Grant awards helping small businesses
Submitted by Paul Sanftner
There is good news for small business owners in San Leandro who have taken a financial hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. The city has allocated $750,000 in grants from its share of the American Rescue Plan Act to be distributed through a new San Leandro Small Business Recovery Grant Program.
The program is aimed at brick-and-mortar, for-profit businesses in operation since before March 16, 2020, with 25 or fewer employees, and that lease or rent their commercial property directly from a landlord. Eligible businesses must be located in incorporated San Leandro. Through this program, around 50 small businesses will receive grants of up to $15,000 each to be paid to their landlords to cover overdue rent accrued since the onset of the pandemic.
The program’s goal is to assist businesses that were required to be closed or had limited operations for an extensive period during 2020, experienced a significant loss of revenue, a reduction in workforce, and that received little to no financial assistance in response to the pandemic. All small businesses are encouraged to apply if they think they might qualify. Additionally, training and ongoing services will be provided to support the continued operations and growth of the businesses beyond the pandemic
Initial applications are due Tuesday, January 11. Details about the grant program are posted online at www.sanleandro.org/767/COVID-19-Business-Resources.
Looking to open a cannabis business?
Submitted by City of Hayward
Businesses and individuals that are interested in potentially operating a commercial cannabis business in Hayward can submit an application for screening starting Monday, January 3. Applications will be accepted through February 28.
The screening process is a pre-requisite to being invited to apply for a commercial cannabis permit and associated land-use approvals necessary to open a commercial cannabis business in the city. The process begins with a submission of a Preliminary Determination of Eligibility Application to the Planning Division of Hayward Department Development Services.
Screening entails a criminal background check and city staff evaluation of the applicant’s proposed business location, business and operating plans, and other criteria listed in the city’s municipal code.
At this time, Hayward is accepting applications for the following commercial cannabis activities:
• Cultivation
• Delivery, including non-storefront retail sales
• Distribution
• Manufacturing
• Microbusinesses
• Testing laboratory
Applications for new storefront retail dispensaries are not currently being accepted; however, non-storefront retail operations, as part of a commercial cannabis delivery operation, or ancillary storefront retail, as part of a commercial cannabis microbusiness will continue to be accepted until further notice.
For more information, including regulatory definitions of cannabis business types, visit the City of Hayward website at www.hayward-ca/gov, then type “commercial cannabis permit program” into the search field and follow the link. Potential applicants with questions about the process should submit them in writing to Hayward acting Planning Manager Jeremy Lochirco at Je*************@ha*****.gov.
EARTHTALK
An environmental Jekyll & Hyde?
By Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss
Dear EarthTalk: Is Amazon.com an environmental hero or villain?
— J. West, Orange, California
Not surprisingly, Amazon.com’s environmental performance is a mixed bag. One charge often levied by critics is that Amazon’s low pricing and expedited shipping encourages customers to spend more on more unnecessary stuff, further exacerbating our already rampant consumerism. Likewise, critics charge that the company’s “Prime” service encourages customers to order single items that must be rush-shipped to them instead of combining multiple orders in bigger boxes, which would be more energy efficient.
Others criticize Amazon for introducing huge commercial operations into hundreds of otherwise residential and predominantly minority communities across the country. An analysis by Consumer Reports found that 69% of Amazon warehouses have more people of color living within a one-mile radius than the median neighborhood in their metro areas. Residents complain of increased air pollution from the preponderance of trucks and vans going to and fro, more dangerous walking and biking conditions for neighborhood kids, traffic congestions and significant upticks in noise.
In 2019 the company’s carbon emissions were in the spotlight when hundreds of employees (“Amazon Employees for Climate Justice”) called on corporate leadership to commit to net-zero pollution by 2030. For its part, Amazon reports it is moving quickly toward net zero carbon emissions. It won’t practically be able to get there until 2040, but the company is aiming to run on 100% renewable energy by 2030.
Other green initiatives from the e-tailing juggernaut include a $100 million investment in nature-based climate solutions like reforestation projects, a recent purchase of 100,000 fully electric delivery vehicles, and collaborations with manufacturers to improve and reduce packaging that has led to a 27% reduction in packaging weight and the elimination of 810,000 tons of packaging material since 2008.
Another area where the company garners green kudos is its leadership in cloud computing. Amazon’s servers no doubt use a lot of electricity (much of which is derived from renewables nowadays), research suggests that companies who move their server infrastructure to cloud-based services — like industry leading Amazon Web Services — could save 87% on energy. The upshot is that as more and more companies ditch their own servers, energy consumption and carbon emissions can decline rapidly.
And let’s not forget Amazon.com founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos’ $10 billion pledge to fund global warming resilience and mitigation efforts around the world over the next 10 years. So far, the so-called Bezos Earth Fund, while not officially tied to Amazon.com but built on Bezos’ wealth stream from the company, has donated some $947 million to various programs, organizations and research efforts working on climate and environmental justice issues — and the philanthropic giving has just started.
CONTACTS:
• Amazon Employees for Climate Justice: amazonemployees4climatejustice.medium.com.
• When Amazon Expands, These Communities Pay the Price: consumerreports.org/corporate-accountability/when-amazon-expands-these-communities-pay-the-price-a2554249208/.
• Berkeley Lab Study Finds Moving Select Computer Services to the Cloud Promises Significant Energy Savings: newscenter.lbl.gov/2013/06/11/berkeley-lab-study-finds-moving-select-computer-services-to-the-cloud-promises-significant-energy-savings/.
EarthTalk is produced by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss for the nonprofit EarthTalk. See more at https://emagazine.com. To donate, visit https//earthtalk.org. Send questions to: qu******@ea*******.org.
Park It
By Ned MacKay
New Year in the East Bay Regional Park District continues the welcome trend toward in-person interpretive programs, with some enjoyable activities scheduled for the first weekend in 2022.
Naturalists at Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont plan to start the year with an easy walk around the grounds starting at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 1. Enjoy the weather, visit the farm animals and discover something new at the farm.
Two-mile “Farm Walkabouts” are also scheduled at Ardenwood from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Sundays, January 2, 16 and 30. The naturalists will lead a search for interesting plants and wildlife, and tell stories of the people who lived and worked at Ardenwood. Meet at the train station. And a top-making workshop is on the Ardenwood calendar from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, January 2. Make your own top and complete in a skittles tournament for prizes.
Ardenwood is located at 34600 Ardenwood Blvd., just north of Highway 84. For information on admission fees and park hours, visit www.ebparks.org or call (510) 544-2797.
At the Environmental Education Center (EEC) in Tilden Nature Area near Berkeley, there’s a “Naturalist’s Trail” program from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, January 2. Tilden naturalists also lead Monday birding walks in various regional parks from 9 a.m. to noon. It’s a great way to get some fresh air with friendly people. The next one is on January 3. Meet in Shimada Friendship Park at the end of Marina Bay Parkway in Richmond.
EEC is located at the north end of Tilden’s Central Park Drive, next to Little Farm. For information on programs, call (510) 544-2233.
While you are at Tilden, Regional Parks Botanic Garden is a great place to visit. The garden has sections devoted to every botanical region in California, so even in winter, there’s always something in bloom. Garden hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. It’s located at the intersection of Wildcat Canyon Road and South Park Drive, next to the Brazil Building. For information, call (510) 544-3169.
King tides are the highest tides of the year, and give us a sense of what may happen in the future as sea levels rise due to climate change. You can see the results of king tides locally during the first three days of January at Radke Martinez and Bay Point Regional Shorelines on Carquinez Strait in northern and northeastern Contra Costa.
At Martinez the peak of the king tide is at 11:27 a.m. on January 1, 12:18 p.m. on January 2, and 1:10 p.m. on January 3. At Bay Point the peak hours are 11:32 a.m., 12:23 p.m. and 1:16 p.m. respectively. You can get involved as a citizen scientist to record the king tides with California King Tides project. For more information, visit coastal.ca.gov/kingtides.
Looking ahead, the park district plans to honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by celebrating a 27th annual Day of Service from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, January 17 at Martin Luther King Jr. Shoreline in Oakland. Participants will help to clean up the shoreline and improve wildlife habitat. Preregistration is required to reserve a time slot for yourself or your group. Details will be available soon at the park district website: www.ebparks.org.
Besides the calendar of upcoming events and programs, the park district website is a great source of information for activities and projects that you can enjoy on your own time. And the website has just been redesigned, though the address is the same. So, by all means check it out for nature lore, tips on regional park explorations, and more.
News and notes from around the world
Submitted by The Association of Mature American Citizens
Christmas cream cheese shortage
Apparently, the double whammy of the COVID-19 pandemic and the disruption of the supply chain has resulted in a severe shortage of cream cheese, according to the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC). To make matters worse, the Philadelphia Cream Cheese plant located in Lowville, New York near the Canadian border, one of the biggest of its kind, has been hit with a water shortage. Meanwhile, the demand for cream cheese has increased this Christmas season as more and more of us are eating breakfast at home due to the pandemic. So, the company is offering users an opportunity to receive a $20 compensation. For details, visit their YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoC_a0bVurU.
They live in a real gingerbread house
The Hoffman family of Yalecrest, Utah has a thing for gingerbread houses, says AMAC. In fact, they live in a real-life gingerbread house. Not long ago they realized that their red brick Tudor abode had the makings of an authentic gingerbread house and so they decided to add the necessary trimmings for the Christmas season and, sure enough, they turned their home into a holiday treat that looks good enough to eat. See their home sweet home on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7j7OBJc0zk.
Naked Santa Run
SantaCon — gatherings of youngsters dressed to one degree or another like Santa Claus — has become an annual tradition in many U.S. cities. In New York City, thousands of Kris Kringles walked the streets on December 11 this year, reports AMAC. Meanwhile, in Budapest, Hungary they have their own tradition. It’s called the Naked Santa Run in which athletic youngsters deck out in Santa hats and red swimsuits and engage in a two-mile jog through the city streets. This year the 18th annual Santa Claus jog raised money for the local Better Childhood fund. See video from the Naked Santa Run on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd-0acOEQhA.
The Association of Mature American Citizens is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization representing membership in Washington, D.C. and in local congressional districts nationwide. More information is available on its website at www.amac.us.
THE ROBOT REPORT
California suspends driverless car testing
By Steve Crowe
December 14, 2021
Following an accident on October 28, 2021 while operating a vehicle in autonomous mode, Pony.ai’s driverless testing permit has been suspended by California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). This is the first time the state of California has suspended such a permit.
The accident occurred at 10:50 a.m. on October 28 as the autonomous vehicle was being tested on roads in Fremont, California, which is where Pony.ai’s U.S. headquarters is located. The full accident report is posted on the CA DMV website at www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/file/pony-ai_102821-PDF/. Below is a description of the accident:
“On October 28, 2021, after turning right onto Fremont Blvd from Cushing Pkwy, the Pony.ai Autonomous Vehicle (“Pony.ai AV”) performed a left lane change maneuver in autonomous mode. While performing the lane change, the Pony.ai AV came into contact with a center divider on Fremont Blvd. and the traffic sign that was posted on the divider. The Pony.ai AV suffered moderate damage to the front of the vehicle and the undercarriage. There were no injuries and no other vehicles involved. Fremont Police Department were called to report the incident and the damaged street sign. Pony.ai has subsequently worked with local authorities to resolve all issues related to the damaged sign.”
There have been plenty of other reported crashes involving autonomous vehicles. But this incident stands out because the vehicle was operating in autonomous mode and didn’t involve any other vehicle.
