is absent. Council Member Wilson?

Here.

Mayor Pro Tem Freitas is absent. Mayor Bernal?

Here.

We have a quorum at 7 PM. Thank you.

All right, if you could please stand and join us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

All right. Next up on the agenda is public comments. This is on non-agendized items. How many people do we have?

Mayor, we have 18 public speakers in person and one via Zoom.

All right, so we will go ahead with that and give three minutes for each person to speak.

Thank you, Mayor. May I please have Leslie May, Greg Ferry, and Tammy Smith, please.

Good evening, city council, staff, and community members. I came down here because I'm very disturbed about this El Campanile. I already know for a fact that you are the one, Ron Bernard, that went and told him. The day was about you could sit there with a smug smile on your face and everything. But I've been telling these people. in person, on Facebook and Instagram about you. I've been cursed out, called everything but the child of God and everything. I told them you were not for Antioch. I told them you're nothing but Satan, and you are. So I'm gonna read something a lady sent out. She says, little did we all know what was happening behind the scenes with our mayor and cronies selling out Antioch for his project 2025, just like I said he would do. He is a mega cult mayor who lied to everyone to get elected and pushed his agenda uh... you who pushed and pushed and paid for it a huge campaign to get him elected just like the republicans who voted for and supported the convicted felon elect again so now sadly not only do i have no faith or hope in america the exact way i feel about sundown town antioch nothing will ever change ever elect liars and this is what represents and destroys everything and everyone I have said those words to you over and over again sitting in these chambers. And like I said, I can take the kickback from people that sit at keyboards, keyboard warriors. You brought him here. You ran to him. You were a member of his church years ago until you broke off. Okay, you're his friend. There's too many pictures of you with him. You ran to him the minute you found out it was for sale and let him know that. You know darn well that this group is the same group that Kirk led. Kirk led before he was murdered. So this Christian nationalists are racist. They are full of hatred for everybody that is not white. They have an agenda. They spread falsehoods. They use the Bible, but they use it because they're just Satan's minions. Just like I said you are. You guys are wrong. I know there's all these people here fighting, and I'm with them, but I say prayer works wonders, you guys. Psalm 109, just read it over and over again so we can get rid of you and all your little minions that walk the streets of Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, whatever.

Greg Carey, please.

Good evening, Mayor Brunel, members of the council. My name is Greg Ferry. I'm retired vice president of the California State Building Trades and a 40-year resident of Antioch. And like all the people here, I have concern about El Campanile as well. An out-of-area investor wanting to flip it just to make some money. He really doesn't care about Antioch's future. And yesterday, I'm not into calling state senators on the holiday, but I called Tim Grayson and I asked him about whether or not we could put the El Campanile under the historical preservation site And he said, yes. He said, but it'd have to be coordinated with the city of Antioch. So I think you can take the effort and make it the preservation site and keep it exactly what it's supposed to be. It's a theater. It's a great place. And, you know, no offense to the pastor, but, you know, he could stay in Pittsburgh and there's plenty of souls and sinners there to take care of. And my second issue is with the Antioch Senior Center. I think most of you know that I've really gotten involved in the last year about the showers for the homeless grandmas that live downtown. And, you know, the first time I was told that, you know, the showers were closed because the center was being abused by homeless. So I said, okay, that's good. Go ahead and we can put codes on the door. And only the people from the senior center can use it. Well, then the second thing was that, oh, the seniors may slip and sue the city. Well, the seniors have never sued the city in all the years that they've been there. So I put in a no-slip floor with handrails. Then they said, well, you know, some of the seniors are kind of big. Well, why don't the hell you just say fat? You know, it really just upset me. And so now... I was talking to Councilman Freitas and it comes to find out without any of you knowing about it, they took the showers, which I appreciate the mayor coming down and looking at them because you know what they are. They're pretty small. They were turned into bathrooms. Some idiot from the city changed the showers into bathrooms and it needs to be changed back the way It was originally put in there for. Those seniors, those ladies need a safe place to take a shower. They've got the lockers. They've got everything there. And so I would like you to take a look and see what's available about using the additional funding and make them into showers of what they should be. Thank you.

Tammy Smith, followed by Sharon Adal, please.

I support keeping El Campanil open because it's so much more than- Excuse me, could you pull your mic down, please?

Yes.

Thank you. I'll start all over. I support keeping El Campanil open because it's so much more than a beautiful historic building. It's part of Anyang's identity and one of the places that bring art, culture, and people together, as you've seen right here. My husband and I have enjoyed so many different events since we moved here. When we think of Antioch, our adopted city, one of the first things we think about is El Campanile. The amazing shows we've seen, the way we've met wonderful community members, and it would break our heart to see that disappear. I want future generations to walk through these doors and fall in love with it the way we have. There are so many new generations that would miss out on 100 years of art and culture and community, and that's the most important thing that I think the Campanile does, is bringing the community together. Every time I come in, it's not just one demographic. It's many. You see kids from as young as one or even younger. I spoke to someone who said she was 98. And I cannot imagine that disappearing. So if we could do anything possible to save it and protect it because it is historic. It is embedded. In our Antioch DNA, I'm willing to do whatever we can. I don't have a lot of influence, but I'm willing to do whatever I can to support the El Campanil Foundation. Thank you.

Sharon Adal and John Hackenkamp, please.

Hi, good evening. I'm Sharon Swivel-Edul. I'm the El Campanile Theater Preservation Foundation president. And there is a lot of misinformation regarding my involvement with this organization. So I'm going to go over briefly my involvement with the organization, then move on to the reason we're here, which is to maintain the El Campanile Theater as just that, a theater. My additional involvement is I am the artistic director of Black Diamond Ballet Theater. We are a nonprofit organization that rents from the El Campanile Theater annually for our Nutcracker, spending close to $4,000 to rent the theater for our purposes, to bring arts and culture and live ballet to the Antioch community and beyond. In addition to that, I'm also a client for my dance studio, Pittsburgh Performing Arts Academy. We also rent the theater twice a year to the tune of about $15,000 to utilize it for our recitals. We are a mainstay generator for this theater, and the funds that we pay for go to the renovation and the revitalization of the arts continuing here in the community. I came to the El Campanile when it was in crisis, just 10 months ago in November. I stepped in, I dedicated my time, I volunteered my resources to promote, to market, cut expenses, and to fundraise for our operational expenses and get us back afloat. My only sin is that I did not get involved sooner. As you see behind me, there are people here that value the arts and they are supporting the arts now. I wish we would have done this sooner, but that doesn't mean we cannot still have an impact. Our foundation cannot run programming that is subservient of another organization that is not an arts and cultural group or organization. This theater must be controlled by an arts organization, one that understands the nuances of producing a variety of arts shows, whether it's dance, music, theater, comedy, et cetera. The foundation cannot operate a successful program unless it has complete control of the space and the calendar. My hope is that the city can work with others to ensure that the El Campanile Theater continue to be a dedicated arts and performing arts performing arts venue, whether it's our foundation or another foundation, but to make sure that it is dedicated to the arts for generations to come. Thank you.

John Hackenkamp and Diana Bello.

Good evening. My name is John Hackenkamp. I go by Johnny. I don't know if I've dealt with some of you guys previously. I'm here as a resident, as a longtime employee of Elkamp No Theater Preservation Foundation. I have been employed by the organization for almost 20 years. And as a person who's mad that the building got sold, and that the council just continues to sit on their hands, not only in this, but in many, many dealings for decades. So I think the people are speaking, and maybe the city should investigate whether or not the sale of the building was actually legal. You guys have an attorney, and I think it's time that this council decided to do something. And that's all I've got to say.

Diana Bello and Carla Baker.

Good afternoon council members. My name is Diana Bello and I've been living in Antioch since 1999. My husband and I have raised six beautiful daughters here. Raise your hand. And we have enjoyed so many beautiful activities like Hamilton and the Nutcracker there. Well, I'm just here to say save it because all these people here want the same thing. We have history there. We want our kids to continue to enjoy it and future generations to this. And you guys have the authority and the power to do that, to look out for our future. I'm not going to say much because I think we all have the same message, right, guys? It's the same message. So that's my message. Thank you, guys.

After Carla Baker, Carrie Motz.

Good evening, Mayor, members of the city council, and staff. My name is Carla Baker-Meramee, and I'm here on behalf of the Antioch Historical Society and the museum. Did you know that more than half of the museums in the United States are currently seeing fewer visitors than in 2019? I'm here to sound the alarm to help preserve the museum. As a community, we often talk about where our city is going. On Saturday, October 10th, we're creating an opportunity to also talk about where our museum has been and how our history can help guide our future. The Antioch Historical Society is hosting a community gathering designed to bring together residents, educators, business leaders, community organizations, and local officials in a unique and engaging format. Through these series of brief conversations, participants will share ideas about the future of our museum, help shape its mission and vision, and explore how the museum can best serve our community for generations to come. Like the El Campanile, our museum is more than a collection of artifacts. It's the place where our community stories are preserved, where new residents learn who we are, and where future generations discover the people and the events that built Antioch. So I'm personally inviting each of you to participate in the October 10th gathering. We're meeting at the Antioch Historical Museum from 10 to noon, and lunch will be provided. Your perspective as elected leaders is valuable, and your presence would demonstrate the commitment to preserving our shared history while helping shape the museum's future role in our community. We would be honored to have you join us. I'll be following up with an email and you can easily RSVP to that and just say that you'll be there. Thank you for your time and your service to our community.

Carrie Mox, Robert Davis, and Harry Thurston.

