06-14-22 Articles

For the Love of LEGO®

By Karen MacLaughlin

LEGO® is a combination of two Danish words which mean “play well.” Builders at the upcoming “Bricks by the Bay” Public Exhibition on June 25-26 had a lot of time to play well during lockdown. They have returned to this year’s in-person convention with the task of expanding upon the theme Looking Back. Hobbyists from across the nation will display their craft throughout the 22,568 square feet of the Grand Ballroom in the Santa Clara Convention Center, along with a variety of vendors who sell LEGO® elements, accessories and kits.

The event is run entirely by volunteers. Johannes van Galen has been an organizer since the first Bricks by the Bay held in Fremont when members of the Bay Area Lego Users Group (baylug.org) decided to start an exhibit like those in Seattle and Chicago. So many people showed up the first year that the following year they had to move to San Jose where the exhibit has been held ever since. Van Galen says that builders come from all walks of life, but usually have this one narrative in common: they started building when they were kids, went through a teen “Dark Age” of feeling they had outgrown it, then returned to the hobby with renewed passion after having kids of their own.

Volunteer and builder, Tiffeny Thompson, never experienced the teen Dark Age. She started building as a kid, has “never stopped building,” and now has a nine-year-old son who “builds all the time.” She coordinates the Town & Train creations and likes to see adults come together and realize that they’re not “weird” because they enjoy designing and building with bricks as much as the kids.

Exhibitor Jeremy Stevermer combines his love of bonsai and LEGO® to create one-of-a-kind, living, lighted designs. Growing up, Stevermer would buy a LEGO® kit and build it according to the specifications, then immediately take it apart and re-build it the way he wanted. This year he will be showing the latest version of his “LEGO Treehouse in a ficus tree” which, he says, is “hard to ignore” because, among other things, it pulsates with green lights. Julian Gomez, former Director of Advanced Technology and Chief Scientist for LEGO®, gave the first organized talk to convention-goers in 2010 about the company’s then effort to develop a digital version of the bricks in order to compete with growing video game markets. That initiative led to the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® series which builders, young and old, use to build their own programmable, moveable robots.

There are two Bricks by the Bay events to choose from this June. One is the two-day Public Exhibition for viewing and shopping. The other is a four-day Builder Convention in which workshops, presentations, games, and awards give participants the opportunity to acquire new skills and mingle with fellow fans. (Register online in advance for the Builder Convention.) One workshop teaches the standards and specs for building a “Great Ball Contraption” (GBC). Similar to a Rube Goldberg machine, GBCs are made up of separate LEGO® modules that form a continuous loop for delivering tiny LEGO® balls to whatever fate the creator intends. GBC builders can bring in their discrete modules and link them up with other people’s without any need to consult beforehand. Build by the Box, Build in the Bag, Individual Speed Build, Team Speed Build, and Brick Trader of the Galaxy are some of the names of the games available to compete in for prizes at the four-day Builder Convention.

Finished designs—or My Own Creations (MOCs—vary in size from landscapes measuring 20 x 26 feet to movie-themed character pieces only a few inches high (think Queen Watevra Wa-Nabi from The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.) Photographers Bill Ward and Davin White, who are also builders, have been documenting MOCs in the Art, Castle, Fantasy & Historical, Great Ball Contraption, Military, Pop Culture, Robotics & Mechanisms, Scale Models, Space & Science Fiction, and Town & Train categories in the past decade. Ward’s work can be seen at https://www.brickpile.com.

Whether you are a builder, a fan, or still in your “dark age,” Bricks by the Bay is worth checking out.

Bricks by the Bay Public Exhibition

Saturday, Jun 25 – Sunday, Jun 26

9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Santa Clara Convention Center

5001 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara

www.bricksbythebay.org

Online Tickets: $8-11 (kids 3 and under free)

Cash Only at the Door: $12-15

For MOC, register online by June 19

Niles Depot’s Trains – in miniature!

Submitted by Niles Depot Museum

On Saturday, June 18, Niles Depot Museum (located in Niles Plaza) will hold its 10th annual open house. Enjoy two model railroad layouts depicting Niles in the mid 1940’s in HO and N scale. There will also be a kids’ layout in the museum, and for an additional $5, your child can run a train for 15 minutes!

Both buildings will be open and operating. Docents will be present to answer questions and provide education on the artifacts in the Depot and how the railroad served the Niles area transportation needs.

We look forward to seeing you at the Depot and Freight building!

Niles Depot Museum Open House

Saturday, Jun 18

10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Niles Passenger & Freight Depot

37592 Niles Blvd., Fremont

https://www.nilesdepotmuseum.org/

Entry fee: $5

Pocket parks to be built in Castro Valley

By Andrew Cavette

Two new pocket parks are being developed in Castro Valley on plots of land near highway 580. Both plots are owned by CalTrans.

Dragonfly Park along Castro Valley Boulevard and a separate park site along Strobridge Avenue are being developed by Forestr.org, a non-profit organization based in Castro Valley. Recently, Forestr.org developed a pocket park near the Castro Valley library.

Pocket park does not have an official definition. They are green spaces, often small, embedded into cities. Pocket parks are a way to purposely create a natural setting in an overlooked space.

The proposed plans for these new parks include fruit trees, native plants and perennial gardens. The plan for the un-named, second site (along Strobridge Avenue) also includes a dog park.

At first, Forestr.org founder, Yon Hardisty, simply wanted access to some public land to plant a redwood tree. He and his wife, Nimone Li-Hardisty, started a non-profit, Forestr.org in 2019, so they could work more easily with public agencies.

Li-Hardisty, CEO, expanded the scope of Forestr.org. She now has a team that cleans up litter, a team that designs and builds pocket parks, and an outreach team that provides food to local communities. Forestr.org grows food in smaller sections of some of their park spaces.

Yon Hardisty leads the clean-up team. When asked, he noted that pocket parks are different from landscaping.

“Landscaping focuses on the aesthetic of the land rather than your interaction with it,” Hardisty said. “We want to create spaces that invite the public to come and sit, to walk on [the land], to feel the soil as opposed to feeling the concrete.”

Forestr.org has developed partnerships with public agencies like CalTrans and the Alameda County Library system, as well as privately-owned land near businesses. They gather funding through corporate sponsorships and grants and design their pocket parks to be low-maintenance. As a team of volunteers from the community, Forestr.org offers to maintain the land long after they propose a design or build a park.

“What’s very p
opular, unfortunately, is the planting of a tree and walking away,” Hardisty said. “We treat the ecology of the land like a business.”

Forestr.org provides public agencies and private landowners a five, 10, 15, sometimes 30-year plan to maintain the land.

Fortestr.org has more projects beyond the two sites in Castro Valley. They are currently working with Harmony Court Beautification Project, a neighborhood coalition in the southern end of unincorporated Ashland.

“Harmony Park” is being planned inside a housing development located South of highway 238 and North of San Lorenzo Creek. The housing development was built in the early 1950s and the original plans for that neighborhood required an agricultural space to be included. A green space was built (where Harmony Drive and Court meet), but no one had time to manage it. That oval-shaped plot of land was later covered over with asphalt.

“It looks like a very large traffic turn-around in the neighborhood,” Hardisty said, “but it is literally zoned for agriculture. It’s supposed to be green space dedicated to that community… and it has been asphalt for almost a hundred years.”

Hardisty was clearly excited by the project. “This is what I love most, because it’s not a Forestr.org project… this is a Harmony Court project,” Hardisty said. “But we got onto a phone call [Alameda County Public Works Agency] and they got a grant and were very willing to transform this space.”

According to Hardisty, Alameda County Public Works Agency told him they would bring water to the plot, plant trees and genuinely asked what the community at Harmony Court wanted for the space. According to Hardisty, they also insisted that the community maintain the park. Hardisty immediately volunteered Forestr.org to be the ones who worked with the community and to meet the needs of the new pocket park.

“Please just put it in,” Hardisty told to the agency, “or let us put it in…I’ll go get a corporate sponsor.”

“Thankfully public works was super jazzed about doing it themselves,” Hardisty said.

In a development meeting, according to Hardisty, Harmony Court Beautification Project and Alameda County Public Works Agency were excited to install green trees, fruit trees and above-ground vegetable planters. According to Hardisty, Harmony Park project will begin construction in October / November of 2022.

For more information on Pocket Parks visit Forestr.org.

News and notes from around the world

Submitted by The Association of Mature American Citizens

Once in a very long lifetime

What’s in your bucket list? Perhaps you’d like to see the Pyramids in Egypt, go white water rafting or write a book, says the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC). Not for Bertha Komor. This resident of Farmington, Connecticut says she has always wanted to pet a penguin. They’re not so easy to find in that part of the world, but the local chapter of the Twilight Wish Foundation made it happen in time for the celebration of her 104th birthday. She was thrilled and kind of cuddled with the flightless seabird saying, “I didn’t expect this. It’s wonderful. Just petting the penguin and seeing him close up.” See video of Komor and the penguin on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=C62KGbF85WY.

With the greatest of ease

And then there is Ruth Larsson of Motala, Sweden. It wasn’t enough of a feat having made a tandem parachute jump two years ago when she was a mere 101 years of age, so she did it again — this time at the age of 103 years and 259 days old. A Guinness World Record official was on hand to watch her as she flew through the air with the greatest of ease and declared her to be the oldest woman ever to make the jump. According to AMAC, Larsson replaced the previous record holder, Kathryn Hodges of Snohomish, Washington who was 103 years and 129 days old when she won the title in 2019. See video of Larsson’s record-breaking jump on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcPSYp-ysjU.

Chase the cheese

The Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling race sounds like a pretty tame competition. It takes place each year in the quaint British village of Brockworth. But it’s not for the faint of heart, warns AMAC. It was an officially sanctioned event until 2010 when things got a bit out of hand as the result of its growing popularity. Too many contenders were showing up causing near-riot conditions as contestants chased a nine-pound wheel of Double Gloucester cheese down a very steep hillside. Notwithstanding the likelihood of breaking an arm or a leg, the race continues to attract the hundreds of participants from all over the world. The dangers were heightened at this year’s event due to wet weather. See video of the cheese-rolling contest on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=K40o7eiFEOQ.

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: Juneteenth Events

By Ned MacKay

Juneteenth, now a federal holiday in the United States, commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans at the end of the Civil War.

The holiday is on the anniversary of an order issued on June 19, 1865 by Union Army General Gordon Granger, proclaiming freedom for enslaved people in Texas. This year it falls on a Sunday; East Bay Regional Park District offices will be closed on Monday, June 20 in observance, though of course the parks will remain open.

Activities celebrating Juneteenth are planned in three regional parks. All three programs are drop-in; no registration is required. One is a Juneteenth Celebration Hike from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 19 at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont, led by naturalist Maeron Yeshiwas. During the hike, Maeron will discuss Black contributions throughout history in the fields of science, conservation and art. Meet at the visitor center.

Parent participation is required. Masks are also recommended and social distancing must be maintained. Coyote Hills is located at the end of Patterson Ranch Road off Paseo Padre Parkway. There’s a parking fee of $5 per vehicle. For information, call (510)544-3220.

Nearby at Ardenwood Historic Farm, you can play baseball, a Juneteenth tradition, in a program from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 19. Naturalist David Cohen will preside, and talk about the history of America’s second Independence Day. Ardenwood admission will be waived in honor of Juneteenth, and parking is free. The park is at 34600 Ardenwood Boulevard in Fremont, just north of Highway 84. For information, call (510) 544-2792.

And since Juneteenth is also Father’s Day, Crab Cove Visitor Center in Alameda will celebrate the double holiday with crafts and other activities between 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on June 19. Craft activity will be ongoing; there will be a story circle at the start of every hour. Crab Cove is at 1253 McKay Ave. off Alameda’s Central Avenue. For information, call (510) 544-3187.

The park district and Regional Parks Foundation are sponsoring free online Wellness & Fitness classes from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. every Thursday in June, celebrating Juneteenth and LGBTQ+ Pride Month. The program on June 16 is Pan African Dance. June 23 is a Cardio Dance Party, and on June 30 it’s Zumba. To register, go to www.ebparks.oat Del Vallerg/WF.

By the way, for an explanation of the symbolism of the rainbow-colored LGBTQ+ flag, go to www.ebparks.org/pride-month/pride-and-parks-all-are-welcome-here.

Reptiles are the focus of a program from 11:30 a.m. to 12 noon on Sunday, June 19 at the Environmental Education Center in Tilden Nature Area near Berkeley with naturalist Jenna S. Collins. Find out what turtles eat, how snakes move and what scales feel like, while meeting a couple of the center’s reptile residents.

Then from 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. you can join Jenna and help to close the adjacent Little Farm for the night and put the animals to bed. Meet at the chicken coop for a variety of age-appropriate activities. Both programs are free of charge and registration is not required. The center and farm are at the north end of Tilden’s Central Park Drive. Masks are required. For information, call (510) 544-2233.

