Antioch Press_01.07.10

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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER

Vol. 11, No. 1

Antioch cop layoffs postponed by Justin Lafferty Staff Writer

Layoff notices for six Antioch police officers have been delayed until Jan. 21, due in large part to talks of donations from the community. According to City Manager Jim Jakel, no money has changed hands yet, but city officials “have leads” on roughly $50,000 coming from local businesses and citizens to aid the police department. In addition to that, Antioch Auto Center president Tom Nokes promised in a December City Council meeting to match any donations up to $100,000. Previously, Nokes also purchased bulletproof vests for SWAT team members. “We’ve been doing business here for 23 years, and the city’s been good to us,” said Brian Nokes, Tom’s son and Auto Center vice president. “We want to make sure that our city stays good. We feel like sometimes, you start laying off police officers,

Photo by Justin Lafferty

Antioch Auto Center President Tom Nokes has agreed to match donations from the community, up to $100,000, to help the Antioch Police Department. and where does it stop?” The city and the Antioch Police Officers Association are still negotiating whether or not to fully

extend concessions made last year, such as pay raises and cost of living adjustments. Results of Thursday’s closed session negotiations were not

available at press time. Based on the prospective donations, APOA president Tom Fuhrmann said that his group voted on Tuesday to keep those concessions in place until at least Jan. 21. That window will allow the six officers, whose layoffs would have started Jan. 2, to keep their jobs for two more weeks. “It is heartening to know that people are willing to donate to support these essential services,” Jakel said. “It’s kind of the opposite of the feeling (we got) when Measure P failed.” Jakel and Mayor Jim Davis have been meeting with Fuhrmann and Nokes throughout the past couple of weeks. With those conversations in mind, officers agreed to provide a little more breathing room by continuing the concessions for a short time. Though officers expressed see Layoffs page 22A

Antioch Chamber loses key members by Justin Lafferty Staff Writer

Tough economic times have forced the Antioch Chamber of Commerce to lay off its president and director of operations, as the chamber has been unable to bring in as much money as in years past. According to Sean Wright, chairman of the chamber’s Board of Supervisors, President/CEO Devi Lanphere and Director of Operations Karen Smith were laid off as a way to balance the budget. Wright said the chamber, which now employs just one staff member on commission, was forced to cut salaries to stay afloat. Sales representative Jack Monroe praised Lanphere for her professionalism and her skill at interacting with local businesses and local government. Monroe also spoke well of Smith’s managerial skills and her ability reach out to the community. Lanphere had been with the Chamber of Commerce for about seven years; Smith’s ten-

C

ure was roughly the same. “They will be deeply missed,” Monroe said, “but the chamber has gone through this before.” When times were good, a few years ago, the Chamber of Commerce operated on an annual budget of about $300,000. According to

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Wright, the budget is now roughly half that. While the membership has remained steady over the past few years, Wright said, money raised from events has seen a sharp decline. “We’re just not making the money that we were,” Wright said. “If you look at every industry, we’re all going through the same thing.” For instance, Wright pointed to the East County Economic Summit, an event inaugurated four years ago largely through Lanphere’s efforts. The summit brought together economic leaders from Antioch, Oakley, Brentwood and Pittsburg to discuss the future of the area’s economy. However, sponsorship money dried up and speakers who were brought in to talk were laid off as well, Wright said. The chamber couldn’t afford to hold the event last year. Wright also cited declining attendance at chamber-sponsored events as a reason for the reduced budget.

Answer the call go to news/WebExtras!

A casting call has been issued for a production of “The Secret Garden.”

see Chamber page 22A

Chow champ

go to news/press releases Calpine recently made a deposit in a regional food bank to the tune of $10,000.

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January 7, 2011

This Week Vasco victim mourned

A Brentwood resident and Alameda Sheriff’s deputy died when his vehicle rolled over on Vasco Road. Page 12A

Counting on compassion The first step in helping the homeless is getting a grip on their numbers. Page 7A

Tickled by the pickle

A new sport is attracting throngs of enthusiasts, and seniors are championing the cause. Page 1B

Plus: Business .............................14A Calendar ............................ 19B Classifieds ......................... 13B Cop Logs ............................17A Entertainment ................. 11B Food .................................... 10B Health & Beauty ................ 8B Milestones ........................18A Opinion ..............................16A Sports ................................... 1B

FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A

Viral vocals

go to multimedia/videos A homeless man’s dulcet tones have enchanted 4.5 million YouTube viewers.


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