Good evening. I want to urge the council to explore all options within its rights to explore the delay or cancellation of escrow for a change in the ownership of the El Campanile by a private church group. Along with your choice not to pursue a town square event space at the Beattie Lumberyard, the loss of the El Campanile will be the last formal space in Rivertown for publicly created or influenced events, along with all of the economic stimulus and revitalization they provide. Community events held there, if they're allowed at all, will be under the control of this private group and their particular priorities and beliefs. It will no longer represent the broad spectrum of arts and culture that exists in our community. and it will physically change the cultural icon of Antioch and of our whole town. Thank you.

Robert Davis, Harry Thurston.

Okay, Mayor, council members, appreciate you listening to me. I'll make this a little brief.

There's a little more than I wrote in email.

I wrote and emailed earlier, but there's a little more than I could get in for the three minutes. But as the gentleman just said, every path available to the city needs to be taken to save the historical property. So everyone can enjoy it without limit to access to it. Not only do we need to look at what the legality was of the sale back in 2023, we also need to look at the legality of the purchase that's going on now with the nonprofit. I would double check on what their filings have been and what that actually looks like. It doesn't really look like a nonprofit. It looks like one man with four positions. and only one other person as a director. That's really close to being an innumerable for that and not have an accountability. So let's make sure this is on the legit side all the way across. This isn't an empty, rundown building that we have an overabundance in this city. It's the jewel of the city, a marquee spot for the new economic development director that you guys are working on don't let the city and this community lose this precious property or its history also remember there is an ordinance that was back in 2018 and revived in 2024 i believe for the ds dtsp downtown special plan which regulates what can happen to this building that was built prior to 1950. This building was built in 1928, so it really needs to be scrutinized on what changes can be made. There's a lot of historical art, and especially in historical signatures, And if this purchase wants to make this a modern-type looking theater, then there's a big issue there. It truly is a house of cards. You know, members of the council, you know, any of those are out there. Prove them wrong. Lastly, you guys were at the opening of the PDC at the 2515 Delta Fair.

That's a 60,000 square foot building.

And the opening line says, coming soon, PDC legendary movement. Where do they cross paths? Are they buying a $60,000 property across town and then a 10,000 foot property in downtown? Where's the connection there, why? And if they have 500 people, they're gonna run out of space in El Campanile real quick. Thank you.

Harry Thurston, Jim Becker, Danette Rodriguez.

Good evening, City Council and staff. I'm Harry Thurston, a long-time resident of Antioch, and I have concerns about the sale of the El Campanile Theater. First, I am totally disappointed and disillusioned by the City of Antioch, how the City of Antioch could stand by and let the El Campanile Theater, a charitable historical asset of the city, be sold to a private owner. The history of the management of the theater ranges from the El Campanile Theater Preservation Foundation to a nonprofit tenant operator organization, and then it moved on to an out-of-state investment group, and that investment group now wants to sell the theater. I am totally against that. AND SO I HAVE SEVERAL CONCERNS ABOUT THIS WHOLE PROCESS. DID THE CITY EXECUTE ITS FIRST RIGHT OF REFUSAL CONCERNING THE SETTLEMENT OF THE THEATER? DID THE CITY ATTORNEY DETERMINE THAT THERE'S ANY RESTRICTIONS ON THE SETTLEMENT OF THE THEATER ASSOCIATED TO ANY GRANTS PREVIOUSLY ACQUIRED BY THE NONPROFIT GROUPS OVERSEEING THE THEATER? Thirdly, did the nonprofit tenant operating organization submit notice of the pending sale of the transfer to the California Attorney General as required under the California Attorney General's rule stating a nonprofit cannot sell, transfer, or otherwise dispose of charitable assets, which the museum is, without notifying and in many cases obtaining approval for the California State Attorney General? LASTLY, I'M ASKING THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE CITY ATTORNEY TO LOOK INTO THESE ISSUES AND REPORT BACK TO THE PUBLIC CONCERNING THE LEGALITY OF THE SALE OF THE CHARITABLE HISTORIC COMMUNITY ASSET, EL CAMPANEL THEATER. LASTLY, I AM TOTALLY HEARTBROKEN THAT THE CAMPANEL theater such a gem of culture and historical importance to our city and to me and my family that has been sold to the highest bidder without any assurance of his preservation and now for the future generations. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Mayor Bernal, council members, city staff, thanks for having me here tonight. So I'm here to support the El Campanil too, and there's some things that concern me that I want to bring forward. First of all, you know, the owner said, well, it's been up for sale for a while. I didn't know and I consider myself pretty well informed. I wear several hats here. I run probably the biggest community foundation in Contra Costa County. I'm also on the board president for the Antioch Chamber of Commerce. And I'm a resident here, so I try to stay involved. But I didn't learn about this until just about a week and a half ago, that this building was up for sale. So I reached out to some of my real estate friends, and I said, if you're going to sell a building like this, what do you do? They said, well, we reach out to other like-type organizations to see if anyone wants to buy it. So I called some that I know. I called the Lesher Center for the Arts. I called Maskers Playhouse. I called the California Theater. I said, did anybody reach out to you and tell you this was for sale? They said no. So I said, okay, something doesn't smell right there. So then I said, OK, well, maybe they approached some of the arts foundations. I called Hewlett Packard. I called Lesher Foundation, others. Nobody knew the building was for sale. Well, how odd is that? that if the intent was to really keep it as an event space, as a theater space, as a culture space, that the folks who were probably most likely to do that weren't aware. So that really does bother me a lot, right? The other thing that I do know, and I mentioned this the other night at the El Campanile Theater meeting, and the New York Times, the Herald, the Tribune, all have had articles about this, even the Contra Costa Times a few years back, When churches take over your prime economic retail space, cities die economically. We cannot have that happen. We have to preserve our economic vitality in this city, we have to preserve an economically viable downtown, and we have to save our theater. Thank you.

Jeanette Rodriguez and Raquel Herrera.

It's a fact to follow. Good evening, my name is Jeanette Rodriguez and I'm back to express my discontent with the handling of El Campanile. Out of curiosity, I went to our city's website and looked at the City of Antioch's vision and strategic plan for 2019 to 2029. The vision states, Antioch is a desired destination in the Bay Area, building on our historic legacy, creating bright opportunities for families to grow, offering places to play, enabling businesses to thrive, and cultivating a unique downtown experience. Goals five and six state, strive to be a healthy community and support historic downtown revitalization. The loss of this historic space directly goes against what our town's vision is. The arts have positive impacts on community well-being, economic development, public safety, youth development, and social justice. I attended the community meeting last Tuesday at the theater. I was so happy to be in a room full of people willing to share ideas and hopes for the future of the theater. It felt engaging and like we had a chance to do something great with the space. Unfortunately, that conversation was derailed. This group looking to save the downtown was not looking to work with us. They made that clear in the manner in which they showed up halfway through the meeting just to preach at us before anyone could get a real conversation going. An ally to the cause would perhaps donate to the theater instead of taking it over. An ally to the theater would promote the theater's events. And also, there are plenty of buildings in our town. I'm sure it does not need to be this one. I feel let down, and I wish that there had been more alarms raised sooner so that the community could have had more time to organize and find a solution, as you see here now. There needs to be more accountability in the future, or else what is there left to protect in Antioch? Thank you.

Raquel Herrera, Farsan Saeed, and Michelle Fanucci.

Good evening. I, like many other Antioch residents, am extremely worried about the future of El Campanile and feel defeated by how this process has unfolded. Most of the public had no idea this historic theater was at risk of changing hands until the sale was already moving forward. We were never given a meaningful opportunity as a community to organize and try to preserve this space for future generations regardless of their beliefs. I attended last Tuesday's meeting in support of the theater. Until then, I had intentionally avoided focusing on the prospective buyer. I could understand why a church would be interested in a venue with a stage and seating for its congregation, but what I personally witnessed that night changed my perspective. At the beginning of the meeting, I explicitly saw the pastor leave the theater as the meeting began. One person he was with remained in the back for some time before also disappearing. More than halfway through the meeting, the pastor returned with roughly 20 supporters, and then he stood before the room and said, I hear you. To me, these actions do not seem indicative of someone who has come to listen to concerned residents. It felt intimidating. He questioned why we had not tried to purchase the theater earlier, but most ordinary residents only recently became aware of what was happening and what working class resident has a 1.5 million commercial property on their radar. He also questioned our commitment to uplifting Antioch because people at the meeting had not participated in a church organized community cleanup. I reject the idea that attendance at one event determines whether someone cares about this city. I understand that there are two groups here with different missions, but both are rooted in wanting to uplift Antioch. Despite my concerns about that meeting, I would genuinely welcome the opportunity to sit down with the pastor and discuss alternatives that could meet his congregation's needs while preserving El Campanile as a performing arts venue. I also want to thank the council and city staff for taking these concerns seriously and investigating what options may still exist. Concerns about the theater's future have not always gained this kind of traction, so I genuinely appreciate the city looking into this now. In particular, I appreciate the effort to locate and review the original agreement involving Cal Pine, the city, and El Campanile Preservation Foundation to determine whether the city retained any rights concerning the future transfer of this property. I respectfully ask that this question be resolved before the current sale closes. If that agreement contains a right of first refusal or another provision affecting the transfer, please determine what rights or remedies, if any, remain available to the city. El Campanillo has stood in Antioch since 1928. Once we lose a dedicated historic performing arts venue like this, getting it back may be impossible. Before this sale is finalized, please make sure every option, every agreement the city previously entered into concerning this theater has been fully examined. Thank you.

Thank you.

Farzan Saeed.