Tuesday, June 21 is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. The naturalists at Big Break Visitor Center in Oakley will mark it with a free, drop-in program from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., an evening exploration of the Delta. Big Break is at 69 Big Break Road off Oakley’s Main Street. For information, call (510) 544-3050.

There’s also a Summer Solstice walk with a naturalist from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, June 22 at Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in Antioch. The group will look for signs of summer while walking trails around the Somersville town site. Black Diamond Mines is at the end of Somersville Road, 3½ miles south of Highway 4. There’s a parking fee of $5 per vehicle. The walk is free of charge, but registration is required. For registration and information, call (888) 327-2757, option 2.

Games, crafts and other activities are on the agenda during a Beach Break from 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 19 at Del Valle Regional Park south of Livermore. The park is at the end of Del Valle Road off Mines Road about nine miles south of town. The program is drop-in, free of charge. Del Valle has a parking fee of $6 per vehicle.

There’s always a lot going on in the regional parks. For a complete program list, go to www.ebparks.org/things-to-do.

GINGER

By Pat Kite

Queen Elizabeth 1 of England [1533-1603] invented the Gingerbread Man. She had oodles of suitors and many guests, and was known to give a lot of gifts. Most of her gifts were those she had gotten and didn’t want. But the Queen was also highly inventive. She had her bakers make gingerbread biscuits, but each was decorated and designed to resemble a specific suitor. The guests could then nibble on their own likenesses.

Ginger growing goes back at least 7,000 years. You can’t grow it from seed. You need a piece of ginger root. While there are several ginger varieties, only Zingiber officinale is the food one. Today I found packaged roots at a local grocery store. The famed Chinese philosopher Confucius insisted ginger was to be on his table during every meal. He insisted food have taste. Ginger became a staple in Chinese cuisine: ginger tea, ginger wine, chopped and pickled ginger were part of the menu. Spicy ginger was also utilized in medicine. Chinese monks used herbal medicine to teach locals about the Buddhist religion.

Ginger meandered over to Japan where it also was utilized for taste as well as health intake. Aside from the pink pickled ginger [gari] next to your sushi, meant for cleaning the palate, there is hiyashiame to help you keep cool on a hot day, and shoga no sato zuke for travel sickness.

In addition to flavor, ginger and other spices were used to semi-preserve food and/or to hide the taste of edibles that had started to spoil. Spices were extremely profitable to adventurers. Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama sailed around the dangerous Africa’s Cape of Good Hope to reach India. He returned to Portugal with ginger root, nutmeg and cinnamon. The profit was at least 60 percent over all of his expenses.

Ginger got to Europe with the ancient Roman adventurers and India trade. When Rome fell, Marco Polo brought spices, including ginger, back into the taste buds. Of course, it was expensive. A pound of ginger was equal in price to one fat sheep.

Immigrants brought gingerbread to America. George Washington’s mother added her recipe to the mix. Gingerbread houses got their start with Hansel and Gretel. In November 2022 there is the 30th annual national Gingerbread house competition in North Carolina.

If you want to grow edible ginger, Zingiber officinale, get fresh rhizomes [roots]. Cut into 2-inch pieces with buds. Plant in a pot of semi-moist soil. Water itsy-bitsy until you see growth. If you want to try the old English custom of finding a human husband, try eating gingerbread “husbands,” or men, and see if it helps.

Shape Our Fremont

Several new development proposals have recently been submitted in Fremont. Some are requesting a preliminary review to get feedback from city staff, while others are formal applications being finished. No matter where these proposals are in the process, they are all open to comments, questions, and concerns from residents. In fact, correspondence from the public is one of the most important parts of the review process.

Here are some of the latest new development proposals around town — plus a few updates on existing proposals. The staff contact is listed for each proposal.

Irvington

 

North Coast Rentals LLC has submitted preliminary plans for the North Coast development on the southeast corner of Fremont Boulevard and Blacow Road. The existing NorCal Tire and Wheels building on this site would be demolished. The proposed development would consist of a single, stepped three-story and four-story building with 30 studio apartments and 2,600 square feet of commercial space. All parking would be on the site. This proposal is undergoing a Preliminary Review Procedure (PRP) and has not been submitted as a formal development application yet. Contact City Staff Team Lead Aki Snelling at as*******@fr*****.gov

CRP Affordable Housing and Community Development has recently submitted a formal application for the Arbor View development at 41868 Osgood Road on the east side of the road near the future Irvington BART station. This development would have 67 affordable housing units in an eight-story building with a parking garage on the ground level. A state-mandated density bonus that applies to affordable housing allows a taller building. Contact City Staff Team Lead Courtney Pal at cp**@fr*****.gov

Mission San Jose

 

On May 5, the Historical Architectural Review Board (HARB) rendered a split vote (2-2-1) on the Mission Paradise formal application to build 11 townhouses, 2 flats, and 3,000 square feet of commercial space on the southwest corner of Washington Boulevard and Ellsworth Street. Because the proposal did not receive a majority in favor, it was considered denied. It is tentatively scheduled to be heard by the Planning Commission on July 14. Several residents wrote to oppose this proposal. Contact City Staff Team Lead Mark Hungerford at mh*********@fr*****.gov

Robson Homes has submitted a formal application for the Ellsworth Mixed-Use development on a vacant lot across from the post office on Ellsworth Street. This development would include 6 three-story townhouses grouped in attached duets facing Ellsworth, 5 two-story detached houses on a private street behind them, and 1 three-story detached townhouse facing Grove Street. Three commercial units with a total of 3,516 square feet of retail space would occupy a one-story building on the corner. Residential parking would be in garages and uncovered spaces on the site. Guest and commercial parking would be on the site and along the frontage on the surrounding streets. Contact City
Staff Team Lead James Willis at jw*****@fr*****.gov.

Centerville

 

City Ventures has submitted preliminary plans for a development at 37447 Fremont Boulevard in downtown Centerville. The existing 1932 Century House and the 1954 building that formerly housed Minerva’s restaurant would be demolished. The proposed development would include 59 townhouses and 6,000 square feet of commercial space in several three- and four-story buildings. This is on the same parcels of land as a previous proposal which was withdrawn. This proposal is undergoing a Preliminary Review Procedure (PRP) and has not been submitted as a formal development application yet. Contact City Staff Team Lead Aki Snelling at as*******@fr*****.gov

The recently submitted Li Bao Li Townhomes formal application would include 10 townhouses in a pair of three-story buildings at 4467 Central Avenue. Parking would be in garages for the residents, with uncovered spaces for guests. Contact City Staff Team Lead Aki Snelling at as*******@fr*****.gov

In other news from Centerville, a revised version of the Sakoon Homes formal application to build a four-story building with 8 condominiums at 4092 Decoto Road was approved by the Planning Commission on May 11. The new version has one commercial building instead of two and a revised parking layout that includes two-level vehicle stackers. The commissioners were satisfied that these changes would resolve their previous concerns about parking and safety.

To learn more about these proposals, visit www.ShapeOurFremont.com

4th of July Parade is BACK!

Submitted by Kathy Kimberlin

Fremont 4th of July Parade nonprofit took innovation to heart during the pandemic, as they kept the festive 4th of July patriotic energy going in the Fremont community, with a Porch Parade in 2020 that over 20,000 fans viewed on Facebook Live. This was a friendly competition that engaged the entire city and brought people together when they needed it most…and while social distancing.

They pivoted once again in 2021 with a hybrid Porch Parade in 2021 with headquarters at Saki’s Spin A Yarn parking lot. Grand Marshal in a Jeep, Supervisor David Haubert in a fire truck, and Oakland Harley motorcycles paraded by. Mayor and City Council presented their “Community Heroes” and other vibrant activities and porches streamed again on Facebook Live.

This year they can once again produce a live parade, on the usual route that begins at the Main library on Stevenson, travels north on Paseo Padre Parkway, and ends at City Hall on Capital Avenue. This year’s parade has increased marching bands entries and many of the favorite entries will appear again, such as Citizens for Better Community, Fremont Football and Cheer, and Oakland Harley Motorcycle group. New entries will be the BMX Team USA and the Bay Area Panthers/Indoor professional football team dancers.

Sal Castenada, KTVU anchor/reporter will serve as event Grand Marshal and Fremont Family Resource Center as community Grand Marshal. The Center is being honored for its work assisting families through the pandemic and providing resources for newly resettling Afghan refugees in the Tri-City area.

The Porch Parade continues, but this year they will forego the competitive nature and offer up bragging rights and opportunities to share patriotic decorative talent here in Fremont. The website will soon post a signup link and an interactive map with decorated porches, yards or balconies to be viewed at your leisure.

Monday, July 4, 2022 the Parade begins promptly at 10 a.m. Announcers Brandon Sass and Steve Coulthard will guide the crowd through entries and likely conduct some fun interviews on Facebook Live. Huge thanks to their top tier sponsors, City of Fremont, Fremont Chevrolet and San Francisco Bay University.

For the first time, there will be a “Parade After Party” hosted by Tri-City Nonprofit Coalition in the Downtown Event Center Plaza. Nonprofits will come together with games, activities and give aways. There will be music and live performances by local nonprofits including a sneak preview of Starstruck Theater’s summer production of Les Miserables. Food Trucks and Das Brew will be in the plaza adding to Parade After Party festivities.

Admission is free; food and beer are available for purchase. They are thankful for Event Sponsor Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert, Community sponsors Fremont Chamber of Commerce and Citizens for Better Community and media sponsor Tri-City Voice.

Additional information may be found on the Fremont 4th nonprofit’s website: www.fremont4th.org and the TCNPC website: https://tcnpc.org/4th-of-july-parade-after-party/.

Fremont 4th of July Parade

Monday, Jul 4

10 a.m. Parade

Starts at Fremont Main Library

2400 Stevenson Blvd., Fremont

Ends at City Hall

3300 Capitol Ave., Fremont

11:30 a.m. After Party

Downtown Event Center Plaza

3500 Capitol Ave., Fremont

www.fremont4th.org

The Role of Technology in Promoting Wellbeing: Youth Wellness Ambassador Aditya Mittal

By Priyanka Shah

Amidst the chaos of the pandemic, like others, Aditya Mittal found himself in a slump. “The lack of structure due to the absence of school and the bell schedule took a toll on me. I found myself surrounded by wads of post-it notes and makeshift to-do lists,” said Mittal. Everything changed when Mittal stumbled upon a wellness discussion that was hosted by the Fremont Youth Wellness Ambassadors Program from 2019 to 2020. The discussion struck a chord in Mittal when he realized that it was the drag of the lockdown routine and cycle of depressing news that was taking a toll on his mental health.

At the time, Mittal was learning about IOS app development, and decided to do more research on how mood affects productivity. He realized that most productivity apps failed to take into consideration how the user was feeling. “I did a little research and I came across several scientific studies that empirically showed that positive emotions can actually increase something called cognitive flexibility, and negative emotions can impair it. In simpler words, if you were happy, you were more productive,” Mittal explained. After his disappointing research, he formed a concept for a mobile app that would combine both task and mood management to intelligently recommend ways to boost productivity.

What was once a faceless idea that Mittal had has now become a fully developed app that can be found on the IOS app store. Dubbed “Zenn Path,” the app, enables users to track their mood and their mood associated activities, which then matches their data with their to-do list. The app then recommends ways to help the user maximize their individual results. “If a user is happy on a particular day, they can enter that they are feeling happy, and also what made them happy. That data point allows the app to realize that the user likes playing tennis, and playing tennis makes them happy. So, when the user is feeling sad, the app can recommend playing tennis or other activities to help alleviate the user’s mood,” he further described.

After Mittal was able to see his efforts have a fruitful outcome; he was invited by the City of Fremont to lead the annual Wellness Ambassador Program. “What started with me listening in to a [discussion] now allowed me to lead the program,” he said. Working with the program, Mittal decided to call the 2021-2022 ambassador project, “The Role of Technology in Promoting Wellbeing.” That was what spurred the development of the program for the upcoming session.

As their project grew, Mittal guided them to research into
the trillion-dollar wellness tech industry and the changing landscape of digital health. The program then created a survey that spread across Fremont to learn the prevailing trends of technology usage and how it was being used to benefit wellbeing. “The responses showed how the youth perceived technology as a positive force and how they wanted to use it to promote wellbeing through healthy eating, fitness, task organization, like Zenn Path, and to regulate the use of technology itself,” said Mittal.

Mittal’s app skyrocketed after he stumbled upon a wellness discussion, and he is now using his knowledge to better the wellbeing of those negatively affected by the pandemic. This is only the beginning of Mittal’s findings within the complex world of technology in wellbeing.

BART to celebrate birthday with rider discounts

Submitted by BART

In September, BART will hold a party to celebrate its 50th birthday, but riders will get presents in the form of travel discounts all month long.

The transit agency will mark its milestone anniversary with a free public celebration Saturday, September 10 outside Lake Merritt Station in Oakland. The event will include a family fun festival with music, games, prizes and the opening of a time capsule. Numerous food trucks will be there to provide a variety of lunchtime options for purchase.

