Editorial: 10 Things I Want to See Happen in 2025

Optimism is how I begin 2025 as I truly believe a lot of good things will begin to happen within Contra Costa County this year.

In 2024, as wild as it was, it showed us that society is figuring out we need to raise the bar, not lower it, if we want to continue to live in a good community. We saw many failed experiments get thrown out, such as Prop 36, as well as ineffective public officials, such as in the City of Antioch. Lip service is beginning to be recognized as smart people focus on results—not be duped into unrealistic expectations of handouts.

With 2025, we have some positive momentum, I am hopeful the year will turn out great. As with last year, here is 10 things I want to see happen in 2025.

---

10. Tone the Rhetoric Down: Extreme Left vs. Extreme Right

Lets limit the divisiveness in 2025. Can we all just agree that extremes on both sides are both dangerous and unhealthy?

The crazy rhetoric got way out of whack the last few years and its time to take it down a few notches. People have gotten way to comfortable with name calling, misleading, lying and just being a “insert foul name of your choice ”,– especially online behind a computer screen. Just knock it off.

With extreme rhetoric, comes limiting constructive discussion, potential solutions and limiting participation or attendance at events. We don’t need to hawk insults, make hateful accusations, or tear each other down simply for difference of opinions. Nor do we need to shout down one another.  2025 seems like a good year to begin discussions starting on common ground and then finding ways to compromise on what we don’t agree on.

---

9. Grand Jury Looks into City of Clayton

You can’t be successful if you can’t keep staff while allowing a group of community malcontents to run people out. The residents had better start paying attention or a beautiful community will be in big trouble with its circus like antics at city hall and by the council. I would like to see the Contra Costa County Grand Jury look into the City of Clayton in 2025. Maybe then, once and for all, we can see just who is causing all the chaos.

---

8. Collaboration in East Contra Costa County

I’d like to see the City of Antioch, City of Brentwood, City of Oakley and City of Pittsburg work together to bring more resources to East Contra Costa County. Its time to work together to ensure the area is getting its fair share of county resources that seem to always end up in other parts of the county.

Now that the City of Antioch has a new majority council, cities should begin reengaging with one another on regional issues and wanting to work together on a variety of items—crime, homelessness, quality of life issues, transportation. I’d like to see a ton of collaboration benefiting the entire community versus items putting cities against each other. The communities need to get on the same page.

---

7. Improved Crisis Response Services in East Contra Costa County

Piggybacking on the above item, Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley and Pittsburg need to work together to bring more resources for crisis response to East Contra Costa County.

Gone should be the days of police departments waiting on teams to respond from the City of Martinez when someone is in distress. There needs to be a dedicated team posted in East Contra Costa County. Per the A3 Dashboard, the average time currently is 20-minutes to arrive on scene, but here is a look per the county dashboard in East Contra Costa County:

• 44 minutes – Discovery Bay
• 34 minutes – Oakley
• 31 minutes – Brentwood
• 25 minutes – Antioch
• 20 minutes – Pittsburg

Contra Costa County is likely two years away at best from its building in Brentwood being completed, its time for cities to be proactive that either Measure X funding be used or force the Board of Supervisors to re-allocate funding from elsewhere. Or, the easiest and fastest, cities split costs and fund their own team. Either way, the response times from crisis response is too long. It should be immediately addressed in 2025.

---

 

6. City of Antioch Begins to Recover

The night Mayor Ron Bernal and Councilmembers Don Freitas and Louie Rocha were sworn into saw a heaviness and negativity leave the city for many. My hope is this will continue into 2025 where Antioch can become stable once again to reach its full potential. This includes hiring a police chief once and for all, filling department head positions and many other vacancies—including the police department.

My other hope here is people who have disagreed for years will begin to find ways to work together, meet in the middle and truly put community first above personal desire. The council still has a heavy lift with the budget and tweaking many terrible policies, but that will work itself out over time. 2025 will be a fact finding mission of just how bad things really are now that the Emperors Clothes can be removed.

---

5. Personal Responsibility

I think we can all agree “deflection” might be at an all time high because of national rhetoric and social media silliness. At some point, people need to look into the mirror and stop trying to blame government for everything wrong in this world or expect the government to fix everything. Focus on yourself, what you can control and begin to make lifestyle changes that will help put you in a position to succeed.