The Robot Report reached out to both CA DMV and Pony.ai on December 13, 2021 for more information about the reinstatement process. Neither organization responded, however, Reuters obtained the following statement from the DMV: “On Nov. 19, the DMV notified Pony.ai that the department is suspending its driverless testing permit, effective immediately, following a reported solo collision in Fremont, California, on Oct. 28.”
Six months ago, Pony.ai became the eighth company to receive a driverless testing permit in California. The other companies are Apollo, AutoX, Cruise, Nuro, Waymo, WeRide and Zoox. Cruise, Nuro and Waymo are the only companies with permits allowing them to deploy autonomous vehicles in commercial operations. Cruise and Waymo are developing robotaxis to transport passengers, while Nuro is developing an autonomous delivery vehicle.
Pony.ai IPO falls apart
Pony.ai is a startup that operates in both China and the U.S. Most of its operations, including its autonomous trucks, take place in China. It hoped to go public in the U.S. via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that would have raised an additional $1.2 billion in funding.
But in August 2021, Pony.ai suspended those plans with VectoIQ Acquisition. According to Reuters, this deal fell through after Pony.ai “failed to gain assurances from Beijing that it would not become a target of a crackdown against Chinese technology companies.”
Pony.ai recently lost at least three key executives following the merger of its autonomous car and truck R&D teams. Zhenhao Pan was the CTO of Pony’s trucking business; Youhan Sun led planning and control for Pony’s trucking business in the U.S.; and Sun Haowen, former head of planning and control for Pony’s autonomous driving in China.
Expanding in China
Pony.ai was granted a license by the city of Shenzhen to start autonomous driving tests on the city’s open roads. The 12-square-mile pilot zone in Beijing covers major subway stations, residential areas, and tech parks. With the addition of Shenzhen, Pony.ai said it now performs autonomous driving tests or autonomous services in seven Chinese cities.
On November 25, 2021, Pony.ai announced it received approval to run paid autonomous robotaxi services in southeastern Beijing. Beijing, China’s capital city, is the first Tier-1 city in China to approve robotaxi commercialization, allowing self-driving companies to charge for their autonomous services.
Steve Crowe is Editorial Director, Robotics, WTWH Media. He can be reached at sc****@wt*******.com
Tri-City History Queries No. 12
By Kelsey Camello, for the Washington Township Museum of Local History
Q: Can you tell me 10 things about Tri-City history that I don’t already know?
A: Yes, I can!
The building at the corner of Smith and Vallejo Streets (3939 Smith St.) in Alvarado has been utilized in various capacities. It was first home to a local merchant (Fred Harvey), followed by a manager of a sugar factory. The building was then aptly named “The Holly House.” Union City purchased the building and turned it into the original Holly Community Center. It became a senior living facility, and finally a multi-use commercial building. Now owned by Filipino Community of Alvarado and Vicinity, the building houses Union City Chamber of Commerce and other businesses.
There is (or was) more than one Bay Area town named Alviso. First, there’s the waterfront town that still sits at the southernmost tip of the Bay. Second, a now defunct town was located between Centerville and Alvarado, east of Newark. The town was settled by Augustin Alviso and his brother-in-law Thomas Pacheco in 1844. The school district in Alviso remained intact until 1964, when schools were unified under the brand-new Fremont Unified School District.
The largest diameter landmark tree in the City of Fremont is in Centerville. This California Pepper Tree is located at 37767 Fremont Blvd. (at Pepper Tree Apartments, of course). It is so large that some branches require steel supports to prevent damage. It was likely planted during the Mission Period and was given historic landmark status in 1972.
Decoto has had a school in the exact same location for 138 years. Decoto Public School was built in 1883 on H Street. In 1929, a new school was built on the same site. In 1947, 500 children were enrolled, with construction planned for additional classrooms. What remains of that school still operates today as the New Haven Adult School. The property is bordered by H St., 8th St., G St., and 6th St. in Decoto.
Drawbridge is known as the sinking ghost town on the Bay. Many do not know that its early popularity was due in large part to providing a prime spot for game hunting (before salt ponds forever altered the wetlands). Beginning in the 1880s, hunters from Oakland and San Francisco who were bound for Santa Cruz would get off the train early, in Drawbridge. The town grew to about 90 homes and cabins by the 1920s. In the 1950s, the town began sinking into the Bay. By 1963, less than five people were left. Then, in 1970, Southern Pacific demolished the old rail station, and in 1972 the town became part of SF Bay Wildlife Refuge (Don Edwards).
Five Corners isn’t the only historic intersection in Irvington. The intersection of Washington Blvd. and Driscoll/Osgood Rd. holds a rather rich history itself. At various times the site held a massive brick winery (Gallegos – Palmdale), a pickle factory (Irvington Packing Company), a college (Washington College / Anderson Academy / Curtner Seminary), and a railroad terminus and depot.
General John C. Fremont and his troops camped all over California, but Mission San Jose is where he set down roots. He left $3,000 with the American consul at Monterey, along with instructions to purchase Mission San Jose and the land surrounding it, but the consul purchased land in Mariposa instead. Fremont was incensed, until he learned that his new land was laden with gold!
The largest employer in Newark was once a stove plant – Wedgewood Stoves. Before it closed in 1957, the factory employed 500 people. Founded in 1882, James Graham Foundry first produced cast iron railroad parts. It later produced coal-, wood-, and finally gas-burning stoves. The Wedgewood name was known across the United States for quality and durability.
At one time, Niles was home to a unique establishment called The International Kitchen. Located just a half mile south of the town of Niles on Niles-Centerville Road (where Mowry Ave. and Mission Blvd. intersect – then recorded as 555 Peralta Blvd.), this restaurant served up to 2,000 dinners on a typical Sunday. The business opened in 1937 as a gift shop, but quickly expanded to include first a small restaurant, then a large dining area, banquet rooms, lawn and garden areas, a cocktail lounge, and a larger gift shop. Each day featured a unique dish representing a different foreign nation. A 1960 fire destroyed the building, which was later rebuilt. By the 1970s, however, the restaurant had closed forever.
Hidden Valley Inn and Dude Ranch, two miles south of Mission San Jose, was the place to visit in Warm Springs. Formerly owned by Leland Stanford, and later marketed as a health resort, it eventually became a popular spot for large parties and those seeking fine drinks and dining. Visitors could enjoy recreational swimming and horseback riding, live music, and dancing. The 1869 hotel was under consideration for historic preservation when a mysterious fire burned the structure to the ground in 1992.
Have a local history question of your own? Email us at in**@mu******************.org. Be sure to include “Tri-City History Queries” in the subject line.
Ask the DMV
By California Department of Motor Vehicles
Check some stress off your list and utilize some of DMV’s most convenient services.
’Tis the season to… wait in line! Whether it’s at the grocery store, post office or mall, we’ve all been there – but don’t let the DMV be one of those places. Now you can add DMV to the “nice list” for not having to wait in line for some online services.
Q: I saw a DMV Now kiosk at my local grocery store. What is it used for and how can I use it? Can I use it if I can’t make it to the DMV office before the holidays?
A: Yes! If you are unable to make it to the DMV before the holiday season, you can use one of the hundreds of DMV Now kiosks located throughout the state to help complete your vehicle registration renewal, submit proof of insurance, receive a driver or vehicle record. More. DMV Now kiosks are convenient and allow you to conduct transactions quickly and efficiently. Simply scan your document, pay the fees using a card or cash (where available) and then print your registration card and sticker, planned non-operation acknowledgment, and more, right on the spot.
DMV kiosks are freestanding self-service touchscreen devices that guide you through various DMV transactions, from registration renewal and payment to submitting proof of insurance.
Q: My car registration is out of date and I don’t have time to visit the DMV before the holidays. Can I renew my registration online?
A: Yes! Skip the line this holiday season and renew your vehicle registration online. DMV offers a variety of online services that make completing your DMV business easy and efficient, from renewing vehicle registration to changing your address, or driver’s license renewal – and much more! Find a list of online services here: www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv-online. In addition to online services, DMV offers other methods for completing select transactions, including DMV kiosks and Business Partner Automation (BPA) locations.
For more information or answers to questions not listed here, visit www.dmv.ca.gov.
Police: Stolen Ohio bridge found, man facing theft charge
AP Wire Service
AKRON, Ohio (AP), Dec 20 – A 58-foot-long (18-meter) pedestrian bridge stolen from an Ohio city last month has been found and a man is facing charges, police said.
Akron police said investigators acting on tips and other information Friday afternoon found the missing span partially disassembled on property in Sharon Township in neighboring Medina County. A man has been arrested and charged with felony theft, police said.
The Akron bridge, described as a Lego-like structure, once crossed a river in Akron’s Middlebury Run Park near Goodyear’s world headquarters. It was taken down in 2003-04 as part of a wetland restoration project and was stored on park property with plans for it to be reused for a Battered Women’s shelter project.
Police discovered on Nov. 3 that someone had removed the treated deck boards of the 10-foot-wide (3-meter-wide), 6-foot-tall (2-meter-tall) structure. On Nov. 11, they found that the metal frame had been taken.
A 63-year-old man was charged with felony theft, according to Akron police and court records. Authorities allege that he paid a trucking company for crane service and the firm picked up the bridge and took it to Medina County.
The suspect was scheduled for arraignment later this week in Akron Municipal Court. An official said Monday he has no attorney yet; listed phone numbers for him were not in service.
The bridge is expected to be shipped back to Akron in coming days, police said.
Evacuated Afghan artists paint a mural in Albania’s capital
By Llazar Semini
Associated Press
TIRANA, Albania (AP), December 16 – A group of Afghan artists evacuated after the Taliban seized power in their homeland painted a mural in Albania’s capital Thursday to thank their host country, and urged the world not to forget their brethren back home.
The mural was painted by members of Artlords, an Afghan organization of volunteer artists, on a building in central Tirana, where scores of such works have been painted in recent years. “Thank you, Albania! We shall not forget,” it wrote in Albanian, and “My homeland, tired of persecution,” in Afghanistan’s Pashto.
The work near central Skanderbeg Square showed a map of Albania composed of many sections, in a reference to Afghanistan’s multiethnic character, and an Afghan man working. “This is one of the ways that we want to raise the voices of our (colleagues) who are taken hostage back home in Afghanistan,” said Omaid Sharifi, co-founder of Artlords.
Most of their works in Afghanistan were destroyed by the Taliban, according to Sharifi, who called on “the people of the world (not to) walk away from what is happening inside our country.” Sixty-two Artlords members are still in Afghanistan, eager to leave it at any moment, he said.
“We try to mobilize ourselves every day and tell our colleagues (in Afghanistan) to keep on fighting for your rights,” said Yama Farhad, 28, one of the painters, who’s housed at a resort in the northwestern coastal town of Shengjin together with his wife and two-year old son.
Albania has sheltered some 2,400 Afghan evacuees in hotels or tourist resorts. Some 150 of them have already left for other countries. The rest will stay in the small Balkan country for about a year until authorities in the U.S. and elsewhere finish processing their special immigration visas.
The National Endowment for Democracy, a U.S. nonprofit foundation, has organized the evacuation of 288 Afghans to Albania and their temporary residence in the country.
“(It’s) a piece of art from our Afghan friends … to thank the Albanian people, to thank the entire nation of Albania for their hospitality, their generosity,” said Damon Wilson, NED’s head. For years Tirana City Hall has supported artists to paint murals all over the city.
The graying of America
By John Grimaldi, Association of Mature American Citizens
We’re seeing more and more people with gray hair these days. But it’s not only because the population is growing old at a fast pace as 10,000 boomer babies turn 65 each day and because the population will continue aging at that rate for some time to come. It’s all about the stresses of the 21st century, not the least of which is the COVID crisis. As a result, more of us — including those as young as 20 years old — are being subjected to extreme pressures, which can also turn your hair gray, so say scientists.
Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC) tracked down the science of the “graying of America” and the good news is that it is not irreversible, at least for the youngsters. “All you have to do is calm down,” says AMAC CEO Rebecca Weber, “and chances are you won’t have to make a trip to the barber or a beauty salon for a dye job.”
A recent study led by Dr. Martin Picard, Ph.D. at New York’s Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, discovered you may prevent and even reverse the graying process by adopting a kinder, gentler and tranquil attitude. “That’s the good news for those in the 20 to 30 age range but, sadly, not for senior citizens,” quipped Weber, “with apologies to AMAC’s 50-plus membership.”
14 volunteers who participated in Picard’s study kept diaries tracking their levels of stress and found that some of the gray hair of those who reported periods of reduced stress actually saw those gray hairs disappear. For example, the doctor cited one volunteer who, while on vacation, saw gray hairs return to their original color.
“Based on our mathematical modeling, we think hair needs to reach a threshold before it turns gray. In middle age, when the hair is near that threshold because of biological age and other factors, stress will push it over the threshold, and it transitions to gray. But, says Dr. Picard, “we don’t think that reducing stress in a 70-year-old who’s been gray for years will darken their hair or increasing stress in a 10-year-old will be enough to tip their hair over the gray threshold … Our data add to a growing body of evidence demonstrating that human aging is not a linear, fixed biological process but may, at least in part, be halted or even temporarily reversed.”
According to Scientific American magazine Picard’s focus on gray hair began during a conversation with a fellow clinician some time ago. Picard told his colleague “If one could find a hair that was only partially gray — and then calculate how fast that hair was growing — it might be possible to pinpoint the period in which the hair began aging and thus ask the question of what happened in the individual’s life to trigger this change. ‘I was thinking about this almost as a fictive idea,’ Picard recalls. Unexpectedly, however, his partner turned to him and said she had seen such two-colored hairs on her head. ‘She went to the bathroom and actually plucked a couple — that’s when this project started.’”
The Association of Mature American Citizens is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization representing membership in Washington, D.C. and in local congressional districts nationwide. More information is available on its website at www.amac.us.
Dictionary.com anoints allyship 2021 word of the year
By Leanne Italie
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP), Dec. 6 — Allyship, an old noun made new again, is Dictionary.com’s word of the year.
The look up site with 70 million monthly users took the unusual step of anointing a word it added just last month, though “allyship” first surfaced in the mid-1800s, said John Kelly, the site’s associate director of content and education.
“It might be a surprising choice for some,” he told The Associated Press ahead of the Monday, Dec. 6 unveiling. “In the past few decades, the term has evolved to take on a more nuanced and specific meaning. It is continuing to evolve and we saw that in many ways.”
The site offers two definitions for allyship: The role of a person who advocates for inclusion of a “marginalized or politicized group” in solidarity but not as a member, and the more traditional relationship of “persons, groups or nations associating and cooperating with one another for a common cause or purpose.”
The word is set apart from “alliance,” which Dictionary.com defines in one sense as a “merging of efforts or interests by persons, families, states or organizations.”
It’s the first definition that took off most recently in the mid-2000s and has continued to churn. Following the summer of 2020 and the death of George Floyd, white allies — and the word allyship — proliferated as racial justice demonstrations spread. Before that, straight allies joined the causes of LGBTQ oppression, discrimination and marginalization.
“This year, we saw a lot of businesses and organizations very prominently, publicly, beginning efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. Allyship is tied to that. In the classroom, there is a flashpoint around the term critical race theory. Allyship connects with this as well,” Kelly said.
In addition, teachers, frontline workers and mothers who juggled jobs, home duties and child care in lockdown gained allies as the pandemic took hold last year.
Without an entry for “allyship,” Kelly said the site saw a steep rise in lookups for “ally” in 2020 and large spikes in 2021. It was in the top 850 searches out of thousands and thousands of words this year. Dictionary.com broadened the definition of “ally” to include the more nuanced meaning. The terms “DEI” and “critical race theory” made their debuts as entries on the site with “allyship” this year.
What it means to be an authentic ally has taken on fresh significance as buzz around the word has grown louder. One of the aspects of allyship, as it has emerged, is how badly it can go.
Among the examples of how to use the word in a sentence cited by Merriam-Webster is this one written by Native activist Hallie Sebastian: “Poor allyship is speaking over marginalized people by taking credit and receiving recognition for arguments that the unprivileged have been making for their entire lives.”
As global diversity, equity and inclusion executive Sheree Atcheson wrote in Forbes, allyship is a “lifelong process of building relationships based on trust, consistency and accountability with marginalized individuals and/or groups of people.” It’s not, she said, “self-defined — work and efforts must be recognized by those you are seeking to ally with.”
Allyship should be an “opportunity to grow and learn about ourselves, whilst building confidence in others,” Atcheson added.
Among the earliest evidence of the word “allyship,” in its original sense of “alliance,” is the 1849, two-volume work, “The Lord of the Manor, or, Lights and Shades of Country Life” by British novelist Thomas Hall: “Under these considerations, it is possible, he might have heard of Miss Clough’s allyship with the Lady Bourgoin.”
Kelly did some additional digging into the history of allyship in its social justice sense. While the Oxford English Dictionary dates that use of the word to the 1970s, Kelly found a text, “Allies of the Negro” by Albert W. Hamilton, published in 1943. It discusses extensively the potential allies of Black people in the struggle for racial equality:
“What some white liberals are beginning to realize is that they better begin to seek the Negro as an ally,” he wrote. “The new way of life sought by the liberal will be a sham without the racial equality the Negro seeks. And the inclusion of the Negro in the day-to-day work, in the organization, the leadership and the rallying of the support necessary to win a better world, can only be done on the basis of equality.”
On the other side of allyship, Kelly said, “is a feeling of division, of polarization. That was Jan. 6.” Allyship, he said, became a powerful prism in terms of the dichotomy at a chaotic cultural time during the last two years.
Other dictionary companies in the word of the year game focused on the pandemic and its fallout for their picks. Oxford Languages, which oversees the Oxford English Dictionary, went for “vax” and Merriam-Webster chose “vaccine.” The Glasgow, Scotland-based Collins Dictionary, meanwhile, plucked “NFT,” the digital tokens that sell for millions.
While Merriam-Webster relies solely on site search data to choose a word of the year, Dictionary.com takes a broader approach. It scours search engines, a broad range of text and taps into cultural influences to choose its word of the year.
Yellowstone opens for winter travel, ends wildlife program
Associated Press
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP), Dec. 15 — Yellowstone National Park opened its roads to oversnow vehicles for the winter season on Dec. 15 after suspending a wildlife monitoring program that found snowmobiles and other such machines were having minimal effects on wildlife.
The monitoring program for snowmobiles and larger, multi-passenger snow coaches began when Yellowstone adopted a 2012 plan that put caps on the number of winter vehicles allowed in the park. The restrictions followed years of legal disputes fueled by concerns that too many snowmobiles were harming air quality and disrupting the park’s bison and other wildlife.
Observations by wildlife workers of more than 1,100 groups of animals over seven years with the restrictions in place found that 95% of bison and 80% of trumpeter swans had either no response to oversnow vehicles or a “look and resume” response, meaning the animals would look up and then resume what they had been doing.
Guided snowcoach and snowmobile tours and up to four non-guided snowmobile groups daily are allowed in the park, beginning typically in mid-December and continuing through mid-March. However, travel this year is limited for now to snowcoaches only because of snow conditions, park officials said.
Art of the Brick
Submitted by Julie Richter
A captivating exhibition featuring works by renowned contemporary artist Nathan Sawaya is now open in San Francisco at 1 Grant Avenue. Special to its Bay Area debut, the critically acclaimed collection features the world premiere of “Decisions,” which is made of more than 112,000 LEGO bricks. In addition to the new artwork, guests can explore over 70 works made exclusively from one of the most recognizable toys in the world—the LEGO® brick.
“The Art of the Brick” is the first major exhibition to use LEGO bricks as the sole art medium. Sawaya transforms LEGO bricks into tremendous and thought-provoking sculptures, elevating the toy to the realm of art. Sawaya’s ability to transform this common toy into something meaningful, his devotion to spatial perfection and the way he conceptualizes action, enables him to elevate what almost every child has played with, into the status of contemporary art. Seen by more than seven million people worldwide, The Art of the Brick has inspired creativity and wonder in fans of all ages in over 100 cities in 24 countries across six continents.
Follow The Art of the Brick exhibit online:
https://artofthebrickexhibit.com/
Facebook/Instagram: @artofthebrickexhibit
Nathan Sawaya on Instagram: @nathansawaya
Art of the Brick
Until Sunday, Feb 27
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
1 Grant Ave., San Francisco
Tickets: $22.50 – $36.00
https://artofthebrickexhibit.com/
Get fired up with encaustic!
Submitted by Lina Melkonian
Photos courtesy of Dana Harris Seeger
Fremont Art Association is thrilled to kick off the New Year with Dana Harris Seeger as guest artist at its virtual General Meeting and Art Demo on Wednesday, January 5 at 1 p.m.
Harris Seeger is an accomplished artist and educator. She holds an MFA in pictorial art from San José State University and a BA in painting from Anderson University. She has exhibited her work nationally, winning numerous awards. In 2014, she co-founded an art studio and school in San Jose called School of Visual Philosophy. In 2016, Harris Seeger was named one of KQED’s 10 Bay Area “Women to Watch.” In 2020, she became Santa Clara County Artist Laureate, and most recently was chosen as one of six Creative Ambassadors for the City of San Jose. Today, Harris Seeger taps into her teaching background, insights, and experience in cultivating a vibrant creative community.
In her demo, “Get Fired Up with Encaustic,” Harris Seeger will explain her process and create several encaustic paintings using a variety of techniques such as collage, scratching, image transfer, and mixed media oil painting on the surface of and embedded in layers of wax. While this exciting process takes time and practice to master, she believes that the results are well worth the effort.
Harris Seeger’s work is contemplative and distinctive. The presence of memories and the sense of nostalgia are palpable in her creations populated with typewriters, fans, old cameras, and other gadgets. For Harris Seeger, these objects encapsulate a time when quality and design were considered long-lasting. Their compelling presence in her work represents the coexistence of the past and present and the circularity of time.
You may view Harris Seeger’s works at: www.danaharrisseeger.com and learn about School of Visual Philosophy at: www.schoolofvisualphilosophy.com.
The January 5 meeting (free to attend) will be held via Zoom. Participants must register in advance and will receive the Zoom link via email. All details may be found on the Fremont Art Association webpage: www.fremontartassociation.org/monthlymeetinganddemo.
Fremont Art Association general meeting/demo artist
Wednesday, Jan 5
1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Via Zoom, link will be provided upon registration
https://www.fremontartassociation.org/monthlymeetinganddemo
Ring in the New Year!
It’s our last issue of 2021, but there are still opportunities to end the year in style, or start 2022 on a good note. Check below for local New Year events.
Brazen Racing New Year’s Races
Friday, Dec 31 & Saturday, Jan 1
7:30 a.m. Hiker division starts
8:30 a.m. Half Marathon starts
Race around Lake Chabot
Lake Chabot Regional Park
17600 Lake Chabot Rd., Castro Valley
brazenracing.com
Registration: $50-95
21st Balloon Drop
Friday, Dec 31
11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Hundreds of (biodegradable) balloons drop for an early New Year
Chabot Space and Science Center
10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland
(510) 336-7300
Admission: $24 adults / $19 kids
Balloon Drop participation for kids: $10
New Year’s Eve Party
Friday, December 31
7 p.m.