As a thank-you to its riders and to encourage more people to return to the system, BART will offer a 50% discount for the entire month of September. Riders using Clipper will get half off all published BART fares during the month, that includes 50% off already discounted fares for youth, senior, Regional Transportation Connection, Clipper Start and Gator Pass riders.

For more information and a look back at BART’s first 50 years, visit their anniversary webpage at bart.gov/50years.

BART Birthday Party

Saturday, Sep 10

11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Lake Merritt Station, 800 Oak St., Oakland

bart.gov/50years

Free

BART Board Focuses on Rider Experience

Submitted by BART

On June 9th, the BART Board approved a two-year budget focused on improving the rider experience with a continued commitment to running full-service levels prioritizing a clean and safe ride. BART riders will soon benefit from trains better spaced apart, especially on Sundays and during all evening hours, and increased service on Saturday evenings to better serve late-night workers and those who are taking BART to events, restaurants and other activities. The budget for Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024 includes a less-than-inflation-rate fare increase effective July 1, 2022.

The budget funds two impactful service changes in the coming months designed to provide efficient, equitable, and rider-friendly service. Beginning in September 2022, BART trains will run with more consistent intervals. Currently, evening service through San Francisco seven days a week and on Sundays has trains that are not well-spaced apart because of single tracking for rebuilding work. This pattern will come to an end and trains will be better spread apart, reducing wait times for many riders.

In February 2023, BART anticipates making a major investment on Saturday evening service by running five-line service until closure which increases frequency and reduces transfers for many riders.

BART’s budget supports the acceleration of hiring and training the staff most critical to putting out reliable service as BART responds to staffing challenges brought on by the pandemic. BART aims to hire more train operators and additional rail controllers, the employees who monitor and control train movement from the Operations Control Center. The service enhancements in the budget relies on being able to hire these critical positions.

The operating budget also includes funds to modernize two more underground restrooms at the Downtown Berkeley and Embarcadero stations as well as to continue providing restroom attendants at recently reopened underground restrooms at Powell Street and 19th St./Oakland, and soon to reopen Lake Merritt and Montgomery Street stations.

The budget reinstitutes a 3.4% fare increase that was originally scheduled to go into effect January 1, 2022, but was delayed by six months. The increase will add 15 cents to the average fare of $3.78. For example, a short trip from Downtown Berkeley to 19th St./Oakland would increase five cents while a longer trip such as from Antioch to Montgomery would increase by 30 cents. The fare increase, well below the current rate of inflation, is needed to keep up with the cost of providing safe and reliable service. It’s expected to generate about $15 million in additional revenue over FY23 & FY24.

This is the first time the Board has adopted a budget for two consecutive years instead of a one-year budget. The shift is an effort to assist a more strategic approach to long-term financial planning.

The total proposed FY23 operating and capital budget is $2.5 billion, with the largest amounts of capital funding directed toward purchasing new train cars, Measure RR rebuilding projects, and the Core Capacity Program to significantly increase service levels. These high priority capital projects will help BART meet the needs of the region for years to come.

Larry-O Bicycle and Auto Parts Swap Meet

Submitted by Union City Recreation Department

Join us for our Spring Edition Larry-O Swap Meet! Various bicycle & auto vendors will be present for your summer projects. We also will be re-painting the famous mural art on the exterior walls of the Teen Workshop. Lend a hand in the restoration of this historic site and bring cans of food for families in need.

Saturday, Jun 18

8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Larry Orozco Teen Workshop

3323 Mission Blvd., Union City

(510) 675-5487

https://www.unioncity.org/192/Community-Recreation-Services

Music in the morning

Submitted by Eternity Band

Student musicians from Eternity Band will perform a free Summer Concert by The Fountain program of mostly original compositions Friday, June 17 in Union City.

The one-hour concert will be at East Plaza Fountain on 11th Street and is open to the public. It also will be televised live on KTVU Channel 2. Eternity Band is led by students from James Logan High School Audacity Music Club who perform arrangements in classical-pop crossover style.

Eternity Band was established in 2018 by a group of seven student musicians from Challenger School Ardenwood. Over the years it has grown into a music group of four independent bands, formed by dozens of members from different schools. The band offers members a platform where they can practice music, learn theory and composition, discuss academic topics, socialize and serve the community.

Summer Concert by The Fountain

Friday, Jun 17

9 – 10 a.m.

East Plaza Fountain

34603 11th St., Union City

www.eternityband.org

Free

Do you know the history behind Father’s Day?

Staff report

Although Father’s Day did not become a nationwide holiday in the United States until 1972, its roots stretch back many decades before that.

The annual celebration occurs on the third Sunday in June to honor fathers and other paternal family figures who help nurture and raise children and help provide for their families. According to History.com, Father’s Day was actually created by a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd in 1909.

Dodd, who lived in Spokane, Washington, was one of six children raised by a widower. Although Mother’s Day was already well-established, there wasn’t an equivalent honor for male
parents — and Dodd was determined to change that.

She went to local churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers and government officials to drum up support for her idea, and she was successful: Washington State celebrated the nation’s first statewide Father’s Day on June 19, 1910.

Slowly, the holiday spread. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson honored the day by using telegraph signals to unfurl a flag in Spokane when he pressed a button in Washington, D.C. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge urged state governments to observe Father’s Day.

When World War II began, advertisers began to argue that celebrating Father’s Day was a way to honor American troops and support the war effort. By the end of the war, Father’s Day may not have been a federal holiday, but it was a national institution. Finally, on April 24, 1972 President Richard M. Nixon signed a proclamation making Father’s Day a federal holiday.

Today, according to History.House.gov, Father’s Day is celebrated in 110 nations, although not always as an official holiday and often on different dates depending on each country’s own tradition. In 2022, Father’s Day occurs in the United States on Sunday, June 19.

Fatherhood Virtual Summit 2022

Submitted by Alameda County

Alameda County Fatherhood Corps invites you to attend their 2022 Fatherhood Virtual Summit on Saturday, June 18.

This summit is designed to bring together and empower fathers and father figures, and celebrate the important role they play in the lives of their children. Mentors and allies are welcome to attend.

The Fatherhood Summit will offer a variety of workshops designed to address myths and stereotypes around fatherhood, offer information on resources, and provide tools and skills for strengthening family connections. Our hope is for attendees to leave empowered with the tools and resources they need to be successful contributors and leaders in their families and communities.

Workshops include:

Fathers’ Rights and Responsibilities

Men’s Health and Wellness

Education and Career Development

Strategies for Fathers to Re-engage their Families and Communities

Strengthening your Co-Parenting Skills

Building your Personal / Professional Development Toolbox

For more information visit www.alamedacountyfathers.org.

Alameda County Fatherhood Virtual Summit 2022

Saturday, June 18

9:30 a.m. – 12 noon

https://whova.com/portal/registration/fathe_202203

www.alamedacountyfathers.org

Free

FreeWire Locates Its Global Headquarters in the East Bay

By Asok Chatterjee, Business Reporter

Founded in 2014, FreeWire Technologies is the leading manufacturer of battery-integrated EV charging stations and power solutions in the U.S. The Company’s fully integrated Boost Charger plugs into existing and ubiquitous low-voltage utility service (such as PG&E in the East Bay) and delivers high-power charging in areas that typically require extensive grid upgrades.

The Boost Charger’s combination of proprietary battery and power conversion technology enables ultrafast EV charging at all locations, freeing customers from the costs of providing fast charging using power directly from the electric grid.

On May 24th, FreeWire Technologies Inc. showcased its new Global Headquarters, R&D, and Manufacturing Facility in Newark. The launch event provided an inside look at the company’s new 66,000-square-foot facility to accelerate the development and introduction of new ultrafast charging and energy storage solutions while delivering hundreds of high-quality manufacturing and engineering jobs across the community.

The event was graced by Alan Nagy, Mayor and Mike Hannon, Vice Mayor of Newark, and other invited guests. At the brief opening ceremony Arcady Sosinov, FreeWire’s Founder and CEO, and an alumnus of UC Berkeley said “State and federal policymakers set ambitious and necessary electrification goals to foster an electrified future. The Newark facility boasts an impressive footprint. FreeWire, and our technology stand ready to meet this moment with the urgency and innovation it demands.”

The facility, located at 7200 Gateway Boulevard, will create more than 200 well-paying engineering and manufacturing jobs in electrification and clean energy across the community. The facility will be fully operational by Fall 2022, putting FreeWire at the center of the San Francisco Bay Area’s transportation technology hub.

The headquarters facility will focus on manufacturing and scaling FreeWire’s Buy America-compliant battery-integrated EV charging equipment.

On a related note, Phillips 66 has recently signed a letter of intent with FreeWire in support of its first electric vehicle charging program in the United States. The two companies will explore opportunities to deploy FreeWire’s technology in Phillips 66 filling stations and other strategic locations.

For further information contact: Anne Stedler; Economic Development Manager

City of Newark (510)578-4273

New Exhibit on the History of Chinese American Women

Submitted by Mariana Walker

Dr. Chang C. Chen is the author of Herstory 2: The Legal History of Chinese American Women. The book focuses on the fight for rights by Chinese American women in the U.S. Supreme Court and State Supreme Courts. The book discusses landmark cases from 1912-2020, and covers topics such as racial discrimination, sexual discrimination and gender inequality. The exhibit of the same name offers a rare look at the stories of the women behind the evolution of law that affects the rights of all of us.

Santa Clara County Library District (SCCLD) and Milpitas Library are proud to host an upcoming event with Dr. Chen at Milpitas Library on Saturday, June 18. Dr. Chen immigrated to the United States 50 years ago to pursue graduate studies. After receiving her Ph.D. in biochemistry from Rutgers University and her Juris Doctor Degree from Columbia University Law School, Dr. Chen worked in the legal field for 35 years. She has written more than 70 books ranging on topics from the law to marriage.

The Herstory 2 exhibit will be on display at the Milpitas Library courtyard through August 28, 2022.

Herstory 2 Event

Saturday, June 18

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Milpitas Library

160 North Main St., Milpitas

Homepage

In-Person Learning: Student Perspectives on the Transition Back

By Nanki Kaur

 

From creating virtual classrooms to using online whiteboards, the concept of education has been forever changed by the pandemic. Teachers, administrators, and students alike had been wondering what the future of education looked like for the incoming generation of learners. And as our world began to recover from the onset of COVID-19, schools around the Bay Area also began to resume in-person learning.

Jumping back into daily interactions with staff members, peers, and the overall environment of school wasn’t so simple, though. After spending almost two years at home, the abrupt transition from logging into a screen every morning, to having to encounter throngs of students in cramped hallways took a toll on the mental health of some students. “In quarantine, during my sophomore year, it was hard because I wasn’t around anyone. [I] was so isolated. But, when we came back into school, it was quite the opposite… it was just so many people,” Isha Kale, a local high school junior, explained. “I f
elt really overwhelmed [in my first semester] and it definitely took more adjusting to be like ‘Oh, there’s actually a lot more people around me now.’ Of course, my mental health improved going into second semester because I was more adjusted to being around so many people.”

Some students, like high school senior Emyr Ortiz, felt that the return had a positive effect on their social-emotional health. “Being able to personally see the people you know and enjoy spending time with on a daily basis, your friends, teachers, teammates, classmates, it really keeps you connected with the support groups we all rely on,” he shared.

Students also began to notice a difference in their academic mindsets and abilities since returning, as they tried to re-familiarize themselves with in-person learning. “The return led me to more exhaustion and burn-out. As a person who is filled with extracurricular activities such as Student Government and various clubs, it was tiring having to stay after school a minimum of an hour to even six hours. On top of that with taking honors and AP classes, it was very draining,” Kiarra Bautista, a sophomore at a local high school, noted.

Ortiz added, “The return to in person learning has definitely taken some adjustment and relearning. As much as people tried to maintain academic rigor and integrity during the Zoom years, the fact of the matter is it wasn’t the same. You could get away with a lot more, stuff slipped through the cracks easier, it was harder to maintain motivation, the consequences for falling behind weren’t as real. It was all through a screen.”

Nandini Dharwadkar, a freshman, provided some insight on how the switch also affected the perspective of high school for the incoming classes, as they entered an entirely new institution with higher levels of academics without actually completing middle school. “Coming into high school was intimidating at first, especially since I would be in a school with people much older than me and the courses would be much more difficult, not just because of my grade level, but also because in distance learning, expectations of the students were low, and retaining information that I learned from a screen was quite difficult.”

While this sudden transition has been tough in some aspects for students, the students agree that the overall experience of coming back has been enjoyable, allowing them to reconnect both academically and socially. “The pros of the return to an in-person learning environment was the ability to pay attention easier,” Bautista noted. “During our online year, there was no way I could’ve possibly stayed in one place. I had snacks on one side of my desk, my computer in the middle, and my phone on the other side of it. So many distractions led me to just being there in the class rather than learning. This year led me to pay more attention and putting down my phone for once.”

As a freshman who has just started her high school career, Dharwadkar shares that she is “definitely looking forward to an enriching experience by staying involved in sports, clubs, and other activities as well as meeting so many new people in high school not only to make up for what I may have missed in middle school, but also to make the best out of my four years in high school.”

