Antioch Press_03.02.12

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ward Winning News al A pa

YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER

Vol. 12, No. 9

City to get more cops

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March 2, 2012

Protect and serve burgers Do-it-yourself authorship

by Justin Lafferty Staff Writer A year marked by bad news on the crime front got a little better Tuesday night for Antioch police officers. The Antioch City Council approved the use of money freed up by vacancies within the Antioch Police Department to pay for five per diem officers, who would receive no benefits, plus three full-time cops. The police department is authorized a staff of 175.5, which includes patrol officers and community service officers (CSOs), but is operating with 61 vacancies. According to City Finance Director Dawn Merchant, six of these vacancies are budgeted for the upcoming fiscal year, so they can be filled. “I’m extremely happy that I’m seeing the support from not only the City Council and the city manager, but the community as a whole,” Chief Allan Cantando said. “Being able to move officers out of duties that were traditionally reserved for nonsworn personnel is going to free some officers to do some proactive work out there.”

The digital revolution has inspired throngs of writers to attain author status through self-publishing. Page 1B

Alternating authority A ballot measure would rotate the mayor’s seat among City Council members. Page 3A

Photo by Richard Wisdom

ntioch Police Detective James McMurry serves up dinner to Chili’s diners Tiffany Pindel, Lorna Henderson, Mariah Henderson and Kristine Henderson as part of the Tip-A-Cop program. Antioch officers, serving as celebrity waiters, raised $1,139 for the Special Olympics.

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Eyes on the prime prize

see Cops page 15A

Clean water bill, ballot draw heat by Justin Lafferty Staff Writer

Photo by Ger Erickson

Trash and debris have become a problem in East Bay waterways such as Oakley’s Big Break Lagoon, something the Community Clean Water Initiative aims to cure.

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A controversial measure that would tax homeowners to help clean up waterways has been getting dirty looks from voters. The proposed Community Clean Water Initiative is put forth by the Contra Costa Clean Water Program, operated by a consortium of the county and its 19 cities and towns. The initiative would represent a slight tax increase for county homeowners. Revenues would pay for the installation of trash filters and other efforts to eliminate waste. According to Program Manager Tom Dalziel, the tax is neces-

Adams accolades go to news/WebExtras!

Find your favorite Adams middle schooler named to the Honor Society.

sary in order to comply with state demands that water pollution be cut 40 percent by 2014 and 100 percent by 2022. “This is a phased effort,” Dalziel said. Residents in Antioch, Oakley and Brentwood would pay $12 annually over the 10-year life of the program ($6 for parcels smaller than 5,000 square feet). If passed, the measure would raise roughly $8 million in fiscal year 2012-13. The initiative requires a simple majority to pass. Instead of putting such a measure on the general or special election ballot, the consortium opted to see Water page 15A

Foster care law go to news/press releases

New legislation aims to provide foster care youth with educational stability.

The Deer Valley basketball squad continued its campaign to capture the North Coast Section’s top trophy. Page 17A Calendar ............................ 15B Classifieds ........................... 9B Cop Logs ............................ 14B East County Life ................ 1B Entertainment ................... 6B Food ...................................... 4B Health & Beauty ................ 5B Milestones .......................... 7B Opinion ..............................14A Sports .................................17A FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A

Vetting Emily

go to news/WebExtras! Columnist Slim Randles documents high drama at the Mule Barn.


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