Happy New Year! When I took office last year I committed to bringing more resources to the district and breaking down the disconnect between constituents and government. Last year much progress was made on these fronts and I wanted to briefly share some of the details.
In an effort to respond to the many questions about what the county government does, my office held town hall meetings in each of the 5 communities I represent. These town halls were a pleasure to host and I look forward to continuing them in 2012. Visit the District Two website for a listing of current events.
Another priority for my office was to advocate for more funding and parity for District Two needs. Since I’ve been in office, the Board of Supervisors has approved more than $54 million in county funds to more than 60 different programs in District Two. The approved funding went to programs like the Fremont Resource Center, and helped support the Family and Youth Service Hub. It was also used to support Newark’s Ash Street Summer Youth Program which provides daily programming for at-risk children. In Sunol, funds were granted to the Tri-Valley Excavating Company, to construct a floodwall in one of our local flood channels. Funds were also granted to help the New Haven Unified School provide behavioral health services to students. Similarly the funds were used in Hayward at the Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center to provide health education to students and their families at Tennyson High School.
To make government more efficient I pushed for a major effort to help the Social Services Agency become better and more efficient at moving General Assistance recipients to Social Security Insurance. In addition, I worked with my colleagues to close a $138 million funding gap for the current fiscal year partly due to savings from county departments collaborating and working together.
I remain committed to continue to advocate for District Two and prepared to face new challenges in 2012. I wish you all the best wishes for the New Year!
Sincerely,
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The Alameda
County Probation Department is proud to announce the Reading & Homework
Hour at Juvenile Justice Center.
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We invite you to volunteer during the Reading & Homework hour every week, month, or any time available. This volunteer opportunity gives a young person incarcerated in the Juvenile Justice Center, an opportunity to work and build relationships with caring members of the community to improve their academic ability. For one hour every week day, after school, juvenile hall will be open to community volunteers to help young people complete their homework or read with them. One of the greatest needs of our youth is a healthy relationship with a positive adult.
The Reading & Homework Hour will begin in early February. There will be different days and times that will be available. If you are interested in volunteering, please send an email to the Volunteer Coordinator, Trudi-Bryant Williams, at tbryant@acgov.org.
T he Southern
Alameda County Dental Society, a component
of the California and American Dental Associations, will be giving
free state mandated screenings and treatment to local kids in participation
with “Give Kids a Smile” Campaign.
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Members of the
Southern Alameda Dental Society and residents of the Arthur A. Dugoni School of
Dentistry Union City Dental Clinic will be participating on February 4, 2012,
starting at 9 a.m. and continuing until 1 p.m.
Children between the ages of 4 to 14 years old from the south and east Alameda
County cities of Hayward, Union City, Newark, Fremont, Castro Valley, San
Leandro, San Lorenzo and the Tri-Valley will be seen on a first come, first
served basis.
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Alameda Alliance
for Health is offering expanded coverage for glasses and contact lenses to its Alliance CompleteCare Medicare health
plan. This plan serves seniors and persons with
disabilities who are dually eligible for both Medi-Cal and Medicare. The new
benefit is effective January 1, 2012.
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Enrollment for
Alliance CompleteCare is open year round.
Eligible individuals have access to Alliance sales representatives who
can assist with the enrollment form, answer
any questions or schedule an in-home
appointment. Sales representatives speak
Cantonese, Vietnamese, Mandarin, and Spanish.
Additional information on Alliance CompleteCare benefits can be found at
www.alliancecompletecare.org or by calling
1-877-585-7526.
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There are many youth who impress us in so many ways, as well as programs, that provide them with opportunities to overcome, excel, and achieve.
This editions newsletter features the efforts of Joy Njuguna of Hayward.
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You may have read the recent Hayward Daily Review article on Joy and her efforts to collect books for the African Library Project. Joy was born in Kenya and joined her parents in Hayward in 2004. She has collected more than half of the 1,000 books that will eventually end up in Ghana. She hopes to start sorting them in March.
Join our office in supporting Joy Njuguna, in donating books to the African Library Project.
