Earth Day in the East Bay
Since 1970, Americans have celebrated Earth Day on April 22 to raise awareness of the effects of pollution and the need to protect the environment. You can read more about the history of the day at www.earthday.org. Organizations around the Bay Area will likewise be hosting environmentally-conscious (and fun!) events in April. A few are listed below:
On April 16, Oakland Zoo will hold an Earth Day “Regeneration Celebration” to celebrate the return of in-person Earth days and the Zoo’s centennial. Guests can learn about various conservation groups at hands-on stations throughout the Zoo, admire and add to chalk murals drawn by Drawing on Earth, share their visions of the future at the “100 Year Vision Tree” created by artist group Giant Peach (to be on display throughout the year), and watch two performances by Earthcapades at the Wildlife Theater at 11:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Earth Day events are included with Zoo admission.
With Washington Hospital, City of Fremont will hold a free “Earth Day Fair” on Saturday, April 23 at the new downtown event center on Capitol Avenue. Care for the planet by donating eyeglasses, condiment packets, and packaged utensils; safely disposing of medication and syringes; and exchanging plastic toothbrushes for bamboo ones. Consult with environmental experts on ways to go green, recycle, reduce waste, and save energy. Kids can participate in a bike rodeo, where Bike East Bay will teach road safety. Everyone can enjoy music, games, art activities, and food trucks.
Also on April 23, San Leandro will hold an Earth Day fair aimed at families with young children. Hosted by Downtown Association and Community Impact Lab, the event will have eco-friendly crafts, educational games, sidewalk chalk art, a toy exchange and a story corner.
Milpitas will hold their “Earth Day Resource” fair the same Saturday, featuring tours of the city’s newest solar and battery microgrid systems, and other energy- and water-saving projects. The fair will inform people about simple changes they can make at home to save money and protect the planet.
You can also celebrate the planet at our East Bay Regional Parks. From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 23, Coyote Hills visitor center will hold an Earth day “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” event. Kids can do a litter bug craft, watch a puppet show, and play recycle games. Register in advance online. On the same day, various parks will be hosting volunteer cleanups (including Hayward Shoreline). Registration and lists of materials to bring are on the park website. https://www.ebparks.org/earth-day-2022
Earth Day at Oakland Zoo
Saturday, April 16
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
9777 Golf Links Rd., Oakland
(510) 632-9525
www.oaklandzoo.org/programs-and-events/earth-day
San Leandro Earth Day Fair
Saturday, April 23
10 a.m. – 12 noon
384 W. Estudillo Ave., San Leandro
https://www.sanleandro.org/
Earth Day Resource Fair
Saturday, April 23
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
40 N. Milpitas Blvd., Milpitas
https://www.ci.milpitas.ca.gov/earth-day/
Fremont Earth Day Fair
Saturday, April 23
11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Downtown Event Center & Plaza
3500 Capitol Ave., Fremont
https://fremont.gov/2234/Earth-Day-2022
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Saturday, April 23
1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
2 p.m. Puppet show
Coyote Hills Visitor Center
8000 Patterson Ranch Rd., Fremont
https://www.ebparks.org/earth-day-2022
Celebrate Easter!
In 2022, Easter will be observed on Sunday, April 17. (Traditionally, Easter is observed on the Sunday following the first full moon after the Spring Equinox.) Christian Churches will be holding services to remember the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Around the East Bay Area, cities and local organizations are celebrating the secular side of the holiday with egg hunts, photos with the Easter Bunny, and general spring-related fun. Check out some events near you!
77th Egg Hunt & Bonnet parade
Saturday, April 16
9 a.m. Parade registration starts
9:30 a.m. Bonnet Parade for kids 6 and under
Kids model their homemade bonnets, followed by an egg hunt
Kennedy Park
19501 Hesperian Blvd., Hayward
HaywardRec.org
Union City Egg Hunt
Saturday, April 16
9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Egg hunts, preschool raffle basket, goodie bags (please wear a mask)
Kennedy Park
1333 Decoto Rd., Union City
Tickets: $5 advance; $10 Day-of
https://www.unioncity.org/192/Community-Recreation-Services
Eggstravaganza San Lorenzo
Saturday, April 16
10 a.m. – 12 noon
Easter bunny, Mr. Softee, magician, egg hunt, crafts & more
Little League Park
1062 Grant Ave., San Lorenzo
www.alamedakids.org/eggstravaganzaslz
Brunch with the Bunny
Saturday, April 16
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Egg decorating, bunny crafts, balloon animals, photos with Easter Bunny
Barbara Lee Senior Center
Community Room
40 N. Milpitas Blvd., Milpitas
Tickets: Kids ages 2 and up: $12; Adults: $8
https://www.ci.milpitas.ca.gov/brunch-with-the-bunny
Springfest
Saturday, April 16
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Marina Park
13801 Monarch Bay Dr., San Leandro
Tickets: $5
Eventbrite.com
Easter Celebration
Saturday, April 16
11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Arm painting, photos with Easter Bunny (bring camera), balloon maker
Block Plaza near Dick’s Sporting Goods
43923 Pacific Commons Blvd., Fremont
Easter Worship
Sunday, April 17
8:30 am: Traditional Easter Worship
11:00 am: Praise & Worship
Prince of Peace Church
38451 Fremont Blvd., Fremont
(510) 793-3366
Family Easter Celebration
Sunday, April 17
9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Games, prizes, candy for kids ages 1-18
Newark Presbyterian
35450 Newark Blvd., Newark
patch.com
RSVP by April 14 to
br***@ne********.org
Earthy Eggs
Sunday, April 17
1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Dye Easter eggs using plants and spices
Ardenwood Historic Farm
34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont
Rabbit Rendezvous
Saturday, April 23
10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Meet the farm rabbits! Learn why they have big ears and their favorite food.
Ardenwood Farm
34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont
www.ebparks.org/parks/ardenwood
Spring Craft Show
Sunday, April 24
12 noon – 6 p.m.
Shop local crafters, artists, bakers and cooks
Century House & Gardens
37447 Fremont Blvd., Fremont
www.centuryhousegardens.com
Ride the Rails for Relay returns!
By Marc Vicente
Photos courtesy of Cathy Norvell
The COVID-19 pandemic has made the past two years a hurdle for businesses and non-profit organizations alike. As California recently started lifting some pandemic restrictions, many annual events by these businesses and organizations are returning after a two-year hiatus. On Sunday, April 24 the regional fundraising event “Ride the Rails for Relay,” returns to Sunol Valley for its eleventh year.
Started by Gordy Klapp in 1985, Relay for Life is a movement supported by American Cancer Societ
y, dedicated to finding cures for all forms of cancer. Cities and households across California form teams that host events under this movement in order to collect funds for said research. Ride the Rails for Relay is one such event, organized by Cathy Norvell, her team known as Cure Crusaders Family, and volunteers at Niles Canyon Railway.
“Before the pandemic, Ride the Rails sold over 500 tickets in 2019,” Norvell reminisces. “Everyone was sad to hear when it got postponed two years in a row. During that time, we held virtual relays to make up for it, but it wasn’t exactly the same as being there in person.”
Ride the Rails is a round-trip diesel train ride around Sunol Valley from Niles. There will be trains with a mix of indoor and open-air cars, departing from Sunol Depot, around 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. All proceeds gathered from the event will go 100% directly to the American Cancer Society. According to Norvell, “family-friendly bank robbers” will occasionally come around the trains to collect donations during the trips as well.
Outside of train rides, Niles Canyon Railway Museum and gift shops will be open during the event. Snacks, beverages and other activities will be provided for guests of all ages, as well as picnic spaces outside the station and in the trains. Free wine tasting will also be available for those 21 or older. Local artisans will be opening booths to sell various goods as well. All persons boarding the trains or entering the gift shop or museum will be expected to wear masks, but additional COVID-19 mandates may be added.
“Cure Crusaders and I have been involved with Ride the Rails for 11 years,” Norvell says. “Every donation provided over the years from this event helps out people not just with one specific type, but people with all types of cancer out there. Overall, it’s a really fun experience that everyone can enjoy which was made to support a great cause.”
Ride the Rails for Relay
Sunday, Apr 24
10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., & 2:30 p.m.
Niles Canyon Railway Sunol Depot
6 Kilkare Rd., Sunol
(510) 701-9005
cn******@gm***.com
Tickets: $25 adults, $15 children ages two – 12
2022 Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid
The New Kid in Class
By Michael Coates
The new kid in class doesn’t look that different, but he sure is popular. What’s his secret? When the class is the growing compact crossovers and the new kid is the 2022 Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), the key is that plug port and ability to drive 37 miles on electricity alone after charging up. Proof of popularity is easy. When I checked on the availability of an Escape PHEV at a local dealer, I was told there were none on the lot, but one was in transit. It would be available, but only after a $5,000 “market adjustment” to the price. That’s the downside for a consumer interested in the popular new kid.
The recent spike in gas prices has got people looking for ways to cut down on their pump expenditures. Paying $6 a gallon for gas suddenly cut through many of the objections and concerns about driving a car that needs to be plugged in.
A PHEV is designed to address some of those lingering concerns. Its EV-only range is relatively short, but at the point it runs out, the car becomes a hybrid, shifting between its gasoline-powered internal combustion engine and an electric motor to keep the car moving efficiently.
Install a home-charger hooked up to your 240V dryer circuit and charge every night and you’ll have a “full tank” of electricity in the morning. If your round-trip commute is less than 37 miles (more on that number later) you won’t see a gas station for a long time. But if you have to make a run to Tahoe, you could probably do it on a single tank of gas after you’ve exhausted your electric range.
Three Kinds of Escape
Ford’s approach to its popular compact crossover is to offer choice, but it also involves compromises. Its gas-only models come in four trim levels with two different engines, front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. Starting prices begin at $26,510 and ascend to near $40,000 when fully loaded. Fuel economy ranges from 26 to 30 mpg in combined driving. Hybrids feature a bigger engine, but add an electric motor that can share the load and boost fuel economy. The Hybrid’s three trim levels also include all-wheel drive options. Average fuel economy is 40-41 mpg.
The Plug-in Hybrid model we drove is the top of the fuel efficiency pool. The EPA gives it a 105 MPGe rating, but let’s break that down into the real world. As mentioned, with a full charge you can drive 37 miles on electricity alone. That comes with a big caveat. Jump on the freeway and cruise with traffic and you’ll never see 37 miles. Drive up into the local hills like I did and you’ll find a mile of EV range suddenly shrinks. On the other hand, all that comes back to you when you head down the same hills or find yourself in stop-and-go traffic.
I left for one test drive with 28 miles of range (all I could coax out of my charger). Returning 32 miles later I still had two miles of range even after some freeway driving and hill climbing. A good stretch of relatively flat road and a downhill road back home that had me on the brakes for much of the drive more than compensated for the less efficient part of the run. It’s all part of learning about EV driving. When the battery’s depleted it becomes a front-wheel drive hybrid (no AWD available on the PHEV) that will deliver high-40s mpg.
Besides the Fuel Economy
There’s a whole car beyond the fuel gauge, and the Escaper delivers on that score as well. A full complement of the latest safety and advanced technology equipment comes either standard or part of the typical option packages available. Seating is comfortable and accommodating for five adults for short drives. The rear storage area will handle a typical Costco run.
My test car was the base (for the Hybrid and PHEV models) SE trim that starts at $34,320 (including destination and delivery charges). Added to that was an equipment group that included a foot-activated power liftgate and leather-wrapped steering wheel, among other goodies.
The final total for the car was $35,305, pretty close to the average transaction price of a new car at present. Of course, this hot segment has many competitors to choose from, but at least I didn’t have to deal with the $5,000 new kid mark-up.
News and notes from around the world
Submitted by The Association of Mature American Citizens
It takes years to become a great soprano
Maria Callas, Birgit Nilsson and Joan Sutherland earned their fame in their day as the world’s greatest sopranos. Ten-year-old Victory Brinker of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, may be a little too young for her debut at New York’s Metropolitan Opera or La Scala in Milan, Italy but the odds are she’ll make it one day soon, says the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC]. At the age of 7 she was performing at the Pittsburgh Public Theatre and was dubbed the world’s youngest opera singer by the folks at Guinness who keep track of world records like this one. Brinker says her opera-loving mom introduced her to the world of opera when she was 6 years old, inspiring her to pursue the art form. As she put it, she loved “the challenge of the difficult arrangements, the technique required to sing, all the runs, and the different languages all the arias are written in.” See Victory Brinker performing on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuU33M8xdyM.
