Antioch has become a broken record—stumbling from one avoidable crisis to the next. The latest chapter is the Antioch Police Officers Association taking its contract negotiations public, a move that underscores a much deeper and longer-running failure at City Hall.
The city council now finds itself boxed into a corner of its own making. For years, it has punted difficult financial decisions, tolerated wasteful spending, and failed to make meaningful course corrections. The result is a persistent structural deficit that makes it nearly impossible to offer raises, let alone implement a serious retention strategy for city employees.
This outcome was not inevitable. During the last budget cycle, the city manager recommended a near net-zero budget—an approach that would have stabilized city finances and put Antioch on firmer footing. It would have required short-term pain, absolutely, but it also would have created the opportunity today to restore programs, improve staffing levels, and rebuild morale. This was a rip the band-aid off type of approach.
Instead, the council chose the path of least resistance and left the city in fiscal purgatory, carrying forward a $12.5 million deficit. Every department remains understaffed and overworked, morale continues to slide, and more cuts are already looming in 2026-27. It’s an embarrassing position for a city of Antioch’s size and potential.
Given that context, it’s difficult to fault the Police Officers Association for going public—particularly when other city labor groups have done the same over the past year. If you were told it might be several years before you received a raise, most people would immediately start looking for work elsewhere. At a very minimum, a cost-of-living adjustment should be on the table for all employees.
But the larger issue is whether the city council is prepared to back up its campaign promises with action—especially when it comes to public safety. The council already reduced the allocated staffing levels from 115 to 105–essentially a hiring freeze. Antioch’s crime problem will continue to either make or break the city’s reputation locally and regionally. Without any real progress on public safety, economic development and increased tax revenue are little more than wishful thinking.
After a staggering spike in crime in 2024—including a record 16 homicides and 1,683 vehicle thefts—the police department worked hard in 2025 to bring crime levels back closer to historical averages. That effort matters, and it should not be undermined.
Yes, it is also fair to acknowledge that a handful of bad actors within the department have cost the city millions in staff time, legal fees, and settlements—money that could have otherwise gone toward compensation. But punishing an entire department for the failures of a few is neither fair nor productive, especially in contract negotiations.
While I am not a fan of the APOA’s public pressure campaign on social media, it is easy to understand why they chose the nuclear option. Unfortunately, the collateral damage is real. Public labor disputes send a clear message to potential recruits: look elsewhere. At a time when attracting qualified police officers is already extremely difficult, that’s a risk Antioch can ill afford. And who knows, maybe officers truly do begin to leave for better run cities and stable police departments.
The city council must finally get serious about priorities. If rebuilding public safety is truly a goal, then it must be reflected in spending decisions—not just rhetoric. Pouring tens of millions of dollars into programs that generate little to no fiscal return, such as the roughly $20 million spent on homeless services in recent years (with another $18 million potentially on the horizon–thankfully Mayor Bernal voted against this nonsense), while public safety struggles to remain competitive is a policy failure. Furthermore, just two dispatchers handling calls is ridiculous and unacceptable. That needs to be fixed immediately as that is a public safety problem for the public and officers.
Even former Councilmember Mike Barbanica over the weekend came out against this wasteful spending on social media. Meanwhile, Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors Diane Burgis and Shanelle Scales-Preston have agreed to help fund the creation of a police substation within Sycamore Square. All three seem to understand a strong-police department making progress on reducing crime will help improve all areas of the city, including bringing in more tax dollars to help fund other departments.
Words alone do not improve morale or staffing. Competitive pay does. When departments are hollowed out by attrition, unqualified individuals are often promoted by default, without the experience necessary for effective leadership. That has already happened in Antioch, whether some want to admit it or not.
The solution does not require guesswork. A comprehensive salary survey would clearly show what a competitive compensation package looks like. The market is the market—and in today’s environment, recruiting police officers is harder than ever and more expensive.
Finally, the council should remember that the same handful of frequent complainers at council meetings do not represent the majority of Antioch residents. Voters overwhelmingly supported Mayor Bernal and Councilmembers Freitas and Rocha because they wanted a safer city, a stronger police department, cut wasteful spending and improved morale—not continued dysfunction and managed decline.
Both sides need to stop posturing and quickly get a deal done. Stability matters. The consequences of an understaffed police department are far more costly than the compromises required to reach an agreement. Antioch deserves better than another cycle of delay, excuses, and failure.
Mike Burkholder
Publisher of ContraCosta.news
burk@contracosta.news