India Community Center
525 Los Coches St., Milpitas
www.eventbrite.com
ww.indiacc.org
For more info: ap****@in*****.org
Hollywood Glitz 2022
Friday, December 31
7 p.m.
Tickets Starting From $39
Tickets @ http://Sulekha.com/GLITZ
Royal Palace Banquet
6058 Stevenson Blvd., Fremont
(408) 579-9426
New Year’s Eve with Dirty Cello
Friday, December 31
8 p.m.
Blues meets bluegrass with a twist of classical
Tickets: $20-$58 ($20 student/military personnel)
Bankhead Theater
2400 First St, Livermore
www.livermorearts.org
New Year’s Eve Spectacular!
Friday, December 31
8 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Improv comedy show
Made Up Theatre
4000 Bay Street, Fremont
(510) 573-3633
Tickets: $20
New Year’s Day Farm Walk
Saturday, January 1
1:30 p.m.
Saunter around the farm and visit the animals
Ardenwood Historic Farm
34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont
www.ebparks.org
Color life with a little imagination
By Stephanie Gertsch
“It’s just so mesmerizing,” says artist Tejal Shah. Even in their static finished form, there is a hypnotic quality to her epoxy resin art where delicate layers of green and white resemble undulating waves. Shah identifies as a mixed media artist. “Some artists just focus on one skill, and that’s great, it’s their way of expression. But for me, I love doing different things,” she explains. Her life and art both reflect this attitude.
Shah’s first inspiration was her grandmother. “She used to teach crafts, drawing and painting in schools back home in India, in Mumbai…as a granddaughter I had the privilege to go with her to school and I saw her teaching kids.” Not only was her grandmother a versatile artist in clay, henna, and paper crafts, she was a skilled teacher. “She knew how to teach all age groups…She would show first how to do it, ask me to do it, and give me really good feedback—where I’m falling back, where I could improve.”
Her father was also a passionate artist, and Shah’s parents encouraged her hobby, but art wasn’t seen as a serious career option. “Back home there was always a strict expectation for kids. Art won’t pay your bills.” She did her Master’s in Home Economics and worked as a teaching assistant for two years. However, a move to Toronto with her husband and daughter meant a drastic change.
“In the beginning when I moved my daughter was very young, one and a half years old. And there was nobody to look after her. My husband used to work almost 18 hours a day.” Shah also worked full time as a technical recruiter. “You know how it is, to survive in the new country, everyone has to struggle at first.”
After seven years in Toronto, the family moved to the Bay Area. Now with a young son as well as her daughter, Shah elected to stay home with them. While she was glad to have the chance to be with her children, parenting brought its own challenges. “Staying home all day, you can imagine how it is. Sometimes it’s stressful too!” She remembers, “Sometimes I also got frustrated, depressed…But art is something that would keep me going. I get refreshed when I do art. It’s a big stress buster.”
Shah started watching online videos and taking courses to get back into art. “I just spent my time sharpening my skills. It was all rusty because I hadn’t touched those things for, I guess, ten, fifteen, or twenty years!”
In 2009 when her kids were older Shah went back to school and eventually earned a second Master’s degree from Cal State East Bay, this time in Healthcare Administration. But art still called, and she began teaching after-school classes. The overwhelming positive response from parents and students rekindled some old passions. Shah thought, “OK this is me. I want to paint; I want to teach.” So, she did. She kept teaching and also began promoting her own art.
While Shah also works in acrylic painting and abstract art, many of her distinctive pieces are made with an epoxy resin. Mixing resin and a hardener creates a clear liquid that can be poured and shaped. Adding color and overlapping different shades produces a striking contrast. Simple, right? Not so much. “The way you pour it, there’s a technique, a skill,” Shah explains. “And it’s not easy, just like any other art. I had to go through many trials and errors to get here.” She continues, “It’s a very unpredictable material. You plan something and once you pour it, you see something different!”
On Shah’s website “Color Ur Imagination” you can find coasters and cheese boards as well as wall décor. “I hear back from people who buy my pieces that they love having the piece in front of them. When they have their morning coffee they stare at it. And it gives them good vibes.” She prefers to create one-of-a-kind art that’s functional as well as decorative, saying, “In the future, I’d love to see my art on clothing and other wearables.”
2021 was a landmark year for Shah’s art. In addition to winning an award of excellence from Pleasanton Art League, she participated in the Alameda County fair—going home with a first-place award for “Summer Beauties” and Judge’s Favorite for her acrylic painting “Chloe.” In 2022, she plans to exhibit at Big Break 2022, Express Imagination 2022; and at John Muir Health Center in Walnut Creek.
To aspiring artists, she ways, “Once you have a hobby, you never know when your hobby will turn into passion or when you will use it in your life…I never knew I would turn [art] into my profession.”
“There are challenges in life and there’s no fun without challenges. And when you have success you can celebrate that. That you overcame those issues and you are here today.”
Color Ur Imagination
Website: www.colorurimagination.com
Instagram: @color_ur_imagination
Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/ColorUrImagination
College district seeking new board member
Submitted by Mujeeb Dadgar
Applications are being accepted to fill an open Board of Trustees seat with Chabot-Las Positas Community College District. The candidate chosen will represent Area 3, which includes South Hayward and Union City and will serve as an appointed member of the board until the next general election in November, 2022.
The Board of Trustees is responsible for the governance of Chabot College in Hayward and Las Positas College in Livermore.
Board members are seeking a candidate who has the ability and time to fulfill the responsibilities of a trustee, including attending all board meetings, attending select college events, studying agendas and issues, and participating fully in the governance of the district.
The deadline to file an application is Monday, January 24; applications can be submitted electronically or in writing. The board will hold a study meeting on Tuesday, February 1, to interview finalists and provisionally appoint the new trustee. A swearing-in ceremony will take place at the board’s regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, February 15, at the district office in Dublin.
Application materials are available on the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District website at www.clpccd.org. For more information, contact Kelly Costello, Executive Assistant, Chancellor’s Office at (925) 485-5217 or send an email to KC*******@cl****.org.
Draw your own City Council map
Submitted by City of Union City
Based on updated information from the 2020 Census, Union City is updating the City Council district boundaries and is asking residents for input. City officials are accepting suggestions, ideas and proposed boundary lines from residents who can prepare their own district map amendments using online mapping tools posted on the city’s website.
To get started, residents should visit www.unioncity.org/414/by-district-elections and follow the link to mapping tools. Residents also can request a paper map for pickup at City Hall during normal business hours. To be considered by the City Council, proposed maps must be submitted to the city by Tuesday, January 11.
Delivery options for maps:
• Hand-deliver or mail to City Clerk, 34009 Alvarado-Niles Road, 94587
• Fax to (510) 475-7318
• Scan or photograph the document and email to: Ci*******@un*******.org
For questions, please contact the City Clerk at (510) 675-5448.
Governor announces Actions to protect Californians from COVID-19
Submitted by the California Governor’s Press Office
Governor Gavin Newsom announced new booster requirements and testing measures (https://bit.ly/3H3jNr6) to better protect all Californians as the Omicron variant becomes the dominant COVID-19 strain in the nation. The COVID-19 booster requirement for health care workers will mitigate potential staffing shortages while helping to safeguard the state’s hospital capacity and protect the health and safety of Californians. Combined with the new federal policies announced yesterday, these actions will help ensure everyone in California has access to testing throughout the holiday season and that K-12 public school students can return to school safely.
“As the Omicron variant spreads rapidly across the country and circulates in all regions of the state, we’re taking immediate, proactive steps to protect Californians with boosters and expanded access to testing,” said Governor Newsom. “The state is also redoubling our efforts to keep kids safe and keep schools open. We will help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our communities by making at-home testing kits available to every K-12 public school student as they head back to the classroom from winter break.”
By February 1, 2022, health care workers and all employees in high-risk congregate settings, including nursing homes, will be required to get their booster. In the interim, all health care staff that have not received their booster must test for COVID-19 twice weekly until they are up to date on their vaccines.
To help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our schools, the state is also increasing the availability of at-home COVID-19 tests across California so K-12 public-school students can be tested as they return to school from winter break. In early December, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) distributed approximately 2 million tests to schools for this purpose. CDPH will expand those efforts by providing 1-2 rapid tests for every student. CDPH will work with local education and health partners to distribute those test kits as quickly and efficiently as possible.
“As we fight Omicron, there is nothing more important for our kids than keeping schools safely open — that means deploying rapid tests,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. “Over the holiday break, CDE will be working closely with the Governor and California’s public health and emergency management personnel to get testing supplies to families, districts and schools.”
To ensure every Californian has access to testing, the state will also be expanding antigen test availability and expanding hours of operation at state-sponsored OptumServe sites that are already at capacity. Today, 90% of the population lives within a 30-minute driving distance of a site. Over the course of the pandemic, the state has established 6,288 testing sites statewide, comprising 31% of the nation’s testing sites. In support of this effort, since August, the state has purchased over 12 million over-the-counter tests. CDPH is distributing an additional 6 million tests to community partners serving disproportionately impacted Californians and 4 million to local health jurisdictions.
California has led the nation’s fight against COVID-19, implementing the most robust vaccination and testing programs in the country. To date, California has administered over 64 million vaccination doses and over 116 million tests, with an average turn around of just 48 hours. In recent months, Governor Newsom implemented a series of measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, including first-in-the-nation vaccine and masking measures requiring that workers in health care settings be fully vaccinated, announcing plans to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of vaccinations required to attend school in-person when fully approved, requiring masking in schools and implementing a standard that all school staff and all state workers either show proof of full vaccination or be tested. These decisive actions have resulted in California being labeled the safest state to live in during COVID-19 (https://cbsloc.al/3qoTDZ9) and a national leader in preventing school closures (https://nyti.ms/3H35iUi).
“California’s determination to use every available tool to keep our children safe during this pandemic has allowed us to keep schools open and case rates low – a key to their physical and mental health as well as learning,” said Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, State Board of Education President. “Ensuring boosters and testing in the new year will continue this commitment to keeping our children’s welfare front and center.”
While we are still learning about the severity of illness caused by Omicron, it is clear that individuals who are up to date on their vaccines, including a booster, are most protected. To help slow the spread of COVID-19, Californians are encouraged to get vaccinated, get boosted, wear a mask indoors and get tested if sick.
Biden touts savings on insulin and other drugs for Americans
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP), Dec. 6 — President Joe Biden pledged on Dec. 6 that his social agenda legislation would deliver tangible savings on prescription drugs for all Americans. Relief that consumers have clamored for is now in sight, he asserted. But first the bill has to pass Congress, where plenty of obstacles remain in its path.
Biden tried to shift the focus to pocketbook provisions overlooked in the political machinations over his $2 trillion legislation, which deals with issues from climate to family life and taxes. Even before concerns over rising inflation, polls consistently showed support from Americans across the political spectrum for government action to lower drug costs.
“It’s safe to say that all of us can agree that prescription drugs are outrageously expensive in this country,” Biden said at the White House. “I’m committed to using every tool I have to lower prescription drug costs for Americans consistent with the drug companies getting a fair return on their investment,” he added.
But even if Biden and his fellow Democrats succeed in their final push to pass the legislation, a major political difficulty awaits them: Dividends from their prescription drug provisions won’t show up right away, while the pain of rising costs is real and present. Democrats will have to point to promised, not actual, savings in next year’s midterm elections.
