Newcomers vie for two Antioch City Council seats

ANTIOCH — The upcoming Antioch City Council races will see a mix of candidates focused on public safety, police reform, economic growth and affordable housing while while vying for seats in one of Contra Costa’s largest cities.

No matter what, the political landscape of the five-person City Council is guaranteed to change after the Nov. 5 election.

The District 2 campaign to replace Michael Barbanica, who is running for county supervisor, is between Louie Rocha, a former Antioch High School principal, and Dominique King, a businesswoman, educator and consultant.

Three candidates are trying to replace Councilmember Lori Ogorchock, who is running for city treasurer after the council’s redrawing of boundaries moved her out of District 3.

Running are former Antioch Mayor Donald P. Freitas; Antwon R. Webster, who served in the U.S. Air Force and currently serves as a member on Antioch’s Board of Administrative Appeals and Addison Peterson, who works as a senior policy manager with the California Certified Organic Farmers.

District 2

This council district is roughly bordered by Contra Loma Boulevard, James Donlon Boulevard, Lone Tree Way ad Gentrytown Drive.

Rocha, who grew up in the Mira Vista neighborhood, is the son of former mayor and current Antioch Unified School District board member Mary Rocha. His career in education spanned 35 years in various roles, including as a counselor, vice principal and principal at Antioch High School. For Louie Rocha, public safety, leadership and governance, economic development and community services are his top priorities.

He said it’s “unfortunate” that residents should have to be extra cautious when driving or going to local stores.

“Residents in Antioch just don’t feel safe,” he said. But Rocha believes public safety can only be addressed with proper leadership in the city, referring to the high number of employee vacancies. He said the police department needs to hire a permanent police chief and increase its staffing and cultivate a positive relationship with residents.

“Nothing can be done without a change in leadership, so we can get the best people for the vacant positions,” he added.

He also emphasized the need to support and bring in new businesses, adding that leaders should work with the local business chambers to help rebuild the city’s economy.

“Once a business close down, there is no one coming in to replace them, so the (buildings) are just boarded up and closed, and it becomes an unhealthy and unsafe area for the current business owners and residents who are there,” he added.

King, who currently chairs the Parks and Recreation Commission, believes in having a community policing model which calls for police accountability. She also wants to make addressing mental health a priority and dedicate funding for programs that can help law enforcement officers respond safely to crisis calls.

King, who faced homelessness when she was 15, said despite being a large city, Antioch does not have a designated shelter to help the unhoused community.

“I would like to see regional relationships built on a county level, to possibly have bigger resources for something like a shelter that has wraparound services to help the unhoused community,” she said.

King says Antioch should also consider mixed-use development that combines housing, with a percentage dedicated to affordable units, and commercial or retail businesses.

“We can build multi-million-dollar homes, but who is going to live in them? Who can afford them?” she asked.

King also stressed the need for a bicycle master plan and preserving open spaces, adding that protecting Antioch’s trails is crucial because they are part of the city’s appeal.

District 3

The boundaries for this district are Bluerock Drive, Davison Drive and Hillcrest Avenue.

Freitas was a council member in 1998 before being elected as Antioch’s mayor in 2000 and serving for eight years. His primary focus is on restoring functionality and leadership in Antioch’s city government, which he said is a foundation for addressing the city’s other issues. He said it’s important to have an experienced and knowledgeable city manager who will make it a priority to develop and implement services to the public.

“It’s not just police services; it’s also for code enforcement, park and recreation service, and economic development. Right now, we are so dysfunctional as a city,” said the former Contra Costa Water District board president.

Freitas was also critical of the city’s way of handling the homelessness crisis in Antioch, adding that an East County regional approach is required to resolve the issue, given that the population far outnumbers any shelter beds or available transitional housing.

“We need to handle this jointly, that means financially, planning enforcement, providing certain services because local government is most ill-prepared to deal with homelessness,” he said.

At the same time, Freitas said the city must bring back and expand neighborhood watch programs that were once “wildly successful” to protect the community and help reduce crime.

Webster, a former Air Force veteran, emphasized addressing public safety issues by having training, education, and monitoring of the police department to ensure growth and healing within the community. He also had praise for the city’s non-police crisis response team, known as CARE, and established after Angelo Quinto died after being restrained by officers in late 2020.

Webster, a logistics manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, also believes that attracting businesses to Antioch is vital for the local economy to flourish. This can be achieved by having city staff who understand economic development and have the knowledge and desire to help people who want to start their businesses in Antioch, he said.

“We need knowledgeable city staff who desire to do the job and help the people,” he said. “I mean, if you work here, you’re supposed to provide that resource to the community. The community includes your businesses. Help your businesses out.”

Peterson may be new to local politics, but he brings close to 15 years of public policy experience. His focus is on rebuilding the police department by ensuring the officers understand their role and how to best serve the residents.

Growing up in Los Angeles, Peterson said he was often racially profiled, grew tired of such treatment and moved. While he understands the perspective of law enforcement officers, he believes they should also understand the community’s perspective.

“When we hire police officers, it would be good to have a member of the police oversight commission to also sit in these interviews,” he said.

Peterson also feels that more must be done to provide affordable housing with a holistic approach that includes transportation options for residents.

“Housing in Antioch is not affordable by any stretch of the imagination. We need more infill development and to think deeper about how we can take housing and also develop economic development that connects to transportation options,” added the California Policy Manager at California Certified Organic Farmers.