The italicized text was submitted as a letter to the editor.
On Monday, Dec 8th, I received a disturbing email from the CEO of Magical Bridge Foundation. She asked me to email or speak in support of a multi-million dollar development proposal at the Newark City Council meeting on Dec 11th. If I supported her side, she would give me my own Magical Bridge medium donor tile, which, she reminded me, was valued at $500-$2,000. This email was sent to an email list of Tri-City residents.
Needless to say, it is unethical and unacceptable for any person or group to try to influence local politics by offering gifts worth $500-$2,000 to local residents. We do not need money influencing our local politics. I hope that the appropriate legal action is taken to censure Magical Bridge.
Yoo-Yoo Yeh
Newark
Tri-City Voice followed up with founder and CEO of Magical Bridge, Olenka Villarreal, who gave insights on the email that had been sent out to about 50 local residents who had supported Magical Bridge in the past or otherwise been involved with the organization and were signed up for the newsletter.
The Dec. 8 email stated, “If [the development is] approved, Newark will not only be beautified with much needed housing, but will receive $6.5M in park in-lieu fees—enough to fully fund a world-class Magical Bridge Playground at a site chosen by the City and the community. Integral [the developer] has pledged to cover our design fees and has shown genuine commitment to supporting families with neurodiverse needs in their housing designs.”
The email further urged, “Please attend the [Dec. 11] Newark City Council meeting in person or email your support for the Mowry Village project and request that its park fees be used to build a Magical Bridge Playground for Newark. Anyone who speaks or emails will receive a complimentary medium donor tile (valued $500–$2,000) inside your future Newark Magical Bridge Playground or another one of our local playgrounds.”
When asked to provide insights, Villarreal said,
“There is no magical bridge destination playground affiliated with Mowry Village directly. We were invited to design in the space that they are doing a pocket park, a small place within the development. However, because of the park in lieu fees that come with a project like this, we learned very early on that there would be a lot of interest in a destination magical bridge.”
When a development doesn’t set aside open space, they are required to pay park in-lieu fees to the city to go toward a park somewhere else.
At the Dec. 11 meeting, Newark City Council voted to approve the Mowry Village development. Although residents didn’t vote on this item, they could provide public comments. Villarreal clarified that the Dec. 8 email was more looking ahead to how the in-lieu park fees could be applied, given that the development was likely to pass, and planning a new park would be a lengthy endeavor.
“It was in no way vote for this or that, it was just letting people know that this was how the money could be applied,” she said. “It was really just a way to encourage the council to apply the funds to the consideration of a destination Magical Bridge.”
All Magical Bridge playgrounds have donor walls, made of tiles naming those who made $300 or larger donations. Tiles can also represent in-kind donations; a public comment supporting a possible Magical Bridge playground would fall into this category.
Magical Bridge playgrounds are more accessible and inclusive than playgrounds with off-the-shelf equipment. There isn’t one in the east bay, so some families travel as far as Santa Clara to visit one.
“We usually have to raise quite a bit of money,” Villarreal said, “so having a project like this present itself with no additional fundraising, really, is very exciting to most of our followers because there’s usually a long process of fundraising involved.”
