CITY COUNCIL MEETING
SPECIAL MEETING/WORKSHOP
Special Meeting December 2, 2025
12:00 P.M. Antioch Water Park – Multi Use Room
12:00 P.M. – SPECIAL MEETING/WORKSHOP
Mayor Bernal called the Special Meeting to order at 12:06 P.M., and City Clerk Mandy called the roll.
Present: Council Members District 3 Freitas, District 4 Wilson, Mayor Pro Tem (District 2) Rocha and Mayor Bernal
Absent: Council Member District 1 Torres-Walker (arrived at 12:26 P.M.)
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Bernal led the Pledge of Allegiance.
WORKSHOP
1. CITY COUNCIL PRIORITY SETTING DISCUSSION – HOUSING AND UNHOUSED
SUPPORTS
City Manager Scott presented the staff report dated December 2, 2025, recommending the City Council discuss and provide direction to City staff.
Tracy Miller, TM Consulting, delivered opening remarks, expressing her appreciation for the City Council's dedication to Antioch. She highlighted her role as the facilitator for the City Council’s Study Session and outlined the objectives for the discussion.
The City Council received public comment from the following individuals who spoke on the City Council Priority Setting Discussion:
Jesus encouraged the City to focus on public health downtown and suggested public restroom facilities be provided for the unhoused.
An unidentified speaker suggested an ordinance prohibiting camping in Antioch and encouraged the City to address encampments along the railroad and waterways.
An unidentified speaker representing NAMI CC and Leave No One Behind discussed her work with the unsheltered and stated she hoped the City could find a solution.
Debra discussed her unhoused outreach efforts and encouraged the community to respond with compassion.
Melissa Case encouraged the City to work with community advocates to provide the help needed to balance economic development and homeless outreach efforts.
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Councilmember Torres-Walker arrived at 12:26 P.M.
Erica spoke to the need for warming centers and emergency shelters in Antioch. She encouraged the City to provide a list of services available for the unhoused . She commented that taking care of the less fortunate would provide a better City for all.
Pastor Damon Owens thanked the City Council for facilitating discussion on this topic. He highlighted challenges in tax revenue generation, underscoring the need for economic development, and proposed installing AI -driven restroom facilities. He also commended the City’s abatement team for their efforts.
Ronald discussed his efforts to open a business in Antioch and the negative impact of unhoused individuals using vacant properties for shelter. He commented on the positive impact economic development had on addressing these issues.
Krystle Law Brooks shared her experiences with homelessness and the limited services available. She urged the City to engage the unhoused population for their input and recommended providing them with employment opportunities.
Nichole Gardner urged the City to collaborate with all stakeholders on solutions for the unhoused and commended the Public Safety and Community Resources Department for their transparency, encouraging continued funding of their efforts.
Rosa suggested involving affected neighborhood residents in homelessness discussions.
Ms. Miller requested the City Council identify their top three action items for Housing and Unhoused Supports.
Councilmember Rocha identified the following action items for Housing and Unhoused Supports and explained his reasoning.
➢ Support, sustain, and expand existing services related to housing and unhoused populations
➢ Develop a Care Center on the city -owned property located on Delta Fair Boulevard, or consider selling the property to generate revenue for additional programming ➢ Reallocate or allocate funds (such as Grace Arms, Hope Solutions, and Homekey) to enhance shelter provisions for the unhoused community
Councilmember Torres -Walker responding to the public suggested those at risk of losing housing reach out to the Department of Public Safety and Community Resources for rental assistance. She also suggested establishing a warming center in partnership with Contra Costa County, developing collaborations to create more safe parking sites, formulating strategies for temporary housing during encampment sweeps, and considering a tax for the owners of vacant properties.
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Councilmember Torres-Walker identified the following action items for Housing and Unhoused Supports and explained her reasoning.
