Alameda County Arts Leadership Awards

Submitted by Guy Ashley

 

The Alameda County Arts Commission has recognized six individuals for their achievements and contributions impacting the arts community and residents of Alameda County. The following individuals are the recipients of the 2019 Alameda County Arts Leadership Award: Kendra Barnes and Laura Elaine Ellis (joint award), Bee Chow, Suzanne Gayle, James Gayles, and Rob Jackson. The six award recipients will be honored by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors with a commendation ceremony presented in conjunction with the County’s celebration of National Arts and Humanities Month. The ceremony will take place during the board’s public meeting on Tuesday, October 1. This event is open to the public.

 

Each year the members of the Alameda County Arts Commission review nominations for the Arts Leadership Award submitted by the public and select the award recipients. The Alameda County Arts Commission acknowledges all the nominees for providing leadership in the arts and serving as role models.

 

Bee Chow of Fremont, representing Supervisorial District One

Bee Chow is the founder of Cantabella Children’s Chorus in Livermore. In 1992, Bee started the organization with a small music literacy class for 11 children. The name Cantabella Children’s Chorus was derived from the Italian “canta bella,” which translates to “sing beautifully,” and this was Chow’s founding vision for the chorus. Cantabella Children’s Chorus is an international organization with a total membership of over 250 singers ranging from kindergarteners to high school students. The mission of the Chorus is to develop healthy vocal techniques and choral artistry within children and youth through excellence in music education, fine choral production and collaborative cultural arts experiences to enrich and reflect the diverse community.

 

Suzanne Gayle of Hayward, representing Supervisorial District Two

Suzanne Gayle is an artist and community volunteer who dedicates her life to improving the community through public art and service. Gayle is an established artist and has created over 100 public artworks including murals, paintings, and sculpture located at municipal sites, schools and libraries throughout the Alameda County and the greater Bay Area. Local public commissions include projects in Castro Valley, Dublin, Hayward, Fremont, and San Leandro. Gayle is a former appointed member of the Alameda County Arts Commission and a committed community volunteer.

 

Kendra Barnes and Laura Elaine Ellis of San Leandro, representing Supervisorial District Three Kendra Barnes and Laura Elaine Ellis are the co-founders and co-directors of the Black Choreographers Festival, which is a yearly event celebrating African and African American dance and culture with dynamic annual performances culminating at Laney College in Oakland. Barnes and Ellis are also dance educators and lead their own nonprofit arts organizations that support and promote dance and performance. Barnes is the director of the Kendra Kimbrough Dance Ensemble and K*STAR* Productions, while Ellis is the director of the African and African American Performing Arts Coalition.

 

Leadership Awards ceremony

Tuesday, Oct 1

10:45 a.m.

Alameda County Administration Building, Supervisors’ Chambers

1221 Oak St., 5th Floor, Oakland

(510) 208-9646

www.acgov.org

 

 

Hyundai Nexo: the hydrogen fuel-cell SUV

By Steve Schaefer

 

While automakers focus a lot of attention on electric vehicles as their future products, hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle (HFCV) technology has been with us for a while, too. There currently are three options in the U.S. market, but the all-new Hyundai Nexo is the only one that’s an SUV. Hyundai has offered an HFCV for years now based on its compact Tucson crossover, but you’ve likely never noticed it. The Nexo is its successor, on a dedicated platform, and has improved on the Tucson in every way. It’s great looking, too, inside and out.

 

The Nexo stretches 10.3 inches longer than the Tucson, on a 5.9-inch longer wheelbase. It spreads an inch wider but stands an inch lower. That, along with numerous wind-cheating design features, gives it an impressive 0.32 coefficiency of drag (cd).

 

The new 120 kW (161 horsepower) motor replaces the 100 kW one in the Tucson, for 25 percent higher peak acceleration and a 0-60 time of just 9.5 seconds, vs. the Tucson’s 12.5. The motor’s 291 lb.-ft. of torque is 70 more than the Tucson. The new lithium-ion 40-kW battery is way ahead of the Tucson’s 24 kW, giving the standard model Nexo a range of 380 miles – a 115-mile boost. The entire powertrain is lighter and more efficient. The EPA numbers are 65 City, 58 Highway, and 61 Combined for miles-per-gallon-equivalent (MPGe). I averaged 57.7 MPGe during my test week.

 

The science of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles is simple to explain and very complicated to do. Here, we’ll accept that H1—half of the H2 in H2O (water) is combined with O (oxygen) to form only water as a byproduct. By passing the compressed liquid hydrogen fuel through the 95-kW fuel cell’s membrane, the fuel cell generates electricity to charge the battery that powers the Nexo’s motor.

 

Hydrogen isn’t found as H1 in nature—it likes to combine with things—so it needs to be split off into liquid fuel. That takes energy, so how the fuel is made (and transported) contributes in varying degrees to carbon dioxide production.

 

The other complexity is that the existing hydrogen fuel distribution network is tiny. The current FCEV fleet is small and confined to California (which has programs to support it), so if you live in a major urban area, fuel is available—but not elsewhere.

 

There currently are five hydrogen stations in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I live. I went down to the closest one and found a line of four Honda Claritys and Toyota Mirais ahead of me. I was happy to see the cars’ popularity, but this could become a problem if more people take on ownership of one of these high-tech rides and there aren’t enough new stations built to fill them.

 

The Nexo absolutely hits the mark in styling. It looks like a nice crossover, while the Honda and Toyota models are both oddly rendered sedans. My test car, in handsome Dusk Blue, was the Blue model. It comes with loads of safety and convenience features, while the Limited model above it grows the wheels from 17s to 19s and adds a sunroof, power liftgate, and Remote Smart Parking Assist (RSPA). RSPA lets you park in either a parallel or perpendicular parking space without being inside the car.

 

Dr. Woong-chul Yang, Hyundai’s vice chairman, called the new Nexo an “earth-saving effort.” Besides the cleaner powertrain, it uses various ecological materials, including soybean-oil-based polyurethane paint, bamboo-thread-based bio fabric, and bio-plastic and bio-carpet extracted from sugarcane. These materials are employed in 47 different parts, reducing CO2 by 26 pounds during manufacturing.

 

My test Nexo provided a splendid driving experience, with an attractive light-gray interior. Its dramatic center-console bridge reminded me of Volvo interior design. The 12.3-inch center screen is well laid out, and as in other new Hyundais, everything is easy to find and use. Both trim levels are filled with premium features, so are premium-priced as well. My Blue model tester started at $58,300 plus shipping. The Limited starts at $61,800. Currently, for a limited time, you can choose 1.9 percent APR financing for up to 60 months with $7,500 off or a $399/month lease for 36 months and $2,999 down. Either way, of course, you have to live in California.

 

So, how adventurous are you? While plug-in electric vehicles are great, they can have issues with charging and range. Hydrogen fuel-cell electric cars let you pull into a station (if you can find one) and fill up in five minutes (if there’s not a big line). However, you can’t go far out of California with one, which is another form of range anxiety. Regardless, Hyundai’s new Nexo HFCV is a huge step forward.

 

 

BART Police Log

Submitted by Les Mensinger and BART PD

 

Friday, August 30

• At 11:52 p.m. a man identified by police as Chad Nettles, 38, of Oakland was arrested at Castro Valley station on suspicion of trespassing and was booked into jail.

 

Saturday, August 31

• At 12:12 p.m. a man identified by police as Randy Childs, Jr. 38, of Oakland was arrested at Bay Fair station in San Leandro on suspicion of making criminal threats, domestic violence and probation violation. He was issued a prohibition order and booked into Santa Rita Jail.

 

Tuesday, September 3

• At 7:30 p.m. a man identified by police as Musheer Loudermilk, 32, of Oakland was arrested at San Leandro station on suspicion of public intoxication and probation violation. He was booked into Santa Rita Jail.

 

Wednesday, September 4

• At 8:49 a.m. a man identified by police as Gregory Minjarez, 20, of Oakland was arrested at Fremont station on a $10,000 shoplifting warrant issued in Oakland. He was booked into Santa Rita Jail.

 

Thursday, September 5

• At 9:23 p.m. a man identified by police as Rudra Mitchell, 28, of Modesto was arrested at Hayward station on suspicion of robbery. He was issued a prohibition order and booked into Santa Rita Jail.

 

 

Robber learns the hard way his victim knew how to box

AP Wire Service

 

CHICAGO (AP) Aug 23 – A man looking to steal a cell phone may want to rethink his ability to size up victims after a woman he tried to rob turned to be a boxer who knows punching below the belt may be illegal in the ring but on the street it's a pretty effective way to stop and opponent.

 

Twenty-six-year-old Golden Gloves champion Claire Quinn says she was walking Sunday in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood when a man sucker punched her from behind and demanded her cell phone.

 

But Quinn fought back.  And even though she was hit hard enough to suffer a concussion, she told the Chicago Tribune that she “kept throwing my right hand into his groin.”

 

Finally, the man ran off.

 

Police confirmed the attack but say no arrests have been made.

 

 

Brask Concerts brings back Jones Gang

Submitted by Wayne Brask

Photos courtesy of Jones Gang

 

On Saturday, September 14, Jones Gang returns to Mission Coffee Roasting Company to deliver high-octane Americana, a blend of country and rock joining in a landscape roaming from gospel revival tents to Irish pubs. Their music ranges from New Orleans to Motown, from the myths of ancient Greece to the red dirt back roads of Waskom Texas.

 

Travis Jones (guitar/vocals) began as a four-year-old gospel singer. Since then, the grown-up Jones has performed in Europe while serving with the army, and spent time in live theater productions. Jones has shared the stage with Waylon Jennings, the Doobie Brothers, and been the lead voice of Houston Jones.

 

Henry Salvia (keyboard) grew up in Detroit and was interested in learning drums until he found the piano was even larger and heavier. He moved to Los Angeles, and then to San Francisco to pursue his music career. Salvia has worked with Bo Diddley, Rickie Lee Jones, Johnny Adams, and Houston Jones.

 

Joshua Zuker (bass) grew up in Connecticut and studied classical composition, jazz performance, and ethnomusicology at Skidmore College in New York. He has worked with Renee Halcourt of Blame Sally, Caren Armstrong, and Houston Jones.

 

Peter Tucker is on drums. Rolling Stone described Tucker as “one of the most creative percussionists to emerge in rock music.” Tucker has been playing drums since the early 60s, and has performed with the Waybacks and Houston Jones.

 

The Jones Gang performs a strong original repertoire that ranges from Bluegrass and folk to Blues and gospel—with more than a little cowboy rock and roll thrown in there.

 

Concert starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15, payments accepted at the door. Please bring cash.

 

Brask Concerts: The Jones Gang

Saturday, September 14

7 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Mission Coffee Roasting Company

151 Washington Blvd., Fremont

www.braskhouseconcerts.com

(510) 623-6920

Tickets: $15

 

 

Judge: Man may sue Calif. DMV over “offensive” license plate

AP Wire Service

 

SAN FRANCISCO (AP), Sep 04 – A federal judge has ruled a soccer fan can sue the Department of Motor Vehicles for allegedly violating his freedom of speech by banning specialty plates that it considered offensive.

 

The San Francisco Chronicle reports U.S. District Judge George Wu of Los Angeles in a ruling Thursday refused to dismiss the lawsuit by Jonathan Kotler, a devoted fan of Britain's Fulham Football Club.

 

Kotler sued the DMV after the agency refused to issue him a license plate lettered “COYW” – short for “Come On You Whites,” the fans' regular chant for their white-jerseyed players.

 

The DMV told Kotler the lettering has “connotations offensive to good taste and decency.”

 

California asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, saying all vehicle license plates constitute government speech. Wu disagreed.

–––

 

Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com

 

 

California governor announces deal to cap rising rent prices

By Kathleen Ronayne

Associated Press

 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP), Aug 30 – California Gov. Gavin Newsom reached a deal with apartment owners and developers Friday on legislation that would cap how rapidly rents can rise as the state grapples with a housing crisis.

 

The deal would cap annual rent increases at 5% plus inflation, with a 10% maximum increase. That's lower than the 7% threshold lawmakers had previously negotiated amid strong resistance from the real estate and development industries. Staff members at Newsom's office shared details of the deal, which is not yet in print.

 

It marks a victory for renters who say they are being priced out as rents rise, though many renters and social justice groups likely want an even stricter proposal. Democratic Assemblyman David Chiu of San Francisco, the bill's author, had made numerous concessions to the real estate and development industries to even get the bill to the state Senate.

 

While the new deal is in renters' favor by lowering the allowable rent increase from 7% to 5%, it changes the exemption for newer properties from those built within the last 10 years to within the last 15. The rent caps would sunset in 2030. The cost of inflation would be determined on a regional basis, meaning it could be a different percentage in San Francisco than in the Central Valley.

 

The proposal still needs to clear the state Legislature, which adjourns for the year in two weeks. But it is likely to pass now that the California Apartment Association and California Building Industry Association have agreed not to fight it, Newsom's office said.

 

“The bill will protect millions of renters from rent-gouging and evictions and build on the Legislature's work this year to address our broader housing crisis,” Newsom, Chiu, and legislative leaders state in a statement.

 

A rent cap is different than rent control, which California law bans on apartments built after 1995 and single family homes. An effort to lift those restrictions failed at the ballot last November. Backers of that ballot measure have threatened to mount another initiative if lawmakers don't act. It wasn't immediately clear if were satisfied with Newsom's proposal, which would not change that state law.

 

California needs to build about 180,000 new homes each year to meet demand for its nearly 40 million people. But the state has averaged 80,000 new homes in each of the past 10 years, according to a report from the California Department of Housing and Community Development.

 

This year, lawmakers proposed a number of bills that would have addressed the crisis. But many of them failed to pass. One high-profile measure by Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener would have overridden local zoning rules to allow for more housing in some areas, including near transit. It failed to get out of the state Senate.

––

Associated Press writer Adam Beam contributed.

 

 

Coastal Cleanup

Submitted by Allison Rodacker

 

Join Clean Water Volunteers on Saturday September 21 for a cleanup of the Castro Valley Creek Trail from Castro Valley Blvd. to the Castro Valley Library. Help beautify your local creek and earn some community service hours.

 

Students, community members and youth groups are welcome. We accept volunteers ages 10 and up; those under age 14 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Meet at the Castro Valley Creek Trail at 9 a.m. next to the KFC at 3625 Castro Valley Blvd. Please park at the adjacent CVS parking lot. Wear work clothes, sturdy shoes, and gloves if you have them. We’ll provide trash pickup gear, tools and loaner gloves. Please bring a refillable water bottle.  Snacks provided!

 

Space is limited: Please sign up by Thursday, September 19.

