The following Letter to the Editor was submitted by Rod Flohr, a Brentwood Resident.
Dear Editor,
No, Antioch will not take the land if Brentwood does not pass Measure L. We know this because of the events of last summer, when Antioch voters pushed back on the development of thousands of houses in the nearby Sand Creek Focus Area in Antioch. To stop the development, the “Let Antioch Voters Decide” initiative was put forward. 10,000 Antioch voters signed the petition, and the Antioch city council subsequently adopted their residents will, and passed the initiative into law.
Unfortunately, their city council kind of made a mess of things, also approving another measure that did allow one project by Richland that would otherwise have been excluded by the “Let Antioch Voters Decide” initiative. So, a suit was filed by the other developers who also want to build in the area, and now the “Let Antioch Voters Decide” initiative seems headed to the November 2020 ballot. The City of Antioch is still pursuing an appeal to this ruling as reported in a news article dated August 6, 2019. If they win the appeal, then the law could stand and not need a new vote.
In a summary posted by the group supporting the “Let Antioch Voters Decide” initiative, they explain it does four things:
- Designates 1800 acres west of Deer Valley Road as the Initiative Area and zones it Rural Residential, Agriculture and Open Space.
- Limits development in the Sand Creek area between Kaiser Hospital and Black Diamond Mines, where the city is proposing thousands of houses.
- Requires Antioch Voter approval to allow more intensive development. It Lets Antioch Voters Decide if they want to allow bigger developments.
- Permanently Requires Voter Approval Of Amendments To The Urban Limit Line. The current Antioch Urban Limit Line is only voter approved until December 2020. Our measure would continue to require voter approval for any changes.
Note that last one about permanently protecting the ULL. It is a key provision in this initiative, and Antioch voters seem sure to pass it. Consider that in the last Antioch City Council election only 30,326 votes were cast, and that 10,000 petition signature number becomes very significant. “Let Antioch Voters Decide” would have only needed 15,163 in the last election if the same number of people voted on it as voted on the City Council election. Granted 2020 is a presidential election year and Antioch population has gone up some, but still, with that much of a head start, it is hard to see how the “Let Antioch Voters Decide” initiative would fail. Also, in that same article from August 6, Save Mount Diablo, who helped the residents qualify the Initiative in 2018, vows to educate the public to get this passed.
Way back in 2010, when Measure F was brought to Brentwood to allow development of the land just south of the Measure L area, that would have put houses all around and behind Heritage High and Adams Middle Schools, this same threat was proclaimed loudly and with certain conviction. Pass Measure F, or Antioch will surely and certainly take that land. It never happened. It was never going to happen. Past votes and actions by both Brentwood and Antioch residents and voters continue to discredit this baseless threat.
Ask yourself who is spearheading this Measure L initiative. Is it Antioch or is it wealthy developers who pay for petition-gatherers, who pay for elections, who pay for focus groups to figure out what buzz words they need to print, racking up costs to the tune of $645,000? The proponents of Measure L always tell us that Antioch “will” take the land. But if anyone says Antioch will not take it, they always switch to saying they “can” take it or “it is possible they might” take it. And anything is possible. A meteor can come crashing out of the sky, through your roof, and land in your living room. If the proponents want to say that Antioch taking this land is as likely as a meteor landing in your living room, then maybe we would concede that point. But realistically, a meteor will never land in your living room, and Antioch can’t just take this land if Measure L is defeated. Contrary to the message they keep conveying, we do have other options, and the sky is not falling.
References:
- Here is what the people who proposed the “Let Antioch Voters Decide” initiative say it was all about: click here
- Here are the results of the 2018 election, Antioch City Council is on page 11: click here
- Here is that recent article about the current status of the “Let Antioch Voters Decide” initiative: click here
- Barbara Guise making the same claim way back in 2010: click here
- Save Mount Diablo 2018-2019 Annual Report, click here
Best regards,
Rod Flohr
Brentwood Homeowner
18 comments
ECT I wish you would fact check before posting Letters to the Editor, even your own Podcast with the Developer and Save Mount Diablo said they are going to Antioch the day after the election should Measure L fail. This is why many are supporting Measure L, they do not want to give Antioch 800 acres and bunt up to Brentwood.
Rod Flohr and his goons have been trolling Facebook with this phony rhetoric for months and bullying people. Rod is 100% wrong. Antioch does want the land because they want the revenue and community benefits. Antioch will pass this because it will fund more police officers and a 5th fire station.
Poor choice in publishing this lie ECT, shame on you. Only someone naive would believe Antioch would not want this land and revenue that comes with the development.
There Rod goes again offering opinions disguised as facts. Yes Antioch wants this property and its a known fact PD is already counting their new officers from this revenue. Brentwood PD already pointed out what happened last time with Slatten Ranch which Brentwood lost out on all that tax revenue because Antioch stole it from Brentwood. The No on L people will regret the lies its been telling the community. I am voting yes so Brentwood can control the property and how it is developed.
Yes on L because of course Antioch wants the land. This letter is full of nonsense and speculation.
Rod Flohr makes me laugh.
1-As a BRENTWOOD resident he speaks for ANTIOCH and it’s Council? Most Brentwood residents wish Rod would sop talking.
2-So by using the argument that by getting enough signatures to qualify the 2020 Antioch initiative for the ballot means that’s the future will of the Antioch voter doesn’t that mean Measure L in Brentwood will pass? It qualified for the ballot. Another laughable comment from this guy.
3- the vote makes Antioch’s ULL permanent! Oh, unless Antioch votes in the future to move it. Boy that’s really permanent Rod. Wait isn’t that the same ULL language everyone has now? I suggest you look up the word permanent in the dictionary.