Overall, this school year, despite its ups and downs, has been refreshing for some. “Especially after seeing all that the last two senior classes missed, with drive-through graduations two years ago, or missed proms, missing extracurriculars, nonexistent sports seasons, or school events, I can’t really complain that much. I’m grateful for what I get to have this senior year,” Ortiz said. Others, such as Dharwadkar and Bautista, are hopeful to enjoy future school events with fewer restrictions. As the school year wraps up and seniors prepare to bid farewell to the school they’ve called home for the past few years. Students are optimistic for a full return to normalcy in the coming years.

Frank Sisk Golf Tournament

Submitted by League of Volunteers

Come enjoy a great round of golf with League of Volunteers (LOV) Friday, June 24 at Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore!

A benefit “Fore the Kids”, all tournament proceeds support LOV’s Summer Recreation in the Parks Program. In its 42nd year, Summer Recreation in the Parks provides four weeks of safe, supervised summer fun including games, sports, arts & crafts, nutritious snacks and lunch, special community presentations and much more!

Your tournament, auction, game and sponsorship dollars will help up to 800 local Tri-City youth attend. Your tournament entry includes dinner, green fees, tee prizes, cart, range balls, awards presentation and the opportunity for great drawing and auction prizes.

Non-golfers are welcome to attend the dinner – Only $45 per person.

Frank Sisk Golf Tournament

Friday, June 24

11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Poppy Ridge Golf Course

4280 Greenville Rd., Livermore

(925) 456-8233

www.lovgolf.org

do***@lo*.org

$169 Single Golfer

$596 Foursome

Volunteer This Summer With LOV

Submitted by League of Volunteers

League of Volunteers (LOV), is offering exciting and rewarding volunteer opportunities this summer to youth and adult individuals and service groups and teams, to support its summer events. Summer volunteers are needed now, and will support LOV’s Summer Camp, Foodbank and Fireworks Fundraising activities that fund our programs and initiatives impacting the children, families and seniors in our community.

LOV’s Summer Camp

June 20th, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.: Food Truck Food Service

Serve lunch to our campers from a food truck provided by Newark’s Grocery Outlet. Six – 10 volunteers will help serve hot dogs, chips, cookies, veggie snacks and drinks to about 100 campers.

June 20 – July 21st, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.: Activities assistants, presenters, coaches, artists, and warehouse/delivery needs.

LOV is seeking volunteers to bring special activities to the park for a day, a week, or a weekly activity slot. Typical daily activities take about 90 minutes, and offer entertainment, education, art or other kid-appropriate adventures. Some positions are paid. Groups of five – 10 are welcome to participate.

Sign-up to volunteer today and fill your summer with LOV!

For more information visit our website at www.LOV.org, or call 510-793-5683.

TriPaw Tales translated into Spanish

Submitted by Pamela Adler

Maddy & Mia: TriPaw Tales, by local author Pamela Adler, has been translated into Spanish! This children’s book about a three-legged rescue poodle and her girl, debuted two years ago on June 3, 2020. The Spanish version became available this month on June 13. The book can be purchased on Amazon; link available on the author website at www.pamelaadler.com. Readers can also see photos of the real tri-paw Mia, learn about upcoming events & watch a video titled “Mia’s Story” which tells how Mia was found and rescued.

Adler will also be hosting a booth at the Niles Dog Show on Saturday, July 16. Copies of Maddy and Mia:TriPaw Tales (English only) will be available for purchase and anyone who purchases or brings a copy to the booth can get it “signed” by Mia and have a photo taken with her!

Maddy & Mia: TriPaw Tales

www.pamelaad
ler.com

MFMII Talent Hunt

Submitted by Veera Kazak

Stars shone bright in Music for Minors II’s (MFMII’s) first virtual children’s talent hunt on May 14, 2022. Over 200 children in kindergarten through sixth grade in Fremont, Newark and Milpitas Unified MFMII schools, entered their musical talents on video as individual, group or class singers and instrumentalists.

A MFMII panel of judges then selected the final nominees for the exciting event. Fremont Unified School District Superintendent CJ Cammack and Niles School principal Diana Brumbaugh were some of the award presenters. All participants received participation certificates and goodie bags including free books donated by Half Price Books in Fremont. Individual first place winners received medals and class winners, a trophy.

MFMII thanks our Star event sponsors for their support: 4Imprint, Blackhawk Museum, Oakland Zoo, Castro Valley School of Music, Half Price Books, Safeway, Allegro and Kumon. A special thank you to Intero Foundation for their ongoing support of MFMII.

The nonprofit MFMII’s mission has kept music in children’s classrooms and lives since 1988 and has offered countless annual in person performance opportunities in the community since then with the last one being at Harbor Light. The nonprofit has kept music in the schools virtually since 2020 as it is committed to children in need of music, now more than ever. This MFMII’s Got Talent 2022 performance opportunity offered children their chance to shine, even if it had to be virtually.

On May 21, MFMII honored its volunteers with a Year-End Volunteer Recognition Event in the park that highlighted the service of its community volunteer Music Docents, Board of Directors, and part-time staff. The event highlight was honoring the extraordinary service of two MFMII volunteers Docents Claire Sauret and Trupti Ramball, with the annual “In Harmony Service Award.” Their names are engraved on the large plaque which honors recipients “for continued excellence in making the musical difference in children’s lives.” This award has been presented annually since 2005. MFMII thanks our community sponsors Dale Hardware, Chipotle, Chick-Fil-A, Body Shop, Walt Disney Museum and Kendra Scott.

MFMII Kids Choir “Sing for Spring” Concert in May was also a huge hit and their special performance at the Rotary Club of Silicon Andhra, Milpitas on May 22 was sensational! District Governor Richard Flanders was the guest of honor and the choir was honored to have been asked to entertain him. The choir is an afterschool group of 40 students in grades one to six under the directorship of Lydia Concepcion, former MFMII volunteer Docent and private voice and piano teacher.

The choir welcomes new members in August. Visit www.musicforminors2.org/kids-choir.

MFMII will be offering its annual music docent training class in September. The commitment is to take the free training and then volunteer to share 30-minute weekly music lessons in a school classroom for the school year. Contact us at: www.musicforminors2.org, re*********@mu*************.org or (510) 733-1189.

The Rise and Fall of the Ohlone Owl

By Stephanie Gertsch

Art can change the soul of a space. It can enliven an environment, inspire people to alter their routes, and finally, it can even spur on destruction. A student art piece at Ohlone College, featuring a pair of solemn barn owls nesting in a tree, touched on all these aspects.

The owls would not have fledged without the Lytton Center, which provides grants for student and faculty projects that benefit the Ohlone community. This project involved 12 students working with community build artist Amanda Larson to create five mosaic sculptures.

“The first thought was animals that you might see around campus or that are native to the area,” explains art student Nadia Nasiri. “I personally am a fan of predator birds. I feel like owls are hauntingly beautiful.” In addition to the owls, the class built leaping trout, a snail, turtle, and beetle—all endangered species.

Nasiri took up art classes when she returned to the Bay Area a few years ago. She was delighted to reconnect with Ohlone ceramics instructor Katherine Frank. “Funnily enough, Katie was my teacher my freshman year. This was 20 years ago.”

 

“It’s so sterile on campus because it’s new,” Nasiri reflects. “A lot of the character that used to be here is pretty much wiped out.” 2010’s Measure G allowed Ohlone’s campus to be updated with new buildings, but they’re stark and bland. Student murals and sculptures add needed texture.

So, what goes into making an owl? First, you have to make a tree—in this case with red clay rolled into coils and wrapped into a cylinder. Amanda Larson recommended a sturdy clay that could withstand temperature fluctuations outdoors. The owls are made of several flat clay pieces fitted together to form a 3D animal.

 

“This was the largest scale sculpture anyone in this art group had ever done,” Katherine Frank says. “We’re in a brand-new art building. We have two huge gas kilns. So we wanted to take advantage of that.”

“I thought we’ll do a smaller scale project,” she admits. “But when creativity is involved you can’t necessarily do small. When students have a vision, you must go through with it!” she declares.

Larson the mosaicist originally recommended store-bought tiles to add texture to the owls in their tree, but Frank the ceramicist pushed for handmade. “Nadia made so many handmade tiles,” Frank laughs. “SO MANY handmade tiles.” The final sculpture combines colorful glass and mirror pieces, as well as tiles hand textured by Nasiri and curved to fit the tree. Tiles were glued on in a thin set, then grouted over, which holds them in place even while exposed to the elements.

 

Frank reflects, “Amanda [Larson] was saying that for a public art piece like this because there were all these handmade tiles, and the scale, that it would be 5,000 – 7,500 dollars.”

 

“It was super important to this group that the owl was high enough that it was making eye contact,” remembers Frank. “I was like, ‘Really? You need your tree stump THIS tall?’”

“No, we’re going big,” Nasiri told her. “We’re the biggest group; we’re going big.”

The piece enchanted the campus. Frank remembers, “So many people stopped us or emailed me and said, ‘Oh my god that owl.’ Or, ‘I’ve stopped parking on that side of the campus and I’m parking over there now so I can see the owl.’”

 

The owl went up Friday, May 13. “It was literally an entire semester’s work,” says Nasiri. “We had done a student critique where we went to everyone’s projects, talked about how it turned out and how it could be positioned better.” She adds, “Then that next day it got vandalized.”

 

Some ne’er-do-well knocked over the tree, pried the owl loose, and kicked it across the courtyard and down two hills, leaving a trail of clay shards behind. “It was devastating,” says Frank. “Saturday morning I was sick, and I got a text with a photograph of the tree on the ground and owl bits.”

“Katie [Frank] had emailed our class just so we wouldn’t come in and find it in that way,” Nasiri recalls. Before she saw the email, another group member messaged her with a crying emoji. “I don’t know where my mind went, but I couldn’t figure out what he was going to tell me. He said, ‘Katie emailed us; somebody vandalized the owl!’ I was like, ‘No way.”

 

One
day of elation turned into harsh disappointment. “This is my 21st year here, and we’ve never had this happen before,” Frank says. “Our work has always been so respected. I was stunned.”

 

Nasiri remembers trying to patch up the sculpture the day after, and a couple of teachers walking by asking, “What happened to the owl? Is it in the owl hospital?” She could only shrug and answer, “It’s gone.” Still, she concludes, “I do not regret making this. Even though it took all semester. Even though there were bumps in the road and frustrations with collaborating.” When passersby learned of the owl’s sad fate, they reiterated how much they enjoyed the piece. “Their response of how much they appreciated it was so meaningful for me to hear.”

For now, a succulent has been installed on top to prevent people from sitting on or climbing the tree, while the baby owl keeps watch from a hollow below. Even better, the Lytton Center has offered another grant for students to rebuild the owl in the fall. (They also paid for the plant.)

Since the vandalism happened late on a Friday when campus was closed, the culprit was likely an outsider. Still, the timing of the biggest project getting targeted the day it went up seems more than a little fishy. Unless someone comes forward with more information, the case of the Ohlone Owl remains a real Hoo-dunnit.

Pacific Commons summer concert series

Submitted by Pacific Commons

Get ready to move and groove as Pacific Commons Shopping Center kicks off its 2022 Summer Concert Series starting June 24 in Fremont.

Free concerts are set for the fourth Friday of every month through September in the outdoor plaza in The Block area of the center near Koja Kitchen on Pacific Commons Boulevard. Admission is free and open to the public. Musicians on this year’s slate include:

• Nancy Wenstrom & the Insiders (blues), June 24
• Gary Flores Trio (Latin), July 22
• TinMan, August (classic rock) 26
• Last One Picked (rock, blues, country), September 23

Food and beverages will be available for purchase from nearby restaurants at the center located at Auto Mall Parkway at I-880 in south Fremont.

Pacific Commons Summer Concert Series

Fridays, Jun 24, Jul 22, Aug 26, Sep 23

7 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Outdoor Plaza at The Block

Pacific Commons Shopping Center

43440 Boscell Rd., Fremont

(510) 770-9798

Free

Rummage Sale for Relay For Life

Submitted by Cathy Norvell

On Saturday, June 25, Relay For Life Tri-City will hold a rummage sale fundraiser at First Presbyterian Church in Newark, sponsored by Cure Crusader Family Team. Vendors can rent a 20×20 space for $20. Proceeds from renting a space will go to the American Cancer Society, and vendors can choose whether to donate or keep their earnings.

If you would like to reserve a space, contact Cathy Norvell at cn******@gm***.com or (510) 701-9005. Otherwise, stop by on the day to shop!

At the rummage sale, Relay for Life will also be collecting old sneakers, whether gently used or well loved. The better the condition the more money raised. Sneaker collection will continue until July 1, 2022. Contact Liz Cesco em*****@ya***.com or Laura Pfeifer Fu***********@gm***.com.

Rummage Sale for Relay For Life

Saturday, Jun 25

10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Setup starts 9 a.m.