 

For more information and to sign up, please visit: http://cvcreektrailclean.eventbrite.com. To learn more about the creek trail and San Lorenzo Creek watershed, visit www.friendsofsanlorenzocreek.org.

 

Castro Valley Creek Cleanup

Saturday Sept 21

9 a.m. – 12 noon

3625 Castro Valley Blvd., Castro Valley

Park next to CVS

http://cvcreektrailclean.eventbrite.com

DEADLINE: Thursday, Sept 19

 

 

Florida cat burglar turns out to actually be a cat

AP Wire Service

 

NAPLES, Fla. (AP), Sep 02 – Florida deputies have a cat burglar in custody. Literally, a cat.

 

The Naples Daily News reports Collier County sheriff's deputies responded to a 911 call Saturday about a suspected burglary in progress.

 

A homeowner heard knocking on a sliding door along with meowing. The caller thought the cat sounds were a ruse to try to him or her to open the door.

 

When deputies arrived, they found the culprit was a small cat named Bones. The posted a photo on Facebook of the cat in back of a patrol car poking its head through a barred window.

 

The department said Bones was taking to a county animal shelter for “fur-ther questioning.”

 

 

RISE Program Making a Difference

Submitted by Guisselle Nunez

 

Addressing the significant needs of formerly incarcerated students seeking vocational training or who are planning to transfer, Chabot College's RISE (Restorative Integrated Self-Education) program is making a difference in the lives of an overlooked population. This May, the first time since the program began, 10 RISE scholars graduated with an associate degree.

 

“My goal for the program is to provide formerly incarcerated students, including students who have been impacted by the criminal justice system, an opportunity to move beyond where they are, where they have been, and support them in their efforts to achieve their education and career goals,” said Chabot's Vice President of Academic Services Dr. Stacy Thompson. “I am inspired by the determination of our RISE scholars.”

 

The program, which began in 2016, is part of a 10-partner-consortium that serves between 300 and 400 students. Chabot's RISE makes college an option for low-risk students recently released from the Santa Rita correctional facility. RISE supports students in meeting the educational requirements for Career and Technical Education (CTE) or transfer, and provides wrap-around services through program partner Open Gate, Inc.

 

They also offer mentoring and other Chabot college support services to students through their educational journey and transitional period. RISE students are provided with the time, space, and guidance to explore career paths through educational opportunities. They receive on-campus support through orientation, drug counseling, bus passes, book access, cohort meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays, mentoring, academic advising and leadership development training.

 

RISE participants vary in age and demographic but have one thing in common—the desire to move beyond their past to create a solid future through the power of education. To participate, students must be low-risk parolees released on probation who seek to gain educational or vocational training and are committed to successfully re-entering society. To remain in the program, they must maintain a 2.0 grade point average.

 

Although the program began only two years ago, RISE was recently recognized in the Lumina Foundation's spring 2019 grant report, “Corrections to College—Reversing the School to Prison Pipeline” and Chabot has plans to expand the program to serve more students, begin a women's cohort, offer for-credit classes inside Santa Rita correctional facility and seek funding that will employ a full-time coordinator to better assist RISE scholars.

 

Chabot College

25555 Hesperian Blvd, Hayward

(510) 723-7678

www.chabotcollege.edu/academics/academic-pathways-student-success/rise/

 

 

Northern California’s largest community garden ready to open

Submitted by Jacqui Diaz

 

East Bay gardening enthusiasts are invited to attend a ribbon cutting program to celebrate the opening of the new Hayward Community Garden which is located at Whitman Street and Berry Avenue. Hosted by the Hayward Recreation and Park District (HARD), the 90-minute ceremony is open to the public and starts at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, September 14. Light refreshments will be provided to those attending.

 

Gardening plots are still available to the public. Individuals and community-based groups may apply to rent a plot for a two-year period. Applications and the Community Garden Guidelines are available in English and Spanish at the HARD website at www.HaywardRec.org/gardens or by calling (510) 881-6700.

 

The Hayward Community Garden Renovation project is unique in that Hayward now hosts the largest community garden in Northern California and located within a neighborhood that traditionally held limited gardening opportunities. Another feature is that there are a variety of plot sizes available with the largest being 20 x 20 feet, the equivalent of four standard plots in other gardens. This offers residents and community groups an opportunity to grow a significant quantity of produce.

 

The project was funded by the Measure F1 bond, which was overwhelmingly passed by voters in 2016. This project represents Phase 1 of the Community Garden master plan, which includes 70 garden plots with irrigation, raised beds, a small orchard, shade structure to accommodate outdoor classes, produce counter, seed library, demonstration garden, storage shed, compost, small greenhouse, pathways, and fencing and gates. A zone for community gathering will feature a picnic area with barbeques, a “kiwi tunnel,” and a natural play area.

 

The focus of the Community Garden is celebrating healthy lifestyles and partnerships in the community.

 

Community Garden Opening

Saturday, Sept. 14

10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Whitman St. and Berry Ave., Hayward

(510) 881-6700

www.HaywardRec.org/gardens

 

 

Join police for ice cream and conversation

Submitted by Milpitas PD

 

Community members, students and local business owners are invited to attend a “Cones with Cops” meet-and-greet with members of the Milpitas Police Department.

 

The two-hour event is set for Saturday, September 14 at the Baskin-Robbins store in Foothill Square shopping center. The focus of the informal gathering, which starts at 12 noon, is to let people ask questions, voice neighborhood concerns or even share complaints with local police officers in a relaxed setting.

 

Cones with Cops

Saturday, Sep 14

12 noon – 2 p.m.

Baskin Robbins (Foothill Square Shopping Ctr)

357 Jacklin Rd., Milpitas

Contact: Sgt. Bryan Hinkley (408) 586-2527

 

 

Cougars Report

Submitted by Tim Hess

 

Volleyball

After dropping the first set in a September 5th contest with Balboa (San Francisco), the Lady Cougars varsity volleyball team regrouped and won the final three sets to win the match 3-1.

 

Volleyball Champions of Character

 

Junior Varsity: Celene Amaton:

Even since before the season began, Celene has always had a positive outlook on everything. She never gets down on herself which helps to pick the entire team up. Her relentless positivity inspires all those around her to follow and raises the energy on and off the court.

 

Varsity- Krystal Inoue

Even when she’s not the most confident in herself she always works her hardest to improve. She’s always focused and ready to adjust to whatever instructions are given to her. She’s humble and is always willing to learn or better herself for her teammates.

 

 

 

Cougars Report

Submitted by Tim Hess

 

Volleyball

After dropping the first set in a September 5th contest with Balboa (San Francisco), the Lady Cougars varsity volleyball team regrouped and won the final three sets to win the match 3-1.

 

Water Polo

The Girls Water Polo team competed in the Newark Memorial Cougar Classic Tournament September 6-7. With a record of two wins and one loss – Piedmont: 8-7 (W), Granada: 11-8 (W), James Logan: 15-8 (L) – the Lady Cougars took second place for the second year in a row!

 

Volleyball Champions of Character

 

Junior Varsity: Celene Amaton:

Even since before the season began, Celene has always had a positive outlook on everything. She never gets down on herself which helps to pick the entire team up. Her relentless positivity inspires all those around her to follow and raises the energy on and off the court.

 

Varsity- Krystal Inoue

Even when she’s not the most confident in herself she always works her hardest to improve. She’s always focused and ready to adjust to whatever instructions are given to her. She’s humble and is always willing to learn or better herself for her teammates.

 

 

Lisa Performing Arts represents at World Dance Championships

Submitted by Christina Wang

 

Lisa Performing Arts (LPA) was the only studio in the Fremont area to represent at the World Dance Championships (WDC). The LPA dance team flew out to Meadowlands, NJ where the CEO of WDC announced that “Out of 175,000 dancers and 300 cities around the world including Canada, China, Great Britain, these were the finalists who received the ‘Golden Ticket’ and were selected to compete.” Lisa Performing Arts brought two dances: small group performance “Chinese Opera Girls” and large group “Foxes Under Moonlight.” Both made it into the Final Five Grand Championships and ended up receiving 2nd place runner-up in their category.

 

Team captain Shuhan Jin tells of her experience:

This was one of the most important competitions for my studio this year. When we received a Golden Ticket in the beginning of the year, the team and I were on cloud nine. The rest of the year was a massive amount of preparation for the big event. Then, before I knew it, I’m on a plane headed for New Jersey, only a few days before the big event. It was time for me to go out there and dance like I might not dance ever again.

 

As I stepped through the doors of the competition center, I already had a million butterflies inside my stomach. After all, it is called the “World Dance Championship.” The day before, I pictured a place that would have a serious sort of tone, kind of like soldiers before they go into war. However, it wasn’t like that. In fact, it was the opposite. Everyone, from the other teams to the staff were really kind and supportive.

 

Aside from just the dance competition being beyond amazing, I wouldn’t have had such a great experience if it weren’t for my team. I need to thank Lisa Performing Arts, my family and other parents, and my teammates. Everyone is so supportive of each other, and we always make sure that we help each other when needed. The teachers always push us so we are the best dancers we can be. My teammates have always been there for me, and our friendship has grown so much we’re basically a family now. We love each other with all our hearts. And of course, we couldn’t have accomplished anything without our parents, our biggest supporters.

 

I will never forget WDC and how incredible it was. Thank you to everyone who made it so unbelievably stunning.

 

Lisa Performing Arts strives to spread multicultural awareness through east-meets-west dance fusion styles. LPA has promoted Asian American heritage to the general public by performing and teaching free workshops all around the Bay Area. They also have a professional dance team that performs around the world (recently in Beijing 2018 and Russia 2019) and compete at international dance competitions. Their purpose is to spread the love of the performing arts and leadership empowerment throughout the community and to encourage a healthy lifestyle through a fun activity.

 

LPA offers programs for people aged 3 to adult of all levels. For info or to register for their classes contact 510-565-5852 or lisadance04@yahoo.com or check out their website at http://www.lisadanceusa.com.

 

 

Evening of Empowerment

Submitted by Chao Lee

 

Tri Cities’ domestic violence organization, SAVE (Safe Alternatives to Violent Environments) is inviting the community to its 2019 “Evening of Empowerment Gala” in Fremont’s Paradise Ballrooms from 6 p.m.- 11 p.m. This moving event benefits SAVE’s general fund, which sustains its comprehensive domestic violence service, including a safe house, housing services, crisis and long-term support, counseling, survivor leadership workshops, and youth programs. The Evening of Empowerment is also SAVE’s opening awareness event that leads to October National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a nationwide effort to shed light on the realities of domestic violence within our society.

 

“SAVE serves over 10,000 people each year,” said SAVE’s Executive Director, Dr. Yasi Safinya-Davies, “and we are only able to have this impact because of generous supporters who value peace and humanity.”

 

In its fourth year signature, the 2019 Evening of Empowerment will include a wine welcome and multi-cultural buffet dinner, live and silent auctions, exciting games to win incredible prizes, and live entertainment. SAVE signature awards will also be presented to community members for their outstanding commitment to ending domestic violence! Sponsors of this include: Dr. Lynn Spitler, the Beck Family Foundation, Fremont Police Association, the American Endowment/Grewal Family Charitable fund, and the Randall A. Wolf Family Foundation. To purchase a ticket, learn more about the 2019 Evening of Empowerment, or see a complete list of sponsors, visit SAVE’s website: www. save-dv.org.

 

SAVE is proud to be a recipient of the Sobrato Family Foundation “2:1 Challenge Grant,” a unique grant designed to activate the giving community. For every new or increased dollar gift, the Sobrato Family Foundation will match by $2; this challenges leverages over $150,000 for SAVE. Come to Evening of Empowerment, give more, and help SAVE reach its goal!

 

Evening of Empowerment

Saturday, Sept 21

6 p.m. – 11 p.m.

Paradise Ballroom

4100 Peralta Blvd., Fremont

(510) 574-2252

 

 

Police: Fake cop busted pulling over real detectives

AP Wire Service

 

HICKSVILLE, N.Y. (AP), Aug 17 – Police in the New York City suburbs say they've arrested a fake cop who tried to pull over real detectives.

 

Nassau County police say Valiery Portlock sounded a horn and flashed emergency lights Friday morning as he an attempt to pull over a van in Hicksville, Long Island.

 

The unmarked van turned out to be occupied by detectives from the department's electronics squad.

 

Police say that once the detectives identified themselves and approached his vehicle, the 25-year-old Portlock swerved his Nissan Sentra into oncoming traffic and sped to the Long Island Expressway.

 

Police say highway patrol officers eventually pulled Portlock over and arrested him without incident.

 

He is in custody pending arraignment Saturday on charges including criminal impersonation and reckless endangerment. Court records do not list a lawyer who could comment on his behalf.

 

 

2019 Building Code Update

Submitted by City of Fremont

 

On Thursday, September 19, the City of Fremont will host an informational meeting about changes to the California Building Standards Code, including local fire, building, and green energy code amendments. The 2019 California Building Standards Code becomes effective on January 1, 2020. The public is encouraged to attend the informational meeting to understand what building and fire code changes are forthcoming. For more information, call Building Official Gary West at (510) 494-4413.

 

Building Standards Code information

Thursday, Sept 19

3 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Development Services Center, Niles Conference Room

39550 Liberty St., Fremont

(510) 494-4413

 

 

Ride the Haunted Railroad

Submitted by Jacque Burgess

 

It not too early to announce the Haunted Railroad, happening in October at Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont. Tickets start selling in advance beginning on September 15 at 8 a.m., and they get snapped up very quickly.

 

The Haunted Railroad is a fun, spooky (not scary) ride through the dark forest at Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont. Your family will enjoy the fun, roundtrip ride on the haunted rails of the ghost train.

 

The ride is designed especially for families with children under 12. You will see live actors playing the characters of silly cowboys, pirates, a witch and others—with colorful Halloween inflatables and giant pumpkins in between scenes (nothing will jump out or frighten young children).

 

Trains operate every 30 minutes between 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, and between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. on Sunday nights, on the following two weekends before Halloween: October 18, 19, 20; and October 25, 26, 27.

 

All children must be with an adult. For safety reasons each child under age 3 must be accompanied by a separate adult.

 

NOTE: This ride is very popular. All trains sold out fast last year, so the organizers recommend you purchase tickets as soon as possible when they go on sale. If there are any unsold tickets left, they will be sold at the gate on nights the Haunted Railroad operates beginning at 6:00 p.m. (no tickets will be sold during daytime park hours).

 

Admission is $12 for ages three and older, ages two and under free. Tickets are sold in advance beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday, September 15 on www.eventbrite.com (search for “Haunted Train”). Full details will be on www.eventbrite.com when the tickets go on sale. For general information, call (510) 544-2797, or email info@spcrr.org.