Good evening. My name is Anna, and I am here to express how much El Campanile means to this community. It holds a special place in my heart and in the hearts of many people throughout Antioch. El Campanile is more than an old building. It's a historical landmark and Antioch's last remaining theater. For nearly a century, it has been a place where people have gathered to immerse themselves in the arts and create lasting memories. It is a connection to generations of residents who came before us, and it connects us to Antioch's past and reminds us of the people and stories that have shaped our city. Future generations should have a chance to experience it too. When a historical building like El Campanil is lost, we lose a part of our community's identity. El Campanil has remained a gathering place for families, artists, and visitors for decades. It is one of the few places in Antioch that carries such a deep and meaningful history. The fact... The fact that it is Antioch's last theater makes its preservation even more important. There are not many spaces like this left in our community, places where people can come together, watch a play, and share an experience. If El Campanile is lost or sold, Antioch loses its last dedicated home for live arts. This issue is deeply personal to me. Four generations of my family have enjoyed events in that building. I saw my first play at El Campanil, and that experience sparked my love for drama and inspired me to major in theater arts. The theater's history is a history shared by countless people throughout Antioch. El Campanil is also... El Campanile also plays an important role in the life of downtown. Performances bring residents and visitors to the area, supporting nearby restaurants and supporting local performers and other local businesses. It gives people a reason to spend time downtown and helps keep our community connected and active. I understand that maintaining a historic building can be complicated. However, before any permanent or irreversible irreversible decisions are made, I respectfully ask the city to consider what we could lose. It's not only a building, but also Antioch's last theater, a historical landmark, and a vital part of our cultural identity. one of the only reasons people come downtown. Many people in our community care deeply about El Campanile and want to protect its future. We should work together to preserve this irreplaceable place for future generations. El Campanile is Antioch's beauty, its beating heart and lasting symbol of our city's history. Please help us protect this historic theater and keep its doors open for another 100 years. Thank you.

Michelle, followed by Michael Gabrielson and Crystal Law.

I'm Michelle Finucchi. I'm not a great speaker, but I'm here to save the theater. I was born and raised in Antioch, so it was my mother, my father, my grandfather graduated from Antioch High in 1935. I've spent many years at that theater. My niece is a professional dancer with the Black Diamond Ballet. She does the Nutcracker there every single year. My other niece is Tori McGee. She's a singer. She sang on that stage many times. Frank Ballesteros. who is the director in this town, who's been here all of his life, is a very good friend of mine. And I go and see him whenever he's able to perform Scrooge down there. Humbug. It's humbug. Anyway, I just want to say, if we hadn't known that that place was for sale, don't you think all these people would have gotten together to do something to save it? My gosh, you know, look at these people. They're all here in support of that theater. You know, they feel like I feel. I don't know if you guys grew up here and you were raised in that theater, but we were. And we try to do something about it. Please listen to us.

Sorry, I gotta fix this here. Good evening, Mayor and Council. My name is Michael Gabrielson and I am a lifelong resident and business owner here in Antioch's Rivertown Business District. I'm here this evening because I'm very concerned about the future of our Elk Camp and Elk Theater and the performing arts in our community. The El Campanile was sold to an out of state investor in 2003 and it is now in escrow with a church from Pittsburgh with a due of close of escrow date by September. In 2003, the city of Antioch provided funds to the El Campanile Foundation of $750,000. Those monies were to restore the theater from the city's promenade project monies. The stipulation was that if the El Campanile Theater ever became insolvent, if their foundation ever became insolvent, that the theater would revert back to the city and to preserve the programming and thus ensuring that the facility would remain a community treasure. The community was not aware that this was happening until the church stated a public request for donations to help them raise money for the funds for the down payment of the theater. Myself and many others in the community are concerned about the future of this 98 year old restored historic theater and its programming. As a taxpayer and a resident of Antioch, I feel that the city owes the citizens of Antioch to try to intervene, whether by emergency injunction, to declare the building a historical site, or by other means. The pastor Eli Herrera from Legendary Movement Church states he wants to save Antioch. If he truly cared about this community, he would assign his purchase agreement over to the city of Antioch or back out of the transaction. There are many large vacant properties in Antioch that are well suited for a growing church. I want to be clear that this movement, to save the El Campanile Theater, it's about its programming and it is not against God. The pastor of Legendary Movement Church, this movement is to preserve the history, preserve the performing arts in this community, preserving the restoration of this community paid, the restoration that the community paid for of the El Campanile Theater. I ask our community to please pray and help save the performing arts in our community and the El Campanile Theater. And pray even harder for Legendary Movement Church and their congregation. May they find a more suitable property they can renovate to their needs. And I want to thank everyone for coming out this evening and supporting the El Campanile. Thank you.

Crystal Law, followed by Kathy Cabrera and Margie Correll.

So last year, Tamisha Walker and Don Freitas started to work on the theater with the previous manager, Bessie Scott, talking about using development impact fees. We have millions just sitting there idle. So why is it that we can't start there? Why is it that we couldn't even start talks or conversations? Why is it that we're waiting until the last minute just to decide to save something that is clearly dear to everybody's hearts? You say opportunity lives here, but personally I don't see it. I have been in Antioch since 2004. I got to coming to city council in 2020 off and on because of housing and how expensive it was getting at that time. I started conversations with our previous mayor, Thorpe, and some city council members. I slowly started getting involved when you, Mayor Ron, was elected. I tried to give you a chance. Then I started realizing that if it's something you don't like or that you're against, you just don't care about it. You don't read on it, you don't research it, you already have your mind made up and you don't give it a shot, but you love to show yourself in front of pictures and you love to go answer some questions that's just political answers. You chose not to see it any other way. are stubborn and set in your ways. You chose to spread lies about Homekey. You chose to retire before the FBI came in to do their investigations. You chose to go after a black woman city manager who called out inconsistencies with SMI and your friend Sean McCauley. You chose not to speak about the black woman who was hit by an officer, whether it was OKAY OR NOT OKAY. YOU CHOSE TO PUT EVERYTHING ON THE LAST CITY COUNCIL WHEN YOU HAVE BEEN CITY MANAGER FROM 2017 TO 2021. WHEN WILL YOU TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS? YOU CHOSE TO SPEND $499,000 ON SWEEPS INSTEAD OF HOME KEY. YOU CHOSE NOT TO TALK WITH MS. WALKER AND FREDIS ABOUT THE THEATER. When is it that you're gonna take responsibility and step up and be a mayor?

Kathy Cabrera.

Good evening, Mayor, members of the city council, city staff, and the Antioch community. My name is Kathy Cabrera, and I'm an Antioch citizen as well as an Antioch business owner. I'm here tonight to ask you to do something that future generations of Antioch residents will either thank us for or wish we had done, and that is saving the El Campanile Theater. The El Campanile is not simply an old building. taking up space. It's a place of Antioch's history. It represents memories, generations of families, and a time when places like this brought our community together. We spend a lot of time talking about Antioch's future, and we should, but building a better future does not require us to destroy our past, because once the El Campanel is gone, it's gone forever. It's easy to build yet another church, but we already have over 100 of those here in Antioch, and we cannot recreate a nearly century-old piece of history. Imagine instead what the El Campanile could become, a restored community landmark filled with music, performances, movies, youth programs, local events, and families. Imagine it helping bringing people back to downtown and giving Antioch something we can point to and say with pride, we saved that. Our city has lost enough pieces of history. Please don't let the El Campanile Theater become yet another photograph of something Antioch used to have. I'm asking all of you sitting on the council today to have the courage and vision to preserve it, restore it, and give it another chapter. Take action. Put this sale on hold. Give this community the opportunity to fight for the El Campanile before you allow anyone to give up on it. You were elected not only to manage Antioch as it exists today, but to make decisions that will shape the Antioch we leave behind. This is one of those decisions. So please, don't leave this meeting saying, we heard the community. Leave this meeting saying, we're going to do something the community is begging us to do. Give the El Campanile a chance. Give Antioch a chance to save its history. In addition, reviewing videos of past city council meetings, Councilmember Torres-Walker, Councilmember Wilson, and Councilmember Freitas had asked repeatedly to look into preserving Antioch's history and specifically preserving the El Campanile. Why did these requests fall on deaf ears? Save the El Campanile Theater. Save the El Campanile Theater, not just for those of us who remember its past, but for those generations who deserve to experience its future. I beg of you to please save the El Campanile. And thank you, Monica.

Margie Carell, Lisa, and Susan Smith, please.

Hi, I'm Marge Carroll. I really didn't come prepared to say anything. Only I want to say is, Ron, you already made up your mind. You've already made up your mind. You're not going to listen to these people. You don't give a crap. You do not care. You've already made a deal with your, what is it, your pastor? What does he have on you? What is he hiding? All right. What happened in 2017, let's see, when you left being a city manager, what did you go into? Rehab? Did they pay for it? So you're on the books. You're on the books. We got you. So don't try to pretend like you really care about what's going to happen to you. Because you owe your church people. That's it.

Lisa.

Thank you. I want to thank everyone for their great research, because I didn't do any of that, so thank you very much. Very thorough. So I agree, of course, with them 100%, that please, if we can, do anything to save the El Campanile, because of all the reasons have already been given. And I was at the meeting, and the pastor from the church has made it quite clear that it's his house, and so we know he is going to redo the whole thing and take everything down, which would be a shame. So whatever's been done now, we're pleading to please try to reconsider or do anything. Thank you.

Susan Smith, followed by Jose Gordon and Mary Jo Bruce.

Hi, good evening council members and residents and passional people in support of the Elk Camp and Elk Theatre. I wasn't gonna speak, but I thought I'd just speak on behalf of my history in Antioch. I was born and raised here as well, and my grandmother Mildred Thoyle was an usherette in the 1930s at the Elk Camp and Elk Theatre. I brought my father, to the theater on his last outing to see James Garner, the Johnny Cash tribute. And a few months, that was a few months before he passed away, he had dementia, but remembered the songs I can't even see because I don't have my reading glasses, and the song lyrics. And also I brought my mom down here to see the Elvis tribute. So I would just like to see the Campanile continue to be part of our history and our future. So I'm sorry I can't read my writing, my typing, but that's about it. So can we please just preserve the El Campanile Theater? Thank you.

