Spring has arrived and our office would like to celebrate its youthful energy with some exciting upcoming initiatives and events. This month, we'd like to introduce the District 2 Youth Internship Initiative and highlight some upcoming events we have in store.
The Youth Internship Initiative is an initiative we’ve created with the Hayward Adult School to positively impact the disadvantaged youth of Hayward. It is a program where students from Brenkwitz Continuation High School and William P. Burke Academy, who complete the eight-week Raising Leaders in Hayward-Workshop series, will then interview for a paid eight-week internship. Students will compete for one of forty paid internships annually within District 2 non-profit organizations, the City of Hayward and Cal State East Bay. Students will earn fifteen dollars an hour, eight hours per week, for a total of eight weeks. Not only will students gain work experience, they will gain five school credits after completing their internship. Furthermore, students will receive two 31-Day AC Transit Bus Passes to get to and from work and school during their internship along with a hundred-dollar stipend for their professional work attire. Lastly, students will also participate in the Keep Hayward Clean and Green Taskforce, in which they will help with community beautification on a monthly basis.
Through these community based organizations, we will be able to offer a wide variety of services to benefit the disadvantaged youth of Hayward. It is our hope that through the internships, students will not only gain meaningful employment experiences, but also foster valuable networks and mentorships that will open doors to new and better opportunities.
In addition to the Youth Internship Initiative, our office is looking forward to hosting numerous upcoming events in 2019, two of which are the Niles Canyon Stroll & Roll and the Tony Acosta and Arlando Smith's Retirement Luncheon.
The Niles Canyon Stroll & Roll is a popular biennial event where Highway 84 (Niles Canyon Road) is closed to vehicular traffic. This is an opportunity for people to bike and walk safely through the canyon with their friends and family. It will take place this year on Sunday, September 22 from 7am-2pm. Find out more details at https://www.84strollroll.com/.
Lastly, two important Union City public servants are retiring this year. Tony Acosta and Arlando Smith have done tremendous work in uniting the residents of their city. We are proud to commend their years of service at their retirement luncheon on Wednesday, June 5. More information is available on the Save the Date below.
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Union City City Manager Tony Acosta and New Haven Unified Schools Superintendent Arlando Smith have done tremendous work in uniting the residents of their city. Help us bid them a happy retirement on June 5, 2019. Formal invitations and further information to come.
D2 would like to celebrate Ms. Davida Scott and her dedication to improving the lives of at-risk youth. Her passion has led her to create numerous life changing programs and we are proud to work with her on the Youth Internship Initiative.
Ms.Davida Scott is a Teacher at the Hayward Adult School. She has created award winning programs for youth in Hayward.
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Over the last eight years in her career she has created opportunities for youth that have the least amount of resources in their community. Throughout her career, she has been held at gun point twice, had nine students charged with murder, and six students pass away. This motivated Ms.Scott to create Raising Leaders in Hayward-Workshops where students who attend Brenkwitz Continuation High School, William P. Burke Academy, and the Hayward Adult School can attend the eight week series inside chambers at City Hall in Hayward. Students that complete the workshop series can interview for internships through out the City of Hayward and Cal State East Bay.
Ms.Scott was kicked out of Hayward High when she was fifteen years old but that didn't hold her back from seizing opportunities and finding her own path. Her career has come full circle because she is now a teacher serving students who face the same struggles as she did growing up. As Ms. Scott likes to say; “ You see all of my students are diamonds, they are just a little dusty. It is our job as a community to remind them how bright they are! Our students are the definition of resiliency.”
Every year Alameda County departments participate in Alameda County’s Stone Soup Food Drive and Design Competition. This year the Board of Supervisor’s display is made up of nearly 700 cans and depicts an iconic portrait image of John Lennon. Local artist and Alameda County Art Commissioner, Andrew Johnstone worked with D2 to develop the concept for the display, construct it, and painted the image of John Lennon. Our theme is Imagine Vision 2026.
Alameda County embarked on an effort to plot a course that faces forward to promote communities that are vibrant, prosperous, safe, healthy, and inclusive. Vision 2026 renewed the County’s Vision 2016 to anticipate emerging challenges so that local government could lead the way maintaining and enhancing the high quality of life in our communities.
To learn more about this annual drive, visit:
Stone Soup Competition
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Alameda County has launched a new down payment assistance program called AC Boost (funded by Measure A1). The program offers shared appreciation loans of up to $150,000 to first-time homebuyers who live in, work in, or have been displaced from Alameda County. Limited preference for First Responders and Educators (including public school employees and childcare providers). |
Application deadlines apply, so learn more TODAY or submit your pre-application at www.acboost.org or call (510) 500-8840. Applying is free, fast and simple.