 

The event is a fundraiser for the nonprofit Railroad Museum at Ardenwood, operated in association with East Bay Regional Park District. SPCRR is an all-volunteer nonprofit dedicated to saving historic, wooden, narrow gauge railroad cars built in the Bay Area in the 1800s and early 1900s, especially cars by the Carter Brothers, builders in Newark. Their regular trains operate on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday from April to late November. There is more history information on their website www.spcrr.org and Facebook page www.facebook.com/spcrrMuseum.

 

Ardenwood is located at 34600 Ardenwood Boulevard, just north of Highway 84 in Fremont. Parking is free.

 

Haunted Railroad

Friday – Sunday, Oct 18 – 27

Friday/Saturday: 7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Sunday: 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Ardenwood Historic Farm

34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont

(510) 544-2797

info@spcrr.org

 

 

The University of Alabama

Summer 2019 graduate

• Yanxiao Ma of Milpitas

 

 

CONTINUING EVENTS:

 

Mondays, May 14 – Dec 30

English Conversation Group

1 p.m. – 2 p.m.

Practice spoken English in a friendly environment

Union City Branch Library

34007 Alvarado Niles Rd., Union City

(510) 745-1464

 

Fridays, May 17 – Oct 25

Fremont Street Eats

5 p.m. -10 p.m.

Food trucks, beer, wine, music

Town Fair Plaza

39100 State St., Fremont

fremontstreeteats.com

 

Thursdays, Jun 20 – Sep 19

Fatherhood Class

6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Relationship, parenting, management, job search skills

Fremont Family Resource Center, Pacific Room #H800

39155 Liberty St. (at Capitol), Fremont

(888) 308-1767

www.r3academy.org/fremont

 

Monday – Friday, Jul 30 – Sep 13

Celebrating Wildlife: The Animals of Sulphur Creek

9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Photos of local wildlife

PhotoCentral

1099 E St., Hayward

(510) 881-6721

info@photocentral.org

 

Thursday – Sunday, Aug 9 – Sep 21

Annual Textile Exhibit

12 noon – 5 p.m.

Traditional and contemporary artists

Olive Hyde Art Gallery

123 Washington Blvd., Fremont

(510) 791-4357

www.olivehydeartguild.org

 

Friday – Sunday, Aug 16 – Oct 5

Planet Hayward

11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Eclectic collection of art celebrating “The Heart of the Bay”

Sun Gallery

1015 E St., Hayward

(510) 581-4050

www.sungallery.org

 

Wednesdays, Aug 21 – Oct 30

Citizen Police Academy R

5:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Volunteers train to assist Newark Police

Newark Police Department

37101 Newark Blvd., Newark

(510) 578-4000

(510) 578-4352

beverly.ryans@newark.org

 

Saturdays – Sundays, Sep 1 – Oct 27

Nature Crafts

10 a.m. – 12 noon

Discover the natural world through your artistic side

Sunol Regional Wilderness

1895 Geary Rd., Sunol

(510) 544-3249

www.ebparks.org

 

Saturdays – Sundays, Sep 1 – Oct 27

Wild Wonders

2 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Games, activities, crafts for all ages

Sunol Regional Wilderness

1895 Geary Rd., Sunol

(510) 544-3249

www.ebparks.org

 

Sundays, Sep 1 – Oct 27

Animal Feeding Time

10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Discuss reptiles, observe feeding time

Sunol Regional Wilderness

1895 Geary Rd., Sunol

(510) 544-3249

www.ebparks.org

 

1st & 3rd Sundays, Sep 1 – Oct 20

Sunday Cinema at the Newark Library

2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Enjoy a classic, superhero flick, or 80's film. Sing-a-longs

Newark Branch Library

6300 Civic Terrace Ave., Newark

(510) 284-0684

www.aclibrary.com

 

Sundays, Sep 1 – Oct 19

Dove Gallery “Parables: Art with a Message” Exhibit

12 noon – 3 p.m.

Art inspired by meaningful experiences and deep convictions

Park Victoria Baptist Church

875 S. Park Victoria Dr., Milpitas

(408) 464-5011

dove@parkvictoria.org

 

Tuesdays, Sep 3 – Sep 24

Yoga for Everybody R$

7 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Gain strength, flexibility, and mental focus

Kenneth C. Aitken Center

17800 Redwood Rd., Castro Valley

(510) 881-6738

www.haywardrec.org

 

Fridays, Sep 3 – Nov 5

Fremont Bridge Club

10 a.m.

Open stratified and newcomer games

Bronco Billy’s Pizza – Irvington

41200 Blacow Road, Fremont

(510) 438-0121

www.unit500.org

 

Wednesdays, Sep 4 – Sep 25

Wild Goose Qigong $

9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

Beginning class on mind-body practice

Kenneth C. Aitken Center

17800 Redwood Rd., Castro Valley

(510) 881-6738

www.haywardrec.org

 

Thursdays, Sep 5 – Sep 26

Lap Harp $

1 p.m. – 2 p.m.

Easy to learn lap zither

Kenneth C. Aitken Center

17800 Redwood Rd., Castro Valley

(510) 881-6738

www.haywardrec.org

 

Fridays, Sep 6 – Sep 27

Toddler Ramble $

10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Some Like It Hot! Science experiments for kids ages 1 – 3

Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center

4901 Breakwater Ave., Hayward

(510) 670-7270

www.haywardrec.org

 

Sundays, Sep 8 – Dec 1

Family Friendly Matinee

3 p.m.

Dates: 9/8, 10/6, 11/3, 12/1

Made Up Theatre

4000 Bay St., Suite B, Fremont

(510) 573-3633

www.madeuptheatre.com

 

Mondays, Sep 9 – Dec 17

Advanced Math and Science Tutoring

6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

High school/college level help in math, physics and chemistry

Castro Valley Library

3600 Norbridge Ave., Castro Valley

(510) 667-7900

www.aclibrary.org

 

Friday – Sunday, Sep 13 – Sep 29

The Three Musketeers $

Fri – Sat: 8 p.m. Sun: 2 p.m.

Alexandre Dumas' timeless swashbuckler. Preview Thurs. 9/12, 8 p.m.

Douglas Morrison Theatre

22311 N Third St., Hayward

(510) 881-6777

www.dmtonline.org

 

Mondays & Wednesdays, Sep 16 – Nov 4

Music for Minors II Training

9:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Learn to become a music volunteer

United Church of Christ

38255 Blacow Rd., Fremont

(510) 793-3970

(510) 733-1189

 

Mondays & Wednesdays, Sep 16 – Nov 4

Music for Minors II Training

6:45 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.

Learn to become a music volunteer

Proctor Elementary

17520 Redwood Rd., Castro Valley

www.musicforminors2.org

 

Friday nights

Laugh Track City $

8 p.m.

Fast-paced improv comedy show

Made Up Theatre

4000 Bay St, Suite B, Fremont

(510) 573-3633

https://madeuptheatre.com/

 

Saturday nights

8 p.m.

Audience-inspired improv play

Made Up Theatre

4000 Bay St., Suite B, Fremont

(510) 573-3633

https://madeuptheatre.com/

 

 

THIS WEEK:

 

Wednesday, Sep 11

Music for Minors II Orientation

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Training orientation for docents

Proctor Elementary

17520 Redwood Rd., Castro Valley

www.musicforminors2.org

 

Wednesday, Sep 11

Music for Minors II Orientation

9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Training orientation for docents

Niles Elementary School

37141 2nd St., Fremont

(510) 733-1189

www.musicforminors2.org

 

Thursday, Sep 12

Basic Bookkeeping Workshop R

10 a.m. – 12 noon

Financial statements, accounting types, employee records

Fremont Main Library

2400 Stevenson Blvd., Fremont

(510) 745-1421

www.aclibrary.org

 

Thursday, Sep 12

Music for Minors II Kids Choir Audition

3:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

For 1st – 6th graders. Prepare a capella song

Niles Elementary School

37141 2nd St., Fremont

(510) 733-1189

www.musicforminors2.org/kids-choir

 

Thursday, Sep 12

Special Olympics Fundraiser

6 a.m. – 10 a.m.

Join Fremont PD as they raise funds for their Torch Run

Dunkin' Donuts

5255 Mowry Ave, Fremont

(510) 739-2383

Mleon@fremont.gov

 

Thursday, Sep 12

Startup Grind Meeting R

6:30 p.m.

Sunil Cherian talks about acquisitions and IPO's

Peerbuds Innovation Labs

4580 Auto Mall Pkwy #121, Fremont

https://www.startupgrind.com/fremont/

 

Thursday, Sep 12

Video Game Concert

8:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Intermission Orchestra of Berkeley plays music from anime and video games

San Leandro Main Library

300 Estudillo Ave., San Leandro

(510) 577-3971

www.facebook.com/IntermissionBerkeley/

 

Thursday, Sep 12

Libertarian Party of Alameda County

7:15 – p.m. – 9:15 p.m.

Planning for annual Wine and Liberty event in October

Englander Restaurant

101 Parrott St., San Leandro

(510) 828-2281

 

Thursday, Sep 12

Sunol 4H Kickoff Meeting

7 p.m.

Learn about the club. For boys and girls ages 5-19

Sunol Glen School

11601 Main St., Sunol

(925) 862-2026

www.sunol4h.shutterfly.com

 

Friday, Sep 13

Wheel of Genres $

10 p.m.

Founding Fathers of Made Up Theater perform

Made Up Theatre

4000 Bay St., Suite B, Fremont

(510) 573-3633

www.madeuptheatre.com

 

Friday, Sep 13

Hayward Mariachi Festival

5 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Bands, dancers, kids' activities, outdoor market

Hayward City Hall

777 B St., Hayward

(510) 208-0410

www.hayward.org

 

Friday, Sep 13

Fremont Family Resource Center Anniversary $R

6 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Concert and buffet dinner to benefit resource center

Campo di Bocce

4020 Technology Pl., Fremont

(510) 651-2500

http://www.fremont.gov/228/Family-Resource-Center

 

Friday, Sept 13 – Sunday, Sept 15

Middle Eastern and Greek Food Festival

Friday: 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Saturday: 12 noon – 10 p.m.

Sunday: 12 noon – 8 p.m.

Mediterranean food, dance, live music

St. James Orthodox Church

195 North Main St., Milpitas

(408) 934-1794

www.sjorthodox.org/festival.html

 

Saturday, Sep 14

Old Alvarado Walking Tour

11 a.m.

Discussion of historical buildings

Alvarado Elementary School

31100 Fredi St., Union City

(510) 471-1039

www.museumoflocalhistory.org

 

Saturday, Sep 14

Coffee with a Cop

11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Have a cup of Joe with Newark’s finest

Starbuck’s Coffee

35040 Newark Blvd., Newark

(510) 578-4929

 

Saturday, Sep 14

Tail Wagging Tales

11 a.m. – 12 noon

Come read stories to Bentley, a trained therapy dog

Centerville Library

3801 Nicolet Ave., Fremont

(510) 795-2629

www.aclibrary.com

 

Saturday, Sep 14

The Jones Gang $

7 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Evening of rock, folk, gospel, country

Mission Coffee Roasting House

151 Washington Blvd., Fremont

(510) 474-1004

www.braskhouseconcerts.com

 

Saturday, Sep 14

Second Saturday Author Series

2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Dave Storm reads “Super Holly Hansson in Super Bad Hair Day”

Half Price Books

39152 Fremont Blvd., Fremont

(510) 744-0333

www.cwc-fremontareawriters.org

 

Saturday, Sep 14

Library and Community Learning Center Open House

10 a.m.

Look inside the new main library

Hayward Main Library

888 C St., Hayward

(510) 881-7980

 

Saturday, Sep 14

Global Warming Workshop

9:30 a.m. – 12 noon

Focus on global warming. Snacks provided

Mission Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation

2950 Washington Blvd., Fremont

(510) 490-0200

jgoby@hotmail.com

 

Saturday, Sep 14

Bird Walk: Just Passing On By $

9 a.m. – 12 noon

Search for migrating birds. Ages 12+

Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center

4901 Breakwater Ave., Hayward

(510) 670-7270

www.haywardrec.org/hayshore.html

 

Saturday, Sep 14

Wake Up the Farm

10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Help prepare a snack for the sheep and goats

Ardenwood Historic Farm

34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont

(510) 544-2797

www.ebparks.org

 

Saturday, Sep 14

Fun with Felting

11 a.m. – 12 noon

Make a felt toy to take home

Ardenwood Historic Farm

34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont

(510) 544-2797

www.ebparks.org

 

Saturday, Sep 14

Clothespin Dolls

1 p.m.- 2 p.m.

Create and dress up your doll to take home

Ardenwood Historic Farm

34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont

(510) 544-2797

www.ebparks.org

 

Saturday, Sep 14

Learn the Ropes

2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Make a rope using an antique machine

Ardenwood Historic Farm

34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont

(510) 544-2797

www.ebparks.org

 

Saturday, Sep 14

Community Garden Ribbon Cutting

10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Celebrate opening of the gardens

Hayward Community Gardens

25051 Whitman St., Hayward

(510) 881-7980

www.haywardrec.org/gardens

 

Saturday – Sunday, Sep 14

“Sugar Baby”

Sat. 8:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.; Sun. 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Modern and contemporary jazz performance by Bliss Dance Company

Ohlone College, Dance Studio Room 174

43600 Mission Blvd., Fremont

(510) 659-6258

 

Saturday, Sep 14

Tom Rigney and Flambeau $

7:30 p.m.

Funky band plays New Orleans grooves

Castro Valley Center for the Arts

19501 Redwood Rd., Castro Valley

(510) 889-8961

www.cvartsfoundation.org

 

Saturday, Sep 14

5K Walk for Wellness

9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Exhibit booths, mini-games, raffle

Town Fair Plaza

39100 State St., Fremont

https://www.active.com/fremont-ca/walking/5k-walk-for-wellness-2019

 

Saturday, Sep 14

Storytime with Ms. Reina

11 a.m.

Library theme

Books on B

1014 B St., Hayward

(510) 538-3943

www.booksonb.com

 

Saturday, Sep 14

Meet Author Jen Slumac

11 a.m.

Jen reads from her debut novel “soulnotskin”

Books on B

1014 B St., Hayward

(510) 538-3943

www.booksonb.com

 

Saturday, Sep 14

Documentary Film “The Great Invisible”

1:30 p.m.