Blame it on St. Patrick
It was the annual St. Patrick’s Day holiday that prompted moms in Center Grove
, Indiana, Irish or not, to dress their kids in Shamrock green when they sent them off to Sugar Grove Elementary School, according AMAC. It was picture day, so many of the children were wearing green clothing and the photographer used “green screen” technology, which caused goofs in the proofs. It’s fixable but the photo proofs quickly became cause for levity. The green screen made the children’s clothing to reflect the background sets. As one mom explained it to reporters at WTHR-TV, “The top of [her son’s] hoodie is green, so he turned into the fence here. He had lime green shorts on, so I guess the darker the shirt the more transparent the background comes through. And he had a green mohawk, but that is completely gone.” See a green screen photo goof on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFH8kvVnZns.
See Spot run
Italian authorities have hired a new guard to protect the ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii — a tireless patrol dog, reports the AMAC. What breed of dog, you ask? It’s a 21st century “quadruped robotic dog” with the not-so-21st century name of Spot. Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, says “Often the safety conditions within the tunnels dug by grave robbers are extremely precarious, and so the use of a robot could signify a breakthrough that would allow us to proceed with greater speed and in total safety.” See video of Spot in action on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYih4KB_V54.
The Association of Mature American Citizens is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization representing membership in Washington, D.C. and in local congressional districts nationwide. More information is available on its website at www.amac.us.
Park It
By Ned MacKay
Back in the day, railroads connected many East Bay towns and farms, including what is now Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont. Thanks to the Society for Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources, the railroad at Ardenwood has been restored, and you can ride it for free when you visit the park.
Among other times and dates, train rides will be available between 10:20 a.m. and 2:55 p.m. on both Friday and Sunday, April 15 and 17. The ride leads past rows of crops and through aromatic eucalyptus groves. Check the daily schedule and meet the train at either Arden Station or Deer Park. No registration is required. The train ride is disabled accessible.
After the train ride, you can dye Easter eggs the natural way in a program from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 17 with naturalist Mindy Castle. Find out which plants and spices are great for dyeing eggs, and take home a finished product. This is a drop-in program; registration is not required. Meet at the granary.
Ardenwood is located at 34600 Ardenwood Boulevard, just north of Highway 84. For information on activities and admission fees, call (510) 544-2797. Parking is free.
You can learn more about the world of flowers without leaving home, by joining in a virtual program hosted by naturalist Ashley Adams. It’s from 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 16 at the Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve Facebook page.
The idea is to buy a daffodil at your local supermarket or florist, then follow along online as Ashley dissects a flower and explains pollination. Anyone can join in, and of course it’s free of charge.
Springtime colors are the theme of a program from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 17 at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont with naturalist Maeron Yeshiwas. Designed for ages five and up, the program will explore the associations of various colors and how some animals use color to thrive in the springtime. Then participants can create their own color-inspired painting.
The program is drop-in; no registration is necessary. For information, call (510) 544-3220. Coyote Hills is at the end of Patterson Ranch Road off Paseo Padre Parkway. There’s a parking fee of $5 per vehicle.
Appropriately for Easter, eggs are the focus of a free, naturalist-led program from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 16 and again on Sunday, April 17 at Crab Cove Visitor Center in Alameda. Discover all the different animals that lay eggs. It’s free and no registration is necessary. Crab Cove is at the end of McKay Avenue off Alameda’s Central Avenue. For information, call (510) 544-3187.
Or, you can get your feet wet during a creek and pond study program from 11 a.m. to 12 noon on Sunday, April 17, at Tilden Nature Area near Berkeley, led by naturalist Trent Pearce. Trent will lead a safari in search of the animals that live in Tilden’s streams and ponds. And winged animals are the focus of a birding program from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on Monday, April 18, with naturalist Anthony Fisher. All ages are welcome.
Both programs are free and no registration is required. Meet at the Environmental Education Center, which is at the north end of Central Park Drive. For information, call (510) 544-2233.
This is just a sample. For a complete list of park district programs, visit the website, www.ebparks.org.
Nutmeg
By Pat Kite
When I sprinkle a tidbit of nutmeg powder into a spice cake recipe, I’m thinking of tasty, not a grand adventure. But adventure is there. A lot of wars, blood and misery has been shed over little brownish nutmeg fruits. Nutmeg trees are native to Indonesia, specifically the tiny Banda Islands [also called the Spice Islands]. The Dutch East India Company, controlling the Islands in 1600, wanted to keep the site a secret. If you were even suspected of tattling, or spying, off with your head. This eventually reduced the Banda population of 15,000 to 1,000.
Utmost secrecy worked for a while. The price of one pound of nutmeg in 1760 London was equal to purchasing several sheep. Rich folk tucked aromatic nutmeg into pies and cakes. The spice was ground into alcoholic drinks. Money being money, if prices seemed to be slacking, the Dutch stockpiled nutmeg in an Amsterdam warehouse so there was always a scarcity. Eventually a Frenchman snuck some tree saplings out and the British East India Company planted them hither and yon.
However, the Dutch East India Company was determined to keep control of the Nutmeg supply as long as they could. What better way than to dump some useless land? Let us keep our Nutmeg plantations, the Dutch bargained in the Treaty of Breda. We’ll give you Manhattan (New York) in exchange.
What is nutmeg? The nutmeg tree is 25-foot high Myristica fragrans. Its fruit offers two spices, nutmeg from its hard, grey, wrinkled interior seed kernel; and mace from the seed covering. After picking, the fruits are sun dried for about two months. The nutmeg shrinks away from the hard seed covering. A club is used to break the outer shell, and the egg-shaped tiny nutmeg seed within is picked out and ground into powder form. The word nutmeg comes from the Latin word “nux,” which means nut, and the word “Muscat,” which means musky. How much nutmeg do we produce today? More than 142,000 tons. Prime providers are Indonesia, Guatemala and India.
After all the wars and fussing over nutmeg, I can buy a small bottle at the local supermarket for less than a dollar. This is progress!
Note to readers:
Do you know what to do if you find an injured wild animal—or who to ask about which animals need help and which should be left alone?
The Ohlone Humane Society Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (ohlonehumanesociety.org) is open Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. If you have found a wild animal who is injured or orphaned during non-operating hours, please reach out to the following wildlife rehabilitation centers for assistance: Lindsay Wildlife (lindsaywildlife.org), Wild
life Center of Silicon Valley (wcsv.org).
Power of youth to be celebrated
Submitted by Rochelle Collins
The work of young people creating positive community changes and uplifting young voices across California is the focus of Friday Night Live (FNL) Advocacy Day. Started in 1984, this year’s annual FNL Advocacy Day is set for April 22 and will be celebrated by FNL chapters in 50 counties across the state, including Alameda County.
Among the local chapter’s goals is to continue working with youths in their effort to pass a proclamation to reduce access and availability of tobacco products in Alameda County. Toward that end, FNL is working in partnership with numerous county organizations including Hayward Unified School District, Alameda County Behavioral Health, Sutter Health, Alameda County Tobacco Coalition and local businesses. Their work will help young people at Hayward and Brenkwitz high schools have their voices heard.
With nearly 600 chapters in California schools, community centers, local agencies, and nonprofit organizations the FNL structure provides programs and leadership opportunities for youth of varying ages. Friday Night Live Kids is focused on students in grades four through six, Club Live is geared toward middle school-aged youth, Friday Night Live Mentoring provides peer-to-peer mentoring between high school-aged youth and middle school-aged youth.
FNL works in partnership with high school-aged youth, and California Youth Council, and there is a statewide cabinet of FNL leaders. They believe that a youth development framework, which is inclusive, comprehensive, youth-driven, and founded on current research, will improve the lives of young people and the communities in which they live.
In the Hayward area, information about Project Eden’s FNL program is available by calling (510) 334-0235 or by sending an email to
pr**********@hs*****.org
. Details about the statewide program are available on their website at fridaynightlive.tcoe.org.
Bring Back the Natives online tour
Submitted by Kathy Kramer
Photos by Stefanie Pruegel and Cindy Simons
Registration for the free, eighteenth annual “Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour and Green Home Features Showcase” is now open. This year there will be four days of inspiration: two days online, and two in person. And, for the first time, the Tour will also showcase green home features.
The online Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour and Green Home Features Showcase will take place on the weekend of April 16 and 17. This event will be kicked off on April 16 with a keynote presentation by the inspirational, best-selling author Doug Tallamy.
The two-day virtual tour will also feature beautiful native plant gardens that attract birds, bees, and butterflies, as well as visits to homes with Tesla solar panels and Powerwall backup batteries, heat pumps for heating and cooling the house and heating water, induction ranges, and more.
San Leandro resident Stefanie Pruegel has been gardening with native plants since 2016. On Saturday, April 16, Pruegel’s garden will be featured on the Tour. Pruegel will be talking about how, the more than 100 species of native plants of varying heights, a fountain, and a plethora of seed- and berry-bearing plants, as well as nectar- and pollen-providing flowers, have attracted 25 species of birds, bumblebees, skippers, hairstreaks, Acmon blue, and orange sulfur butterflies to her garden.
Pruegel will also discuss the many green home features she has installed, including solar panels and battery, a smart panel, her ductless mini-split heat pump for heating and cooling the house, the heat pump hot water heater, her three 1,000-gallon rainwater catchment tanks, and more.
Online Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour
Saturday, Apr 16 & Sunday, Apr 17
10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
www.bringingbackthenatives.net
Workshop for caregivers of individuals with Parkinson’s Disease
Submitted by Robert Magbanua
Powerful Tools for Caregivers is a proven six-week program to reduce stress and improve caregiver health. The course is taught by trained class leaders and enables caregivers to develop their own self-care tools that reduce stress, help change negative self-talk, communicate needs to family members and healthcare providers, and develop a process for making tough caregiving decisions.
Program materials focus on the current and ongoing caregiver principles to help caregivers thrive, even while caring for their loved one. This program has been offered for over 10 years at Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center, a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence and served over 10,000 caregivers.
This free workshop will focus specifically on caregivers, partners, or family members of individuals with Parkinson’s Disease. The program consists of six weekly virtual session meetings for 90 minutes. The Caregiver Help book will be provided to all participants and is a great resource even after the program has finished. You can find testimonials for this workshop and sign-up at www.unioncity.org/parkinsons. Space is limited so make sure to sign-up early.
Workshop for caregivers of individuals with Parkinson’s Disease
Workshop Begins: Wednesday, May 4
4:30 pm – 6pm
Virtual meetings
Contact Robert Magbanua:
ro************@un*******.org
(510) 675-5600
Free
Hayward Marsh Restoration
By Dennis Waespi
A site plan for restoration of the Hayward Marsh at Hayward Regional Shoreline, including greater public access, has been approved by East Bay Regional Park District Board of Directors.
A bit of history: the marsh was completed in 1985 by Union Sanitary District and then managed by the park district. It relies on secondary treated wastewater from the sanitary district to provide freshwater and brackish habitat for wildlife and waterfowl.
There are five ponds, controlled by a system of tide gates and channels, with islands for nesting birds including California least terns and Western snowy plovers. The ponds have gradually silted in, reducing the system’s ability to treat wastewater and provide habitat. So the sanitary district will soon stop using the area for wastewater discharge. As a result, the park district staff has developed a concept for habitat restoration and public use. The process involved input from the public and other government agencies, including the Hayward Area Shoreline Planning Agency (HASPA).
HASPA is a joint powers agency with representatives from the City of Hayward, the park district, and Hayward Area Recreation and Park District. Its purpose is to coordinate planning activities and carry out policies for improvement of the Hayward shoreline. Through its efforts, more than 3,150 acres have been purchased for public ownership and marshland habitat.
The Hayward Marsh plan envisions improving the connection with other marshes to north and south, constructing an interim levee to preserve habitat for the endangered birds and salt marsh harvest mouse, and providing an alternate alignment for the San Francisco Bay Trail when future frequent flooding makes the current alignment no longer viable.
With the board’s approval, the next step in the process is staff analysis of the project’s environmental impacts. The district staff expects to present the conclusions to the board in late summer or early fall of this year.
Speaking of shoreline, the park district has completed and opened a fine new access point to McLaughlin Eastshore State Park, it manages on behalf of the state. It’s at Brickyard Cove, located at the end of University Ave
nue in Berkeley.
Formerly a dump site for dirt and construction debris, the site has been re-graded and wildlife habitat has been restored by the park district, with a $5 million grant from California State Parks. Attractions include bike racks, restrooms, a water fountain, interpretive panels, and walking paths for recreation and nature study. Not to mention spectacular views of San Francisco Bay and the city. There’s parking for 47 vehicles.
