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Build a Better Birdhouse Battle
Submitted by Dorsi Diaz
The Sun Gallery is excited to announce that the Build a Better Birdhouse Battle is BACK!
This fan favorite is now in its 7th year! (2021 and 2022 were cancelled due to the pandemic)
Viewings and silent auctions will be on Friday, January 13 from 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. and again on Saturday January 14 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
This year, students from Tennyson High School and Mt. Eden High School will compete for the BBBB cup. There will also be student art on display from other local Hayward schools.
The Build a Better Birdhouse Battle silent auction will end at 2 p.m. on January 14, when the highest bidders will take home these beautiful unique handmade birdhouses. No two are alike! You will go home with a one-of-a-kind functional piece of art that will last you a lifetime, and you’ll also be helping support your local students here in Hayward!
Refreshments and light snacks will be served during the silent auction, and 100% of proceeds go to benefit the students that are participating in the challenge. Please come and support your local youth!
Although not mandatory inside the gallery, masking is highly encouraged.
Sun Gallery, whose mission is “Building Community through Creativity,” is a local non-profit gallery that supports and collaborates with our local public schools and is celebrating our 47th year of serving the community. The gallery is located at 1015 E street Hayward (near Bret Harte Middle School) and can be reached at (510) 581-4050. The website is www.sungallery.org.
7th Build a Better Birdhouse Battle
Friday, Jan 13: 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, Jan 14: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Sun Gallery
1015 E St., Hayward
(510) 581-4050
Hello Lunar New Year!
2023 is the Year of the Rabbit based on Chinese zodiac. This is a year of Water Rabbit, starting from January 22, 2023 and lasting to February 9, 2024. Rabbit ranks fourth in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac signs.
For the Asian culture, the rabbit is a tame creature representing hope and long life. It is tender and lovely. People born in the Year of the Rabbit are gentle and approachable. They have a decent, noble and elegant manner.
The Years of the Rabbit include: 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023.
Lucky Numbers: 3, 4, 9
Lucky Flowers: Snapdragon, Plantain Lily, and Nerve Plant. (Information shared from travelchinaguide.com)
Lunar New Year Fremont
Join Fremont Recreation Services to celebrate Lunar New Year, the Year of the Rabbit, with an in-person event highlighting Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and other cultural traditions. Enjoy crafts and activities in the Kids’ Corner; performances by Dragon Rhythm Shaolin Kung Fu and The Eternity Band; and foods connected to the Lunar New Year holiday, along with Food Truck Mafia.
Saturday, Jan 14
11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Fremont Downtown Event Center
3500 Capitol Ave., Fremont
(510) 742-7510
www.fremont.gov/government/departments/parks-recreation/events/lunar-new-year
Lunar New Year Milpitas
Milpitas Recreation and Community Services’ Lunar New Year celebration returns to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit on Saturday, January 14 at the Milpitas Civic Center. Gather your friends and family to join us for an evening filled with free live entertainment including firecrackers, dragon and lion dancing, traditional music, martial arts, and crafts. Delicious local cuisine is available for purchase.
Saturday, Jan 14
6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Milpitas Civic Center Plaza
457 E. Calaveras Blvd., Milpitas
(408) 586-3210
https://www.milpitas.gov/event/lunar-new-year/
Lunar New Year Parade
Join Newark Library for a parade to celebrate Lunar New Year! Attendees of all ages are invited to march around the library to music while holding banners. A few small lion masks will be available. Weather permitting, the parade will march around the outside of Newark Civic Center.
Saturday, Jan 21
11 a.m. – 12 noon
Newark Library meeting room
37055 Newark Blvd., Newark
Lunar New Year Scavenger Hunt
Oh no! The animals from the Chinese Zodiac are loose in Castro Valley Library’s Children’s Section! Help find all 12 and receive a small prize. This program will take place during open hours daily from January 22 to February 5. Children may participate one time.
Sunday, Jan 22 – Sunday, Feb 5
During open hours
Castro Valley Library
3600 Norbridge Ave., Castro Valley
(510) 667-7900
www.aclibrary.org/branches/csv
Lunar New Year Tet Festival
UStar Productions is proud to bring back the largest Vietnamese Lunar New Year-Tet Festival in San Jose for three days from Friday, January 27 to Sunday, January 29 at Eastridge Center. Enjoy lion dancers, student and adult talent contests, Miss Vietnam California, carnival rides and games, food and vendor booths, and more! Admission is free. (Parking available at the corner of Quimby & Tully Road)
Friday, Jan 27 – Sunday, Jan 29
Fri: 3 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Sat/Sun 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Eastridge Loop
2200 Eastridge Loop, San Jose
allevents.in
Eventbrite.com
General admission free
Martin Luther King Jr. Day events
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is celebrated every year on the third Monday of January after President Ronald Regan signed it into law in 1983. Even after being signed into law, some states resisted honoring Dr. King by changing the name of the holiday or celebrating other figures such as Confederate general Robert E. Lee. In 2000, all 50 states officially began to observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a holiday.
This year MLK Day falls on Monday, January 16 and several cities in the Bay Area are celebrating the civil rights leader with music, poetry, community engagement and more.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
Monday, Jan 16
9 a.m. – 12 noon
Attend an in-person event on the 16th, or clean up your neighborhood
Martin Luther King Jr. Shoreline Park
1 Swan Way, Oakland
https://www.ebparks.org/MLK-day-service
MLK Celebration
Monday, Jan 16
10:30 a.m.
Live entertainment, student oratorical contest, kids’ crafts, light refreshments
Marina Community Center
15301 Wicks Blvd., San Leandro
Sanleandro.org/mlk
Hayward Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration
Monday, Jan 16
4:30 p.m.
Music, poetry, song, community recognition, keynote speaker Police Chief Toney Chaplin
Chabot College Performing Arts Complex
25555 Hesperian Blvd., Hayward
(510) 723-6600
2023 Season Announcement Soiree & Fammy Awards
Submitted by Plethos
On January 14, join us as we kick off our SIXTH season of bringing live performing arts to our local community!
It will be a fun and festive night with performances from our past productions and the first sneak peeks at our upcoming shows! We’ll also be honoring our 2022 season performers with the presentation of illustrious Fammy Awards. Enjoy karaoke, prizes, and an exclusive discount on 2023 Season Subscriptions.
Food will be available from MAD Creationz, with three options to order: Brisket Mac & Cheese, Jackfruit Vegetable Yellow Curry (Vegan), and Strawberry, Cucumber, Walnut Salad (Vegetarian). All dinner items will be priced $15 presale and $20 at the door. MAD Creationz dinners typically sell out, so pre-ordering is recommended.
In addition, cocktails, beer and wine are available for purchase from Oculto.
This is an all-ages event, but note that some of stand-up comedy and performances may contain strong language. Seating will be first-come, first serve and seating is LIMITED so be sure to buy tickets in advance.
2023 Season Announcement Soiree
Saturday, Jan 14
8 p.m.
Castro Valley Marketplace, Lab 200
3295 Castro Valley Blvd, Castro Valley
Tickets: $20
Dinner: $15
Boost the health and beauty of your houseplants
By Melinda Myers
Fight the post-holiday blues with a bit of indoor gardening. Keeping your houseplants healthy and looking their best with a bit of grooming this winter is sure to lift your spirits.
Clip off any dead leaves as they appear. Use a sharp snips or bypass pruner to make a clean cut that looks tidy and closes up quickly. An occasional brown leaf is not usually a problem, but if browning continues, it might be time to take action. Evaluate growing conditions and make needed adjustments.
Brown leaves are often caused by low humidity which is common in many homes during winter. Boost the humidity in your home by grouping plants together. As one plant loses moisture through its leaves via transpiration, neighboring plants benefit. Add pebbles or marbles to the saucer or trays beneath the plants. Allow excess water to collect in the pebbles below the pot. As water evaporates it increases humidity right around the plant. Move plants that require moist soil and high humidity into a terrarium. They are attractive living decorations and make caring for high-maintenance plants easier.
Over- and under-watering can also result in brown leaves, edges, and tips. Water thoroughly when needed. Base frequency on the plants you are growing, room temperature and humidity. Tropical plants need more consistently moist soil while cacti and succulents like it drier. With lower light conditions in many homes, plants grow more slowly and may need less frequent watering in winter. Pour off any excess water that collects in the saucer and can lead to root rot.
Stop fertilizing indoor plants in winter unless they are actively growing. Applying fertilizer that plants don’t need can cause root damage, leading to leaf discoloration.
Trim off brown tips that are common on spider plants, dracaenas, Ti plants, and prayer plants sensitive to chlorine and fluoride in water. Avoid the problem by using chemical-free water.
Wipe dust off leaves with a damp cloth. Use a cosmetic brush to clean the fuzzy leaves of plants like African violets. Keeping your plants clean and well-groomed also helps reduce insect and disease problems.
Further protect plants from pests with Summit Sticky Traps (SummitResponsibleSolutions.com). Just place one or two in the pot with the sticky side exposed. The yellow attracts fungus gnats, aphids, thrips, leaf miners, and other harmful pests feeding on your plants. The sticky surface traps insects, causing them to die without the use of pesticides. Replace the trap once it is covered with insects or every three months.
Boost indoor plant resilience by providing the right amount of light. Move plants to a sunnier window or add artificial lights as needed. Then give plants a quarter turn every time you water. This promotes more balanced growth by exposing all parts of the plant to the light source.
Taking time to tend to your plants improves their health and beauty while elevating your mood and helping fight stress.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including the recently released Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Editi
on and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” instant video and DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned by Summit for her expertise to write this article. Myers’ website is www.MelindaMyers.com.
Curious about the first Fremont Arts, Culture, and Creativity Month?
Submitted by Tina Fernandez-Steckler
Did you know that April is Arts, Culture, and Creativity Month (ACCM)? This month-long, statewide initiative was established by the Californians for the Arts (CFTA) in 2019 when they successfully campaigned for the state to recognize and celebrate the arts. And, in 2021, an additional resolution was declared to recognize artists as second responders: individuals who help put people’s lives back together. In essence, arts second responders help communities recover, reflect, and rebuild following crises.
Arts, Culture, and Creativity month is designed to raise visibility and awareness about the value of the arts sector, to empower arts advocates to act, and to spur greater investments in the arts industry and workforce. On a local level, we are fortunate that a consortium of established Fremont arts associations has formed Fremont Creates through which member organizations work to raise the profile of artists and arts in our community.
Tri-City Nonprofit Coalition will do its part to raise awareness of the value of art and artists by hosting a Zoom presentation on Wednesday, January 11, from 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. The presentation and discussion will be led by local glass artist Susan Longini and community activist Julie Gilson.
Register at https://tinyurl.com/TCNPCJan2023 or scan the QR code accompanying this article.
Tri-City Nonprofit Coalition (TCNPC) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with the mission of strengthening the ability of all Tri-City nonprofit organizations to successfully accomplish their respective missions by collaborating, sharing information, and raising community awareness.
Tri-City Nonprofit Coalition
Fremont Creates
Arts, Culture, and Creativity Month Presentation
Wednesday, Jan 11
6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Via Zoom
https://tinyurl.com/TCNPCJan2023
Bay Philharmonic Winter Concert
Submitted by Barett Hoover
On Saturday, January 14, Bay Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (Formerly FYSO) will present their winter concert, “The Echoes of Life.” The program includes works for Mozart, Beethoven and Mendelssohn. To these great composers, music is a resting place for their emotions that surrounds every meaningful moment of their lives. Even today, their music echoes in different stages of our lives.
For example, the Wedding March from Mendelssohn’s A Mid Summer Night’s Dream, is commonly used as a wedding recessional in many parts of the world. The choral theme for the final movement of Mendelssohn’s Symphony no. 5 carries a ceremonial undertone and is regularly sung at nationalistic events. A recent noted ceremony was at the first national funeral service in Scotland for the late Queen Elizabeth.
Bay Philharmonic Youth Orchestra is directed by Judy Lam and Marcella Schantz and we invite you to join us at the concert.
Bay Philharmonic Winter Concert
Saturday, Jan 14
3 p.m.
Irvington Presbyterian Church
4181 Irvington Ave., Fremont
Free admission; donations welcome
Former Councilmember Rick Jones endorses cohousing
Submitted by Jane Mueller
As Rick Jones concluded eight years of service on Fremont City Council last month, the mayor and his council colleagues applauded the impact he has had on the community. Diversity in housing choice has been among the continuing issues that commanded his effort and attention.
“The State mandates that all California cities, towns, and counties plan for the housing needs of our residents,” he points out. “Meeting our target numbers and fulfilling that responsibility requires creative thinking about the forms that housing could take.”