A look at the Deep Water Horizon oil spill

Niles Discovery Church of Fremont

36600 Niles Blvd., Fremont

(510) 797-0895

www.nilesdiscoverychurch.org

 

Saturday, Sep 14

National Gymnastics Day

1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Food, face painting, bounce house

Top Flight Gymnastics

5127 Mowry Ave., Fremont

(510) 796-3547

http://www.topflightfremont.net/

 

Saturday, Sep 14

Art Demo

2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Susan Sarti shows how to bring colors and designs together

Adobe Art Center

20395 San Miguel Ave., Castro Valley

(510) 881-6735

www.adobegallery.org

 

Saturday, Sep 14

Cones with Cops

12 noon – 2 p.m.

Ice cream and conversation with Milpitas PD

Baskin Robbins

357 Jacklin Rd., Milpitas

bhinkley@ci.milpitas.ca.gov

 

Saturday, Sep 14

YouTube Celebrity Rachel Fong

2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Author of “Kawaii Sweet World” gives talk and demo

San Leandro Main Library

300 Estudillo Ave., San Leandro

(510) 577-3971

www.sanleandro.org/depts/library

 

Saturday, Sep 14

Fun Family Pancake Breakfast $

8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Bring the family, meet wild critters from Sulphur Creek Nature Center

Hayward Area Senior Center

22325 North Third St., Hayward

(510) 881-6766

www.haywardrec.org

 

Sunday, Sep 15

Volunteer Day: Ohlone Village Site

10 a.m. – noon & 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Help clean, weed and renew the structures and village site. Ages 12+

Coyote Hills

8000 Patterson Ranch Rd., Fremont

(510) 544-3220

www.ebparks.org

 

Sunday, Sep 15

Odd Fellows Summer Concert

1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Gravity+4 and East Bay Youth Orchestra

Memorial Park

24176 Mission Blvd., Hayward

http://www.ci.hayward.ca.us

www.haywardlodge.org

 

Sunday, Sep 15

Leopard Shark Feeding Frenzy R

2 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Help staff feed aquarium residents

Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center

4901 Breakwater Ave., Hayward

(510) 670-7270

www.haywardrec.org/hayshore.html

 

Sunday, Sep 15

Cooking in Country Kitchen

11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Sample food cooked on a wood-burning stove

Ardenwood Historic Farm

34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont

(510) 544-2797

www.ebparks.org

 

Sunday, Sep 15

Corn Mosaics

1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Make a craft using harvested Indian corn

Ardenwood Historic Farm

34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont

(510) 544-2797

www.ebparks.org

 

Sunday, Sep 15

Meet the Chickens

10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Find out where they lay eggs and how they sleep

Ardenwood Historic Farm

34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont

(510) 544-2797

www.ebparks.org

 

Sunday, Sep 15

Baby Boomers Dance $

2 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Wear 60's/70's outfit. Best outfit and dance contest with prizes

Holy Ghost Hall

16490 Kent Ave, San Lorenzo

(510) 329-1705

 

Monday, Sep 16

East Bay Community Energy

7 p.m.

Community Advisory Committee meeting open to the public

Hayward City Hall

777 B St., Hayward

(510) 208-0410

Tuesday, Sep 17

Public Hearing

6:30 p.m.

Transition to a new system of electing governing board members

New Haven Unified School District Office

34200 Alvarado-Niles Road, Union City

(510) 471-1100

(510) 476-2611

 

Tuesday, Sep 17

Weekday Bird Walk

7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Enjoy bird life on a tranquil trail. Bring water, sunscreen and binoculars. Ages 12+

Coyote Hills

8000 Patterson Ranch Rd., Fremont

(510) 544-3220

 

Tuesday, Sep 17

Academia De Tango Argentino

6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Lecture and Demonstration of Tango

San Leandro Main Library

300 Estudillo Ave., San Leandro

(510) 577-3971

www.sanleandro.org/depts/library

 

Wednesday, Sep 18

Glass Blowing Demonstration R

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Audience ideas welcome. Finished items available for viewing and purchase. Not suitable for young children

Erickson Arts

33449 Western Ave., Union City

(510) 579-5209

 

Wednesday, Sep 18

Embrace the Artist Within You R

6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Mind, body, spirit gathering for women. Adults only

Fremont Family Resource Center, Pacific Room #H800

39155 Liberty St. (at Capitol), Fremont

(888) 308-1767

(510) 578-8680

Shailajad@save-dv.org

 

Wednesday, Sep 18

Toddler Time

10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Hear a story, do some chores, meet some farm animals

Ardenwood Historic Farm

34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont

(510) 544-2797

www.ebparks.org

 

Thursdays, Sep 19 – Oct 24

T'ai Chi Chih: Joy Through Movement $R

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Class size limited. Register by 9/13

Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose

43326 Mission Blvd., Fremont

(510) 933-6335

(510) 933-6360

 

Sunday, Sep 22

The “Other” Gospel People $R

2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Ministering inside California's penal system.

Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose

43326 Mission Blvd., Fremont

(510) 933-6335

(510) 933-6360

Register by 9/16

 

 

Football

Trojans JVs overpower Vikings JV squad

Submitted and photos by Mike Heightchew

 

The Irvington Vikings Junior Varsity were blanked on September 6th by the Junior Varsity Trojans of Castro Valley, 40-0. The lopsided score was indicative of the Trojans’ strength on both offense and defense.

Sense of hope for UPRR Greenway Trail

 

A recent editorial in Tri-City Voice discussed the seminal book by Rachel Carson, Silent Spring. The 1962 book addresses the environmental effects of contaminants in our water supplies, housing, cookware, and other products. The issue of environmental contamination hits home right here in Fremont. Per Proposition 65, the city needs to address the potential of arsenic, lead and benzene contaminants along a 1.7-mile easement, the abandoned Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) line that runs right through the heart of Fremont.

 

It's part of the East Bay Greenway Trail, first proposed in 1974, which will run from Oakland through Hayward and onward to Milpitas. In Fremont, a 1.7-mile segment of abandoned UPRR line runs from Alameda Creek near Vallejo Mill Elementary School to Central Park near Paseo Padre Pkwy. Plans from 2008–2009 (bit.ly/2Wovwx1 and bit.ly/2K6r7bv) estimated that the Greenway Trail would cost $17 million. The city council spent $300,000 for three feasibility studies which occurred in 2008, 2016 and 2018. The city negotiated a deal with UPRR in 2018, to purchase the easement for only $3 million. Compare that to the $230 million ACTC expects to spend to purchase 17 miles of easement between Oakland and South Hayward.

 

Earlier this year, city attorney Harvey Levine withdrew from the 2018 agreement, citing concerns about utility easements and the noise and dust from thousands of truckloads of soil to be removed. However, we understand that the real issue is contamination of the easement. The city has yet to notify residents alongside the easement of the specific risks, as required by state law (Proposition 65). The law requires that residents be warned of the presence of toxic substances like airborne lead, asbestos and benzene. The city and UPRR have made no provision for the cost of the cleanup.

 

The city ought to be forward-thinking and proactive. It should require environmental cleanup, and construct the long-planned north–south multi-use trail along the UPRR easement. The city claims 100,000 cubic yards (10,000 truckloads) could be removed from the Greenway Trail, equivalent to digging a trench six ft deep, 70 ft wide and 1.7 miles long. The excavation would serve no purpose, except to remove contaminants. The 2009 study called for removing only the top layer, or 10,000 cubic yards. According to the 2009 study, asphalt pavement (12-ft wide) would cap any potential contamination. The 2018 cleanup of the brickyard in Niles Canyon should serve as an example. It addressed petroleum distillates that were observed to be leaking into Alameda Creek. The oily sheen was a threat to the ACWD water supply and to Quarry Lakes.

 

The city and UPRR should proceed with the clean-up of the abandoned UPRR easement, to keep contaminants from leaching into our groundwater. Because of the potential environmental impact, the 1.7-mile cleanup needs a sense of urgency similar to the cleanup in Niles Canyon. At the same time, the UPRR cleanup should have a sense of hope—because of the benefits of multi-use paths for active transportation, public health and public safety.

 

1. Yragui

co-founder

Mission Peak Conservancy

 

 

Letter to the Editor

The poop problem at Maloney

 

I have noticed excessive dog poop at Tom Maloney Elementary School; dog walkers are walking their dogs after school hours and do not pick up the dog poop. They may not know where their dog is pooping since they are letting them run unleashed.

 

When I went to drop my child off at Tom Maloney Elementary school, I saw another young child stepping in it without knowing. Diseases like Parvo are easily transmittable via feces. It's harmful for the environment. Dogs can harbor lots of viruses, bacteria and parasites — including harmful pathogens like e coli, giardia and salmonella. These bacteria and parasites can actually linger in the soil for years.

 

Diseases from dog poop are not the only reason dog waste is harmful. Feces in the water supply contributes nutrients that lead to overgrowth of harmful algae and weeds, killing fish and other wildlife.

 

As a highly concerned parent, I called the Fremont police. The operator informed me that they do not have enough staff to cite dog walkers.

 

How can someone be so irresponsible and not pick up after dogs in an educational environment where there are so many young children?

 

Hyacinth Punitharajah

Fremont

 

 

Letter to the Editor

Environmental concerns

 

The publisher’s editorial (Tri-City Voice 8/27/19), “A Silent Spring?” was a timely testament that environmental concerns are not new. Author of “Silent Spring”, Rachel Carson expressed deep fears of a chemical Armageddon on our Earth. Such fears are as relevant today, probably more so.

 

I have read Silent Spring and sadly, the prolific unregulated greed of the worldwide chemical industrial complex continues to pollute for profit; demand drives the market. A lazy public has cultivated a zero-tolerance toward nature’s bounty of wild herbs (weeds). The common reluctance to pull a weed by hand or spade has spurred the development of the awesome weed-killer, glyphosate. The herbicide glyphosate is now a declared “cancer-causing agent” (World Health Organization). It is also suspect in the worldwide “honeybee colony collapse.” No bees, no honey!

 

Unfortunately, weeds sprayed with glyphosate continue to poison any animal, bird or insect that may be exposed by contact with the chemical. Have the Monarch Butterflies met their fate because of glyphosate? In Hayward, for the last five years, we have been sprayed (fumigated) almost on a nightly basis by small aircraft to eradicate the non-native West Nile Virus species of mosquito.

 

Again, this summer, there have been fewer butterflies, ladybugs and no singing crickets on warm nights in our neighborhood. It is useless to plant a garden if you live beneath the spray-targeted corridor, as the aerosol insecticide being dropped also acts as a bleaching defoliant to plant and tree leaves. They wither and die. However, spider colonies in every shrub and tree seem to thrive.

 

I hope to hear that the Amazon rainforests have stopped burning. A news report said that fumigation spraying will soon begin around the Sacramento area “to eradicate the recently discovered non-native Zika virus mosquito.

 

Mary Gomez

Hayward

 

 

Letter to Editor

Homeless Navigation Center

 

In January 2016, the Fremont City Council endorsed the Fremont Charter for Compassion. The burden of city leadership in the area of homelessness has been heavy since the 2019 homeless count revealed an increased number of people living in our parks and on our streets. The council can do the right thing and show moral leadership by approving the Homeless Navigation Center (HNC) in September.

 

A recent survey in Alameda County showed that over 80 percent of us thought that the homeless situation could be improved. Although some residents are fearful of the HNC, the silent majority recognizes that we must act compassionately to help the unhoused in Fremont. State grant money is available now and the city owns land on which to build. The police chief has stated that the HNC will make the city safer for all. Our goal is to alleviate suffering by helping people transition into permanent housing.

 

Now is the time to act on the problem of limited housing supply and high rents. Most homeless people are senior citizens, disabled people, veterans, or families. Some of them have jobs, but don’t earn enough money to afford a place to live. The HNC will offer a clean, safe, calm environment and the support they need to solve their problems. Bay Area Community Services has succeeded in this endeavor in Berkeley.

 

We pledged to be a compassionate city, and now we must act on that pledge by supporting the most vulnerable among us. We encourage the city council to implement the HNC to show that in Fremont, we express compassion through deeds, not just words.

 

Sr. MarieAnnette Burkart

Compassion Network

 

 

Middle Eastern and Greek Food Festival

 

St. James Orthodox church offers the best of two culinary worlds at their 14th annual “Middle Eastern and Greek Food Festival,” happening Friday, September 13 – Sunday, September 15. Whether you’re a fan of food, dance, or live music, you’ll find something to savor.

 

This year’s food lineup includes a range of dishes from appetizers to desserts. Start off with dolma (grape leaves stuffed with beef and rice), falafel (fried ground chickpeas and fava beans), Greek salad, or garlic fries. Entrees include beef and chicken kabobs, gyros, chicken shawarma, and veggie plate. Finally, desserts showcase the sweetness of Mediterranean baking: baklava (fried dough stuffed with honey and nuts), knefeh (shredded dough stuffed with cheese and topped with syrup), and loukoumades (deep-fried dough balls dipped in syrup).

 

Entertainment on all three days includes debkeh dance performances from St. James Church, and live Arab and Greek music from singers such as Ashur Dawood & Radwan and the Kymata. For those interested in the religious side of the festival, tours of the church will take place Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. This year’s raffle drawing for a Honda Accord will take place at 8 p.m. on Sunday, so if you buy a ticket, make sure you stay until the end!

 

Admission is free. Take a photo or screenshot of your ticket at http://www.sjorthodox.org/festival-admission.html.

 

Middle Eastern and Greek Food Festival

Friday, Sept 13 – Sunday, Sept 15

Friday: 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Saturday: 12 noon – 10 p.m.

Sunday: 12 noon – 8 p.m.

St. James Orthodox Church

195 North Main St., Milpitas

(408) 934-1794

www.sjorthodox.org/festival.html

 

 

East Bay native takes marines to the fight aboard U.S. Navy warship

Submitted by Lt. Sandra Niedzwiecki, U.S. Navy

 

Seaman Jovan Glover, a native of Hayward, wanted the opportunity to move away and see the world. Now, one and a half years later, Glover serves aboard one of the Navy’s amphibious ships at Naval Base San Diego.

 

“Life aboard USS Essex is exciting: I get to meet new people, I get to work outside of my rate and learn new jobs that are important to the mission,” said Glover, a 2017 graduate of Mount Eden High School. Glover is a yeoman aboard the USS Essex, one of four Wasp-class amphibious assault ships in the Navy. It is homeported in San Diego.

 

“I am an admin clerk, I process correspondence, awards, evals, and directive for the ship,” Glover said. Glover credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned while living in Hayward. “I have learned that it is important to be patient,” Glover said, adding that, “It is important to be respectful to others. Many of my shipmates come from other backgrounds and nationalities.”