Recommended donations:
- Preschool to eighth grade levels
- Focus on African-American stories or protagonists
- National Geographic
Books that are not desirable include: Religious-themed texts, those dealing with U.S. history, or paperback adult romance novels. They will be donated to a library or thrift store, Joy said.
How to donate to the African Library Project:
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Last
summer, my office encouraged the Youth Employment Program to extend its
services to District Two. The purpose of this youth employment program is
to enhance the well-being and increase the self-sufficiency of transition-age,
at-risk youth. |
Soulciety was identified as a program in Hayward to launch this
effort that has now been extended throughout the school year.
Soulciety is looking for organizations and companies in District
Two who are in need of interns. They are working to provide youth with
after school jobs that will provide them with additional work experience.
Contact Tony Louie at Soulciety, if you are interested in offering a youth and
internship with your company or organization, at (510) 258-1384 or tony@soulciety.org.
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At the beginning of this month many new laws went into
effect. Senate Bill 929 is designed to
increase children’s safety in vehicles by requiring children under 8 years old
to be buckled into a car seat or booster seat.
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Effective January 1, 2012
- Children under age 8 must
be properly buckled into a car seat or booster in the back seat.
- Children age 8 or older
may use the vehicle seat belt if it fits properly with the lap belt low on the hips, touching the upper thighs, and the
shoulder belt crossing the center of the chest. If children are not tall enough
for proper belt fit, they must ride in a booster or car seat.
- Everyone in the car must
be properly buckled up. For each child under 16 who is not properly secured,
parents (if in the car) or drivers can be fined more than $475 and get a point
on their driving records.
If your child isn’t using a booster, try the simple test below the
next time you ride together in the car. You may find that your child is
not yet ready to use a safety belt without a booster.
The 5- Step Test
1. Does the child sit all the way
back against the auto seat?
2. Do the child's knees bend
comfortably at the edge of
the seat?
3. Does the belt cross the
shoulder between the neck and arm?
4. Is the lap belt as low as possible,
touching the thighs?
5. Can the child stay seated like
this for the whole trip?
If you answered "no" to any of these questions, your
child needs a booster seat to make both the shoulder belt and the lap belt fit
right for the best crash protection.
Your child will be more comfortable, too.
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It is never too early to start preparing for tax day, which falls on Tuesday, April 17 this year due to April 15 being a Sunday and the observation of Emancipation Day in the District of Columbia. There are various programs available to assist you in preparing your taxes. |
Earn It! Keep It! Save It! is
a free tax assistance program offered by the United Way to Alameda County
residents who qualify. Trained tax
preparers at more than 200 locations help you prepare your tax
forms. To qualify for free services, your 2011 income must be less
than $50,000. More information about
this program can be found at www.earnitkeepitsaveit.org or
by calling (510) 238-2424.
The City of Fremont Human Services Department and
Fremont Family Resource Center (FRC) also provides free tax preparation assistance to low and
moderate-income taxpayers making $50,000 or less. The FRC Volunteer
Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program will help taxpayers with certain state and
federal tax returns. The FRC VITA
Coordinator can be reached at (510) 574-2020 (press 1 to leave your
information) for more information.
Where: Fremont
Family Resource Center (FRC)
39155 Liberty Street, Building EFGH
Fremont, CA 94538
When: January 25 through April 16, 2012
Mondays & Wednesdays - 4 to 8 p.m.
Fridays - 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Additional VITA days: Thursdays:
February 2 & 9, 2012 from 4 to 8 p.m.
Please
note on Monday, February 20 the FRC will be closed for President's Day
On December 20, 2011 the Alameda County Social Services Agency (SSA) and the Department of Children and Family Services announced the release of a new request for proposals (RFP) for the Summer & After-School Youth Employment Services for Alameda County foster youth and at-risk probation youth ages 15 to 18. The deadline for proposals is 2:00 p.m. February 15, 2012. For more information on this RFP click here
Other opportunities to do business with the County can be found on the following pages:
To be listed as a vendor with the County click here. You can also visit http://www.acgov.org/business.htm for links to various business opportunities. There are many opportunities to respond to RFPs and contracting opportunities with the county. It is critical that businesses in District Two have the knowledge and information to take advantage of these opportunities.
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