Jose and Mary Jo.

All right, man, good afternoon, good evening, everybody. My name is Jose Cordon. I want to just say I'm in full support of saving El Campanile Theater, and I also want to take a moment to apologize to everybody who was there on Tuesday of last week. If you felt unsure, if you felt unsafe, there's a lot of passion and a lot of love that goes into something like El Campanile, and so when those things feel threatened, a lot of emotions come out. And so I want to first and foremost apologize for the direction that it ended up taking. I also want to, I don't really know you too well, but I saw you was there, so you got to see I think most of it, maybe up until the end, but maybe up until when folks started to feel a bit more Yeah, all of those adjectives and all of those words. Myself, I've hosted two shows there. I've also hosted three plays at the Nick Rodriguez. I've also hosted several art and culture events throughout the downtown. Art and culture for me is very, I love it. It's a big part of what I do. So I stand in full support of El Campanile At the same time, I also want to say that whether or not, whatever happens there, my work does not stop, right? And so our youth arts connections are still happening, and they are happening at Antioch High School. They are happening at the Antioch Community Center right in front of Deer Valley. That is for youth ages 12 to 18, and they will be engaging in art. Right, because we have to keep it alive somehow so much. I want to say that I got some flyers here. I also want to say that I would like to invite the counter folks or any community that wants to come to our community garden. We're just starting to revamp it, redevelop it. It's part of a larger vision that we want to create a green belt here in the city of Antioch. But that's our first step right there, right, that community garden. So in summary, thank you for coming out and being there. Apologize to the community. I stand in full support of El Campanile. I am very devastated about it. I do think that if we do end up losing that, I like to walk with a lot of optimism, and I speak very highly of the city of Antioch. I think that will make it just a little bit harder. But also, if you have youth ages 12 to 18, and if you want them to get connected with some professional artists, They will have free food there. They will have gift cards there. It'll be on Tuesdays in Antioch High School, Thursdays at the Antioch Community Center. And then if you're interested in participating with us and building on the Greenbelt at our community garden, please contact me. Is it fine if I leave some of these flyers up here with y'all? Cool. And then I'm going to go ahead and come back for the events because I got a lot of events.

Mary Jo, Nicole, Warren, and Mary Lutz, please.

Thank you.

Hello. My name is Mary Jo Mundy-Bruce. I worked at the El Campanile in 2023 when it was sold. And I came to the meeting that we all had, and some great points were brought up about, was the sale correctly done in 2023? And it got me going down a rabbit hole like all of us, researching and did this get, you know, did the paperwork get sent properly and all this stuff. Clearly there was some broken down piece that happened that this should not have been sold to a private person. It just is clear. It should not have been sold. Something was not right. Some I wasn't dotted and some T wasn't crossed. And being the bookkeeper there, I was very aware of a lot of things. But this part, I was not aware of. And I wish... I wish I could go back in time and be like, hey, Rick, what are you doing? Why are you selling this place? You saved it in 2003. Why are you selling it now? And there's so many things. I think everybody just assumed it would come back to the city. Everybody assumed, why would this be told? turned into a church. We're all like, oh my gosh, no. And me being a singer and a performer, I moved to Antioch four or five years ago, hoping that there was an arts community. And so I went to the El Campanile, and that's how I got the job. Because I was like, oh, I want to work for the theater. And I love Sharon and what she's doing and it's so sad because the volunteers who are volunteering are so disheartened because they don't know what to do. And there's a lot of good stuff out here but I just think the sale should be placed on hold and some investigation should go into the 2023 sale. It's not that hard. And you don't have much time. It's September 29th when the keys get turned over. If you go do any research, you can go see it. It's all out there for you to look at. So somebody be as passionate as we are. Hello, Ron. Be as passionate as we are. This is your city right now. Have some balls. This is your city. We've got all these people up here going, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. Please, for the love of God, do the right thing and just have some passion. I stayed up until 4 o'clock in the morning doing all this, being like, please let me help. Let me do whatever I can. So you've got a lot of passionate people. Thank you for what you are doing. But man, you got to step it up, guy. Come on, step it up so that we can be like, yay, I voted for Ron. I feel so good he saved this. Put the sale on hold. We don't need another church. No more churches. We got enough churches. I just can't believe the lack and the apathy sometimes of everything. Everything I look, I'm like, why? Why is there so much apathy here? And I understand your hands are tied and there's things and there's bureaucracy. Please do something. Thank you.

Nicole? Nicole?

Hello, I'm Nicole Fay Patak. I go by Fay. I've lived here since 2020. I grew up doing theater, did 19 years of theater, then decided to become a therapist, did a lot of schooling for that. In 2021, I helped with El Campanil. They had a theater academy with lots of kids. And in 21, 22, they... Theater and acting is just so amazing for children. I just finished up my degree to become a drama therapist and I'm working with kids as a therapist getting my hours. I know that the Academy shut down before it got sold in 2022 or 23. But I really hoped that when I had kids that at some point we'd have a theater group there again for kids. Because it was... Beautiful to like my first year in grad school, going back and seeing Les Mis and seeing all of these kids that I had seen in other performances over the last like year and a half and just seeing how much they loved it. like all of you took this job because you cared about the community and you care about the community growing and thriving and I understand that like the theater needs more love and it needs to like be able to like thrive and grow but I really think it can and I really think that like If we were to be able to save it and get to have more events and to have more kids go in and love theater, from just a monetary standpoint, it would be really good for the city. It would be really good for the future generations of kids. It's really important. I'm a therapist. I work with kids. I've done lots of theater. Theater is life-saving. It's important. It's important for everyone to be able to play and have imagination and to be able to imagine a better future. It is really, really important to save this theater and have it continue being a theater. Yeah, so if there's just anything that can be done, like if years ago Antioch put a bunch of money into the theater, maybe there's a way to be like, yes, it goes back to the city. There's just so many people that will help it grow if it gets an opportunity to grow. So yeah, so I want my kids to be able to go to that theater and enjoy it when I have kids. And there are so many kids that did get to enjoy it and actually get to perform on that stage. And I want them to be able to do that again. So thank you.

Warren, Mary Lutz, and Angela, please.

Good evening, council members. My name is Warren Lutz. I'm an Antioch resident. I'm here to speak about not the current sale, but the 2023 sale of the El Campanile. And I know I'm going to repeat some things that other people have said, but, oh, well, I apologize. I mostly want to speak on behalf of Antioch taxpayers. I support the arts too, like many people here, but there's public money involved here, and I think that's what makes this issue also very crucial. In December 2003, when the El Campanile Theater Preservation Foundation came before this council asking for funding, its own director, Rick Carraher, I'm butchering his name, sorry, made the city a promise, and I'm quoting the minutes directly. If Theater Preservation Foundation should, in the future, become unable to pay their bills, The theater would still have a high value and the investment would be turned over free and clear to the city of Antioch. Therefore, the building and all of its contents and improvements would transfer to the city, thus ensuring the facility would remain a community treasure. As we all know, that promise was forgotten by 2023 when the El Capodillo was sold to a private investor for $800,000. That sale shouldn't have happened. And as a side, there are discrepancies involving the sale in the foundation's 2023 990s that the Attorney General's office has been made aware of. But the sale did happen, so now what? First taxpayers deserve answers. At what point was the city made aware of the 2023 sale? Council had to have known by February 24th of this year when you held a closed session with the theater's current owner. And I remind you that the city had been promised that if the foundation ever couldn't pay its bills, the El Campanile would transfer back to the city. Was that promise raised during closed session? Since the theater was given public money, it seems full transparency is the very least you can offer. Second, if the city has a legal claim to the property, now is the time to assert it in court and start the process of legally contesting the title and asking for a preliminary injunction to freeze the current sale until the claim is litigated. And I recognize that Antioch residents are responsible for supporting the theater, but you, the council, are responsible for protecting the city's assets and investments, and I ask you to do so now.

Mary Lutz, Angela.

I'm reading a letter on behalf of a community member who is sending it to the entire council to have it on the record. Dear Mayor, Member, and Antioch Council, I am writing to express my serious concern about the future of the historic El Campanile Theater and the possibility that Antioch can lose this treasured community resource publicly accessible venue for theater, music, dance, education, and performing arts. Elk Campanile is more than a privately owned building. It's nearly a century. It's been part of Antioch's history, identity, and cultural life. It's provided generations of residents, especially children, students, and local performers with opportunities to participate and experience in performing arts. Losing a public cultural use would leave tremendous void in our community. I'm also concerned that the substantial charitable and public investment that's helped acquired and restore the preservation of the theater. In 2003, Elk & Pinnell Theater Preserve Foundation reportedly acquired the property with a $500,000 grant from the Kaplan Corporation. The theater was subsequently renovated with approximately $750,000 of the Antioch redevelopment funds and approximately one million in charitable donations raised by individuals and organizations. And my thing shut off. Uh... Okay, I'm just gonna pick up wherever. Those contributions were presumably made in understanding that the theater would preserve the benefit of Antioch and continue serving charitable and public cultural purposes. This reaved several important questions that I believe the city has a responsibility to investigate and answer publicly. One, the conditions that were attached to the campaign grant to the city of the development funds. Where are where were any deed restrictions public use requirements or repayment provisions rights for the first refusal of the city approved requirements in placed on the property. Did the city former did the city former redevelopment agency or successor agency consists of the foundations 2023 sale. the property to a private out-of-state purchaser before and after the sale of the city investigations where the trans investigate where the transferring of the property to non-public entity compiled with the original grant agreements redevelopment requirements and charitable purposes for which property was acquired and renovated did the 23 sale trigger obligation to repay or reimburse the city or its successor agency Was the city notified of the sale? And were any city held covenants, liens, or restrictions, or other rights released or terminated? Were the California Attorney General requirements in the government?