 

Essex is designed to deliver U.S. Marines and their equipment where they are needed to support a variety of missions ranging from amphibious assaults to humanitarian relief efforts. Designed to be versatile, the ship has the option of simultaneously using helicopters, Harrier jets, and Landing Craft Air Cushioned (LCAC), as well as conventional landing craft and assault vehicles in various combinations.

 

Sailors' jobs are highly varied aboard Essex. More than 1,000 men and women make up the ship's crew, which keeps all parts of the ship running smoothly, from handling weaponry to maintaining the engines. An additional 1,200 Marines can be embarked. “The Marines are always ready for the mission at hand,” Glover said.

 

Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community, and career, Glover is most proud of learning his rate to its fullest potential. “I am becoming a highly skilled yeoman, it is an important rate, and I am dedicated to knowing my job well and doing a good job,” Glover said. “I am most proud of knowing my rate so well because we are often the ones who are overlooked on the ship.”

 

As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Glover and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes contributing to the Navy the nation needs. “Upholding our core values of honor, courage, and commitment is what serving in the Navy means to me,” Glover said.

 

 

Milpitas Police Log

Submitted by Sgt. Steve Parodi, Sgt. Tyler Jamison and Det. Kevin Jackson, Milpitas PD

 

Tuesday, August 27

• At about 7 a.m. officers responded to a report about a residential burglary on the 1400 block of Currant Drive. Someone had entered an open garage door and taken a $1,700 bicycle. On the same day, a resident on the 200 block of Garden Street made an online report of a package theft. In both cases officers were able to get surveillance camera footage and determined that the same person was responsible for the burglary and package theft. Officers shared the footage with other area law enforcement agencies. Officers from the Santa Clara Police Department and the Alameda Police Department were quickly able to identify the suspect as Patricia De Abreu, of San Jose. Milpitas Police Detectives located De Abreu at her home and took her into custody. She was booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail.

 

• At 8:13 a.m. officers responded to a report about a burglary alarm activation at Bowlero, 1287 S. Park Victoria Drive. They found an open door, but nobody inside. Surveillance video showed a male entering the closed bowling alley through an unlocked door and taking food and alcohol. Officers recognized the suspect as Italo Paez-Alvarez, 29, a local transient. At 11:36 a.m. the next day officers responded to a burglary report at Milpitas Dental Center, 1101 S. Park Victoria Drive. Surveillance footage showed a suspect taking a laptop computer. Officers identified him as Paez-Alvarez and began a search. He eventually was found at 2:10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29 near Seasons Marketplace on Landess Avenue. He was arrested for both burglaries and booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail. After being released from jail, Paez-Alvarez returned to the area and was found in possession of the laptop taken from Milpitas Dental Center. He was arrested for a second time and booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of possessing stolen property.

 

Monday, September 2

• At 6:26 p.m. an officer located an unoccupied 2015 Mercedes C25 reported stolen to the CHP in the parking lot of the Great Mall of the Bay Area. Eventually, officers saw a man—later identified as Javon Deshawn Williams, 20, of Richmond—enter the vehicle and drive away. Officers attempted to make a vehicle stop, but Williams fled the area a high rate of speed. Officers used a device to deflate the vehicle tires forcing Williams stop the car on Interstate 880 near Brokaw Road. After a brief foot pursuit, Williams was taken into custody. A check showed he had a felony arrest warrant for a parole violation associated with a prior robbery. He was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle, resisting and evading arrest and the outstanding warrant.

 

Wednesday, September 4

• At 6:08 p.m. officers responded to a call from a resident about a suspicious person in their residential backyard. The person apparently stole a bicycle but was gone by the time officers arrived. About two hours later an officer at the Great Mall of the Bay Area remembered the suspect’s description and found him in the mall parking lot, about three miles from where the bicycle theft occurred. Officers stopped the suspect and identified him as Toan Pham Khanh Le, 26, of San Jose. He was arrested and the stolen bicycle was returned to the resident. Le was booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of theft, prowling, possession of a controlled substance, probation violation and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

 

 

Milpitas City Council

September 3, 2019

 

Pledge of Allegiance was led by the Boy Scouts Troop 92

 

Proclamations:

• Proclaimed September 2 – 6 as National Payroll Week
• Proclaimed September as Pain Awareness Month
• Proclaimed September 8 – 12 as Suicide Prevention Week

 

Consent Calendar:

• Adopted Ordinance relating to Parking Time Limited on Certain Enumerated Streets.
• Adopted Ordinance relating to temporary public safety facilities.
• Adopted a resolution approving the Green Stormwater Infrastructure Plan.
• Authorized Subdivision Improvement Agreement with Toll West Coast LLC.
• Approved the conceptual plan for Sandalwood Park Renovation.
• Authorized FY 2020 Office of Traffic Safety Selective Traffic Enforcement Program Grant.
• Approved applications for Hangeul Day on September 19, 2019 at Milpitas Library and Mid-Autumn Festival at SJCC Milpitas Extension on September 28, 2019.
• Authorized Mayor’s response letter to the 2018-2019 Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury Final Report “Inquiry into the Governance of the Valley Transportation Authority.”

 

Public Hearings:

• Conducted a Public Hearing and Approved the City of Milpitas 2019 Public Health Goals Report on Water Quality.
• Initiated a Public Hearing on the Draft FY 2018-2019 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)’s Consolidated Annual Performance Evaluation Report (CAPER). The hearing will be continued at the next Council meeting.
• Initiated a Public Hearing on the Summary Vacation of an Existing Public Service and Utility Easement at 1646 Centre Pointe Drive. The hearing will be continued at the next Council meeting.

 

Rich Tran (Mayor)                              Aye

Karina Dominguez (Vice Mayor)       Absent

Carmen Montano                                Aye

Bob Nunez                                          Aye

Anthony Phan                                     Absent

 

 

Man reunites with $23K found in recycling sorting facility

AP Wire Service

 

EUREKA, Calif. (AP), Aug 04 – A man who accidentally tossed $23,000 into the recycling bin reunited with his life savings Saturday after a worker at a recycling facility in Northern California spotted a shoebox stuffed with money.

 

When the man from Ashland, Oregon, realized his mistake on Thursday, the recycling bin had already been emptied into a truck bound for the Recology sorting facility in Humboldt County.

 

The facility's general manager told the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat most of the recyclables from the truck had been sorted by the time the man contacted Recology. Workers were nonetheless told to be on the lookout for the box.

 

Someone spotted the box down the sorting line Friday and recovered all but $320. The money somehow stayed in the box during the 200-mile trip to the facility.

New mixed-use development

Submitted by City of Fremont

 

Construction has started on a new mixed-use development at the corner of Walnut Avenue and Liberty Street in Downtown Fremont. The project at 3515 Walnut Avenue will feature 275 market-rate apartments, 2,245 square feet of ground floor retail space, and a six-story parking garage. Studios, one-bedroom units, and two-bedroom units ranging in size from 556 to 1,429 square feet will wrap around the parking garage on a 2.84-acre lot.

 

The project meets the goals of the city’s Downtown Community Plan, which calls for focusing housing close to transit. The mixed-use development is roughly half a mile from the Fremont BART Station and close to AC Transit bus lines and several major retailers. Once complete, the project will help create the vibrant, pedestrian-oriented downtown envisioned in the Community Plan. Construction is expected to last two years, with an anticipated completion date of summer 2021.

 

 

Coffee and conversation with a cop

Submitted by Newark PD

 

Community members, students and local business owners in Newark are invited to a meet-and-greet “Coffee with a Cop” event on Saturday, September 14 in Newark. Sponsored by the Newark Police Department, the 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. event will be at Starbuck’s Coffee on Newark Boulevard.

 

The informal gathering is designed to let people ask questions or voice neighborhood concerns with members of the Newark Police Department in a relaxed setting. Admission is free and open to the public.

 

Coffee with a Cop

Saturday, Sept 14

11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Starbuck’s Coffee

35040 Newark Blvd., Newark

(510) 578-4929

 

 

Newark Days Fun

By Charlene Dizon

Photos by Filip Nowak

 

Carnivals and parades bring communities both big and small together, time and time again. The appeal of bright lights, thrilling rides, tasty food, and live music are enough to gather many each year. Newark Days will be the exact epitome of this enticement, as the town assembles in celebration of Newark’s 64th birthday from Thursday, September 19 – Sunday, September 22.

 

Originally known as the Newark Birthday Celebration, the first parade was held in 1955. The celebration was initially a weekend-only event, consisting of merely the parade itself, and by the end of the 60s, it had become a much more subtle, smaller commemoration. Thankfully, when Newark resident Shirley Sisk volunteered to reignite the celebration, several other townspeople agreed and were more than eager to take part in not only bringing back the birthday of Newark, but celebrating it in full swing. The Newark Birthday Celebration became known as Newark Days and flourished into the action-packed four-day weekend event many are familiar with today.

 

This year’s theme, Heroes Are Super, was inspired by the definition of heroes and the variety of heroes that exist today. Sisk states, “There are so many heroes that walk amongst us. Heroes aren’t just Wonder Woman and Batman but firefighters, teachers, nurses, military, and many others.” The Newark Days Parade, happening September 21st, will highlight veterans. Several school clubs, Newark Memorial High School band, and many other local associations will also participate. Parade members put great detail into their floats, decorating and adorning them with pride in their organizations. Celebrating heroes of all kinds is certain to uplift and strengthen the appreciation of attendees who watch the parade march from Newark Boulevard to Cedar Boulevard.

 

For those who wish to start the celebration early, the 35th annual Newark Mile 4K will be held before the parade begins. Individuals, families, and friends can run together; participants will receive a Newark Mile T-shirt, medal, and possible raffle prizes. “We also decided to add something new this year and hold a 50-meter kiddie race for kids 7 and under,” Sisk adds. Once the parade and race are complete, fun at the carnival begins.

 

Newark Days attendees will be greeted by vibrant lights from an assortment of rides, large crowds waiting in line to purchase tickets or admire various booths, and the instant smell of funnel cake. “We have all types of food like corn on the cob, funnel cake, waffle puffs, and even Indonesian food,” Sisk states. Booths of all kinds are open, from game booths with numerous prizes to booths showcasing artwork. Contests such as finding money in a haystack maze are also available for children. Friends and families are welcome to hop on rides such as the Ferris wheel, where they can enjoy the sight of the carnival from a bird’s eye view, or the Zipper, where riders are certain to laugh and shriek from its fast-paced motion. Live musical entertainment featuring everything from a mariachi band to singing duos will also be present. “We always try to make sure that the audience and attendees feel as involved and welcomed as possible,” says Sisk.

 

The annual presence of Newark Days is refreshingly authentic and unforgettable to the town. Fair visitors range from Newark locals to those from farther areas like Pleasanton and Palo Alto. Whether one merely attends or volunteers in clean-up, taking part in Newark Days is an experience that leaves a positive mark on both the community and individuals. “This event has grown so much. We have a board of thirty dedicated members who work hard to organize and put together the parade and the carnival. We’ve had as many as 161,000 people attend the fair. We didn’t have everything before. We just grew and grew,” Sisk gratefully states. The 2019 Newark celebration will undeniably be another successful and sensational event for all to adore and appreciate.

 

For more information or to volunteer, visit https://www.newarkdays.org/index.php or call (510) 793-5683.

 

Newark Days Carnival

Thursday – Sunday, Sept 19 – 22

35501 Cedar Blvd., Newark

(510) 793-5683

https://www.newarkdays.org/index.php

 

Newark Mile

Saturday, Sept 21

Check-in 7 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.; 9 a.m. race begins

Register at: http://www.cxc4l.org/newarkmile/registration.html

Fee: $15 per person

 

Carnival Schedule:

Thursday, Sept 19: 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. (special fee of $1 per ride)

Friday, Sept 20: 5 p.m. – 11 p.m.

Saturday, Sept 21: 12 noon – 11 p.m.

Sunday, Sept 22: 12 noon – 10 p.m.

 

 

Presbyterian church celebrates 125 years

By Johnna M. Laird

 

Every week, somewhere in America, between 100 and 200 churches shut their doors, but a local

Newark church is bucking that trend. First Presbyterian Church of Newark is celebrating 125 years since its founding.

 

“These days, churches seem to be falling like flies,” says Bruce Schlobohm, a church elder recently tasked with assembling the church’s history, which he expects to take several years. “The ability of a church to stay together for a length of time has a certain amount of remarkability.”

 

According to Schlobohm’s research, Rev. Dr. E.S. Chapman of Centerville Presbyterian recognized Newark’s need for a church and helped organize First Presbyterian in 1894. The first church meeting was held September 17 that year. Eleven members attended, including familiar Tri-City names: Haley, Graham, Hafner, Mueller, Blacow, Ross, Brown, Stevenson and Smith. Until dedicating its first building in 1895 at Olive and Thornton Avenue, the church met in a lodge hall with Sunday School in rooms behind a saloon located where Newark Pavilion now stands. By 1924, church membership increased to 64. First Presbyterian prospered, becoming the first area Presbyterian church to afford a full-time minister in 1937. By 1945, First Presbyterian had elected a woman elder, Evangeline Mueller, one of the first churches to do so.

 

Four years after Newark officially became a city, church membership swelled to 175. By 1963, membership rose to 300 members—200 added between 1960 and 1963. The church was outgrowing its building. First Presbyterian purchased nine-and-a half-acre site at Cedar and Newark Boulevards in 1964 and a new church on that site was dedicated two years later. September 25, 1966, marked the last Thornton church service, but the church bell, purchased by drama club members through fundraisers in 1923, rests on the front lawn at Cedar and Newark Boulevards, a symbol of church history. Sadly, fire gutted the new sanctuary in 1978 during a burglary, but services continued in a nearby community center during repairs.

 

Church steadfastness stems in part from the church environment. Michael Marzano, a 30-year member and one of three trustees responsible for managing business affairs, describes the church as “an open, warm place where everyone is welcome.”

 

Jean Ficklin attests to that. She has attended the church since the first Sunday in January 1964. She came because the first person to speak to her husband when the couple moved to Newark was the church pastor, the Rev. John Wilson, who issued them an invitation. That Sunday and many afterward, the Ficklins were the only African-American family in the church. After the Ficklins’ first service, two choir members noticed Jean’s experienced singing voice and promptly recruited her. She sang with the choir for the next five years, before becoming a church elder.

 

As part of First Presbyterian’s celebration, Ficklin will present her journey of faith at the 9:30 service on September 15. Organizer of the Afro-American Cultural and Historical Society serving the Tri-Cities and Hayward, Ficklin established the first Tri-City Dr. Martin Luther King birthday remembrance. All 40 of the annual events—the second Sunday in January—have been held at First Presbyterian, which opens its doors to local organizations and to churches unable to afford buildings.

