The Grand Jury also noted the City of Antioch has a vacancy rate of Although the Brown Act Violations have been brought up several times over the years, District Attorney Diana Becton has ignored them on two known occasionsβfirst, when Antioch Police submitted a Share Order , again with the Public Works Director and hiring of City Managerβalong with meeting in private to discuss redistricting.
In the Grand Jury Report released Tuesday, the Grand Jury confirmed they discovered evidence that one or more Brown Act violations may have occurredβwhile also noting the hiring of former city manager Cornelius Johnson may have been discussed in a private meeting with Hernandez-Thorpe and councilmembers Wilson and Torres-Walker.
The Grand Jury also found evidence of a Brown Act violation for redistricting,. Per the grand jury, who confirmed media reports, over the past ten years, Antioch has had six permanent or acting city managers, with an average tenure of less than two. This compares to the average in Antioch of less than 2 years. As a result of having no permanent City Manager for over a year, the city has delayed appointing permanent department heads who supervise day-to-day operations in such critical departments as Public Works, Community Development and the Police Department.
Accordingly, these departments do not have full-time Directors. As a result, more than half of the city departments are headed by acting or part-time directors. Appointing a qualified and effective permanent City Manager is an important first step for Antioch in addressing current challenges, including filling key department head vacancies, reducing the employee vacancy rate, and managing a large and complex organization.
While the city council has disputed high vacancy rates, the Grand Jury confirmed media reports of high turnover and vacancy. The Grand Jury confirms, in the absence of a permanent City Manager, three department head positions have not been filled permanently. This has delayed the hiring process for staff members within these departments.