Thank you.

We have Angela and then one Zoom speaker. Thank you.

All right, good evening, council members, and everyone here, because you can be from Antioch or anywhere to be here, right? So I'm not an SF native. That's my mom. But I am a native Antiochan, okay? I was when... Sutter used to be called Delta Memorial Hospital. Who remembers that? Raise of hands. Exactly. Okay. That's how close I am to this city. Granted, I just moved back about a year ago. I did live in San Francisco. So I also consider San Francisco to be my hometown as well. But when I heard about what's happening here, I had to go, even though on social media, oh, it's a done deal. Nope, it's not over until the fat lady sings. And we still got this. So I've always been very passionate about things I love. One of the things I love, community. Because I think we can only thrive, not divide, if we all can come together. And I'm seeing right here, are we all, I hate to say this, my parents, they are elder, but are we all old white people? No. No, we're not. We have young faces over here that show true concern about this historical building.

This building.

This is the last historical building that we can actually be so, so proud of. Now, the Stam Theater, my godmother, Sharon Del Porto, and her family, they have such ties to that theater, as I'm sure all of you have at some point, okay? But that got turned into a church. Now, I was baptized... Confirmed First Communion at Holy Rosary Church on A Street. So I'm not anti-religion, and I'm not anti-church. Okay? And going back to the young lady over there with Little Mermaid, theater is what helped made me who I am. Now, I was not a performer at this theater, but I was a performer at Deer Valley High School, class of 05. And I do believe that giving this theater here as a theater for children, for the future, for present day, is what will unite this city. And I want the world to know that, you know what? This theater here is what helped unite Antioch and made it brighter again. Thank you so much.

Thank you. We have one Zoom speaker. If you can please unmute.

Can you hear me?

We can hear you. Thank you.

Thank you. Good evening, Mayor Bernal and members of the City Council. My name is Melissa Johnson, and I'm an Antioch resident. I remain housed tonight, but I am six days away from an eviction trial after spending more than four months trying to prevent myself from becoming homeless. My homeless prevention journey began on May 1st when I contacted 211 while still housed and before an eviction case had been filed. I followed up repeatedly, completed multiple intake assessments, and attended a nearly two-hour case management meeting with Catholic Charities in July 15th. In that meeting, I disclosed my finances, employment history, and did everything I was instructed to do. Despite follow-up between July 15th and September 8th, no support materialized. This morning at 6 a.m., I sent Mario Elio, the CEO of Catholic Charities, an email. The homeless prevention process has been slow. arduous, and profoundly dehumanizing. Asking for help requires a person to surrender her privacy and dignity one painful detail at a time. You make calls that disappear into a black hole. You leave messages that are not returned. When someone finally responds, You are required to explain crises all over again and hope that you are seen as human and not as a case number or an afterthought or someone who's trying to take advantage of the system. Homelessness is discussed in boardrooms, government meetings, and newspapers throughout this country. We are repeatedly told that solving homelessness must begin with prevention, and that is absolutely correct. But a referral is not prevention if no one responds. An intake is not intervention if nothing follows. Prevention has failed when someone asks for help while still housed and reaches eviction court without meaningful assistance. There is a painful stereotype that people become homeless because they are lazy, irresponsible, unwilling to work, or struggle with substance abuse. None of those assumptions explains my circumstances. I turned 59 on July 19th. I've been working since I was 17 and built a career spanning three decades in leadership, including a decade and executive human resources and operations leadership. I have served on boards, transitioned from corporate America into nonprofit social justice organizations, and most recently served as a chief people officer. I did not walk away from my career. I went on a protected medical leave because I became unable to work and my employment was terminated while I was on leave via email after filing a whistleblower complaint. As of this date, no one has followed up on that whistleblower complaint and I was never given an opportunity to discuss my termination. My physician determined that I was unable to work.

Ms. Johnson, can you finish up please?

Can you unmute Ms. Johnson to finish?

Yes, I respectfully ask the city council to help me connect with someone who can coordinate directly with the county Catholic charities or any other housing partners to help me identify a landlord or housing option that can work with my circumstances and explain why it takes four months of prevention services to get to this point with no help being materialized. Thank you.

Thank you, public speakers, for your comments. Mayor, that was the last speaker. Thank you.

All right. Thank you very much. We're going to take a five-minute break, so folks that would like to clear out can do that.

Mayor has called a recess at 8.14 for a five-minute break. Thank you.

you

All right, everybody, welcome back from our recess. We're going to go ahead and get started again with the meeting. Madam Clerk, if you could take the roll, please.

Thank you. Council Member Rocha? Here. Council Member Torres-Walker is absent. Council Member Wilson? Here. Mayor Pro Tem Freitas is absent, and Mayor Bernal? Here. We have a quorum at 822, thank you.

All right, thank you so much. We're moving on to item number one, proclamations. We have Suicide Prevention Month, and in honor of the 25th anniversary of September 11th, 2001. Could someone grab that back door, shut the door please? Excuse me, we're on the next item. Point of order, I made a call in while the last speaker was speaking during public comments. No, sorry, it's over. How do you make that happen? I called in, I did the call in and everything. We'll talk about it after, okay? Could I please get a motion to approve the proclamations?

So moved.

Motion from Council Member Wilson, second from Council Member Roach, please cast your votes.

Motion passes with Council Member Torres-Walker absent and Mayor Pro Tem absent. Thank you.

All right, thank you. So we are gonna, or I'll read both of these proclamations. After I read the first one, is Megan Schinkel here? Hi, Megan, how you doing? So after I've been reading this proclamation, if you could come on up and say a few words, and then we'll go ahead and read the second proclamation, and we'll come down and take a picture with you afterwards and present you the proclamation. That's fine. All right, so the first one is recognizing Suicide Prevention Month, September 2026. Whereas suicide is a significant public health concern that affects individuals, families, friends, schools, workplaces, and communities, and its impacts are felt across all ages and backgrounds. And whereas suicide prevention requires a community-wide commitment to promoting mental wellness, recognizing warning signs, reducing stigma, strengthening social connection, ensuring that individuals experiencing emotional distress or crisis know that support is available and whereas open and compassionate conversations about mental health and suicide can encourage individuals to seek help earlier and empower family members friends co-workers and neighbors to recognize when someone may need additional support and whereas the city of antioch is committed to strengthening community well-being through prevention early intervention, crisis response, education, outreach, and partnerships that connect residents with appropriate behavioral health and supportive resources. And whereas Suicide Prevention Month provides an important opportunity to increase awareness of available resources, including the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which provides free and confidential crisis support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And whereas every resident can play a role in suicide prevention by reaching out, listening without judgment, learning the warning signs, connecting people to appropriate support, and reminding those who may be struggling that they are not alone. And whereas the City of Antioch recognizes the important work of peer connection in providing peer-based support, connection, education, and resources that help reduce isolation, promote mental wellness, and connect individuals experiencing challenges to appropriate support. And now, therefore, I, Ron Bernal, Mayor of the City of Antioch, hereby proclaim the month of September 2026 and each following September to be Suicide Prevention Month in the City of Antioch and encourage residents to promote hope, connection, compassion, and awareness learn about suicide prevention and available resources, and work together to build a community in which individuals experiencing crisis are supported and connected to help. So I'd like to please ask Megan if you could come on up and say a few words on behalf of suicide prevention. Welcome.

Thank you so much. It is really an honor to be here. Thank you so much to the City of Antioch and to the City Council for this recognition. It is truly an honor to accept this proclamation on behalf of the Peer Connection Center, our staff, and most importantly, our members. This recognition during Suicide Prevention Month is especially meaningful to me because I come to this work with my own lived experience. I know and understand deeply that there can be times in life when finding your way forward feels incredibly difficult, and I also know how powerful it can be when someone believes in you, when you find the right support, and when you have a place where you feel like you belong. That experience is a big part of why creating a place like Peer Connections is so important to me. At PCC, we believe that recovery happens through connection, contribution, and community. My vision is for our center to be a place where people genuinely feel welcome, valued, and supported. A place where you can come as you are, build meaningful relationships, discover your strengths, and learn skills and tools that may help you live a full and well life. We know that wellness looks different for every person, and there is no single path forward. Sometimes progress looks like learning a new skill or finding the right resource. Sometimes it's having the courage to try something new, sharing a meal with other people, or simply having somewhere to go where people know your name and are glad to see you. I want every person who walks through our doors to know that their experiences do not diminish what they have to offer. Our members bring strengths, knowledge, talents, and lived wisdom of their own. And PCC is a place where they have opportunities not only to receive support, but to contribute, teach, lead, and support one another. Peer Connections is fortunate to have communities here in Antioch and at our San Pablo Center, and tonight I'm especially proud to represent our Antioch members and staff and to see the work happening here recognized by a city we're so grateful to be a part of. I'm incredibly grateful for what we're building here in Antioch, and I'm thankful to the city for recognizing the importance of spaces like ours and the people we have the privilege of serving. Thank you for this honor and for helping us to continue building a community where everyone has a place to belong. At Peer Connections, our invitation is simple. Come as you are, we'll meet you there. Thank you.

Thank you, Megan.

Thank you.