Check it out. You won’t be disappointed.
Congratulations to Bart O’Brien, director of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden. He has just received the American Horticultural Society’s highest honor, the Liberty Hyde Baily Award. The award is given to an individual who has made significant lifetime contributions to at least three horticultural fields: teaching, research, communications, plant exploration, administration, art, business or leadership. Bart O’Brien has been botanic garden director since 2013.
Jared Freiburg & The Vagabonds
Submitted by Terry Liebowitz
There’s going to be a “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ on” at Castro Valley Center for the Arts Saturday, April 16, when Jared Freiburg brings his three-piece band, the Vagabonds, to town to celebrate the big names of the 50s and 60s. Jered sings Elvis to Sinatra, with a healthy serving of Jerry Lee Lewis.
Jared was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, beginning piano at five. He was first introduced to the style of Jerry Lee Lewis as a young teenager and immediately began studying the dynamic piano style and bad boy attitude of “The Killer.” While others of his generation listened to pop music, Jared immersed himself in all things 50s and 60s.
For the past five years, Jared has been touring the world on land and sea, performing the role of Jerry Lee Lewis in Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical, Million Dollar Quartet. In 2021, Jared created the Lewis role in the spinoff, Million Dollar Quartet Christmas, touring throughout the country during the holidays. Jared will be featured in its original cast recording to be released later this year. Also, Jared recorded and released his first album, Vagabond, last year.
This is the closing concert for Castro Valley Arts Foundation this season. Please note: For admittance, all patrons must show proof of Covid-19 vaccination or negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of the production and ID regardless of age.
Jared Freiburg
Saturday, April 16
7:30 p.m.
Castro Valley Center for the Arts
19501 Redwood Rd., Castro Valley
(510) 889-8961
Tickets: www.cvartsfoundation.org
Parking is free
Teacher and student reunite in emergency room
By Staff
In late 2021, Fremont resident Fred Ilg started experiencing extreme chest pains and was taken to the emergency department at the Kaiser Permanente Fremont Medical Center. As it happened, the team who treated him with an angioplasty included RN Cynthia Jose, one of his former science students at Newark Junior High! On Friday, April 8, Ilg and Jose shared their experience at a press conference hosted by Antonia Ehlers, media relations at Kaiser.
Ilg remembers that the November morning started off normally, with his exercise routine and breakfast. “All of a sudden I got this very crushing feeling in the center of my chest. The cliché is that an elephant is sitting on your chest, but there’s some truth to it.” He hadn’t experienced anything like it before. His wife Jackie called 911. Luckily the hospital was only a few miles away. As he was wheeled into the room where he would have an angioplasty, Ilg was greeted with a familiar face—or half of one.
“Lo and behold, who was in there but Cynthia! I didn’t realize she was there because we were all masked up and whatever, but she saw my name and she knew.”
Jose hadn’t seen her teacher for over 30 years. But as soon as she looked up his name in preparation for the procedure, she recognized him. “There are so many names, thousands and thousands of people, but for some reason I hang onto those names from when I was young. And so I knew it as Mr. Ilg. As soon as he rolled in the door—which is a very chaotic time because he was surrounded by so many people and people are talking at him—I just wanted to whisper and tell him that. ‘I know you. You’re my teacher.’ Something that could help him center himself and calm himself.” She squeezed his hand and let him know she was his former student. Ilg remembered that this human moment helped him face a scary and intense procedure.
Jose has strong memories of her 9th grade teacher. “Mr. Ilg was teaching me science. I remember him as being very serious, which he should be, but he really did set the tone for how seriously I would take the rest of my courses. That started everything. Things that I learned in his class, even if I don’t consciously think about it now, affect my daily life.”
Ilg started teaching at Newark School District in the 1970s and retired in 2004. He taught science, coached soccer, and eventually became a junior high school principal. He remembers Jose as an outgoing student with many friends. “You never know as a teacher where your students are going to end up. To me Cynthia was—she was Cindy then—she was a normal student and I’m glad if I had any part in directing her in her path that she ended up following.”
Jose advises anyone feeling unusual symptoms to call for medical help quickly. “Many of our patients will try to rationalize their symptoms and say, ‘No I just hurt myself,’ or ‘It’s something that I ate,’ or ‘I’m just tired,’ or ‘I’m just stressed.’ But when you can get in here quickly, the better outcome you’ll have. Mr. Ilg is a perfect example of that.” If people come in and it turns out their symptoms aren’t serious, then there’s no harm done. But in the case of an emergency, “Even a few minutes can make a huge difference.”
In April 2022, Fred feels back to full health. He has eased back into his active lifestyle, including exercise and golf. He has also switched to a healthier diet.
Reward for information on killer raised to $200,000
Submitted by John Lin
Effective immediately, the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer of Jennifer Lin is increased from $100,000 to $200,000. Anyone with information on Jenny’s killer please contact Alameda County Sheriff’s Office at (510) 667-3636 or the Jenny Lin toll free hotline at (855) 4-JENNY-LIN.
Jenny was a well-liked, straight-A student who was murdered in her own home in 1994 at age fourteen. A reward of $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Jenny’s killer was established shortly after her murder. Through the years, the family and friends of Jenny have never given up hope to find justice for Jenny. Therefore, to continue our commitment to solving the case, we are increasing the reward amount from $100,000 to $200,000.
Please direct your inquiry to John Lin at (510) 537-7366 or e-mail
jh***@sb*******.net
.
Alameda County Senior Meals Program 50th anniversary
Submitted by Helen Chang, Spectrum Community Services
Spectrum Community Services celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Older Americans Act Nutrition Program with a week of volunteer service by elected officials and community leaders at some of its 12 congregate senior meal locations, and on some of its 90 weekly Meals on Wheels delivery routes in the Tri-Valley area.
On Monday, March 21, San Leandro Mayor Pauline Cutter joined appointed city leaders, friends and staffers in an intense hour of volunteer service plating and
distributing 47 hot meals to-go. At a meeting later that day the City of San Leandro declared this month “March for Meals.” Of the nearly 8,000 take-away hot meals distributed each month at senior centers throughout Alameda County, more than 800 are served in San Leandro.
Similarly, on Tuesday, March 22, community leaders in Castro Valley helped prepare and distribute healthy meals to seniors at Kenneth C. Aitken Senior Center. With this show of support, they were helping to raise awareness for the growing number of older adults in Alameda County facing hunger and isolation, both serious problems that have been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also on March 22, Alameda County Board of Supervisors declared the month “March for Meals” with a proclamation honoring Spectrum Community Services and celebrating the 50th anniversary of the federal legislation that helps to partially fund community-based programs like Spectrum Community Services’ Meals on Wheels and Senior Meals.
Spectrum’s Meals on Wheels and Senior Meals rely heavily on private and individual donations to ensure that no seniors are ever turned away. Senior nutrition programs provide home-delivered meals in Dublin, Pleasanton, Livermore and Sunol, and congregate meals in Hayward, Castro Valley, San Leandro, Alameda, Oakland and Union City.
Alameda County residents aged 60+ can register for Senior Meals or Meals on Wheels by visiting SpectrumCS.org or by calling (510) 881-0300. Spectrum is also seeking volunteers to help serve or deliver meals at various distribution sites.
Newark leaders want to hear from you
Submitted by Newark Police Department
City of Newark officials are updating the housing element of the city’s General Plan which will guide the city’s housing policies for the next 10 years. As part of the process, they have posted an informational Housing Element webpage that explains the details at https://newarkhousingupdate.org/.
Additionally, they have posted a survey asking residents to share their thoughts about housing issues in the community. A link to the multiple-choice survey is posted on the Housing Element webpage and at www.surveymonkey.com/r/8SYC2Y3.
Pesach at Chabad of Fremont
Submitted by Chabad of Fremont
The eight-day Jewish holiday of Passover is celebrated in the early spring, from the 15th through the 22nd of the Hebrew month of Nissan, or April 15 – 23, 2022. Passover (Pesach) commemorates the emancipation of the Israelitesfrom slavery in ancient Egypt. Pesach is observed by avoiding leaven, and highlighted by the Seder meals that include four cups of wine, eating matzah and bitter herbs, and retelling the story of the Exodus. In Hebrew it is known as Pesach (which means “to pass over”), because G-d passed over the Jewish homes when killing the Egyptian firstborn on the very first Passover eve.
Passover is divided into two parts:
The first and last two days (the latter commemorating the splitting of the Red Sea) are full-fledged holidays. Holiday candles are lit at night, and Kiddush and sumptuous holiday meals are enjoyed on both nights and days. We don’t go to work, drive, write, or switch on or off electric devices. We are permitted to cook and to carry outdoors. The middle four days are called Chol Hamoed, semi-festive “intermediate days,” when most forms of work are permitted.
The first Seder will be on Friday, April 15 after nightfall, and the second Seder will be on Saturday, April 16 after nightfall. For the duration of the eight days of Passover, chametz (leaven) is strictly avoided.
The highlight of Passover is the Seder, observed on each of the first two nights of the holiday. The Seder is a fifteen-step family-oriented tradition and ritual-packed feast.
The focal points of the Seder are:
- Eating matzah.
- Eating bitter herbs—to commemorate the bitter slavery endured by the Israelites.
- Drinking four cups of wine or grape juice—a royal drink to celebrate our newfound freedom.
- The recitation of the Haggadah, a liturgy that describes in detail the story of the Exodus from Egypt. The Haggadah is the fulfillment of the biblical obligation to recount to our children the story of the Exodus on the night of Passover. It begins with a child asking the traditional “Four Questions.”
Chabad of Fremont will hold a community First Seder on Friday, April 15 starting at 7 p.m. at the Jewish Center in Fremont. Discover the Seder’s relevance to today’s modern Jew. Limited space is available, so make reservations ahead of time at www.chabadfremont.com/seder or email Chaya Fuss at
Ch***@ch***********.com
.
First Seder at Chabad of Fremont
Friday, Apr 15
7 p.m.
Chabad of Fremont Jewish Center
4251 Peralta Blvd., 94536
(510) 300-4090
www.chabadfremont.com/seder
City is recruiting people to serve the community
Submitted by City of Hayward
City of Hayward has opened its annual recruitment period for applicants to serve on city commissions and task forces. Because of new rules, these City Council-appointed bodies are now open to both citizen and non-citizen residents.
Applications for appointment are being accepted through June 16 — with current and potential vacancies on the Community Services Commission, Keep Hayward Clean and Green Task Force, Library Commission, Personnel Commission, and Planning Commission.
A list of all City Council-appointed city bodies, the terms of their current members, updated eligibility and service requirements, and an application is posted online. Visit the City of Hayward website at www.hayward-ca.gov, then enter “Commissions & Task Forces” into the search field and follow the link. Information also is available by sending an email to the Office of the City Clerk at
ci*******@ha********.gov
or by calling (510) 583-4400.
Homekey is hope – not a solution:
Homelessness outreach volunteers weigh in on Motel 6 conversion
By Andrew Cavette
As this paper reported in the March 29 article by David Newman, Fremont City Council voted unanimously to apply for $40.2 million in Homekey funding. If awarded, that funding will be used to convert the Motel 6 on 46101 Research Avenue into 156 units of affordable housing.
Each Homekey property in California is converted by an experienced housing developer and managed by a service provider, who is also responsible for enforcing house rules, managing disputes and maintaining cleanliness. For Fremont’s Motel 6 project, a Santa Monica-based nonprofit “Step Up” has been chosen.
Tammy Nguyen and Aaron Lloyd are members of Renegade Feedings, a homeless outreach organization based in Fremont. Renegade Feedings members work directly with unhoused residents (in Fremont, Union City and elsewhere), bringing food and hygiene kits into local encampments.
Nguyen is Secretary for Public Outreach at Renegade Feedings. She is optimistic about Fremont’s Homekey project, specifically because of who will manage the future site and how this project differs from earlier failed projects in the Bay Area.
“Step Up have six conversion projects that are successful,” Nguyen said, noting reported resident retention and satisfaction. “They have good resources [for unhoused clients] and are one of a handful of service providers that have kept to their word, providing support services along with housing.”
Lloyd, Training Program Specialist for Renegade Feedings, added that Step Up has rental assistance, drug
treatment programs and mental health support onsite at their other Homekey locations.
Nguyen and Lloyd both said that Homekey projects fail when there is a lack of support programs coupled with housing opportunities. “Hotel conversion projects in San Francisco – that started during Covid – were not carried out properly by the city or the service provider,” Nguyen said. “They rented out hotels to try and keep [those hotels] in business during Covid-19. They were not providing any supportive resources.”
