Stay connected with affordable broadband
Submitted by City of Fremont
The Federal Communications Commission has implemented the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program which is intended to help families and households struggling to afford internet access during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eligible households can receive:
• Up to a $50 monthly discount on broadband service and associated equipment rentals
• Up to a $75 monthly discount for households on qualifying tribal lands
• A one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, tablet or desktop computer (with a co-payment between $10 and $50)
Applications are now being accepted. Only one monthly service discount and one device discount is allowed per household. The program will end when its funding is depleted or six months after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declares an end to the COVID-19 health emergency, whichever is sooner.
For information and to apply, visit: https://getemergencybroadband.org.
Facebook launches podcasts, live audio service
By Barbara Ortutay
Associated Press Technology Writer
Facebook launched podcasts and live audio streams in the U.S. on Monday, June 20 to keep users engaged on its platform and to compete with emerging rivals. Facebook says it is allowing public figures with verified accounts to start live audio rooms and invite anyone else to speak. A handful of podcasts will be available to people in the U.S. at first and the company plans to add more down the line.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has appeared on the video streaming app Clubhouse in the past, hosted his own live audio room on his Facebook page last week.
“Live Audio Rooms and podcasts rolling out in the US is just the beginning of our audio journey,” wrote Fidji Simo, head of the Facebook app, in a blog post on June 21. “Looking ahead, we are working with creators who will use our audio tools to further develop and launch Soundbites — short-form, creative audio clips.”
But podcasts and live audio have also been an outlet for racism, misinformation and extremist material. Live audio is particularly difficult to moderate, compared with traditional social media posts.
Facebook, which announced its audio plans to push into audio streams in April, says its rules apply to live audio and podcasts and anyone can report offending material. “In addition, our broader integrity and safety work and the tools we have built for proactively and automatically identifying harmful content are great building blocks, but we plan to adapt tech and processes as we learn more,” the company said in a prepared statement.
The company says that it may also retain live audio after it is no longer live to enforce its policies, which will be done both by human moderators and machine learning.
US wildfire officials see increasing demand for firefighters
By Keith Ridler
Associated Press
BOISE, Idaho (AP), June 22 — U.S. wildfire officials expecting increased fire activity and more demand for firefighters and equipment have raised the national preparedness to level 4 — which is unusual for June.
The National Interagency Fire Center said on June 22 that it's the second earliest it reached what it calls preparedness level 4 on the 1-5 scale since 1990. It's also only the fourth time in the last 20 years that it has reached the level 4 in June.
More than 8,700 wildland firefighters across the U.S. are currently battling 47 large wildfires that have burned more than 800 square miles (2,070 square kilometers), officials said. Arizona had 14 of those fires, followed by California with seven.
Officials said there have been more than 29,000 wildfires so far this year, about 4,000 more than the 10-year average. “We are seeing fire behavior as if it were in the middle to late August instead of still June,” said Jessica Gardetto, a fire center spokeswoman with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
Most wildfires are quickly put out by firefighters stationed in the areas where they are posted before they grow to sizes that require assistance from firefighters from other states. However, wildfire officials have said much of the U.S. West is immersed in a drought that will likely make putting out fires more challenging for firefighters — a primary reason for bumping the risk level to level 4. “We are planning for a lot of large fire activity throughout the West, though we're not there yet,” Gardetto said.
She said another potential problem for fire managers is that federal agencies are competing to recruit new firefighters who can find better-paying jobs elsewhere in the current economy. “There's not technically a shortage of firefighters because we always overprepare,” Gardetto said, “but it's a concern right now.”
More than 80% of wildfires annually are started by people, often while enjoying outdoor activities or using fireworks. “This is that time of year when we see a lot of human-caused fires, and that really does not help the situation,” Gardetto said. “Firefighters could use some help right now.”
NASA sends squid from Hawaii into space for research
AP Wire Service
HONOLULU (AP), Jun 21 – Dozens of baby squid from Hawaii are in space for study.
The baby Hawaiian bobtail squid were raised at the University of Hawaii's Kewalo Marine Laboratory and were blasted into space earlier this month on a SpaceX resupply mission to the International Space Station.
Researcher Jamie Foster, who completed her doctorate at the University of Hawaii, is studying how spaceflight affects the squid in hopes of bolstering human health during long space missions, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Monday.
The squid have a symbiotic relationship with natural bacteria that help regulate their bioluminescence.
When astronauts are in low gravity their body's relationship with microbes changes, said University of Hawaii professor Margaret McFall-Ngai, who Foster studied under in the 1990s.
“We have found that the symbiosis of humans with their microbes is perturbed in microgravity, and Jamie has shown that is true in squid,” said McFall-Ngai. “And, because it is a simple system, she can get to the bottom of what's going wrong.”
Foster is now a Florida professor and principal investigator for a NASA program that researches how microgravity affects the interactions between animals and microbes.
“As astronauts spend more and more time in space, their immune systems become what is called dysregulated. It doesn't function as well,“ Foster said. “Their immune systems do not recognize bacteria as easily. They sometimes get sick.”
Foster said understanding what happens to the squid in space could help solve health problems that astronauts face.
“There are aspects of the immune system that just don't work properly under long-duration spaceflights,“ she said. “If humans want to spend time on the moon or Mars, we have to solve health problems to get them there safely.”
The Kewalo Marine Laboratory breeds the squid for research projects around the world. The tiny animals are plentiful in Hawaiian waters and are about 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) long as adults.
The squid will come back to Earth in July.
FAA says US airports will get $8 billion in pandemic relief
AP Wire Service
WASHINGTON (AP), Jun 22 – Airports around the country will share $8 billion in federal grants to help them recover from the pandemic, which caused a steep drop in air travel and a loss of revenue that airports expect from airlines and passengers.
Most of the money will go to big airports with commercial airline service. They will share $6.5 billion based on the number of passengers boardings, plus another $800 million to offer rent relief to companies that operate concessions such as food and retail outlets in terminals.
Airports must keep at least 90% of the workers they had before the pandemic to receive one of the grants, which will be handled by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Congress approved the money as part of a pandemic-relief measure that President Joe Biden signed in March. The Biden administration said the grants would protect airport jobs and construction projects as travel recovers.
The FAA said several hundred airports will get grant money, including $175.7 million for Seattle-Tacoma International, $115 million for Philadelphia International, $74.3 million for Daniel K. Inouye International in Honolulu, $56.2 million for St. Louis Lambert International, and $50.6 million for Raleigh-Durham International in North Carolina.
There are nearly 500 commercial airports in the U.S., according to an industry group, Airports Council International-North America, and the group projects that they will lose more than $40 billion from the pandemic by next March.
Ask the DMV
What you need to know about new REAL ID rules
Do you have questions about REAL ID? The DMV has answers! Changes to the deadline, limited-time fee waivers, and a simplified application process have all been recently announced. Read below for details on how to get your REAL ID.
Q1: I paid the fee to renew my driver’s license online last year, but offices were closed due to COVID-19, so I couldn’t get a REAL ID. Will I have to pay a fee again to upgrade to the REAL ID this year?
A: No! For a limited time, customers who have recently renewed a driver’s license or identification card that is not federally compliant will be able to upgrade to a REAL ID for free! If you paid a fee to renew a driver’s license or ID card since March 2020, you will qualify but you must act now – the free REAL ID upgrade is only available until the end of the year.
The DMV is offering this free upgrade as a part of their continual efforts to accommodate customers who faced barriers due to COVID-19. It’s important that everyone who is eligible and wants one can get a REAL ID. In May 2023, anyone flying domestically, visiting a military base or other federal facility will need a form of federal ID, like a REAL ID, to do so.
The process to get a REAL ID is also easier than ever. It is now possible to begin the REAL ID application and upload your documents online before visiting a DMV office to complete the process – making your visit at the window 10 minutes or less.
For more information, visit dmv.ca.gov/realidupgrade.
Q2: Which documents will I need to get a REAL ID?
A: The DMV has made it easier than ever to get a REAL ID. Recently the DMV also announced that you no longer need to supply your social security card – just your social security number. To apply, you will need to provide ONE identity document that includes your date of birth and your full name – like an original or certified birth certificate, or a valid US passport. You’ll also need to provide TWO documents that show your name and address to prove you’re a California resident. You can use cell phone and utilities bills, your mortgage, bank statements, or even your vehicle registration.
You can start your application online today and find a complete step-by-step checklist of all approved documents at REALID.dmv.ca.gov.
For more information or answers to questions not listed here, please visit www.dmv.ca.gov.
EARTHTALK
Cicada blooms off kilter due to global warming
By Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss
Dear EarthTalk: Are the cicada blooms of the eastern U.S. out of whack due to global warming and/or other man-made environmental problems?
— Joe R., Moorestown, New Jersey
The short answer is…probably. If you live in the eastern or midwestern U.S., you’ve likely seen so-called periodic cicadas. These inch-long, gray- and orange-winged insects with bulging red eyes feed on the underground xylem tissue of tree roots for years before emerging in millions-strong-per-acre swarms to mate and then die. Of the 3,000 different cicada species around the world, only seven — all in North America — are periodical. The first historical reports of periodical cicadas came from the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock and were shocked to see such a wondrous biological phenomenon unfold before their eyes during the summer of 1634.
Cut to the present, summer 2021 promises to be a doozy as cicada “blooms” go. From Georgia and Tennessee north to Michigan and New York, we can expect to see a big showing as the largest generational brood, Brood X, emerges from the ground en masse as spring warms to summer.
But even though this spectacle typically starts in May, this year millions of cicadas came out as early as March. Researchers believe they were erroneously triggered by a warming-induced “false spring” when the weather warmed up enough for trees to start leafing out early, even though at least one more freeze was still on the way. Even stranger still, a smaller segment of Brood X actually emerged four years early in and around Washington, D.C. in the late spring of 2017.
“[For] these accelerations that we’re seeing constantly for all these different broods over much of the eastern half of the U.S., the only common phenomenon that can account for it is climate,” biologist Gene Kritsky of Ohio’s Mount St. Joseph University, who has been studying and mapping periodical cicadas for decades, tells Scientific American.
Time will tell if this warming-induced aberration in the cicada’s lifecycle will have deleterious effects on the environment. The Pilgrims may have mistakenly thought they were being swarmed by a plague of locusts of biblical proportions that would eat up all their crops, but cicadas are actually beneficial to the environment, providing valuable ecosystem services to the communities of plants and wildlife in their native territories. Once the cicadas do emerge, they aerate soils, serve as a food source for predators, and relieve predatory pressure on other insects, serving as a biological kickstart to local ecosystems.
Scientists studying the ecological role of cicadas worry that altering the timing of their emergence could potentially have negative effects on the bug’s populations moving forward, not to mention other environmental ripple effects. In the meantime, consider yourself lucky if you do get to see the cicadas — indeed one of the great phenomena of nature of the eastern U.S. — during this summer of Brood X.
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: question@earthtalk.org.
Park It
By Ned MacKay
The July/August edition of Regional in Nature, East Bay Regional Park District’s bi-monthly activity guide, is set to show up in newspapers and at park district visitor centers by June 28. It’s already available online at the district website, www.ebparks.org.
Usually, the Fourth of July is occasion for lots of parades, special events, and other celebrations. However, because of COVID-related concerns, this year’s holiday is going to be more subdued. Nevertheless, there is plenty you can still do to celebrate in the regional parks and elsewhere. Regional in Nature has lots of good suggestions.
Everyone should be aware that fireworks of any kind, even the supposedly safe and sane variety, are prohibited in the regional parks. Compliance is especially urgent this year, due to the ongoing drought and high fire danger. Smoking, including vaping, is against the rules, too.
If you do plan a picnic in a regional park, it is best to arrive early. Parks tend to be crowded on holiday weekends, and you can find that all the picnic tables are taken. Crowds are especially likely at regional parks with swim areas. Swimming is on a first-come, first-served basis at Del Valle Regional Park south of Livermore, with no attendance restrictions until park capacity is reached.
Swim beaches at Lake Anza near Berkeley and Lake Temescal in Oakland remain closed because of water level and water quality issues. The swim area at Quarry Lakes in Fremont has been closed, too, because of low water levels. However, the district now plans to reopen it in July.
Other swim facilities no longer require reservations and will accept walk-ins on a first-come, first-served basis until maximum swim capacity is reached. All swim registrations made online through July 4 will be honored.
To ensure you get a spot, you can still make optional swimming reservations for weekends and holidays at Contra Loma in Antioch, Cull Canyon in Castro Valley, Don Castro in Hayward, and Roberts Pool in Oakland. The pool at Castle Rock in Walnut Creek is now drop-in only, no reservations needed. The reservations number for EBRPD is (888) 327-2757, Option 2.
Other activities include berry picking at Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont. Registered participants will be able to pick berries at the farm at 9:30 a.m. Sundays, July 11, July 25, August 1, and August 15. To register, visit ebparks.org/Ardenwood.