First Presbyterian Church – Newark

35450 Newark Blvd., Newark

www.cancer.org – go to Cathy’s Relay Page

Roundabout construction may impact drivers

Submitted by City of Newark

Newark Police Department officials are advising motorists to avoid the intersection of Willow Street and Central Avenue in western Newark, which is closed through July 15 for construction. Detour signs are in place to direct drivers to alternate routes. The construction project is expected to end July 22.

Uncorked Comedy

Submitted by Plethos Productions

Join us for a night of comedy under the stars at the beautiful TwiningVine Winery in Castro Valley on Saturday, June 18.

Host Priya Guyadeen will be bringing a lineup of seasoned comics who have been seen on stages all over the Bay Area. Headliner Phil Griffiths is a Plethos favorite who has brought the laughs and been our most requested comic since 2018. He produces the Comedy Sharks show in Half Moon Bay and is a regular at Cobb’s Comedy and The Punchline.

This will be a double headliner show with comedian Shawn Felipe. Shawn is a Comedian/Actor and Food Network Star “The Great Food Truck Race.” He tours Colleges Nationwide and Military Internationally and performs at Alameda Comedy Club, Dry Bar and many more!

Alcohol will be served and performances may contain adult themes, so guests must be 21 and over for this event.

Uncorked Comedy

Saturday, Jun 18

6 p.m. Doors open

7 p.m. Show starts

Twining Vine Winery

16851 Cull Canyon Rd., Castro Valley

Plethos.org

Tickets: $20

Growing Tomatoes in Pots

By Melinda Myers

Keep garden-fresh tomatoes close at hand this season. Grow one or more in containers on your patio, balcony, or front steps.

Any tomato can be grown in a pot, but determinate varieties are smaller and more compact, so they are a bit easier to manage in a container. They produce fruit in a relatively short period of time, making them great choices for preserving as well as using fresh. Look for a D or determinate on the plant tag, seed packet or in the catalog description.

Indeterminate tomatoes, often identified with an I, are large, sprawling plants. These are usually staked or grown in wire cages to save space, reduce pest problems and make harvesting easier. They continue to grow, flower, and produce fruit until the frost kills the plant. Indeterminate tomatoes usually produce more tomatoes, but the harvest is later in the season than determinate varieties. New containers with built-in trellises or creative gardeners crafting their own makes growing indeterminate tomatoes in pots an easier possibility.

Grow one tomato per container for maximum productivity. Use a five-gallon or bigger container for large varieties and at least a two to three gallon or similar size pot for smaller varieties. Some research suggests growing tomatoes in a pot that is at least 14 inches but preferably 20 inches wide will yield greater results. Adding flowers and herbs to the container boosts the beauty and diversity of your container garden but will reduce the number of tomatoes produced.

Growing tomatoes in containers also allows you to extend the season. Start earlier by moving the planter inside when the weather is harsh and back outside when the weather is warm and sunny. As the weather turns cold at the end of the growing season, cover the planter or move it into a frost-free location as needed. Some gardeners even move a pot or two inside to finish off the tomato season.

Grow tomatoes in a container with drainage holes or a self-watering pot that has a reservoir to hold water and extend the time between watering. Further reduce the need to water by adding an organic, sustainable soil amendment like Wild Valley Farms’ wool pellets (wildvalleyfarms.com) to the potting mix. Made from wool waste, this product reduces watering by up to 25%. Adding a low nitrogen, slow-release fertilizer at planting will eliminate the need to fertilize weekly. Just make a second application if needed mid-season.

Plant tall tomato transplants a few inches deeper than they were growing in their container. Remove the lowest leaves that would otherwise be buri
ed in the soil. Cover with soil and water. This is also a good time to install any stakes, trellises, or cages to support taller varieties.

Initially, check tomatoes growing in containers every day and water often enough to keep the developing root system moist. Reduce watering frequency as plants become established. Feel the top few inches of soil and water the established plants thoroughly whenever this is dry. Mulch the soil with evergreen needles, shredded leaves, or other organic mulch to keep the soil consistently moist and suppress weeds. Consistent soil moisture encourages more flowering and fruiting, while reducing the risk of blossom end rot, cracking, and misshapen fruit.

Harvest tomatoes when fully colored or leave them on the plant a few more days for an even sweeter flavor. You’ll enjoy the convenience of harvesting fresh tomatoes right outside your door for use in salads, sauces, and other favorite recipes.

Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including Small Space Gardening and Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” 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 Wild Valley Farms for her expertise to write this article. Myers’ website iswww.MelindaMyers.com.

Facebook fails again to detect hate speech in ads

By Barbara Ortutay

Associated Press Technology Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP), June 9 — The test couldn’t have been much easier — and Facebook still failed.

Facebook and its parent company Meta flopped once again in a test of how well they could detect obviously violent hate speech in advertisements submitted to the platform by the nonprofit groups Global Witness and Foxglove.

The hateful messages focused on Ethiopia, where internal documents obtained by whistleblower Frances Haugen showed that Facebook’s ineffective moderation is “literally fanning ethnic violence,” as she said in her 2021 congressional testimony. In March, Global Witness ran a similar test with hate speech in Myanmar, which Facebook also failed to detect.

The group created 12 text-based ads that used dehumanizing hate speech to call for the murder of people belonging to each of Ethiopia’s three main ethnic groups — the Amhara, the Oromo and the Tigrayans. Facebook’s systems approved the ads for publication, just as they did with the Myanmar ads. The ads were not actually published on Facebook.

This time around, though, the group informed Meta about the undetected violations. The company said the ads shouldn’t have been approved and pointed to the work it has done to catch hateful content on its platforms.

A week after hearing from Meta, Global Witness submitted two more ads for approval, again with blatant hate speech. The two ads, written in Amharic, the most widely used language in Ethiopia, were approved. Meta said the ads shouldn’t have been approved.

“We’ve invested heavily in safety measures in Ethiopia, adding more staff with local expertise and building our capacity to catch hateful and inflammatory content in the most widely spoken languages, including Amharic,” the company said in an emailed statement, adding that machines and people can still make mistakes. The statement was identical to the one Global Witness received.

“We picked out the worst cases we could think of,” said Rosie Sharpe, a campaigner at Global Witness. “The ones that ought to be the easiest for Facebook to detect. They weren’t coded language. They weren’t dog whistles. They were explicit statements saying that this type of person is not a human or these type of people should be starved to death.”

Meta has consistently refused to say how many content moderators it has in countries where English is not the primary language. This includes moderators in Ethiopia, Myanmar and other regions where material posted on the company’s platforms has been linked to real-world violence.

In November, Meta said it removed a post by Ethiopia’s prime minister that urged citizens to rise up and “bury” rival Tigray forces who threatened the country’s capital. In the since-deleted post, Abiy said the “obligation to die for Ethiopia belongs to all of us.” He called on citizens to mobilize “by holding any weapon or capacity.”

Abiy has continued to post on the platform, though, where he has 4.1 million followers. The U.S. and others have warned Ethiopia about “dehumanizing rhetoric” after the prime minister described the Tigray forces as “cancer” and “weeds” in comments made in July 2021.

“When ads calling for genocide in Ethiopia repeatedly get through Facebook’s net — even after the issue is flagged with Facebook — there’s only one possible conclusion: there’s nobody home,” said Rosa Curling, director of Foxglove, a London-based legal nonprofit that partnered with Global Witness in its investigation. “Years after the Myanmar genocide, it is clear Facebook hasn’t learned its lesson.”

PG&E pleads not guilty in deadly 2020 California wildfire

Associated Press

REDDING, Calif. (AP), June 9 — Pacific Gas & Electric on June 9 pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and other charges it faces after its equipment sparked a wildfire that killed four people and destroyed hundreds of homes in Northern California two years ago, prosecutors announced.

PG&E was arraigned at a court in Redding on 31 criminal counts and enhancements, including four counts of involuntary manslaughter, after being accused of recklessly starting the Zogg Fire, the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office said in a brief statement. A preliminary hearing in the case was set for January.

The wind-whipped blaze began on Sept. 27, 2020, and raged through rugged terrain and small communities west of Redding, killing four people, burning about 200 homes and blackening about 87 square miles of land.

Last year, state fire investigators concluded the fire was sparked by a gray pine tree that fell onto a PG&E distribution line. Shasta and Tehama counties have sued the utility, alleging negligence. They say PG&E failed to remove the tree even though it had been marked for removal two years earlier. The utility says the tree was subsequently cleared to stay.

The district attorney determined that the company was criminally liable for the fire and charged the utility last September.

The charges PG&E faces include enhancements for injury to a 29-year-old firefighter who was hit by a falling tree that fractured his spine, paralyzing him from the chest down. They also in
clude felony arson counts linked to several fires started by the utility’s equipment in Shasta County over the last year.

PG&E, which has an estimated 16 million customers in central and Northern California, filed for bankruptcy protection in 2019 after its aging equipment was blamed for a series of fires, including the 2018 Camp Fire that killed 85 people and destroyed 10,000 homes in Paradise and neighboring communities.

Pioneers Water Polo postseason honors

Submitted by Eric Harding; Cal State East Bay Athletics

The Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) announced its 2022 Women’s Division II All-America Team. Three members of Cal State East Bay women’s water polo team earned honors, including Auriel Bill (Honorable Mention), Daniala Passoni (Honorable Mention) and Adrien Van Dyke (First Team).

Bill was named to an All-America team for the fourth time in her career. She made ACWPC All-America First Team in 2018, 2019 and 2020. In 2018, she was awarded ACWPC Division II Player of the Year. This newest award is an addition to many received throughout her career in the pool and academically. Most recently, Bill was named to 2022 Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) All-Tournament Second Team.

Passoni, a member of the South Africa national team in the 2021 Summer Olympics, picked up her third postseason honor from ACWPC. In 2022, the goalkeeper’s collection of awards includes ACWPC All-America Honorable Mention, All-WWPA First Team and All-WWPA Tournament First Team.

2022 WWPA Player of the Year, Adrien Van Dyke, was named to the ACWPC All-America First Team for the third time in her career with the Pioneers. Van Dyke had 64 goals in the 2022 regular season and nine in the WWPA Championships.

Visit EastBayPioneers.com for the latest news on Cal State East Bay women’s water polo.

Fremont City Council

June 7, 2022

Announcements:

• Founders Day Festival June 11-12.
• Board and Commission openings, contact City Clerk’s office

Consent Calendar:

• Second reading of ordinance regarding outdoor patio dining.
• Approve road repair projects with SB1 funds
• Authorize lease agreement with Ricoh USA, Inc. in an amount not-to-exceed $250,000 for scan/copy/print services.
• Authorize FY 2022/23 Memoranda of Understanding with Alameda County for Medi-Cal administration and case management.
• Approve contract with Bear Electrical Solutions, Inc. for light maintenance for five years in an amount not-to-exceed $5,292,803.
• Approve investment policy.
• Amend municipal code regarding use of drones and other motorized devices in parks and recreation areas.
• Authorize agreement with Ride-On Van Service, extending its contract through June 30, 2025.

Ceremonial Items:

• Declare June as Pride Month proclamation. John Schinkel accepted the proclamation.
• Proclaim June 3, 2022 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Accepted by Alex Navarro, representing Moms Demand Action.
• Recognize 2021 City of Fremont STEM winners: Sia Agarwal, Aman Ihsan, Bose Parinaz, Behzad Dastur, Fazal Mittu, Priyanka Patel, Tevin Wang, Serena Yeh. Mr. Forrest Williams spoke on behalf of the Santa Clara Valley Science and Engineering Association.

Public Communications:

• New hire of Captain Lance Brede from East Bay Regional Park District to Fremont Police Department
• Red light camera economics.
• Need for shelter for homeless including safe parking areas and programs to help.
• Bloom Energy representative invites community to Stars & Strides Community Run July 2 to support front-line hospital workers. At Valley Medical Center and affiliates.

Scheduled Items:

• Public Hearing – Assessment for Fremont Landscaping Assessment District No. 88 PASSED 5-0-2 (recuse: Mei, Salwan).
• Public Hearing – Proposed Operating Budget for FY 2022/23.

Mayor Lili Mei                                                Aye, 1 recusal

Vice Mayor Raj Salwan, District 5                 Aye, 1 recusal

Teresa Keng, District 1                                   Aye

Rick Jones, District 2                                      Aye

Jenny Kassan, District 3                                 Aye

Yang Shao, District 4                                      Aye

Teresa Cox, District 6                                     Aye

Newark City Council

June 9, 2022

Presentations:

• Proclamation designating June as Elder Abuse Awareness Month, accepted by Alameda County District Attorney’s Office representatives.
• Introduction of Public Works Maintenance Division General Laborers Raymundo Ruiz, Ryan Perez and Jackson Posadas, and Street Maintenance worker Luis Bailon.

Public Comment:

• Complaints about homeless people in the neighborhood.

