Antioch Press_11.18.11

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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER

Vol. 11, No. 46

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November 18, 2011

Getting back to battling blight Magnetic personality by Justin Lafferty Staff Writer

A vital city service – code enforcement – that Antioch has gone without for roughly two years will return, albeit in a limited capacity. Antioch’s City Council recently OK’d a move to pool money to pay for a code enforcement officer, who would address matters of public health and safety, and help enforce laws aimed at reducing blight. Right now, the city can handle only extreme and hazardous cases. The hiring process for a new officer will take roughly two to three months. Deputy Director of Community Development Ryan Graham originally noted that the city’s human resources department felt it would be best to wait until the end of the holiday season to put out a job ad, but city leaders urged Graham to make a hire as soon as possible. “To simply wait until the

Photo courtesy of Brittney Gougeon

Antioch recently agreed to fund a limited code enforcement department, which would direct an officer to handle cases of extreme blight, such as seen here. optimum time, that fires me up a little bit, so we need to really rethink that process,” City Councilman Brian Kalinowski said. “The heavy lifting for the posting of the position has been

done.” To pay for the officer, Antioch will use cash from a variety of sources. The city will use $40,000 from its solid waste fund, $80,000 from the aban-

doned vehicle fund and $51,000 from a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) that targets low-income areas of the city. Antioch leaders agreed to use part of a grant from GenOn Energy to pay for code enforcement. The total cost for the officer – taking into account salary, benefits, equipment and overhead – will start at about $100 per hour. Council members feel that while it’s not the ideal measure, it’s a step in the right direction. “We’re going to still be very limited, just by the number of people that we’re talking about doing the job,” said Councilman Gary Agopian. “That’s the reality, but we’ll have code enforcement in Antioch and we’ll have our foot in the door.” Ever since code enforcement became a budgetary casualty, residents have been complaining about graffiti and the pileup

by Justin Lafferty Staff Writer

Though many of the participants of Antioch’s annual Veterans Day parade were soaked to the skin, their patriotic spirit shone through. More than 1,000 people braved the wet stuff to witness Antioch’s salute to those who have served America. Several veterans groups, including the East County Veterans Association, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Patriot Sentinel Riders, headlined the parade. Chuck Kohler, a local Pearl Harbor veteran, served as the event’s Grand Marshal. “When we talk about veterans, we need to think of what we can do to thank veterans,” said Antioch Mayor Jim Davis. “That’s the least

see Patriotism page 17A

Photo by Justin Lafferty

Antioch resident José Laico clutches a picture of his son, Greg Laico, a member of the Navy currently stationed in Okinawa, Japan. By his side is his younger son, Jacob.

Joining forces

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A new book chronicles the life of East County’s storied coal mining community. Page 5A

Vanquished but valiant

Deer Valley’s volleyball team lost in the second round of the playoffs, but didn’t go down without a fight. Page 19A Arts .....................................11A Business ............................... 8B Calendar ............................ 27B Classifieds ......................... 19B Cop Logs ............................ 26B East County Life ................ 1B Entertainment ................. 12B Food .................................... 10B Health & Beauty .............. 14B Milestones ........................ 16B Opinion ..............................18A Sports .................................19A

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Carved in stone

see Blight page 12A

Patriotism shines on rainy day we can do: e-mail them, send them a letter thanking them for what they’re doing for us and our country.” The day was a period of reflection for veterans, who spoke of the high calling that motivated them to serve. Speakers also stressed the importance of simply thanking veterans whenever possible. “Honor all of them – not just this day, but every day,” U.S. Army Reserve Lt. Col. Steve McLaughlin told attendees. “Listen to what they have to say of their sacrifice and the sacrifice of their comrades. Honor them for putting their lives on the line for freedom.” One of the major attractions that day marched not on the ground,

Brentwood’s downtown makeover is complete, and businesses are primed to attract serious traffic. Page 1B

Two East County churches are celebrating the anniversary of their merger.

FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A

Turkey retaliation Proud procession go to news/press releases

A fitness boot camp is offering free workouts that take off holiday pounds.

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Antioch’s Veterans Day parade showcased our nation’s heroes.


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