Independence Day was cause for elaborate observances back in the 19th century at present-day Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in Antioch. The now-vanished towns of Somersville and Nortonville hosted parades, picnics, and dances. Those days are gone, but you can catch some of the flavor through an article and photos in Regional in Nature. There is also a cookie recipe from a 1900 coal country cookbook.
At Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont, the visitor center is open for self-guided tours. The center has lots of displays and information highlighting the culture of the Ohlone Indians who inhabited a village there for millennia before the arrival of Europeans. For more information, visit the website, ebparks.org/parks/coyote_hills. Other visitor centers are open, too. Since hours of operation are changing as we speak, it is best to check them at www.ebparks.org.
Astronomy is an activity you can enjoy in your own backyard. The July/August Regional in Nature has an article with instructions on where to spot the summer triangle. It’s a shape formed by three stars: Vega, Deneb, and Altair, each of which is part of its own constellation. Vega is almost directly overhead. Read the article, get a reclining chair, and enjoy the celestial show.
Have a safe, fireworks-free Fourth of July in the regional parks and other public open space.
Decoding the supermoon lunar eclipse with Dr. Amy Furniss
Kailash Kalidoss, Aerospace Enthusiast
Blood Moon images taken from Pixabay and Wikimedia Commons
Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking to Dr. Amy Furniss, a subject matter expert in all things Astrophysics. Dr. Furniss is an Assistant Professor at California State University East Bay. She received her Physics Ph.D. in 2013 from the University of California in Santa Cruz, and for the past seven years, she has been researching high energy gamma-ray emissions from galaxies, many of which are connected with black holes. Dr. Furniss has been a frequent expert on mainstream news channels on events such as solar and lunar eclipses.
Our topic of interest was aligned to the total lunar eclipse that took place recently. Lunar eclipses occur when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun. When the Moon enters the Earth’s shadow, it results in an eclipse. On the nights of May 25 – 27, 2021, observers in Oceania, Hawaii, eastern Asia, and Antarctica witnessed a lunar eclipse that also coincided with the Moon’s closest approach to Earth.
I dove straight in and asked Dr. Furniss about the “supermoon” eclipse that will turn the Moon reddish — also known as a “Blood Moon.” Dr. Furniss says that the best place to start is to understand the Sun-Earth-Moon system. The Moon rotates around the Earth, and the Earth goes around the Sun. Most of these happen around the same two-dimensional plane; however, the Moon’s rotational orbit is tilted by about five degrees from the plane of the Earth’s orbit, so usually the Moon does not cross the shadow of the Earth. However, when they are exactly on the same plane, the Earth, Moon, and Sun line up, resulting in an eclipse. When the Moon is between us and the Sun, we call this a solar eclipse. A lunar eclipse happens when Earth is in the middle.
According to Dr. Furniss, lunar eclipses often happen during the time of a full moon. During a Lunar eclipse, the Earth’s shadow (also known as the “Umbra”) falls on the Moon, making it go darker than usual. It is also important to know that the Moon is not a source of light. It only reflects light from other sources, in this case some of the sunlight reflected out of the Earth’s atmosphere. Our atmosphere absorbs most of the blue light, reflecting only the red wavelength of light on the Moon. Hence the Moon appears red, coining the term “Blood Moon.”
The Moon goes around the Earth in an elliptical orbit, and this time the Moon was around 220,000 miles away, its nearest point to the earth. This is why the Moon appeared larger than usual. Since the lunar eclipse happened at the same time, we had the colloquial “Super Blood Moon.”
Dr. Furniss says total lunar eclipses happen as frequently as every year, and the next one can be expected in May 2022 but may be limited to South America and the southeast coast of the United States. There will also be two partial lunar eclipses before that.
I also asked Dr. Furniss about the tidal activity on Earth’s oceans during the total lunar eclipse. Dr. Furniss says low tides and high tides are generally more extreme during a full moon. This will be even more pronounced at the time of the “Super Blood Moon.”
I was impressed with Dr. Amy Furniss’s ability to break down a phenomenon to a level that most people can understand. In addition to a researcher, she is also a teacher of college-level physics. Hopefully readers have also enjoyed learning a little of the science behind this rare phenomenon.
Kailash Kalidoss is an aerospace enthusiast and educator serving the Bay Area. Kailash first fell in love with aerospace as a teenager when he learned about aviation from his father’s role as a Ground Operations Manager. Kailash has since spent his efforts sharing knowledge about aerospace, astronautics, aviation, science and technology, and of course, the night sky. Kailash also represents the Civil Air Patrol and NASA as a volunteer.
Tri-City History Queries No. 6
By Kelsey Camello, for the Washington Township Museum of Local History
Q: Where does the name Stevenson come from?
For those who live, work in, or even just pass through the Tri-City area, the name Stevenson is recognizable. It is a main freeway exit into Fremont off Interstate 880, the only one that will deliver someone directly to Central Park (Lake Elizabeth), the Fremont Main branch of the Alameda County Library and Fremont Police Headquarters. Keep going even further east on Stevenson Boulevard, and eventually the road ends at Mission Boulevard, where the Fremont Chamber of Commerce is located. Alternately, one could exit the freeway and head in the opposite direction, into Newark. Here Stevenson Boulevard can be driven west until it dead-ends at the rail line and transitions from road into marshland.
So, how did this eminently titled, overly long street come to be so named? History, of course.
The Stevensons hailed from Centerville. The patriarch of the family, John Thomas Stevenson was born in New York in 1823. In his early life, he made his way to the Midwest, and in 1852, J.T. struck out with his Irish bride Jane Stevenson née Mallon, as they traveled to California via the Nicaraguan Route. Like many who came out to California around this time, Stevenson tried his hand at mining in the Sierras before he and his wife made their way to Centerville, where they settled for the rest of their lives.
The couple lived and worked on the E.L. Beard ranch for twelve years before accumulating enough wealth and land to buy the property. The 382-acre Stevenson ranch-homestead was located between Alvarado Road (now Fremont Boulevard) and Alameda Creek. Today, the bordering streets and markers in Fremont can be approximated at Fremont Boulevard (west), Alder Avenue (north), Alameda Creek (east) and Thornton Avenue (south).
As John and Jane grew their family to include four children, so too they grew their land holdings. The ranch continued to do well, and eventually it expanded to contain the land that is presently occupied by the Brookvale Shopping Center, Brookvale Elementary School, the housing development, the Brookvale branch of the Alameda County Library, and American High School. At its peak size, the Stevenson Ranch was comprised of 1,160 acres, the first 382 of which had been purchased for a mere $18 per acre. One son (Eugene) continued on the family homestead, while another son (John William, born 1875) ran a dairy ranch. Their daughter Carrie married pioneer doctor Henry Emerson, also of Centerville.
John William’s son (John L., born 1914) attended Stanford University, served in the South Pacific in WWII, and became an attorney, acting as property manager for the family. John L. (known as Jack) Stevenson went on to be elected the first mayor when five of the eight towns in Washington Township incorporated into one City of Fremont in 1956. He served again as mayor for another two-year stint and later as councilmember for four years, all in the 1960s.
Locally, it was a time of immense change. The area had long been primarily agricultural in nature, with individual downtowns surrounded by farms and small housing tracts. But it was transitioning into a centralized city with a big government structure and a laundry list of problems to solve. Jack Stevenson was a strong and trusted voice in the community, with a family history going back three generations.
During his tenure in local government, Jack fought hard for Central Park and a new Civic Center area at that location, even when it meant losing the votes of those citizens who wanted to keep things small and quiet. It seems only fitting then that the street named in his and his family’s honor would run right alongside it.
Take a listen back in time by visiting https://californiarevealed.org/islandora/object/cavpp%3A12850 where you can hear a 1983 recording of Jack talking about his family history and life in Fremont.
Have a local history question of your own? Email us at info@museumoflocalhistory.org. Be sure to include ‘Tri-City History Queries’ in the subject line.
California lawmakers seek to remove ‘he' from state laws
By Adam Beam
Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP), Jun 24 – When California Gov. Gavin Newsom was searching for a new attorney general earlier this year, state Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan looked up the job requirements and made a surprising discovery: In many instances, the law assumed the attorney general is a man.
Sprinkled throughout the state code were references to “he” and “him” and “his” when referring to the attorney general and other statewide elected officials, even though Vice President Kamala Harris had been the state's first female attorney general and Eleni Kounalakis is the first woman to be elected lieutenant governor.
That will likely change after the state Legislature passed Bauer-Kahan's bill Thursday to update laws governing statewide elected officials with gender neutral terms. The bill now heads to Newsom for his review.
“We have women serving in our highest offices and the (sections) of the code referring to them only in the male pronoun was pretty shocking to me,” said Bauer-Kahan, a Democrat from Orinda. “It doesn't represent where California is and where California is going.”
The bill is part of a long process of updating state laws and documents with gender neutral terms. Across the country, many states have required all new legislation to be written this way. Minnesota did a complete statutory revision in 1986 to remove gender specific language, according to Mick Bullock, public affairs director for the National Conference of State Legislatures.
In recent years, California has passed laws allowing a third gender option on state driver's licenses, identification cards and birth certificates. Also on Thursday, the Legislature approved a bill to allow people's gender to be recorded as nonbinary on death certificates, a major source of data for public health research.
A California law passed two years ago requires school districts to reissue high school diplomas to update a person's name and gender if it is different since graduation. This year, lawmakers are considering a bill by Assemblyman David Chiu that would do the same thing for college diplomas.
But updating California's laws will take more time. Usually whenever the Legislature passes a bill to change a law, it includes updated gender neutral terms. But the state has tens of thousands of laws, so many that bound books – each with about 1,000 pages – fill an entire wall at the California State Library.
Bauer-Kahan's bill is an attempt to speed up that process. In 2019, the Legislature updated family law to include gender neutral terms. This year, state Sen. John Laird has a bill that would update gender references in laws governing various state agencies, including the California Highway Patrol, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Department of Insurance.
“It's important to do this work,” Bauer-Kahan said.
Little League Baseball
Knights hot streak leads to Juniors championship
By Mike Heightchew
The Newark /Niles Centerville (NNL/NCLL) Knights, a combination Juniors team, put together an impressive win on June 19th. In the third inning, a continuing stream of baserunners in scoring position provided a 17-run cushion that was unsurmountable. Although the Fremont Centerville Little League (FCLL) Giants attempted to rebound with three runs late in the game, they were just no match for the hot bats of the Knights. With the 17-3 win, the Knights move on to the championship game.
Hot Newark Knights bats were again the story as they faced the FCLL Dodgers in the championship game on June 21st. Loading the bases and converting baserunners to scoreboard runs continued throughout the game even as the Dodgers tried to counter with runs of their own. In the end, the speeding, powerful Knights train could not be derailed, finishing the season with a Newark 19-6 victory.
Will senior housing evolve into intergenerational housing?
Submitted by John Grimaldi
Seniors are not what they used to be, says Rebecca Weber, CEO, Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC). “You don’t lose your lust for life as you get older these days. Once upon a time, perhaps, aging was considered a chronic condition. It was taken for granted that the older you are the sicker you are. Not true. It’s the 21st Century and men and women are living happier, healthier and longer lives.”
Weber says that one of the positive outcomes of the pandemic was the realization that seniors are an active and important segment of society. It perhaps also showed that the older you are, the more resilient you can be.
Dr. Heidi Igarashi, PhD, author of a recent study conducted by Oregon State University, conducted among 235 individuals between the ages of 51 and 95, shows that “if resilience is understood as the ability to see positives in the midst of a negative situation, then many of the study’s participants demonstrated resilience” during the pandemic.
“A lot of times we think about resilience as a personality trait, and it’s true that there are some qualities that may help people experience that. But in the end, resilience is something that is shared. One of the things that came out in our study was the degree to which the people connection was really significant.”
The study supports the notion that neighborly interaction among residents of different ages can have positive benefits for occupants young and old. It is called intergenerational living in the housing industry, communities that incorporate “multiple age groups as a component of larger developments.”
Reporter Chuck Sudo covered the issue for Senior Housing News and found that there has been a “growing trend” that offers older adults that kind of mix.
Sudo writes, “The dominant trends in residential development today are more multigenerational: mixed-use communities where senior housing or services is a component, but separate from, the larger development; and these projects tend to involve dedicated amenities for different age groups.”
Irv Katz of the advocacy group Generations United explains that intergenerational housing is focused “on intergenerational programming that values actual contact between old and young. This reduces age segregation; increases social connections, and recreational and volunteer efforts; improves community infrastructure; leads to better individual health and wellbeing; and decreases social isolation and loneliness.”
In addition, the concept may reduce the cost of housing for seniors and younger generations as well.
The senior living provider, Generations, is among the pioneers in the intergenerational housing sector. The company’s executive chairman Chip Gabriel says, “I think our residents want to be a part of the community. They want to be around younger people, not just old people. Looking at my mom who’s 81 years old, what she wants for living is quite different from her parents. And we need to develop our business models to do that.”