Consent Calendar:

• Approval of audited demands
• Approval of May 19 and 26, 2022 meeting minutes
• Adopt a resolution authorizing an agreement with What’s Happening’s Tri-City Voice for legal advertising services in Fiscal Year 2023
• Adopt a resolution calling and giving notice of the holding of a General Municipal Election on Tuesday, November 8, 2022 for the election of certain officers of the City of Newark
• Adopt a resolution finding that there is a proclaimed state of emergency; and authorizing continued remote teleconferenced meetings of the legislative bodies of the City of Newark for the 30-Day period beginning June 9
• Waive full reading, conduct second reading by title only, and adoption of an ordinance adding Chapter 2.50, “Military Equipment Use Policy”, to the Newark Municipal Code
• Adopt a resolution approving the Harbor Pointe Subdivision Escrow Agreement
• Adopt a resolution accepting work with American Asphalt Repair and Resurfacing Co., Inc. for 2021 Park Pathways Resurfacing for ADA Access

Other Business:

• Presentation by Police Chief Anderson on crimes statistics in the City of Newark
• Adopt resolutions authorizing the City Manager to enter into single source subscription agreements with 1) Peregrine Technologies, Inc. in the amount not to exceed $300,000 for real time data analysis and visualization software and 2) Flock Group, Inc. for Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) in the amount not to exceed $164,500, and approving budget appropriations for both agreements. Motion approved 3-1 (Abstain: Bucci, Absent: Freitas)

City Council Matters:

• Recognizing public workers who assist senior citizens.
• Thanks to those who helped celebrate Tortilla Factory’s 50 anniversary.

Mayor Alan Nagy                               Aye

Vice Mayor Michael Hannon              Aye

Luis Freitas                                         Absent

Sucy Collazo                                       Aye

Michael Bucci                                     Aye, 1 Abstain

Ohlone College Board of Trustees

June 08, 2022

Ceremonial Items:

• Swearing in of 2022-2023 Student Trustee Ayan T
  aylor
• LGBTQIA + Pride Month Proclamation
• Juneteenth Proclamation
• Emeritus Proclamation – Maru Grant

Approval of Minutes:

• Approval of minutes from May 11, 2022

Consent Agenda

• Approval of Resolutions No. 42/21-22 and No. 43/21-22 – November 2022 Election
• Approval of May 2022 Payroll Warrants
• Approval of Personnel Actions
• Establishment of 2022-2023 Appropriations Limit
• Board Policies for Approval (BP 2340 – Agendas, BP 2410- Board Policies and Administrative • Procedures, BP 2510 – Participation in Local Decision Making, BP 5040 Student Records, Directory Information and Privacy, BP 6540 Insurance)
• CCCT Board Report
• Approval of 2022-2032 District Facilities Master Plan
• Approval of Equal Employment Opportunity Fund – Multiple Method Allocation Model Report and Certification Form, Fiscal Year 2021-2022
• Review of Purchase Orders
• Measure G Project 6114, Renovate Building 5 – D.L. Falk Construction, Inc.; Change Order #7
• Measure G Project 6114, Renovate Building 5- D.L. Falk Construction, Inc.; Unilateral Change Order #6
• Ratification of Contracts
• Authorization for disposal of surplus personal property

Discussion/Action

• Approval of the 2022-2023 Tentative Budget
• Consideration and approval of: (1) Pre-Development Services Agreement with Gilbane Development Company for pre-development services for Newark Campus Affordable Student Housing Project and (2) Preparation and issuance of Request for Qualifications/Proposals for 501(c)(3) Joint Occupancy Ground Lease for the financing, development, operation and maintenance of project
• Resolution No. 44/21-22 to approve the adoption of new and revised Board of Trustees Area Election Map following the 2020 Decennial Federal Census

Greg Bonaccorsi                   Aye

Suzanne Lee Chan            Aye

Jan Giovannini-Hill         Aye

Lance Kwan                      Aye

Elisa Martinez.                  Aye

Rakesh Sharma                 Aye

Richard Watters                Aye

Ayan Taylor, Student        Aye

San Leandro City Council

June 6, 2022

Recognitions:

• Mayor’s Award for Kindness given to teacher Alice Pegram, James Madison Elementary School.
• Proclaiming June as Pride Month in San Leandro.
• Proclaiming June 19, 2022 as ‘Juneteenth’ in San Leandro.

Announcements:

• City Manager Fran Robustelli shared that the summer library reading program continues through August 3rd, and thanked community partners for organizing Saturday’s successful Cherry Parade.

City Council Calendar and Announcements:

• Mayor Cutter was absent, representing San Leandro at The Mayors’ Conference in Reno, Nevada.
• Councilmember Lopez thanked City Manager Fran Robustelli for acknowledging community organizers of the Cherry Parade, and acknowledged city staff for their ongoing efforts.
• Councilmember Cox also acknowledged Cherry Parade success and noted a rise in gun violence while praising San Leandro Police Department for quickly solving recent homicides.
• Councilmember Aguilar cited gun violence rise and urged banning assault rifles.
• Councilmember Simon thanked San Leandro Police Department for their response to recent gun violence.
• Councilmember Azevedo thanked community volunteers for senior clean-up assistance.
• Vice Mayor Pete Ballew acknowledged San Leandro Police Department for their efforts.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes of the Disaster Council Meeting of Feb. 17, 2022.
• November 2021 Finance Committee Minutes.
• Minutes from May 16, 2022 City Council Meeting.
• Resolution to authorize an agreement between the City of San Leandro and MV Transportation, Inc. to Provide Transportation Services for the FLEX RIDES Shuttle Paratransit Program.
• Resolution to award a contract to Bay Cities Grading and Paving, Inc. for the Annual Street Overlay and Rehabilitation Project.
• Resolution to approve an agreement with Union Pacific Railroad Company for improvements at the Halcyon Drive Rail Crossing of the Niles Subdivision.
• Resolution to approve and authorize an agreement with Bertrand, Fox, Elliot, Osman & Wenzel for legal representation associated with tort liability claims and litigation.

Public Hearings:

• Resolution approving amendments to City Fees and Service Charges for 2022-2023.

Presentation: Master Fee Schedule and Tax Rate Update FY22-23 Final.

Item unanimously adopted.

• Ordinances that amend various San Leandro Municipal Codes to annually adjust the Business License Tax, EMS Tax, and Emergency Communications System Access Tax for 2022-2023.

Item unanimously adopted.

Action Items:

• Resolution approving Amendment No.1 to the City Manager’s Employment Agreement.

Item unanimously adopted.

City Council Reports:

• Councilmember Cox attended STOP Waste general meeting; shared Rail Safety grant award.
• Fred Simon participated in Oakland Airport Noise Reduction Forum.
• Corina Lopez attended East Bay Community Energy meeting.

Mayor Pauline Russo Cutter               Absent

Vice Mayor Pete Ballew                     Aye

Victor Aguilar                                     Aye

Bryan Azevedo                                   Aye

Fred Simon                                         Aye

Deborah Cox                                       Aye

Corina Lopez                                       Aye

Potholes begone!

Submitted by City of Hayward

Relief is on the way for motorists and bicyclists who may be dodging potholes, cracks and broken curbs along streets in Hayward. The city’s annual Pavement Improvement Project (PIP) is now underway.

City officials said PIP will bring $11 million of spot repairs, resealing, repaving, curb upgrades and restriping to more than 33 lane miles of roadway.

96 segments of streets are included in the Fiscal Year 2022 PIP with nearby residents affected receiving 72-hour notice of the exact time of work. Work is being done by contractor Bay Cities Paving and Grading, Inc.

Street segments included in this year’s project were chosen based on the city’s evaluation of current pavement conditions, public and City Council member input and opportunities for efficiency through geographic grouping of improvements.

The annual PIP is funded through a combination of Alameda County Measure B and BB transportation sales tax revenue, gas tax revenue, state vehicle registration fees, and the California Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.

To learn more about the project visit www.hayward-ca.gov, then enter “Fiscal year 2022 pavement improvement project” into the search box and follow the link.

Union City- City Council

May 24, 2022

Proclamations and Presentations:

• Proclamation Recognizing May as Mental Health Awareness Month
• Certificate of Recognition for Navya Chawla, Union City 2021 STEM Winner given by the Santa Clara Valley Science and Engineering Fair Association (SCVSEFA)

Consent Calendar:

• Waived further reading of proposed ordinance (permits reading the title only in lieu of reciting the entire tex
  t of any proposed ordinance)
• Approve the minutes of the city council meeting held on May 10, 2022
• Adopt a resolution authorizing the city manager to declare a certain stage trailer as surplus and authorizing its sale pursuant to the Union City Municipal Code
• Adopt a resolution authorizing an agreement between the city of Union City and CSG Consultants to increase the Agreement Amount by $400,000, for a total not to exceed amount of $475,000, for building division support
• Adopt a resolution accepting and appropriating FY 2021-22 Grant Funds from CalRecycle in the total amount of $103,597 to the city manager’s office Solid Waste and Recycling Program
• Adopt a resolution finding that there is a proclaimed state of emergency; authorizing remote teleconferenced meetings of the legislative bodies of the city of Union City for the 30-day period beginning May 24 pursuant to AB 361
• Adopt a resolution approving and adopting a memorandum of understanding between the city of Union City and The Management Employees’ Group (MEG) approving an amendment to the city’s salary schedule in conformance with California Code of Regulations, Title 2, Section 570.5
• Adopt a resolution approving and adopting a Memorandum of Understanding between the city of Union City and Service Employees International Union Local 1021 (SEIU), approving an amendment to the city’s salary schedule in conformance with California Code of Regulations, Title 2, Section 570.5
• Adopt a resolution approving and adopting a Memorandum of Understanding between the city of Union City and the Professional Employees’ Group (PEG), approving an amendment to the city’s salary schedule in conformance with California Code of Regulations, Title 2, Section 570.5

Public Hearings

• Hearing and adoption of the FY 2022-2023 Master Fee Schedule
• Hearing to receive input on military equipment policy and introduce an ordinance adding Chapter 2.62 entitled, “Military Equipment Use Policy” to the Municipal Code in compliance with Assembly Bill 481

Mayor Carol Dutra-Vernaci  Aye

Vice Mayor Pat Gacoscos     Aye

Emily Duncan                       Aye

Jaime Patiño                          Aye

Gary Singh                            Aye

BART Police Log

Submitted by Les Mensinger and BART PD

Sunday, June 5

• At 6:24 a.m. officers spotted two males in a suspicious vehicle in the parking structure at Hayward station. A record check showed one of the males, identified by police as Merida Castillo, 31, of Hayward had two outstanding misdemeanor warrants. He was arrested and booked into Santa Rita Jail.

Tuesday, June 7

• At 12:24 a.m. a man identified by police as David Johnson, 57, was arrested at Union City station on suspicion of trespassing on railroad property and probation violation. He was booked into Santa Rita Jail.

• At 8:26 p.m. a man identified by police as Thomas Zanni, 29, of San Francisco was contacted at Hayward station on suspicion of fare evasion. A record check showed a warrant charging possession of drug paraphernalia. He was taken into custody and booked at Santa Rita Jail.

Thursday, June 9

• At 11:35 p.m. a man identified by police as Ronald Hanson, 42, was arrested at Fremont station on suspicion of trespassing on railroad property. He was booked into Santa Rita Jail.

New police official coming soon to Fremont

East Bay Regional Park District Police Department (EBRPD) officials bid farewell to popular colleague Captain Lance Brede on June 9 as he heads to a new assignment with Fremont Police Department.

In a Twitter post, EBRPD Chief Anthony Ciaburro wrote: “We will miss his dogged determination and spirit of innovation. Congratulations & good luck to the new Fremont Deputy Chief of Police.”

Meanwhile, Fremont Police Department officials expressed their delight in Brede’s impending arrival. On June 9 they posted on their Twitter page: “We are thrilled that Lance Brede has accepted our offer and will be appointed Deputy Chief of Police. DC Brede’s first day will be June 20th and we look forward to sharing an ‘official’ statement soon!”

Hayward Police Log

Submitted by Hayward PD

Monday, May 30

• At 12:30 a.m. officers spotted an occupied stolen vehicle near the 29000 block of Mission Blvd. They contacted the driver and took him into custody without incident.

Tuesday, May 31

• At 11:02 a.m. a victim was approached and assaulted by an unknown suspect near the 100 block of Harder Road. The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local medical facility for treatment. The suspect fled the scene. The case is being investigated as an assault with a deadly weapon.

Wednesday, June 1

• At 3:05 p.m. a victim was approached and assaulted by more than one suspect near the 27000 block of Manon Ave. The suspects tried to steal property from the victim but were unsuccessful and fled the scene. The case is being investigated as an assault with a deadly weapon.

Saturday, June 4

• In the morning hours a female victim was assaulted by more than one suspect near the 1000 block of Tennyson Road. The suspects took property from the victim, then fled the scene.

Newark Police Log

Submitted by Newark PD

Tuesday, May 10

• At 4:11 p.m. officers responded to a report about a disturbance involving 10 people in the area of Cherry Street and Fountaine Avenue. The suspects fled before officers arrived, however Officer Loser located a vehicle associated with the disturbance nearby. A record check showed the vehicle was stolen. Officers made a car stop and arrested a 16-year-old male on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle. He was issued a notice to appear in court and released to a guardian.