He is an eager advocate of Mission Peak Village, the first cohousing community proposed for Fremont. The recently updated Housing Element of Fremont’s General Plan mentions cohousing as part of the desirable mix of housing for the city. “The collaborative housing, or ‘cohousing,’ concept is a great idea for Fremont,” says Rick, “partly because it encourages community across age ranges and the demographics of our region.”
Among benefits he mentioned:
- As Fremont’s population has continued to grow, the average age is getting older. Within the context of the so-called “Silver Tsunami,” the cohousing market is generally being driven by Baby Boomers looking to downsize. Most of the Baby Boomers in Mission Peak Cohousing are already Fremont homeowners, and when they downsize to Mission Peak Village, they will be freeing up single family homes for growing families.
- The pandemic heightened isolation as an issue for families. Cohousing, by its fundamental nature of encouraging friendship and interaction among neighbors, is a healthful way to counteract isolation and create a sense of belonging and safety.
- Cohousing communities in general—and Mission Peak Village in particular—place high value on sustainability. They serve as living evidence that residents can live lighter on the planet without sacrificing quality of life.
- Cohousing appeals to and is already a familiar way of living to many ethnicities represented in Fremont.
- Cohousing is a great place to raise kids. In addition to their own parents, kids have an entire neighborhood of caring adults to rely upon for support and security.
- Former Councilmember Jones has a particular soft spot in his heart for kids. During his 29-year tenure as a Fremont Police Officer, he s
pent “the best nine years of my career” as the School Resource Officer at Washington High School. He also volunteered as Junior Varsity Girls Softball Head Coach at Kennedy High School for 5 years.
Rick Jones lives in Glenmoor with his wife Dana, also a retired Fremont Police Officer. They were the first married couple to serve as Fremont officers. Her family has roots in the former Washington Township that go back to the early 1900’s and is one of the relatively few current Fremont residents who was born and raised here. In addition to Rick’s service in the police department and on City Council, his 43 years of public service has included serving as a Planning Commissioner and as a Traffic School instructor at the Fremont Adult School.
This article is part of an ongoing series on cohousing, a type of development designed by the residents themselves with ample common spaces surrounded by private homes. Shared spaces typically include a common house with a large kitchen and dining room, recreational areas, and outdoor gardens, in which neighbors play together, cook for one another, share tools, and work collaboratively. To learn more on the topic of cohousing, visit www.cohousing.org.
Mission Peak Village is a group of friends forming Fremont’s first cohousing community. Memberships are still available. Call Kelli at (510) 413-8446 or visit Mission Peak Village on Facebook, Instagram, or the www.missionpeakcohousing.org website, where you can register for a monthly walk to explore the neighborhood around the future site.
Hayward Climate Action: A Discussion
Submitted by Winda I. Shimizu
On Saturday, January 14, join us at Hayward Public Library for a panel discussion regarding how Hayward as a community is responding to the projections of climate chaos locally.
Representatives from City of Hayward, including Erik Pearson, Sustainability Manager, and Taylor Richard, Assistant Planner and the City of Hayward’s representative on the Hayward Area Shoreline Planning Agency (HASPA), will join Amos White, Founder and Chief Planting Officer of 100K Trees for Humanity, in responding to questions regarding what climate action is currently happening in Hayward, what needs to be done, and how can the greater community get involved in efforts to increase resiliency and ensure health and equity.
“Hayward Climate Action: A Discussion” is in conjunction with “55” – Images of Sea Level Rise on the Hayward Shoreline,” an exhibition of paintings by Jennifer Koney on view through January 26, 2023 at the Hayward Library, 2nd floor. (Sponsored by Hayward Arts Council and Hayward Public Library.) Visit haywardartscouncil.org to learn more about the panel discussion and exhibition.
Hayward Climate Action: A Discussion
Saturday, Jan 14
1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Hayward Public Library
Fremont Bank Foundation Room
888 C St., Hayward
(510) 293-8685
https://www.hayward-ca.gov/public-library
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration
Submitted by City of Hayward
Hayward will pay tribute to the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a program of music and song, poetry, community-award recognitions, a keynote address by Chief of Police Toney Chaplin and other activities on Monday, January 16 at Chabot College Performing Arts Complex.
The annual Hayward celebration of the great social justice and civil rights leader that takes place on the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday is returning to its live format after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID19 pandemic. The program is sponsored by the Hayward South Alameda County NAACP, Chabot College, Hayward Unified School District and City of Hayward and will feature performances by the Mt. Eden High School Choir, Hayward High School Jazz Band and Brett Harte Middle School Slam Poets.
Keynote speaker Chaplin is the first African-American leader of the Hayward Police Department. Born one year and one week to the day after the assassination of Dr. King on April 4, 1968, Chief Chaplin grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, location of the Black Wall Street massacre, where a white mob attacked the thriving Greenwood business district on May 31, 1921, resulting in the death of more than 300 people. He is a U.S. Army veteran who went on to a 30-year career of service to the San Francisco Police Department where he held every rank from patrol officer to Interim Chief of Police before being named Hayward’s 15th Chief of Police in July 2019.
For more information on the annual Hayward Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration—including how to reserve a seat for this free event—visit the City of Hayward website at www.hayward-ca.gov.
Hayward Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration
Monday, Jan 16
4:30 p.m.
Chabot College Performing Arts Complex
25555 Hesperian Blvd., Hayward
(510) 723-6600
Immigrants asked to share skills and talents
Submitted by County of Santa Clara
Immigrants who would like to serve as community ambassadors to improve and expand immigrant integration in the South Bay are invited to apply for a New Americans Fellowship (NAF) program in Santa Clara County.
People with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), U and T nonimmigrant visa, VAWA, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), asylees and refugees who live, work, or go to school in Santa Clara County are invited to apply. NAF is a 10-week leadership program that includes a stipend of up to $10,000. Between 10 and 15 positions are available in the 2023 NAF fellowship.
Program fellows receive mentoring and career pipeline support from county leaders and departments and gain transferable skills and professional development in areas of research, policy analysis, public communication, group facilitation, and project management. They are trained to serve as community ambassadors improve immigrant integration.
About the fellowship:
- 10-week program between June 2023 — August 2023.
- Up to $10,000 stipend to cover living expenses.
- Fellows’ projects for the 10 weeks typically require full-time commitment.
- Fellows work on research and/or community engagement project focused on immigrant integration.
- Fellows are assigned to engage regularly and communicate with various county departments and county leaders during the fellowship.
- Mentoring departments and leading county staff provide mentorship support to fellows to understand the county’s SafetyNet programs and to apply an immigrant community lens to all projects.
- Fellows gain professional development experience in the context of county government.
- Fellows engage in developing research and policy recommendations.
How to Apply
- Complete the application posted online at www.sccoir.org/naf.
- Provide one letter of recommendation from an individual or organization you have worked or collaborated with that can offer insight on your public service activities and leadership skills.
- Submit the application and letter of recommendation by February 10, 2023.
For questions, send an email to [email protected].
Course covers 33 centuries of Jewish literature
Submitted by Adult Education at Chabad of Fremont
To study the history of most cultures, you need to learn about wars and empires, warriors and city builders, and great works of art. But the history of Judaism is overwhelmingly a history of books. Books form the core of Judaism’s culture. But even if they’re known as “the People of the Book,” much of Judaism’s classic literature remains closed to contemporary Jews.
This January 25th, Rabbi Eli Landes, Director of Adult Education at Chabad of Fremont, will open Jewish literature to a contemporary audience. He’s leading a class of Jews of many affiliations and backgrounds as they explore the history, authors, and content of Judaism’s most important titles in a new course entitled “Book Smart.”
“It’s an ambitious undertaking,” Rabbi Eli says. “I’m excited because I think the course will give us a richer understanding of what Judaism meant throughout the centuries and what it can mean for us today.”
When Book Smart’s first ninety-minute session kicks off on January 25 at 7 p.m., students will begin their six-week survey of traditional Jewish literature, covering; Torah, Talmud, Midrash, halachah, ethics, and philosophy, as well as kabbalah and Chasidic mysticism. “We’ll meet the authors behind the big ideas of Jewish history over a period of thirty-three centuries,” Rabbi Eli shares.
The history of Jewish literature is a broad subject, but Rabbi Eli says the course will also go deep. “We’re not just going to learn why these works were written. We’re actually going to get a taste of what it’s like to participate in a Talmudic debate, unpack a philosophical conundrum, and decipher a kabbalistic text from the Zohar.”
Book Smart was developed by The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute, headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, which has a sterling reputation for producing high-quality and engaging courses.
Rabbi Eli says he isn’t promising students overnight expertise on the works discussed in the course. “But I can assure them it will be an enjoyable and intellectually engaging journey, giving us valuable context for all our future Jewish learning.”
To learn more about the course, visit www.ChabadFremont.com/JLI
Book Smart
Wednesdays, Jan 25 – Mar 1
7:00 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.
In-person and online
Chabad of Fremont
4251 Peralta Blvd., Fremont
(510) 300-4090
Registration per person: $99
Woman behind Leatherwork brings Bay Area people together
Submitted by Eve Marie Little
Whenever someone mentions the hobby of leatherwork, most people only think of western cowboy art or a hobby that is much too difficult or too expensive to pursue. However, Camille Porteous, manager at Tandy Leather store at the Fremont Hub, wants everyone to know that she is here to help break those stereotypes.
Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Camille started working in the medical field but was not happy because of the high-pressure stress related with this industry. She found that her pastime of making leather purses was very relaxing and a good escape from her day-to-day worries. The opportunity of being a sales associate at Tandy Leather in Tampa, Florida came up and she decided to go all in and pursue her passion as a career. She later got promoted to manager of the store and was transferred to the Bay Area where she has been the manager of the Fremont store since 2019.
With time and Camille’s passion, a mini community has developed in this niche hobby where everyone is welcome to participate. People are surprised to learn that the hobby of leatherwork is less expensive and more accessible than one imagines. There are an average of six workshop classes a month where anyone can come in and learn how to make leather items such as wallets, handbags, belts and more. They can even attend “Open Table Sessions” where people come in and have assistance by the trained staff on their current project with a variety of tools and devices at no additional fee.
Camille feels that leatherwork offers a therapeutic benefit by encouraging people be patient and creative while at the same time having a finished product they can be proud of. She feels the best part about this hobby is that there is a huge variety of projects anyone can try, from simple bookmarks to exquisite handbags and coats.
Camille says her favorite part of the job is the community outreach and customers who are interested in creating memories for a lifetime, one fun task at a time. “Just seeing the joy on their faces when they finally finish a brand-new pattern is one of the main reasons I love my job,” states Camille. “Some of the stuff that my clients make really blows my mind and makes me so happy that I got to be a small part of their creativity.”
Camille has an interest in expanding to other communities such as helping the scouts with their leatherwork merit badges and other similar activities. Her main goal is to provide a fun place for everyone to come out and have a good time.
For more information or a private event, check out her Instagram @Leather_N_Tea or email h
er at [email protected].
Tandy Leather
200 Fremont Hub Courtyard, Fremont
(510) 441-7480
Starstruck starts off 2023 with Matilda the Musical
Submitted by Starstruck
Do you have your tickets to StarStruck Theatre’s production of Matilda the Musical?
Inspired by the twisted genius of Roald Dahl, the Tony Award-winning Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical is the captivating masterpiece from the Royal Shakespeare Company that revels in the anarchy of childhood, the power of imagination, and the inspiring story of a girl who dreams of a better life.
Packed with high-energy dance numbers and catchy songs, Matilda is a joyous girl power romp. Children and adults alike will be thrilled and delighted by the story of the special little girl with an extraordinary imagination.
This performance is live onstage at the Smith Center at Ohlone College January 13-29. The Friday, January 27 performance will have ASL interpretation. (Reserve seats in the section near interpreters by emailing [email protected].)
Masks are recommended inside Ohlone College Facilities. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required for 16-year-olds and up. A negative PCR test from a lab that can provide proof within 48 hours will be accepted in lieu of vaccination.Rules and guidelines are subject to change.
Matilda the Musical
Friday, Jan 13 – Sunday, Jan 29
Fri / Sat: 7 p.m.
Sun: 2 p.m.