4-sounds like Rod is pretty afraid of the Antioch argument which is absolutely real. Anyone suggesting they know what the Antioch voters will decide on a potential project that isn’t even in front of them yet and we don’t know what it will even look like as far as benefits to Antioch is a fool. Yes that makes Rod a fool because he already knows the answer to the question that hasn’t even been asked or prepared yet.
This was the main reason I voted YES. I want BRENTWOOD to control its future and as a resident of Trilogy I am supportive of the quality projects the BN group has built in our community.
Although I can’t predict the future I would bet money on Antioch passing and approving this land if they have the opportunity
Rod Flohr and his BS machine.
1-Antioch doesn’t want it. Rod knows!
2-By virtue of Antioch qualifying future Measure for the ballot means that measure is sure to pass! Using that logic doesn’t that mean Brentwood’s Measure L will pass? It qualified for the ballot?
3-Who knows if Measure L does not pass what a future Antioch measure would include For Antioch? Without that understanding no one but a fool could predict the outcome.
Is this guy for real? Antioch wants it because of the $200 million it will bring to the city who is also broke. This guys arguments are flawed. I am an Antioch resident and would vote yes on this in a second. This property is basically Brentwood and would never impact me anyway.
Antioch can’t take the land until the ULL is moved.
It is in place until Dec 2020 currently.
In Nov 2020 there will be a vote by the people to make the ULL permanent. This means it has no expiration date and any future attempt to move it requires another vote by the people (not staff or council members).
The approx. 10K signatures for the petition were far more than the minimum required to place the initiative on the ballot. Laughing at that number doesn’t make much sense.
All of those facts are available to the public.
So is the EIR document submitted by the City of Antioch Community Development Director saying the project doesn’t have enough funding for Deer Valley
“Payment of a mandatory fee should not be considered to mitigate an identified impact, but should be considered the baseline analysis. Presently, ECCRFA is not committed to construct the improvements on Deer Valley Road and the DEIR incorrectly assumes that payment of such a fee will specifically mitigate project impacts without supporting documentation showing such a commitment from ECCRFA”
Read pages 12-16 of this document
https://www.brentwoodca.gov/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=56950
It will be entertaining to see GBN try to get votes in Antioch after mailing Brentwood residents about how horrible Antioch is.
And what side will Save Mount Diablo be taking in that election? They are currently the driving force behind Let Antioch Voters Decide.
I am not scared at all of a vote going to the Antioch general public if Brentwood votes NO.
The problem is we need more large commercial development. We have enough residential, we need buildings that companies can conduct business and offer jobs to cut down super commuters.
Let’s all remember this if L fails and Antioch approves
Brentwood gets the impacts and none of the benefits. If/When that happens Let’s make sure and hold this Rod guy and his no solutions partner in crime Kathy Griffen responsible and run then out of town
They did the same No campaign when the owner of Shadow Lakes and Deer Ridge golf courses was trying to find an economic way to keep 9 holes of each open and build senior apartments or something as he was losing money hand over fist. Kathy and Tod opposed but offered no solution or compromise, just NO. They won’t close both courses they said. Guess what? Wrong… both courses closed. Next up this Trilogy like project gets built in Antioch. It’s easy to jump up and down and scream NO! Rod, it’s harder to come up with solutions.
Oh that’s right you and Kathy have idea. Make jobs come! That works. Businesses don’t do their homework and analyze the market, the rooftops etc. they just come when you ask them to. What a joke.
I don’t think anyone in either city wants more homes.
I meant the “majority”of people in either city do not want more homes.
Vote NO on L
So Antioch can vote yes
Because both cities have been unsuccessful at bringing a large employer (500+ permanent employees), high density senior (55+) housing and section 8 high rise apartments are the only residential developments that make for a logical decision. But all of us voters should demand the developer make infrastructure improvements first before constructing the residential developments. Tired of the temporary utilities and roads they put in and then leave for a broke city to spend money to “improve” them.
Antonio Xavier
Nov 1, 2019 at 10:55 am
Antioch can’t take the land until the ULL is moved.
It is in place until Dec 2020 currently.
Unless it is moved by a vote of Antioch residents. That is a convenient part to leave out isnt It Antonio? That is the language in measure K, Roddy Ranch initiative passed by Antioch.
All you No-sters are the same. Post just a part of the information to skew the data. You Rod and Kathy are all frauds. Will look forward to the verbal backlash you all receive if L fails and Antioch steps into the void.
Get your facts straight
Antonio Xavier
Nov 1, 2019 at 10:55 am
Antioch can’t take the land until the ULL is moved.
It is in place until Dec 2020 currently.
Unless it is moved by a vote of Antioch residents. That is a convenient part to leave out isnt It Antonio? That is the language in measure K, Roddy Ranch initiative passed by Antioch.
All you No-sters are the same. Post just a part of the information to skew the data. You Rod and Kathy are all frauds. Will look forward to the verbal backlash you all receive if L fails and Antioch steps into the void.
Get your facts straight
Antonio Xavier
Nov 1, 2019 at 10:55 am
Antioch can’t take the land until the ULL is moved.
It is in place until Dec 2020 currently.
Unless it is moved by a vote of Antioch residents. That is a convenient part to leave out isnt It Antonio? That is the language in measure K, Roddy Ranch initiative passed by Antioch.
All you No-sters are the same. Post just a part of the information to skew the data. You Rod and Kathy are all frauds. Will look forward to the verbal backlash you all receive if L fails and Antioch steps into the void.
Get your facts straight
I didn’t leave it out of my reply.
“any future attempt to move it requires another vote by the people (not staff or council members).”
I then explained why that vote doesn’t appear to be a slam dunk
I’m totally fine with the facts I presented.
You should stop attacking people and stick to facts as well if you want to have a discussion back and forth.
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