We'll come down in a second, OK? Thank you. All right, our second proclamation is the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001, Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance. Whereas September 11, 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, when nearly 3,000 innocent people lost their lives in New York City at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. And whereas the events of September 11, 2001, forever changed our nation and continue to impact the families of those who were lost, survivors, first responders, recovery workers, service members, and communities throughout the United States. And whereas firefighters, law enforcement officers, emergency medical personnel, military personnel, and countless civilians demonstrated extraordinary courage and selflessness, risking their own lives to save and assist others. And whereas in the days and weeks following September 11th, Americans came together with compassion, unity, resilience, and a renewed commitment to helping one another, demonstrating the strength of communities in times of adversity. And whereas 25 years later, a new generation has grown up without firsthand memories of September 11th, making it our shared responsibility to preserve the stories of those who were lost honor those who served and ensure that the significance of that day is never forgotten and whereas september 11th is recognized as patriot day and a national day of service and remembrance providing an opportunity to honor those who lost their lives and those who answered the call through reflection service compassion and commitment to our communities and whereas the City of Antioch joins communities throughout our nation in remembering the lives lost on September 11th, honoring the heroes who responded, and recognizing the enduring values of courage, service, unity, and resilience. Now therefore, I, Ron Bernal, Mayor of the City of Antioch, do hereby proclaim September 11th, 2026 as Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance, 25th anniversary of September 11th, 2001, in the city of Antioch, and encourage all residents to pause, remember, honor, and serve in memory of those whose lives were forever changed. Thank you. I'd like to ask, I believe Captain Bittner is going to be receiving this on behalf of the community. Welcome, Captain Bittner.

Good evening, Mr. Mayor, Council Member Rocha, Council Member Wilson. It's my honor to receive this on behalf of the men and women of the Antioch Police Department and the men and women of the Contra Costa County Fire Department who couldn't be here today, and also the veterans from both departments. So I'll make sure to share this with them tomorrow. Really appreciate it. Thank you.

All right, thank you. And then you can stick around and take a picture with us after. All right. So we're going to go ahead and come on down right now and take a picture with Megan. I'm sorry? Who's taking the picture? Anna's gonna take a picture, all right. All right, moving on to item number two, announcements of civic and community. First of all, do we have any public comments on the last item? No, we do not have any public comments. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Moving on to announcements of civic and community events. First one's California Coastal Cleanup Day.

Yes, I can introduce that. So we will have an event on September 19th, and it's the California Coastal Cleanup. We will have two locations, at the Antioch Marina and at the Antioch Water Park, and it will be held from 9 AM to 12 PM. The second item we have is the Teen Skate Night, which will be held September 10th. This will be held at Paradise Skate. And this will include for ages 12 to 15 between 4.30 PM to 6 PM. And from 6 PM to 7.30 PM, we will have for ages 16 and 18. And we do have Lenny here presenting for the Inyak County of Teens.

Welcome, Renee.

Hello, council, mayor, and residents. So for our Antioch Council of Teens, they will be hosting their fifth annual coat drive this year. So we're asking for Antioch residents to go ahead and gather up their gently used or new winter gear, essentially, our gloves, scarves, boots, coats, can't forget the socks. and place them at one of our two donation locations, which would be lasting from now through November 3rd. We have one location here at City Hall in the lobby, and we have another location down at Antioch Community Center directly as soon as you walk into those doors, and that's at 4703 Lone Tree Way.

Thank you.

Thank you, Lene.

Are there any other public comments from the community?

We do have two public comments, one from Sharon and one from Jose. Thank you.

Hello again, Council. I am Sharon, representing El Campanel Preservation Foundation, and I want to share our upcoming events. This Saturday, we are kicking off Hispanic Heritage Month with a showing of the movie Selena. Prior to the movie showing, we're going to have a traditional Mexican ballet performance from from local dancers, as well as a costume contest. So it's gonna be a lot of fun this Saturday. And then September 21st, Monday, we have the United States Air Force Commanders Jazz Ensemble. It's a free concert for the entire community. You do have to, however, reserve tickets. That's on Monday, September 21st at 7.30. October 3rd, we have the Lion Center of the Blind. They are hosting a fundraiser for their purposes. That's October 3rd. October 10th, we have Melody's Dance Studio doing their biannual dance recital. And then October 17th, we have the tribute band Forger. They are the Foreigner and Journey tribute band. So we hope to see the community come out and see us at the theater. Thank you.

Thank you.

Jose?

All right. Yeah, we've got a few events coming up on Thursday. That's this Thursday, the 10th. Partnered up with Dominique over at the Royal Banquet, right? So we're putting together something we call the Royal Sessions. We have three of those, the second Thursday of last month, this month, and next month. That is three poets, a live musician, and food that is catered by her. She's a chef. On the last Friday of every month, we have our open mics that have been going on here in the city of Antioch for about five years, about four years. But it's the longest ongoing open mic that we've had here in the city of Antioch. So that's the last Friday of every month. That is a 21 and up. I have a flyer here if I could leave it. I didn't bring any of these last time, so I want to leave them with you today. And then the last Saturday of every month, I mentioned this last time I was here, but I want to keep reiterating it. We have our single city series, which is 12 shows, 12 venues, one city. And that's really, again, to highlight our different spaces here in the city of Antioch and to introduce poetry to people and places. So that's the last Saturday. The one for this month will be happening at the Community Garden, which is located at 1330. 10 a street right in front of uh holy rosary behind higgins chapel right so we encourage everybody to come out we have these the open mic and the single city series every month the royal session we have those until next month and if anybody's looking to partner or do anything with them maybe we're going to do something over there right at the Antioch Community Center as well. But if anyone wants to partner through poetry or the arts, I would love to, to continue bringing events out here to the city of Antioch. I'm attending some really great events here, and I look forward to participating and to creating and attending many more. Thank you.

Thank you, Jose. Any other public comments on events?

No further speakers, Mayor, thank you.

All right, thank you. Item number three, announcements of board and commission openings.

Thank you, Mayor. The City of Antioch encourages residents to become involved in their local community. One way to do so is to serve on one of the various boards, commissions, and committees. Any interested resident is invited to apply for the following vacancies by 5 PM, Friday, September 18, 2026. Board of Administrative Appeals Vacancy, Sales Tax Citizens Oversight Committee Vacancy. To be considered for the vacancy positions, please complete an application and submit it to the city clerk's office by the deadline date listed above. Applications are located on the city clerk's website and may be picked up in person at Antioch City Hall, 208th Street, Antioch, California. please email your completed application to cityclerk at antiochca.gov. You can also drop off your application, Attention City Clerk, in the water billing drop-off box located in the parking lot just outside of Antioch City Hall. Thank you.

All right, thank you so much. Moving on to City Council Committee Reports and Communications, Council Member Wilson.

Thank you, Mayor. I do not have any company report outs, although Delta Diablo meets tomorrow, so the next meeting I'll report out then.

All right, thank you. Council Member Rocha.

Actually, I have a couple of them. First of all, as a follow-up to our previous council meeting regarding the downtown security, the Chamber of Commerce held a Lunch and Learn event on September 2nd, where Chief Vigil, Acting City Manager Cortez, Mayor Pro Temfreitas, and I participated in discussion on downtown security services. We had a discussion about what the current state of affairs are with downtown security, what we hope to see happen. There was an opportunity for community members, merchants, chamber members, et cetera, to speak to this issue. The chief of police gave kind of an overview of what Antioch Police Department is doing to try to improve services and response times in the downtown region. acting city manager addressed some of the issues related to code enforcement and other things that were discussed. Hopefully what can come out of this is when we talk, I know that the DAA, the Downtown Association, they also had a meeting with a similar topic. So the hope is that through the two organizations that we might be able to develop a task force made up of stakeholders to address this issue what ideally we would like to see happen in downtown for our residents and for our guests who come to visit downtown. So that was the Chamber of Commerce Standing Committee that I sit on. The other standing committee we met on August 26th, that's the Tri-Delta Transit Board. Similar to you, Mr. Mayor, serving on CCTA, Transit Authority, there was a discussion about the upcoming regional transit measure, referred to as RTM. It's gonna be on the November ballot, and this partnership is of five regional counties in Northern California. What was shared in just kind of a brief summary is with the pandemic-era ridership changes, inflation and over-reliance on fare box revenues, it has pushed our transit system into a financial crisis. So BART, SF Muni, Caltrain, and AC Transit have been patching their budgets with one-time state and federal relief funds for years. But the spigot is being turned off. Without new funding, BART could be forced to cut as much as 70% of its service, close as many as 15 stations, and shut down as early as 9 p.m., returning our system to what it looked like back in 1976 when I was in high school, when the region had roughly half as many inhabitants. It's really a measure coming before the voters in November that's very high stakes. Whether you use public transit or not, the systems that are available today, if they were to not be funded through this measure, we're looking at potentially shutdowns of the Antioch BART, potentially Pittsburgh, and going back to what BART used to be when I was a kid where you had to go to Concord. and services would be much shorter. And so, I know you're on CCTA, I don't know if you may want to comment on that when you have your moment, but the information to the community is there's a measure coming up in the November ballot, Alameda County, Contra Costa County, Santa Clara, San Mateo, and San Francisco are looking to establish a revenue stream for transit systems that can pull us back from the brink of doomsday service cuts. So it's pretty critical to all of us, especially out in East Contra Costa County, because you can only imagine if we didn't have BART services getting this out to the Greater Bay Area, Highway 4 will become a grid, a traffic grid, and there'll be no way. It'll be really difficult for anybody to get anywhere. So I just want to bring that up. That's from the Tri-Delta Transit. And then finally, we have a Community Development Block Grant meeting on Thursday at 10 a.m. It's been moved to the Antioch Police Department's Community Center at 10 a.m. And at that particular meeting, we'll be looking at review the fiscal year 25-26 Consolidated Performance Evaluation Report, that's referred to CAPER. And then we'll also be looking at the three-year grant cycle process of 27 through 2030. So that's the CDBG this Thursday, Antioch Police Department Community Center, if anyone would like to come and participate. And it'll also be broadcast through the YouTube like we do at these meetings. So that's at 10 a.m. Thank you.

