Antioch Council Set to Talk Ranch Project, More Tenant Protections and More

The Antioch City Council will discus a series of items from The Ranch Project to anti-tenant harassment policy to other items.

While the main topic of discussion will be The Ranch Project which consist of 440 residential lots and a mix-used component, a fire station, 6.6 acres of parkland, stormwater detention area and roadways, there are many other items on the agenda that will be up for discussion should the public choose to participate.

This comes after Friday, the council voted to appoint Kwame Reed as acting city manager, but then had to postpone its special meeting after there would not be a quorum since Mayor Lamar Thorpe scheduled the meeting without checking the calendars of the rest of his councilmembers.

Council agenda:

• 2 closed session items — perhaps the Antioch City Council will finally take action on what to do with Cornelius Johnson who has been on administrative leave since March.
• 18 – special meeting items – the council will give an “up or down” on whether to continue an item going forward.
• 5 Council meeting items including 17 items in consent calendar.

Within the Consent Calendar

This consent calendar is filled within 17-items which some the council had already previously voted on and would come back for final approval. A couple of notes within this section:

• Item H — SECOND READING – PROPOSED ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 1 OF TITLE 3 AND TITLE 11 OF THE ANTIOCH MUNICIPAL CODE REGARDING REGULATION OF RESIDENTIAL LANDLORDS AND RENTAL UNITS (Introduced on June 13, 2023This item is the first step in creating a registry on all rentals. It allows the city to begin collecting data on all residential landlords and rental units under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance within the Antioch Municipal Code.
  This also foreshadows another item in the future where the city would recoup costs through a Rent Program Fee—meeting data to be determined and the cost is unknown. The council did not bring up for discussion the potential fee or how much it would cost per parcel or per unit. The staff report also failed to include number of rentals within the city of Antioch. Rachel Hundley, Assistant City Attorney, presented the item saying this ordinance allows the city to administer a city-wide rental registry. She called it more beneficial and easier to apply this to all landlords. — see recap of council discussion.
• Item I — SECOND READING – PROPOSED ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 6-8.14 OF THE ANTIOCH MUNICIPAL CODE REGARDING RESTRICTIONS ON THE SALE OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS (Introduced on June 13, 2023This is a cleanup item thanks to the council playing attendance games, it failed during a meeting—it forced the item to be brought back while the process started over.  This item basically revises their tobacco product sales ordinance.
• Item Q — RESOLUTION ON AGENDA-SETTING PROCESSES AND PROCEDURESThis is another cleanup item by the City Council to adjust how meetings are set, how long an item can sit on a “wait list” after its proposed and how long meetings can go on for. Here is the items within the resolution:

1. Meetings of the City Council shall adjourn at 11:00 PM, unless a majority of the City Council votes in favor of extending the meeting
2. Upon adjournment of a City Council meeting, any remaining agenda items shall be discussed at the next regular City Council meeting and shall be given priority placement ahead of new agenda items for that meeting. When a councilmember requests an item to be placed on the City Council agenda,
3. the item shall be placed on the agenda and return to Council within 90 days.
4. At least three items from the list of councilmembers’ requested items, shall be placed on the agenda for each City Council meeting. Council member agenda requests shall be prioritized according to the date of the request; the oldest requests shall be prioritized for placement on the agenda ahead of more recent requests

The Proposed Location For The Ranch Project in Antioch

The Ranch Project

The Ranch Project which consist of 440 residential lots and a mix-used component, a fire station, 6.6 acres of parkland, stormwater detention area and roadways.

The project is being proposed by Richland Planned Communities who are now requesting approval for phase 1 of the overall project.

The project site is located within the Sand Creek Focus Area of the General Plan, which contains lands designated by the Antioch General Plan for open space, residential, commercial, and mixed-use development. The project site is surrounded by a single-family residential subdivision to the north, undeveloped land to the south, Deer Valley Road and Kaiser Permanente Antioch Medical Center to the east, and undeveloped land to the west.

Discussion and Direction on Draft Ordinance Prohibiting Retaliation and Harassment by Residential Landlords

A policy prohibiting retaliation by residential landlords, or “anti-retaliation” policy, bars landlords from retaliating against tenant because the tenant exercised or asserted certain legal rights related to the rental unit, tenancy, and status as a tenant. Staff recommended adding an anti-retaliation policy that covers all existing and future tenant protections due to concerns expressed by tenants engaging with the Rent Program regarding fears of retaliation by landlords if the tenants assert rights under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance.

Special Meeting Items

1. DISCUSSION ITEM: UPDATE ON THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT (ARPA) FUNDING
2. DISCUSSION ITEM: CONSIDERATION OF LIGHTING THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSING ON JAMES DONLON BOULEVARD
3. DISCUSSION ITEM: UPDATE ON PARK PERMITTING FEES
4. DISCUSSION ITEM: CONSIDERATION OF A FREE COMMUNITY EVENT AT PREWETT WATER PARK SPONSORED BY THE ANTIOCH POLICE DEPARTMENT
5. DISCUSSION ITEM: UPDATE ON CAMERA INSTALLATION ON CITY STREETS
6. DISCUSSION ITEM: CONSIDERATION OF A PRESENTATION BY WHITE PONY EXPRESS NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION (FOOD RESCUE AND GENERAL STORE)
7. DISCUSSION ITEM: HIGHWAY 4 AND L STREET GRAFFITI ABATEMENT AND CALTRANS COORDINATION
8. DISCUSSION ITEM: POLICE CHIEF ATTENDANCE AT CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS
9. DISCUSSION ITEM: ANTIOCH POLICE DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT OF OWN FLEET PURCHASING
10. DISCUSSION ITEM: EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER (EOC) UPGRADE AND UPDATE
11. DISCUSSION ITEM: CODE ENFORCEMENT SERVICES FOR THE DELTA FAIR BOULEVARD AREA
12. DISCUSSION ITEM: MORATORIUM ON NEW GAS STATIONS
13. DISCUSSION ITEM: JUST CAUSE EVICTION AND ANTI-TENANT HARRASSMENT ORDINANCE
14. DISCUSSION ITEM: MORATORIUM ON RENT INCREASES AND EVICTIONS
15. DISCUSSION ITEM: PRESENTATION ON CURRENT REPARATION EFFORTS
16. DISCUSSION ITEM: HUMAN RIGHTS AND RACIAL EQUITY COMMISSION
17. DISCUSSION ITEM: REVIEW OF THE CURRENT RENTAL INSPECTION ORDINANCE
18. DISCUSSION ITEM: IMPROVING CONNECTIVITY (WI-FI, INTERNET) FOR NEIGHBORHOODS HARDEST IMPACTED DURING THE PANDEMIC

Antioch City Council Meeting

Date: Tuesday, June 27, 2023
Time: *5:00 P.M. – Closed Session
*6:00 P.M. – Adjourned Special Meeting
7:00 P.M. – Regular Meeting
Place: Council Chambers 200 ‘H’ Street Antioch, CA 94509
Full Agenda: Click Here