 

Church members value community involvement, supporting organizations like Abode and Viola Blythe, and outreach to homeless people. After Hurricane Katrina, with a number of Ficklin’s family members in New Orleans having lost everything, First Presbyterian’s outreach provided generous financial support. “Our mission in the church is to love God and live out our mission through actions in the community,” explains elder Jen McClure. “There’s a real intention to help people in a variety of ways. . .there’s something happening throughout the week involving the 130 member-families.”

 

This month, the Rev. Garrett Yamada celebrates his tenth year as First Presbyterian minister. “In many ways, it was unusual for a mainly Caucasian church to select an ethnic pastor… I am Asian-American; the normal situation is that I would pastor an Asian church,” says Yamada, who studied to become a plant scientist before being drawn to ministry and served in an Asian church before coming to Newark. “I love being here in this setting. It fits who I am.” First Presbyterian today resembles the early church. “This is a church where so many people are willing to serve. Some people serve up front but most serve behind the scenes. I have been in some churches where the pastor is expected to do everything. This is not that type of church,” Yamada says.

 

 “There’s a lot of love in the church,” says Ficklin, often referred to as church matriarch. “A lot of respect. The church is not the building. The church is the people.”

 

Special Anniversary Commemoration Service

Sunday, Sept 15

 9:30 a.m.

(Celebration in the Fellowship Hall to follow)

4 p.m. “Ring & Sing” Concert

 

Sunday September 22

Community BBQ & Potluck & Big Band Concert with Oasis

(will coincide with Newark Days)

 

35450 Newark Blvd, Newark

(510) 797-8811

www.newarkpres.org

 

 

Fremont News Briefs

Submitted by Cheryl Golden

 

Temporary Housing Navigation Center

At the Special City Council Meeting on Tuesday, September 10 starting at 5:30 p.m., the Fremont City Council will discuss information prepared by city staff for its consideration of a possible temporary Housing Navigation Center development at either the city hall site or Decoto site. The information includes project plans and cost analysis for a temporary navigation center development at either site, public safety considerations and a summary of community outreach efforts.

 

The council is being asked to select either the city hall or Decoto site as the final site for the temporary navigation center development, approve the temporary Housing Navigation Center project design, appropriate funds, and authorize the city manager to enter into a services contract with Bay Area Community Services (BACS) to implement the temporary Housing Navigation Center program—or provide staff with further direction regarding site selection.

 

The staff report is available online at http://fremontcityca.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_Meeting.aspx?ID=1691. The meeting will be held at Fremont City Hall, 3300 Capitol Avenue, Building A, in the Council Chambers. For more information about the temporary Housing Navigation Center visit www.Fremont.gov/NavigationCenter.

 

Resources to Assist Homeless Population

Homelessness is a continuing challenge for the City of Fremont and the broader Bay Area. In Alameda County alone, there were 8,022 individuals counted as homeless in 2019, a 43 percent increase from 5,629 in 2017.

 

The city has several resources available to address the situation directly, starting with the Bay Area Community Services (BACS) Wellness Center. BACS center serves the growing homeless population with basic amenities, such as showers, meals, and free medical care, as well as housing and career related resources like wellness groups and 1:1 counseling.

 

While BACS has been operating in Fremont for 40 years, its new wellness center, which opened in November 2018, has several additional services made possible with recent city funding including housing navigator and more peer counselors. Flexible funds from the city to BACS are also used for housing deposits, first and last month’s rent, and titrated housing subsidies. These funds have transitioned 22 individuals into permanent stable housing. To learn more about the work that the BACS Wellness Center does, visit www.Fremont.gov/BACSClientVideos.

 

Another resource available is the city’s recently published homeless newsletter, which is available online at www.Fremont.gov/HomelessNewsletter. The newsletter provides updates on several efforts underway including the Mobile Hygiene Unit, which is set to launch later this month and will provide shower and laundry services from its 50-foot truck and trailer; Mobile Evaluation Team that consists of law enforcement personnel and social workers who provide support to community members with mental illnesses, some of whom are homeless; and Fremont Family Resource Center, which offers a host of services such as childcare, counseling, housing information, SparkPoint financial services, and more.

 

To learn more about how you can get involved and find additional resources, visit www.Fremont.gov/HomelessResources.

 

Temporary Town Fair Plaza Closing this Month

Fremont will be closing the temporary Town Fair Plaza in mid-September to make way for the construction of the Downtown Event Center and Plaza, which is Phase 1 of the Civic Center project. Upcoming community events including Fremont Street Eats (September 20 – October 25), Downtown Movie Night (September 20), and Trick-or-Treat on Downtown Safety Street (October 18) will relocate along Capitol Avenue between Liberty Street and State Street.

 

The Town Fair Plaza was created as a temporary community space to pilot event ideas and concepts that Fremont residents brainstormed and showed interest in. Feedback from these events will be incorporated into the future permanent one-acre downtown plaza and 13,400-square-foot downtown event center. The upcoming Downtown Event Center and plaza will facilitate the programmatic needs of Fremont’s culturally diverse and innovative community and feature an alley for food trucks and a garden breakout space under a tree canopy for sports, concerts, markets, and maker fairs.

 

While construction is underway, event activation will continue to take place in Downtown Fremont as we identify alternative locations and opportunities for additional programming.

 

Watch Movies Under the Stars

Join the city’s Recreation Services Division on Friday, September 20 for the final Summer Movie Under the Stars. Captain Marvel will be shown after sunset at the Town Fair Plaza in Downtown Fremont on Capitol Avenue and State Street. The movie is PG-13 and is free to attend. Grab some blankets, low beach chairs, and a picnic dinner and enjoy a great flick with family and friends! For more details, visit www.Fremont.gov/MovieNight.

 

Coastal Cleanup Day

Participate in California Coastal Cleanup Day, the state’s largest volunteer event, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 noon Saturday, September 21, along various sites in Fremont to help clean our local beaches and waterways. Last year the statewide cleanup brought over 65,000 volunteers out and removed over 600,000 pounds of trash and recyclables. This trash is not only harmful to people, it’s also bad for the birds, mammals, and fish.

 

For more information and to register for the annual California Coastal Cleanup Day, visit www.Fremont.gov/CoastalCleanupDay.

 

 

Oakland Zoo animals become video ambassadors

Submitted by Isabella Linares

Photos by Christina Simmons

 

An unusual collection of animals from Oakland Zoo, including a lesser tenrec, box turtle and even a blue-tongued skink, were part of a recent celebration at the George Mark Children’s House in San Leandro to mark the arrival of San Diego Zoo Kids, a closed-circuit television adventure channel. The innovative television channel features programs produced primarily for medical facilities, like George Mark Children’s House, a pediatric palliative care center that serves children and their families.

 

“It is such a pleasure every day to provide our critically ill children with delightful experiences,” said Kathy Hall, Ph.D., founder and staff psychologist of George Mark Children's House, the first independent pediatric palliative care center in the United States. “After watching the special bond that our children create with visiting zoo and therapy animals, we know how much they will enjoy the San Diego Zoo Kids channel. It will give them, and their families, a wonderful opportunity to further explore the world of animals. We want to express our enthusiastic appreciation to Denny Sanford for making this programming possible. Warm thanks also to our local partner, the Oakland Zoo, for providing animals for this event.”

 

The creation and development of the channel has been funded by businessman and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford. In 2017, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) awarded San Diego Zoo Global an outstanding Museums for America grant to bring San Diego Zoo Kids to 75 children’s hospitals and Ronald McDonald House Charities facilities across the nation over the next three years. The generous grant from IMLS made the channel available on television monitors at George Mark Children’s House.

 

Programs on the San Diego Zoo Kids channel are produced primarily for medical facilities that serve pediatric patients and their families. San Diego Zoo Kids furthers San Diego Zoo Global’s mission to inspire a passion for wildlife and brings the zoo experience to young patients and their families during challenging times. Through partnerships with the Oakland Zoo, and other zoos, aquariums and nature reserves around the world, children are transported to special places to meet amazing animals and experience their breathtaking habitats. Kids also meet the animals’ caretakers and learn how individual animals have overcome medical challenges of their own.

 

“We are thrilled to partner with San Diego Kids Zoo channel in providing enriching animal-themed content to entertain, educate and promote species conservation,” said Dr. Joel Parrott, president and CEO, Oakland Zoo. “We hope that the stories we share will bring cheer to all the children and families that see them.”

 

Since the San Diego Zoo Kids channel debuted in 2013 at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, more than 42 hours of up-close video encounters with animals, stories about caring for animals, quizzes about animals and habitats, and a wide variety of short video vignettes have been produced for the channel. Viewers can also see best-of videos from the San Diego Zoo’s Elephant Cam and other online cameras, as well as content from the Oakland Zoo and other zoos around the world.

 

“Thanks to the vision of philanthropist T. Denny Sanford, children from around the world now have access to San Diego Zoo Kids,” said Debra Erickson, San Diego Zoo Global director of communications. “The channel fills a very important need during a child’s medical care, by providing distraction from treatment, as well as comfort and happiness. We look forward to bringing its healing properties to another 100 facilities over the next year.”

 

So far, San Diego Zoo Kids has been installed in 269 children’s hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses in 43 states across the U.S. and the District of Columbia, and in facilities in Mexico, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Pakistan, Qatar, Curaçao and South Africa.

 

 

Editorial

‘Okay Houston, we’ve had a problem here’

 

These fateful words were spoken by Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert of the 1970 Apollo 13 flight crew when unexpected catastrophic events aboard the spacecraft threatened his life and those of Commander Jim Lovell and Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise. True to form and training, the crew responded in a calm, rational manner in coordination with a support team in Mission Control, while over 200,000 miles from the Earth’s surface. Dire consequences were possible, even probable, but through the hardships and obstacles, a combination of determination and creative solutions brought the mission, launched on April 11th, to what Lovell called “a successful failure.”

 

Lessons were learned from the experience including attention to small details that precede a decision and may offer a warning. In an article about the flight by Lovell, he says, “Looking back, I should have been alerted by several omens that occurred in the final stages of the Apollo 13 preparation.” In addition, he notes “a lot of innovation” that included expertise of the crew, new procedures and “teamwork between the ground and flight crew that resulted in a successful return.”

 

Difficult problems require a systematic and coordinated effort to achieve a desired result. When emotional factors are involved, methods can be skewed toward unsatisfactory conclusions, reducing effectiveness. In the case of political decisions, added factors of economic pressure and electoral influence add to the mix. Often, governing bodies are asked to approve routine items with little controversy or debate. However, when decisions are required in the midst of sensitive and raucous debate, the odds of success decline.

 

Currently, a major challenge facing the Fremont community is a proposed Navigation Center to assist homeless individuals find permanent housing and develop habits to ensure successful reintegration with acceptable societal behavior. The multi-faceted problem of homelessness is difficult to categorize and should not be shaped by foregone conclusions looking for a rationale. As the astronauts of Apollo 13 faced seemingly insurmountable problems and used ingenuity and a team approach to achieve a successful conclusion, so too can a calm analysis determine a viable solution to the furor surrounding the Navigation Center.

 

Lovell overlooked several key indicators of problems and, in retrospect, understood their significance. Looking back at the genesis of the Navigation Center, several preliminary decisions might have been handled in a more sensitive manner. However, this is not the time for a full analysis of past behavior. Elected representatives are faced with a decision now and have collected a plethora of information – data from other navigation centers, survey responses, public oral and written statements. With a divided constituency, each councilmember must show courage and commitment to follow their conscience. It is only through firm, affirmative action by our representatives that a path toward success can be possible. Time will tell if the right decision is made, but without a solid commitment, failure is probable.

 

Hopefully, following a decision about the Navigation Center, Fremont staff and councilmembers will analyze the process and factors that led to upheaval in order to moderate such conflicts in the future. When the call goes out, “Fremont, we have a problem here,” the response and conclusion will be as successful and heartening as when three intrepid astronauts were safely recovered from their charred command module on April 17, 1970 by USS Iwo Jima in the Pacific Ocean.

 

 

Oprah Winfrey launching wellness arena tour in early 2020

By Jonathan Landrum Jr.

AP Entertainment Writer

 

LOS ANGELES (AP), Sep 04 – Oprah Winfrey is taking her motivational spirit on the road early next year with an arena tour to promote a healthier lifestyle.

 

The former talk-show host and OWN television network chief announced Wednesday that the “Oprah's 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus” tour will begin Jan. 4 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She is working in conjunction with Weight Watchers Reimagined to offer a full-day of wellness conversations during the nine-city tour.

 

The tour will conclude in Denver on March 7. She will also make stops in Los Angeles; San Francisco; Atlanta; Dallas; Charlotte, North Carolina; Brooklyn, New York; and St. Paul, Minnesota.

 

It's her first speaking tour in five years.

 

Along with high-profile guests, Winfrey said she wants to empower audiences to tap into their potential. The names of her guests will be released at a later date.

 

“What I know for sure is we can all come together to support a stronger, healthier, more abundant life – focused on what makes us feel energized, connected and empowered,” Winfrey said in a statement. “As I travel the country, my hope for this experience is to motivate others to let 2020 be the year of transformation and triumph – beginning first and foremost with what makes us well. This is the year to move forward, let's make it happen in 2020.”

 

Winfrey has held other successful speaking tours, including “Oprah's Life Class” in 2012 and “Oprah's The Life You Want Weekend” in 2014.

 

During her upcoming tour, Winfrey will talk about her wellness journey with attendees and help develop their 2020 action plan. She will also share the latest in wellness research and interactive workbook exercises.

 

Each tour stop will feature Winfrey in a one-on-one interview with a celebrity guest.

 

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for (Weight Watchers) to do what we do best: bring communities of people together with a shared goal of health and wellness,” said Mindy Grossman, president and CEO of Weight Watchers.

 

Proceeds from the tour will benefit Weight Watchers Good, a philanthropic area of the organization to help bring fresh and healthy food to underserved communities.

 

 

Mice Misery

By Pat Kite

 

My friend has mice. October through February are prime mice months. Mice get into cupboards, poop in kitchen drawers, and make excursions into closets. When I had mice, years ago, they ate dishwasher rubber to make their nests. Today, they scamper across my garden, causing Ginger dog to fuss and fume, protecting her turf.

 

Do you realize that one lady mouse can have 150 children a year? Each mouse might live only five months in the garden but can reproduce at two months. It is discouraging. They poop and piddle as they go. Each house mouse can deliver up to 100 poops a day. On the positive side, it is fertilizer. On the negative, yesterday a mouse waved its tail at me from the top of my cherry tree. There are at least 100 mice types. These include spiny mouse, zebra mouse, deer mouse, hazel dormouse, Eurasian harvest mouse, Alabama beach mouse, New Mexico’s jumping mouse, wood mouse, African pygmy, and our local Field Mouse.