The biggest policy change — a system for Medicare to negotiate prices for prescription drugs — won’t begin to deliver lower costs until 2025, and then only for a selected set of 10 medicines, as well as insulin products. The number of drugs subject to negotiations would build with time, reaching 100 in six years and continuing to grow by 20 a year.
Other provisions would take effect earlier.
• Copays for insulin would be limited to $35 a month, starting in 2023. Biden called the high cost of insulin “one of the most egregious examples” of overpriced medicines. He was introduced at the White House by a young woman, Iesha Meza, who couldn’t afford insulin for her Type 1 diabetes and was hospitalized in a coma.
• Drugmakers would be required to pay rebates to Medicare if they raise prices faster than inflation, starting that same year. That provision would benefit people with private insurance as well.
• Medicare recipients with high drug costs would finally get a cap on their annual financial exposure, $2,000 starting in 2024.
• Shingles vaccines and other shots covered under Medicare’s “Part D” pharmacy benefit would be cost-free to consumers, starting in 2024.
The social legislation has passed the House and is pending before the Senate, where it could come to the floor as early as the week of Dec. 13.
Some of the key prescription drug provisions face parliamentary challenges under Senate rules. The powerful pharmaceutical industry is maneuvering to strip out as much as possible. Drug companies oppose the entire bill, arguing that limits on their ability to set prices would stifle investment that fuels innovation.
In a statement following Biden’s speech, Stephen J. Ubl, head of the industry lobby Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said that “a damaging bill jammed through a partisan process will not provide patients struggling to afford their medicines meaningful relief”
But a recent overview of the legislation from the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation found that Medicare negotiations would “put downward” on premiums and out-of-pocket costs for seniors, and other provisions of the legislation would also reduce out-of-pocket costs for those who are privately insured.
Biden said the industry has lost the pricing debate with the American people. “This is not a partisan issue,” said Biden. “Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer — so many other diseases. They don’t care whether you are a Democrat or Republican. We need Congress to finish the job,” he emphasized.
Core provisions of the Biden bill draw from earlier legislation that was supported by then-President Donald Trump but failed to advance. Those include the cap on out-of-pocket costs for seniors and penalties on drug companies that raise prices faster than inflation.
The $35 monthly copays were also introduced under Trump through regulation, and are now available in a limited though growing number of Medicare prescription plans. Biden would greatly expand access and benefits.
Meanwhile, Medicare recipients are about to get an unwelcome illustration of the impact of high drug costs.
About half of next year’s $21.60 increase to Medicare’s “Part B” monthly outpatient premium is due to the program’s need to financially prepare for a pending coverage decision on a $56,000-a-year Alzheimer’s drug called Aduhelm. Notices have already gone out to millions of seniors telling them their cost in January will jump to $170.10.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent, is asking the Biden administration to hold back on that increase, a painful hit ahead of any benefits from the prescription drug legislation. But Biden did not address the issue in his speech on Dec. 6, and the Democrats’ bill is currently silent on it as well.
California exempts S.F. from COVID indoor mask rule
Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO (AP), Dec. 14 — California is exempting San Francisco from a rule that took effect Dec. 15 requiring all people to wear masks indoors in a bid to contain a troubling rise in new coronavirus cases.
San Francisco will continue to allow fully vaccinated people to remove their masks in gyms and workplaces while its overall masking mandate remains in effect, the city Department of Public Health announced. “It’s a recognition of all of the thought and care that San Francisco residents have been putting into staying as safe as possible,” said Dr. Susan Philip, San Francisco’s health officer.
About 86% of eligible San Francisco residents have received at least one vaccine dose, according to the public health department.
San Francisco businesses were relieved that the city can continue permitting fully vaccinated people to go maskless in some indoor locations. “To have any disruption at all in the progress we’ve made over the last year and a half in getting customers back would have been devastating,” Dave Karraker, co-owner of MX3 Fitness and spokesman for the San Francisco Independent Fitness Studio Coalition, told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Several other San Francisco Bay Area counties also had relaxed masking rules for vaccinated people but it wasn’t immediately clear whether the state would exempt them, too.
California lifted its statewide mask mandate on June 15 for people who were vaccinated, a date that Gov. Gavin Newsom heralded as the state’s grand reopening. But health officials are worried about the spread of the new omicron COVID-19 variant, which health officials believe can spread more easily than the original and delta strains. The virus is particularly hitting the unvaccinated.
The new mandate, which will remain in force until at least Jan. 15, also is aimed at reducing the COVID-19 risk when friends and families travel or gather indoors for the holidays. However, officials haven’t specified how it will be enforced and have acknowledged that much will depend on voluntary public compliance.
After California lifted its statewide indoor mask mandate this summer, county governments covering about half of the state’s population imposed their own mandates as case rates surged with new variants.
The order comes as the statewide seven-day average rate of new coronavirus cases has jumped 47% since Thanksgiving and hospitalizations have risen by 14%, according to the state Department of Public Health.
That’s still far below a surge last winter — before vaccines were available — when the state averaged more than 100 cases per 100,000 people and nearly 20,000 people died during an eight-week period.
What’s worrying now is that even though more than 70% of eligible Californians are fully vaccinated, some areas of the state still have low vaccination rates that put communities of greater risk for the coronavirus, according to the health department.
“Given the current hospital census, which is at or over capacity, even a moderate surge in cases and hospitalizations could materially impact California’s health care delivery system within certain regions of the state,” the department said. California joins other states with similar indoor mask mandates, including Washington, Oregon, Illinois, New Mexico, Nevada, Hawaii, and New York.
California also is tightening existing testing requirements by ordering unvaccinated people attending indoor events of 1,000 people or more to have a negative test within one or two days, depending on the type of test. The state also is recommending travelers who visit or return to California to get tested within five days of their arrival.
Milpitas City Council
December 14, 2021
Presentations:
• On her retirement Jane Corpus, Assistant Finance Director was presented with a key to the city.
• On his retirement Assistant Fire Marshal Jaime Garcia was presented with a key to the city.
Consent Calendar:
• Adopted a resolution declaring that approximately 1.07-Acres of City Owned Land “Exempt Surplus Land” under the Surplus Land Act.
• Considered the Environmental Impact Report and Addendum for the Lower Penitencia Creek Improvements Project; adopted the Findings of Fact.
• Approved the execution of a Right-Of-Way Agreement with the Santa Clara Valley Water District for the Purchase of Easements and City Owned Land for Lower Penitencia Creek Flood Protection Improvements Project.
• Approved the execution of a Stormwater Management Facilities Operation and Maintenance Agreement for Anton Milpitas 730 LLC at 730 E. Capitol Avenue.
• Received the September and October 2021 reports for unhoused services.
• Authorized the execution of a Professional Services Agreement with Our City Forest to administer the Lawn Bust Milpitas Pilot Program.
Public Hearings:
• Following a public hearing adopted the Parks and Recreation Master Plan Update and adopted the Negative Declaration/Initial Study for the Parks and Recreation Master Plan.
• Following a public hearing adopted Urgency Ordinance amending sections of the Milpitas Municipal Code relating to urban lot splits and two-unit projects to comply with Government Code. Determined that the ordinance to be statutorily exempt from CEQA.
Public Safety:
• Appointed Jaime Garcia as Interim Assistant Fire Marshall.
Community’s Services:
• The Council denied the approval of the Assignment and Consent and Fourth Amendment to the Franchise Agreement with MSI for the purpose of Assignment of Contract. Vote: Aye 0 Nay 4 (Tran, Phan, Dominguez, Chua) Abstain 1 (Montano).
Community Development:
• The recommendations regarding the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Workforce Development Program were approved.
Rich Tran (Mayor) Aye Nay 1
Carmen Montano (Vice Mayor) Aye Abstain 1
Anthony Phan Aye Nay 1
Karina Dominguez Aye Nay 1
Evelyn Chua Aye Nay 1
Electricity customers to transition to 100% renewable
Submitted by City of Hayward
Hayward electricity customers served by East Bay Community Energy (EBCE) will transition in January to energy that is 100% renewable, produced entirely from California solar and wind energy. The new product, called Renewable 100, will help Hayward achieve its ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals.
All accounts not enrolled in discount programs (such as CARE, FERA, or Medical Baseline) will be automatically enrolled in the Renewable 100 product in January. The exact date will depend on each customer’s billing cycle. Renewable 100 energy costs an additional one cent per kilowatt-hour above PG&E rates — about $4-to $7 more per month for a typical home and varies more widely for businesses based on the amount of power used.
Customers may switch to EBCE’s less expensive Bright Choice product at any time. Bright Choice is sourced from a power mix that includes 40% renewable energy. Customers can also choose to opt out of EBCE altogether and return to PG&E-derived sources of electrical power. More information about EBCE in Hayward is available at https://ebce.org/hayward/.
Customers on lower income-qualifying discount programs such as CARE or FERA or Medical Baseline will automatically remain on Bright Choice service. To learn if you are eligible for any of these programs, visit www.EBCE.org/Paying-Bills/.
EBCE will host a series of online webinars via Zoom for residential and commercial customers to review the upcoming changes and answer questions. For webinar schedule and registration details, visit https://ebce.org/news-and-events/.
Amid drought, California advances big new reservoir project
By Adam Beam
Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP), Dec. 15 — Amid a severe drought, California regulators on Dec. 15 voted to advance what could be the state’s first major new water storage project in decades, despite warnings from tribal and environmental groups that it would hasten the extinction of multiple species of salmon.
The vote by the California Water Commission ensured that the Sites Reservoir project will remain eligible for about $800 million in taxpayer money, representing about 20% of the project’s roughly $4 billion price tag.
The reservoir is one of seven water storage projects scheduled to receive funding from a voter-approved bond in 2014. Most of the money would go to expanding existing reservoirs or building water recycling programs.
But the Sites Reservoir is different because it would flood a valley in California’s coast range mountains to create a new lake that supporters estimate would be enough to supply 3 million households per year when filled to capacity.
California has not built a major new reservoir since 1979. Since then, multiple droughts have strained the state’s water supply and renewed calls for more ways to capture and store water from the state’s major rivers and streams.
“The Sites Reservoir project is not going to solve all of our problems,” said Jerry Brown, executive director of the Sites Reservoir Authority, and who is not related to the former California governor with the same name. “If we do absolutely nothing, I can guarantee you things will get worse.”
The California Water Commission on Dec. 15 said the project is feasible, meaning it has met all of the requirements to remain eligible for public funding. There are still many steps ahead for the project to receive the public funding, approval by the Water Commission before the end of the year was required for the project to maintain its eligibility.
Environmental and tribal groups complained that the Water Commission acted prematurely in saying the project was feasible, especially since environmental reviews required by state and federal law have not been completed.
Most of California’s major reservoirs are connected to rivers and rely on gravity to fill them with water that comes from snowmelt in the mountains. The Sites Reservoir would have water pumped to it from the nearby Sacramento River.
The idea behind the reservoir is to take water from the river only when it has extra water to give, such as during large storms like one last October that set a single-day Sacramento rainfall record. Environmental groups say that doesn’t make sense because all of water in the rivers has a significant purpose.
“There is no such thing as excess water in the environment,” said Steve Evans, rivers director for the California Wilderness Coalition. “That water is needed for fisheries and water quality in downstream ecosystems and every time you take it out of the system you are having an environmental impact.”
IAD122821
CONTINUING EVENTS:
Mondays January 3 – February 7
Introduction to Drawing$
9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Increase your abilities to draw or render what you see
Age Well Center Lake Elizabeth
40086 Paseo Padre Pkwy, Fremont
http://bit.ly/AgeWellClasses
First Tuesdays, December-January
Exploring the World of Wine$
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Learn more about wine originations
Age Well Center South Fremont
47111 Mission Falls Ct., Fremont
http://bit.ly/AgeWellClasses
Tuesday – Sunday, October 9 – February 13
Color into Line: Pastels from the Renaissance to the Present
9:30 a.m. – 5:15 p.m.