News and notes from around the world
Submitted by The Association of Mature American Citizens
A whale of a tale
Jonah lived in the belly of a whale, so the Bible tells us. But the whale that tried to devour Michael Packard recently spat him out after trying to swallow him.
It happened in the waters off the coast of Cape Cod, according to the Association of Mature American Citizens. “A humpback whale tried to eat me. I was in his closed mouth for about 30 to 40 seconds before he rose to the surface and spit me out. I am very bruised up but have no broken bones,” said Packard who was scuba diving for lobsters at the time.
Packard was treated at Cape Cod Hospital and told reporters it happened in mid-dive: “All of a sudden, I felt this huge shove and the next thing I knew it was completely black. I could sense I was moving, and I could feel the whale squeezing with the muscles in his mouth.”
Woman delivers the world’s first decuplets
The expectant mom, Gosiame Thamara Sithole, was shocked, and the doctors in Pretoria, South Africa were too, when scans showed she was about to deliver as many as eight babies. But it came as a bolt out of the blue when she underwent a Caesarian section and there they were: a set of decuplets, 10 newborn babies.
The folks at Guinness are ready to give her the record for the world’s largest single brood of children to be delivered at one time. The current record holder is an American, Nadya Suleman of California, who delivered octuplets, eight babies, at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in the city of Bellflower in 2009. But not only is Mrs. Sithole prepared to take the record, but she has already added a new word to the lexicon of birth: decuplets.
Wonder Dog to the rescue
Wally, a 2-year-old golden retriever, went for a swim in Hickory Hills Lake in Lunenburg, Massachusetts recently and encountered a woodchuck in distress. The critter hopped on Wally’s back, clinging there until Wally and his passenger made it to shore, reported the Association of Mature American Citizens. That’s when the grateful woodchuck said his goodbyes and left, but not before “they gave each other a little kiss goodbye. They like touched snouts and then he [the woodchuck] ran away,” according to Wally’s owner, Lauren Russell, who caught the whole thing on video. See it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UCZhU8uER8.
Capturing nature in resin
By Helene Marie Roylance
Photos courtesy of Akshata Kulkarni
The Fremont Art Association (FAA) is excited to have our own FAA member Akshata Kulkarni as our guest demo artist at the virtual general meeting for Wednesday, July 7. Kulkarni will be demonstrating fluid art using resin as a medium. This art form has seen a recent surge in popularity, and Kulkarni will be discussing different types of resins, pigments and inks that can be used for blending with epoxy resin, and demonstrating how to use eco-friendly, food-safe resin for designs inspired by nature.
Kulkarni is a Bay Area mixed media artist. She began as a watercolor painter, and has expanded to acrylics, oil paintings, jewelry making, and for the last three years, creating functional art using resin. She enjoys using this medium to recreate elements of nature such as sunrises, sunsets, geodes and waves, creating stylish home décor items that reflect the feel of the natural world.
Part of her art goal is to focus on everyday life, finding ways to use her creativity to help organize and beautify spaces. For her demonstration, she will simulate the luminosity and texture of waves crashing upon a shore, using resin poured over wooden coasters. These unique creations become incredible conversation pieces, as well as stylish and functional works of art. From her geode-inspired crystal cluster that functions as a ring holder, to coasters inspired by the colors in a sunset, resin art allows her to capture dynamic colors in swirls and patterns that evoke the beauty of nature.
Kulkarni has her own small home-based business in San Jose, “Talking Thyme.” Her creations can be found in the Fremont Art Association gallery. You can follow her resin art social media pages on Facebook and Instagram by searching @talkingthymeresinart. For a complete list of links to Talking Thyme please check out the FAA General Meeting page.
FAA is excited to have Akshata Kulkarni provide a demonstration. Our virtual general meetings allow us the unique opportunity to be welcomed into an artist’s studio! Join for an interesting demonstration where we will get to see this new and popular art form before our eyes. Participants must register ahead of time for the online meeting 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 with Guest Artist
Wednesday, Jul 7
1 – 3 p.m.
Via Zoom
Request link at: https://www.fremontartassociation.org
Ballet Petit: Resiliency in Reopening
By Charlene Dizon
Photos Courtesy of Peggy Peabody
As health and social restrictions are alleviated, re-openings of small and large businesses are beginning. Ballet Petit in Hayward is eager for their July reopening, sharing both the in-person preparation as well as their experience of holding Zoom dance classes over the past year.
The pandemic meant immediate adjustment for Ballet Petit. This included making the necessary transition from studio to Zoom classes. Founder Peggy Peabody is grateful for the video call platform, as it allows her staff and students to continue dancing under restrictive circumstances. Students shared that their individual focus and spatial awareness all improved, along with the convenience of avoiding traffic. Ensuring that all students were learning the dance in real-time rhythm proved to be a successful team effort. “Ballet is a communal experience. If you take your eyes off for a second due to video lag, it can be difficult. However, when we finally met for in-person spring production filming in May of 2021, everyone danced so well together,” Peabody shares in relief.
Working in a smaller space also required dancing in a square rather than taking up an entire room. Many students used Marley flooring to ensure a slip-resistant surface while practicing from home. Peabody adds, “Everyone pulled together and supported each other. Working or studying from home can be tough with the constant sitting, so to see the students being creative and releasing the tension in their bodies during class was a gift.”
As an immuno-compromised cancer survivor, Peabody especially believes in the significance of ballet in times of recuperation. Peabody received a second diagnosis of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a blood cancer that affects the body’s immune system, in January 2020 just before the pandemic began. Her first diagnosis was back in 2016. As the world began to go into lockdown, Peabody was waiting on test results, treatment options, and witnessing COVID-19’s effect within hospitals. “2020 was an overall dramatic, frightening, and interesting year. I was very afraid because my situation was so dire and I was in such a fragile state,” she explains. Due to her extremely sensitive case, Peabody was able to secure appointments and chemotherapy before a stem cell transplant. Chemotherapy was done for six hours on three consecutive days.
As for the hospital’s disinfectant routine, Peabody also watched this dramatically update, stating, “The hospitals grew understandably frantic and it was scary, but they got right to work with implementing personal protective equipment (PPE), an antechamber cell, special air filters, and a UV cleaning robot.” Upon returning home, Peabody still took additional measures for caution, from constantly wiping down her house surfaces to wearing a mask at all times around her family. The outcome of the transplant treatment essentially eradicated her cancer, for which Peabody and her family are overwhelmingly thankful. Since her recovery, she has continued assisting her Ballet Petit staff and students as the studio prepares for its reopening.
Ballet Petit is set to hold onsite classes again beginning July 6. Summer registration is currently open, and all class levels will be brought back in person except adult classes. The studio’s 43rd Annual Nutcracker is expected to be performed live at Chabot College in December. As for health precautions, Ballet Petit has gone above and beyond to ensure visitor and staff wellbeing. Social distance markers, new barres, modified traffic patterns for coming in and out of the studio, a front desk sneeze guard, and a state-of-the-art air purification filter system have been added. “Since we’re now able to enhance our class schedules, we’re making sure the space is clean and that everyone is still masked,” Peabody says. With these guidelines put into place, the studio is prepared to safely continue practicing dance.
In December of 2020, Ballet Petit held their annual Nutcracker show virtually. Families and students gathered together to create homemade backdrops and costumes to amplify their at-home backgrounds. This in itself was a successful and fulfilling endeavor, despite online rather than in person attendance. Later on, for the May 2021 production, Peabody decided to have pairs of vaccinated graduating students practice their routines at the studio in person and socially distance before the performance. Once practice ended, she felt immense gratitude due to one simple factor: dancer’s feet. “It had been so long since anyone danced in the studio and it was sad to see it empty for months on end, so when I inhaled the smell of dancer’s feet and hard work it was a small moment of normalcy that nearly made me cry,” Peabody states.
As a community of artists, ballet consists not only of developing choreography but integrating dance into personal lives, from strengthening self-confidence to building passion. Ballet Petit is delighted to return to the long-awaited and deeply missed atmosphere of community, creativity, and craftsmanship.
For more information on Ballet Petit’s reopening, class registration, or upcoming shows, please visit balletpetit.com or contact (510) 783-4958. Peggy Peabody may also be reached at MissPeggy@balletpetit.com.
Chabot College students selected as finalists in billboard design competition
Submitted by Mujeeb Dadgar
Six Chabot College students were selected as finalists for an annual billboard design competition. Two of those finalists were announced as winners and will see their designs on display on billboards throughout the East Bay.
Chabot College students Gwen Thompson and Gracie Ramirez were selected as winners of the non-profit design agency Bridgegood's Inspire Oakland Billboard Design Competition along with four other students from other colleges. Chabot College also had four other students who were named in the top 22 finalists out of more than 500 entries. The four Chabot finalists are Jessica Romick, Elisa Feng, Simran Singh and Gail Martinez.
Thompson, Ramirez and the other winners will see their designs displayed on billboards and bus benches across Oakland, receive a certificate of achievement and a cash reward. Participants were challenged to create an original design that reflects the inspiring stories of Oakland. Bridgegood's competition is currently in its twelfth year and aims to give Bay Area emerging artists real-world experience to help jump-start their professional careers.
Thompson said it was an honor for her to participate in the competition and to represent Chabot College and the instructors and staff who have helped her along the way.
“For me, this win highlights the hard work I've been able to do during the pandemic as things slowed down, which allowed me the space to focus solely on my graphic design coursework,” Thompson said. “Chabot College has an amazing group of instructors who push us as artists to dig deeper, which enables us to take our work to the next level. I'm forever grateful to Chabot's Graphic Design program for challenging my creativity in a way that has allowed me to make work I am super proud of.”
Ramirez agreed, and added that the college has supported her and made it possible for her to grow in her creativity.
“Winning the Bridgegood competition award is one of my biggest accomplishments in life,” she said. “Chabot has been a vital place for me to continue dreaming and working to achieve my goals.”
Tim Jonas, Digital Media Arts instructor at Chabot College, said the college is invested in these emerging fields and finding ways to help students succeed within them.
“I think our program is special, because it not only provides students with the technical and theoretical skills, but an opportunity to really apply those skills and express ideas through hands-on, creative projects,” he said. “Classes like Chabot Design Studio help provide ‘real world' problem-solving experiences for students. We offer certificates and associate programs in graphic design and film, and an animation certificate, too.”
Designs were judged by a panel of creative professionals from around the Bay Area, including designers with Salesforce, Twitter, Etsy, and Facebook, among others.
Jonas said all of the Digital Media Arts students at Chabot “really showed dedication and heart and I'm really proud of them.”
“It doesn't matter where you come from or your background,” he said. “We all have a voice and can express it and connect with one another through digital arts and design.”
For more information about Digital Media Arts programs at Chabot, please visit
chabotcollege.edu/academics/arts-media-communications/digital-media/index.php.
For more information about the Bridgegood Inspire Oakland Design Competition, visit bridgegood.com/inspire
Chabot College
25555 Hesperian Blvd., Hayward
www.chabotcollege.edu
(510) 723-6600
Plethos presents an in-person children’s musical
Submitted by Rose Josue
This July, Plethos Productions is bringing Mo Willems’ bestselling children’s book series to life in a whole new way – with the hit musical “Elephant & Piggie’s ‘We Are in a Play!”
Enjoy this magical summer musical with the entire family at the beautiful hillside farm – Heirloom East Bay in Castro Valley. Heirloom’s picturesque meadow stage is nestled between trees, the perfect venue for an outdoor, socially distanced show.
Audiences will meet the “bestus” of friends, Gerald the elephant (played by Curtis Manning) and Piggie the pig (played by Julia Wright). This fun, jazzy show tune style musical is a story guaranteed to melt the hearts of all ages from preschool to post-graduate. Gerald is afraid that something could potentially end their friendship, but the fun-loving Piggie is unafraid and more excited than ever when they both are invited to a party hosted by the Squirrelles (played by local elementary students Allison Mikowski, Jayelle Richey and Noah Richey). And, so begins the unfolding of a day where anything is possible.
Performances are in person Friday – Sunday, July 9-11 & 16-18, and via digital streaming July 19 – August 1. Tickets are selling out fast at plethos.org.
Elephant and Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!”
In Person show
Friday – Sunday, July 9 – 18
Fri: 7 p.m.
Sat: 11 a.m., 6 p.m.
Sun: 6 p.m.
Heirloom East Bay
9990 Crow Canyon Rd., Castro Valley
Tickets: $20
Digital show
Monday, July 19 – Sunday, August 1
Tickets: $15
(510) 388-1979
http://plethos.org/
Puppy training tips from Humane Society of Silicon Valley
By Dhoha Bareche
During the pandemic, pet adoptions increased as people craved companionship to help navigate difficult times. The rate at which animals have been rescued increased by fifteen percent over this past year, according to the Washington Post. However, as people prepare to return to work and more social activities, new puppy owners are faced with a problem—their puppies don’t have the house training necessary to be left home alone without causing mayhem. Fortunately, the Humane Society of Silicon Valley (HSSV) has stepped up. This independent, non-profit based in Milpitas has been serving pets and people for over 90 years and is committed to helping puppies and puppy owners alike adjust to these changes.