Smith Center at Ohlone College
43600 Mission Blvd., Fremont
(510) 659-1319
https://starstrucktheatre.org/pages/matilda-playingnext
Tickets: $25-30
Jump ‘Write-In’ to the New Year with Fremont Area Writers
Submitted by Tish Davidson
Is your New Year’s resolution to finally write that story, book, or poem? Then it’s time to join the Fremont Area Writers in a free Zoom Social Write-in on January 14 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. This social write-in is an opportunity to give your creativity a boost while meeting other local writers. The event is for everyone from complete beginners to already published writers. Past participants have ranged in age from 18 to 92. The write-in is not a critique group. Your writing will not be evaluated or judged, just enjoyed by your fellow writers.
At the write-in the computer will randomly assign four writers to each Zoom room. Writers will be given several word or photo prompts. The prompts are designed to help you get to know others in the room. They may be something like “the neighborhood I grew up in,” or “if I could meet one of my ancestors.” Choose one prompt and write for 10 minutes. When the writing time ends, each person in the room will read their response to the prompt and socializes in a relaxed, supportive atmosphere. Writers will then be reassigned a different Zoom room with different colleagues and different prompts and the process will be repeated.
Fremont Area Writers is a branch of the California Writers Club. It sponsors free monthly Zoom speakers, write-ins, and a salon, and is open to writers of all abilities. The next Zoom speaker meeting is on January 28 from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. Tanya Egan Gibson, author of many short stories, magazine articles, and the novel How to Buy a Love of Readingwill speak on how to read your work like a stranger and weed out the boring parts.
To participate in the Write-In or the speaker meeting, request the Zoom meeting link from Scott Davidson at [email protected].
Zoom Social Write-In
Saturday, Jan 14
2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Request Zoom link from Scott Davidson [email protected]
Tyler Ranch Staging Area
By Jack Alcorn
In September 2021 East Bay Regional Park District (EBRP) began construction of Tyler Ranch Staging Area for access to Sunol’s Tyler Ranch Trail and several other recreational parcels. The new staging area is located at the west end of Foothill Road in the town of Sunol. Funded with grant money from the State’s 2018 Park and Water Bond Act, Proposition 68, the $1.5 million park expansion project is expected to open for public use in the fall/winter of 2023.
The expansion effort included acquisition of the 1,476 acre Tyler Ranch property. The Ranch provides an informative view of the hearty, successful pioneer families and way of life that settled California. It includes a pasture area, a residential home site, a barn, workshop, storage shed, chicken coop, spring, and series of corrals.
The Park District also acquired the adjacent 1,368 acre Robertson Ranch property, offering panoramic views from the approximately 2,150 foot rise to the Sunol Peak. The Robertson Ranch property and the existing ranch roads will be accessible through the Tyler Ranch Staging Area.
The new staging area will provide pedestrian, equestrian, and bicycle access into the southern end of Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park. Park visitors will gain access to the Tyler Ranch Trail, Sunol Ridge Trail, and trails within the Robertson property, adding approximately 18 miles of trails to the Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park.
The park occupies much of Pleasanton and Sunol Ridges – those long, wooded ridges running north and south on the west side of Interstate 680 across from Pleasanton. It includes open grasslands, bay-oak woodlands and ravines heavily vegetated with chaparral. The park’s ridge tops offer panoramic views of the Bay Area.
In three miles of trail, you can hike or bicycle to the 2150-foot Sunol Peak. The terrain is mostly rolling hills with some flat and steeper parts. When you reach the top by bicycle you can turn around and ride back down at blistering speeds or branch out to trails that offer a more leisurely descent.
EBRP said the staging area will include 70 parking spaces on a gravel lot, four ADA spaces, and three horse, trailer or bus parking spots. Restrooms, a drinking fountain, bike rack, and an information panel will be included. The landscaping, security lighting and family picnic area will make the site a favored destination.
Subaru Outback Wilderness: A Rainy Day Friend
By Michael Coates
Some vehicles are best-suited for certain times. Convertibles for sunny days. Sports cars for winding mountain roads. SUVs for family vacations. Subarus are built with this winter’s Bay Area weather in mind.
Subaru has a reputation for all-weather vehicles based on its dedication to all-wheel drive all-the-time design. It’s no surprise that Subarus have big followings in hilly and wet Seattle and snowy Denver. Handling foul weather is a given, but Subarus like the Outback Wilderness we tested balance this with a comfortable and functional vehicle for when the weather’s perfect.
But back to our wild and wet winter, and how the Outback’s Wilderness trim (new in 2022) was a perfect match for our blasting by some nasty atmospheric rivers. The Wilderness package on the compact SUV gives it a higher ground clearance for fording flooded intersections, an upgraded suspension and all-terrain tires (we see you, mudslides).
The Real Intent
A little extra ground clearance in the heavy rain is nice, but in reality, we’re benefitting from a redesign aimed at even more treacherous driving (albeit usually in better weather). The Wilderness package is an almost a $10,000 upgrade compared to the base Outback, but there’s some substance behind those numbers. We mentioned the added ground clearance (almost an inch), better suspension and tires.
In addition, the Wilderness adds protective skid plates underneath and beefed-up roof rails designed to hold 700 pounds of humans in a tent or 220 pounds of luggage on the way to the camping site. It adds more sophisticated all-wheel drive modes and gear ratios. Inside is StarTex water-repellant upholstery and all-weather floor mats. Comfort and convenience features round out the package, which might help someone rationalize picking it even without outrageous weather or an off-road camping expedition in the plans. If you get too ambitious, it has four tow points, two each front and rear, in its Wilderness-specific bumpers.
The Basics
Beyond its water-fording and off-road capabilities, the basic Outback package gives you a proven turbocharged double-overhead-cam four-cylinder boxer engine that puts out 260 horsepower and a significant 277 lb.-ft. of torque (particularly useful for off-road and gut-it-out situations.) The power flows to all four wheels through Subaru’s Lineartronic continuously variable transmission (CVT). Before you question how a CVT can do the job off-road, Subaru has already addressed that with its eight-speed manual mode that gives the transmission artificial “shift” points.
The end result is a sophisticated, sure-footed SUV that’s been doing this for years with its Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive that directs power to the wheel or wheels that need it most. Subaru’s key is that on dry pavement this system is transparent. The end result is an SUV that feels like a sedan on the highway.
Inside, the Outback Wilderness is a cabin outfitted with the latest technology. Sitting on the 10-way power driver’s seat (with power lumbar support), you have an 11.6-inch touchscreen tablet in the center of the dash providing you with access to the infotainment and HVAC controls.
Take a reputation for being able to handle bad weather. Add off-road driving and up-top camping capabilities along with 75 cubic feet of space inside with the back seat down. Sprinkle in sophisticated car-like on-road handling, advanced technology and creature comforts. The end result is the Subaru Outback Wilderness. At just under $40,000, it’s the real deal. On road fuel economy tops out at 26 mpg on the highway. Slower off-road driving will drop those numbers. You may want to ignore the anodized copper accents found inside and out on the Wilderness—or you may like them. They don’t take anything away from a very capable on- and off-road machine designed for a Bay Area winter.
EARTHTALK
Supreme Court and environment: tipping justice’s scales for nature?
By Riona Duncan
Dear EarthTalk: What’s on the Supreme Court’s docket in terms of cases with any bearing on nature, wildlife or the environment? Historically has the Court tended to be friend or foe to the environment?
– S. Jackson, Miami, Florida
There has been little consistency in Supreme Court rulings on environmental protection over the years, mainly because such protections are not directly addressed in the Constitution. That said, all of the Court’s recent decisions have leaned conservative. In June of 2022, the Court ruled 6-3 in West Virginia v. EPA that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not have the ability to regulate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This decision gutted many regulations designed to fight climate change. However, Congress’ subsequent passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in November 2022 circumvented the contentious ruling by specifically earmarking funding for domestic energy production and renewable energy. The bill defines CO2 as a pollutant, which puts these emissions back under the EPA’s purview.
Several cases on the Court’s docket with environmental tie-ins are likely to be decided in 2023. To wit, in Sackett v. EPA, Chantell and Michael Sackett are suing the EPA for ordering them to cease building an unpermitted house on a lot which contains wetlands. The Sacketts argue that this is “overreach” since their proposed home, although next to a tributary of Idaho’s Priest Lake, is intended to be a few hundred feet from the lake itself. The EPA says that the wetlands are under its jurisdiction because of the “significant nexus” test to determine how federal waters would be impacted by development. This test can be hard to define and understand because hydrology varies in different locations. The Court seems likely to try to create a new measurement, which could have consequences far beyond rural Idaho.
Another as yet undecided case is National Pork Producers v. Ross, concerning California’s Animal Farm Confinement Initiative, which prohibits the knowing sale of pork from facilities that confine sows in less than 24 square feet. The initiative is designed to prevent animal cruelty and decrease the risk of zoonotic (animal to human) diseases. The National Pork Producers Council argues that this is, in effect, regulation of pork production outside the state, in violation of the Constitution’s “dormant commerce” clause. The 2023 ruling will have ramifications for animal welfare, but it may also open up challenges to states’ environmental regulations depending on the Court’s interpretation.
Several historic cases have had significant impacts on environmental policy. One was 1920’s Missouri v. Holland, in which the Court ruled that an international treaty protecting some migratory birds did not violate the 10th amendment, overruling states’ rights in the process.
Another landmark environmental case is 1972’s Sierra Club v. Morton in which the Court rejected a Sierra Club lawsuit to block the development of a ski resort at Mineral King in the Sierra Nevada mountains as the plaintiff did not allege any direct injury. Justice William O. Douglas wrote a famous dissent which still inspires environmental and animal rights advocates to this day arguing that ecological features should be given the protection of legal personhood.
EarthTalk is produced by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss for the nonprofit EarthTalk. See more at https://emagazine.com. To donate, visit https//earthtalk.org. Send questions to: [email protected].
News and notes from around the world
Submitted by The Association of Mature American Citizens
Who said it wouldn’t last?
At last, we have the secret for a long and happy marriage, says the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC). With his wife of 80 years, Edith Mae, at his side, Robert Schaum of Lancaster, Pennsylvania said, it’s simple: “don’t go to bed mad.” They met in high school in 1936, courted and got married the day after Christmas in 1942. Alas, in 1943, Robert shipped out to the Pacific theater of World War II at the behest of Uncle Sam. The pair of 102-year-olds have two kids and a very happy marriage. Alas, what they don’t have is the record for the longest marriage; it was set by Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher of North Carolina. According to the folks at the Guinness Book of World Records, they were married for nearly 87 years until Herbert passed away at the age of 106. See video of the Schaums on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hwgapbGckw.
Maybe she forgot her glasses
Joni Keeney of Shepherdsville, Kentucky usually gets a thumbs up and a smile for her front yard Christmas decorations but this year one passerby called the cops, reports AMAC. Keeney’s display featured a character from the classic “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” in which the scantily clad character, Cousin Eddie, stands outside of his RV emptying its toilet tank. The onlooker, whoever she was, didn’t get the joke and called the police, complaining that there was an improperly dressed man standing outside of the Kenney home exposing himself. When the police showed up, they quickly saw that the caller mistook the dummy for a depraved exhibitioner and they laughed out loud. See video of the yard display on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZo3geDgG8I.
B-r-r-r-r!
The weathermen tell us that “mild weather prevails during most of the winter” in Austin, Texas, according to AMAC. But this year, just in time for Christmas, the outdoor thermometers fell to a freezing 10 degrees, what the National Weather Service called one of the nation’s “greatest extents of winter weather warnings and advisories ever.” Whether the folks at the HEB Car Wash in the Austin suburb of Lakeway forgot to turn its spigots off or a pipe burst open is anybody’s guess the overnight freeze turned the establishment into a winter wonder that attracted gangs of gawkers. See video of the frozen car wash at www.youtube.com/watch?v=gutIbsohTFY.
The Association of Mature American Citizens is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization representing membership in Washington, D.C. and in local congressional districts nationwide. More information is available on its website at www.amac.us.
Park It: Winter Weather Precautions
By Ned MacKay
Because of the series of heavy storms that have battered the region in recent days, this is a good time to emphasize winter season safety measures for park visitors.
All of the East Bay Regional Parks were closed on January 4 and 5 in expectation of hazards resulting from an atmospheric river storm. This could happen again if circumstances require it to protect the public.
Here are some safety tips for winter activity in the parks:
- Check the weather before you go. And go with a friend, so someone can seek help if there’s an emergency. If you go alone, tell a responsible person where you are going and when you will be back. Then inform them when you have returned. In an emergency, call 911 or (510) 881-1121, 24 hours a day.
- Be prepared for changeable weather. Dress in layers, carry extra warm clothing, and wear sturdy footgear. It’s better to carry clothing you may not need than to need clothing you do not have.