More than 80 works spanning five centuries
Legion of Honor
100 34th Ave., San Francisco
Legionofhonor.org
Wednesday, November 10 – Thursday, January 6
50 Faces
Thursday – Sunday, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Portraits of famous people in contemporary mosaic
Bankhead Theatre Gallery
2400 First St., Livermore
www.LivermoreArts.org
First Wednesdays, November – April
Talkin’ Dirt
7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Free webinar on gardening, hosted by LEAF
Via Zoom
RSVP at Fremontleaf.org/talkindirt
https://bit.ly/3hsOGKG
Wednesdays, January 12 – February 16
‘Train Your Brain’ Virtual Book Club
6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Read and discuss books on Parkinson’s Disease
Via Zoom
(510) 675-5600
www.unioncity.org/parksinsons
Second Thursdays, September 9 – June 9
Cafe Dad
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Support for fathers to support each other and obtain resources
Virtual meetings via Zoom
https://husd-us.zoom.us/j/91644497730
For more information contact: ep***@hu**.us
Thursday, March 18 – Monday January 3
Immersive Van Gogh
9 a.m. – 11 p.m. (times vary)
Walk-in exhibit with digital projections and music
SVN West San Francisco
10 South Van Ness Ave., San Francisco
Tickets: $24.99 – $39.99
www.vangoghsf.com
Saturday, December 11 – Friday, December 31
Crippsmas Place
6 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Cheerful neighborhood display and charity fundraiser
The 70+ homes of Crippsmas Place are on: Cripps Place, Asquith Place, Nicolet Court, Wellington Place, and Nicolet Avenue between Gibraltar Drive and Perkins Street
(510) 821-5579
Fridays and Saturdays
Dance the Night Away
Live music and dancing
Bistro 880
Doubletree Hilton Newark/Fremont
39900 Balentine Dr., Newark
For more information call (510) 413-2300
UPCOMING
Sunday, December 26 – Thursday, December 30
Advanced Coding Camp
9 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Learn advanced coding skills. Free program for grades 3-8
Scratchathon on 12/30 from 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Register: www.tinyurl.com/yobeawinter2021
in**@yo***.org
Friday, December 31
Hollywood Glitz 2022 $
7 p.m.
Live performance by Bollywood Singer Raghav, belly dancers and more!
Tickets: www.sulekha.com/glitz
Royal Palace Banquet
6058 Stevenson Blvd., Fremont
(408) 579-9426
Friday, December 31
New Year’s Eve Party $
7 p.m.
Featuring musician Ramesh Maraj
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-years-eve-party-2022-tickets-215946691367
India Community Center
525 Los Coches St., Milpitas
For more info: ap****@in*****.org
Friday, December 31
New Year’s Eve with Dirty Cello $
8 p.m.
Blues meets bluegrass with a faint twist of classical
Tickets: $20-$58 ($20 student/military personnel)
Bankhead Theater
2400 First St, Livermore
www.livermorearts.org
Tuesday, January 4
Clear Captions Information Table
10 a.m.- 12 noon
Free call captioning phones for individuals with hearing loss
Age Well Center Lake Elizabeth
40086 Paseo Padre Pkwy, Fremont
http://bit.ly/AgeWellClasses
Wednesday, January 5
Fremont Art Association general meeting/demo artist
1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Demonstration by guest artist Dana Harris Seeger of encaustic painting
Via Zoom: link provided upon registration
https://www.fremontartassociation.org/monthlymeetinganddemo
Terrarium: unique winter gardens
By Melinda Myers
Photo courtesy of MelindaMyers.com
Create a garden under glass to enjoy or give as a gift to new, experienced and even reluctant gardeners. This self-contained system makes it easy to be a successful gardener with minimal care.
Purchase a terrarium or repurpose something hiding on a shelf in the basement, garage or shed. Even a cool glass container, cloche or bell jar turned open side down and placed on a shallow planting tray will work. Just glue a decorative doorknob or handle on the top for easy access.
Use closed terrariums like this when growing tropical plants. They thrive in the high humidity and moist soil. Leave the top off or use open containers like glass vases, or mason jars for cacti and succulents. Use a cacti and succulent mix for these drought tolerant plants. They prefer the lower humidity and drier soil that open terrariums and cacti potting mix provide.
Once you have the container, you need to fill it with potting mix, plants, and other decorative items. Consider a layer of decorative stone, twigs, sea glass or sand at the bottom for added color and interest. Some gardeners include a layer of charcoal to help absorb any odor. The key is not overwatering as the decorative stone and charcoal won’t prevent waterlogged soil from killing your plants.
Consider covering the stone layer with black landscape fabric to prevent the potting mix from filtering through and covering up these items. Cover this with a layer of well-drained potting mix for tropical plants, and succulent mix for drought tolerant plants. Add contours to the soil level if space allows for added interest.
Select a variety of plants of different heights, textures, and colors to create an attractive terrarium garden. Many garden centers now sell small specimens perfect for these mini gardens.
Low growing tropical plants such as baby’s tears, creeping fig, moss, and ivies make excellent groundcovers. Small specimens of dracaenas, crotons, palms and podocarpus make nice upright features. Fill in the middle ground with ferns, nerve plants, polka dot plants and more.
Once assembled, terrariums are relatively easy to manage. Moisten the soil and cover. Crack the lid open if condensation builds up on the glass. Then replace the cover and monitor the soil moisture and condensation. Add additional moisture carefully. A turkey baster is an easy way to water only the plants in need of a drink.
Place your terrariums in a bright location away from direct light. Heat can build up in this covered ecosystem and cook your plants when placed in a sunny location.
Now is the perfect time to gather or purchase fun glassware, planting and decorating supplies, and, of course, plants. Then take a break from the hectic holiday season to plant up a few decorations and green gifts for your loved ones.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including The Midwest Gardener’s Handbook and Small Space Gardening. 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. Her web site is www.melindamyers.com.
Honor Roll
Milwaukee School of Engineering, Wisconsin
Fall 2021 Dean’s List
• Garin Jankowski of Fremont
Iowa Wesleyan University
Fall 2021 Dean’s List
• Derek Marrufo of Fremont
Biola University, California
Fall 2021 new enrollees
• Josephine Huang of Fremont
• Sena Kim of Fremont
• Caleb Kotsubo of Fremont
• Sarah Najarian of Hayward
• Rebekah Stockinger of Hayward
• Brooke Ung of Fremont
Painting to protect: combating climate change
By Nanki Kaur
Over the past several decades, the worsening effects of climate change have not only taken a toll on the health of the Earth, but have also been affecting the organisms that inhabit it. A fifth-grade research project enabled Aanya Rangachary to realize how severely human activities can impact our home—from greenhouse gases and carbon emissions, to helpful practices like permaculture.
That’s when Rangachary, a Bay Area seventh-grader and alumni of Fremont’s Montessori school, decided that it was time to take action. Rangachary’s business, Aanya’s Art4Earth, is committed to battling climate change through the sales of reprints of her canvas paintings inspired by contemporary artists. “It was impactful in that it made me realize that climate change is an issue, and a man-made one at that,” she explains. “I was convinced that if we caused climate change, we can and should reverse it.”
Aanya’s business Art4Earth has many intricate pieces to choose from, spanning from South-Asian-inspired works to abstract, modern-day creations. “I experimented with different styles of art, as my mom continued to introduce me to the styles of many inspiring contemporary South Asian artists,” says Rangachary. “I was intrigued by the various distinct styles of art I saw. This inspired me to begin a series of paintings which would later become my interpretations of those artists.” Aanya’s Art4Earth operates online through social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter. Orders can be placed through the website, where customers have the ability to order reprints of her work as wall art, notebooks, greeting cards, or puzzles. Aanya’s Art4Earth is currently donating 100% of the profits to organizations striving to combat climate change, such as the Coalition for Rainforests Nations, where Rangachary’s donations were used to “avert 5,400 metric tons of greenhouse gases.”
Though the business has grown these past few months, having an online business venture was not always smooth sailing for the optimistic student. “I think the biggest setback I have faced so far in the last few months is gaining publicity and promoting my work to increase sales.” However, Rangachary’s efforts to persevere have connected her with various organizations, publications, and celebrities. “Another setback I faced initially,” she adds, “was that most of my work…appealed to a niche audience. I then started to expand the subjects of my art to appeal to a broader spectrum of people.” Rangachary’s newer works include a series of Harry Potter-inspired paintings entitled the Harry Potter Collection, available for purchase on her website.
Hoping to increase her contributions to the environment, Rangachary aspires to “generate enough profit to be able to reach [her] initial goal of helping avert 10,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases soon.” She also aims “to use sustainable materials for her artwork, such as black pens whose ink is made from upcycled carbon emissions.” For other young creatives with ambitions to start businesses, Rangachary shares words of motivation: “Age doesn’t matter—you are never too young to make a difference!”
Aanya’s Art4Earth
Website: aanyasart4earth.com
Instagram: @aanyasart4earth
Facebook: @aanyasart4earth
New city cohousing
Submitted by League of Women Voters
The crisis in Bay Area housing continues to be a front-burner issue as we enter 2022. The League of Women Voters’ Bay Area League Day in February will focus on land-use planning involved in placing housing. In Fremont, a group called Mission Peak Cohousing Village has just completed the essential first step in implementing a creative approach to sustainability and reduced cost-of-living expense.
“The Bay Area housing affordability crisis is changing single-family home ownership as residents explore variations on the dream, turning to creative solutions like cohousing that offer community and cost-of-living advantages,” wrote Cecily O’Connor in the League’s Bay Area Monitor of August/September 2019.
Mission Peak Cohousing Village recently completed the purchase of a 1.23-acre parcel of land in the Irvington district of Fremont on which to build Fremont’s first cohousing community. Although the group hopes to be able to include affordable housing in its condominium development, most of the units will be individually owned, market-rate homes. Extensive shared resources and amenities – such as environmentally sustainable design, shared space for a garden, play area, outdoor dining space, guest accommodations, a workshop, etc. – is where residents typically realize ongoing savings. Cohousing communities almost always feature a common house with large kitchen and dining area in which to share meals three or four times a week. Community members can design the common house to suit other functions as well – perhaps including childcare, entertainment space, laundry facilities, music room, homework and work-from-home office space.
A distinctive aspect of cohousing developments is that the community of residents forms before the buildings are built. The future residents hire the architect and participate actively in designing the community to fit its own needs and values, emphasizing collaborative settings where people get to know and support each other.
“We will start working with our architect in February to layout the site and design our new community,” points out League member Evelyn LaTorre, one of the first to join Mission Peak. “We are very excited about having secured a site in a quiet residential area that will be within walking distance of the new BART station, Irvington Farmers Market, stores and services, as well as near Fremont Main library, medical facilities, and Central Park. I foresee less dependence on driving.”
Though many of the proposed units are spoken for, Mission Peak is still accepting “Explorers.” The group has scheduled walking tours of the site and vicinity for December 29 and January 16, with informational sessions interspersed. Those who join the group as Explorers by mid-January can participate in a series of workshops with cohousing pioneer Katie McCamant to learn the timelines, financing, and other steps to the project’s completion, expected in 2024. For more information, see www.missionpeakcohousing.org or call Jane Mueller at (510)792-4173.