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The League of Volunteers is accepting applications for graduating high school seniors living in the Tri-Cities. Available scholarships include: |
Fred Jueneman/Newark Arts Council
- Music - $500 (Note: music scholarship applicants must audition Saturday, May 4 10am)
Dan & Marie Archer Scholarship
- Fine Art - $250
- Photography - $250
Michael Gendreau Community Service Scholarship - $250
Applications are due on Friday, April 19, 2019. To learn more about the scholarships or to download an application, please visit www.lov.org. or pick up an application at our Community Service Center at 8440 Central Ave. Suite A/B, Newark.
 Fire season is coming and the Diablo Fire Safe Council have some tips to mitigate, prevent, and prepare for wildfires. The DFSC in Alameda County serves as a catalyst for bringing together people, agencies and the means to substantially reduce the impact of wildland fire on our communities.
May 4 is Wildfire Community Preparedness Day. Consider participating in this national campaign and work with your neighbors to make May 4 count.
Watch this message by the Oakland Fire Department, Vegetation Management - Vincent Crudele and get inspired to create a project for your own community.
If you and your neighbors have a wildfire prevention project in mind inspired by the May 4 event and need cost-share assistance, contact Diablo Fire Safe Council.
http://www.diablofiresafe.org/pdf/Cost-share_2019-20_application.pdf
Email wildfireprepday@nfpa.org for more information.
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The City is facing an ongoing budget deficit of $3.5 million per year. Increases in contractual services, the rising cost of providing city services and employee pension obligations have all contributed to the budget deficit.
Over the last few years, the City has made significant budget cuts to address the issue. These cuts have placed a serious strain on the City’s ability to maintain city services, including:
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- Significant cuts to enforcement of city code violations that cause neighborhood blight, such as abandoned vehicles, graffiti and illegal garbage;
- Elimination of community policing services that help address systemic crime, such as neighborhood outreach, community-oriented problem solving, homeless encampments abatement;
- Elimination of the School Safety Resource Program in June 2019.
The City Council placed Measure EE on the November 2018 General Election ballot as a long term revenue generating measure that would have addressed this budget deficit. The voters did not approve Measure EE and now the City Council will be hosting a Study Session to consider additional budget cuts in order to balance the budget over the next two years. The public is encouraged to attend:
- What: City Council Study Session on the City Budget
- When: Tuesday, April 23 at 5:00PM
- Where: City Council Chambers
We need the community’s input on which services to cut in order to balance the budget. Take
our survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/unioncitybudget and also attend an important City
Council Study Session mentioned above.
Alameda County and Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley are launching Renew Alameda County, a home improvement loan assistance program designed to allow low-income homeowners to remain safely in their homes by providing rehabilitation and accessibility improvement services and loan financing to cover the associated costs. Renew Alameda Count provides 1% deferred interest loans of up to $150,000 for eligible home improvement projects that maintain the health, safety and liability of an owner-occupied home in Alameda County. Eligible homeowners are those with annual incomes less than 80% of the current Area Median Income ($71,700 for a two-person household). Income limits are adjusted annually by household size. This program is funded by the voter-approved Measure A1 Affordable Housing Bond. To learn more or apply, go to RenewAC.org, or contact Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley at (510) 803-3388 or HomeRepair@HabitatEBSC.org.
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The Alameda Creek Alliance hosts habitat stewardship workdays for volunteers on the 3rd Saturday of each month this winter and spring. You can participate in helping to control invasive plants and keep our watersheds healthy. Visit ACA’s Eventbrite page for more information and register for the events of your interest.
Upcoming ACA stewardship workdays include:
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April 20, 2 – 4 pm: Alameda Creek/Niles Habitat Stewardship, Niles Staging Area, Fremont. Special: Plant Mapping and Monitoring. Calling all botanists and plant enthusiasts! We need your plant ID skills, or your enthusiasm to learn as we map the plants in and around our adopted site in Niles. Your efforts will help inform future stewardship activities in this part of the watershed.
May 18, 10 – 12 pm: Alameda Creek/Niles Habitat Stewardship, Niles Staging Area, Fremont: Invasive plant control: cape ivy, English/Algerian ivy, poison hemlock
Other ongoing habitat stewardship opportunities in and around the Alameda Creek watershed include:
Your participation helps keep our creeks and watersheds healthy for everyone to enjoy and appreciate!
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