Some Fremont residents are actively working in opposition to the Motel 6 conversion project. Citing a Fremont police report from 2019, opposition activists have expressed concern over increased crime involving unhoused residents.
Nguyen said that crime is certainly a concern, anywhere, regardless of housing status, but also that context is important. “Based on our experiences working out in the field, a lot of the crime committed by unhoused people happens within encampments,” Nguyen said. “When you are put in survival mode, and have to be territorial, you are bound to face these kinds of issues.”
According to Alameda County’s 2019 point-in-time count report on homelessness, 78% of un-housed people in Alameda County used to be housed residents of the county. The same report shows that over 50% of unhoused people lived – housed – in Alameda County for over 10 years before becoming homeless.
Renegade Feedings supports the Motel 6 conversion project, but are not without criticisms of California’s Homekey project. Lloyd said California’s Homekey program is helpful, but does not believe it is a solution; too much time passes between project developments for it to keep up with the housing crisis. “What we need to be focusing on is rent control.”
“Our leadership is very much geared towards rent mediation,” Nguyen added. “Which we do not believe is not a proper solution to the housing issue.” Rent mediation – labeled “Rent Review Process” on the City of Fremont website – is mandatory, mediated discussions between landlords and tenants when rent increases become problematic.
Nguyen noted that some Fremont city council members are strong advocates for the unhoused. “But at the same time, [the City Council] have a history of being developers,” Nguyen said. “Those are the people who say that rent mediation will fix this issue.”
Summer is calling in San Leandro
Submitted by Erwin Gonzales
Although spring has just arrived, many people are already looking forward to summer and many of the activities associated with it.
To help residents prepare, the City of San Leandro has published its Summer 2022 Activities Guide which features information about summer camps, special events, classes and community resources for children, adults, individuals and senior citizens. It was distributed as a supplement inside the March 31 issue of San Leandro Times newspaper.
Information about specific events, classes and resources listed in the guide, along with fees, is posted on the city’s Recreation and Human Services website at sanleandrorec.org. Online, in-person and mail registration for San Leandro residents opens at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, April 14 with registrations for non-San Leandro residents opening a week later on April 21.
For details, send an email to
sl***@sa********.org
or call (510) 577-3462.
Shakespeare Summer Camps
Submitted by San Francisco Shakespeare Festival
After two seasons of virtual Shakespeare Camps, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival is celebrating the return of in-person sessions with a newly developed curriculum that features a schedule of activities and exercises tailored specifically to distinct age groups. Campers, ages 7-10 (grades 2-5) and 11-13 (grades 6-8), will meet and engage with their own peers while learning about the world of performance and Shakespeare.
The Festival’s Education Workgroup has been revamping favorite camp activities as well as adding new ones that reaffirm its mission of sharing Shakespeare’s work in a collaborative and reflective manner and filtered through an anti-racist and community-centric lens.
Debuting this summer are camps specifically tailored for middle-schoolers, rising 6th-8th graders, ages 11-13. Previously, 12- and 13-year-old campers had to choose between a Players camp for ages 7-13 or an Upstart Crows camp for ages 12-18. Now they’ll learn, rehearse, and perform with their peers while working with a curriculum created for this unique period of adolescence.
Additionally, Fremont’s camp for Shakespeare Players (ages 11-13) will meet for three weeks this summer. During virtual camps (held last summer), we found that the 3-week format enables campers to more fully engage with the material, as well as each other, resulting in a stronger ensemble and greater mastery of the content. The 7-10-year-old group, formerly the younger Players, will now be known as Groundlings. These campers will still have 2-week camps tailored to their interests and stage of development, with a focus on active play and exploration of language.
On the final day of camp, the kids will stage their own 30-minute version of a Shakespeare play for an audience of family and friends The Groundlings will perform Pyramus and Thisbe, the antic play-within-a-play from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The Players will perform Much Ado About Nothing – the same performance that San Francisco Shakespeare Festival is staging for their 40th anniversary season of Free Shakespeare in the Park.
Pre-care (8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.) and aftercare (3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) is included with enrollment at either session.
Fremont Shakespeare Camp
The Groundlings (ages 7-10): July 18-29 (10 days)
The Players (ages 11-13): July 18-Aug 5 (15 days)
Weekdays
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Temple Beth Torah
42000 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont
(415) 558-0888
www.sfshakes.org
Keeping us moving during a pandemic
Submitted by Shirley Gilbert
“Let’s start in a comfortable seated position with our backs straight. This can be on a chair, on the floor, or on your sofa. Place one palm on your heart and the other on your belly.”
Sherri Plaza, fitness instructor, is starting one of her morning yoga classes. In front of her are several dozen tiny faces contained in small rectangles. Here we are, her students, settled in our little Zoom corner of the house, a few of us still in pajamas, mirroring her moves as we see her in the middle of our screens.
Because of the Pandemic and the transfer of her yoga classes to Zoom, Plaza is demonstrating all the moves. Before March 2020, when all classes were in person, she would walk around the yoga studio and get a feel for how folks were doing. But that isn’t possible when students are on Zoom.
“You only see these little rectangles,” says Plaza, “and with Zoom you can’t get visual clues
and many people close their cameras, so you don’t see them at all. That’s why I do all the poses.”
She and other fitness pros had to make many adjustments when pre-Pandemic classes shut down and they moved their classes online. For example, Plaza tries to describe her yoga positions more graphically and tell students what she’s feeling in her own body because she’s not seeing what people are doing. She also tries to keep things simple.
Luckily, Plaza was familiar with Zoom. Yet the technology can still be a challenge. Sometimes her image freezes, or the technology doesn’t work well and is unstable. “That’s when I ask everyone to practice patience and accept t
hat there will be technical glitches. I tell them if you lose me, take a rest, breathe and all will be well,” affirms Plaza.
On balance, she finds that after two years of exercising at home, most of her clients prefer the convenience of livestream Zoom classes. Being home really works for them. You can sign in late or leave early, you can use props more easily at home, you save on gas and driving, with no traveling it takes less time, and there’s no comparing what you do to others. For many, Zoom is the ideal way to stay fit.
The question for many purveyors of fitness is: Will their patrons want to return to the old in-person way of exercising?
Plaza believes that virtual classes are here to stay for both yoga and fitness. She thinks some people will opt for a hybrid approach — going to some in-person sessions but maintaining Zoom classes as well. Of course, she says, a few want to ditch Zoom altogether because they dislike the technology and want the camaraderie of others around them. But most of the people she teaches want to continue with Zoom even when the Pandemic is no longer an issue.
One of the classes that Plaza teaches where Zoom is king is called Keep It Moving. This get-together is designed to help seniors move more easily and with less pain in their day-to-day lives. Plaza employs basic exercises, fun dance moves to songs, and balance challenges that will allow seniors to function better. The class was in person until the virus struck. But seniors love the virtual version so much Plaza doubts they will want to return to exercising in person.
What is so comforting to seniors in the Keep It Moving Zoom classes is the sense of community. There is always a period of socialization before the class. Participants share their stories, check to make sure all is well when a member is not there, and enjoy the social aspects as well as the physical aspects of being together.
Plaza believes passionately in engendering that community feeling. “I love to know as much as I can about my students,” she says. “I’m a social person and I take a personal approach. That’s such a fun part of what I do. I often think the social part is just as important as the physical part. There’s such a need to stay in touch especially during the Pandemic.”
Plaza has exercised almost all her life but after leaving her job at HP to raise kids, she fell in love with yoga, took 200 hours of teacher training and got a group fitness certification so she could be an instructor. She has been teaching yoga and fitness since 2008 in various Tri-City area locations. Two years ago, she opened her own business concentrating on yoga and Keep It Moving Zoom classes.
Plaza thinks of her teaching in everyday terms. “In order to be healthy physically,” concludes Plaza, “we need to keep moving, we need to be able to balance, we need strength, endurance, and flexibility. By bringing exercises that can do that, I believe I can help folks improve their lifestyle and enjoy every day. That is what I believe my teaching is all about.”
Keep Moving with Sherri
https://www.keepmovingwithsherri.com
Square Dance Class
Submitted by the Farmers and Farmerettes Square Dance Club
Square Dancing is one of the few dances that started in America, adapted from the Virginia reel. During the Western migration it traveled with the wagon trains to the west.
Square dancing is done the same way around the world, with four couples in one square and a caller who tells them where they are supposed to move. Square dance calls have some common names like “swing your partner” and “circle left”, but there are also some unusual calls that take a while to understand like, “Load the Boat” and “Ferris Wheel”.
If you can walk you can square dance. There are no complicated dance steps. It’s all about moving within your group of eight dancers on one area of the square dance floor. This is a fun activity that gives you some exercise, some mental challenges like remembering what to do when the caller calls a dance step routine, and interaction with other people both physically and socially.
Square dancing is a smoke free and alcohol free activity and a lot of fun. Men are encouraged to wear long sleeve shirts, because the women touch arms with the men and don’t like sweaty arms.
This is a couple’s activity, but we do not care who makes up the couple. The couple can be two people of the same sex or different ages. You can start the class without having a partner. Most of the dancers in our club have been dancing for many years, and they still come out every week to enjoy this activity called, “Modern Social Square Dancing”.
When you have learned Modern Social Square dance calls you will be able to attend square dance festivals in other areas of the city, county, state, nation or world. The Farmers and Famerettes dance almost every Wednesday night at the Newark Pavilion, 6430 Thornton Avenue in Newark. We dance in the main hall that has wood floors and air conditioning. The Farmers and Farmerettes Square Dance Club is a member of the Northern California Square Dance Association and has been in existence for the past 60 years.
Please come down and give Square Dancing a try! After a free lesson on April 20th there is a $50 fee per person for the 13-week class to cover the cost of the hall and the caller. We are requiring everyone who attends the classes to show proof of Covid vaccination with booster. We follow the Newark City, Alameda County and California State guidelines. We are not requiring masks at this time.
For more information call Jim & Bev at (510) 299-8941 or Bruce at: (510) 862-7039 and check out our website: www.farmersandfarmerettes.org
Square Dance Class
Wednesdays, April 20 – July 13
7 p.m.
First lesson free!
Newark Pavilion
6430 Thornton Avenue, Newark
www.farmersandfarmerettes.org
To Ukraine, with love:
BASIS independent school packs 28,000 meals
By Allyson Wong
The tragic war resulting from Russia’s invasion has displaced millions of Ukrainians from their families and loved ones. To date, over 4 million refugees have fled Ukraine, and they need the world’s help to access daily necessities and food.
BASIS Independent Fremont School’s Kids Against Hunger Club decided to lend a helping hand. They started fundraising with the goal of holding a schoolwide meal packing event, packing nutritious dry meals to send across the Ukrainian border via Convoy of Hope, a humanitarian charity organization. Among the generous donors who supported our mission are Fremont Council member Teresa Keng, who donated proceeds from her restaurant, Milk and Honey Café Fremont, My Green Lunch (lunch provider of several Bay Area schools), Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Experian, and Dr. Yu Chiropractic Clinic in Fremont. Cresco Equipment rentals Fremont also sponsored the truck rental.
“We appreciate so much the tremendous efforts by Kids Against Hunger, Fremont, and BASIS Independent School to support the needy. My kids and I have participated several times in the school meal packing events. It’s a great opportunity to show the kids that even in Fremont and in Silicon Valley, we have many children experiencing food insecurity. I hope many more people can participate and support such efforts. Together, we can make a greater difference,” said Teresa Keng.
On the morning of Saturday, April 2, the school united and packed over 28,000 meals over the course of four hours to support those impacted by the conflict in Ukraine. The Mission San Jose High School Kids Against Hunger Club also attended to support the event. Following the packing eve
nt, numerous students voiced how great it felt to be able to give back to the global community.
“Our love for those in need should not be bound by distance or borders. Now is the time for us to show our love for others by taking action. We truly appreciate the support from Kids Against Hunger Fremont, the generous donors, and all our school staff and students for pitching in to pack 28,000 meals. This truly shows that many hands do make light work,” shared Allyson Wong, founder of the BASIS Kids Against Hunger Club.
“Immediately following the event, I had a parent reach out to tell me how meaningful the event was for her daughter. I am hopeful that we will continue to have more volunteer opportunities with Kids Against Hunger and other non-profits to continue to do great work in our immediate communities and abroad,” remarked Ms. Davis, Head of BASIS Independent Fremont Upper School.
It was inspirational to see our community coming together to make a positive impact not only locally but also around the world.