- Bring a map and stay on official trails. Don’t take shortcuts on unmarked paths. Maps can be downloaded from the park district website, www.ebparks.org.
- While you are on the trails, watch for rockslides, fallen trees and other hazards. Rangers try to keep on top of the situation, but there are many trails and likely considerable storm damage. Abide by any signs warning of closure or dangers, and cooperate with instructions from park district staff.
- Take a snack for an energy boost. A thermos full of a hot beverage works well, too.
- Trails will likely be muddy. Leave a pair of dry shoes in the car, along with a cardboard box for muddy boots.
- For up-to-date information on park hazards and closures, click “Visit a Park” at the top of the home page, then click “Alerts & Closures.”
With the New Year comes the 30th annual outing of the East Bay Regional Park District’s always-popular Trails Challenge program. It’s free of charge, fun for all ages and levels of ability, and easy to join.
The goal is to complete any five Trails Challenge trails or 26.2 miles (same distance as a marathon) of non-challenge trails. Record trail names and distances, and submit your log to [email protected] by December 1, 2023. You’ll be rewarded with a 2023 Trails Challenge pin, while supplies last.
The program is a great way to become reacquainted with familiar regional parks, or explore new ones. It’s also an incentive for outdoor exercise.
You can download the Trails Challenge guidebook at ebparks.org/TC. It contains a list of 20 trails, graded as easy, moderate or challenging. There are trails open to hikers, bicyclists, dogs and equestrians. Trails Challenge 2023 also offers increased accessibility, with trails that are usable by people with mobility limitations.
Here are some examples:
There are easy hikes listed for Bay Point Regional Shoreline (Bay Point) and Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline (San Leandro).
For a moderate hike, there’s a trail at Sunol Regional Wilderness, and one at Lake Chabot near Castro Valley.
Challenging hikes include trails at Morgan Territory north of Livermore and Wildcat Canyon (Richmond).
Besides detailed trail descriptions, the Trails Challenge guidebook contains useful information about trail safety, etiquette, and essential equipment.
The 30th Anniversary Trails Challenge program is made possible by support from Kaiser Permanente and the Regional Parks Foundation.
Cultural history of the Ohlone Peoples is the theme of a program from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 14 in the visitor center at Sunol Wilderness Regional Preserve with naturalist Kristina Parkison. Drop by the Ohlone cultures informational table to learn about the rich culture and thriving present-day lifestyle of the first people who lived in what is now the park.
Sunol Regional Wilderness is at the end of Geary Road off Calaveras Road, about five miles south of I-680 and the town of Sunol. There’s a parking fee of $5 per vehicle; the program is free of charge. For information, call (510) 544-3249.
With rains come mushrooms and other fungi. Learn more during a naturalist-led “Funky Fungi” program from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 14 at Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont. Find out why mushrooms grow in circles, why mushroom rings have been historically associated with fairies, and other mushroom lore. Then make your own fairy craft.
The program is free of charge and registration is not required. Ardenwood admission fees apply. Ardenwood is at 34600 Ardenwood Boulevard, just north of Highway 84. For information, call (510) 544-2797
“Old Skool Skillz” is the title of a program from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, January 14 at the Environmental Education Center in Tilden Nature Area near Berkeley with naturalist Anthony Fisher. Make an elderberry flute and gain appreciation for the accomplishments of the first people to inhabit the lands of the East Bay and beyond.
The center is at the north end of Tilden’s Central Park Drive, accessible via Canon Drive from Grizzly Peak Boulevard in Berkeley. For information, call (510) 544-2233.
Topics related to the ecology of the Delta will be explored during a hands-on, naturalist-led “Afternoon Adventure” program from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, January 15 at Big Break Regional Shoreline near Oakley. The program is free and registration is not necessary.
Big Break is at 69 Big Break Road off Oakley’s Main Street. For information, call (510) 544-3050.
It’s a good idea to check the park district website before heading out, to be sure your park is open. And stay safe when out enjoying parks. For a full list of activities and programs planned in the regional parks, visit www.ebparks.org/things-to-do.
THE ROBOT REPORT
MIT researchers create implantable robotic ventilator
By Brianna Wessling
Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have designed a soft, robotic implantable ventilator that can augment the diaphragm’s natural contractions.
The implantable ventilator is made from two soft, balloon-like tubes that would be implanted to lie over the diaphragm. When inflated with an external pump, the tubes act as artificial muscles that push down the diaphragm and help the lungs expand. The tubes can be inflated to match the diaphragm’s natural rhythm.
The diaphragm lies just below the ribcage. It pushes down to create a vacuum for the lungs to expand into so they can draw air in, and then relaxes to let air out.
The tubes in the ventilator are similar to McKibben actuators, a kind of pneumatic device. The team attached the tubes to the ribcage at either side of the diaphragm, so that the device was laying across the muscle from front to back. Using a thin external airline, the team connected the tubes to a small pump and control system.
This soft ventilator was designed by Ellen Roche, an associate professor of mechanical engineering and member of the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science at MIT and her colleagues. The research team created a proof-of-concept design for the ventilator.
“This is a proof of concept of a new way to ventilate,” Roche told MIT News. “The biomechanics of this design are closer to normal breathing, versus ventilators that push air into the lungs, where you have a mask or tracheostomy. There’s a long road before this will be implanted in a human. But it’s exciting that we could show we could augment ventilation with something implantable.”
According to Roche, the key to maximizing the amount of work the implantable pump does is by giving the diaphragm an extra push downward when it naturally contracts. This means the team didn’t have to try to mimic exactly how the diaphragm moves, just create a device that is capable of giving that push.
Roche and her team tested the system on anesthetized pigs. After implanting the device, they monitored the pigs’ oxygen levels and used ultrasound imaging to observe diaphragm function. Generally, the team found that the ventilator increased the amount of air that the pigs’ lungs could draw in with each breath. The device worked best when the contractions of the diaphragm and the artificial muscles were working in sync, allowing the pigs’ lungs to bring in three times the amount of air they could without assistance.
The team hopes that its device could help people struggling with chronic diaphragm dysfunctions, which can be caused by ALS, muscular dystrophy and other neuromuscular diseases, paralysis and damage to the phrenic nerve.
The research team included Roche, a former graduate student at MIT Lucy Hu, Manisha Singh, Diego Quevedo Moreno, Jean Bonnemain of Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland and Mossab Saeed and Nikolay Vasilyev of Boston Children’s Hospital.
Brianna Wessling is an Associate Editor, Robotics, WTWH Media. She can be reached at [email protected].
Social Security Matters
By Russell Gloor, National Social Security Advisor, AMAC Foundation
Ask Rusty – Will the family maximum limit my benefits?
Dear Rusty: I have a question about the family maximum SS retirement benefit. As I understand it, if the breadwinner is drawing retirement benefits or is deceased, the family maximum is calculated from a formula that yields a figure between 150 percent and 188 percent of the breadwinner’s primary insurance amount — his or her monthly benefit if claimed at full retirement age. That age is 66 and 4 months for people born in 1956 and will gradually increase to 67 over the next few years. Is this calculation only applicable at full retirement age (in my case 66 and 4 months) or i
s it still applicable if I delay taking SS until 68 or 70? My assumption is the “breadwinner” is the spouse with the higher income. Signed: Planning my Retirement
Dear Planning: The Family Maximum applies only when more than one dependent is collecting benefits from the record of a worker who is either deceased or collecting Social Security retirement benefits (the “breadwinner”). That might typically be a spouse and a minor child, multiple minor children, or, perhaps, multiple children and a spouse as well.
The Family Maximum doesn’t apply, for example, when both a current spouse and an ex-spouse are collecting benefits from that “breadwinner” – only when a current spouse and minor children are collecting too. The Family Maximum also does not apply when only one dependent (e.g., a spouse) is collecting benefits from the “breadwinner,” or when no dependents are collecting benefits on the “breadwinner’s” record. Neither would the Family Maximum restrict your benefit if you wait until you are age 70 to claim your maximum personal benefit. So, if your concern is that the Family Maximum might limit your, or your wife’s benefit if you wait until age 68 or 70 to claim, you can discard that concern.
You are correct that the Family Maximum formula, when it applies, yields a maximum total limit of 150% to 188% of the worker’s “primary insurance amount” or “PIA,” which is the amount the worker is due at full retirement age (FRA) and, as you know, your FRA is determined by your year of birth. If the Family Maximum applies because multiple dependents are collecting SS benefits on your record, Social Security will determine your maximum family dollar amount, deduct your PIA (your FRA benefit) from that amount, and the remainder would be available to be shared equally among your multiple dependents. But if no one else, or only your wife, is collecting benefits on your record, the Family Maximum does not apply.
This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit our website (amacfoundation.org/programs/social-security-advisory) or email us at [email protected].
Strawberries
By Pat Kite
I would like some fresh sweet delicious strawberries. I am not talking about supermarket dyed- red strawberries that taste like paste. I’m not really discussing organic, as they sometimes suffer from transport difficulties. And I will skip over those chocolate-covered dessert items with half-ripe frozen strawberries hiding inside. Sometimes I am not sure what a modern strawberry is supposed to taste like.
One year I asked my mother-in-law about her childhood in Lithuania. She seldom talked about that vanished world. But once she told me about being very young. She and sisters would go into nearby fields and pick very tiny wild strawberries. When buckets were filled, they sat on a comfy rock and ate them all. Every single tiny berry. That was the sole memory she ever voiced.
The tiny strawberries [wild strawberries] are called Fragaria vesca or Alpine strawberry. Try growing them in pots since snails like them too. You seldom see these for sale, so fuss with your garden group to acquire. Please do not confuse these with Mock Strawberry which resembles Wild, but which has yellow flowers. Mock strawberries have no flavor and can become a yard pest. The ideal soil for Wild is semi-moist to moderately dry, in partial shade without poaching afternoon sun. Do keep adequately watered.
For regular strawberries, there are several recommended for the Bay Area. Chandler seems preferred by many, with Sequoia a runner up. Plant strawberries as soon as the ground can be worked in spring. This is usually in March or April, depending on drought continuance. However, try options from the local nursery too. Make sure to keep the crown above soil level with roots concealed. Don’t let plants crowd each other which encourages mildew. If you are feeling competitive, an Israeli farmer grew this world record strawberry: seven inches long, 13 inches wide and weighing 10.19 ounces.
Bits and Pieces: The strawberry is a symbol for Venus, the Goddess of Love, because of its heart shape and red color. The English “strawberry” comes from the Anglo-Saxon “streoberie” not spelled in the today’s fashion until 1538. Native American Indians were already eating strawberries when the Colonists arrived. Crushed berries were mixed with cornmeal and baked into strawberry bread. After trying this bread, Colonists developed their own version, thus creating Strawberry Shortcake.
In parts of Bavaria, country folk still practice the annual rite each spring of tying small baskets of wild strawberries to the horns of their cattle as an offering to elves. They believe that elves, who are passionately fond of strawberries, will help to produce healthy calves and an abundance of milk in return. Legend has it that if you break a double strawberry in half and share it with a member of the opposite sex, you will fall in love with each other.
Newark Unified School District
December 15, 2022
Consent Agenda:
- Contract: ProCare Therapy for special education services.
- Contract Addendum: UpFront Interpreting for special education services.
- Contract Addendum: Ed Sped Solutions, Inc.
- MOU extension with Beacon Consulting Group – Energy & Water Efficiency Work.
- Contract: Award Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Project.
- Annual accounting of developer fees for 2021-2022 and five year report.
- Board policy updates.
- Donations report.
- Warrant report for November 2022.
President Phuong Nguyen Aye
Terrence Grindall Aye
Aiden Hill Aye
Bowen Zhang Aye
San Lorenzo Unified School District
December 20, 2022
Consent Calendar:
- Approve UC Berkeley EAOP/DCAC contract.
- Interagency agreement: Transportation procedures to ensure school stability
for foster youth.
- Outdoor equity for Native Plant Forest of San Lorenzo High School
- Addendum to agreement with DSK Architects for architectural services for the San Lorenzo High School new building project.
- Addendum to the agreement with Vista Environmental Consulting for
abatement oversight and air monitoring at San Lorenzo High School for the new building project.
- Change contract with Robert A. Bothman Construction for the new building site prep project at San Lorenzo High School.
- Award contract with Opening Technologies, Inc. for the door hardware replacement project at Arroyo, San Lorenzo, and Royal Sunset High School and the Lewelling Campus.
- Closeout contract with Best Contracting Services, Inc. for the Hillside Elementary School buildings C and D reroofing project.
- Agreement with Quality Pump Service for Hesperian Elementary School.
