On this episode, I chat with Don Freitas who is running for Antioch City Council in District 3. He is the former mayor having served from 2000 to 2008, previously on the city council and served on the Water District.
We talk about why he is coming back now and what has changed for him within the City of Antioch. The importance of bringing back civility, increasing staffing levels and creating an environment where people want to live, work and play in the city. We talk Antioch Police and staffing levels, text messages by police, code enforcement needs and bringing back neighborhood watch.
Don Freitas advocates for an economic development plan that will address not only the downtown, but Somersville Town Center, Deer Valley Plaza, Slatten Ranch and other parts of the city—including having a house component.
We get into the homeless solution Antioch has moved forward with and if it is working. Accountability and transparency, budget issues and concerns, youth programming, and street safety.
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Previous Podcasts
- Aug 28 – Podcast: Kim Karr Talks Social Media For Good
- Aug 27 – Rakesh Kumar Christian Runs for Mayor of Antioch
- Aug 20 – Retired Police Sgt Talks Antioch Police Department
- Aug 12 – Podcast: Dave Ennis Runs for Assembly District 11
- More episodes
6 comments
Increasing staffing levels, economic development, making Antioch a “fun place to live and work” … yadda yadda yadda, gee Don, when you were the Mayor you advocated for runaway residential growth, with no additional infrastructure to support it (more cops, public works, etc.) which is why some people referred to you as “Bulldozer Don”.
You mention how you want to bring back the “good ole days of yesteryear Antioch” but you don’t really have a plan in doing so, just talk.
You are a nice guy, but stay retired — it’s more enjoyable, and less stressful.
Boomba doesn’t know what he is talking about!!
I was in the Council with Mayor Don Freitas from 2000-2008.
We halted new residential development and concentrated on retail/commercial development.
It resulted in the new Costco with gas station, Slatten Ranch Shopping Center, the light commercial buildings just to the northwest of Costco, Venture Capital light commercial on Lone Tree Way, Kaiser Permanente Hospital, the Prewett Park Community Center. In fact, Antioch was the place to locate your business!
In 2008 we had 126 sworn police officers, 20 Community Servuce Officers and 10 Code Enforcement Officers.
So, now you know what Din Freitas and that Council really dud for Antiich!!
Yes I do Arne ! We (you and I) have agreed to cordially disagree (letters back and forth) many times over the years !! I was one of those 126 sworn police officers you mentioned. Have a good one !!
Also Arne, those commercial areas you mentioned were built, but that are northwest of Costco are not exactly “booming” today — I don’t recall Antioch being “the place to locate your business”, at the PD Antioch was more known as being the Meth capital of the world — yes all under King Don’s Watch …. it was a huge bust then, we didn’t exactly become the Walnut Creek of East County that members of the council envisioned, we became more of the “poster child” of what NOT to do with a city. See, we’re politely agreeing to disagree still !!!
The Granite Warehouse (across from Costco at the old American Bridge Steel buildings) looks more like a “money laundering warehouse” … It is never opened, even though they had “grand opening” signs for the longest time — perhaps they still do. Don is probably thinking, “They’ll be doing big business sometime this decade”.
Yes I do Arne,
You are partially correct, Don Freitas advocated for less residential growth after he pushed for and achieved runaway residential growth when he realized the infrastructure wasn’t there to support it. In fact, when I met with him one time at Sylvia’s (his regular breakfast hangout), he stated that he was going to use that as a “weak” (not his words) defense when and if the state tries to punish Antioch for not enough residential units being built, saying Antioch had done more than its fair share of buildouts. Hence the nickname “Bulldozer Don”.
Those commercial buildings northwest of Costco are not exactly a “boom town”. Take the Granite Warehouse, that place looks like a money laundering joint — I don’t think it’s ever been open, it has ‘”grand opening” flags but when is it opening in this decade ?? In that area we have a church on Crow Court, a Social Security office, and three weed dispensaries — woah daddy, that’s some big business.
I was one of the 126 sworn officers you mention in your reply, and in 2008 word around the PD was Antioch was wallowing in the mud trying to figure out what type of city they wanted become (somewhere nice, with entertainment venues OR a bedroom community with a bunch of strip malls — bedroom community with strip malls won out),and was actually a “poster child” for other cities to NOT follow our lead. Antioch was not the utopia you and your fellow council cohorts envisioned it to be.
You might not know me from my username here, but we corresponded a few times when you were on the council, and I appreciated that we were always able to keep things cordial and agree to disagree. Have a good one !!
One more thing Arne,
You failed to mention about 2007 and 2008 the city took a massive economic “dump” as a result of the recession, and those 20 Community Service Officers you mentioned … well with the exception of three of them, they were all laid off … Again under Don Freitas and then Chief of Police Jim Hyde, and those 126 officers you also mentioned, well between 2011 and 2014 there was a mass number of retirements, I retired in 2013 and that 126 went down to about 100 —- we all must mention that number includes EVERY police officer i.e., Chief of Police, Command Staff, detectives which leaves the number of cops to work the streets about 6 per shift (Two 12 hour shifts by the way). So the city wasn’t all “peaches and cream” with Don in charge. Again, have a good one!!
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