On Tuesday, the Antioch City Council will vote on making two appointments to its Antioch Police Oversight Commission.
The two appointments are:
- Lisa Elekwachi
- Susan Kennedy
The two appointments are for a partial-term vacancy expiring in November 2026. The positions are voluntary and have no fiscal impact. The Police Commission is to strengthen trust, transparency, accountability, and police-community relations in the City of Antioch by ensuring that the Antioch Police Department’s policies, practices, and customs meet or exceed national standards of constitutional policing.
The appointments come a week after the police oversight commission took no action on a “pause” and will continue as it has been operating. The mayor and council had asked the commission to pause so they could refine the ordinance, interview and select commissioners, establish an onboarding process, provide training, develop rules for decorum and ensure future APOC training and funding.
Darrell Olson, Gary Tia of BACS discuss Opportunity Village (2024)
Opportunity Village (Homeless Hotel) Presentation via BACS
Bay Area Community Services (BACS) will present to the Antioch City Council after their presentation last February stated they had a 82% success rate.
Opportunity Village is set to expire April 25 unless funding is identified. The city leased the property for a period of 2-years using ARPA funding at a cost of $2.6 million. Opportunity Village opened its doors on May 1, 2023.
The following data was provided for Tuesdays presentation where on average, it has a daily occupancy of 30 to 45 individuals with an average length of stay at 180 days or less. They offer a variety of services, including wrap around care. The presentation shows they assist 70% of participants to exit to permanent or stable housing.
- 155 participants came from a wait list
- 80 women & 75 men
- Age 18-24: 13 participants
- Age 25-54: 112 participants
- Age 55+: 30 participants
- 133 days is average length of stay
- 478 partners declined or never responded
- 535 people on the wait list (admit there could be duplicates)
- Partner exits – 126
- 78 into a rental
- 29 returned to family
- 17 returned to friends
- 2 found their own temporary housing
- 4 unique exits (hospital, long-term care facility, substance abuse, mental health)
- 21 negative exits
- 7 abandoned their room/self exited
- 7 exited for physical violence/threats
- 4 exited for safety issues + damage to room or hotel
- 3 exited for safety issues + substance abuse
Board of Administrative Appeals Appointments
The Board of Administrative Appeals consists of five members and one alternate appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by a majority of the Council. The Board Member shall serve a term of four years. The Board hears appeals regarding administrative decisions by any official of the City dealing with Municipal Code interpretations. Administrative citations are typically issued by a Code Enforcement Officer, Police Officer, or Animal Control Officer.
The nominations are
- Jacquelyn Higgins
- Melissa Case
Approve Conceptual Design of Bicycle Garden Project
The City Council will look to approve the conceptual design of the Antioch Bicycle Garden Project which, if approved, will move onto design phase which could be done in the summer with construction in fall/winter of 2025.
The project will build a one-of-a-kind facility for teaching bicycle and pedestrian safety education to encourage the use of pollution-free transportation. Using small scaled modern streetscape design elements, this will be located at Prewet Park and will provide healthy, fun, outdoor recreation in a safe, vehicle-free environment. The project was funded through grants of the USDOT and Contra Costa Transportation Authority—the city has a match of $1 million with the total project estimated at $5 million.
Recruitment Firm Could be Extended
After approving a contract with Bob Hall & Associates for the Antioch Police Department Chief of Police recruitment, the city is looking to Amend its Contract with the firm in the amount not to exceed $151k—the original contract was for $55k. If approved Tuesday, the firm could now assist the city in filling its several vacancies at the director level which has 4 open vacancies (which the staff report did not identify).
2024-2025 Violence Intervention and Prevention Needs Assessment and Strategic Plan
The city council could award a contract with Hope and Heal Fund, whose fiscal agent is New Venture Fund, in the amount of $75,000 for the 2024-2025 Violence Intervention and Prevention Needs Assessment and Strategic Plan.
On February 7, 2025, the Public Safety and Community Resources Department issued a Request for Proposal for these services. A total of 10 organizations submitted proposals, each bringing valuable insights and approaches to addressing community violence.
Their role will include conducting a comprehensive needs assessment, followed by the development of a strategic plan that will serve as a critical, long-term roadmap for the City’s violence prevention efforts. This strategic plan will be instrumental in shaping the City’s approach to violence prevention, ensuring that resources are allocated effectively, and guiding the City’s actions for years to come, resulting in a focused and impactful response to violence in the community.
Amtrak Station
The city will look to amend its FY25 Capital Improvement and Operating Budget in the amount of $225k utilizing Gas Tax funds for a total budget of $375k for Amtrak Station upgrades. The projected ending balance for June 30, 2025 is $942,034.
If You Go
Antioch City Council Meeting
March 25, 2025 at 7:00 pm
200 H St, Antioch CA
Full Agenda – click here