The Human Side of Homelessness: Steve
By Veena Kommu
This article is a continuation to the series by Veena Kommu, a local high schooler who decided to talk to the homeless people in the Bay Area, and get their stories out to the public. Her goal is to separate their character from their circumstances.
A small homeless encampment is hidden from the heavily used highway by a steep embankment on one side and small trees and bushes on the other. I walked to a small tent, sheltered from the wind but not from the highway noise. Next to the tent is a steel frame with a speedball for boxing. As I approached, I met Steve sitting next to the tent. He agreed to talk to me about his situation.
Steve was staying in Hayward with his girlfriend, their kids and his cousin. All three adults had jobs and could afford an apartment together. He became homeless roughly six years ago when his relationship ended and his girlfriend asked him to move out. He did not go into the details of what led to their split.
However, the couple agreed Steve could still be in their kids’ lives, and therefore he continues to live in the Bay Area. He moved into an apartment, but lost his job and was evicted when he couldn’t make rent. His credit rating was affected. Finding a stable job became impossible without a permanent address and with bad credit. He works temporary jobs for now.
According to Steve, society has a very negative opinion about homeless people. He dresses decently and tries to be polite, greeting with “good morning” or “how are you.” However, people look scared or uncomfortable, and they seem to indicate that he doesn’t belong there. He thinks the stereotype of homeless people coming out of bushes with a knife is just wrong. He wants to convey that the homeless are more than what society seems to think of them. Homeless communities are like any other community; everyone is unique, at different stages in their lives, and have different struggles.
Steve has occasionally been to homeless shelters during cold winter days. He said that the ones he went to prioritized women or families with kids, as they should. He didn’t like some of them since he had to leave early in the morning, and therefore prefers staying in his tent. He finds facilities around the city to shower, do laundry, have dinner, and get bagged lunches. He mentions Hope buses that come periodically to provide dental care and help people with diabetes. Tri-City Health has also been beneficial for him and his fellow homeless people.
Steve doesn’t try to think about the social inequalities. He stays within his “do’s and don’ts” and “can and cannot.” Fixing the world is not on his radar. He worries about staying warm and getting food. He takes care of his physical stress by exercising, especially speedball. He gets around on his bike. According to him, mental stress is what gets to you. Therefore, he addresses that by reading, writing in a journal, and talking to people. He strives for “peace of mind in a tornado.”
When I asked Steve if he had any regrets, he pointed to one single day that changed the course of his life. He wouldn’t discuss it; however, he takes personal responsibility for his present position. He thinks the last six years have been an uphill climb, but he is halfway up the hill, and he says that it is genuinely up to him to get out of his present situation.
When asked what he wants to do in the future, he said his goal is to get back into society. Currently, he spends three or four days a week with his kids. He recently attended his younger child’s birthday and will be celebrating his older child’s birthday in a couple weeks. His goal is to have a large enough place to have his kids over so that he can spend more time with them, take them for walks, and be involved in their lives. Steve dropped out of college; however, he wants to make sure that his kids complete college and are well settled in life.
King Tide Ride
Submitted by Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition
During winter months, the sun and moon align to create a gravitational pull upon our planet’s waters that results in the highest and lowest tides of the year. Join Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC) and community partners on Sunday, January 2 for a bike ride from Milpitas to Alviso. These areas are sure to be strongly impacted by sea-level rise in the coming decades.
We will ride as a group at 10 a.m. from Milpitas BART station to Alviso Marina County Park – about 6.5 miles – and then return for a total of 13 miles of riding. We anticipate spending 45 minutes to an hour at Alviso Marina County Park to eat lunch, relax and see the sights in the area.
California Coastal Commission is on a years-long campaign to gather photographic evidence of King Tide impacts. To contribute to Coastal Commission’s King Tide photo gallery, please visit: https://www.coastal.ca.gov/kingtides/participate.html#tidemap.
This ride is funded by Santa Clara Valley Water District, and hosted in partnership with local environmental organizations. We look forward to seeing you January 2!
King Tide Ride
Sunday, Jan 2
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Milpitas BART Station
1755 S. Milpitas Blvd., Milpitas
www.eventbrite.com
Teen wins Ocean Awareness writing contest
By Dhoha Bareche
Charleen Pan, a Freshman at Mission San Jose High School in Fremont, entered this year’s Ocean Awareness Contest and won a bronze award for her reflective piece on California wildfires and the importance of environmental conservation. “I was shocked when I heard that my piece was selected to be featured in the contest’s online gallery,” Pan emphasizes.
It was in the 2020 California wildfire season when Pan came face-to-face with the devastating state of our environment. While Pan and her family lived far away from the nearest fire, she explains how it still impacted them: “I remember the smoke being very toxic and having to wear masks while being confined in our homes because it was unsafe to inhale the air.” Pan was in fifth grade when she began to educate herself about the environment, and as a result, developed a passion for climate change. Channeling her advocacy through writing, she joined her school’s newspaper where she wrote about environmental issues. After two years of being part of the Hawk Editorial at Hopkins Junior High, she was hungry for more opportunities to further her writing.
During the pandemic she spent her time writing a novel titled The Moment I Have Been Waiting For, which got published earlier this fall by Hopkins Writing Club. She also researched writing contests to enter over the summer. “There’s a heavier emphasis on STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) at my school, so I had to take it upon myself to find opportunities to write,” states Pan. When she came across Ocean Awareness Contest, an opportunity that coupled both her interests in climate change and writing, she had to enter.
In her submission titled In Our Hands, she details her experience during the 2020 wildfire season and raises awareness about the severity of the climate change crisis while channeling optimism for a better future. When talking about the inspiration for her essay, she says, “I just sat down and poured all the thoughts and feelings I had when I first experienced the wildfires.” By conveying her raw emotions regarding a cause she’s deeply passionate about, Pan succeeded at capturing the attention of the judges at Ocean Awareness Contest.
While Pan believes that climate change is inevitable, she has hope that we can reverse its effects if we act now. She concludes in her essay:
“Every situation has a bright side to it, and that’s what we should be focusing on. We can’t change what happened in the past, but we can do our best to stop it from happening in the future. I am going to do everything I can to ensure that future generations will get to live a beautiful life on this planet we call Earth. Will you join me?”
Links to Charleen Pan’s writings:
In Our Hands: A Teen’s Thoughts on Earth’s Future: https://bowseat.org/gallery/in-our-hands-a-teens-thoughts-on-earths-future/
The Moment I Have Been Waiting For: https://tinyurl.com/charleenpanbook
Thank you, St. Gregorise!
Submitted by Fremont Human Services Department
Thank you to the parishioners of St. Gregorise Orthodox Church in San Lorenzo for holding a drive for our Homeless Care and Response programs. The church donated sleeping bags, socks, and undergarments that will be distributed to our unhoused neighbors. We are so grateful for donations like this from the community. They are always put to good use right away!
If you are interested in donating items, you can see our most up to date needs list at this link:
https://www.fremont.gov/DocumentCenter/View/46309/Clean-Start-Needs-List
St. Nick’s of Niles Benefit Bash
Submitted by Fremont Human Services Department
On December 12th, supporters of St. Nick’s of Niles Benefit Bash braved the rain to attend the event in support of Giving Hope 2021. Through the generosity of Niles Cafe, donations were accepted for weeks leading up to the event, and when the venue had to move indoors because of the weather, they were happy to offer space.
This is the 12th year the event was held. It was one of the most successful ever, raising over $7,000! Funds raised help provide gifts for wish lists that were not sponsored and help replenish our urgent needs fund. Human Services Department is grateful for St. Nick’s of Niles’ dedication to bringing joy to our neighbors when they need it most.
If you are interested in making Giving Hope part of your year-end giving, visit our website: https://www.fremont.gov/givinghope
‘Train Your Brain’ virtual book club
Submitted by Robert Magbanua
The effects of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) are felt far beyond the individual. Your friends, family and caregivers both young and old are also impacted. The City of Union City – Parkinson’s Exercise Program is hosting a free virtual book club that will tackle three different books to serve as the basis for a conversation about what lifestyle and environmental factors can heavily influence your life.
Led by longtime PD advocate Ann Boylan and Parkinson’s Exercise instructor Carmen Davis, this virtual book club is a great way to socialize and learn through the latest research and lived experience of others. Even if you can’t keep up with the readings, Union City invites you to join in on the conversation. Sessions are open to all individuals with PD, friends or family members, or caregivers of someone with PD.
‘Train Your Brain’ virtual book club
Wednesdays, Jan 12 – Feb 16
6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Via Zoom
To sign up contact:
(510) 675-5600, or
www.unioncity.org/parkinsons
BART Police Log
Submitted by Les Mensinger and BART PD
Saturday, December 18
• At 8:14 a.m. a person identified by police as Jontori Lee, 27, of Berkeley was arrested at Hayward station on suspicion of arson. Lee was booked into Santa Rita Jail.
• At 9:33 a.m. a woman identified by police as Tippy Thornton, 56, of Hayward was arrested at Hayward station on suspicion of battering the station agent and on outstanding warrants. She was issued a prohibition order and booked into Santa Rita Jail.
• At 5:06 p.m. a man identified by police as Frank Coleman, 37, of San Francisco, was arrested at San Leandro station on suspicion of being out of compliance with transient registration rules, probation violation and resisting arrest. He was booked into Santa Rita Jail.
• At 5:56 p.m. a man identified by police as David James, 39, of Oakland was detained at Fremont station on suspicion of fare evasion. A record check showed an outstanding warrant. He was booked into Santa Rita Jail.
Monday, December 20
• At 7:29 a.m. a man identified by police as Diondre Stewart, 27, of Oakland was arrested at San Leandro station on a no bail warrant charging robbery. He was booked into Santa Rita Jail.
Tuesday, December 21
• At 6:50 p.m. a man identified by police as Jason Handy, 39, was arrested at Warm Springs/South Fremont station on suspicion of threatening a train operator and public intoxication. He was booked into Santa Rita Jail.
Wednesday, December 22
• At 5:47 p.m. a man identified by police as Michael Bechere, 39, of Hayward was stopped at Hayward station on suspicion of fare evasion. A record check showed at $180,000 warrant issued from Alameda County. He was arrested and booked at Santa Rita Jail.
Wednesday, December 23
• At 6:30 a.m. a man identified by police as Melvin Monk, 32, of Oakland was detained in the parking structure at Hayward station. A record check showed an outstanding warrant. He was booked into Santa Rita Jail.
CHP Log
Submitted by CHP Hayward
Wednesday, December 22
• At about.11:10 a.m. CHP responded to a report about a crash on southbound I-880 north of the Stevenson Boulevard exit in Fremont. Officers determined four vehicles were involved in the crash. The driver of one vehicle died at the scene and a passenger was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries. It was not immediately determined if drugs or alcohol were factors in the incident. The identity of the driver who died was not immediately released. An investigation is continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Hayward CHP office at (510) 489-1500.
DUI checkpoint nets five arrests
Submitted by Sgt. Tasha Decosta, Hayward PD
During a recent DUI checkpoint conducted at Foothill Boulevard and City Center Drive in Hayward, the Hayward Police Department screened 735 vehicles. Of those motorists stopped, three were arrested on suspicion of DUI, with the fourth motorist arrested for a felony DUI warrant and the fifth motorist arrested on suspicion of carrying a loaded firearm.
The checkpoint took place on Friday, December 17 from 8:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. the next day. Checkpoint locations are based on a history of crashes and DUI arrests. Hayward police officials said the primary purpose of checkpoints is not to make arrests, but to promote public safety by deterring drivers from driving impaired.