Ohlone Culture at Tule Ponds
Submitted by Math Science Nucleus
Join a walking tour of Tule Ponds at Tyson Lagoon and learn about the Muwekma Ohones that lived at Tule Ponds and surrounding area. The Ohlones lived in the Bay Area for at least 5,000 years, making their culture a very long-lived peaceful people. They used the land to survive.
Wear comfortable walking shoes. Recommended for ages five and above as strollers will be difficult to navigate on narrow paths.
Some examples of activities available for children and adults after the walk:
- Displays on Native American artifacts, including Tule hut and boat.
- Learn how to ground acorns with mortar and pestle.
- Make a tule doll or boat.
- Make an elderberry necklace.
- Displays on tules, silkworms, and more.
- Posters on evolution of Tule Ponds.
Parking will be available onsite or at Fremont BART Station. Registration is limited to 30 participants.
Ohlone Culture at Tule Ponds
Sunday, Apr 24
10 a.m. – 12 noon
1999 Walnut Ave., Fremont
Registration: $10
https://www.msnucleus.org/watersheds/tule/events/ohlone.html
Grant money available for youth programs
Submitted by City of San Leandro
Applications are being accepted through May 2 for the annual Youth Mini Grant program offered through City of San Leandro’s Youth Advisory Commission (YAC). The program provides grant funding to support organizations or programs that are youth-driven and have a positive impact on San Leandro youth.
YAC raised the grant money by volunteering and implementing special fundraising events, with additional funding donated by San Leandro Optimist Club. The total funding available for this year’s program is $1,000; the amount per award will be dependent on the number of awards granted and their corresponding funding level.
Each application must meet three requirements:
- Must serve San Leandro youth (grades 6-12)
- Must have an adult sponsor/advisor
- Must present a proposal at the May 3, 2022 YAC meeting
Applications are available on the YAC website at www.SanLeandro.org/YAC and must be submitted by 12 noon, Monday, May 2. Early applications are encouraged. For details, call Liz Hodgins, YAC Secretary at (510) 577-3473.
10 lovely long-lasting flowers
By Daniel O’Donnell
Audrey Hepburn, “Golden Age of Hollywood” film and fashion legend loved gardening. Her last recorded performance was on “Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn,” a television series that confirmed her deep love of gardening. She was said to have spent hours in the garden every day and would often fill a basket with flowers to take inside. Maybe she, like other gardeners, might have wished for a longer spring when many flowers bloom. Although we cannot control nature’s timeframe, we can try to extend spring by choosing flowers that have longer lasting blooms or plants that flower for many months.
There are many benefits to growing flowers that have a longer life. People have enjoyed cutting flowers to bring inside for centuries. The earliest known flower arrangements date back to around 2,500 BCE in ancient Egypt. Selecting longer lasting-flowers allows for a more durable arrangement and reduces the number that need to be cut, leaving more outside for bees and butterflies. These will last longer on special occasions, as opposed to flowers that might only survive a week.
Below are five plants that can be grown in the Bay Area and do not require a lot of water. They produce long-lasting flowers that can be enjoyed when left on the plant outside, or cut and placed in a vase inside.
Geums are long-blooming thornless perennials in the rose family that produce many quarter-sized flowers. Their colors include yellow, orange, pink and red. Flowers should be cut when the blooms are half open for greatest longevity.
Gomphrenas bloom from spring until the temperature drops below 40°. They produce small white, pink, or purple flowers on the end of long stems, sometimes a foot above the foliage. Gomphrena was grown by colonists before the U.S. was founded. Flowers on the stem can survive more than two months, and last for weeks when cut. Dried flowers can last for years.
Statice is a popular drought-tolerant perennial that produces large clusters of many small purple flowers. It begins to bloom in mid-spring and continues into fall. A single flower stalk can look good for more than two months. They have longevity as cut flowers in a vase as well. Newer cultivars have white, yellow, orange and pink flowers.
Geranium maderense is a biennial flowering plant. It takes two years to flower before it dies. However, when it finally flowers in early spring, the dozens of violet flowers can last into summer.
Growing plants with flowers that stay alive for a long time is one way to extend spring bloom. A second way is to use plants that bloom for a long time. Although the flowers on these plants might be short lived, they continue to produce new flowers for a long time. Another benefit to these plants is they provide a food source for bees, butterflies, and other garden pollinators for longer periods.
Below are five more plants that can be grown in the Bay Area and do not require a lot of water:
Iochromas are large shrubs that bloom from early spring well into late summer and early fall. A single shrub can produce over 100 clusters of two-inch tulip-shaped flowers. The flower colors include different shades of purple, blue, burgundy, pink, red, and white, and all attract hummingbirds and bees.
Centranthus, aka Red Valerian, produces rose to deep red clusters of tiny flowers from early spring into late summer. It thrives with minimal water and care and is a favorite food source for many varieties of butterflies.
Plumbagos are perennial shrubs that can produce blue or white flowers year-round if the weather stays warm. It is not uncommon in the Bay Area to see the flowers nine months out of the year.
Bleeding Heart “Luxuriant” is a small woody perennial shrub that flowers in part or full shade. It produces multiple pink heart-shaped flowers from early spring into fall. The water requirements are moderate until it gets established and then it will require less.
Russian Sage produces many small blooms on multiple stems that rise out of its soft green foliage and create an attractive lavender canopy over the plant. Although it typically does not begin to flower until June, it will continue through October.
Audrey Hepburn is quoted as saying, “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” Using
plants with longer lasting flowers or longer lasting bloom times gives us more tomorrows.
Daniel O’Donnell is the co-owner and operator of an organic landscape design/build company in Fremont. www.Chrysalis-Gardens.com
Santa Clara County and San Jose Earthquakes start negotiations for complex
Submitted by Santa Clara County Public Affairs
The County of Santa Clara and Earthquakes Soccer LLC have entered an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) for 12 months to explore the potential of a long-term lease for a soccer complex at the County Fairgrounds.
The plan could include a training facility for Earthquakes Youth Academy program, practice fields, and facilities for the professional Earthquakes Soccer Team. Approximately 14.8 acres of the 34-acre project at the County Fairgrounds would be leased to the Earthquakes. In addition, the County is considering the development of up to six publicly available soccer fields adjoining the Earthquakes site.
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors received an initial Letter of Interest from the Earthquakes in 2020 to lease land at the Fairgrounds to create soccer fields and associated facilities. This is part of the County Fairgrounds Master Plan to consider leasing proposals for parts of the 150-acre site.
“This is a major step towards our goal of having an elite training center and singular home for all of our teams,” said Earthquakes President Jared Shawlee. “As part of our club ethos, we wanted to pursue an opportunity that not only provided a first-class complex for our professional and youth teams, but also to facilitate the development of the premier public-use youth and adult soccer facility in Northern California.”
The team training building would consist of locker rooms, a weight room, dining hall, theatre, medical treatment facility and hydrotherapy, equipment and laundry rooms, coach and staff offices, and more. The professional training center would be complemented by 10 full-size soccer fields: four would exclusively serve the Earthquakes, and six turf fields would be dedicated exclusively for year-round public use. All 10 fields would be lighted and at least three of the Quakes’ four fields would feature natural grass.
During the period of the Exclusive Negotiating Agreement, the County and Earthquakes Soccer LLC will do an analysis to determine the potential costs and revenues associated with the project, provide additional design and planning details, develop a community engagement plan for the proposed project, and produce a proposed development agreement.
Walmart to end cigarette sales in some stores
By Anne D’Innocenzio
The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP), March 28 – Walmart will no longer sell cigarettes in some of its stores though tobacco sales can be a significant revenue generator.
Wall Street Journal was the first to report the development. It noted some stores in California, Florida, Arkansas and New Mexico were on the list, citing anonymous sources and store visits.
Walmart is not the first national retail chain to cut off cigarette sales even on a trial basis, but it is the largest. Target ended cigarette sales in 1996 and the drugstore chain CVS Health did the same in 2014.
CVS Health sales in areas outside the pharmacy fell for a few quarters after it pulled tobacco products, and the company had predicted that missing tobacco products would hurt annual earnings by 7 to 8 cents per share.
Overall revenue has grown every year at CVS, however, after a number of acquisitions and changes to its stores bolstered the company’s health care offerings. CVS Health bought the health insurer Aetna in 2017.
Decisions about removing cigarettes at Walmart will be made on a store-by-store basis according to the business and particular market, the company said Monday. “We are always looking at ways to meet our customers’ needs while still operating an efficient business,” Walmart said in a prepared statement.
Health officials say that cigarette smoking causes about one of every five deaths in the U.S. each year.
Walmart Inc., based in Bentonville, Arkansas, announced in 2019 that it was getting out of the vaping business and would stop selling electronic cigarettes at its stores and also at Sam’s Clubs. It said at the time the decision was based on “growing federal, state and local regulatory complexity.”
AP Health writer Tom Murphy in Indianapolis contributed to this report.
Alameda County Water District Board
Special Meeting
March 31, 2022
Action Item:
- Resolution to approve a cooperative agreement for a transfer and exchange project of up to 5,000 acre-feet of water between Alameda County Water District and Contra Costa Water District and determine that the project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Motion unanimously adopted.
John Weed, President Aye
Aziz Akbari Aye
James Gunther Aye
Judy Huang Aye
Paul Sethy Aye
Fremont City Council
April 5, 2022
Consent Calendar:
- Second reading of ordinance regarding district boundaries.
- Second reading to rezone 22.4-acre site at 40517-40525 Albrae Street.
- Continue meetings via videoconference; reconsideration May 3, 2022.
- Approve contract with G. Bortolotto & Company, Inc. for 2022 Pavement Rehabilitation Project in the amount of $1,452,649.18.
- Prepare and file annual engineer’s report for Landscaping District 88.
- Approve permit for a temporary food storage facility at 40950 Chapel Way.
Ceremonial Items:
- Proclaim April 2022 as Arts, Culture, and Creativity Month. Connie Chew, Vice President of Fremont Cultural Arts Council (FCAC) accepted the proclamation. Additional comments by FCAC President Julie Gilson.
- Proclaim April 2022 as Community College Month. Ohlone College President Dr. Eric Bishop received the proclamation.
- Resolution in support of locating a trauma center in Southern Alameda County. Kimberly Hartz CEO of Washington Hospital Healthcare System accepted the resolution.
Public Communications:
- Support for safe parking program.
- Public comment on ceremonial items. Comments of dynamic new leadership at Ohlone College.
- Comments regarding previous city manager and local government practices.
- Make Auto Mall and Grimmer safer with better bus service.
- Buffer wall for Fremont Boulevard near Stevenson.
Items Removed from Consent:
- Minutes of March 8 and March 15 meetings (Cox). Correct missing names and misspellings to be corrected at subsequent meeting.
Scheduled Items:
- Final Public Hearing for redistricting with revisions to Map 91064.
- Public Hearing: Consider choices of Art Review Board for artwork for Warm Springs Plaza.
Other Business:
- Presentation of 2023-2031 Housing Element plan
Council Communications:
- Appointments to Advisory Bodies:
Library Advisory Committee Rohit UpaMaka, Smiti Anand
Planning Commission Jasmin Basrai
Senior Citizens Commission Claudette Surma
Mayor Lili Mei
Aye
Vice Mayor Raj Salwan, District 5 Aye
Teresa Keng, District 1 Aye
Rick Jones, District 2 Aye
Jenny Kassan, District 3 Aye
Yang Shao, District 4 Aye
Teresa Cox, District 6 Aye
Medicare weighs premium cut after limiting Alzheimer’s drug
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Matthew Perrone
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP), April 7 — Medicare said on April 7 that it’s considering a cut in enrollee premiums, after officials stuck with an earlier decision to sharply limit coverage for a pricey new Alzheimer’s drug projected to drive up program costs.
The agency “is looking at that, and is still going through the process,” spokeswoman Beth Lynk said of a potential reduction in premiums, as Medicare announced its final coverage decision for Aduhelm, a drug whose benefits have been widely questioned in the medical community.
Officials said Medicare will keep coverage restrictions imposed earlier on the $28,000-a-year medication, paying for Aduhelm only when it’s used in clinical trials approved by the Food and Drug Administration or the National Institutes of Health.
The projected cost of Aduhelm was a major driver behind a $22 increase in Medicare’s Part B premium this year, boosting it to $170.10 a month. That price hike is already being paid by more than 56 million Medicare recipients signed up for the program’s outpatient coverage benefit. Lawmakers have called for a rollback and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra already directed Medicare to reassess.