HSSV is the world’s first model shelter, meeting the guidelines put forth by the Association of Shelter Veterinarians. Established in 1929, HSSV offers quality adoptions, affordable spaying/neutering, vaccinations, microchipping and more. Since its inception, it has assisted the adoption of 500,000 animals into loving homes, continuing to promote animal welfare and decrease animal homelessness.
Despite challenges caused by the pandemic, HSSV has continued to bring in more animals and assist other animal shelters to do the same. Kurt Krukenberg, president of HSSV, says, “Although we needed to redesign some of our public facing services from normal, in-person adoptions to virtual ones over Zoom, we’ve never stopped bringing in animals.” He adds, “We’ve worked closely with our community partners in Santa Clara county, like the San Jose Animal Control Center, to address the root cause of animal homelessness and provide solutions. We found that 60% of animals are coming from five zip codes in San Jose, which led to efforts to provide free services there that decreased the intake of animals in Santa Clara county.”
While intake for animals has decreased, demand for adoption has increased. These new pet owners recognize how strong a support system a pet, such as a dog, can be especially during the pandemic. As we ease out of isolation, new puppy owners are attempting to foster independence in their pets. Fortunately, HSSV has provided tips that are relevant to dog owners everywhere on how to train a new puppy for post-pandemic life.
Krukenberg begins by advising new puppy owners to be patient and realistic. He says, “Don’t underestimate how resilient and adaptable your animals could be if you work with them.” He emphasizes, “Training is a constant thing. If there are things you want them to learn, you have to be consistent.” In addition to being consistent and reasonable, Krukenberg suggests making small, gradual changes rather than big, sudden ones. For example, if an owner wants their puppy to get accustomed to being alone, they should start with shorter periods of time. “Start by going out to your garage, for example, for ten minutes and work your way up. What you have to teach them is that when you leave, you always come back,” says Krukenberg. It also helps to reward them with a treat for positive reinforcement.
Other tips for puppies include: putting them on a schedule for mealtimes, playtime, and training times for the first few months. In addition, one should watch pets’ food and water intake to accurately predict when they need to go outside. For crate training a puppy, one should start while they’re young and provide a spacious crate that has enough room for them to lie down and turn around, but not so much that there is extra space for them to “eliminate.” Since puppies can only be crated for a short amount of time, one should have other options to let them out frequently. Also, it’s vital to reward them with a treat to make crate training a positive experience.
Furthermore, it’s important that dogs exercise frequently to release their energy. “The more you can keep them mentally and physically stimulated, the more calm they’ll be and easy to react to those changes you’re trying to make,” states Krukenberg. Lastly, one should be creative and identify challenges their pet is facing and come up with different ways they can be addressed.
HSSV continues to provide helpful and affordable programs and services to assist new dog owners. From training classes to puppy socials and the pet pantry program that provides free pet food and supplies to those in need, there are ample resources available for pets and owners everywhere. “Never being satisfied solving one problem, and looking for the next place where we could have an impact is a really exciting thing about our DNA,” says Krukenberg.
Humane Society of Silicon Valley
(408) 262-2133
County extends program for young adults transitioning out of foster care
Submitted by Santa Clara County Public Affairs
The County of Santa Clara is extending its Basic Income Pilot program, aimed at helping young adults transition out of the foster care system, for a further six months to further study its effectiveness – and to continue helping participants transition to self-sufficiency as the pandemic ebbs and more opportunities become available.
The innovative “Universal Basic Income” initiative was the first in the nation to specifically benefit those exiting the foster system when it was approved by the County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors in June 2020. Under the pilot program, 72 young adults aging out of the foster care system began receiving a monthly stipend of $1,000 for 12 months, with the first payments going out last July.
Recently, the Board of Supervisors approved adding an additional $500,000 to the initial $900,000 allocation to continue payments to the original recipients. Included in the new allotment are incentives to take advantage of financial mentorship offered through the program, and to complete surveys that will help the county gauge the efficacy of the trial.
Program manager Melanie Jimenez Perez said extending the pilot is critical for many participants who are seeing a new day dawning after a year of COVID-19 restrictions. “Up to this point, the funding was critical intervention to prevent youth from destabilizing,” said Jimenez Perez. “It allowed many to stay in housing or stay in school. Now, the focus of the extra time granted by the extension is for them to really come up with a plan for long-term stability. This is a tremendous and important junction in their lives.”
Need help paying rent or utilities?
Submitted by City of Fremont
The City of Fremont’s Keep Fremont Housed program provides rental assistance and/or utility assistance to eligible low-to-moderate income households unable to pay their rent and utilities due to a COVID-19-related job loss or loss of income.
The money comes from U.S. Department of Treasury stimulus funds and is aimed at Fremont residents who are at risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
For program details, eligibility requirements and document information, visit the Keep Fremont Housed website at www.fremont.gov/keepfremonthoused.
Eviction moratorium extended
Submitted by Governor’s Press Office
Governor Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders of both the Senate and the Assembly announced on June 25 a proposed extension of California’s statewide evictions moratorium, and an increase in compensation for California’s rent relief program.
The three-party agreement on AB 832 – which extends the current eviction moratorium through September 30, 2021 – will ensure that California quickly uses the more than $5 billion in federal rental assistance to help the state’s tenants and small landlords and protect vulnerable households from eviction. The agreement widens rental assistance by enhancing current law. Provisions include increasing reimbursement to 100 percent for both rent that is past due and prospective payments for both tenants and landlords. Additionally, the bill ensures rental assistance dollars stay in California by prioritizing cities and counties with unmet needs, and uses the judicial process to ensure tenants and landlords have attempted to obtain rental assistance.
Newark City Council
June 24, 2021
Public Comment:
• Enforce ban on illegal fireworks and advocate ban of all fireworks sales and use.
Consent Calendar:
• Adopt a resolution approving the Investment Policy for FY 2021-22
• Adopt a resolution accepting a bid and awarding a contract to Watsonville Fleet Group for the purchase of one Toyota Camry for the Newark Police Department and outfitting by Lehr
• Adopt a resolution accepting bid and award of contract to Elk Grove Auto Group for the purchase of one Dodge Charger for the Newark Police Department and outfitting by Lehr
• Approval to amend the Compensation and Benefit Plan for City Officials and the Management, Supervisory, and Professional Employee Group to add the classification of Recreation and Community Services Manager
• Adopt a resolution establishing the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Tax Appropriations Limit
• Adopt a resolution authorizing the City Attorney to annually execute a Certification and Mutual Indemnification Agreement with the County of Alameda
• Resolution confirming the continued existence of a local emergency due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Removed from Consent Calendar:
• Adopt a Resolution Approving and Authorizing the City Manager to Execute a Lease with Alameda County for the Alan L. Nagy Library. Modification of lease with Alameda County due to delay and continuing negotiations; opening date is uncertain, not anticipated for several months.
Public Hearings:
• Hearings to consider adopting a resolution for annual levy of assessment in conjunction with Landscaping and Lighting District Nos. 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. Recusal by Councilmember Collazo on Nos. 10, 11
Other Business:
• Adopt a Resolution authorizing a one-time exception to the systematic decrease in the maximum allowable number of safe and sane fireworks booths permits due to global supply chain shortages
• Year-end Budget Review and Amendment of the 2020-2022 Biennial Budget and Capital Improvement Plan for Fiscal Year 2021. Property Tax projections have increased by approximately $3.5 million.
City Council Matters:
• Adjourn in memory of Vivian Larsen.
• Safe use of legal fireworks.
• Congratulate Employee of the Year Edda Rivera
Closed Session:
• Closed session for conference with Labor Negotiators pursuant to California Government Code Section 54957.6. Agency designated representatives: City Manager Benoun, Interim City Attorney Kokotaylo and Assistant City Manager Hovorka. Employee Groups: the Newark Police Association, the Newark Police Management Association; City Officials and the Management, Supervisory, and Professional Employee Group; and the Confidential Employee Group I.
Mayor Alan Nagy Aye
Vice Mayor Mike Bucci Aye
Luis Freitas Aye
Sucy Collazo Aye, 1 recusal
Michael Hannon Aye
San Leandro City Council
June 21, 2021
Recognitions:
• Proclamation honoring Ms. Moira Fry.
Announcement
Introduction of Interim Police Chief Susan Manheimer.
Public Comments:
• Welcome to Interim Police Chief Susan Manheimer.
• Reform and training needs at San Leandro Police Department.
• Thanks to Leadership San Leandro Class of 2021 for helping with April Showers event.
Presentations:
• Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority — South Bay Connect Project update.
• City Affordable Housing Request for Proposal Awardee — Abode Communities.
Consent Calendar:
• Approve Amendment No. 3 for $239,957 to an existing consulting services agreement with Nichols Consulting Engineers for design services on the Annual Street Overlay/Rehabilitation 2019-21 Project; negotiate and approve agreement amendments up to $51,860; and extend contract term to December 31, 2022.
• Execute a grant of easement with the Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District for storm drainage (Grants an easement over city property for storm drainage).
• Approve a Consulting Services Agreement for $150,000 of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Funds between the City of San Leandro and Rebuilding Together Oakland East Bay for the provision of housing rehabilitation grants.
• Amendment to consulting services agreement with Townsend Public Affairs for State Legislative Advocacy Services, to extend the term of the agreement through June 30, 2022 at the same rate, not to exceed $60,000 annually, and to authorize an expansion of the scope of the contract to include the provision of grant writing support to the city in an amount not to exceed an additional $36,000, for a total not to exceed amount of $96,000.
• Approve two consulting service agreements for third party plan check services, one agreement between the City of San Leandro and CSG Consultants, Inc. for $200,000 and one agreement between the City of San Leandro and TRB+Associates for $300,000 in FY2021-2022 (for a total amount not to exceed $500,000).
• Accept grant awards from the California Advanced Services Fund in the combined amount of $49,716.00 for digital inclusion programs through the San Leandro Public Library and appropriation approval of grant funds to account 150-18-102-5890.
• Approve Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) agreements for FY 2021-2022 between the City of San Leandro and CDBG sub-recipients for public services grants to the Child Abuse Listening, Interviewing, and Coordination Center (CALICO) for $23,344; Davis Street Family Resource Center for $35,000; Service Opportunities for Seniors, Inc. (SOS/Meals On Wheels) for $35,000; Spectrum Community Services (San Leandro Senior Nutrition Program) for $24,909; (ECHO Housing) for $10,000 (Approves five agreements Totaling $128,253).
Action Items
• Motion to amend a parking management program for a 42-unit multifamily residential development located at 1388 Bancroft Ave. to include two additional parking studies with community involvement. Adopted 5-2 with councilmembers Azevedo and Ballew voting no.
• City Council request to incorporate a 10-second timed pause following the announcement of agenda item public comments during City Council meetings conducted via online teleconference.
Mayor Pauline Russo Cutter Aye
Pete Ballew Aye, 1 Nay
Vice Mayor Victor Aguilar Aye
Bryan Azevedo Aye, 1 Nay
Fred Simon Aye
Deborah Cox Aye
Corina Lopez Aye
County declares local emergency
Submitted by Santa Clara County Public Affairs
The County of Santa Clara has declared a local emergency due to extreme drought conditions and is calling on all residents and businesses in the county’s unincorporated areas to immediately begin conserving water. After a second year of historically dry conditions, Santa Clara County is currently in “extreme drought,” meaning that reservoirs are so low, the water level is inadequate for agriculture, wildlife, and urban needs.
“As Californians, we all know how precious water is. During the last drought, many of us learned that every drop is valuable, and we all came together to find creative new ways to conserve this incredibly important resource,” said Board of Supervisors President Mike Wasserman. “We did it before and we can do it again – every small step we can each take to stretch our water supply is critical right now.”
Under extreme drought conditions, fire season lasts year-round, and fires may occur even in typically wet parts of the state. The snowpack has been depleted and, with the rest of the state under similarly dry conditions, there is limited availability to import water.
Earlier this month, the Santa Clara Valley Water District declared a water shortage emergency and imposed mandatory water usage reductions of 15% compared to 2019 levels. (This is equivalent to a 33% reduction from 2013 water usage levels.) The county supports these conservation measures and encourages everyone in unincorporated areas to voluntarily take on similar usage reduction goals.
More information on the county’s efforts to protect and conserve water resources can be found on the Sustainability Master Plan website – www.sccsustainabilityplan.org/goal-3-air-and-water-resources.
Santa Clara County Clerk-Recorder Services
Submitted by María Leticia Gómez/Laurel Anderson
Most Santa Clara County Clerk-Recorder’s Office services can be conveniently accessed from your home or anywhere in the world using the Office’s Remote Services. Beginning June 28, the Clerk-Recorder’s Office will offer three ways to access services, including pre-scheduled in-person appointments, online services, and drop-off/mail-in services. Visit www.clerkrecorder.org to pre-schedule appointments for in-person visits and access online services.