Wednesday, May 11

• At 1:17 p.m. officers investigated a report about a suspicious package in the 7000 block of Gateway Boulevard. The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad also responded to assist. It was determined the package was an inert electronic device and not an explosive.

• At 5:32 p.m. officers responded to a report about an in-progress catalytic converter theft in the 5800 block of NewPark Mall Road. They arrested a 50-year-old Hayward man on suspicion of possessing ammunition. He was booked at Santa Rita Jail.

Wednesday, May 18

• At 4:17 p.m. officers responded to a report about an in-progress catalytic converter theft in the 5000 block of Salisbury Drive. Officer Garcia located the suspect in a vehicle a few blocks away and attempted to make a traffic enforcement stop. The driver sped away and was last seen traveling northbound on Newark Boulevard. The incident is under investigation.

Thursday, May 19

• At 9:12 a.m. Officers responded to investigate a report of a bomb threat in the 37000 block of Filbert St. Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Team also responded to assist and determined there was no indication of an explosive device.

Saturday, May 21

• At 9:50 p.m. Officer Swadener located a stolen vehicle in the area of Mulberry Street and Graham Avenue. He arrested a 43-year-old Newark man associated with the vehicle on suspicion of receiving stolen property, possession of a controlled substance and driving with a suspended license. He was booked at Santa Rita Jail.

Sunday, May 22

• At 1:13 a.m. Officer Garcia investigated a v
  ehicle stuck on the railroad tracks in the area of Thornton Avenue at the railroad tracks. Union Pacific was contacted and all trains were stopped. Garcia arrested a 19-year-old San Jose woman on suspicion of DUI. She was booked at Santa Rita Jail.

Wednesday, May 25

• At 5:54 a.m. Officer Adami responded to a report of a someone brandishing a firearm in the 5000 block of Cedar Court. The person fled before Adami arrived. Meanwhile, officers located an associated vehicle nearby and attempted a high-risk stop but the driver of the vehicle fled onto the freeway. Adami is investigating.

Vehicle catalytic converter thefts:

• May 4: 7000 block of Morton Ave., (2 thefts); May 8: the area of Sycamore Street and Rich Avenue; May 9: 8000 block of Peppertree Court; May 11: 5800 block of NewPark Mall Road; May 15: 36000 block of Spruce Street; May 18: 5000 block of Salisbury Drive, 35000 block of Cornwall Place; May 29: 5000 block of Civic Terrace Ave.; May 30: 6000 block of Rochelle Ave.

2022 AACHS Scholarship Program Recipients

Submitted by A. Ric Ricard

The Afro American Cultural & Historical Society (AACHS), Tri City and Hayward, held its 46th Annual Scholarship Program on Sunday, June 5, at Fremont’s Downtown Event Center outdoor plaza. Shekinah Taylor, American High School, and Renee Diop, Washington High School, each received $2,500 Scholarships.

In addition to their parents being in attendance, along with several members of AACHS, we were honored to have Fremont’s Mayor, Lily Mei, there to present “Certificates of Recognition” to the recipients from the city.

The Southern Alameda County non-profit, having already surpassed $200,000 in scholarships since 1974, is continually striving to support the goals and aspirations of our local African American youth. Visit our website, aachstricity.org, for more information.

Honor Roll

Rockford University, Illinois

Spring 2022 Dean’s List

• Kaeleigh Taylor of Newark

Milwaukee School of Engineering, Wisconsin

Spring 2022 Dean’s List

• Garin Jankowski of Fremont

Lehigh University, Pennsylvania

Spring 2022 Dean’s List

• Alan Wang of Hayward

Bradley University, Illinois

Spring 2022 Dean’s List

• Sarah Dove of Castro Valley

Saint Francis University, Pennsylvania

Spring 2022 Dean’s List

• Aarati Sarikonda of Fremont

James Madison University, Virginia

Spring 2022 graduates

• Chanakiya Sivakumar of Fremont
• Katherine Wheeler of Hayward
• Samantha Wheeler of Hayward

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi

New members, San Jose State University

• Alima Afzali of Fremont
• Azim Azimy of Fremont
• Charlene Khun of Fremont
• Chloe Angst of Fremont
• Jillian Barrameda of Fremont
• Nikita Long of Fremont
• Robin Singh of Fremont
• Shreya Aggarwal of Fremont
• Sonia Dosanjh of Fremont
• Thin Thandar Kyaw of Fremont
• Jennifer Ferreira of Hayward
• Xavier Clark of Hayward
• AJ Patterson of Milpitas
• Janella Catura of Milpitas
• Melody Gilana of Milpitas
• Xinqi Deng of Milpitas
• Keila Del Rosario-Anaya of Newark
• Wenjing Duan of Newark
• Bernadette Pandya-Orozco of Union City

Solar power nonprofit receives statewide honor

Submitted by Jeff Barbosa

SunWork Renewable Energy Projects, a nonprofit company working to make the adoption of solar power more economically practical for homeowners, preschools and others, has been selected as NonProfit of the Year for Senate District 10.

In a June 8 announcement, State Senator Bob Wieckowski, said SunWork, based in Milpitas, is one of more than 100 honorees selected by state legislators to be honored on California Nonprofits Day. The organizations selected for the honor address a diverse range of issues including climate change, food insecurity, at-risk youth, domestic violence, mental health and arts education.

SunWork installs solar electricity systems in the Bay Area and Central Coast to help customers with modest energy use make the switch to renewable power. It trains homeowners and volunteers to work on its projects to reduce expenses.

“Addressing the threats posed by climate change is a primary focus of our state and we must continue aggressively transitioning to a clean energy economy by investing in renewable power and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Wieckowski, said. He is chair of the Senate’s Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee on Resources, Environmental Protection and Energy.

“The SunWork team — our amazing volunteers, customers, and staff — have been helping to chip away at the problem of carbon-polluting electricity generation for over a decade, one solar rooftop at a time.” said SunWork Founder and Executive Director Reuben Veek. He added that the company has installed more than five megawatts of solar capacity across more than 1,000 preschools, shelters, meal centers, places of worship, nonprofit organization headquarters, and low-energy-use homes.

Wieckowski represents the 10th District in the State Senate. Constituents who need information or assistance on state issues can call the senator’s district office at (510) 794-3900 or send an email to https://sd10.senate.ca.gov/contact/email.

Letter to the Editor

Complete Streets

Before the advent of the automobile, streets were arteries for walking, biking and horse riding, and people gathered on street corners, in commons, gardens, marketplaces, plazas, and churches. Much later on, after World War II, suburbs built streets to move cars at high speed. Too often, streets in suburbs have shoved city life aside.

In the early 2000s, a new generation of urban planners, transportation engineers and recreation advocates brought back the old notion of “complete streets.” They designed streets for a mix of vehicular and pedestrian uses, with public spaces like plazas, parks and open green spaces.

According to the National Association of City Transportation Officials, “‘The complete streets concept and movement has come out of the idea that streets need to be more than just places for cars to move quickly. Streets are public places where people can connect with each other and move around their city in ways that are safe and equitable.’ Cars give way to people, and cars move at a kinder, gentler pace.

The city of Fremont has embraced complete streets, and plans to reconfigure transit corridors including Decoto Road and downtown Centerville. Four intersections at Walnut Avenue have been reconstructed, to showcase the concept of complete streets. Walnut Ave extends eastward past Mission Blvd, where Walnut becomes Morrison Canyon Road. The first two blocks of Morrison Canyon Rd have homes and curb parking on both sides of the street. Beyond that, the road carries hikers and bicyclists another two miles with 900 ft of elevation change up to Vargas Plateau Regional Park.

A rather inexplicable traffic sign is posted there, that declares “No Stopping Anytime on Morrison Canyon Road.” This would block parking alongside the road, and stop homeowners from parking on the street. Pedestrians and bicyclists wanting to use Morrison Canyon Trail would have to park in nearby neighborhoods.

The parked cars could irritate the neighbors. If the city were to crack down on roadside parking in the name of “public safety,” it would lose sight of complete streets and make access to our trails and parks more difficult. Curb parking is also prohibited in front of two acr
es of “surplus” land set aside for a city park near Pickering Ave.

We call upon planners and transportation officials to extend the “complete street” for Walnut Avenue farther eastward towards Morrison Canyon and Canyon Heights Drive. The city should not return to the post World War II era, when cars ruled our streets and parking was prohibited to move traffic faster. “Complete streets” should put pedestrians, park visitors and bicyclists first.

 

 

William Yragui

co-founder, Mission Peak Conservancy

Juneteenth Celebration

Submitted by City of Hayward

Trap yoga, dance work out and twerk-out sessions will headline a second annual Hayward Juneteenth Celebration that will take the form of a participatory Wellness Festival at Hayward Heritage Plaza from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 18.

Produced by the Hayward Chamber of Commerce Black Business Roundtable in partnership with Hayward Farmers Market, the Juneteenth Wellness Festival will be hosted by CBS “Survivor” Season 4 winner Vecepia Robinson, and is free to the public thanks to the sponsorship of East Bay Community Energy, Subaru One dealership of Hayward and other community leaders and organizations.

The event will also feature a Kid Zone which will host a variety of activities including rock-climbing instruction on a climbing wall provided by Hayward Area Recreation and Park District, arts and crafts, and Hayward Public Library’s bookmobile Curbie will open its doors to its rolling collection of books and other materials.

In addition, there will be health, housing, employment and career resources, as well as vendors for food, crafts and more.

Heritage Plaza, across from the downtown branch of Hayward Public Library, is a new city park intended to be a place of respite, to gather, and to mark and celebrate the cultural history of Hayward and surrounding Eden area of Alameda County.

The Hayward Juneteenth Celebration, founded by Hayward Councilmember Angela Andrews and Diann Castleberry, AC Transit’s External Affairs Representative, along with 2022 committee members Lauren Jennings and Landis Graden, The Best Me, Hayward Councilmember Elisa Márquez, Treasures Unleashed Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) Hayward/South County, and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Hayward/South Alameda County, is an opportunity to celebrate, connect with and support the history and ongoing struggle for freedom, equity and equality for people of African descent here in Hayward, throughout California and across the country.

Juneteenth Celebration

Saturday, Jun 18

10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Heritage Plaza

835 C Street, Hayward

www.hayward-ca.gov

IAD061422

CONTINUING EVENTS:

 

Monday – Friday, June 22 – July 22 (dark 7/4 -7/8)

Words for Lunch

11 a.m. – 12 noon

Lunch and reading activities

Hayward Public Library, Heritage Plaza

888 C St., Hayward

ma**********@cs********.edu

Monday and Wednesday, June 22 – July 22 (dark 7/4 – 7/8)

Words for Lunch

11 a.m. – 12 noon

Lunch and reading activities

Mia’s Dream Come True All Abilities Playground

28377 Huntwood Ave., Hayward

ma**********@cs********.edu

 

Wednesdays

San Lorenzo Street Eats

5 p.m. – 9 pm.

1062 Grant Ave., San Lorenzo

www.thefoodtruckmafia.com

Thursdays

Newark Street Eats

5 p.m. – 9 p.m.

6430 Thornton Ave., Newark

www.thefoodtruckmafia.com

 

First Thursdays

Plethos Comedy Lab $

8 p.m.

Ever-changing lineup of Bay Area comics (18+)

Castro Valley Marketplace Lab 200

3295 Castro Valley Blvd., Castro Valley

https://plethos.org/

Tickets: $10

 

Thursday – Sunday, April 21 – June 25

Hidden Treasures, Local Talent

12 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Olive Hyde Art Gallery

123 Washington Blvd, Fremont

Fremont.gov/OliveHyde

(510) 791-4357

Thursday, June 2 – Sunday, June 19

The Pajama Game $

W, Th: 7 p.m./F: 8 p.m./Sa: 6 p.m./Sun: 3 p.m.

New imagining of classic musical

Gateway Theatre

215 Jackson St, San Francisco

www.42ndstmoon.org

(415) 255-8207

Fridays

Fremont Street Eats

5 p.m. – 9 p.m.

3500 Capitol Ave., Fremont

www.thefoodtruckmafia.com

First Fridays at Chabot Space $

6 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Hands-on activities, workshops and performances

Chabot Space and Science Center

10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland

https://chabotspace.org/

$15 adults, $10 seniors/kids, $5 members

Third Saturdays

Investigating Space $

11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Discuss exploring space with researchers and scientists

Chabot Space and Science Center

10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland

https://chabotspace.org/

(Included with admission)

UPCOMING

 

Tuesday, June 14

Flag Day Rally

6 p.m.

Talk about the flag pole’s history, refreshments

Niles Plaza

37592 Niles Blvd., Fremont

https://www.niles.org

 

Thursday, June 16

HERS Breast Cancer Foundation Grand Opening

4 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Refreshments, giveaways, raffle, prizes, and more!

Commonpoint Nonprofit Center

164 N. L Street, Suite 107, Livermore

https://bit.ly/3xgcOrS

 

Thursday, June 16 – Friday, June 17, Sunday, June 19

Patterson House Tours

11:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m.