The coverage decision illustrates the impact that a single medication can have on the budgets of individuals and taxpayers. It comes as legislation to authorize Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices remains stuck in the Senate, part of President Joe Biden’s stalled social and climate agenda. That’s left Democrats with nothing to show on their promises to cut prescription drug costs, unless they can overcome internal disagreements.
Medicare’s determination on Aduhelm included an important caveat. Officials said that if it or any other similar drug in its class were to receive what’s called “traditional” FDA approval, then Medicare would open up broader coverage for patients. Such approval is granted when a medication shows a clear clinical benefit.
That was not the case with Aduhelm. It received what’s known as “accelerated” approval last year because of its potential promise. But manufacturer Biogen is required to conduct a follow-up study to definitively answer whether Aduhelm truly slows the progression of Alzheimer’s. If that study is successful, FDA would grant full approval. That would also open up Medicare coverage.
Dr. Lee Fleisher, chief medical officer of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said “there will be quick access for Medicare beneficiaries” for Alzheimer’s drugs that receive the traditional FDA approval, after demonstrating a clear benefit.
Aduhelm hit the market as the first new Alzheimer’s medication in nearly two decades. Initially priced at $56,000 a year, it was expected to quickly become a blockbuster drug, generating billions for Cambridge, Mass.-based Biogen. But although the company slashed the price in half — to $28,000 a year — Aduhelm’s rollout has been disastrous.
Pushback from politicians, physicians and insurers left the company with just $3 million in sales from Aduhelm last year. Doctors have been hesitant to prescribe it, given weak evidence that the drug slows the progression of Alzheimer’s. Insurers have blocked or restricted coverage over the drug’s high price tag and uncertain benefit.
The CMS decision means that for Medicare to pay, patients taking Aduhelm will have to be part of clinical trials to assess the drug’s safety and effectiveness in slowing the progression of early-stage dementia. Tamara Syrek Jensen, head of CMS’s coverage and analysis unit, said “it’s status quo” as far as limitations the agency initially imposed on Aduhelm in January.
The limits stayed on despite a massive lobbying push by the Alzheimer’s Association to change Medicare’s position, including outreach to members of Congress, online advertising and social media campaigns directed at the agency.
The association, the largest group of its kind, has received contributions from drugmakers, including Biogen. The group’s CEO said he was “very disappointed” after reviewing Medicare’s decision.
“Denying access to FDA-approved Alzheimer’s treatments is wrong,” Harry Johns said in a statement. “At no time in history has CMS imposed such drastic barriers to access FDA-approved treatments for people facing a fatal disease.”
Aduhelm has sparked controversy since the FDA approved it against the recommendation of outside advisers. The medicine, administered intravenously in a doctor’s office, hasn’t been shown to reverse or significantly slow Alzheimer’s. But the FDA said its ability to reduce clumps of plaque in the brain is likely to slow dementia.
Many experts say there is little evidence to support that claim. And a federal watchdog and congressional investigators are conducting separate probes into how the FDA reviewed the medication.
Alzheimer’s is a progressive neurological disease with no known cure. The vast majority of U.S. patients are old enough to qualify for Medicare, which covers more than 60 million people, including those 65 and older, and disabled people under 65.
The reason Aduhelm falls under Medicare’s outpatient benefit, and not its pharmacy drug program, is that it’s given in a doctor’s office. Beneficiary premiums are set to cover about 25% of the cost of outpatient care.
San Leandro City Council
April 4, 2022
Recognitions:
- Proclamation declaring April as Autism Awareness Month.
- Proclamation declaring April 10-16 as National Public Safety Communications Week.
- Proclaimed April as Fair Housing Month.
- Proclamation declaring April 3-9, 2022 as National Library Week.
- Proclaiming San Leandro’s Support for Ukraine.
- James Madison elementary school student Emily Bravo received the Kindness Award for demonstrating a great amount of maturity, reflection and deep care for her peers, and for helping with the school garden each day.
City Manager Update:
- Response to litigation questions will be published in next City newsletter.
- Farmers Market starts Wed @ 3pm – 7pm with Mayor’s ribbon cutting ceremony.
Public Comments
- Resident Douglas Spalding suggested maintaining a virtual option for Council meeting attendance; thanked City Attorney Pio Roda for following through on transparency promise; requested findings from recent retreat; requested items 9g and 9h to be pulled from Consent Calendar; stated community is grateful for City Council actions leading towards approval of police oversight ordinance.
- Abby Kitchen, Steven Taylor’s grandmother, thanked Council for CPRB (Community Police Review Board) support and community involvement in development of Board training and procedures, and maintaining Board diversity.
- Residents thanked Council for bringing Police oversight ordinance forward.
- Resident provided gun violence examples.
Councilmember Announcements:
- Mayor Cutter welcomed public back to on-site Council meetings.
Councilmember Lopez thanked public and Friends of San Leandro Creek and volunteers for attending creek cleanup in commemoration
of Cesar Chavez.
- Councilmember Cox announced a special exhibit event at the library in April for Sesquitennial.
- Councilmember Aguilar thanked UC Berkeley Fulbright scholars for sharing Ukraine update.
Presentations:
- City Attorney Richard D. Pio Roda presented “Brown Act / Public Records Act Refresher 2022” (People have a right to access information that enables them to monitor the functioning of government). Resident Douglas Spalding questioned copying fees for public records. Attorney Pio Roda confirmed 10 cents per page cost; encouraged public to use free digital records, accessible through City Clerk. A resident clarified 1st Amendment protections for offensive speech.
Consent Calendar:
- Approve minutes of the regular City Council meeting of February 22, 2022.
- Approve minutes of the regular City Council meeting of March 7, 2022.
- Approve minutes of the adjourned regular City Council meeting of March 14, 2022.
- Approve minutes of the special City Council meeting of March 14, 2022.
- Approve minutes of the regular City Council meeting of March 21, 2022.
- Resolution approving the San Leandro City Employees Association (SLCEA) Memorandum of Understanding and the Confidential Employees’ Group Compensation Plan for a Three-Year Term (January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2024), a side Letter of Agreement to the 2022 San Leandro Management Organization (SLMO) Memorandum of Understanding, and a Budget Appropriation in the amount of $777,217 for FY2022 and $1,873,292 for FY2023.
- Resolution Increasing the City’s General Liability Self-Insured Retention Level from $500,000 to $750,000 through the California Joint Powers Risk Management Authority with a potential cost savings of $50,000 in Fiscal Year 2022-2023.
- Ordinance of the City of San Leandro City Council to amend San Leandro Municipal Code sections 1-3-100, 1-3-110 and subsection (a) of section 1-3-115 to add Community Police Review Board and to add Article 17 Community Police Review Board to San Leandro Municipal Code Chapter 1-3, Boards and Commissions City of San Leandro.
Items Removed from Consent Calendar:
- (9g) Resolution Increasing the City’s General Liability Self-Insured Retention Level from $500,000 to $750,000 through the California Joint Powers Risk Management Authority with a potential cost savings of $50,000 in Fiscal Year 2022-2023. Motion unanimously adopted.
- (9h) Ordinance of the City of San Leandro City Council to Amend San Leandro Municipal Code sections 1-3-100, 1-3-110 and subsection (a) of section 1-3-115 to add Community Police Review Board and to Add Article 17 Community Police Review Board to San Leandro Municipal Code Chapter 1-3, Boards and Commissions City of San Leandro. Motion unanimously adopted.
Action Items:
- Resolution approving the City Manager Salary Schedules effective for January 1, 2022, January 1, 2023, and January 1, 2024 and a Budget Appropriation in the amount of $3,150 for FY 2022 and $7,830 for FY 2023. Community Resources Director Hung provided a summary of salary recommendations. Motion unanimously adopted.
- Resolution approving an agreement with Flock Safety to install fixed community safety cameras that have Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) in an amount not to exceed $250,000 (2-year contract). Motion unanimously adopted.
City Council Reports:
- Councilmember Cox attended conference in Sacramento; Alameda County Transportation meeting.
- Councilmembers Azevedo, Aguilar, and Lopez attended National League of Cities conference in Washington D.C.
Councilmember Simon attended East Bay Community Membership Meeting.
Mayor Pauline Russo Cutter Aye
Vice Mayor Pete Ballew Aye
Victor Aguilar Aye
Bryan Azevedo Aye
Fred Simon Aye
Deborah Cox Aye
Corina Lopez Aye
Voter education language workshops
Submitted by Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters
Registrar of Voters will be hosting a variety of language workshops aimed at educating all members of the community about the upcoming June 7, 2022 Statewide Direct Primary Election.
The workshops will be offered in thirteen languages: Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Korean, Khmer, Japanese, Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, and Nepali. All English-speaking and bilingual members of the public are welcome to attend these workshops which will
mainly focus on Voter’s Choice Act, Vote by Mail, and Vote Center Information.
Attendees will also learn how they can get involved in the election process, including how to become an election worker or volunteer.
Bilingual support will be provided at each meeting.
For more information, contact the Registrar of Voters’ Office at (408) 299-VOTE (8683) or toll-free at (866) 430-VOTE (8683). You can also email
ou******@ro*.org
or visit https://sccvote.sccgov.org/get-involved/outreach#1849274314-4175360803
Voter Education Language Workshops
Tuesday, April 26 – Wednesday, May18
6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
4/26: Chinese
4/27: Vietnamese
4/28: Tagalog
5/2: Hindi
5/3: Spanish
5/4: Gujarati
5/5: Nepali
5/9: Punjabi
5/10: Tamil
5/11: Telugu
5/12: Japanese
5/17: Khmer
5/18: Korean
Via Zoom: https://bit.ly/3jeqPiS
Workers’ wage bill advances
Submitted by Jeff Barbosa
As some federal support programs are discontinued, the state Senate Judiciary Committee on April 5 approved SB 1477, authored by Senator Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) to enable low-wage workers to improve their financial stability by protecting more of their wages in garnishment cases.
Building on Wieckowski’s SB 501 passed in 2015, SB 1477 increases the amount protected in a worker’s wages to 80 hours of work at a minimum wage salary. It also restricts the use of civil arrest warrants in consumer debt matters. The bill would double the amount of wages protected from garnishment from $600 to $1,200.
“This bill protects workers from falling deeper into debt by safeguarding a larger share of their wages from collection to give them a better chance to stabilize their finances and pay for their basic day-to-day needs as they pay down their debts,” Wieckowski said.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated many families’ financial struggles and widened the gap between rich and poor. Although our unemployment rate is going down, we cannot afford to turn our backs on those who were hit the hardest by the pandemic, especially with rising prices,” Wieckowski continued. “SB 1477 is a responsible step to prevent more Californians from experiencing greater financial distress.”
SB 1477 is a part of the Building the California Dream Alliance priority legislation package. The Alliance was founded in 2015 to further a progressive, positive vision for California, offering a counterbalance to the influence of anti-worker, anti-environment and special interest policies.
Wieckowski represents the 10th District in the State Senate, which includes southern Alameda County and parts of Santa Clara County. Constituents who need information or assistance on state issues can call the senator’s
district office at (510) 794-3900 or send an email to https://sd10.senate.ca.gov/contact/email.
BART Police Log
Submitted by Les Mensinger and BART PD
Friday, April 1
- At 3:19 p.m. a man identified by police as Sage Emmenegger, 26, of San Lorenzo was detained at Milpitas station on suspicion of fare evasion. A record check showed two outstanding $2,500 warrants issued in Alameda County. He also was found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia and suspected fentanyl. He was arrested and booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail.
Monday, April 4
- At 7:30 a.m. a man identified by police as Darnell Shields, 30, of Hayward was arrested at Bay Fair station in San Leandro on a $10,000 warrant charging vandalism issued by Alameda County Sheriff’s Office and a $1,000 warrant charging theft issued by Pleasanton Police Department. He was booked at Santa Rita Jail.
Tuesday, April 5
- At 8:00 a.m. officers responded to a report about a person waiving a gun around on the platform at San Leandro station. A man identified by police as Marco Senegal, 33, of Oakland was detained and officers determined the weapon was an airsoft gun. Senegal was arrested on suspicion of being out of compliance with sex offender registration rules, possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia; he was booked into Santa Rita Jail.
Wednesday, April 6
- At 6:55 a.m. a woman identified by police as Sara Hansen, 38, of Arcata was arrested at Hayward station on a $7,500 warrant charging theft issued in San Francisco, a $500 warrant charging shoplifting and a $500 warrant charging possession of drug paraphernalia, both issued in Santa Clara County. She was booked into Santa Rita Jail.