 

Mice’s ancestors are about 65 million years old. Our common field mouse originated in Asia. As people expanded territory, mice came along. Mice eat just about anything, including each other if they get hungry enough. You have probably read about the mice plagues of long ago. But did you know that ancient Egyptians kept mice as pets? Belief was mice had supernatural powers. Mice mummies have been found in Egyptian tombs, accompanying their owners into the afterlife.

 

Stories of mice versus cats abound. In one ancient papyrus picture, King mouse, riding his chariot, leads his mouse army, armed with spears as they attack a cat-defended fortress. Do cats kill mice? Some do; some, like mine, nap.

 

Of course, there are mouse fanciers too. November 12 is Fancy Rat and Mouse Day. Mice breeding for color variation seems to have started in Japan. The British National Mouse Club began in 1895. By 1983 we had the American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association.

 

Enthusiasts come to California several times a year for breeder result judging. What’s a fancy mouse? Hereford, Rump White, Spotted Tans, Satin, Frizzie Satin and Hairless. There are also lilac, red and Champagne-colored varieties.

 

Just suppose you have ordinary garden/house mice. Are there any natural repellents? Cinnamon sticks and cinnamon oil on cotton balls are worth a try. Mice are said to hate the smell of cloves, peppermint oil, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Let me know if any of this works.

 

 

Pick of the Patch

Submitted by Carmen Herlihy

 

Need that perfect pumpkin for fall fun and festivities? Bayfair Center invites the community to visit “Pick of the Patch,” a colorful fall pumpkin patch located at the shopping center, between Friday, September 20 and Thursday, October 31. In addition to pumpkins galore and photo opportunities for the whole family, there will also be a paintball range (beginning October 1) and a variety of inflatables to give children ages two through 12 a chance to run and play and bounce out their excess energy. With tours available, the pumpkin patch – located in the parking lot opposite Kohl’s – is also a great idea for birthday parties, school groups, non-profit get-togethers, and Mommy & Me groups. The pumpkin patch is open to the public, and admission and parking are free. Paintball costs $5 per cup, and the use of the inflatables ranges from $13 per child for 30 minutes to $17 per child for one hour.

 

For more information, visit the Pick of the Patch website or the pumpkin patch event page on the Bayfair Center website at http://ow.ly/IafY30pqucA.

 

Pick of the Patch

Sept 20 – October 5

Monday – Thursday: 3 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Friday: 3 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Saturday: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Sunday: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.

 

October 6 – 19

Monday – Thursday: 1 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Friday: 1 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Saturday: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Sunday: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.

 

October 20 – 31

Sunday – Thursday: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Friday & Saturday: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.

 

Bayfair Center

Parking lot opposite Kohl’s

15555 East 14th St., San Leandro

www.shopbayfair.com

 

 

California Senate OKs expansion of ‘red flag' gun law

AP Wire Service

 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP), Sep 04 – Employers, co-workers and teachers could ask judges to take away guns from people who are deemed a danger to themselves or others under a bill that has cleared the California Senate.

 

California enacted a so-called “red flag law” that took effect in 2016. But it only allows law enforcement and immediate family members to ask judges for gun restraining orders. Assembly Bill 61 by Democratic Assemblyman Phil Ting of San Francisco would expand that law.

 

Ting introduced the bill in response to a November 2018 mass shooting in Thousand Oaks, California, where 12 people were killed. The gunman, Ian David Long, had shown signs of instability to family and friends.

 

Groups advocating gun rights and civil liberties oppose the bill, which still must be approved by the state Assembly.

 

 

Women’s Volleyball

Renegades Report

Submitted by Jeremy Penaflor

 

Lady Renegades sweep tournaments:

 

Napa Valley Classic

August 28, 2019

 

Ohlone d. Lassen College, 3-0 (25-11, 25-12, 25-10)

• Freshmen middle blocker Katie King led in hitting percentage (0.583) and kills with 8 on 12 attempts
• Sophomore setter Raychelle Rebosura-Castillo led in assists with 16
• Sophomore libero Elena Webster led in digs with 16, and in service aces with 5

 

Ohlone d. Napa Valley College, 3-0 (25-13, 25-19, 25-11)

• Sophomore middle blocker Daisy Armerding led in hitting percentage (0.714) on 5 kills in 7 attempts and 0 errors, and led in blocks with 2
• Freshmen outside hitter Clare Deal led in total kills with 11 on 23 attempts and 0 errors, giving her a 0.478 hitting percentage. She also contributed 10 digs
• Sophomore setter Raychelle Rebosura-Castillo led in assists with 18
• Sophomore libero Elena Webster led in digs with 21

 

 

Diablo Valley Classic

September 6, 2019

 

Ohlone College def. College of Marin, 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-23)

• Freshmen outside hitter Clare Deal led in kills with 12, and in service aces with 3
• Freshmen middle blocker Katie King led in hitter percentage (0.429) with 6 kills and no errors on 14 attempts
• Sophomore setter Raychelle Rebosura-Castillo led in assists with 24
• Sophomore libero Elena Webster led in digs with 31

 

Ohlone College def. Diablo Valley College, 3-0 (25-11, 25-8, 25-14)

• Freshmen outside hitter Clare Deal led in hitting percentage (0.588) and kills with 11 in 17 attempts and only 1 error
• Freshmen defensive specialist Veronica Brumburgh led in service aces with 7
• Freshmen setter Savannah Rampola led in assists with 16
• Sophomore libero Elena Webster led in digs with 11

 

 

Safeway Fremont Hub Re-Grand Opening

Submitted by Wendy Gutshall

 

Safeway celebrated the re-grand opening of its Fremont Hub store on September 4. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the store to commemorate the occasion with Fremont Mayor Lily Mei and the Safeway management team. The Fremont Education Foundation also presented with a donation of $3,000 from the Safeway Foundation.

 

The inside of the store has a new look and feel with warm modern decor. The store carries more fresh offerings with an expanded produce department and a variety of wine, beer, and liquor selection. Aisle signage is named after local streets in town.

Photo Caption: Real Estate Owner of Cornelius & Company and San Leandro High Alumni, Ivan G. Cornelius was recognized by the city for his leadership and encouraging innovating ideas as a result, Saturday September 14, 2019 was declared as Cornelius day.

 

 

San Leandro city council

September 3, 2019

 

Recognitions:

Declaring Saturday September 12, 2019 as Ivan G. Cornelius Day.

 

Presentations:

• Presentation by Nelson Nygaard consulting on San Leandro FELX Shuttle Expansion plan and recommendations on improving route services and hours, expand outreach, and provide multilingual services. The project began in 2017 to provide recommendations on how to best fit the service to the needs of community members.
• San Leandro opportunity zone dashboard presentation.
• Approve two loans totaling $600,000 to assist and renovate the Boys and Girls club building on Marina Boulevard. The grand opening planned to be by 2020.

 

Public comments:

• Resident concerned with police control over body cameras, police department policies for releasing footage, and additional fees applied to requestors of video files.

 

Consent Calendar:

• Nominate Alberto Perez Rendon as District 5 representative to the arts commission.
• Approve consulting services agreement with San Leandro chamber of commerce for $50,000.
• Reject all bids for the 2017-2018 pedestrian crossings improvements project.
• Approve consulting services agreement for $66,000 with Trafficware Group Inc. to provide system maintenance and support of city’s advanced traffic management system software and software.
• Accept work of Columbia Electric, Inc for the 2016-2017 pedestrian crossing improvements phase 2 project at intersection of Wicks Boulevard and Burkhart Avenue.
• Accept the work for pedestrian crossings improvements of rectangular rapid flashing beacons at four locations citywide: at intersections of Bancroft Avenue and Dowling Boulevard, Doolittle Drive and Bermuda Avenue, Estudillo Avenue and Collier Drive and Teagarden street at Lincoln High School.
• Accept work for annual street sealing 2017-2018 project performed by American Pavement systems Inc.
• Execute amendment to non-professional services agreement with Flagship Facility Services Inc. for citywide janitorial services for $709,674.60 plus additional unscheduled services for amount not to exceed $18,652.20.
• Amend City of San Leandro administrative code pertaining to street tree policy and procedures. Council agreed to further discuss recommendations for the language of resolution and a fine of up to $1,000. 5-2 (Nay; Mayor Cutter, Hernandez)
• Execute existing non-professional services agreement with adopt a Highway Litter Removal Services of America, Inc. on the city-adopted section of interstate 880 in the amount of $31,152 for fiscal year 2019-2020 and three additional one-year extensions for the same amount subject to consumer price index.
• Execute a non-professional services agreement with Synargo-WWT, Inc. for amount not to exceed $262,500 for the water pollution control plant (WPCP) sludge haul 2019-2020 project.
• Approve the city’s grant application to the California Department of Parks and Recreation for up to $4.47 million to renovate Memorial Park.
• Amend ordinance of the City of San Leandro municipal code relating to Wastewater charges and fees.

 

Report on Closed Session Action Items:

• City council approved settlement of $195,000.

 

City Council Reports:

• Vice Mayor Lopez attended the HELO (Hispanic Elected Local Officials) summer conference Hispanic Elected Group for National League of Cities held in Ridge Port Connecticut conference along with councilmember Aguilar and served as panel member for workshops that discussed safer communities, diversity inclusion, discussion on redlining, discussion on the census and providing resources for communities.
• Councilmember Aguilar attended HELO conference and attended workshops on race equity and inclusion, discussion on the census, immigration policies, smart cities workshop. He also attended the Alameda county mosquito meeting, to report no west nile virus.
• Mayor Cutter attended the CASA (California Association of Sanitation Agencies) conference and PFAS on polyfluoroalkyl substances (pieces of plastic found in blood as a result of clothing, washing machines, sanitary wipes being dumped into sewage system, which causes them to dissolve into water system).

 

City Council Requests to Schedule Agenda Items:

• Councilmember Aguilar would like to form a committee regarding the 2020 census.
• Councilmember Lee requesting to recognize activist Russell Means (involved in wounded knee and occupation of Alcatraz, San Leandro High Alumni 1958) who passed away in October 2012. He was a civil rights activists, writer, actor and musician.
• Lee requested a community awareness notice on the capital corridor train passing.
• Lee requested to verify unfair advantage for councilmembers running for vice mayor headed to rules committee.
• Vice Mayor Lopez wanted to issue a proclamation recognizing the importance of the constitution suggested by the American Daughters of the Revolution.
• Moment of silence held to commemorate former Hayward Mayor Roberta Cooper, San Leandro resident and former councilmember Richard Suarez, Landowner Maria Cabral, District Four member Audrey Alvarez, Las Positas/Chabot college board member, Isabel Drowsy.

 

Mayor Pauline Russo Cutter  Aye

Vice Mayor Corina Lopez      Aye, 1 Nay

Deborah Cox                           Aye

Ed Hernandez                         Aye, 1 Nay

Victor Aguilar                         Aye

Benny Lee                               Aye

Pete Ballew                             Aye

 

 

Santa Clara County Counsel Sues TurboTax Maker

Submitted by SCC Public Affairs

 

Santa Clara County Counsel James R. Williams filed a lawsuit on September 6, 2019 on behalf of the People of the State of the California against Intuit, Inc., the maker of the electronic tax preparation software TurboTax. The lawsuit accuses Intuit of deceiving taxpayers, including low-income taxpayers who were entitled to free tax filing, into paying for expensive tax preparation products Intuit promised would be free.

 

“Though predatory and deceptive actions, Intuit has made hundreds of millions of dollars in unfair profits on the backs of California taxpayers,” said Santa Clara County Counsel James R. Williams. “This includes low-income families who paid Intuit for services that Intuit promised the IRS and the public it would offer for free. Many of the customers who were harmed by Intuit’s actions are vulnerable Santa Clara County residents struggling to make ends meet. We are suing to make sure Intuit cannot make profits by engaging in deception and lies targeting middle- and low-income families.”

 

The lawsuit alleges that Intuit intentionally and deceptively steered taxpayers to TurboTax and away from free alternatives, promising consumers they could file their taxes using TurboTax “for $0” or “free free free.” But the promises of free filing were a sham for most people. Once customers clicked a “File for $0” button and spent hours entering their tax information, Intuit falsely told them they needed to pay $100 or more to upgrade to another version of TurboTax to “accurately file” their taxes. The upgrade had nothing to do with “accuracy” and was instead designed to maximize Intuit’s profits.

 

According to the lawsuit, Intuit’s actions toward low-income taxpayers were particularly egregious. Intuit entered into an agreement with the IRS to allow low-income customers to file their taxes for free, and Intuit offers a truly free tax preparation product to satisfy this promise. But, the lawsuit alleges, Intuit hid this free product—making sure it didn’t appear in Google search results and leaving it off the listing of TurboTax products on Intuit’s website—to make it all but impossible for struggling taxpayers to find. Instead, Intuit funneled these taxpayers to Intuit’s costlier TurboTax versions, sacrificing funds they needed for necessities like rent, groceries, and gas.

 

The lawsuit is a civil law enforcement action brought under California’s False Advertising Law, and seeks a court order requiring Intuit to pay restitution to the taxpayers it has unfairly charged for tax preparation services, and obtain civil penalty payments from Intuit to discourage it from engaging in deception in the future. The case is People of the State of California v. Intuit, Inc. (Santa Clara County Superior Court, Case No. 19CV354178).

 

 

Florida man parks Smart car in kitchen so it won't blow away

AP Wire Service

 

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP), Sep 04 – It started as a light-hearted challenge between a Florida couple, can a Smart car fit into their kitchen? The answer: “Yes,” it can.

 

Patrick Eldridge parked his smart car in his kitchen to protect it from Hurricane Dorian because he didn't want it to “blow away” and to prove that he can park his car there.

 

Jessica Eldridge said her car was already parked in the garage. To avoid cleaning their garage out, her husband proposed to park it in the house.

 

“I said there was no way he could. He said he could,” Jessica said. “So he opened the double doors and had it in. I was amazed that it could fit. He had it in with no problems.”

 

Dorian was skirting Florida's coast Wednesday, narrowly missing Jacksonville as it heads northward along the Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina coastlines.

 

The Category 2 storm has devastated the Bahamas, where rescue crews have only begun taking the full measure of the damage.

 

With the car in the middle of the kitchen, Jessica Eldridge had to move around it to cook and serve dinner.

 

“I'm hoping he will pull it out pretty soon once the wind dies down,” she said. “There is room and it's not in the way, but my dogs are confused by it.”