- Ratify the agreement with Cedar Mechanical for heating unit replacement at the Barrett Campus.
- Ratify the agreement with Cedar Mechanical for heating unit replacement at the Barrett Campus Classroom and San Lorenzo High School campus West Gym.
- Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between SLzUSD and K to College.
- Accept Teacher Residency grant.
- MOU with Alder Graduate School of Education Partnership for the 2023-2024 school year.
President Kyla Sinegal Aye
Juan Campos Aye
Penny Peck Aye
Samuel Medina Aye
Alicia Gonzalez Aye
San Leandro City Council
January 3, 2023
Action Items:
- Bryan Azevedo was designated as Vice Mayor to serve for a period of one year.
- City Councilmembers were appointed to serve on specific intergovernmental agencies.
Consent Calendar:
- Approve list of recurring annual proclamations
- Appoint City Councilmembers to internal committees
- Authorize a service agreement with Newton Construction & Management Inc. for tennis court resurfacing and pickleball court installation at Washington Manor Park.
- Authorize a consulting services amendment with Denalect Alarm Company for the design and installation of fire and security alarm systems.
- Authorize the upgrade of positions in the Information Technology Department and the City Manager’s Office.
- Award a construction contract to Spencon Construction for curb ramp upgrades for annual street paving.
Mayor Juan Gonzalez Aye
Celina Reynes, District 1 Aye
Bryan Azevedo, District 2 Aye
Victor Aguilar, District 3 Aye
Fred Simon, District 4 Aye
Xouhoa Bowen, District 5 Aye
Pete Ballew, District 6 Aye
Swalwell Secures $15 Million for local causes
By Jack Alcorn
U.S. Congressman Eric Swalwell brought his constituents an admirable gift this holiday season. California’s 15th congressional district representative, Swalwell, announced in December that more than $15 million dollars is on its way to the East Bay and will be dedicated to 15 local projects. The funding package came as part of the Fiscal Year 2023 federal budget as it passed in the House of Representatives.
The funds will support local non-profit agencies and public institutions within Representative Swalwell’s constituency. District 15 includes Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Hayward, Union City, Fremont, Sunol, Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin and San Ramon.
“I am thrilled to see this funding for Community Projects headed to California’s fifteenth congressional district,” said Swalwell. “Whether it’s supporting affordable housing in Hayward, mitigating food insecurity in Livermore, or increasing student support programs at local community colleges, funding for these projects will help meet the needs of our communities. These project requests came directly from local governments and nonprofits in our community and I look forward to seeing their impact in the months and years to come.”
Representative Swalwell personally endorsed and presented the community efforts to his colleagues in Washington D.C. Listed below are some of the projects and programs that will receive direct federal funding:
- $2 million for Union Sanitary District’s Enhanced Treatment and Site Upgrade Campus Solar Project
- $1 million for East Bay Community Energy’s Municipal Critical Facility Resilience Project
- $1 million for Chabot – Las Positas Community College District’s East Bay College Agile Network
- $709,000 for the City of Hayward’s Hayward Evaluation and Response Teams (HEART) Program
- $250,000 for the Muslim Community Center’s Rental Assistance Program
The son of a retired police officer, Eric Swalwell is married with three children. He was raised and attended public schools in the East Bay. Now in his fourth term, Swalwell was first elected to represent California’s fifteenth congressional district in 2012. Congressman Swalwell serves on the U.S. House of Representatives’ Intelligence and Homeland Security Committees, and believes protecting Americans is Congress’ most solemn duty.
BART Police Log
Submitted by BART PD and Les Mensinger
Monday, January 2
- At 4:55 a.m. a man identified by police as Michael Sawyer, 68, of Castro Valley was arrested at Bay Fair station in San Leandro on suspicion of being out of compliance with transient registration rules and possession of methamphetamine. He was booked into Santa Rita Jail.
- At 6:58 a.m. a man identified by police as Robert Mathies, 42, of Fremont was stopped at Warm Springs/South Fremont station on suspicion of fare evasion. A record check showed he was out of compliance with transient registration rules. He was arrested and booked into Santa Rita Jail.
- At 5:03 p.m. officers and medical workers responded to a report about an unresponsive person aboard a train at Fremont station. Officers administered two doses of NARCAN to the 26-year-old male who appeared to be suffering from a drug overdose. Medical personnel performed life-saving procedures on the man, but he died at the scene. The case is under investigation; no foul play is suspected.
Thursday, January 5
- At 10:40 p.m. a man identified by police as Marshawn Gomez, 29, of Oakland was arrested at Bay Fair station in San Leandro on five warrants. He was booked into Santa Rita Jail.
CHP Log
Submitted by CHP Castro Valley
Tuesday, January 3
- At about 9:30 p.m. officers responded to a report about a vehicle that crashed into the front of a hair salon at 20887 Redwood Road, Castro Valley. Witnesses told officers the driver of a 2001 Chevrolet Camaro was driving recklessly in the parking lot, then veered into the building, destroying the entrance and damaging the interior. The driver fled the scene on foot, but was soon detained by CHP officers with assistance from Alameda County Sheriff’s Office deputies. The driver, identified by CHP as Efren Gutierrez Jr., 33, of San Leandro is facing hit and run charges. The building was unoccupied when the crash occurred; no injuries were reported. The crash is under investigation.
Wednesday, January 4
- At about 2:00 a.m. officers tried to make a traffic enforcement stop on a 2015 Hyundai traveling erratically eastbound on I-580 near Strobridge Avenue in Castro Valley. The male driver, later identified by CHP as a 16-year-old juvenile, failed to stop and led officers on a brief pursuit. The driver exited I-580 at Redwood Road and stopped on Moyers Street in Castro Valley. The driver then fled on foot, but was soon apprehended by CHP officers.
Hayward Police Log
Submitted by Hayward PD
Wednesday, January 4
- At about 12:42 a.m. officers responded to a report about a shooting near the 24000 block of Park St. When officers arrived, they found an unresponsive male with gunshot wounds. Emergency medical responders pronounced the male dead at the scene. The victim’s identity was not immediately released pending Alameda County Coroner’s Office guidelines. The case is being investigated as a homicide. Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Niedenthal at (510) 293-7176.
New program to fight human trafficking on transit
Submitted by Sandra Bermudez
Officials from Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) are kicking off a new effort to help rescue victims of human trafficking and punish perpetrators.
“Human Trafficking Happens Everywhere” is the message VTA hopes will encourage passengers and the community to keep an eye out on public transit for signs of possible human trafficking. VTA officials said public transit is a common and easily accessible form of transportation for human trafficking suspects to transport their victims.
After serving as a model for AB 2034, a 2018 California law that requires transit agencies throughout the state to train frontline workers on the signs of human trafficking, VTA is going a step further with public education and an enhanced schedule of retraining for all employees. This renewed effort, announced January 6, is made possible, in part, by a $350,000 grant from the Federal Transit Administration.
“This initiative will be built into our framework,” said VTA General Manger/CEO Carolyn Gonot. “Our employees are trained to look for the signs, and we hope our riding public will get the message that human trafficking happens everywhere and help us to stop it.”
Passengers and the public are encouraged to download the VTAlerts app on mobile devices, which allows them to discretely report human trafficking in addition to other crimes or concerns. The apps can be downloaded on the Apple iTunes and Google Play websites. For details, visit www.vta.org/go/safety/vtalerts.
Report analyzes racial profiling in California traffic stops
Associated Press
California law enforcement was more than twice as likely to use force against people they perceived as Black during vehicle and pedestrian stops in 2021, as compared to people believed to be white, according to a state report released Jan. 3.
The annual report by California’s Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board gathered data on vehicle and pedestrian stops by officers from 58 law enforcement agencies in 2021. The data includes what officers perceived to be the race, ethnicity, gender and disability status of people they stop so that the state can better identify and analyze bias in policing.
The 58 agencies — which includes the 23 largest departments in the state — collectively made more than 3.1 million vehicle and pedestrian stops in 2021. By April, all of California’s more than 400 law enforcement agencies must submit their data.
The data includes how officers perceive an individual’s race or gender, even if it’s different than how the person identifies, because the officer’s perception is what drives bias. In more than 42% of the 3.1 million stops, the individual was perceived to be Hispanic or Latino, according to the report. More than 30% were perceived to be white and 15% were believed to be Black.
But law enforcement searched people who were perceived to be Black at 2.2 times the rate of people thought to be w
hite, the report said. And teenagers ages 15 to 17 who were perceived to be Black were searched at nearly six times the rate of teens believed to be white.
Pioneers drop game at Stanislaus State
Submitted by CSUEB Communications
The Cal State East Bay (CSUEB) men’s basketball team continued its CCAA schedule on Thursday, January 5. The Pioneers came up short, dropping their matchup at Stanislaus State, 68-58.
CSUEB fell behind early, trailing 23-5 at the 10:56 mark of the first half. A 15-4 run by the Pioneers though, starting with a pair of free throws from Dimitrios Klonaras at the 9:37 mark. However, the Warriors took a 36-25 lead into halftime.
With 8:29 left in the second half, the Pioneers were within two points, trailing 49-47 after a jumper from Tim Andreolli. That however was the closest the Pioneers were as Stanislaus State built its lead back up, and pulled away for a 68-58 win on Thursday.
- CSUEB’s leading scorer was Grady Lewis with 12 points, going 5-for-7 from the floor and 2-for-4 from the free throw line.
- Scoring a season high 11 points on Thursday was Ramsey Huff.
- With six rebounds each were Lewis and Kevin Ebiriekwe.
- For Stanislaus State, Marlon Short had a double double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Cal State East Bay: 4-9, 2-5 CCAA
Stanislaus State: 5-8, 3-4 CCAA
San Lorenzo Beats Tennyson in Thriller
Article and photos by Andrew Joseph
San Lorenzo Grizzlies boys’ basketball team beat the Tennyson Lancers 71-68 in Hayward on Friday, January 6th in a Western Alameda County Conference (WACC) league matchup.
Grizzlies’ sophomore Brian Brown finished with a team high 20 points and Manny Cabiltes added 16 points. Lancers’ Matthew Lorje scored a game high 33 points and Jose Tecua had 23 points. San Lorenzo snaps a six game losing streak with this victory in its first league game this season. For Tennyson it becomes the team’s third straight loss.
“1-0 in league play definitely feels good,” said San Lorenzo head coach Nick Koury. “A couple important stops, watching the scouting report, and turning defense into offense is what helped us come up with this win tonight.”
Tennyson began the game strong with control of the pace, fluid offensive movement and great defensive play. The Lancers went into halftime with a 39-31 lead.
“The adjustments made at halftime were to play harder and want to win more than Tennyson,” said Cabiltes. “I saw it in my teammates: our defensive intensity was just better.”
The Grizzlies made a three-pointer followed by a Tennyson layup to end the third quarter at a 53-47 Tennyson lead. San Lorenzo’s defense forcing turnovers was tremendous in their effort to come back late and rally towards a win.
“We went to a 3-2 zone defense in the third quarter to force their point guard to the right because he was getting by guys with his left hand,” said coach Koury. “Tennyson adjusted to that so we went to a man-to-man defense in the fourth quarter to try to be tough that way and it payed off for us down the stretch.”
The fourth quarter began with San Lorenzo getting fast break points and earning multiple trips to the free-throw line to begin their late comeback. At the 3:30 mark in the game, Tennyson lost the ball and the Grizzlies made them pay with an easy layup in transition to tie the game at 59-59.
“During the last minute of the game I was fouled out so I got a little nervous,” said Brown. “Malachi Riviera got to the free throw line and was able to make his free throws which made me very happy and confident we would win.”
San Lorenzo gained its first lead of the game at 67-66 on a layup by junior forward Malachi Riviera with under one minute to play. Riviera was fouled with 26.4 seconds left and made one of two free throws to make it a 70-68 lead for the Grizzlies.
Tennyson’s Matthew Lorje missed a clean look at a layup to tie the game with 16.2 seconds left. Riviera was fouled again and made one of two free throws to make it 71-68. With three seconds left, Tennyson junior Jose Tecua missed a 3-pointer that would have forced overtime.
“It was our hunger, wanting it more, and diving for 50/50 balls that ended up helping us win this game,” added Brown. “We’re hoping to feed off this momentum and continue to win the rest of our games.”
The Grizzlies improve to 6-7 overall, 2-2 on the road, and 1-0 in WACC league play. The Lancers fall to 6-5 on the season, 3-2 at home, and 0-1 in league play.
“The goal is always to win the WACC league,” said coach Koury. “It’s important for us to focus on one game at a time and the rest will take care of itself.”