- At 12:21 p.m. a man identified by police as Harrison Repetto, 19, of San Jose was arrested at Hayward station on suspicion of possessing a hidden gun. He was booked into Santa Rita Jail.
Thursday, April 7
- At 1:46 p.m. a man identified by police as Eshawn Harrell, 49, of Berkeley was detained at Milpitas station on suspicion of fare evasion. A record check showed six outstanding warrants totaling $50,000. He was arrested and booked at Santa Clara County Main Jail.
Friday, April 8
- At 1:03 a.m. officers made a welfare check on an unresponsive adult male on a train at Fremont station. He did not appear to be breathing, so an officer administered two doses of NARCAN, the man regained consciousness and became responsive. He was taken to Washington Hospital for evaluation and treatment.
Fremont Police Log
Submitted by Yanneth Contrada, Fremont PD
Wednesday, March 30
Sometime between 6:30 p.m. and 9:40 p.m. someone shattered windows from about three vehicles in the parking lot near Toro Sushi, 43785 Bocell Road and removed items from each vehicle.
Friday, April 1
- At about 5:56 p.m. a male entered the Total Wine & More store, 43484 Boscell Road, a hid more than $6,000 worth of alcohol in his clothing and exited the store without paying.
- At about 9:58 p.m. officers responded to a report about a catalytic converter theft from a vehicle near the area of Espada Court. Officers soon located a vehicle nearby that matched the suspect vehicle description and detained two male occupants. Inside their vehicle, burglary tools typically used in catalytic converter thefts were seen. Both suspects, identified by police as James Brewer, 52, and Antonio Deanda, 44, both of Hayward were arrested.
Saturday, April 2
At 4:55 a.m. someone shattered the front entrance door and ransacked a commercial business at 45461 Industrial Place. More than $3,000 worth of items were taken.
Monday, April 4
- At 12:49 a.m. a male motorist pulled up next to another vehicle in the area of Irvington Avenue and Fremont Boulevard rolled down his window and confronted the occupant in the other vehicle. The occupant pulled out a firearm and fired one shot at the other vehicle. The victim was uninjured and left the area. The case is being investigated as an assault with a deadly weapon.
Hayward Police Log
Submitted by Hayward PD
Tuesday, March 29
- At 1:03 p.m. a victim near the 400 block of Orchard Ave. was approached by an unknown suspect who brandished a firearm and took property from the victim, and then fled the scene on foot.
- At 8:55 p.m. officers responded to a report of a man brandishing a weapon near the 22000 block of Mission Blvd. The suspect initially started to run from arriving officers, but was quickly apprehended and taken into custody.
Wednesday, March 30
- At 12:05 p.m. officers spotted an occupied stolen vehicle parked near the 30000 block of Industrial Parkway, SW. The occupant was taken into custody and the vehicle recovered.
Saturday, April 2
- At 3:04 a.m. officers responded to a report of a shooting near the 2000 block of W. Tennyson Road. Upon arrival, officers located evidence of a shooting. No injuries were reported; an investigation is continuing.
Homicide victim, suspects identified
Submitted by Union City Police Department
Investigators with the Union City Police Department have identified the victim who died March 23 after a fire in a creek area that borders Union City and Fremont. Additionally, they said the death is being investigated as a homicide and that two suspects have been arrested.
Police said the victim, David Madrid, 67, of Union City was found dead near Isherwood Way and Quarry Lakes Drive. The suspects, identified by police as Andrew Dela Cruz, 24, and Jeramie Cosper, 29, were arrested March 31. Police said the suspects were charged with one count of murder and arson.
An investigation is continuing, and police are asking that anyone who has information to call Detective Fong at (510) 675-5259. Tip information can be left anonymously at (510) 675-5207 or online at
Ti**@un*******.org
.
Have unneeded prescription drugs? Here’s where to take them
By Rob Klindt
On Saturday, April 30, numerous police departments and other agencies in the greater East Bay and South Bay areas will be partnering with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on its 22nd National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The event is designed to give the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.
People are encouraged to bring their unneeded medications for disposal to their closest participating agency. Most prescription drugs, including pills and patches are eligible for the event, however needles, sharps and syringes cannot be accepted. The service is free and anonymous, with no questions asked.
In addition, e-cigarette and vaping devices will be collected for safe disposal. The DEA will accept these items from individual consumers only after the batteries are removed from them.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.
More than 4,200 law enforcement agencies across the nation participated in the last Prescription Drug Take Back Day held in October 2021. For more information, visit the DEA National Take Back Day website at www.dea.gov/takebackday.
Here are local agencies where peo
ple can drop off unneeded or expired prescription drugs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 30:
Alameda County Sheriff’s Office
Eden Township Substation
15001 Foothill Blvd. San Leandro
(510) 667-7721
- Fremont Police Department
(In partnership with Fremont Elks Lodge)
Elks Lodge
38991 Farwell Drive, Fremont
(510) 790-6800
- Hayward Police Department
300 W. Winton Ave., Hayward
(510) 293-7000
- Milpitas Police Department
1275 N. Milpitas Blvd., Milpitas
(408) 586-2400
Las Positas College’s Elham Mausumi named Coca-Cola Academic Team Gold Scholar
Submitted by Dionicia Ramos
Las Positas College (LPC) student Elham Mausumi has been named a Coca-Cola Academic Team Gold Scholar and 2022 Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) All-California Award winner.
Mausumi’s selection as a Coca-Cola Gold Scholar was based on scores she earned in the All-USA Academic Team competition, which more than 2,000 applications were received this year. As Gold Scholar, Mausumi will receive a $1,500 scholarship and a commemorative medallion from Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, which sponsors the Coca-Cola Academic Team program, awarding nearly $200,000 in scholarships annually.
Students are nominated for the All-USA Academic Team by their college administrators. Selection is based on academic achievement, leadership and engagement in college and community service.
Mausumi’s distinction as a 2022 PTK All-California Award winner was based on academic performance, leadership and community service. She was among 114 students chosen from California Community Colleges for the All-California Academic First, Second and Third Teams. PTK launched the All-State Academic Team program to provide recognition at the state level for top community college students.
An LPC psychology major with plans to pursue a medical degree in psychiatry, Mausumi hopes to transfer to a four-year university this fall and continue working towards her bachelor’s degree with a minor in public health. During her time at LPC, she has been a member of Psi Beta, Alpha Gamma Sigma (AGS) and Mu Alpha Theta honor societies. She served as the vice president of the Psychology Club and the community service chair of AGS.
Mausumi also volunteered as a crisis counselor for Crisis Text Line and has been an intern at International Bipolar Foundation. She completed numerous honors projects with LPC professors, which led to her Honors Scholar designation.
“Elham Mausumi represents the very best of Las Positas College and this recognition is well deserved,” stated Dr. Dyrell Foster, president of Las Positas College. “We are so proud of Ms. Mausumi’s academic achievements and we celebrate her commitment to community service as part of her student journey.”
A homecoming for new city executive
Submitted by City of San Leandro
Sheila Marquises, a veteran civil engineer who grew up in San Leandro, has been appointed as the city’s new Engineering and Transportation Director.
In an April 1 announcement, city officials noted that Marquises brings two decades of local government experience in California to this executive-level position. She previously worked for the County of Los Angeles, City of Glendale and City of Fremont.
In 2020, Marquises joined the City of San Leandro as a Principal Engineer, managing the functions of the transportation and land development divisions. In her new role, Marquises will be responsible for designing and implementing the city’s Capital Improvement Program, overseeing subdivisions, private development projects, and the safe and efficient movement of people and goods on the city’s transportation network.
Marquises was born in the Philippines, immigrated to the United States at age 8 and settled in the San Leandro with her single working mother. Over time, Marquises resided in four areas of the city and attended Thomas Jefferson Elementary, Bancroft Middle and San Leandro High School. Marquises replaces former Engineering and Transportation Director Keith Cooke who retired in December 2021.
“It is a pleasure to appoint Sheila to the Engineering and Transportation Director role,” said San Leandro City Manager Fran Robustelli. “Sheila is an innovator whose technical skills, empathy, and passion for collaboration are perfect for leading our Engineering and Transportation Department.”
Marquises received her BS degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an MPA from Arkansas State University. She is a licensed professional civil and traffic engineer in California.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to serve my hometown as a director as we commence the celebration of our Sesquicentennial year. I am committed to making San Leandro a better place to live, work, and play today and for the next 150 years,” Marquises said.
Rotary Speech contest
Contestant Natalie Chen won the Rotary Speech Contest Northern Regional.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
News and Notes
I am writing today in regard to your regularly featured column titled, News and Notes From Around the World, submitted by The Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC), which is self-described in your paper as a nonpartisan organization.
AMAC is a vigorously conservative advocacy organization that calls itself, “the conservative alternative to the AARP,” and is supported by the likes of Glenn Beck. They made this quite evident in the Tri City Voice’s April 5 edition of the News and Notes column, when it addressed the right wing’s bogeyman, Critical Race Theory, in one of their stories. Don’t be misled into thinking that AMAC is a nonpartisan organization. It pulls the reader in with its feel good, cutesy stories in order to fool them into thinking they have no political agenda when just the opposite is true.
If the Tri City Voice is going to continue to run this column, then it would be helpful to your readers if you added a disclaimer letting the reader know that AMAC is an organization promoting a politically conservative agenda.
Jacqueline Wise
Fremont
Letter to the Editor
Stop Trampling on the Rights of the Homeless
It was troubling to read Veena Kommu’s article (March 29, 2022) on the City of Fremont’s forced removal of homeless people near the public library, even though the City’s shelters were apparently at capacity. According to the article, the city appears to think that its nuisance ordinance applies to homeless people sleeping on the streets even when no housing or shelter is available to them in the city.
Contrariwise, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled: “an ordinance violates the Eighth Amendment [cruel & unusual punishment] insofar as it imposes criminal sanctions against homeless individuals for sleeping outdoors, on public property, when no alternative shelter is available to them.”
This 2019 decision was made in the case of Martin v. City of Boise 902 F3d 1031, 1036. and it remains in effect within the Ninth Circuit’s jurisdiction, which includes California, after the U.S. Supreme Court, on December 16, 2019, declined to accept the appeal of the City of Boise.
I suggest that rather than trample on the rights and dignity of its homeless residents, the City of Fremont should follow the good example of the County of San Mateo, which recently publicized its intention to end homelessness in the county in the year 2022, as reported on the County’s website and by multiple media.
But wait, maybe there is hope in Fremont because, as reported in Tri-Ci
ty Voice (March 29, 2022), the city has applied for $40.2 million in federal funding for “Homekey” housing for the homeless.
P.S. This editor’s letter is submitted based on my knowledge and experience as a former attorney.
John Michael Kelly
Hayward
Letter to the Editor
Easter Holiday: Resurrection or anastasis of coming back to life after death
Easter isn’t only about egg hunt. Eggs represent new life and rebirth, and it’s thought that this ancient custom became a part of Easter celebrations. So, what is Easter about?
It is about the resurrection of the death, coming back to life after death.
Most historians confirm that a Jew Jesus was crucified and died under Pontius Pilatus. Did he rise from death? If Jesus Christ has not been raised from the dead, Christian belief is in vain and futile. But in fact, Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead.
Were there eyewitnesses?
The resurrected Jesus Christ not only appeared to his twelve apostles, but also to more than five hundred Christian followers. And last but not least to Paul, who had persecuted early believers.
None of the eyewitnesses renounced Jesus’s resurrection; most of them were arrested and killed by Jewish leaders or the Roman Empire. None was willing to renounce that Jesus had risen from the dead. If the resurrection was fabricated, why all his followers would go through horrendous suffering rather than deny it?
What the enemies claimed
Jewish leaders claimed that the body of Jesus was stolen, and put a lot of effort into finding it. Six hundred years later, the Quran was written, claiming, it wasn’t Jesus who was crucified, but somebody else, who looked like Jesus. Another only 200-year-old hypothesis proposes that Jesus did not die on the cross, but merely fell unconscious (“Swooned”). Then, Jesus went to Kashmir / India and is proposed to be buried in Rauza Bal, Khnayr (City of Srinagar). Forensic pathologist Zugibe argued that it was not possible for Jesus to have survived his crucifixion and no drugs or medications of the time would have been able to stop the pain Jesus had experienced or put him into a deep sleep to feign death.
Looking for a place to learn more or to celebrate?