 

 

New officer joins health center team

Submitted by Tri-City Health Center

 

Officials from the Tri-City Health Center (TCHC) recently welcomed Marc Gannon to their leadership team as the organization’s new Chief Operation Officer. Gannon’s appointment was announced August 12. He comes to TCHC with 10 years of senior leadership experience in community-based health and social services.

 

Prior to joining TCHC, Gannon was the Vice President of Community Impact at Aloha United Way in Honolulu, Hawaii. In that position, he launched cross-sector initiatives in healthy family planning, active aging and senior health, and homeless prevention services. He also supervised gifts-in-kind programs, call center services, Homeless Coordination Center, Volunteer Hawaii and AmeriCoprs VISTA program. Gannon also served as the Chief of Community Health Services at Waikiki Health in Honolulu where he was responsible for operations and fiscal oversight of community health programs.

 

These programs included medical and behavioral health of homeless individuals and families, drop-in center for homeless youth, family planning health education and clinical services, women’s health clinic, HIV Early Intervention Services, and HIV and Hepatitis C case management. As the COO of TCHC, Gannon will help guide the realignment of service care teams and processes to optimize clinical operations across the permanent and mobile service delivery system.

 

 

Terrariums: play with your imagination

Article and photos by Lalitha Visveswaran

 

In 1960, a man called David Latimer planted a 10-gallon glass bottle and sealed it. Almost six decades later, the bottle garden has thrived due to the magic called “photosynthesis.” He only watered it once in 1972 and then sealed it again.

 

A quarter pint of water, a handful of compost, and spiderwort seedling is all it took for Mother Nature to accept the challenge. Moisture and oxygen are sealed, and a self-sustaining eco system is born. Fallen old leaves rot and provide carbon dioxide. And with sunshine, the garden thrives, lush and gorgeous, without any other input. It shows that if human beings don’t interfere, any system would become self-sustaining and balanced.

 

Sealed bottled gardens became a curiosity after the above story went viral. But I want to say that I was attracted to another kind of mini self-contained garden enclosed in glass: terrariums.

While terrariums can be open or closed, they are usually enclosed in transparent glass to allow light and heat. When they are sealed, a small-scale water cycle is created by condensation, and a Co2-oxygen exchange occurs. Open glass terrariums don’t do this. Succulents, although a popular choice, are not always most suited for open terrariums as lack of drainage can inflict root rot. But plants that require less watering are suitable candidates for open terrariums.

 

We often see gorgeous tall apothecary bottles and candy bottles that hold elaborate and complex terrariums. Me? I like to use wine glasses and even kitchen bottles. Because succulents can thrive better out in the garden, a good way to get the most out of succulents is to keep them as terrarium plants when they are small and transplant them as they get bigger. This way, we can enjoy them and propagate the baby plants. You can only do this with wide mouthed glass terrarium containers, but with careful selection of plants, longer-term terrariums can thrive without disturbance.

 

Points to remember:

1. The first layer should always be gravel or pebbles for drainage. Since it’s being layered over glass, be gentle to not crack the glass.
2. Do not over water. This is one of the most common mistakes made by all gardeners, be it a miniature glass terrarium or a large planted orchard. A few spritzes when plants seem like they need it will suffice. Standing water means the water damage is already done.
3. Place your terrarium in diffused light indoors and not bright light outdoors or under direct sunlight. It is easy to scorch the plants as the glass acts as a layer that stores and amplifies heat and light.
4. Terrariums are mini greenhouses and they operate on the principles of condensation and photosynthesis. Closed terrariums encourage humidity, and choosing plants that can tolerate humidity and low diffused conditions is very important. Succulents are best for open terrariums.
5. Be creative with your tools. Chopsticks, pastry bags, ear buds, forks, funnels, and tweezers are all unlikely but useful garden tools for maintaining your miniature landscape.
6. Keep the terrarium clean. Old makeup sponges and cotton Q-tips are useful for wiping debris after spritzing with water. A little bit of diluted vinegar will keep the glass clear, but always use it outside and never inside the glass that is in close contact to your plants.
7. Do not use colored or etched glass. This will block light. However, even wine glasses or kitchen containers will work in a jiffy if you want to create a terrarium.
8. Main ingredients: pebbles, aquarium pebbles, or tiny smooth stones as the bottommost layer for drainage. The next layer can be colored sand if it’s sandwiched between two layers of pebbles. Next is a bit of potting soil for the plants. Sprinkle activated charcoal powder before layering soil as this will keep it fresh. The topmost layer would be moss if available. Moss is not just decorative but a living botanical organism. And then come the plants themselves. Finally, you can decorate further with toys, seashells, or little paper umbrellas.
9. Some plant choices: Succulents and cactus when small are suitable for open terrariums. For closed terrariums, plants that do well in the high-humidity environment are better. Some examples are ferns, African violets, Venus flytraps, starfish plants, air plants, baby's tears, fittonia, golden clubmoss, and strawberry begonia. Creeping figs are also a good choice, but they tend to grow quickly and will need pruning.

 

Show off! The terrarium you have created is the microcosm of Mother Nature and is a glorious representation of a closed self-sustaining ecosystem not dissimilar to the beginnings of our third rock from the sun cloaked in the sheath we call atmosphere.

 

Lalitha Visveswaran is a full-time farmer at Jellicles Farm in the Sunol AgPark. www.jelliclesfarm.com

 

 

The Robot Report

 

Hanns Tappeiner, who founded Anki with Mark Palatucci and Boris Sofman in 2010, has been named Director of Product Development at Apple’s Special Projects Group. Tappeiner recently updated his LinkedIn profile, which indicates he started working at Apple’s Special Projects Group in August 2019.

 

Apple scooped up several other former Anki employees after the consumer robotics company closed. According to a former Anki employee, Apple was one of the companies that attended a makeshift career fair at Anki’s office days after employees found out Anki was going out of business. Other companies in attendance, according to the former employee, included Google, Microsoft and Sonos.

 

Silicon Valley Bank owns Anki’s IP, but it certainly would entertain solid offers for the IP. For the conspiracy theorists out there, Anki’s coming-out party occurred at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference 2013. Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced Anki, which at the time was building Anki Overdrive using the iOS platform. Would Apple be interested in Anki’s IP? Who knows?

 

Sofman joined Waymo in June 2019 as its Director of Engineering, Head of Trucking. Sofman wrote at the time he was hired, “I’m honored to be joining the team to lead the autonomous trucking engineering effort. Joining me will be 12 of my former teammates from Anki who represent much of the initial technical team. We’ll be based out of Waymo’s San Francisco offices where we hope to grow the team in the years ahead.”

 

Anki raised more than $200 million and had nearly $100 million in revenue in 2017. It expected to exceed that in 2018. Silicon Valley Bank has had a security interest in Anki’s copyrights, patents and trademarks since March 30, 2018. A former Anki employee told The Robot Report a strategic partnership, which could have bridged the gap to the next robot, “fell through at the last minute.”

 

Unfortunately, Anki, which is being sued for patent infringement, isn’t the only consumer robotics company to shut down in 2019. In early September, UK-based Reach Robotics closed its doors, saying the “consumer robotics sector is an inherently challenging space — especially for a start-up.” Laundroid and Keecker also closed down, highlighting just how difficult the consumer robot market is. Blue Frog Robotics, which has repeatedly delayed its Buddy social robot, recently opened a subsidiary in Boston.

 

— Steve Crowe

 

 

Ken Ludwig’s The Three Musketeers at Douglas Morrisson Theatre

Submitted by Bob Miller

Photos by Terry Sullivan

 

Ken Ludwig’s The Three Musketeers kicks off the 40th Anniversary season at Douglas Morrisson Theatre (DMT) in Hayward. Performances will run Thursday, September 12 – Sunday, September 29. This adaptation, which was commissioned by the Bristol Old Vic Theatre in England, is based on the timeless swashbuckler by Alexandre Dumas, a tale of heroism, treachery, close escapes and above all, honor. The Guardian called it, “A slick, swashbuckling romp that cleverly updates the Dumas novel,” and Venue Magazine said, “Ken Ludwig's script is fairly groaning with giggles. In short, about as much fun as you would expect, and then a little more.”

 

The story, set in 1625, begins with d'Artagnan, a young Frenchman from Gascony, who sets off for Paris in search of adventure. Along with d'Artagnan goes Sabine, his sister, the quintessential tomboy. Sent with d'Artagnan to attend a convent school in Paris, she poses as a young man – d'Artagnan’s servant – and quickly becomes entangled in her brother’s adventures.

 

Soon after reaching Paris, d'Artagnan encounters the greatest heroes of the day, Athos, Porthos and Aramis, the famous musketeers. After blundering into each of them in turn, and challenging them to duels on the same night, d'Artagnan joins forces with his heroes to defend the honor of the Queen of France. In so doing, he finds himself in opposition to the most dangerous man in Europe, Cardinal Richelieu, as well as his henchman, Rochefort, Captain of the Cardinal’s Guard. Even more deadly is the infamous Countess de Winter, known as Milady, who will stop at nothing to revenge herself on d'Artagnan – and Sabine – for their meddlesome behavior.

 

The DMT box office is open Tuesday through Friday, 1:00pm to 5:00pm, and can be reached at (510) 881-6777. Visit www.dmtonline.org for more information. Tickets are $10 for the preview, and $29 for performances. Discounts are available for adults under the age of 30 and over the age of 60, students with ID, youth, H.A.R.D. residents, and groups of 10 or more.

 

The Three Musketeers

Thursday, Sept 12 – Sunday, Sept 29

Thursday Sept 12 at 8 p.m. (Preview)

Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.

Douglas Morrisson Theatre

22311 N. Third St., Hayward

$10 Preview, $29 Performances

(510) 881-6777

www.dmtonline.org

 

 

Two choirs, one joyful experience

Submitted by Shirley Gilbert

 

“Singing is as natural as breathing,” says Artistic Director of the Mission Peak Chamber Singers Ofer dal Lal. “You hear people say: ‘Oh no! I can’t sing.’ We all have voices. We all can sing. And singing can bring great comfort and joy.”

 

Dal Lal would like to convince East Bay’s potential singers to experience this joy by becoming a member of either the 32-year-old Mission Peak Chamber Singers (MPCS), a fee-based choir for singers who feel comfortable reading music and auditioning, or the more free-form East Bay People’s Choir (EBPC) in which no fees, auditions or need to read music are required. Both sister choirs rehearse every Tuesday in Fremont.

 

A Banner Year for East Bay People’s Choir

 

EBPC is something of an experiment. It’s beginning its second year and has been a roaring success, according to dal Lal. Attendance at the first rehearsal this September points to another banner year. “The EBPC has been a unique multi-cultural, multi-generational phenomenon. It’s gone from belonging to a director and group of singers to belonging to the whole community.” The choral group’s special community flavor and outreach have been recognized by the California Arts Council with a grant of close to $10,000.

 

The EBPC has not been without its challenges. Charismatic and greatly-loved Associate Director Ash Walker left the choir to teach in the voice department of Las Positas College in Livermore. This conflicted with his ability to lead EBPC. However, Walker left quite a legacy, says dal Lal. He created a team of singers who are a close-knit family in just one year. He’s never seen that in a newly formed choir before.

 

EBPC members would agree. Some say they have experienced a healing effect as a result of being part of a loving vocal community; others say the experience has been a wonderful personal challenge and has broadened their horizons. Cathy Berry is one participant who has found a home in the choir. “Tuesday is my happy time,” she says, “because that’s when the choir meets. Going to practice is so much more than singing. It’s about family. This choir is my joy and my love.” Another choir member, Wendy Rothhaug, joined the choir to bring music back into her life. “I discovered anew the pure joy of singing and was delighted to find a new community of friends as well,” she affirms.

 

But the question is: how to replace a beloved choirmaster?

 

Dal Lal has come up with an innovative method of finding the perfect Associate Director for the choir. Instead of hiring a new conductor immediately, he will introduce three different conductors to be Directors-in-Residence. These Associate Directors will lead the choir for one month each from September to November. When the trial period is over both dal Lal and choir members will select the conductor that appeals to them the most.

 

According to dal Lal this arrangement will be a learning experience because it will allow members to sample different repertoires, styles and personalities. At the end of the three-month period, the Directors-at-Large will conduct the choir in the songs they each taught.

 

The Director-in-Residence for September is the talented Joe Lim. He is in his sixteenth year as a music educator. He’s worked with groups from young singers to highly trained professional musicians. Choirmaster Lim led a group of almost 70 singers, 40 of them new recruits, in the first rehearsal of the season on September 3 in Paul Simon’s haunting “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” and two other songs.

 

An Exciting Season for the Mission Peak Chamber Singers

 

Artistic Director dal Lal is also excited about the upcoming seasonal prospects and concerts for the popular MPCS. In their offerings this year the group will engage the audience at many levels and say something meaningful for this special time and place. For example, the traditional “Christmas at the Mission” concert to take place December 7th and 8thwill feature a “celebración festiva” honoring our Central and South American friends. “We want to build cultural bridges, not walls, with our southern neighbors,” explains dal Lal. Another example of the here and now quality of MPCS’ offerings is their spring concert “With a Roof Over Our Heads,” which is about homelessness and the moral obligation towards those who do not have a safe abode.

 

The two choirs, says dal Lal, have so much to offer community singers. “So many of us,” he concludes, “are addicted to digital and TV entertainment. Please come and join us at our rehearsals for a real face-to-face experience. I guarantee after each one you will feel enriched, energized and enlightened.”

 

To experience the joy of singing, join the choirs on Tuesdays at 4181 Irvington Avenue, Fremont, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. If you have questions or want more information go to the choirs’ website at www.chambersingers.org or leave a message at (510) 926-6727.

 

Mission Peak Chamber Singers

East Bay People’s Choir

Tuesdays

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

4181 Irvington Ave., Fremont

(510) 926-6727

www.chambersingers.org

 

 

Gold patch supports fight against childhood cancer

Submitted by Union City PD

 

In recognition of September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, the Union City Police Department (UCPD) is selling a commemorative gold-colored children’s police patch to raise funds for children’s cancer research.

 

The new children’s patch is part of the department’s ongoing Pink Patch Program that raises awareness for the fight against breast cancer each year during October. The children’s Gold Patch can be purchased for $10 with all proceeds going to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

 

UCPD accepts donations throughout the year for both the Pink and Gold patches ($10 each for both colors) however, there is a special focus on the children during the month of September.

 

For more information about the Pink Patch Project, visit the UCPD website at https://www.unioncity.org/355/Pink-Patch-Project. To order a patch, call Officer Russell Orlando at (510) 458-3727 or email rorlando@unioncity.org.