Tennyson plays its next game on Friday, January 13th at Mr. Eden at 7 p.m. in another league game. San Lorenzo plays its next game on Tuesday, January 10th at Alameda in a non-league game at 7 p.m.
New sheriff takes over in Alameda County
Submitted by Tya M. Modeste, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office
January 3 was a milestone day for Alameda County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) when Yesenia Sanchez was sworn in as the 23rd Sheriff in Alameda County history and the first woman and person of color elected to that office.
Sanchez, a 25-year ACSO veteran, was elected to the post by Alameda County voters in June 2022 and replaces longtime Sheriff Gregory J. Ahern, who retired December 31 after serving as sheriff since 2007. Most recently, Sanchez was a Division Commander overseeing and managing Santa Rita Jail. She was sworn in as Sheriff in a private ceremony at Scottish Rite Center in Oakland.
During her campaign for Sheriff, Sanchez talked about her early struggles in life with poverty and lack of access to resources. In a statement issued by ACSO, Sanchez said those experiences helped shape her vision for change and to build a work ethic that helped her rise through the ranks at the Sheriff’s Office.
Sanchez’s father immigrated to California from Mexico as a young child and her mother moved to California from Texas. She was born in Alameda County and is a life-long resident of California.
Probation department to welcome new chief
Submitted by County of Santa Clara
Starting January 23, Nick Birchard will be the top dog in the County of Santa Clara Probation Department. Birchard will take over as Chief Probation Officer, replacing Laura Garnette who will retire from the post, ending a 30-year career with the department.
Birchard is a 25-year veteran with the department and most recently served as Assistant Chief Probation Officer. Additionally, he has been an executive leader for several years and worked in various leadership capacities with adult, juvenile and institutional services divisions.
“I have had the honor of working with Nick Birchard for 12 years. He has outstanding experience in every area of the Probation Department’s work, but even more importantly, he is one of the most honest, highly principled people I have ever known,” Garnette said. “He genuinely believes in the ability for clients to heal and change and supports our staff fully.”
Over the years, Birchard has proven to be a valuable asset to the department and led significant projects and initiatives including Juvenile Justice Realignment Senate Bill 823, which transfers the responsibilities of the Division of Juvenile Justice to local county jurisdictions.
During the COVID-19 pandemic Birchard led the department’s two congregate care facilities focusing on health and safety for all youth and staff. With the collaboration of Public Health and Custody Health departments, infection control policies were implemented to mitigate the spread of the virus among clients.
“I am deeply honored to take on the position of Chief Probation Officer because it not only aligns with my diverse work experience, but it also offers the opportunity to work closely with the community and county stakeholders to improve outcomes for clients and improve public safety,” Birchard said. “I value collaboration and transparent communication. I am committed to building trust and fostering relationships with the community and county stakeholders through inclusion, equity, and respect for diversity.”
New leader appointed at Fremont help center
Submitted by City of Fremont
Alina Kwak a longtime City of Fremont employee has been appointed administrator of the Fremont Family Resource Center (FRC) which provides health and well-being services to families and individuals throughout southern Alameda County.
Kwak joined the city in 2013 as a Management Analyst II in the City Manager’s Office. Five years later, she joined the FRC team as a Deputy Administrator where she took on numerous responsibilities for helping run the division, including budget and contract administration. She started her new position January 1.
FRC offers services from more than 20 state, county, city and non-profit social service organizations that are aimed at helping people who are facing personal, family or financial challenges. Services include:
- Employment and job training
- Mental health services for all ages
- Substance use intervention for teens
- Food assistance
- Legal assistance
- Culturally informed immigrant services
- Benefit assistance and family services coordination
- Specialized disability services
- Housing assistance and support for the homeless
- Child care information and subsidies
- Financial coaching
- Tax preparation assistance
- Workshops and support groups
The center is located at 39155 Liberty St, Suite A-110, Fremont. For details, visit the City of Fremont website at www.fremont.gov, then enter “Fremont family resource center” into the search field and follow the link that appears. They also can be reached at (510) 574-2000.
Milpitas names new city leader
Submitted by Rachelle Currie, City of Milpitas
Matt Cano, an experienced executive with extensive public sector experience in the South Bay has been appointed Deputy City Manager for City of Milpitas.
In a January 3 announcement, Milpitas City Manager Steven G. McHarris said Cano will start his new position January 30. Cano comes to Milpitas from City of San Jose where he worked more than 23 years in various departments including Transportation, Parks and Recreation and Public Works. Most recently, Cano served as Director of Public Works, leading a department of 647 full time employees.
“Matt’s extensive background in local government, his deep commitment to public service, and his collaborative style made him the right choice for the role of Deputy City Manager,” McHarris said. “We will be leaning on his wealth of experience to coordinate several citywide programs and initiatives such as grants, legislative advocacy, and partnerships with external agencies, as well as to oversee the Community Services and Sustainable Infrastructure City Service Area which includes the departments of Engineering, Public Works, and Recreation and Community Services.”
Cano, who lives in Fremont, is a licensed civil engineer and earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from San Jose State University and a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in civil engineering from Stanford University.
“I am excited to work with an incredibly talented and hard-working team,” Cano said, adding that “I am very eager to start collaborating on many fronts with city staff and other stakeholders on important issues for the Milpitas community.”
Musk cuts Twitter expenses by falling behind on bills
By Barbara Ortutay
Associated Press Technology Writer
Elon Musk is trying to slash expenses at Twitter as close to zero as possible while his personal wealth shrinks — and this apparently has included falling behind on rent payments at the company’s offices.
Twitter owes $136,260 in overdue rent
on its offices on the 30th floor of a building in downtown in San Francisco, according to a lawsuit filed by the building’s landlord in December. The landlord at 650 California St., which is not Twitter’s main San Francisco headquarters, served a notice to the social media company on Dec. 16 informing it that it would be in default if it didn’t pay within five days. The five days elapsed without payment, according to the lawsuit.
The landlord, Columbia REIT 650 California LLC, is seeking damages totaling the back rent, as well as attorney fees and other expenses. Twitter signed a seven-year lease for the offices in 2017. The monthly rent was $107,526.50 in the first full year and increase gradually to $128,397 per month in the seventh year.
Twitter did not respond to a message for comment. The company no longer has a media relations department.
Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion in October and the company is on the hook for about $1 billion a year in interest payments from the deal. Most of Musk’s wealth is tied to his ownership of Tesla shares, which have lost more than half of their value since he took ownership of Twitter. He has sold nearly $23 billion worth of the electric vehicle company’s stock to fund the purchase since April, when he started building a position in Twitter. He’s even lost the top spot for the world’s wealthiest person, according to Forbes.
Musk defended his extreme cost cutting measures last month in a late-night Twitter Spaces call. “This company is like, basically, you’re in a plane that is headed towards the ground at high speed with the engines on fire and the controls don’t work,” Musk said on Dec. 21.
The company’s headquarters are located at another San Francisco address, 1355 Market St., where Twitter has also reportedly fallen behind on rent, according to The New York Times.
In addition to not paying rent and laying off workers, Musk’s Twitter is also auctioning off high-end office furniture, kitchen equipment and other relics of the past, when Twitter had more than 7,500 full-time workers around the world, and free lunch and other office perks were common. Some three-quarters of Twitter’s employee base are expected to have left the company, either because they were laid off, fired or quit.
Among the items Twitter is auctioning off are a pizza oven, 40-quart commercial kitchen floor mixer (retails for around $18,000; bidding starts at $25), high-end designer furniture such as Eames chairs from Herman Miller and Knoll Diamond chairs that retail in the thousands.
Even a Twitter bird statue (bidding starts at $25) and a neon Twitter bird light display (bidding starts at $50) are up for grabs in this fire sale-style auction reminiscent of the dot-com bust of the early 2000s when failed tech startups were selling off their decadent office wares.
Salesforce to lay off 8,000 workers in latest tech purge
By Michael Liedtke and Michelle Chapman
Associated Press Business Writers
Business software maker Salesforce is laying off about 8,000 employees, or 10% of its workforce, as major technology companies continue to prune payrolls that rapidly expanded during the pandemic lockdown.
The cuts announced Jan. 4 are by far the largest in the 23-year history of a San Francisco company founded by former Oracle executive Marc Benioff. Benioff pioneered the method of leasing software services to internet-connected devices — a concept now known as “cloud computing.”
The layoffs are being made on the heels of a shake-up in Salesforce’s top ranks. Benioff’s hand-picked co-CEO Bret Taylor, who also was Twitter’s chairman at the time of its tortuous $44 billion sale to billionaire Elon Musk, left Salesforce. Then, Slack co-founder Stewart Butterfield left. Salesforce bought Slack two years ago for nearly $28 billion.
Salesforce workers who lose their jobs will receive nearly five months of pay, health insurance, career resources, and other benefits, according to the company.
Benioff, now the sole chief executive at Salesforce, told employees in a letter that he blamed himself for the layoffs after continuing to hire aggressively into the pandemic, with millions of Americans working from home and demand for the company’s technology surging. “As our revenue accelerated through the pandemic, we hired too many people leading into this economic downturn we’re now facing, and I take responsibility for that,” Benioff wrote.
Salesforce employed about 49,000 people in January 2020 just before the pandemic struck. Salesforce’s workforce today is still 50% larger than it was before the pandemic.
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg also acknowledged he misread the revenue gains that the owner of Facebook and Instagram was reaping during the pandemic when he announced in November that his company would by laying off 11,000 employees, or 13% of its workforce. E-commerce giant Amazon and a wide range of other companies have also been jettisoning thousands of workers in recent months after expanding too aggressively during the pandemic.
Like other major tech companies, Salesforce’s recent comedown from the heady days of the pandemic have taken a major toll on its stock. Before the Jan. 4 announcement, shares had plunged more 50% from their peak close to $310 in November 2021. The shares gained nearly 4% Jan. 4 to close at $139.59.
“This is a smart poker move by Benioff to preserve margins in an uncertain backdrop as the company clearly overbuilt out its organization over the past few years along with the rest of the tech sector with a slowdown now on the horizon,” Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote.
Salesforce also said on Jan. 4 that it will be closing some of its offices, but didn’t include locations. The company’s 61-story headquarters is a prominent feature of the San Francisco skyline and a symbol of tech’s importance to the city since its completion in 2018.
Salesforce anticipates incurring $1.4 billion to $2.1 billion in costs to carry out its cutbacks. That includes $1 billion to $1.4 billion in charges tied to employee transition, severance payments, employee benefits, and stock-based compensation. There will be $450 million to $650 million in charges for office closings. Approximately $800 million to $1 billion in charges are expected to occur in Salesforce’s fiscal fourth quarter ending Jan. 31.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Live animal food markets
California annually imports some two million American bullfrogs (commercially-raised) and 300,000 freshwater turtles (taken from the wild) for human consumption, non-natives all. All are diseased and/or parasitized, though it is illegal to sell such products (CCR 236, Title 14). Released into local waters, the non-natives prey upon and displace our native species.
The market animals are kept in horrendous conditions, often butchered while fully consci
ous. Worse, the majority of the bullfrogs carry the dreaded chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which has caused the extinctions of 100-plus amphibian species worldwide in recent years.
Easy fix: The Department of Fish & Wildlife (DFW) should cease issuing the import permits. The DFW and the Fish & Game Commission have received more than 4,000 letters supporting a ban, from environmental and sporting organizations, animal welfare groups and the general public. Former Resources Secretary Huey Johnson wrote twice, all to no avail. The powers-that-be seem more concerned about politics-as-usual, profits and cultural/racial matters than the REAL issues here — environmental protection, public health, unacceptable animal cruelty, and law enforcement.
Write: Gov. Gavin Newsom and all state legislators, c/o The State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814; and Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot, DFW Director Chuck Bonham, and the Fish & Game Commission, all c/o Resources Building, 1416 Ninth Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. Emails: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected].
Email pattern for all state legislators: [email protected]; [email protected]
Eric Mills, coordinator
ACTION FOR ANIMALS
Oakland
Making pig livers humanlike in quest to ease organ shortage
By Lauran Neergaard
AP Medical Writer
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP), Dec 27 – The ghostly form floating in a large jar had been the robust reddish-brown of a healthy organ just hours before. Now it’s semitranslucent, white tubes like branches on a tree showing through.
This is a pig liver that’s gradually being transformed to look and act like a human one, part of scientists’ long quest to ease the nation’s transplant shortage by bioengineering replacement organs.
The first step for workers in this suburban Minneapolis lab is to shampoo away the pig cells that made the organ do its work, its color gradually fading as the cells dissolve and are flushed out. What’s left is a rubbery scaffolding, a honeycomb structure of the liver, its blood vessels now empty.