Easter Sunday April 17
8:30 a.m.: Traditional Worship
11:00 a.m.: Praise & Worship
Prince of Peace
38451 Fremont Blvd., Fremont
Hartmut Wiesenthal, Fremont
Homicide Investigation
Submitted by Lt. Paul Kanazeh
On Saturday, April 9th, 2022, at approximately 2:10 AM, Union City Police Department officers were dispatched to the area of Eric Ct and Kenita Way for a report of gunshots. Upon arrival, officers located a single victim with multiple gunshot wounds. Life saving measures were administered. Alameda County Fire/Paramedics arrived shortly after and pronounced the victim deceased. UCPD Detectives responded and are currently investigating this homicide.
Union City Police Detectives are asking anyone who may have been in the area or who witnessed anything to contact Detective Smith at 510-675-5268 or the Union City anonymous tip line at 510-675-5207. Anonymous tips can also be sent to
Ti**@un*******.org
Washington Huskies Boys’ Tennis Senior Night
By Angela Xiong
On Friday, April 8, the Washington High School Huskies (Fremont) played with spirit and sentimentality against the Irvington High School Vikings (Fremont) in their final boys’ varsity tennis game of the season – senior night.
The tennis courts were decorated with colorful posters dedicated to the senior players, celebrating their growth and commitment to the team over the years. As the game began, families and friends gathered eagerly outside the courts, watching the singles and doubles matches progress steadily. While some matches were easygoing, others were extremely fast-paced and physically demanding, consisting of smashes and powerful serves. The Huskies and Vikings played a well-matched and skillfully executed game, ending with a close score of 4-3 respectively.
Facing tremendous success this season with a record of 10-1, the Washington Huskies transformed their intense preparation into victorious results. “Our team preparation has gone very well this season. We have done a lot of drills and team bonding exercises to get ready for this win and I think that the team really deserves it.” Varsity Co-Captain Senior Jackson Tabish said.
Letter to the Editor
Don’t Walk on Auto Mall Pkwy
When I got off the bus after the Auto Mall Pkwy and Fremont Blvd intersection, my heart stopped. Right there at the bus stop, I saw tire tracks leading to a destroyed fence and damaged home. It was apparent that a car had lost control and crashed at the bus stop. If my daughter had been waiting at that same bus stop, distracted on her phone, unaware of an out-of-control car barreling towards, she’d be dead.
Auto Mall Pkwy is dangerous for pedestrians and bus users. I’m not suggesting that we ban pedestrians from Auto Mall, but we do need to rethink how we can reposition bus stops on Auto Mall so we spend less time on the high-speed corridor.
Currently, the option for the 2,700 residents whom live at the motor homes and the apartment complex at the corner of Auto Mall and Grimmer are to walk up to 15 minutes alongside cars speeding over 45 mph on Auto Mall Pkwy to get to what the San Jose Mercury News wrote as “One of ‘America’s Sorriest Bus Stops.” The alternative bus stop is to walk over 15 minutes in the opposite direction, across the 880 highway overpass, towards the Target at Pacific Commons. It’s a suicide for a pedestrian to spend so much time next to high-speed traffic.
If we reposition the bus stops on Auto Mall so that it minimizes the amount of time a pedestrian has to walk on Auto Mall, we could mitigate the risk of their vulnerability to crazy drivers. We should open a new bus stop in front of Unitek College, and reconsider other bus stops along Auto Mall going towards Pacific Commons. Bus stops should be located closer to where people live, work, study and shop.
In 2016, the Fremont City Council had adopted a “Pedestrian Master Plan.” It states that “Fremont is a community that inspires people of all ages and abilities to walk for everyday transportation, recreation and health.” Further, it explains that “…in a quality city, a person should be able to live their entire life without a car and not feel deprived.”
In 2015, the City adopted a “Vision Zero Policy” which promises better facilities for vulnerable users such as pedestrians.
In 2013, the City adopted a “Complete Streets Policy”, which intends to design an integrated transportation network that allows safe and convenient travel for all users.
Fremont, let’s keep those promises. The San Jose Mercury article about the Sorriest Bus Stop in America noted that it had “remained unchanged for four years”. Don’t say that AC Transit needs to take care of this. AC Transit just turns around and says Fremont needs to do sidewalk improvement first. This finger pointing is getting us nowhere. Let’s not wait for a fifth year of no-changes. Let’s not wait until a pedestrian dies of a moto
Maria Caluag
Fremont
Two Suspects Wanted in Arson and Burglary
Submitted by Lt. Ricardo Cortes, Fremont P.D.
On March 23, 2022, at approximately 8:08 p.m., officers were dispatched to the Walmart on Albrae Street for a report of a large fire. The investigation indicates the incident was an arson that was associated with a burglary involving multiple suspects. The Fremont Police Department is requestin
g the public’s assistance in identifying two suspects.
Suspect One: Light skinned male, medium height and build, wearing a black hat with a white symbol on the front, gray hoodie with white drawstrings, jeans, black/red Nike brand athletic shoes, and a black mask.
Suspect Two: Light skinned male, tall with a medium build, unshaven, wearing a black hat with red Republic of California symbol on the front, black sweatshirt over a white collared shirt, black pants and shoes, and a surgical mask. Suspect two was observed starting the fire in the automotive section of the store.
If anyone has information that could help with this investigation, please contact Detective Travis MacDonald at 510-790-6927 or via email
tm********@fr*****.gov
.
We also accept and welcome anonymous tips. To send a web tip, go to https://local.nixle.com/tip/alert/5788118 or text your tip, by typing TIP FREMONTPD followed by your short message to 888777.
IAD041222
CONTINUING EVENTS:
Thursday – Sundays, March 31 – May 29
Visions of Spring
1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Exhibition of National League of American Pen Women (NLAPW)
2400 First St, Livermore
Bankhead Theater Gallery
Free
Friday, March 4 – Saturday, April 16
Painting Through the Pandemic: Artwork as a Relief
Fri – Sat: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Pandemic era art from Sun Gallery members and new artists
Sun Gallery
1015 E St., Hayward
(510) 581-4050
Friday, April 1 – Saturday, April 16
Spring Forward
Thursday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Exhibit showcasing floral artwork
Adobe Art Center
20395 San Miguel Ave, Castro Valley
Saturdays & Sundays, February 12 – April 17
Niles Canyon Railway Train Rides $
Departures from Sunol Depot at 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
$25 for adults
$15for seniors (62+) and children (3-12)
6 Kilkare Rd., Sunol
https://www.ncry.org/
Saturday, March 19 – Saturday, April 23
Fremont Cultural Art Council Juried Photo Exhibit
During library hours
Photos from community members on “Scenes of Fremont”
Fremont Main Library
2400 Stevenson Blvd., Fremont
Exhibit Chairperson Rajeev Shankar: (510) 399-3049
fc***************@gm***.com
https://fremontculturalartscouncil.org/
Saturdays & Sundays, March 26 – May 1
Wildflower Walk
10 a.m.
Enjoy the beauty of spring on this guided stroll
Sunol Visitor Center
1895 Geary Rd., Sunol
Sunday, February 13 – Sunday, April 17
Dove Gallery Annual Juried Art Exhibit
Gallery Open Sundays from 12 noon – 3 p.m.
Artworks of various media and style by 80 artists
Park Victoria Church back parking lot
875 S. Park Victoria Dr., Milpitas
Do**@Pa**********.org
Monday – Saturday, April 1 – 30
The Square Show
11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Group exhibition of 6×6” works
Portola Art Gallery
Allied Arts Guild
75 Arbor Rd., Menlo Park
www.portolaartgallery.com
UPCOMING
Tuesday, April 12
JAZZINATORS
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Enjoy an evening of jazz
Bronco Billy’s
41200 Blacow Rd., Fremont
(510) 438-0121
Wednesday, April 13
Joint Chamber of Commerce Networking Mixer
5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Dublin, Hayward, Livermore, and Pleasanton Chambers meet and greet
Contact Dawn Wilson to register:
da**@pl********.org
5860 Owens Dr., Pleasanton
Members: free
Prospective members: $25
Thursday, April 14
Growing Food the Eco-Friendly Way
5 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Free webinar with helpful gardening tips
Via Zoom: https://bit.ly/3jfYiK1
www.cleanwaterprogram.org
Thursday, April 14
Startup Sales Strategies R
5:30 p.m.
Scott Case, Founding CTO of Priceline, shares his journey
StartupGrind Fremont
To register: https://bit.ly/36UPUx5
https://startupgrind.com/fremont
Thursday, April 14
Advanced Health Care Directive
11 a.m. – 12 noon
Learn about end-of-life decision making, appointing an agent
Age Well Center of South Fremont
47111 Mission Falls Ct., Fremont
Thursday, April 14
Caring for Loved One’s with Parkinson’s Disease R
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 pm.
Family caregiver education series
Age Well Center at Lake Elizabeth
Via Zoom
http://bit.ly/AgeWellClasses
Thursday, April 14- Sunday, April 17
Animal Feeding
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Check for eggs and feed livestock
Ardenwood Historic Farm
34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont
Thursday, April 14, 15 & 17
Patterson House Tours
11:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m.
Tour the Patterson House Museum
Ardenwood Historic Farm
34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont
Thursday, April 14, 15 & 17
Ride the Rails
10:20 a.m. – 2:55 p.m.
Travel back in time on the train
Ardenwood Historic Farm
34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont
Saturday, April 16
Storytime With Aunt Marie
11 a.m.
This week’s book: Spring Stinks! By Ryan T Higgins
Books on B
1014 B St., Hayward
(510) 538-3943
https://www.booksonb.com/event/storefront-storytime-aunt-marie-6
Saturday, April 16
Victorian Tabletop Games
1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Play old fashion games of ball and cup, tops, or Jacob’s Ladder
Ardenwood Historic Farm
34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont
Saturday, April 16
Chickens and Dinos
1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Learn the connection between chickens and dinosaurs
Ardenwood Historic Farm
34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont
Saturday, April 16
Birding for Beginners
9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Learn about the local birds in our regional park
Quarry Lakes
2100 Isherwood Way, Fremont
(510) 544-3220
Saturday, April 16
The Vagabonds $
7:30 p.m.
Jered Freiburg and his 3-piece band celebrate the 50’s and 60’s
Castro Valley Center for the Arts
19501 Redwood Rd., Castro Valley
www.cvartsfoundation.org
Saturday, April 16 – Sunday, April 17
Online Garden Tour
10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Two-day virtual tour featuring native plant gardens
(510) 236-9558
Sunday, April 17
Color Curiosities
10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Learn how animals use color to thrive in the springtime
Coyote Hills Visitor Center
8000 Patterson Ranch Rd., Fremont
Sunday, April 17
Farmyard Story Time
10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Listen to classic barnyard tales
Ardenwood Historic Farm
34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont
Sunday, April 17
Nectar Garden Exploration
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Discover native pollinators and plants
Coyote Hills Visitor Center
8000 Patterson Ranch Rd., Fremont
Sunday April 17
Easter Services
8:30 am: Traditional Easter Worship
11:00 am: Praise & Worship
Prince of Peace Church
38451 Fremont Blvd., Fremont
Monday, April 18
Protecting Your Home Equity R
1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Learn about reverse mortgages and other equity-based loans
Age Well Center at Lake Elizabeth
40086 Paseo Padre Pkwy., Fremont
http://bit.ly/AgewellClasses
Monday, April 18
iPhone Training R
10 a.m. – 12 noon
Learn about the features on your phone
Age Well Center at Lake Elizabeth
40086 Paseo Padre Pkwy., Fremont
Via Zoom
http://bit.ly/AgewellClasses
Tuesday, April 19
Indian Heritage Night at the Tank $
7:30 p.m.
Dancing on ice, henna tattoos, and more!
Sharks vs. Blue Jackets
Buy tickets at www.sjsharks.com/indian
SAP Center
525 W Santa Clara Street, San Jose
Tuesday, April 19
Managing Cash Flow for Business Success R
12 noon – 1:30 p.m.
Online workshop demonstrating spreadsheet techniques
Sponsored by Ohlone College
Free
Tuesday, April 19
IHSS Information Session R
10:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Learn about the In-Home Supportive Services program for aged, blind, and disabled
Via Zoom: https://bit.ly/3NUAFVp
Saturday, April 23
People with Purpose $R
6 p.m.
HERS Breast Cancer Foundation Gala
Dinner, silent auction, fundraising games, music
Casa Bella Event Center
11984 Main St., Sunol
RSVP by April 12
Hersbcf.ejoinme.org/2022PWP
Sunday, April 24
Youthsava 2022 $
9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Dance competition for ages 4-18
ICC Milpitas
525 Los Coches Street, Milpitas
www.indiacc.org/event/youthsava-2022