All right, thank you. None of my committees met since the last meeting. Regarding Mayor's comments, I just want to speak first of all to El Campanile Theater. And first of all, thank you to everybody who came out tonight to speak in support of keeping the theater as an arts and the passion and the unity in the room, it's great to see. Unfortunately, some folks say things that aren't necessarily true, which is unfortunate, but that happens. The city of Antioch, in our current position, is not able to speak to what's happening related to this pandemic. this escrow that we understand the church currently has the building and contract. And so we are doing our own research. We are doing everything we can to make sure we're informed about what's going on, but we are not able to say anything about that. So that's where we stand as a city council and why you're not hearing us say a lot about this situation right now. But we will be providing updates as we're able to. The other thing I just wanted to mention tonight is that I spoke with Director Colin Coffey of the East Bay Regional Park District. He's our representative out here in Antioch. And there's gonna be a meeting on the 22nd, which is actually our next city council meeting in September, out at the community center for there to be a discussion about what's gonna happen with the Contraloma Park out at the East Bay Regional Park Districts with the lagoon, the pool that's out there that's been closed going on four years now. And so I would encourage the community to go out and please make your voices heard. If we didn't have a council meeting, I would definitely be there. But we need to let the Park District know that this is a priority for our community as well as the region, and that we need for them to expedite the process, whatever that looks like, of getting a swimming pool or a lagoon back up and running quickly. So I just wanted to mention that. Thank you. On item number four, consent calendar, Do we have any items that anyone would like to pull from the calendar?

Mr. Mayor, the only one I wanted to pull just for discussion is item I.

Okay, item I. Any other items to pull? Okay, so I have a motion to approve everything on the consent calendar except for item I.

So moved.

Motion by Council Member Wilson. Second. Second by Council Member Rocha. Please cast your votes.

Thank you, the motion passes.

All right, item I, ADU accelerator program adoption of pre-approved ADU plans. Council Member Rocha?

Yeah, I just wanted to ask staff,

Yes, I have acting community economic development director.

Thank you. Yes. I looked at the plans and what's provided in the staff report. One of the questions that I had is during the time in which I served as principal at Antioch High School, we developed an engineering academy. And from that academy, developed what's called the BIDA program, Building, what's it stand for? Building Institute for Technology Academy. And so basically they're building construction small homes, ADUs, and the students that are in the construction academy, they're getting hands-on experience with the various trades on electrical, on plumbing, et cetera. And last year, I had the opportunity to go and observe, tour the facilities right there on the Antioch High School campus. And those ADUs were one, were kind of like for a one-bedroom studio-type setup. and they meet the state standards, they're permitted by the state, because it's a state-approved program. So my question is, I don't believe, they've donated the two that they built last year, I believe, to families in need in our community, and they're gonna be developing and building additional ones. I didn't know how to connect Antioch High School's academy with the city on when they developed these ADUs. I'm not sure if they meet the specifications of what I read, and I'd just like to see if there's any way maybe I can coordinate a conversation with the director of the program at Antioch High School to see if what they're doing can be utilized. They're not looking for any type of financial gain or, anything like that, they're looking really to serve the community, mainly our homeless community. And they're gonna be building a couple of these, maybe a handful per year. So I don't know if there's anything you might be able to do to guide me or connect Antioch High School to, because I think it'd be great for the young people that are building these ADUs to see them go to local families for good use to help their community. sure yeah no definitely connect them with me and then you know i can also include our chief building official craig andrews you know who could probably give them some guidance as well you know from the building standpoint but yeah i'm happy to communicate with them and learn more about what they're doing yeah let me know if there's a time that's convenient we can go i can meet you over there and we can meet the teacher and take a look at what they're doing that's a great idea to show you because i just want to make sure whatever they're doing if there's any adjustments they might be able to do to meet the specs of what the city is authorizing in here

Yeah, so basically, so just to be clear, these pre-approved ADU plans does not supersede anything they're doing for their ADUs. As long as their ADUs are compliant with California building code, they're good to go. This is just, it's not like someone else coming to do an ADU has to comply with these design guidelines or anything like that. That's not what we're doing here. So anything that they're currently doing, as long as it's compliant with the building code, someone could still build that ADU. You don't have to build these ADUs. It's just something we're making available to community members because it really lowers the cost. We're having to go get a designer building level plan. So this is something to incentivize ADU development. But again, what the high school is doing, nothing here supersedes that or brings them out of compliance with anything we're doing. But definitely would love to connect with them, love to take a field trip out there with our building official and learn more about what they're doing.

And my final question on that would be, once they're built, is there a process or how do they donate these ADUs to the community? I don't know if there's any particular process that we have in place or one that can be developed. because I think they're building them, but they don't really know what to do with them after they've met code, and they want to give them away. I believe they've donated the two to families in need, but they're going to be developing additional ones, and so I'd just like to kind of shore up some type of process in which once one is completed, how do they go and come to the city and say, we have these ADUs available, how can we get them to people in need?

Yeah, that's an interesting one. Yeah, let me think about that, because once we get involved, then it gets a little different, right, as far as, like, inviting people. Possibly there's community organizations we can connect them with, you know, our public safety and community resources department, soon to be renamed, probably has a lot more community connections than maybe my department has, but, you know, may not be us actually, you know, facilitating the handoff, but making connections where that can be done as kind of that relationship, and then obviously they come to us to get their permits and inspections and things like that.

Well, maybe we can speak about that further. Absolutely. I'd just like to kind of get a process in place. Yeah.

the program can benefit the city in some way shape or form yeah we'd love to be a resource for them you know we got a lot of experience building people in our division too you know i think they'd all love to go out there you know kind of give them their experience and definitely help them out

All right, perfect. I also wanted to note that the agenda as published has a revision to it related to this item where the number one is actually part of another agenda item accidentally put in there. So that's been amended and And the recommendation is just the first part of it, which is council approve a resolution adopting the pre-approved accessory dwelling unit ADU plans developed through the ADU accelerator program. So that's that. I'll go ahead and move to approve that. All right, do we have any public comment on this item before we do that?

No public comment, Mayor, thank you.

All right, we have a motion from Council Member Rocha. Second. Second from Council Member Wilson, please cast your votes.

The motion passes, thank you.

All right, moving on to item number five, public hearing and introduction of an ordinance renaming the Public Safety and Community Resources Department to the Community Services Department and aligning related municipal code provisions and adoption of a resolution approving related classification title changes. I'll turn this over to our acting city manager, Cortez.

yes thank you mayor so as you stated this item is a public hearing regarding the proposed renaming of the public safety and community resources department to the community services department along with the related municipal code amendments and classification title changes this item follows the city council's direction from may 26 2026 and it is intended to formally align the municipal code and associated titles with the department's current structure and functions Director Cabral is unable to be here this evening. However, we do have on her behalf Alicia Espinosa and Lenny Jackson here. And I will turn it over to them for their presentation.

All right, thank you.

Good evening, Mayor, members of the City Council and community. I am Alicia Spinoza, Public Safety Manager, joined by Lynnae Jackson, Youth Services Manager. We are presenting this item on behalf of Public Safety and Community Resources Director, Montserrat Cabral. who is unable to attend this evening. This item follows council direction provided on May 26, 2026 to rename the Public Safety and Community Resource Department as the Community Services Department. Tonight's action is intended to formally implement that direction. and aligned the Antioch Municipal Code with the city's current organizational structure. The proposed ordinance changes a department name, updates the director title, removes references to divisions that are no longer housed within the department, and makes related technical and conforming amendments. The item does not create new programs, eliminate services, or expand departmental authority. There are also related classification title changes associated with the department's updated structure. Because certain classifications are represented and are not established through the municipal code, those changes are being addressed separately through resolution and have been coordinated with human resources through the applicable labor relations process. Staff recommends that the City Council conduct a public hearing, introduce the ordinance, waive the first reading, and read the ordinance by title only, and consider the accompanying classification resolution or resolutions. Staff and City Attorney's Office are available to answer any questions. Thank you.

All right, thank you so much. This is a public hearing, so we'll open the public hearing. Do we have anybody who is opposed to this proposed ordinance?

We have none.

Do we have any public comment on this?

We do have one public comment. Leslie May? Leslie May? No further speakers. Thank you, Mayor.

Okay, then we will go ahead and close the public hearing and bring this before the council for any questions or a motion.

Just a quick question. I know you said I just want to make sure I heard you correctly. Although there's going to be some title changes, the positions pretty much will stay the same. Correct.

Administrative only, the positions and the scope will remain the same.

I'll go ahead and make the motion. So this is, let's see. Do I have to read all three of these? All two of these? Yes. Are they separate or I can do them all as one? Okay, so let's see, I'm gonna make a motion that it is recommended that the City Council conduct a public hearing to introduce an ordinance amending Article 8 of Chapter 3 of the Title II of the Antioch Municipal Code to rename the Public Safety and Community Resources Department as a community services department, remove obsolete organizational references, make related technical and conforming amendments, waive the first reading, and read the ordinance by title only, and two, adopt a resolution approving the classification title changes from public safety and community resources director to community services director and public safety manager to community engagement manager, subject to completion of applicable labor relation requirements and authorizing related administrative updates.

All right, thank you. We have a motion from Council Member Wilson. Do we have a second? Second. Second from Council Member Rocha. Please cast your votes.

Thank you, the motion passes with Council, excuse me, Council Member Torres-Walker absent and Pro Tem Mayor Freitas absent, thank you.

All right, thank you so much ladies, appreciate it. Moving on to the regular agenda, item number six, a resolution approving the community resources specialist classification and class specification, establishing the hourly salary range and authorizing two limited term grant funded positions to support California violence intervention and prevention CalVIP activities. I'll turn this over to our acting city manager, Cortez.