Next human liver cells — taken from donated organs unable to be transplanted — will be oozed back inside that shell. Those living cells move into the scaffolding’s nooks and crannies to restart the organ’s functions.
“We essentially regrow the organ,” said Jeff Ross, CEO of Miromatrix. “Our bodies won’t see it as a pig organ anymore.”
That’s a bold claim. Sometime in 2023, Miromatrix plans first-of-its-kind human testing of a bioengineered organ to start trying to prove it.
If the Food and Drug Administration agrees, the initial experiment will be outside a patient’s body. Researchers would place a pig-turned-humanlike liver next to a hospital bed to temporarily filter the blood of someone whose own liver suddenly failed. And if that novel “liver assist” works, it would be a critical step toward eventually attempting a bioengineered organ transplant – probably a kidney.
“It all sounds science fiction-ey but it’s got to start somewhere,” said Dr. Sander Florman, a transplant chief at New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital, one of several hospitals already planning to participate in the liver-assist study. “This is probably more of the near future than xenotransplantation,” or directly implanting animal organs into people.
More than 105,000 people are on the U.S. waiting list for an organ transplant. Thousands will die before it’s their turn. Thousands more never even get put on the list, considered too much of a long shot.
“The number of organs we have available are never going to be able to meet the demand,” said Dr. Amit Tevar, a transplant surgeon at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. “This is our frustration.”
That’s why scientists are looking to animals as another source of organs. A Maryland man lived two months after receiving the world’s first heart transplant from a pig last January – an animal genetically modified so its organs didn’t trigger an immediate attack from the human immune system. The FDA is considering whether to allow additional xenotransplantation experiments using kidneys or hearts from gene-edited pigs.
Bioengineering organs is markedly different — no special pigs required, just leftover organs from slaughterhouses.
“That is something that in the long term may very likely contribute to the development of organs we can use in humans,” said Pittsburgh’s Tevar. He’s not involved with Miromatrix — and cautioned that the planned outside-the-body testing would be only an early first step.
The Miromatrix approach stems from research in the early 2000s, when regenerative medicine specialist Doris Taylor and Dr. Harald Ott, then at the University of Minnesota, pioneered a way to completely decellularize the heart of a dead rat. The team seeded the resulting scaffolding with immature heart cells from baby rats that eventually made the little organ beat, garnering international headlines.
Fast forward, and now at university spinoff Miromatrix sit rows of large jugs pumping fluids and nutrients into livers and kidneys in various stages of their metamorphosis.
Stripping away the pig cells removes some of the risks of xenotransplantation, such as lurking animal viruses or hyper-rejection, Ross said. The FDA already considers the decellularized pig tissue safe for another purpose, using it to make a type of surgical mesh.
More complex is getting human cells to take over.
“We can’t take billions of cells and push them into the organ at once,” Ross said. When slowly infused, “the cells crawl around and when they see the right environment, they stick.”
The source of those human cells: donated livers and kidneys that won’t be transplanted. Nearly a quarter of kidneys donated in the U.S. last year were discarded because hospitals often refuse to transplant less than perfect organs, or because it took too long to find a matching recipient.
As long as enough cells still are functioning when donation groups offer up an organ, Miromatrix biologists isolate usable cells and multiply them in lab dishes. From one rescued human organ the company says it can grow enough cells to repopulate several pig liver or kidney scaffolds, cells responsible for different jobs — the kind that line blood vessels or filter waste, for example.
In 2021, researchers with Miromatrix and the Mayo Clinic reported successfully transplanting a version of bioengineered livers into pigs.
That set the stage for testing a “liver-assist” treatment similar to dialysis, using bioengineered livers to filter the blood of people in acute liver failure, a life-threatening emergency. Doctors now have little to offer except supportive care unless the person is lucky enough to get a rapid transplant.
“If you can just get over the hump, then you might actually recover” — because the live
r is the only organ that can repair itself and regrow, said Mount Sinai’s Florman. “I’ll be excited when they get their first patient enrolled and I hope that it’s with us.”
It’s not clear how soon that testing can begin. The FDA recently told Miromatrix it has some questions about the study application.
If the outside-the-body liver experiment works, what’s next? Still more research aimed at one day attempting to transplant a bioengineered organ – likely a kidney, because a patient could survive with dialysis if the operation failed.
While regrowing kidneys isn’t as far along, “I was completely stunned” at the progress so far, said Dr. Ron Shapiro, a kidney transplant expert at Mount Sinai.
He treats many older patients on dialysis who “will wait for years and years to get a kidney and likely die waiting on the list who would be perfect” for such experiments — if they come in time.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
DNR cleaning up after fire sends butter into sewer
Associated Press
The state Department of Natural Resource is helping local government workers clean up after a fire flooded a dairy plant with butter.
The fire broke out in a butter storage room at the Associated Milk Producers, Inc., facility in Portage around 9 p.m. on Jan. 2, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. The butter heated up and flowed through the building, impeding access. Firefighters needed several hours to extinguish the blaze.
Most of the butter that escaped the plant flowed into the sewers and traveled to a wastewater treatment plant, DNR officials said on Jan. 5. Plant personnel have been clearing butter out of their equipment since the fire but the facility is still operating effectively, agency officials said.
About 20 gallons of butter flowed into the storm sewers and into a nearby canal, DNR officials said. Booms were deployed to contain the butter and it’s since been removed, they said. The incident’s overall environmental impact appears to be minimal, they said. An investigation is ongoing.
Gray whale calf born in front of amazed crowd off California
Associated Press
Spectators on a Southern California whale-watching cruise were excited when they spotted a gray whale, then amazed when the giant mammal gave birth right in front of them.
The birth and the first moments of the calf’s life were recorded on cellphone and drone video Jan. 2 off Dana Point, south of Los Angeles. Passengers and crew on a boat operated by Capt. Dave’s Dolphin & Whale Safari spotted blood in the water and initially worried the 35-foot gray whale might be injured.
The boat’s captain, Gary Brighouse, said when everyone realized they were witnessing a birth, the mood turned celebratory. “It went from horror to pure joy and astonishment,” Brighouse told the Orange County Register. “It moved me to my core.”
The video shows the mother and baby frolicking around and under the 24-foot boat and breaching the surface of the water. Spectator Stacie Fox, who shot images of the birth from another Capt. Dave’s boat, said she was screaming with excitement. “It’s once-in-a-lifetime type stuff,” she said.
While it’s not uncommon for gray whales to give birth along their winter journey from feeding grounds near Alaska to warm waters off Mexico, it’s rarely photographed. “As far as I know, no one has filmed a gray whale giving birth or even seen it before,” Dave Anderson, the owner of Capt. Dave’s, told the Register.
Man accused of chewing off man’s ear said victim was a robot
By Lisa Baumann
Associated Press
A man accused of chewing off the ear of a 78-year-old man on a light-rail train platform near Portland, Oregon, told detectives he thought the victim was a robot trying to kill him, police said.
Koryn Daniel Kraemer was charged with second-degree assault in Multnomah County District Court on Jan. 4, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office said. Kraemer, 25, entered a not guilty plea to the charge.
Around 2 a.m. Jan. 3, police and deputies responded to a light rail platform in Gresham after a caller said they could see a lot of blood and an attacker on top of a victim, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Officers used force to remove Kraemer from the victim and the victim was taken to a hospital, the affidavit said. The victim’s right ear was bitten off in the attack and part of his skull was visible, the affidavit said. He was sedated but in stable condition, according to the document.
Investigators said the suspect initially gave his name as El Baker, and he was booked into jail under that name. Multnomah County jail staff later identified the man as Kraemer, who had recently moved to Portland from Georgia, the affidavit said.
Kraemer told a detective he consumed alcohol, marijuana and fentanyl pills before the attack, according to the affidavit, and said he could tell by how the victim smelled that he was a robot. He also told police he spit the flesh onto the ground. Kraemer is being held in custody without bail.
‘Romeo & Juliet’ stars sue over 1968 film’s teen nude scene
By Andrew Dalton
Associated Press Entertainment Writer
The two stars of 1968’s “Romeo and Juliet” sued Paramount Pictures for more than $500 million on Jan. 3 over a nude scene in the film shot when they were teens.
Olivia Hussey, then 15 and now 71, and Leonard Whiting, then 16 now 72, filed the suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleging sexual abuse, sexual harassment and fraud. Director Franco Zeffirelli, who died in 2019, initially told the two that they would wear flesh-colored undergarments in the bedroom scene that comes late in the movie and was shot on the final days of filming, the suit alleges.
But on the morning of the shoot, Zeffirelli told Whiting, who played Romeo, and Hussey, who played Juliet, that they would wear only body makeup, while still assuring them the camera would be positioned in a way that would not show nudity, according to the suit. Yet they were filmed in the nude wit
hout their knowledge, in violation of California and federal laws against indecency and the exploitation of children, the suit says.
Zeffirelli told them they must act in the nude “or the Picture would fail” and their careers would be hurt, the suit said. The actors “believed they had no choice but to act in the nude in body makeup as demanded.” Whiting’s bare buttocks and Hussey’s bare breasts are briefly shown during the scene. The film, and its theme song, were major hits at the time, and has been shown to generations of high school students studying the Shakespeare play since.
The court filing says Hussey and Whiting have suffered emotional damage and mental anguish for decades, and that each had careers that did not reflect the success of the movie. It says given that suffering and the revenue brought in by the film since its release, the actors are entitled to damages of more than $500 million. An email seeking comment from representatives of Paramount was not immediately returned.
The lawsuit was filed under a California law temporarily suspending the statute of limitations for child sex abuse, which has led to a host of new lawsuits and the revival of many others that were previously dismissed.
Hussey defended the scene in a 2018 interview with Variety, which first reported the lawsuit, for the film’s 50th anniversary. “Nobody my age had done that before,” she said, adding that Zeffirelli shot it tastefully. “It was needed for the film.”
The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Hussey and Whiting have.
Iowa woman believed to be oldest in US dies at 115 years old
Associated Press
An Iowa woman who was believed to be the oldest living person in the U.S. has died at the age of 115.
Bessie Laurena Hendricks, of Lake City, died Jan. 3 at the Shady Oaks Care Center, according to Lampe & Powers Funeral Home in Lake City. Hendricks celebrated her 115th birthday at the home on Nov. 7 and was listed last year by the Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group as the country’s oldest living person until her death.
Born in 1907 in west-central Iowa’s Calhoun County, Hendricks was alive to witness news of the sinking of the Titanic, World War I and II, the Great Depression and both the Spanish flu and COVID-19 pandemics. She was a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse there and the mother of five children, according to the Des Moines Register. She is survived by three of her children. A funeral service for Hendricks was to be held at Lampe & Powers Funeral Home on Jan. 7.
The Gerontology Research Group reports that Hendrick’s death leaves 114-year-old Edie Ceccarelli of California as the country’s oldest living person.
Real snowbird in Southern California? Snowy owl to be exact
Associated Press
Snowbirds are a common sight in Southern California in wintertime – except when they’re actually a bird. A snowy owl to be exact.
Crowds of bird-watchers have been showing up regularly in an Orange County neighborhood to gawk at a snowy owl, a species normally found around the Arctic, Canada and several northern U.S. states.
Its current home is a rooftop perch in the balmy city of Cypress.
“It is absolutely unique as a bird observation,” Vic Leipzig, who teaches birding at Saddleback College, told The Orange County Register this week.
The newspaper reported that local bird experts speculated that the owl could have arrived in Southern California aboard a ship or could be a captive bird that escaped.
“It’s a beautiful thing to see,” Leipzig said. “That there were so many people standing there watching this thing was very thrilling to me.”