REMOTE SERVICES
• Birth, Death and Marriage Certified Copies: Birth, death and marriage records can be requested through the mail, drop box, or online through the VitalChek service. A completed sworn statement (in addition to a notary acknowledgment) is required. Completed requests will be sent through the US mail within four to six weeks.
• Marriage License & Ceremony Services: Services are only available if either one or both of the parties reside in Santa Clara County and both parties must be within California.
Marriage License forms and information
For general questions, email marriages@rec.sccgov.org or call 408-299-5688.
• Real Estate Recording: Documents sent through the mail and received through our drop box will be reviewed and recorded within 10 business days, if they meet all recording requirements. The original will be mailed out within six to eight weeks.
• For general questions about recording documents and fees, email recording@rec.sccgov.org.
IN-PERSON SERVICES
Customers can book appointments on the website at www.clerkrecorder.org or contact the call center at 408-299-5688, for the following:
• Vital Copies (Birth, Death and Marriage certificates) and Recording Real Estate Documents (By Appointment Only)
• Filing Fictitious Business Names, CEQA, Notary Oaths/Official Records Copies, call 408-299-1558 or email at bus-rdc@rec.sccgov.org
To protect the health and safety of our staff and customers, masks must be worn by all members of the public in all County facilities, regardless of vaccination status.
For more information, contact the Clerk-Recorder’s Office via email at clerkrecorder@rec.sccgov.org, by phone at 408-299-5688, or visit our website at www.clerkrecorder.org.
Planning to remodel during the pandemic?
By Anna Jacoby
Last March, at the beginning of the COVID-19 shut-downs, my industry, home remodeling, was affected in a significant way. For a time, we were unsure as to whether we would be allowed to work at all, and even if we were, would people want to continue with their remodeling projects?
Certainly, we thought, with the threat of a highly contagious and potentially deadly virus, clients would not want us in their homes at all. Fast forward several weeks, and precisely the opposite happened. While a small handful of our projects did indeed get postponed, most of our clients wanted to move forward with construction. And, unexpectedly, many new clients contacted us for all sorts of remodeling. So, we adopted COVID-19 safety protocols and marched full steam ahead.
As you have undoubtedly heard in the news, the stay-at-home orders inspired people to notice all the things about their homes they wanted to change. This phenomenon gave way to requests for new home offices, room additions, ADUs, upgraded kitchens and baths, new floors, new paints, and more. With the increased demand for home improvement products and services, there have also been new challenges and hurdles. So, if you want to remodel during this time, even more patience than usual will be required.
Before the pandemic, a typical kitchen or bath project might have taken six to eight weeks. Now, plan on 10-12 weeks of actual construction time, possibly even longer than that. Here are some reasons for the extra delays:
Shortage of construction materials
The steep increase in demand for remodeling, not just here, but nationwide, has caused significant shortages in construction materials, as well as furniture, kitchen appliances, tile, and window coverings, just to name a few. Combined with global supply chain issues, directly caused by the pandemic, expect much longer lead times (as well as rising costs) for many items.
For example, in a recent bath project, tile we were told would take one week to arrive, is now expected to take five weeks. And kitchen appliances are typically taking three or four months. And if you are wondering why the new sofa you ordered will take 20 weeks to arrive, (if you are lucky!) it is likely because the factories that make the foam for the cushions have been significantly impacted. I will not go into all the reasons why this is happening, but the combination of increased demand, COVID restrictions placed on factories, and transportation disruptions (not to mention slow-downs due to bad weather) have led to unprecedented delays and higher prices.
Slow-downs during the permit process
Because of citywide and countywide shutdowns of building departments, obtaining building permits has gone from a quick over-the-counter approval to a cumbersome and lengthy online process that sometimes takes weeks. And the larger the project, the longer it takes. Hopefully, with vaccination rates climbing, more people can go back to the office to work, and this process can be expedited.
Labor shortages
Before the pandemic, there was already a dearth of construction workers. I have been saying for years that there are not nearly enough young people pursuing careers in the trades. We need carpenters, plumbers, electricians, framers, window covering installers, painters, roofers … you name it, we need it!
Increased demand for construction (not only because of the pandemic, but also because of wild fires and other causes) has made this already dire situation even worse. My interior design colleagues and I are experiencing significant increases in requests for design services, and architects I know are saying the same thing. It is hard to tell people who are so excited to get started to expect to wait several months, but that is the reality right now.
So, what does this all mean for you? It means that extra planning time, good humor, and even more patience than usual are required. It means that we are doing our best to keep up with the work, but that certain things are beyond our control. It means we are extremely grateful for all the folks who want to work with us, and that we all look forward to having the pandemic in our rearview mirror.
It’s A Date
CONTINUING EVENTS:
Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Parenting During COVID R
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Virtual support group to help families cope with challenges encountered during COVID
To register: www.fremont.gov/3060/Caregiver-Support
(510) 574-2100
Tuesdays
Free Virtual Sing-Along
7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Zoom choir meeting hosted by Mission Peak Chamber Singers
https://www.chambersingers.org/
Contact: info@chambersingers.org
Tuesdays
Practice Your Spoken English
4 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Talk with native English speakers about everyday topics in a friendly, welcoming setting
Via Zoom
https://aclibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/search/index/event/60b010eed768a44500b2ade2
Wednesdays
Niles Street Eats
5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Food trucks
Niles Town Plaza
37592 Niles Blvd., Fremont
Thursdays
San Lorenzo Street Eats
5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Food trucks
500 Via Mercado, San Lorenzo
Thursdays
First Presbyterian Church of Newark Virtual Youth Group
6:30 p.m.
Youth and young adults, students welcome
Contact: brian@newarkpress.org for Zoom Meeting ID#
www.newarkpres.org
Fridays
Castro Valley Street Eats
5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Food trucks and live music – support The Chabot Theater
Parking lot behind Trader Joe’s
2490 Grove Way, Castro Valley
https://www.thefoodtruckmafia.com/upcoming
Saturdays
Virtual Telescope Viewing R
9:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Free on Facebook Live
Join resident astronomers live from Chabot’s observation deck
https://chabotspace.org/calendar/
Saturdays
Online Comedy Shows R$
8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Made Up Theatre’s interactive comedy has gone to YouTube!
Sundays
Southern Alameda County Buddhist Church Family Service
10 a.m.
Via ZOOM
For link, call (510) 471-2581
https://sacbc.org/
Sundays
First Presbyterian Church of Newark Worship Services
9:30 a.m.; Worship Service In-Person or Online
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9NxtyzVaehQJHwLlpwPWlw
35450 Newark Blvd., Newark
www.newarkpres.org
Sundays
St. Anne’s Episcopal Church Service
10 a.m.
Socially distant outdoor seating
2791 Driscoll Road, Fremont
Via Zoom link: www.stanneschurch.org
Third Thursday each month
Chronic Pain Support Group
12:30 p.m.- 2:30 p.m.
Request link: njordan@fremont.gov
Thursday, March 18 – Monday September 6
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
Saturdays & Sundays in June & July
Niles Canyon Railway
10:30 a.m. & 1:00 p.m.
6/12, 6/13: Steam Trains
6/19, 6/20, 7/10, 7/11, 7/17, 7/18: Diesel Trains
Sunol Depot
6 Kilkare Road, Sunol
www.ncry.org
Sundays, May 30 – July 25
“Travel Without Leaving Town” Film Series
3 p.m.
July 11 : The Prado: A Collection of Wonders
July 25 : Frida: Viva la Vida
$15 regular/$10 students to age 21
Bankhead Theater, 2400 First Street, Livermore
lvpac.org
(925) 373-6800
Tuesday, June 15 and July 13
Free drive-through COVID-19 vaccine
12 noon
For Ohlone College students, faculty, staff, and the community
Newark Center, Lot D
39399 Cherry Street, Newark
Go to https://bach.health/vaccine/ to register
https://www.ohlone.edu/rtc/resources/vaccination
Friday – Sunday, June 18 – July 18
Live Horse Racing
2:45 p.m.
https://bit.ly/3yr6IEy
Alameda County Fairgrounds
Gates 8 & 12 off of Valley Ave, Pleasanton
Sundays, June 27 – August 15
St. Anne’s Episcopal Church
12 noon – 1:30 p.m.
Afternoon discussion – change frustrating conversations into better ones!
In person or via Zoom
2791 Driscoll Road, Fremont
(510) 490-0553
Tuesday, June 29 and July 27
Free drive-through COVID-19 vaccine
12 noon
For Ohlone College students, faculty, staff, and the community
Fremont Campus, Lot H
43600 Mission Blvd, Fremont
Go to https://bach.health/vaccine/ to register
https://www.ohlone.edu/rtc/resources/vaccination
Mondays – Saturdays
Grab & Go Craft Kits
Fremont Main Library, Centerville Library, Union City Library
Check library for hours
Crafts are a fun way to let kids be creative
UPCOMING
Wednesday, June 30
Fun Fresh Summer Cooking Demo
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Learn the nutritional benefits associated with vegetables
www.whhs.com/seminars
Sunday, July 4
Pancake Breakfast $
8 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Alameda County Firefighters host yummy breakfast, with music, cars, and fire demo
Alameda County Fire Station #27
39039 Cherry Street, Newark
(510) 632-3473 ext.1321
https://fire.acgov.org
Wednesday, July 7
Fremont Art Association General Meeting and Demo Artist
1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Guest Artist will capture the look of ocean waves with resin over wood coasters. All welcome, free to attend
Registration required for zoom link
https://www.fremontartassociation.org/monthlymeetinganddemo
Thursday, July 8
Drought Proof Your Garden
4 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Learn how to keep your garden gorgeous and healthy during dry times
www.cleanwaterprogram.org
Friday, July 9
Classic Movies Under The Stars: Singing in the Rain $R
8:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Reserve a lawn space and enjoy some popcorn and candy
Milpitas Senior Center
40 N. Milpitas Blvd, Milpitas
https://www.active.com/milpitas-ca/classes/classic-movie-under-the-stars-series-2021
Saturday, July 10
Symphony Under the Stars $R
5:30 p.m
The Kings of Soul and Swing. Champagne reception and catered dinner
Hilltop estate in Milpitas
Thursday, July 15
What it Takes to Be an Entrepreneur
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Learn to take your dream and make it a reality
https://nc.ecenterdirect.com
Honor Roll
Bradley University, Illinois
Spring 2021 Dean’s List
• Sarah Dove of Castro Valley
Abilene Christian University, Texas
Spring 2021 graduate
• Abdullah Almansour of Hayward
Saint Francis University, Pennsylvania
Spring 2021 graduate
• Shanna Selsor of Fremont
Mount St. Mary’s University, Maryland
Spring 2021 Dean’s List
• Alyssa Alexander of Fremont
Carthage College, Wisconsin
Spring 2021 graduate
• Thao Nguyen of Hayward
Georgia Institute of Technology
Spring 2021 Dean’s List
• Yuankai Cai of Milpitas)
• Nathan Chan of Fremont
Spring 2021 Faculty Honors
• Joshua Ngotiaoco of Fremont
• Karthik Varadharajan of Fremont
• Vivek Vijaykumar of Fremont
• Alexander Wing of Fremont
Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society
New inductee – Wheaton College, Illinois
• Abigail Chen of Hayward
Bradley University, Illinois
Irene Ryan Nominee Award for Good Kids and Excellence in Acting Award
• Sarah Dove of Castro Valley
Knox College, Illinois
Spring 2021 graduate
• Tanay Singh of Fremont
Elmhurst University, Illinois
Spring 2021 graduate
• Teddy Schupack of Hayward
Lehigh University, Pennsylvania
Spring 2021 Dean’s List
• Alan Wang of Hayward
St. Lawrence University, New York
Spring 2021 Dean’s List
• Shiru Kimani of Hayward
University of Rhode Island
Spring 2021 Dean’s List
• Sarita Khadka of Fremont
Saint Francis University, Pennsylvania
Spring 2021 Dean’s List
• Aarati Sarikonda of Fremont
Ohio University
Spring 2021 Dean’s List
• Nicole Miller of Hayward
• Julie Vasquez of Hayward
University of Findlay, Ohio
Spring 2021 Dean’s List
• Joshua Cheng of Castro Valley
• Elaine Ng of Fremont,
The University of Alabama
Spring 2021 Dean’s List
• Abigayle Kneebone of Fremont
• Meena Abdelsayed of Hayward
Ohio Wesleyan University
Spring 2021 Dean’s List
• Bella Hintzman of Fremont
• Jasmine Lew of Fremont
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi
New members – University of California-Davis
• Alyssa Phan of Fremont
• Estelle Yoo of Milpitas
Tri-City girls shine in international programming Olympiad
Submitted by Geeta Arora
Two Bay Area girls, Rayna Arora and Vivian Han, won Silver and Bronze medals respectively in the European Girls’ Olympiad in Informatics (EGOI), an international programming competition hosted in Zurich, Switzerland during the week of June 13-19. They were part of the team of four girls invited by the USA Computing Olympiad (USACO) organizers to represent the United States.
