Residents Pack Council Chambers Demanding City Block Sale of Historic Theater
City Council • AntiochSeptember 8, 2026
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A standing-room crowd turned Antioch's Sept. 8 council meeting into a referendum on the future of El Campanil Theater, the city's last dedicated performing-arts venue, as nearly 20 speakers urged the council to take legal action before a Sept. 29 close of escrow hands the 1928 landmark to a church. Beyond the theater fight, the council quietly advanced a pair of grant-funded violence intervention positions and pre-approved ADU plans designed to lower housing costs.
- Nearly 20 speakers demand city block the sale of historic El Campanil Theater to Legendary Movement Church, citing a 2003 reversion agreement and $750,000 in public investment
- Council approves two street outreach positions funded by state CalVIP grant to reduce gun violence — no general fund cost
- Pre-approved ADU plans adopted; council explores linking Antioch High School construction academy to donate student-built units
- BART could cut 70% of service and close the Antioch station without a November regional transit measure, council member warns
- Resident facing eviction describes four months of failed homeless prevention services through 211 and Catholic Charities
Antioch's El Campanil Theater — a 1928 performing-arts house in the heart of the Rivertown district — is three weeks from changing hands, and the people who built careers, childhoods and community bonds inside its walls are not going quietly.
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