Porshe Taylor resigned from the Antioch Police Oversight Commission on November 10, submitting her letter to the City Council hours before it was scheduled to consider removing her over missed meetings. Taylor had chaired the commission throughout her three terms. Her resignation meant the council did not vote on the proposed removal.
According to the Antioch Herald, which first reported Taylor's resignation, the City Council had placed the question of her removal on its agenda as Item 19.5. A city staff report cited in a separate Herald article laid out the attendance problem in stark terms: “Commissioner Taylor has missed nine (9) meetings in the last year, including six (6) consecutive from August through November,” according to the Antioch Herald.
Taylor’s resignation letter did not dispute the reported attendance figures. Instead, as reported by Contra Costa News, she cited a lack of progress on community engagement, policy development and budget transparency as reasons for leaving. Those were Taylor’s assessments of the commission’s work.
A Chair Who Says the City Ignored Its Own Oversight Body
Taylor also criticized city leaders, arguing in her letter that later city actions were inconsistent with direction the commission had formally given. She presented that disagreement as part of her reason for leaving after three terms as chair.
Taylor said her departure did not end her public-service work. She wrote that she planned to pursue transparency and responsible governance through other efforts, including a proposed body called the People’s Civic Council.
Taylor said the proposed council would include a policing-focused sector to monitor the work and effectiveness of the Antioch Police Oversight Commission, according to Contra Costa News.
A Commission With a History of Vacancies and Quorum Trouble
The commission has faced earlier turnover and questions about its operations. The East Bay Times reported that two commissioners resigned in 2025, while Contra Costa Pulse has reported on past commissioner and meeting problems and proposals that could affect the independence of city commissions.
One of those departures was commissioner Treva Hadden, who submitted an immediate resignation in August 2025, citing limits on her ability to contribute to the commission’s mission, according to The Mercury News. The paper reported that her resignation followed a 6-0 commission vote to remove her after she missed more than three meetings in the preceding 12 months without an excuse. Hadden emailed her resignation letter, dated August 17, to the City Clerk’s office two days later.
Quorum problems predate both departures. An earlier Antioch Herald report found the commission had not reached a quorum since a December 2024 meeting; a January 2025 session was adjourned for lack of attendance. The commission’s 2024 annual report recommended that the police department add policies on the Angelo Quinto Crisis Response Team, officer mental health and community engagement. Taylor’s letter argued that the commission had made little progress on some of these priorities.
Recommendations and the Limits of Oversight
The Antioch Herald reported in February 2025 that council members said they wanted to find grant funding to continue the Angelo Quinto Crisis Response Team. In October 2025, The CC Pulse reported that council members backed drafting a proposal to let the council pause commission meetings for up to three months in a 12-month period; the report described a proposal, not an enacted ordinance. The U.S. Department of Justice agreement says the police chief retains authority over police department operations, personnel, discipline and promotions, and that the agreement does not diminish that authority. The commission’s recommendations and the chief’s operational authority are therefore distinct parts of the oversight picture.
Disputed Details of Taylor's Reappointment
Accounts differ on the specifics of how Taylor came to serve her most recent term. Contra Costa News reported that the City Council voted 5-0 in February to reappoint Taylor to a three-year term, while a notice from the City of Antioch states the council's vote was unanimous at 4-0 and occurred on February 10, 2026. Both accounts agree the reappointment was unanimous, though they diverge on the exact tally.