This is the inaugural year for EGOI, whose goal is to provide a platform for young women to enjoy and deepen their interest in Computer Science in order to decrease the wide gender gap in the field. Participating countries each have their own version of the computing Olympiad, and hold periodic contests with varying levels of difficulty to select contestants for their teams. Specifically, the USA Computing Olympiad (USACO) holds four contests yearly in which the contestants all initially start at the Bronze level and solve challenging algorithmic problems to advance through Silver, Gold and Platinum levels.
Participating in Computing Olympiads takes years of dedication, not unlike training. Both Arora (James Logan High School) and Han (Mission San Jose High School) started competing in USACO in 8th grade and reached the Platinum level in their sophomore year. Over these years, they each put in thousands of hours of training, often poring over undergraduate and graduate level algorithmic problems for hours before solving them. In their junior year, they were invited to take a selection contest alongside eight other girls, and were chosen as part of a team of four to represent the country. The team then went through a rigorous 8-day training at the USACO training camp, and finally had the chance to represent their country at the EGOI, which, due to Covid, was held virtually this year under strict proctoring conditions.
A total of 43 countries worldwide participated in the EGOI this year, which included 157 participants. The contestants participated in two contests, each involving four challenging problems to be solved by designing and implementing efficient algorithms in five hours. All four girls in the US delegation won medals. Claire Zhang (gold medal) ranked 13th overall, Rayna Arora (silver medal) ranked 16th, Tarushii Goel (silver medal) ranked 24th, and Vivian Han (bronze medal) ranked 42nd.
Talking with the girls, they hope to be role models and inspire the next generation of female students interested in competitive programming and Computer Science.
Temple Beth Torah welcomes Rabbi Zoe McCoon
Submitted by Lauren Ravenscroft and Beth Ehrlich
Temple Beth Torah in Fremont is excited to welcome Zoe McCoon as our new Rabbi, following the retirement of Rabbi Avi Schulman on June 30, 2021.
Rabbi Zoe comes to our synagogue from her native Michigan. She was born in Detroit and raised in Flint, Michigan. There she grew up in a small Jewish community of 20-30 families. Rabbi Zoe said the small, close community influenced her strong Jewish commitment. Community members looked out for each other, becoming a second family for the McCoons, who were distanced from their own relatives.
Her May 2021 ordination was from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati. Rabbi Zoe brings an engaging voice and instrumental music skills that will be welcome here, as music has always been an important component of Temple Beth Torah’s worship services. Rabbi Zoe’s creativity includes incorporating original songs written by herself and personal friends into her services. She is looking forward to reintegrating in-person music into the services and community after the pandemic.
Rabbi Zoe is looking forward to teaching how to look at Judaism through a human lens and humanity through a Jewish lens. She has written several articles and begun a program called “An Interfaith Response to #MeToo and Gender-Based Violence” during her Fellowship at the Brueggeman Center for Interfaith Dialogue. She also interned at the Hillel at Michigan State, where she received her Bachelor’s Degree.
Rabbi Zoe is looking forward to learning from all “The Voices in the Room” represented in Fremont and Temple Beth Torah, such as our LGBTQ community and our Tri-City interfaith community. She encourages “resilient listening” a term she learned during her study in Israel. Some of the themes she has discussed in past Shabbat services include “Home,” “Challenging the Status Quo and What We Know,” and “Empowerment.”
When asked why she wanted to relocate to Northern California, she stated, “I have been told I am a good match for the Bay Area because of my interest in Social, Political and Community Issues that are important to many in the Bay Area.”
Temple Beth Torah and Rabbi Zoe McCoon are looking forward to future events with the greater Bay Area Community as they become safe in our post pandemic world.
Temple Beth Torah
42000 Paseo Padre Pkwy, Fremont
Office: (510) 656-7141
RabbiZoeMcCoon@BethTorah-Fremont.org
Artist’s work accepted into statewide exhibition
Submitted by Olive Hyde Art Guild
The Guild Congratulates Seema Gupta! “Nana’s Quilt,” a painting by Olive Hyde Art Guild member Seema Gupta, was accepted into the Triton Museum of Art Statewide 2D Art Competition & Exhibition, which opens June 26 and runs through September 12, 2021. The Triton is located at 1505 Warburton Avenue in Santa Clara and is open Tuesday – Sunday: 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Visit the Triton to see Gupta’s painting and the entire Salon at the Triton Museum Exhibition!
https://olivehydeartguild.org/
Veteran teacher honored in Hayward
Submitted by Hayward Unified School District
Thalia McNeil-Smith, a longtime educator with the Hayward Unified School District (HUSD) has been named 2021 Teacher of the Year. In a statement issued June 16, HUSD officials noted that McNeil-Smith has spent the majority of her career with the district, starting at Mt. Eden High School, then moving to Brenkwitz High School where she has taught since 1991.
“This year, Ms. McNeil-Smith’s work in nurturing the whole child as a means of developing students’ academic and social-emotional growth stood out,” said HUSD Superintendent Matt Wayne. “Ms. McNeil-Smith is an exceptional teacher and one we feel so proud to name as Teacher of the Year for our district.”
School district officials said McNeil-Smith comes from a family of teachers and educators, including her mother who is an administrator at the California School for the Blind. Over the years, McNeil-Smith has led student trips to Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles with the goal of exposing students to places outside their normal experience in order to broaden their understanding of life’s possibilities.
In their statement, school district officials noted that McNeil-Smith’s “holistic approach to teaching has nurtured students to find their authentic voice and has inspired a generation of students to find their purpose in life and in their community.”
BART to provide special service for 4th of July fireworks in S.F.
Submitted by BART
The annual Independence Day fireworks program in San Francisco is set for about 9:30 p.m. Sunday, July 4 at the Embarcadero Waterfront, and BART wants to help spectators get there safely and efficiently. Here is what riders need to know:
On July 4, regular BART service will close at 9:00 p.m. with the last trains dispatching from the end of the line. Passengers will not be able to enter the system other than at the Embarcadero Station after regular BART service ends. However, after the fireworks program ends, BART will be providing additional trains serving Embarcadero station to accommodate crowds heading home.
About 30 minutes after the conclusion of the fireworks, BART will run two sets of special event trains from the Embarcadero Station to Richmond, Antioch, Berryessa, and SFO/Millbrae, making all station stops. Dublin/Pleasanton riders should take the Berryessa train and transfer at Bay Fair and take the shuttle train to Dublin/Pleasanton, which will stop at all stations along the line. BART riders should be in the Embarcadero Station by 10:40 p.m.
Tips
• Riders must be inside the Embarcadero station within 30 minutes after the fireworks end. Keep this in mind with how far down the Embarcadero you go to watch the fireworks.
• Only Embarcadero will be open for entering passengers after regular BART service closes.
• Riders should load their Clipper card in advance with enough funds for the round trip to avoid lines after the fireworks.
• Anyone who doesn’t already have a Clipper card can avoid lines by downloading the new Clipper app, getting a free digital Clipper card added to their digital wallet, and loading funds for immediate use.
• Parking is free at BART on Sundays at all stations except for Milpitas and Berryessa/North San Jose. Valley Transportation Authority operates those lots and their parking rates still apply.
Monday July 5
The next day, Monday, July 5, BART trains will operate on a normal weekday schedule. Parking will be free at all stations except for Milpitas and Berryessa/North San Jose. For details, visit the BART website at www.bart.gov.
Burger Fundraiser for HERS
Submitted by HERS Breast Cancer Foundation
iniBurger owner Leeza P. prides herself on the quality and unique flavors of her halal burger menu. And, in addition to her passion for her Pleasanton and Fremont restaurants, Leeza is also a staunch supporter of community causes!
HERS Breast Cancer Foundation is thrilled to partner with Leeza for a 20% give back fundraiser from July 2-10. Order online for pick up or delivery, or visit either location, mention “HERS,” and 20% of your purchase will support HERS Assistance Programs.
Learn more about iniBurger's delicious halal menu (which includes vegetarian options) at https://www.iniburger.com/ or place your order via ChowNow.
iniBurger fundraiser for HERS
Friday, Jul 2 – Saturday, Jul 10
iniBurger Fremont
11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
44029 Osgood Rd., Fremont
iniBurger Pleasanton
Sun – Thurs: 11:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Fri & Sat: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
4233 Rosewood Dr. #11, Pleasanton
https://www.iniburger.com/
FOR JUN 29 ISSUE
Drought proof your garden
Submitted by Clean Water Program
Longer periods of drought conditions and lack of water can impact plant health, limit a plant's ability to produce food, and make it more prone to attracting pests. Excessive heat can also accelerate the reproduction time of pests. But simple garden management strategies can keep your garden gorgeous and healthy during dry times.
On Thursday, July 8, join Suzanne Bontempo and Charlotte Canner from Our Water Our World to learn about water-wise gardening techniques that will protect plants during extensive drought. The free webinar will feature topics such as:
• Managing your garden during drought conditions
• Managing water efficiently and effectively
• Improving soil to hold more water
• Utilizing alternative water resources
• Reducing summer pests
To register, visit https://bit.ly/2UzzfbD. To learn more about the Clean Water Program, visit www.cleanwaterprogram.org.
Gardening Webinar
Thursday, Jul 8
4 p.m. – 5 p.m.
https://bit.ly/2UzzfbD
www.cleanwaterprogram.org
Know fireworks rules before lighting up
By Ashley Tosh
Photos courtesy of: Pixabay
In California, the use of only “safe and sane” fireworks is permitted. These include: fountains, sparklers, smokeballs, snake-type fireworks, ground-spinning fireworks, pinwheels, most novelty fireworks, toytrick noisemakers, and some crackling items.
As a general rule of thumb, if it doesn’t leave the ground it is considered “safe and sane.”
Fireworks that go up into the air or are otherwise deemed “dangerous” are illegal in California. These include: sky rockets, bottle rockets, roman candles, aerial shells, firecrackers, and any other fireworks that explode, go into the air, or move on the ground in an uncontrollable manner.
Although these are the rules for California overall, each city is allowed to enforce their own fireworks laws in addition to the state-wide ones.
As Independence Day quickly approaches, here are some reminders about firework laws and safety regulations in different cities throughout the East Bay.
Union City:
Go to: https://www.unioncity.org for more information.
● In Union City, only “safe and sane” fireworks are permitted. Any fireworks that go up into the air are illegal.
● Fireworks must be set off on private property. That means no fireworks can be used in public parks, schools, or on streets/sidewalks.
● City ordinance requires written approval from a property owner(s) if you intend to use “Safe and Sane” fireworks on a property other than your own.
● No fireworks are allowed east of Mission Boulevard.
● “Safe and sane” fireworks can be used from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on July 1-3. On July 4, they are allowed to be used until 11:00 p.m.
● All parks in Union City will close at 7:30 p.m.
Fremont:
Go to: https://www.fremont.gov for more information.
● The sale, possession, and use of ALL fireworks, even the “safe and sane” ones permitted in other cities, are illegal in Fremont.
● If you see any illegal firework activity, the city of Fremont encourages you to report this activity through the Fremont App.
Hayward:
Go to: https://www.hayward-ca.gov for more information.
● The sale, possession, and use of ALL fireworks, even the “safe and sane” ones permitted in other cities, are illegal in Hayward.
● The City of Hayward recommends attending professional fireworks displays to celebrate the holiday, instead of lighting fireworks yourself.
Newark:
Go to The Newark PD’s Instagram page, @newarkca_pd, for more information.
● In Newark, only “safe and sane” fireworks are permitted, from midnight June 30th through midnight July 4th.
● The selling of, transporting of, and use of any fireworks without the “safe and sane” seal is illegal.
● Fireworks deemed “dangerous” are illegal.
● To help the City of Newark enforce their zero tolerance policy for “dangerous” fireworks, if you see someone who is in possession of, selling, or using illegal fireworks you can call the Fireworks Hotline at (866) 520-7233 (SAFE).
San Leandro:
Go to https://www.sanleandro.org for more information.
● The sale, possession, and use of ALL fireworks, even the “safe and sane” ones permitted in other cities, are illegal in San Leandro.
● If you see anyone using illegal fireworks, the San Leandro Police Department asks that you call them to report it at (510) 577-2740.
Milpitas:
Go to https://gomilpitas.com for more information.
● The sale, possession, and use of ALL fireworks, even the “safe and sane” ones permitted in other cities, are illegal in Milpitas.
● Community members are encouraged to attend professional fireworks displays instead of lighting their own fireworks.
The Tri-City Voice Staff wishes all our readers a wonderful and safe holiday weekend!
Historic Homes to Reopen in July
Submitted by Hayward Area Historical Society
After a year of closure, the Hayward Area Historical Society (HAHS) is excited to announce that visitors will once again be able to tour two historic homes in the Hayward area. Meek Mansion will be open on the first Saturday of the month, starting July 3. McConaghy House will be open on second Saturdays, starting July 10. Both homes will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on their respective days.