➢ Collaborate with Swords and Plowshares to secure housing resources for unhoused Veterans, exploring the potential use of city-owned property on Delta Fair Boulevard ➢ Prioritize the Homekey application and convene a meeting to allocate funds for the development of 80 units on the Comfort Inn property to serve the unhoused population ➢ Establish a Homelessness Task Force and create a Homelessness and Housing Ad Hoc Committee
➢ Partner with BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad to address encampments along the railroad tracks
➢ Provide an update on the implementation and progress of Care Court
Councilmember Wilson identified the following action items for Housing and Unhoused Supports and explained her reasoning.
➢ Conduct an assessment of the resources required to establish a local shelter, involving east county cities, the county, and community-based organizations ➢ Support the development of a Workforce Development Center in partnership with Goodwill
➢ Enhance access to public restrooms, showers, and health services to address immediate needs of the unhoused population
Councilmember Freitas identified the following action items for Housing and Unhoused Supports and explained his reasoning.
➢ Convene City Council meetings with stakeholders to discuss homeless issues across the community
➢ Prioritize emergency needs and immediate response measures for the unhoused, including warming and cooling centers, food, public health services, showers, clothing, and access to medical support
➢ Conduct a comprehensive accounting of all funds expended by the City on homelessness-related initiatives
➢ Collaborate with stakeholders, specifically Delta 6, to address homelessness issues on a sub-regional level
Mayor Bernal identified the following action items for Housing and Unhoused Supports and explained his reasoning.
➢ Prepare and provide a comprehensive list of all items and financial investments made by the City to address homelessness
➢ Compile and disseminate a list of available resources for the community ➢ Designate a central point of contact for communication regarding homeless services ➢ Reopen the restroom facility at City Park
➢ Establish emergency shelter options, including warming and cooling centers ➢ Initiate discussions regarding the use of the property on Delta Fair Boulevard
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➢ Partner with the County to leverage additional resources ➢ Promote the Safe Parking Program
City Manager Scott expressed appreciation for the discussion and noted that Antioch lack ed a data or policy analyst and an enterprise management system to gather the requested information. She recommended hiring a consultant to conduct a homelessness investments analysis to support data-driven decisions. Additionally, she highlighted that additional meetings would strain staffing resources, which were already limited, and that scaling priorities into existing positions would take additional time.
Mayor Bernal requested City Manager Scott provide Council with an assessment of the needs to gather the necessary data.
Councilmember Torres-Walker suggested gathering data from the non -profits that served the community.
Councilmember Freitas requested effectively communicating what services were available and that the city provide immediate responses to emergencies.
City Manager Scott reported that the City’s Public Information Officer and Director of Public Safety and Community Resources could lead an outreach initiative on City and County services.
She clarified that emergency services f ell outside city staff’s responsibilities. She provided an update on ongoing discussions regarding the logistics of opening a warming center in Antioch and offered to share a memorandum once arrangements were completed. She reiterated that current staffing levels limit ed the capacity for extra meetings and recommended continuing discussions prior to regularly scheduled Council meetings. Additionally, she updated the Council on meetings with the County regarding the Delta Fair Blvd. property, noting that while the County invested in concept and design, funding for construction was unavailable. She advised the Council to engage with the County Board of Supervisors to advocate for the City’s interests.
Councilmember Freitas commented that this was a subregional issue, and he believed the County Board of Supervisors could appropriate some ARPA funding to advance this project.
Following the discussion, Council identified the following action items for Housing and Unhoused Supports:
Housing and Unhoused Supports Action Items
➢ The Council will convene every other month, on regular Council meeting dates, to gather community input on approaches to addressing homelessness ➢ The Council will work to develop options for the utilization of the Delta Fair Boulevard property, with the City Manager providing an update on the status of discussions with the County regarding its use
➢ The City Manager will engage a consultant to conduct a financial assessment of the City’s current expenditures related to homelessness and to evaluate the effectiveness of those investments
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City Manager Scott thanked all participants, staff, and consultants for their attendance and contributions.
Mayor Bernal thanked everyone who participated in the meeting.
ADJOURNMENT
On motion by Councilmember Torres-Walker, seconded by Councilmember Rocha the City Council unanimously adjourned the meeting at 2:08 P.M.
Respectfully submitted:
Kitty Eiden
KITTY EIDEN, Minutes Clerk