Tour the Patterson House Museum

Ardenwood Historic Farm

34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont

www.ebparks.org

(888) 327-2757

Thursday, June 16 – Sunday, June 19

Animal Feeding

3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Check for eggs and feed livestock

Ardenwood Historic Farm

34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont

www.ebparks.org

(888) 327-2757

Thursday, June 16, Friday June 17 and Sunday, June 19

Ride the Rails

10:20 a.m. – 2:55 p.m.

Travel through the eucalyptus groves

Ardenwood Historic Farm

34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont

www.ebparks.org

(888) 327-2757

Friday, June 17

Alameda County Fair Live Concert Series $

8 p.m.

R&B artist Ginuwine

Alameda County Fairgrounds

4501 Pleasanton Ave, Pleasanton

www.alamedacountyfair.com

Friday, June 17

Summer Concert by The F
ountain

9 a.m. – 10 a.m.

East Plaza Fountain

34603 11th St., Union City

Original music by local students in Eternity Band

www.eternityband.org

Friday, June 17

Hayward Community Family Fair

2 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Find resources to fill your family’s summer

Tennyson Park

28377 Huntwood Ave., Hayward

Friday, June 17

Movies On The Lawn: The Lego Movie $

6 p.m.

Enjoy a free movie with fair admission

Alameda County Fairgrounds

4501 Pleasanton Ave, Pleasanton

www.alamedacountyfair.com

Friday, June 17

The Groovy Judy Band Gives Love

7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Local favorite takes the stage

Grandstand Stage

Alameda County Fairgrounds

4501 Pleasanton Ave., Pleasanton

www.alamedacountyfair.com

Saturday, June 18

Fatherhood Virtual Summit R

9:30 a.m. – 12 noon

Information, resources, and tools for strengthening family bonds

https://whova.com/portal/registration/fathe_202203

www.alamedacountyfathers.org

Saturday, June 18

Victorian Fun & Games

1 p.m. – 2 p.m.

Try out some stilts, play the game of graces

Ardenwood Historic Farm

34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont

www.ebparks.org

(888) 327-2757

Saturday, June 18

Storefront Storytime

11 a.m.

“The Year We Learned to Fly,” read by Aunt Marie

Books on B

1014 B St., Hayward

(510) 538-3943

Saturday, June 18

Farm Chores for Kids

10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Lend a hand cracking corn and feeding the animals

Ardenwood Historic Farm

34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont

www.ebparks.org

(888) 327-2757

Saturday, June 18

Echoes in Time: Cordage & Knots

1 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Learn indigenous techniques to create cordage

Coyote Hills Visitor Center

8000 Patterson Ranch Rd., Fremont

(510) 544-3220

www.ebparks.org

Saturday, June 18

Corn Mosaics

11 a.m. – 12 noon

Use colored kernels to make a mosaic

Ardenwood Historic Farm

34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont

www.ebparks.org

(888) 327-2757

Saturday, June 18

Movies On The Lawn: Paw Patrol $

6 p.m.

Enjoy a free movie with fair admission

Alameda County Fairgrounds

4501 Pleasanton Ave, Pleasanton

www.alamedacountyfair.com

Saturday, June 18

Decoto History Bike Tour

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

4-mile ride viewing older buildings in the area

Meet at Dry Creek/Pioneer Regional Park parking lot

www.museumoflocalhistory.org

Saturday, June 18

Alameda County Fair Live Concert Series $

8 p.m.

Pop band Neon Trees

Alameda County Fairgrounds

4501 Pleasanton Ave, Pleasanton

www.alamedacountyfair.com

Saturday, June 18

Larry O Bike & Auto Parts Swap Meet

8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Classic bikes, seats, forks, handlebars, and more!

Larry Orozco Teen Workshop

33623 Mission Blvd, Union City

(510) 675-5487

Saturday, June 18

Brew Fest $

2 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Enjoy beer tasting and wagering during live horse racing

Stella Artois Grandstand

Alameda County Fairgrounds

4501 Pleasanton Ave, Pleasanton

www.alamedacountyfair.com

Saturday, June 18

Sunflower Hill Fun Run $

9 a.m.

Fun run/walk through the fairgrounds before opening

Alameda County Fairgrounds

4501 Pleasanton Ave, Pleasanton

https://annual.alamedacountyfair.com/suns-out-funs-out/

Saturday, June 18

Be The Change R

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Climate change activism panel

Castro Valley Library

3600 Norbridge Ave, Castro Valley

www.aclibrary.org

Saturday, June 18

Juneteenth Wellness Festival

10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Food, vendors, music, kid zone

Heritage Plaza

835 C Street, Hayward

Ju***************@gm***.com

Saturday, June 18

Displaced $

7:30 p.m.

A concert honoring those forced to leave their homes

Christ the King Lutheran Church

1301 Mowry Avenue, Fremont

https://www.chambersingers.org/concerts

Tickets: Adults, $25; Students, $15

Saturday, June 18

Juneteenth: Steps of Faith R

2 p.m.

Comedian and radio personality Faith Alpher talks racial justice

Bankhead Theater

2400 First Street, Livermore

www.LivermoreArts.org

Saturday, June 18

Uncorked Comedy

6 p.m. Doors open

7 p.m. Show starts

Lineup of East Bay comics – and booze!

Twining Vine Winery

16851 Cull Canyon Rd., Castro Valley

www.Plethos.org

Tickets: $20

Saturday, June 18

Meet The Author: Herstory 2

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Dr. Chang C. Chen talks about Chinese American women rights

Milpitas Library

160 North Main Street, Milpitas

www.sccld.org

Saturday, June 18 – Sunday, June 19

Discovery on Demand

10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Hands-on activities, crafts, and live animal feedings

Coyote Hills Visitor Center

8000 Patterson Ranch Rd., Fremont

(510) 544-3220

www.ebparks.org

Saturday, June 18 – Sunday, June 19

Nectar Garden Exploration

11 a.m. – 12 noon

Discover native pollinators and plants

Coyote Hills Visitor Center

8000 Patterson Ranch Rd., Fremont

(510) 544-3220

www.ebparks.org

Sunday, June 19

Displaced $

4 p.m.

Concert honoring those forced to leave their homes

First Presbyterian Church Livermore

2020 5^th St., Livermore

https://www.chambersingers.org/concerts

Tickets: Adults, $25; Students, $15

 

Sunday, June 19

Movies On The Lawn: Frozen $

6 p.m.

Enjoy a free movie with fair admission

Alameda County Fairgrounds

4501 Pleasanton Ave, Pleasanton

www.alamedacountyfair.com

 

Sunday, June 19

Juneteenth Celebration Hike

10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Celebrate Black contributions throughout history

Coyote Hills Visitor Center

8000 Patterson Ranch Rd., Fremont

(510) 544-3220

www.ebparks.org

 

Sunday, June 19

Hay Harvesting

1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Join in an old-fashioned hay harvest

Ardenwood Historic Farm

34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont

www.ebparks.org

(888) 327-2757

Sunday, June 19

Juneteenth Baseball

10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Discover the history of America’s second Independence Day

Ardenwood Historic Farm

34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont

www.ebparks.org

(888) 327-2757

Sunday, June 19

Juneteenth Celebration

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Food, storytelling, performances, booths

Bankhead Plaza

2400 First Street, Livermore

www.LivermoreArts.org

Monday, June 20

Legal Assistance for Seniors presents Elder Abuse

10 a.m. – 11 a.m. (English)

11 a.m. – 12 noon (Mandarin)

Learn to identify financial, emotional, and physical abuse

Age Well Center – South Fremont

47111 Mission Falls Ct, Fremont

(510) 742-7540

Tuesday, June 21

Cyber Security and Scams

10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Learn to identify fraudulent emails and text messages

Age Well Center – South Fremont

47111 Mission Falls Ct, Fremont

(510) 742-7540

Summer Outdoor Movie Nights & Concerts

Classic Movies Under the Stars

Reserve tickets at www.milpitas.gov

$5 per person

Ocean’s Eleven

Friday, July 8

8 p.m.

Civic Center Plaza, Milpitas

Some Like It Hot

Friday, August 12

8 p.m.

Civic Center Plaza, Milpitas

Movie Night Out

Reserve tickets on www.milpitas.gov

$10 = up to 6 seats

Luca

Friday, June 24

8:30 p.m.

Augustine Park, Milpitas

The Jungle Cruise

Friday, July 15

8:30 p.m.

Cardoza Park

Sing 2

Friday, July 29

8:30 p.m.

Foothill Park, Milpitas

Summer Concerts

Dive in Movie: Luca

Friday, July 22

Doors Open: 7 p.m.

Showtime: 8 p.m.

Farrelly Pool

864 Dutton Ave., San Leandro

(510) 569-1245

www.sanleandro.org/377/Recreation-Human-Services

Tickets: $3 online, $6 at the door

Movies on the Lawn

June 17 – July 10

(No showings on Mondays/Tuesdays, except July 4)

6 p.m.

June 17 – The Lego Movie

June 18 – Paw Patrol: The Movie

June 19 – Frozen

June 22 – Moana

June 23 – Space Jam

June 24 – Trolls: World Tour

June 25 – Shrek

June 26 – Clifford the Big Red Dog

June 29 – Luca

June 30 – Sonic the Hedgehog

July 1 – Monsters, Inc.

July 2 – Dora and the Lost City of Gold

July 3 – Spirit Untamed

July 4 – The Incredibles

July 6 – Raya and the Last Dragon

July 7 – Tom & Jerry

July 8 – Wreck-It Ralph

July 9 – Rise of the Guardians

July 10 – Encanto

Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton

Concert Lawn

Home

Included with Fair admission

Tickets: $14-17

Parking: $14

Milpitas Summer Concert Series

Good Time Collective

Friday, June 17

6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Murphy Park

Yellowstone Ave., Milpitas

Left University

Monday, July 4

6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Milpitas Sports Center

1325 E. Calaveras Blvd., Milpitas

The Cires

Friday, July 22

6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Pinewood Park

Starlite Dr., & Lonetree Ct., Milpitas

Jordan T

Friday, August 5

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Hall Park

La Honda Dr., Milpitas

Groovin’ at the Grove Free Summer Concerts

 

Fridays: June 24, July 8, July 22, August 5

Gates open: 4 p.m.

Concert: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Shirley Sisk Grove

NewPark Mall, Newark

Bring a blanket or low-back chair

Bands TBD

Info at: www.newark.org

Fremont Summer Concert Series

 

Tuesdays, July 7 – August 11

6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Central Park Performance Pavilion

40204 Paseo Padre Pkwy, Fremont

July 7 – East Bay Mudd

July 14 – Briefcase Blues Brothers

July 21 – Almost Famous

July 28 – Big Bang Beat

August 4 – Jukebox Heroes

August 11 – Aja Vu

More info: (510) 494-4300 or Re*****@fr*****.gov

Pacific Commons Summer Concert Series

 

Fourth Fridays, June 24 – September 23

7 p.m. – 9 p.m.

June 24 – Nancy Wenstrom & the Insiders (blues)

July 22 – Gary Flores Trio (Latin)

August 26 – TinMan (classic rock)

September 23 – Last One Picked (rock, blues, country)

Pacific Commons Shopping Center

Auto Mall Parkway at I-880, Fremont

(510) 770-9798

3 O’Clock Jump

Third Saturdays: June 18, July 16, August 20, September 17, October 15

1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Big Band music in outdoor patio (no cover fee)

World Famous Turf Club

22519, Main St., Hayward

(510) 244-3449

www.worldfamousturfclubca.com

Hayward Municipal Band

Sundays, June 19, 26; July 3, 10

2:30 p.m.

Professional music in a relaxed atmosphere

Tony Morelli Bandstand

Hayward Memorial Park

214176 Mission Blvd., Hayward

haywardmunicipalband.blogspot.com

Russell City Awareness Blues Series

 

Saturdays, June 4 – July 30

2 p.m. – 5 p.m.

June 18 – Juneteenth Celebration (12 noon – 6 p.m.)

June 25 – Sean McGroarty’s “Blues Harmonica Explosion”

July 2 – The West Coast Caravans of All Stars

July 9 – Michael Skinner & Final Touch Band

July 16 – Alvon Johnson Blues Band

July 23 – Salute to Russell City Blues Women

July 30 – West Coast Caravan of All Stars (closing festivities)

Heritage Plaza

888 C St., Hayward

OR

Hayward City Hall Plaza

777 B St., Hayward

www.westcoastbluessociety.org

Hayward Oddfellows Summer Concerts

 

Sundays; 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

August 14 – Uncle Rico’s with The Hypnotones, Mike Meagher’s Music Machine, Brown & Lee, Alrighty Then, and Spirit Flute

August 21 – Gravity

August 28 – SweetSp0t
s

September 11 – Hayward La Honda Music Camp

September 18 – Giant Spiders and 129

September 25 – East Bay Youth Orchestras and East Bay Symphonic Band

Hayward Memorial Park Outdoor Amphitheater

24176 Mission Blvd., Hayward

www.haywardlodge.org