Funding for checkpoints is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Fremont Fire Department Log
Submitted by Fremont Fire Department
Tuesday, December 21
• At about 1:20 p.m. firefighters knocked down a fire at the Tesla plant at 45500 Fremont Boulevard. The fire was isolated to a boiler room on the third floor of the administration building. Two people suffered smoke inhalation injuries and were taken to a hospital for treatment. Firefighters determined that large filters for the HVAC system caught on fire; an investigation into the cause of the blaze is underway.
Fremont Police Log
Submitted by Yanneth Contrada, Fremont PD
Monday, December 13
• At about 10:06 p.m. an elderly woman in her car in the parking lot of 7-Eleven, 4193 Central Ave. was accosted by two females who took the vehicle and left her behind. A short time later, CHP located the vehicle abandoned on the northbound I-880 ramp at Thornton Avenue. The incident is being investigated as a carjacking.
Tuesday, December 14
• At about 11:00 a.m. employees at CVS, 46445 Mission Blvd. confronted a man inside the store who was acting suspiciously. The man threatened to “shank” an employee and pulled out a knife that had been clipped to his front pocket. The suspect, identified by police as Rakim McKenzie, 44, was arrested on suspicion of brandishing a weapon.
• At about 2:20 p.m. officers located a stolen vehicle at the Arco gas station, 43500 Grimmer Blvd. and made a high-risk vehicle stop. A man, identified by police as Michael Bullock, 35, was arrested on suspicion of auto theft.
• At about 8:08 p.m. a catalytic convertor theft attempt occurred at the Stevenson Place Apartments, 4141 Stevenson Blvd. A witness was able to take a video of the suspect who was later identified. A warrant was issued for the suspect, later identified by police as Robert Lee, 29. He was arrested by an outside law enforcement agency on suspicion of theft.
Wednesday, December 15
• At about 6:32 p.m. officers responded to an active fight at a Union 76 gas station, 4190 Mowry Ave. Upon arrival officers located two suspects, later identified by police as Ronnie Choate, 24, and Christopher Boscano, 41, both of Oakland. It was determined a robbery had occurred inside the business and an employee was involved in an altercation with the two suspects who were arrested on suspicion of robbery.
Friday, December 17
• At about 12:48 p.m. officers located a stolen vehicle in the parking lot of Target, 39201 Fremont Blvd. A high-risk traffic stop was made and a woman, identified by police as Maria Posada-Valderrama, 30, of Mountain View was arrested on suspicion of auto theft.
Newark Police Log
Submitted by Newark PD
Thursday, December 2
• At 5:44 p.m. officers responded to a report of a vehicular hit and run in the area of Cedar Boulevard and Thornton Avenue. Upon arrival, officers located and arrested a 24-year-old Hayward man on suspicion of hit and run driving and driving without a license. He was booked at Santa Rita Jail.
Friday, December 3
• At 11:43 p.m. Community Services Officer Lau investigated a report about a burglary to a vehicle in the 5000 block of Mowry Ave. While checking the area, Lau located 11 backpacks that appear to have been dumped and is working on identifying and contacting the property owners.
Saturday, December 4
• At 11:19 p.m. Officer Riddles made a vehicle enforcement stop in the 5000 block of Thornton Ave. While waiting for assistance from another officer, the driver fled the traffic stop at a high rate of speed. Officers are conducting investigative follow up.
Sunday, December 5
• At 3:56 a.m. officers responded to a report of a person causing a disturbance and making criminal threats the 4000 block of Windermere Dr. Officers developed a tactical plan and approached the location and contacted people at the location and learned the suspect had fled the area prior to their arrival. The incident is still under investigation.
• At 4:06 a.m. officer Herrera investigated four vehicle burglaries that occurred in the 35000 block of Dumbarton Ct.
Thursday, December 9
• At 3:45 p.m. Officer Arroyo responded to a trespassing report in the 7000 block of Thornton Ave. Upon arrival, Arroyo arrested a 29-year-old man on suspicion of trespassing. He was booked at Santa Rita Jail.
Friday, December 10
• At 1:56 p.m. officers responded to a report of in-progress vandalism in the area of Newark Boulevard and Bellhaven Avenue. Officer Soto tried to contact a 27-year-old suspect, who did not respond to his commands. The reporting party declined persecution, but the suspect was arrested on suspicion of obstructing a peace officer and was booked at Santa Rita Jail.
Sunday, December 12
• At 7:54 p.m. officers Riddles and Swadener investigated nine auto burglaries that occurred in the 38000 block of Cedar Blvd.
• At 11:34 p.m. officers responded to a report of a disturbance in the 37000 block of Spruce St. Upon arrival, a 40-year-old woman fled on foot from officers. After a short foot pursuit, officers caught up to her and arrested her on suspicion of public intoxication and resisting arrest. She was booked at Santa Rita Jail.
Residential parking permits to expire
Submitted by City of Hayward
Heads-up to Hayward residents who live in one of eight neighborhoods throughout the city where residential parking permits are required: your current permit will expire Friday, December 31.
But there’s good news: the city has implemented a new way to apply for and renew those permits, and it can be done online by visiting the new City of Hayward Parking Permit Portal at https://hayward.permitinfo.net/.
The portal, managed by Data Ticket, will ask visitors to set up an account, which entails adding vehicle information, the applicant’s name, telephone number, email address and selecting an address within the applicable parking area. Users also will be asked to select a password to access their online account in the future for renewals, vehicle changes and other updates.
Proof of residency within the applicable parking permit area is required and must be uploaded to receive a parking permit. Upon review and verification of proof of residency and vehicle registration, the permit will be mailed to the applicant within seven business days.
For details, visit the Residential Parking Permit Program page on the City of Hayward website at hayward-ca.gov/services/permits/residential-parking-permit, or call Data Ticket customer service at (800) 479-1834.
Optimist Club Girls’ Basketball Classic
Submitted by Darryl Reina
33rd annual Newark Optimist Club Girls’ Holiday Basketball Classic will be held at Newark Memorial High School Event Center on December 28 – 30. The three-day event features both girls’ varsity and junior varsity division. Eight games will be played each day.
Opening round schedule for Tuesday, December 28 is as follows:
Junior Varsity Division
9:00 am – Foothill vs. Castro Valley
10:30 am – Irvington vs. Menlo-Atherton
12 Noon – Miramonte vs. Napa
1:30 pm – Santa Teresa vs. Newark Memorial
Varsity Division
3:15 pm – Castro Valley vs. Menlo-Atherton
4:45 pm – St. Patrick – St. Vincent vs. Lick-Wilmerding
6:15 pm – Sequoia vs. Santa Clara
7:45 pm – Napa vs. Newark Memorial
Newark Optimism Club Girls’ Basketball Classic
Tuesday, Dec 28-30
Newark Memorial High School
Event Center
39375 Cedar Blvd., Newark
Admission: $7 adults, $5 students & seniors 62+, 10 & under free
Table Tennis Camps
Submitted by ICC Table Tennis Center
India Community Center Table Tennis is accepting registrations for all levels of players for Table Tennis Winter Camps. Camp will take place from January 3-7 and will be divided into entry/intermediate and advanced levels.
Entry/intermediate camp is from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, for players 5-14 years old.
Entry/intermediate level: At any age, basics are important. Hand-eye coordination and basic drills will be part of this camp. It’s equally important for kids to enjoy the sport, so fun will be the focus.
Advance level camps are from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, for players six and older. Players of the same level will be combined in this camp to promote healthy competitive atmosphere.
Advanced level: This camp is meant for tournament/league players of any level who have learned the basics, but have yet to hone their rallying and consistency skills. Many new strokes will be added to their arsenal in this camp, such as, approach shots, serve returns and net game. This session will start with drills aiming at stroke perfection, footwork and positioning followed by matches or match-like situations. Tactical, equipment tips and fitness will also be a part of this class.
Table Tennis Camps
Monday, Jan 3 – Friday, Jan 7
Registration deadline: Sunday, January 2
Beginner Level
9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Non-members $349; members $339
Advance Level
3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Registration $300
Table Tennis Sports Center
1507 N. Milpitas Blvd.
www.indiacc.org/tabletennis
sp****@in*****.org
Track and field holiday giving
Submitted by Lee Webb
Mission Valley Track and Field Club is a non-profit organization based in Union City that trains people all ages and abilities.
The club also serves seniors, youth, war veterans, special Olympians, para-Olympians, and Olympians in need. During the holiday season we are giving back to these groups in need. We are looking for donations and any information on groups in need that would benefit from these donations.
Welcomed donations include:
• Clothes – all sizes and types • Gift baskets
• Bedding – blankets, pillows • Books, educational items
• Towles, washcloths • Toys – new and used
• Food for Christmas meals • Sports equipment
• Gift certificates/gift cards • Cooking utensils
• Toiletries
Please submit donations by January 1. For further information, contact Lee Webb at (510) 304-7172.
Mission Valley Track and Field holiday giving
Deadline: Jan 1
(510) 304-7172
Missionvalleytrackandfield.com
lw***@nh***.us
Editorial
TGIF
This Friday marks not only the end of a traditional work week, but the final day of the year 2021 as well. Typically, a coda of the year reflects positive accomplishments of the previous twelve months within a nostalgic theme. Hope and resolutions for the New Year spring from past imperfections and a pledge to do better during the next solar cycle.
In this case, COVID has been an overriding melody throughout the year, joined by additional natural and man-made catastrophes. But, in spite of this, Tri-City Voice has also recorded many positive accomplishments of individuals, government, private and public organizations as well. There appears to be light at the end of the pandemic tunnel and, with perseverance and continued adherence to health guidelines, some semblance of normalcy is beginning to return.
Lessons learned from the severe constrictions of a world-wide crisis include realization that the essence of a free society is universal education of its population. Restriction of thought leads to irrational and irresponsible action. While some seek to simply motivate without reasonable tenets, such actions depend on misdirection, misinformation and faulty logic. An educated public is less likely to blindly follow mindless, nonsensical, self-serving arguments that lead to societal decay and moral bankruptcy.
The year 2022 is an election year in which we, the public, are asked to weigh in on who represents us when deciding governing policies. While on a day-to-day level, there is much to distract from regulatory decisions, they are important and, in many cases, directly impact our wellbeing. In California, the primary election date of June 7, 2022 seems distant and of no immediate consequence, but for politicians vying for office, the sprint toward ballot box success has already begun. They will soon be inundating your consciousness – in person, by mail and media – with appeals for support, including your money. Slogans and catchy tag lines will dominate, but rhetoric without rational arguments to support them are empty gestures, often pandering to basic instincts of fear, envy and class distinction.
Unfortunately, some people involved in politics choose to engage in theatre rather than clear and concise plans to address issues and problems. Blaming “others” for personal or societal ills is a tired, disreputable game of misdirection that has been used throughout human history. It has led myriad populations into disastrous situations that only serve the ambitions of a few and bring misery to most others. The antidote for the scurrilous practice is an educated electorate and open conversations that explore and expose common reality.
Some of our local politicians aspire to expanded responsibilities in regional, state and national offices where it is easy – and unfortunately commonplace – to lose sight of basic struggles of the general population. Due to demands of office, opportunities for contact with constituents and reality checks are reduced, leading to isolation and undue influence of money, power and prestige. There is only one, true check on this innate danger; that of a well-educated, informed and active (voting) constituency that will pay attention to issues and demand reciprocity from their elected officials.
This New Year, resolve to follow at least one major issue – voting rights, climate, child care, homelessness, tax reform, etc. – through the governmental process and ask your representatives to pay close attention to you and your concerns. It is through this pledge, that the equilibrium of a free society is achieved and retained.
Let’s make this a Happy New Year!
