Six candidates vying for two Antioch City Council seats this November

ANTIOCH — Economic development, homelessness, public safety and housing have taken center stage in the upcoming City Council election as a mix of candidates compete to fill seats in one of Contra Costa County’s largest cities.

November’s race will see six candidates, a slate comprising familiar faces and newcomers looking for a place on the dais to represent Antioch’s District 1 and District 4.

In District 1, roughly bordered by West 10th Street, Wilbur Avenue and Slatten Ranch Road, incumbent Tamisha Torres-Walker is defending the seat that she has held since 2020.

Torres-Walker, a director of a nonprofit, will face a familiar foe — Joy Motts, president of Celebrate Antioch Foundation and a former school trustee.

This will not be the first time the duo has faced off; it is their third meeting since 2020.

Motts first ran for City Council in 2018, but two years later, Torres-Walker unseated the former school trustee.

In 2022, Torres-Walker beat Motts by four votes.

In District 4, incumbent Monica Wilson, seeking her fifth term, will go against two familiar faces, Sandra White and Andrew Becker, and newcomer Matty Mathews Alappat.

Over the years, Antioch, a city with more than 118,000 residents, has been struggling with a flatlining revenue base.

A large share of the city’s revenue comes from property and sales taxes, but that amount hasn’t changed much over the years.

In the City Council-approved 2026-27 fiscal year budget, Antioch had to shave off about $12 million from its deficit with the help of about $4.6 million from stabilization funds and $7.3 million in “true” adjustments.

Projected revenue from a voter-approved 1% sales tax is around $20 million, down slightly from the $20.1 million in the 2025-26 cycle, according to the staff report.

The city is also facing a projected $15 million deficit in the 2027-2028 budget cycle.

Torres-Walker said the high number of blighted, underutilized and vacant commercial properties across the city has hindered “great economic developments” from happening in Antioch.

The councilwoman wants a vacancy tax to be introduced to hold absentee landlords accountable so commercial properties are maintained and either leased or sold.

“It’s to make sure there’s a benefit and not a blight on our city, and not a hindrance on our sales tax,” Torres-Walker told the Bay Area News Group.

“People start to move a lot differently when you hit their pockets differently.”

If given another term, Torres-Walker said she wants to also focus on small business stabilization and development.

For Wilson, having an economic development director who has strong relationships with commercial brokers is essential to enhance revenue in the city.

For almost a decade, Antioch went without an Economic Development Department until 2018, when Kwame Reed was hired to take on the director role.

Reed was named acting city manager in 2023. Two years later, he was appointed assistant city manager after Bessie Scott took over as city manager.

Reed resigned a few months later.

In September, the City Council discussed bringing back the department after previously consolidating it with the Community Development Department to maximize investments.

The city, Wilson said, is often viewed as “a tale of two cities,” with different parts representing various median incomes.

“The 94509 [zip code] has the low median income; the 94531 has a higher median income,” Wilson told the Bay Area News Group.

“I think what happens is when people look up Antioch, it defaults to 94509, so some industries [think] the spending power isn’t there.”

Many Antioch residents also commute outside the city for work, which could lead them to shop and dine outside on their way home, Wilson said.

Having an economic development director would be important to understand the needs of the community to bring in more businesses and encourage residents to spend their money locally, she added.

Motts believes robust economic development solutions, especially in downtown Antioch, are needed to help businesses thrive.

“You know, we have an incredibly beautiful downtown that looks out over the San Joaquin River, which is unlike almost any other city, all the way down into the bay,” Motts told the Bay Area News Group.

“And yet we don’t take advantage of it by making this a destination place for people to want to come and enjoy and celebrate. There’s just a lot of missed opportunities.”

Alappat said many residents end up going to neighboring cities for shopping and entertainment, as Antioch does not have much to offer.

Becker believes there should be cohesive and strategic plans offering incentives to draw in different types of development that could increase property and sales tax revenues.

Antioch also faces a homelessness crisis.

The Contra Costa County Point-In-Time Count data revealed that Antioch has 251 people experiencing homelessness, a drop from the 413 individuals accounted for in 2024.

District 1, said Torres-Walker, has felt the brunt of that crisis.

In July, Antioch turned down a $34.9 million state grant for Homekey+, a statewide program intended to aid the homeless or those at risk of homelessness in finding housing.

The city rejected the state funding as it would have cost the city as much as $1.2 million annually for the next 15 years.

Torres-Walker said she has worked toward building regional and county-level relationships and believes it should be further fostered to address homelessness.

She believes there needs to be a “series of regional conversations” involving elected leaders and legislators from the state and county levels to discuss the problems related to housing and homelessness in their city.

White said many unhoused individuals have substance abuse or mental health challenges and proposed bringing in a county mental health stabilization center to evaluate individuals and refer them to a detox center.

“We can refer you over to get extensive mental health services or housing [which] is the primary issue,” White told the Bay Area News Group.

“It’s like a one-stop hub that individuals can go to.”

Torres-Walker said the city needs a “fair” definition of the unhoused folks, as not every homeless individual suffers from substance abuse or is mentally ill.

“There are conversations around building and creating facilities that they can be put in and receive treatment. We haven’t had those facilities since the Bush [era],” said Torres-Walker.

“I would question the candidates making those statements. Where are they going to get the resources to build this facility, who are they going to partner with, and what is the timeline?”

The city, said Torres-Walker, has invested in various initiatives, such as the safe parking program to help individuals and families who are unable to afford housing.

The councilwoman said the city also needs to evaluate past programs, strategies and resources to see what worked and determine the level of investment needed in the future.

Motts suggested the city needs a community-driven model involving nonprofits, faith-based organizations, veterans, businesses and the county to create a safe space for the unhoused.

This would enable unhoused residents to access shelter and services while reducing the financial burden on the city.

Becker said it was “frustrating” that the city turned down the Homekey+ grant, as it was a regional approach that also involved the county providing services to unhoused residents.

“I don’t think the city did enough due diligence in trying to make it happen,” Becker told the Bay Area News Group.

“Everybody says we can’t afford to do Homekey. I have to constantly remind people that you are a California resident as much as you are an Antioch resident.

“So that billions of dollars that went out in Homekey is your taxpayer dollars too.”