While many people have fond memories of visiting either property, the re-openings mark a new way to experience the houses. Both will feature new informational panels, explaining highlights and stories of each room, as well as self-guided tours so guests may experience the spaces at their own pace. Docents and staff will be available to answer questions and offer insights into the history of each location.
Perhaps the biggest changes have happened at Meek. During the last year, the first floor and exterior were painted, thanks to the Hayward Area Park and Recreation District. HAHS staff has been busy preparing for opening by bringing in period appropriate furniture from the collections to illustrate how the house may have been furnished. At this time, only the first floor will be open to the public, but that is subject to change in the future. At McConaghy House, visitors will be able to explore both the first and second floors.
The homes will be open free of charge. There is a suggested $5 donation for entry to help with ongoing maintenance of both structures. During open days, appropriate health and safety guidelines set forth by the State of California and Alameda County will be enforced.
The Hayward Area Historical Society connects people, experiences, and stories. For more information about upcoming events and programs, please visit www.haywardareahistory.org or call (510) 581-0223.
Meek Mansion
Open first Saturdays, starting Saturday, Jul 3
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Meek Estate Park
17365 Boston Rd., Cherryland
McConaghy House
Open second Saturdays, starting Jul 10
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Next to Kennedy Park
18701 Hesperian Blvd., Hayward
In It to End It Virtual Challenge Fundraiser
Submitted by SAVE
Do you want to run, walk, yoga, or Zumba your way towards a goal while supporting SAVE and our partners to raise awareness about preventing domestic violence? By joining “In it to End It,” you will be helping those experiencing domestic violence throughout the Bay Area.
In It to End It is a virtual challenge where you track your physical activity using the AtlasGo platform towards an individual goal: 32 miles, 71 miles, or 156 miles. Together we want to cover at least 3,634 miles to symbolize the square mileages covered by all our In It to End It partners combined.
East-West Challenge (32 miles)
Walk toward sunrise or sunset. This challenge simulates a walk from the most Western agency in San Francisco to the most Eastern agency in Concord
North-South Challenge (71 miles)
In this challenge you imagine a walk from San Rafael through Fremont and down to San Jose.
Around the Bay Area Challenge (156 miles)
This challenge simulates a big loop around the entire Bay Area.
Fundraising Challenge ($500)
As a participant, you can create your own fundraising page and invite friends to donate in your name. Raise $500 or more to enter the fundraiser raffle.
Walk, run, bike, swim, or even take your skateboard out for a ride. Your distance-based activity counts. Your time-based activities count too! One hour of activity will count for 5 miles. Log your yoga, golf, tennis, surfing, and more!
Each ticket costs $25 and all proceeds will support the work to end domestic violence. These efforts are supported by Bay Against Abuse Coalition: STAND!, La Casa De Las Madres, SAVE, Center For Domestic Peace, and Next Door Solutions.
Registration is open: The challenge runs July 3 – July 31.
In It to End It Challenge
Saturday, Jul 3 – Saturday, Jul 31
Registration: $25
Enrollment opening for Youth Entering Success workshop
Submitted by Ohlone College Tri-Cities Career Center
Ohlone College is launching their summer 2021 Youth Entering Success (YES) workforce innovation and opportunity act program. This program helps Alameda County Youth gain employment, achieve self-sufficiency and reach career potential through job opportunities and training.
Participants enrolled in this program can take advantage of services including: work experience and internships, activities that preparing youth to transition to post-secondary education, one-on-one career advising, on-the-job-training, job readiness workshops, occupational skills training, and other supportive services.
You may be eligible if: You’re between the ages of 18-24, you have one or more barriers to employment, you’re not currently enrolled in school, and you are authorized to work in the U.S.
Enrollment begins July 1, 2021.
For more information contact Karen Elliot at kelliot1@ohlone.edu or (510) 402-5930. You can complete the interest form at https://tinyurl.com/33t88f6m.
Library hosts free lunch and reading program
Submitted by Hayward Public Library
Words for Lunch in a virtual reading program that promotes literacy development. Participating kids will be read to by trained volunteers online. The program runs 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays until August 2. All Hayward kids can participate. Families must register in advance and will receive a Zoom ID number and passwords upon registration.
In addition, Hayward Downtown Library is offering free healthy lunches from 11 a.m. – 12 noon, Monday – Friday until July 31. There is no sign-up, application, income verification, or identification needed. Meals are served to all children under 18 on a first come, first served basis. Presented in partnership with Hayward Unified School District, through the USDA Food Service Program.
Words for Lunch
Virtual read-aloud
Mondays & Wednesdays
1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Via Zoom
Free lunch
Monday – Friday
11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Hayward Public Library
888 C. St., Hayward
https://www.hayward-ca.gov/public-library
Relay for Life Rummage Sale
Submitted by Cathy Norvell
On Saturday, July 17, a rummage sale will be hosted at First Presbyterian Church in Newark. A 20×20 ft space can be rented for $20. Setup starts at 9 a.m. and the sale will run from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. All proceeds for the rental space go to the American Cancer Society. You can donate or keep your earnings, and if you don’t have items to sell, stop by on the day and shop!
Email Cathy to reserve your spot: cn63ln73@gmail.com.
Relay For Life Rummage Sale
Saturday, July 17
10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
First Presbyterian Church
35450 Newark Blvd., Newark
(510) 701-9005
Can go in July 6 or 13
Davis Street FREE COVID-19 vaccine clinic extended Saturday hours
Submitted by Kali Sherman
The Davis Street Primary Care Clinic is offering COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic hours on Saturday, July 17, from 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. to provide more opportunities for those needing vaccines but who may not be able to schedule during regular work hours.
FREE Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines will be administered for adults 18 and over, and FREE Pfizer Vaccines for children ages 12-17 years old.
*All minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian unless they are emancipated*
Schedule appointments at myturn.ca.gov. For more information, please call (510) 347-4620 x 400.
Saturday Covid-19 vaccinations
Saturday, Jul 17
8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Davis Street Primary Care Clinic
3081 Teagarden St., San Leandro
http://davisstreet.org/
Join Spirit of Milpitas for 4th of July!
Submitted by Milpitas Recreation and Community Services
Fourth of July is so much more than fireworks! We continue to celebrate Independence and Community in accordance with Santa Clara County Public Health Orders. Join in whatever way is comfortable for your family—socially distanced, at home, online, and through community service.
Take out your running shoes and join our Milpitas Firecracker Race, July 4-10! All ages and family members are welcome, even your dog! You will have seven days to complete a 5k or 10k race. That is less than one mile per day at your own pace and your own path. Sign up by July 1 to receive a finisher medal and t-shirt. You will receive a race log to track your distance. You can conclude your race with all the fun of crossing the finish line, cheered on by friends from the community. Capture your photo op moment, and pick up your t-shirt and medal.
Or join in community service activities during that week, with our blood drive, food drive, bone marrow registry drive, back to school supply drive, and virtual volunteer fair.
For additional details, visit the Fourth of July web page at www.ci.milpitas.ca.gov/4th.
Milpitas Firecracker Race
Sunday, Jul 4 – Saturday, Jul 10
Registration: $35
Sign up by July 1 for t-shirt and medal.
Blood Drive
Tuesday, Jul 6
9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Bloodmobile parked at Milpitas Community Center
457 E. Calaveras Blvd., Milpitas
Book apt: sbcdonor.org (code 2654)
(888) 723-7831
Food Drive
Wednesday, Jul 7
10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Barbara Lee Senior Center
40 N. Milpitas Blvd., Milpitas
(canned foods and gift cards, no glass please)
Bone Marrow Registry Drive
Thursday, Jul 8
10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Barbara Lee Senior Center
40 N. Milpitas Blvd., Milpitas
Back to School Supply Drive
Tuesday, Jul 6 – Saturday, Jul 10
Tu-Th, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
F-Sa, 8 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Milpitas Sports Center
1325 E. Calaveras Blvd., Milpitas
(pencils, erasers, lined paper, binders, etc)
Virtual Volunteer Fair
Sunday, Jul 4 – Saturday, Jul 10
Milpitas Virtual Community Center
www.ci.milpitas.ca.gov/vcc
www.ci.milpitas.ca.gov/4th
Summer Breeze half marathon, 10k and 5k
Submitted by Brazen Racing
Photos courtesy of Brazen Racing
We skipped a year, but we're happy to be back in the swing of things and able to finally hold the 11th Annual Summer Breeze event at San Leandro Marina on July 31!
What makes this such a popular race? Is it the refreshing cool breezes in the Summer? The flat course? The race shirt? The finisher medal? The custom age group medals? It's probably the incredible Brazen running community…and the “It's It” ice cream sandwiches at the finish!
Everybody will enjoy a flat, easy bayside trail that rarely strays more than a few feet from water. Perfect for setting a personal record or a nice cruise along the bay. Hikers/walkers are always welcome!
All three courses are out and back along the shoreline. Races begin in San Leandro Marina Park and proceed south along the shoreline, into the Hayward Regional Shoreline, turn around and come back to the Marina Park. Courses begin and finish on 80-100 yards of grassy field. The 5K is otherwise entirely paved. The 10K has about 1/2 mile of packed dirt trails. The half marathon is approximately 50% paved and 50% packed dirt.
Water stations will be stocked with water, sports drink, gels, pretzels, candy, etc. and will be placed at the following approximate mileage:
5K: Mile 1.25
10K: Miles 1.5, 3, 3.25 and 4.7
Half Marathon: Miles 1.5, 3, 6.55, 10.1 and 11.6
The 2021 Summer Breeze charity sponsor is “Cancer Sucks.”
Summer Breeze half marathon, 10k and 5k
Saturday, Jul 31
7:00 a.m. Hikers
8:00 a.m. Half Marathon
8:15 a.m. 10K
8:30 a.m. 5K
San Leandro Marina
Mulford Point Dr., San Leandro
Registration: $40 – 83 (prices go up after July 13)
Fremont Bank underwrites swim lessons
Janet Haney
Summertime is all about swimming and being outside. That’s why Fremont Bank is encouraging youth in the community to learn about water safety by taking swim lessons through the City of Fremont at Aqua Adventure Park. The bank is underwriting the cost of the swim lessons for low-income families.
To qualify for the limited number of spots, parents or legal guardians must show proof of Free or Reduced Lunch status in FUSD or the PG&E subsidy and pay a small fee. Lessons, 25 minutes long, offered at all different skill levels from infants to teens, are underway now through August.
Sessions are offered Monday through Thursday for a two-week program. Saturday-only and private lessons are also available.
Learn more at: https://goaquaadventure.com/swim-lessons.php
Tri-City Animal Shelter reopening plans
Submitted by City of Fremont
The Tri-City Animal Shelter lobby will reopen Tuesday, July 6. The Shelter will continue to schedule appointments for the following services online or by phone; appointments may be available outside the regularly scheduled shelter hours.
• Owner Surrendered pets
• Adoptions
• Lost & Found
• Adoption Partner pick-ups
• Foster pick-up and drop-off
The shelter has implemented a new appointment system for dog and cat adoptions. Visit the shelter’s website – www.tricityanimalshelter.org/154/Adoption-Process – for information about the process and the adoption application. Kennels will remain closed to the public. Also, pet licensing can be completed online at visit www.tricityanimalshelter.org/166/Pet-Licensing.
Tri-City Animal Shelter
Reopens Tuesday, Jul 6
Tuesday – Saturday
11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
1950 Stevenson Blvd., Fremont
Animal Shelter: (510) 790-6640
Pet Licensing: (510) 790-6644
www.tricityanimalshelter.org
Fremont Bank supports Longest Day Walk for Alzheimer’s
Submitted by Janet Haney
On June 18, a team of Fremont Bank employees joined the Longest Day Walk to raise awareness and support research for Alzheimer’s Disease. With 112 walkers in Hayward and Livermore, Fremont Bank raised a total amount exceeding $50,000, crushing their original goal of $20,000. They were the No. 1 team in the Northern CA/Northern NV Chapter.
Fremont Youth Symphony Orchestra presents IN PERSON Summer Ensemble Program
Submitted by Judy Lam
After more than a year of rehearsing via Zoom, young musicians of the Fremont Youth Symphony Orchestra (FYSO) are excited to finally be able to “play” together starting this Summer! FYSO welcomes young musicians from late beginning to advanced to register for the one-week Summer Ensemble Program (S.E.P.)
Thanks to a grant from Fremont Rotary and a donation from Mrs. Pearl Gunsell, young musicians will be inspired by coaching from musicians from the Fremont Symphony Orchestra, in addition to dedicated direction under FYSO directors Judy Lam and Grace Lai, and conductor Marcella Schantz.