Yes, some people need help and lets focus on “hand up” instead of “hand out” assistance, but a lot of times its minor lifestyle tweaks over time that lead to big successes. Get real uncomfortable looking at your life and make a decision to action daily and over time ones situation should improve.

I would like to believe if we all take some more personal responsibility for our actions, decisions and outcomes versus pointing fingers, our community would be better off. With less blame, comes more collaboration.

A second part of this is victim mentality must also stop. If 2024 taught me anything, it’s that the “great deflection” is alive and well with blaming others becoming a common theme. Whether it’s criminals blaming police for arresting them, or elected officials blaming the media, playing the victim is a mental health crisis. We are all responsible for our own actions.

---

4. Police Department Transparency

Several police departments in Contra Costa County should make an effort to become more transparent in 2025. This includes the release of crime data that is actually useful to the public, updated crime data on their websites (some don’t even do this), and better release of information of what is transpiring in their city on major incidents.

A shout out to Brentwood, El Cerrito, Martinez, Pleasant Hill who provide a true police bulletin about crime incidents – this should be mimicked by all!  Release of monthly crime data should be a given for every city on their websites.

---

3. Time Wasters at Public Meetings Must Stop

Yes, everyone has the right to speak at a public meeting, but some go too far and simply waste everyone’s time. You know who they are:

• they speak on multiple agenda items at every meeting
• they repeat their same public comment meeting after meeting
• they use their time to attack others or intimidate
• No matter what they will come to the defense of a public official
• they talk in circles and say next to nothing because they like to hear themselves speak
• or questions that could have been answered by reading the staff report.

Every community meeting has run into issues with time wasters before so my ask to all those who speak at meetings in 2025, to please have a point because it is so much more interesting and productive to those in attendance and watching. It would also be helpful to be concise and constructive. Contrary to popular belief, these meetings are not held for you and I, they are held to conduct city/agency business in an open forum.

This also goes for elected officials who ramble on too long or repeat things over and over as if they are making a new point. Those that give presentations should be more respectful of peoples time and really just get to the point.  Meetings need to be more efficient going forward. All the details are available if people take the time to read the staff reports and ask questions ahead of time– you know, be proactive. So lets make a commitment to stop wasting time at public meetings this year.

And finally, to the Brentwood City Council, there is no need for 5-minute public comments!

---

2. Rogue Councilmembers Be Held Accountable

I could name a half-dozen elected leaders who have acted like turds over the years who have no businesses representing a community. These people continue to misbehave, lie, operate in areas of gray, and find “useful idiots” to speak on their behalf at meetings in the form of surrogate public commenters. Enough already with the division. Its silly and a waste of everyone’s time–you are fooling no one.

Going forward, I’d like to see these individuals change their tone and simply just be honest and less divisive. Be realistic with expectations and truly understand what their role is as an elected official. And finally, stop attacking staff in public!

My promise for 2025, I am not going away. I will continue to point out such behaviors stated above not because I am “mean” or a “blogger” but because its your actions and you did it to yourself. Deflection will no longer be a defense, but rather will look like desperation when I get done with you. To avoid all this, just be better!

---

1. Police Departments Hold District Attorney Accountable

This was my number one issue last year and nothing has changed. Perhaps Prop 36 can be a wake up call for the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office as many have grown tired of crime, little to no accountability for folks behaving badly and the impact it is having on the community–but doubt it.

So instead of having faith our District Attorney will change, it’s time for all police departments in the county to begin to highlight the ineffectiveness of DA Diana Becton—and why they keep arresting people over and over. Whether it strengthens a recall, prompts a resignation or ensures this is her final term, data will tell the story, not politics. I’d like to see all police departments release the following monthly reports:

• Felony/Misdemeanor arrests sent to the DA
• Of those sent to the DA’s office, how many were filed/rejected
• If a person has multiple arrests in the past year, begin highlighting that—for example, John Smith was arrested 8x in the past 6-months.

At some point, the DA’s office has to stop worrying about their win/loss percentages and begin focusing on keeping people safe. Police Departments will have a lot to do with District Attorney accountability by simply telling the story of how criminals are not being held accountable.

---

How About You?

I have my 10 things. How about you? What would you like to see happen in 2025?

---

 

Mike Burkholder
Publisher of ContraCosta.news
burk@contracosta.news