Continuing Events:
Tuesdays
Practice Your English–Tuesday Chat! R
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Improve your English by talking with native speakers
bit.ly/3TH2keU
Tuesdays
Bilingual (English/Spanish) Tiny Tot Story Time
9:30 am – 11:00 am
Kinder readiness class for 0-5 years old
Union City Family Center
725 Whipple Rd, Union City
(510) 476-2770
bit.ly/3GaTamI
Wednesdays
Tropics Bingo
7:00 pm
Flash games
Tropics Mobile Home Park
33000 Almaden Blvd, Union City
(510) 471-8550
the-tropics.net
Wednesdays
Zumba Gold $
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Workout while dancing
Age Well Center at South Fremont
47111 Mission Falls Ct, Fremont
(510) 742-7529
bit.ly/3rAEdSC
Thursdays
Chair Yoga R$
10:00 am – 11:00 am
Consists of breathing and stretching techniques
Age Well Center at South Fremont
47111 Mission Falls Ct, Fremont
(510) 742-7529
bit.ly/3rAEdSC
Thursdays
International Folk Dancing in Mandarin R$
11:30 am – 12:50 pm
Age Well Center at South Fremont
47111 Mission Falls Ct, Fremont
(510) 742-7529
bit.ly/3rAEdSC
Second Thursdays
Diaper Distribution Program
11:00 am
Diaper and wipes for low-income household
Hayward Public Library
888 C St,
Hayward
(510) 293-8685
hayward-ca.gov/public-library
Thursdays and Sundays
Animal Feeding
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Feed livestock & learn about their favorite food
Ardenwood Historic Farm
34600 Ardenwood Blvd, Fremont
(888) 327-2757
ebparks.org/parks/ardenwood
Fridays and Saturdays
Telescope Viewings
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm
Experience the awe and wonder of the universe
Chabot Space and Science Center
10000 Skyline Blvd, Oakland
(510) 336-7300
chabotspace.org
First and Third Saturdays
Pacific Bus Museum $
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Open house
Pacific Bus Museum
37974 Shinn St, Fremont
pacbus.org
Saturdays
Laugh Track City $
8:00 pm
Improvised games and scenes
Made Up Theatre
4000 Bay St suite B, Fremont
(510) 573-3633
madeuptheatre.com
Please show proof of vaccination
Second Saturdays
Alviso Adobe Tours $
1:00 pm
Docent-led tours & video presentation
Alviso Adobe Park
2087 Alviso Adobe Ct, Milpitas
(408) 586-3210
bit.ly/3Wcmgau
Second Saturday
Lazy Saturdays?
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Join members of LEAF & tackle various projects
Local Ecology and Agriculture Fremont (LEAF)
6501 Niles Blvd, Fremont
fremontleaf.org/volunteer
Mondays
Advanced Math + Science Tutoring
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Free high school and college-level tutoring
Castro Valley Library
3600 Norbridge Ave, Castro Valley
(510) 667-7900
aclibrary.org
Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
Showers for Adults 55+ R
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
One shower per day
Age Well Center at South Fremont
47111 Mission Falls Ct, Fremont
(510) 742-7529
bit.ly/3rAEdSC
Saturdays, November 12 – February 5
13 Weekly (Grief Share) sessions R
9:00 am – 10:30 am
Prince of peace church
38451 Fremont Blvd, Fremont
(510) 793-3366
popfremont.org
First Thursday, December 1 – April 6
Bill Savings Assistance with Spectrum
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
In-person assistance on completing the 2022 LIHEAP and/or LIHWAP application forms
Fremont Main Library
2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont
(510) 745-1400
aclibrary.org/locations/FRM bit.ly/3gWSjfq
Wednesdays, December 7 – November 22
Qi Gong Meditation & Exercise Classes
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Relieve Stress and anxiety by joining Falun Dafa classes
Milpitas Public Library
160 N Main St, Milpitas
(408) 262-1171
sccld.org
Thursdays, December 8 – June 8
Cover to Cover Book Discussion
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Newark Public Library
37055 Newark Blvd, Newark
(510) 284-0675
bit.ly/3DyAJaM
Second Mondays, December 12 – May 8
ASL (American Sign Language) Story Signing
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Preschool – 2nd grade: 6:30 – 7:00 pm
3rd – 5th grade: 7:00 – 7:30 pm
Fremont Main Library
2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont
(510) 745-1400
aclibrary.org/locations/FRM
First and third Friday, December 16 – Jun 16
Mobile Food Distribution
10:30 am – 11:30 am
Available for first 80 families
Fremont Main Library
2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont
(510) 745-1400
aclibrary.org/locations/FRM
Please bring your own reusable bag, line up starts at 9:30
Saturdays & Sundays, December 20 – January 22
Winter Brick Show $
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Exhibit of various LEGO structures
Bay Area Family Church
2305 Washington Ave, San Leandro
(510) 483-4712
bafc.org
Wednesdays, December 28 –
January 25
Folding Books R
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Used books makeover project
Newark Public Library
37055 Newark Blvd, Newark
(510) 284-0675
bit.ly/3DyAJaM
Sundays, January 1 – February 26
Snake Talk
2:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Discover the importance of snakes to the ecosystem
Sunol Regional Wilderness Visitor Center
1895 Geary Rd, Sunol
(510) 544-3245
ebparks.org/parks/sunol
Tuesdays, January 3 – May 30
Baby Bouncers Lapsit
11:30 am – 11:45 am
Nursery rhymes, lap bounce, songs, and picture books for 12 months and younger
Milpitas Public Library
160 N Main St, Milpitas
(408) 262-1171
sccld.org
First Wednesday, January 4 – May 31
Pen Pal Club
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Create a card, and write to your new pen pal friend from the Portola Branch Library in SFO
Fremont Main Library
2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont
(510) 745-1400
aclibrary.org/locations/FRM
Wednesdays, January 4 – January 25
Little Listeners Storytime
11:00 am – 11:45 am
In-person story time with, songs, and other fun for preschooler
San Lorenzo Library
395 Paseo Grande, San Lorenzo
(510) 284-0640
aclibrary.org/locations/SLZ
Saturdays, January 7 – January 28
Storywalk along the Marsh
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Enjoy the stroll with stories, songs, and movement
Coyote Hills Visitors Center
8000 Patterson Ranch Rd, Fremont
(510) 544-3220
bit.ly/3UGfdGr
First Saturdays, January 7 – March 4
Music Hour at the Library
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Platform for the community to come together to perform, share and enjoy music
Newark Public Library
37055 Newark Blvd, Newark
(510) 284-0675
bit.ly/3WyERy6
Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, January 13 – January 29
Matilda The Musical R$
Friday/Saturday: 7 pm
Sunday: 2 pm
Ohlone College Smith Center
43600 Mission Blvd, Fremont
bit.ly/3Zeges0
ASL interpreted performance on January 27
Tuesdays January 17 – May 16
Read to a Dog
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Come and read to the trained therapy dogs
Fremont Main Library
2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont
(510) 745-1400
aclibrary.org/locations/FRM
Mask required for 2+
Upcoming Events:
Tuesday, January 10
Practice Exam: Competitive Mathematics for Middle Schoolers R
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
American Mathematics Competitions practice exam
Fremont Main Library
2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont
(510) 745-1400
bit.ly/3Za7ZNN
Wednesday, January 11
Registration Workshop: Free Courses at Ohlone College R
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Learn about Ohlone College free courses (in Spanish)
Newark Public Library
37055 Newark Blvd, Newark
(510) 284-0675
bit.ly/3DyAJaM
Wednesday, January 11
Storytime & Craft
8:45 am – 10:00 am
Enjoy story time & crafts
Chick-fil-A Mowry Avenue
5245 Mowry Ave, Fremont
(510) 608-5771
bit.ly/3WpRmw2
Wednesday, January 11
Release & Let Go
3:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Mindful exercise for teens at Teen Zone
San Lorenzo Library
395 Paseo Grande, San Lorenzo
(510) 284-0640
aclibrary.org/locations/SLZ
Thursday, January 12
MFMII Auditions for 2nd Semester $
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Fill the form to register your child for an audition. Zoom link will be provided after the signing up
bit.ly/3I7jwYb
Thursday, January 12
Self-care and self-compassion: Keys to Well-being
1:00 pm
Discover the positive impact of self-compassion
facebook.com/WashingtonHosp
youtube.com/whhsInHealth
Thursday, January 12
F
remont Comedy spot R$
8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Live comedy performances by established & local rising stars
Spin A Yarn Steakhouse
45915 Warm Spring Blvd., Fremont
(510) 656-9141
bit.ly/3IsA510
Thursday, January 12
Café Dad Goes to the Movie R$
5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Special screening of “Secret Life of Pets!” for fathers & their children of HUSD
Century Theater
1069 B Street, Hayward
(510) 582-1190
bit.ly/3jZqTqJ
Confirmation mail will be sent by HUSD after registration
Friday, January 13 – Sunday, January 15
Fremont Friend of the Library Book Sale
2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Saturday: 10 am – 3 pm ($1 per inch)
Sunday: 12 pm – 3 pm ($5 per bag)
Fremont Main Library
2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont
(510) 745-1400
aclibrary.org/locations/FRM
Friday, January 13
Lunar New Year Celebration R
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Traditional Lunar New Year performances, festive music and attire!
Age Well Center at Lake Elizabeth
40086 Paseo Padre Pkwy, Fremont
(510) 790-6606
Lunch buys starts from January 6
SF Bay Area Chamber Choir
Friday, January 13 $
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Music inspired by animals; madrigals
Mission San Jose
43300 Mission Blvd., Fremont
(510) 657-1797
Tickets at the door: $20 general admission; $10 people 30 and younger
Saturday, January 14
Family Story Time
11:00 am – 11:30 am
Local author reading a story “The Year of the Rabbit”
Castro Valley Library
3600 Norbridge Ave, Castro Valley
(510) 667-7900
aclibrary.org
Saturday, January 14
Friends of the Library Booksale
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Materials for children, books on sale
Centerville library
3801 Nicolet Ave, Fremont
(510) 795-2629
aclibrary.org/locations/CTV
Saturday, January 14
Ohlone culture info table
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Discover the rich culture and vibrant way of life of the region’s first settlers
Sunol Regional Wilderness Visitor Center
1895 Geary Rd, Sunol
(510) 544-3245
ebparks.org/parks/sunol
Saturday, January 14
Funky Fungi
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Learn about mushroom, search for its rings & make your own craft
Ardenwood Historic Farm
34600 Ardenwood Blvd, Fremont
(888) 327-2757
ebparks.org/parks/ardenwood
Saturday, January 14
Nocturnal Journal Hike R
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Make nighttime discoveries, record your sightings, & learn techniques for nature journaling
Sunol Regional Wilderness Visitor Center
1895 Geary Rd, Sunol
(510) 544-3245
ebparks.org/parks/sunol
Registration: 1-888-EBPARKS
Saturday, January 14
Fruit Tree Selection & Pruning R
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Consultation with a master gardener regarding the care & selection of fruit trees
Hayward Public Library
888 C St, Hayward
(510) 583-211
bit.ly/3jO1CPX
Saturday, January 14
Hayward Climate Action: A Discussion
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Founder of 100K Trees for Humanity, discusses climate action with Hayward officials
Fremont Bank Foundation Room
Hayward Public Library
888 C St, Hayward
(510) 293-8685
hayward-ca.gov/public-library
Saturday, January 14
Lunar New Year Event
11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Crafts, activities, performances, and food highlighting the traditions & culture
Fremont Downtown Event Center
3500 Capitol Ave, Fremont
(510) 742-7510
bit.ly/3Bnluib
Saturday, January 14
Canine Capers R
9:00 am – 11:00 am
Nurture yourself by exploring nature and hiking with your pet
Sunol Regional Wilderness Visitor Center
1895 Geary Rd, Sunol
(510) 544-3245
ebparks.org/parks/Sunol
Registration:1-888-EBPARKS
Saturday, January 14
Music Hour at the Librar
y
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Perform, share and enjoy music together
Union City Library
34007 Alvarado-Niles Rd, Union City
(510) 745-1464
bit.ly/3WyERy6
Sunday, January 15
Storytime
10:30 am – 11:00 am
Gather to hear stories about fun farm animals
Ardenwood Historic Farm
34600 Ardenwood Blvd, Fremont
(888) 327-2757
ebparks.org/parks/ardenwood
Sunday, January 15
Who’s Calling? R
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Owling in the park and practice identifying common owl calls
Sunol Regional Wilderness Visitor Center
1895 Geary Rd, Sunol
(510) 544-3245
ebparks.org/parks/sunol
Registration: 1-888-EBPARKS
Tuesday, January 17
Age Well, Drive Smart R
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Senior driver education class. Limited space
Age Well Center at Lake Elizabeth
40086 Paseo Padre Pkwy, Fremont
(510) 790 6602
city.fremont.gov/awcclasses
Tuesday, January 17
Technology Class
10:00 am – 1:30 pm
Learn to set up your phone the way you want
Conference room
Age Well Center at South Fremont
47111 Mission Falls Ct, Fremont
(510) 742-7529
bit.ly/3rAEdSC
Saturday, January 28
2023 Crab Feed Fundraiser R$
5:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Washington High School; raffle basket, silent auction, live DJ, pasta and salad dinner
Holy Spirit Gymnasium
37588 Fremont Blvd, Fremont
bit.ly/3Z9fOn3
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