Audition is not required to participate in S.E.P. The program aims at providing students with an uninterrupted training during the Summer so they may keep up with continuous progress and be ready for the Fall Season. Participants will be given priority to audition for the 2021-2022 Season. The featured highlight in the new Season is a performance in March 2022 where FYSO musicians will receive invaluable experience performing alongside professional musicians and Maestro Jung-Ho Pak of the Fremont Symphony.
The Summer Ensemble Program from Monday, July 12 – Friday July 16 will be held in person at the First United Methodist Church in Fremont.
Please register online at https://fremontyouthsymphony.org/summer-program. For more information, contact Judy Lam by phone (510) 386-8355, or email youth@fremontsymphony.org.
Fremont Youth Symphony Orchestra Summer Program
Monday, Jul 12 – Friday Jul 16
9 a.m. – 12 noon
First United Methodist Church
2950 Washington Blvd, Fremont
(510) 386-8355
youth@fremontsymphony.org
https://fremontyouthsymphony.org/summer-program
Alameda County Fire Department Log
Submitted by ACFD
Monday, June 21
• In the early evening crews responded to a vehicle fire on Redwood Road in Castro Valley that prompted the road to be shut down for about an hour. The fire was extinguished; no injuries were reported.
Tuesday, June 22
• At 12:40 p.m. crews responded to a report about a vegetation fire behind Tudor Road in San Leandro. They quickly extinguished the blaze which generated a lot of smoke in the area. No injuries reported.
Wednesday, June 23
• At 3:04 p.m. firefighters responded to a vegetation fire near 10300 Cull Canyon Road in Castro Valley. Crews were able to limit the fire to about half an acre and preventing it from spreading to nearby structures. No injuries reported.
BART Police Log
Submitted by Les Mensinger and BART PD
Friday, June 18
• At 9:40 a.m. a man identified by police as Maurice Henderson, 28, of Richmond was arrested at Union City station on suspicion of possessing drug paraphernalia. A record check showed he had an outstanding arrest warrant. He was booked at Santa Rita Jail.
Sunday, June 20
• At 8:40 a.m. a man identified by police as Marco Senegal, 32, was spotted by officers passed out at Bay Fair station in San Leandro. A record check showed he was not in compliance with sex offender registration rules. He was arrested and taken to Santa Rita Jail.
• At 10:50 a.m. a man identified by police as Julio Bowen, 24, was spotted by officers urinating on the platform at Union City station. He was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication and taken to Santa Rita Jail.
CHP Police Log
Submitted by CHP Golden Gate Division
Wednesday, June 23
• At about 4:35 p.m. California Highway Patrol officers responded to a freeway shooting resulting from a traffic altercation on southbound I-880 at Industrial Parkway in Hayward. Officers located the suspect driving recklessly southbound on the freeway and started a pursuit with the driver leading officers to Fremont and through city streets. Eventually he struck two vehicles and the pursuit ended in the area of Auto Mall Parkway and Grimmer Boulevard. The suspect, identified by CHP as Kevin Sanders, 28, of Berkeley was arrested and booked at Santa Rita Jail. Sanders and the crash victims sustained minor injuries. It was later confirmed that one bullet struck the victims’ vehicle. Detectives from the CHP Golden Gate Division are investigating the incident. Anyone with information that can help is asked to call the CHP Investigation Tipline at (707) 917-4491.
Fremont Fire Department Log
Submitted by Fremont Fire Department
Tuesday, June 22
• At 1:44 p.m. firefighters responded to a report of flooding from a broken water main on Japala Court in south Fremont. Nine homes were impacted with three of them sustaining heavy water damage. No injuries were reported.
Fremont Police Log
Submitted by Geneva Bosques, Fremont PD
Thursday, June 17
• Between 7:24 p.m. and 7:29 p.m. a shooting toward an inhabited dwelling occurred in 3000 block of Alder Avenue. A male was in the backyard of his residence when he heard yelling coming from the nearby parking lot at American High School, followed by several loud pops. The male discovered a bullet hole inside his residence and officers located shell casings in the parking lot. No injuries were reported.
Saturday, June 19
• At about 1:15 p.m. someone pried open a door to a mail truck in the 40000 block of Charleston Way and took a tray of mail.
Sunday, June 20
• At about 8:46 p.m. officers responded to a report about an injury collision between a vehicle and bicyclist in the area of Niles Boulevard and Nursery Drive. Officers located the driver and vehicle, along with several juvenile bicyclists. An investigation showed that several juveniles were riding their bicycles northbound on Niles Boulevard and had taken over the #2 lane, designated for vehicle traffic. The juveniles were swerving back and forth while riding on the rear wheel of their bicycles. One of the juveniles made an unsafe turn and swerved into the #1 lane and collided with the right front fender of a vehicle. He fell off the bicycle and hit the roadway. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries. The juveniles, all about 15 years old, were not wearing safety helmets. The injured juvenile was found at fault for the collision. The driver of the vehicle was uninjured, with moderate damage to his vehicle. An investigation about the collision is continuing, and police are asking that anyone with information about it to call them at (510) 790-6800. Anonymous tips can be sent by texting TIP FremontPD followed by a short message to 888777 or online at https://fremontpolice.gov/TIP.
• At about 9:30 p.m. an attempted kidnapping occurred in the 4000 block of Central Avenue. The female victim was outside when a vehicle pulled up alongside her. A male suspect asked her a question, exited the vehicle and then forcefully tried to pull her toward his vehicle. When the victim yelled for help, the suspect went back to his vehicle and fled the scene.
Hayward Police Log
Submitted by Hayward PD
Sunday, June 13
• At 8:33 a.m. a male victim spotted a suspect cutting the catalytic converter from his vehicle near the 30000 block of Brookside Lane. The suspect then brandished a firearm at the victim before fleeing the area in a vehicle.
• At 11:46 p.m. a victim in the 27000 block of Huntwood Avenue was approached by an unknown suspect who then punched and robbed the victim. The suspect then fled the scene.
Monday, June 14
• At 12:33 a.m. officers responded to a report about an occupied stolen vehicle in the 24000 block of Mission Boulevard. Arriving officers located the vehicle and arrested the occupant.
Wednesday, June 16
• At 12:01 a.m. officers located a stolen vehicle near the 30000 block of Mission Boulevard. A suspect associated with the vehicle was taken into custody without incident.
• At about 9:13 p.m. officers responded to a report of an injury collision involving a vehicle and a bicyclist near the intersection of West Tennyson Road and Dickens Avenue. The injured bicyclist was taken by emergency responders to a hospital where he died. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene. The bicyclist was identified by the Alameda Coroner’s Office and Hayward Police Department (HPD) as Richard Leon Heard Jr., 55, of Oakland. HPD authorities are looking for the driver and are asking that anyone who has information that can help with their investigation to call Sergeant Tasha DeCosta at (510) 293-7169.
Thursday, June 17
• At 10:55 p.m. a male was sitting inside his parked vehicle near the 2400 block of Industrial Parkway West when an unknown suspect entered the vehicle, prompting the male to jump out. The suspect fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle.
Police encrypt radio channel in Milpitas
Submitted by Milpitas PD
To comply with a mandate from the California Department of Justice (CA DOJ), the Milpitas Police Department (MPD) recently announced that its police radio channel is being encrypted along with most other law enforcement agencies throughout the state. In a statement released June 25, MPD officials said the transition was set to take place on Monday, June 28.
In October 2020, the CA DOJ notified law enforcement agencies that use the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System that access to certain Criminal Justice Information (CJI) and Personally Identifiable Information (PII) must be limited to authorized personnel, and the transmission of such information must be encrypted. At the time, most of the law enforcement agencies in Santa Clara County were not in compliance with this mandate.
MPD spent several months examining alternatives to radio encryption while balancing the need for compliance with the mandate, transparency of police operations, and the safety of its police officers. Ultimately, encrypting the police radio channels was the only practical solution. Additionally, all interoperable radio channels within Santa Clara County will be encrypted by this summer with all law enforcement agencies in the county encrypting their individual radio channels by the end of the year.
Nonetheless, MPD officials stress that the department is committed to keeping the community informed. MPD currently shares information with the community and media partners regarding crime trends, investigations, police activity, safety alerts, and public events within Milpitas using social media accounts on Facebook (MilpitasPD), Instagram (@milpitaspolice), Nextdoor (milpitas-police-department), and Twitter (@MilpitasPD).
The full DOJ information bulletin radio encryption can be downloaded at https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/info_bulletins/20-09-cjis.pdf.
Celebrate the 4th, but not with fireworks in San Leandro
Submitted by San Leandro PD
With the July 4 Independence Day holiday coming soon, officials from the San Leandro Police Department (SLPD) are reminding residents and visitors that all fireworks — including the “Safe and Sane” commercial variety — are illegal in the city.
On Sunday, July 4 special SLPD patrols will be utilized throughout the city to enforce all local and state fireworks safety laws. The intent of these laws is to prevent injury, maintain order in neighborhoods, and prevent fire or damage to structures and/or vegetation. SLPD personnel will treat this as a zero-tolerance issue. Appropriate action will be taken when dealing with violators, including confiscation of all fireworks.
As a safety precaution, the San Leandro Marina will close to visitors at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 4. For details, call SLPD at (510) 577-2740.
San Leandro Police Log
Submitted by San Leandro PD
Tuesday, June 22
• At around 12:00 noon, officers responded to a report about an armed home invasion robbery in the 15000 block of Swenson Street. The incident was captured by a home surveillance camera, which officers checked to identify a suspect and a getaway vehicle. Later, at about 3:20 p.m., officers responded to a shooting report at Greenhouse Marketplace shopping center. Officers quickly located a vehicle matching the shooting suspect’s vehicle and made a traffic stop. The male suspect was arrested and a gun was found inside his vehicle. While at the arrest scene, officers spotted another vehicle that matched the one from the home invasion robbery earlier in the day. That suspect was stopped and another gun was found inside that vehicle. The suspect was arrested.
Little League
District 14 Intermediate Championship
June 19
White Sox win Little League District 14 Intermediate Championship
Little League
Niles Centerville wins majors title
By Mike Heightchew
Niles Centerville major A's won the division 14 championship on June 19th in a show of offense starting in the third inning as they powered in three runs to take the lead. However, Fremont Centerville was not to be forgotten as they fought their way back with three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. It was a tight contest, but as the game progressed, Niles Centerville was able to add two more runs in the fifth inning and although Fremont Centerville responded with a run of their own, Niles Centerville continued their onslaught, finishing the game with the championship in an 8-4 victory.
Editorial
Happy Birthday USA
We all have a special day each year to celebrate the anniversary of our birth day. It is a testament to the unique existence of each individual and their family and friends who are influenced by their presence. Not only is this a time for joy, but one of reflection as well… current status, accomplishments and future endeavors.
Another special day for all invested in the health, safety and vitality of the United States of America is the celebration of its birth. This is also an existential milestone, a collective review of the foundations of this singular society, formed through the radical ideal of freedom and political self-determination, albeit with a flawed history.
In direct contrast with class culture and arbitrary rule throughout the world, the United States proposed a different set of principles to guide its development. While practical application was – and remains – far from perfect and universal, its lure and attraction continue to provide hope and direction to its own population and inspire others around the world. Correction of flaws is often long, arduous and painful, but the Declaration of Independence is clear that the actions taken by the colonies was neither capricious or attained through “…light and transient causes.”
A comprehensive and factual list of grievances, outlined in the Declaration, detail the reasons for dissolution of “political bands” between England and the 13 colonies. The first paragraph states unequivocally that this radical action must be supported by reason and a declaration of the “causes which impel them to the separation.” Rejection of consistent and continuous appeals for justice to the mother country led to the dissolution. Our present situation, stoked by irrational passion, hatred and fear, stained with blood and insurrection, stands in stark contrast to the clear, logical and reasoned arguments of the Declaration of Independence. In fact, one charge of the Declaration states: “He [King George III] has excited domestic insurrections amongst us…”
July 4, 2021 is an optimal moment to actually read the Declaration of Independence and understand what the people of 1776 risked to bring about a country ruled by those governed rather than despots. Although our official representatives are elected to make decisions and manage routine affairs, the onus of their decisions and ultimate authority rests with the people. Signers of the Declaration of Independence jeopardized their lives and fortunes to resist dictatorial and incompetent systems that ignore and compel obedience to onerous circumstances and autocrats.
The current threat to our democratic system by authoritarian and irrational populism is a serious abrogation of our forefathers and the Declaration of Independence. This year’s Independence Day 2021 celebration, would be a good time to actually read this document, to understand the foundation of our country and appreciate how and why it was formed. The Declaration of Independence makes it clear that the United States of America, despite its flaws and setbacks, has an indelible message for everyone:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –”
In 1831, lyrics to “America” were written by Samuel Francis Smith, serving as an unofficial national anthem until official adoption by congressional resolution of Star-Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key in 1931. The well-known first stanza is a testament to our common heritage.
My country tis of thee, Sweet land of liberty, Of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died! Land of the Pilgrim's pride! From every mountain side, Let freedom ring!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!