Yes, so this item is recommending the city council approve some classifications, some limited term positions. And this is due to an award that we received through a grant for the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Program with funding available through September 30th, 2029. Staff is recommending the establishment of a community resources specialist classification and authorization of two limited term positions to support the community violence intervention and prevention efforts. Human Resources Specialist Karina Moreno-Correa is here to provide additional information regarding the limited term positions and requests.

good evening council mayor the city of antioch has been awarded a grant through the board of state and community corrections california violence intervention and prevention calveep grant program with funding authorized through september 30th 2029 the limited term positions are contingent upon continued grant funding and continuation beyond the authorized grant period would require separate city council approval and identification of alternate funding sources there is no general fund impact all salary benefits and associated personnel costs will be paid through the calveep grant and cordon incorporated into the appropriate grant and city budget adjustments the human resources team will be recruiting and onboarding this position similar to the police trainee position public safety manager or I should say community engagement manager, Alicia Spinoza is here in Director Cabral's absence to answer any specific questions regarding the grant or position's focus and scope. I'm here to answer any just regulatory position filling questions as well.

All right, thank you.

Happy to take questions.

Okay, okay. Does council have any questions?

I just have one question. Sure. So when I read the report, the way I interpreted it is that the city of Antioch would be hiring 1.8 staff, full-time 1.8, through the CalVIP grant. So it would actually be internal hires doing the work versus having an external contract with an outside provider?

That's correct.

Okay.

So in some ways it gives us a little bit more control over what's going on in terms of how services are being rendered and how it's being evaluated?

Exactly, and these are essential personnel to the mission of the CalVIP grant, which is essentially to reduce gun violence in the city of Antioch. So these would be our boots on the ground component of our violence intervention strategy, working directly with individuals at elevated risk of gun violence or of being victims of gun violence. So these would be your street outreach teams providing de-escalation, responding after shootings, giving program participants, which we call fellows, wraparound services, whether that be to employment, stable food source, housing, things of that nature.

And I believe it's here in the report that the grant period through September 30th, 2029, so we're talking three additional years?

Yes, it's a three-year funded grant. Okay, thank you.

That's what I wanted to know. And then the way it's written here is it would be dependent upon other grant funding whether those positions could continue or not.

Correct, we fully anticipate to continue to receive the CalVIT grant. Should we not, we would explore other funding sources, obviously with any decisions coming before council.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Are there any public comment on this?

We do not have any public comment on this, thank you. Okay, Council Member Wilson.

All right, yeah, just to kind of piggyback, well, before I even say that, I have to give Council Member Torres-Walker flowers for really pushing for us to get this grant and getting this opportunity to have this program. And just kind of to dovetail on what Council Member Rocha was talking about in reference to this position. is funded by the grant. We have an opportunity at the council's discretion if we wanna continue that position. Hopefully we'll have more grant funding to do that. And you talked about some of the outcomes. How are we, there's some specific outcomes. How are we gonna, how are we, How are we gonna track this? Because I know when the time comes and council needs to make a decision, we're gonna ask that, oh, what is this? But what did they do when they're gonna be scrambling? Are we gonna track people served, successes, what didn't work? How are we going to track to really see the productivity of this position?

Yeah, the answer to that question has layers. So evaluation is built into the grant itself. We have an independent evaluator to do the evaluations side of things. But we also track what's happening in real time. We contract with UC Berkeley, Professor Corborn with Global for The Center for Global Healthy Cities, who basically offers us his database. So our community resource specialists would be inputting case notes in real time. They would be inputting not only the services that they connect program participants to, but they will be inputting any time that they deescalate violence, when they respond after shootings, and those outcomes. So those outcomes are available to us. We can pull reports from that database any time. And also the BSEC has very strict reporting guidelines. We have to submit quarterly progress reports. So again, there is tracking there embedded as well. And we can pull from the QPRs, we can pull from the database reports, and we can pull from you know, the notes that our community resource specialists are putting in the database.

Okay, I mean, that's good to hear. Hopefully, you guys will come back either quarterly or twice a year to kind of give us a progress report and update.

Absolutely, I would love to, to make the work visible and the impacts visible as well, because the grant has shown that since its implementation, gun violence has actually been on the downward trajectory in Antioch. So we'd definitely love to come back to council and give a presentation.

Good, I mean, it's good for council and the community to hear about how well this program is working. Absolutely. Thank you so much. Thank you.

The staff report mentions that the CalVIP cohort four has been concluded. Are you planning on coming back with a report out on what the results were of that? Because I know that the evident change was going to be doing an assessment and then coming back with something for us and I don't think we've seen anything yet.

Yeah, so evident change came and they gave their findings and also one day at a time presented, I believe at the end of last year, in terms of the outcomes of their direct boots on the ground service delivery. But as a whole, we can absolutely come back and piece together the outcomes and impacts of CalVet IV.

Okay that'd be great because just from looking back at my notes I thought by June the 30th of 2026 that evident change was going to come back with something like a final report or something.

They do have a final evaluation report due to due to the state but first it comes to us it's actually due October 1st October they have to I think I believe October 31st to submit that So they're wrapping up their findings and their evaluations right now.

Would we be able to hear that before it goes to the state possibly?

I believe we can. Okay. Yes.

I think that'd be good for the Councilmember Wilson's point about just hearing about how the last cohort did and then where we're heading with the next one.

Absolutely.

Perfect. And then regarding the two new positions, so... I know last time, I think ODAT served this purpose, correct? Correct. So what happens if, for example, we hire 1.8 people, two people to do this, and somebody leaves, and then we have only one person, and our hiring takes a minute, right? It doesn't happen that quickly. How would we still comply with the grant and keep that staffing consistent? full when we may have somebody, for some reason, not here.

I mean, we do have...

I can help you with that. So one of the planning, that's when HR technician Karina, when she mentioned that we want to do the recruitment similar to like a police trainee, that means that we would create an eligibility list. So should anybody leave within that timeframe, we will be able to pull from that eligibility list. So we won't have to go back out and recruit and do a full recruitment as long as it fits within that time period and the list is active.

And then what would we do if somebody were just on leave and still had the position for some reason? How could we work around that or can we?

We possibly could, and that is why it's actually a good idea that we have it also added on the hourly schedule. So we're adding that classification, so if we need to bring in a part-timer in the meantime, we'll be able to do that. We would have to then see how that whole leave situation would work. But yes, we would be able to bring in a part-time or somebody to fill in for a short period as well if we needed to.

Okay, okay, perfect. Yeah, I just wanna make sure we keep that continuity of the program. Sure, Karina.

Sorry, and just to add to that, Mayor, in speaking with Finance Director Merchant, we also discussed that while we're establishing a salary range A to E, it doesn't necessarily mean that although budgeted at a higher level, that we'll be onboarding at that high level. So should a leave of absence occur, there should be some funding in there to pad a second position throughout the life of this funding or the fill.

Okay, perfect. Thank you. And then my last question is regarding the scope of work. It had reporting requirements and it had quarterly progress report period April 1st to June 30th, 2026 was due by August 15th. Has that been extended?

For CalVet IV?

This is for five, I believe.

For CalVet four, we just wrapped up our quarterly reporting. So maybe that's what you're speaking to because that last quarterly report was due August 15th.

This one is, I think this is for five because the first reporting was due August 15th and the last one's May 15th, 2029. So this is in exhibit A, scope of work.

Oh, correct. The first report was done.

Okay, so we've already done that report. Yes. Okay, perfect. Yes. Thank you.

You're welcome.

I don't have any other questions. Anybody else? Do we have a motion then to... I'll move to approve. All right, a motion to approve from Council Member Rocha. Second. Second from Council Member Wilson, please cast your votes.

The motion passes, thank you.

Thank you, Alicia. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Karina.

Thank you. Appreciate it very much. All right, moving on to public comments. Do we have any public comments?

We have two public speakers, James Maharo and Jen Kova.

And this will be on non-agendized items.

This was about the El Campanile, particularly to Lori, the attorney. Are there any actions that the citizens of Antioch can take to bring about an injunction against the further sale of this theater? Do you know of?

Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to provide legal advice to the public.

I see. All I needed was a yes or a no, but thank you.

All right, any other public comment?

No further public comments, thank you, Mayor.

All right.

We do have one Zoom participant.

Okay, okay.

Please unmute yourself.

Hello. Yeah, we hear you. Hello. Okay. This is Alan Payton. Sorry about earlier. I figured out how to use this system. But my comments actually are regarding the El Campo Neal Theater. After writing and publishing six articles last week and working on the seventh and eighth one over the last several days, speaking with multiple people involved in the 2023 at the time of the 2023 sale, there are still three people left that I have yet to talk with to whom I've sent emails, questions, and texts, and phone calls, and I've yet to hear back. And one of those is Councilwoman Monica Wilson, and the other is Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker, who's not there tonight, and the third is former Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe. Those three council members were on the council at the time of the sale. And it started in 2022 and was finalized in May of 2023. And the public has the right to know what you knew, when you knew it. And it would be good if you responded to my questions. You don't have to answer me. You don't like me. You don't like the Herald. Fine. But you need to answer my questions to the public and at least post them on your own Facebook page somewhere publicly. what did you know who if anybody from the theater board or staff approached you about the sale because uh mr carher was adamant in the last two days talking with him that the city was approached by the theater prior to the sale in 2023 but there was no interest shown by the city so it'd be great to get the perspective because the other two council members i did talk today who were on the council time We're not aware of the sale till after the fact, so it would be good to have that information out there for the public, okay? That's my comment, thank you.

All right, we have any other public comment?

No further public comments, thank you.

All right, thank you. Staff communications?

No staff communications.

Council communications and future agenda items? All right, seeing none, do we have a motion to adjourn?

Motion to adjourn. Second.

Motion by Council Member Rocha, second by Council Member Wilson. Please cast your votes.

Motion passes. Meeting adjourned at 9.14. Thank you. All right, meeting adjourned.